8.Edwin-Arlington-Robinson汇总

EdwinArlingtonRobinson(1869-1935)•Robinsonisthefirstimportantpoetofthetwentiethcentury•Poetoftransition•PulitzerPrizewinnerforthreetimes•EdwinArlingtonRobinsonwasbornonDecember22,1869,inHeadTide,Maine(thesameyearasW.B.Yeats).HisfamilymovedtoGardiner,Maine,in1870,whichrenamedTilburyTown,becamethebackdropformanyofRobinson'spoems.•Robinsondescribedhischildhoodasstarkandunhappy.•BornandraisedinMainetoawealthyfamily,hewastheyoungestofthreesonsandnotgroomedtotakeoverthefamilybusiness.Instead,hepursuedpoetrysincechildhood,joiningthelocalpoetrysocietyasitsyoungestmember.•HeattendedHarvard,buthispersonallifewassoonbesetbyachainoftragediesthatarereflectedinhiswork.Hisfatherdied,thefamilywentbankrupt,oneofhisbrothersbecameamorphineaddict,andhismothercontractedandeventuallydiedfromblackdiphtheria.•RobinsonspenttwoyearsstudiedatHarvardUniversityasaspecialstudentandhisfirstpoemswerepublishedintheHarvardAdvocate.•Robinsonprivatelyprintedandreleasedhisfirstvolumeofpoetry,TheTorrentandtheNightBefore,in1896athisownexpense.•Shortlyafter,hemetawoman,EmmaShepherd,withwhomhefelldeeplyinlove,buthewasalsoconvincedthatmarriageandfamilialresponsibilitieswouldhinderhisworkasapoet,soheintroducedhertohiseldestbrother,whomarriedher.•Unabletomakealivingbywriting,hegotajobasaninspectorfortheNewYorkCitysubwaysystem.In1902hepublishedCaptainCraigandOtherPoems.•ThisworkreceivedlittleattentionuntilPresidentTheodoreRooseveltwroteamagazinearticlepraisingitandRobinson.•RooseveltalsoofferedRobinsonasinecureinaU.S.CustomsHouse,ajobheheldfrom1905to1910.•Robinsondedicatedhisnextwork,TheTownDowntheRiver(1910),toRoosevelt.•Robinson'sfirstmajorsuccesswasTheManAgainsttheSky(1916).•Forthelasttwenty-fiveyearsofhislife,RobinsonspenthissummersattheMacDowellColonyofartistsandmusiciansinPeterborough,NewHampshire.•Robinsonnevermarriedandledanotoriouslysolitarylifestyle.•In1922,RobinsonreceivedthePulitzerPrizeforPoetryforhisCollectedPoems.Hewonitagainin1925forTheManWhoDiedTwiceandin1928forTristram,thethirdpartofhistrilogy.•HediedinNewYorkCityonApril6,1935.Works•TheTorrentandtheNightBefore1896•TheTownDowntheRiver1910•TheManAgainsttheSky1916•TheThreeTaverns1920•“RichardCory”•“MiniverCheevy”•“Mr.Flood’sParty”Twophases:•Before1916,famousforpoemsdescribingNewEnglandlandscapeandcustoms,whichareclearinimages,andfullofcolloquialflavor.•After1916,RobinsonturnedtolegendofKingArthursoastosatirizephilosophicallythecorruptedwesterncivilization.Hispoemsbecamegrave,forcefulandobscure.Thefeaturesofhispoems:•Robinsonisagainstmaterialism,andcriticizesseverelythemodernvulgarityandvanity.•Hecaresforpersonalcommunication,andprobeintopsychologicallonelinessandtheeverlastingstrugglebetweenfreewillandcoldfate.•Hispoemsarehighlyironical.•AlthoughRobinson’sunderstandingofmoderncivilizationislesspenetratingthanYeats,EliotandPound,notasdaringasthemintechnique,andalsolackofbreadthanddepthinthoughtsandfeelings,heisuniqueinhisownstyle.Evaluation•Robinsonisapeoplepoet,writingalmostexclusivelyaboutindividualsorindividualrelationshipsratherthanonmorecommonthemesofthenineteenthcentury.•Heexhibitsacuriousmixtureofironyandcompassiontowardhissubjects--mostofwhomarefailures--thatallowshimtobecalledaromanticexistentialist.Heisatrueprecursortothemodernistmovementinpoetry.•Robinsonisfamousforhisuseofthesonnetandthedramaticmonologue.•Manyofhispoemsareonindividualsandindividualrelationships;mostoftheseindividualsarefailures.•Heistraditionalintheuseofmeter;manyofhislongerworksareinblankverse.•NopoeteverunderstoodlonelinessorseparatenessbetterthanRobinsonorknewtheself-consumingfurnacethatthebraincanbecomeinisolation,thesuicidalhellishnessofit,doomedasitistofeedonitselfinanswerlessfrustration,fatedtothisconditionbytheaccidentofhumanbirth,whichcarrieswithitthehungerforcertaintyandtheintolerableloadofpersonalrecollections.•TheearlytwentiethcenturysawAmericanpoetryexperimentingwithnewformsandcontent.Hewasnotedformasteryofconventionalforms.•Helovedthetraditionalsonnetandquatrainandtheoftenusedtheold-fashionedlanguageofromanticpoetry.Buthispoetryoftenfocusedonthemodernproblems.•Robinson’spoetryincludessuchtypicalelementsascharacterization,indirectandallusivenarration,contemporarysetting,psychologicalrealismandinterestinexploringthetanglesofhumanfeelingsandrelationships,andexpressingthemodernfearsanduncertaintyinhisownera.RichardCory•AsRichardCoryisonlysixteenlines,wescarceneedberemindedatthebeginningthatbecauseofitscompactnesseachwordbecomesinfinitelyimportant.•Whilestanzaoneintroducesthenarrator,moreimportantlyitemphasizeshislimitedviewofRichardCory.LineoneintroducesustoCorywhilelinetwoestablishesthatthenarratorhasonlyanexternalviewofCory.Fromthisviewpoint,then,thenarratorproceedstomakeanassortmentoflimitedvaluejudgments.•RichardCoryresemblesaking(crown,imperiallyslim,andricherthanaking);obviouslythespeaker’simagery(aswellasmovementinsoletocrown)revealhisconcernswithCorystatusandwealth(furtheremphasizedbyglittered).CharlesMorrisnotesthespeaker’suseofAnglicism(pavement,soletocrown,schooled,andinfine)picturesCorya