英語小說賞析

1. 用英語寫一篇外國文學作品賞析，800字左右

最好LZ 要自己花點心思，哪怕參考現成的文章但是加上自己的理解也成，最起碼要挑本自己喜歡的書？

我很喜歡簡愛，所以下面這篇簡愛的賞析供LZ參考。不是我寫的，是外國人寫的。
這書真好^_^

Jane Eyre is the rare book that manages to be good by virtue of ineffable charm alone, despite not having very much going for it in terms of overall plot.
There is something more going on in Jane Eyre than mere charm, true, something authentically powerful--if, as will be see, brief. But the power of Jane Eyre has less to do with the conflict of great forces that typifies great works of literature, and more to do with the subtle irritation of a delayed resolution to its most important episode. Instead of a race between values through the people who represent those values, Jane Eyre tasks us with a race to turn its pages and find out its secrets--still a race, but a race whose victory, barring the boredom of the reader, is assured.

The word "episode" above is a clue to the larger problem. Jane Eyre is a novel built on episodes, loosely tied together by their common, likable and eponymous protagonist. Jane Eyre is an orphan in the care of her brutal relatives, who despise her e to her outspoken character combined with her low social station. They eventually foist her off on the grim boarding school of Lowood.

As a narrator, Jane is ideal: objective enough to provide us with a good account of events, outspoken enough to bump the plot along whenever it needs bumping, and virtuous enough never to frustrate our expectations. Often enough, our viewpoint is hers; only we're not quite so witty and we're without quite so apt an eye for injustice--again making Jane, in page-after-page of her revelations, a delight to read. The novel's rhetoric is also inventive, accomplishing its routine narrative tasks via devices more elaborate than are probably necessary, yet with something fresh about each.

Jane's attempt to chide herself into abandoning her interest in her brooding employer, Edward Rochester, takes the form of a contest between two mental pictures, and the inevitable attempt by Rochester to coax out Jane's feelings involves an elaborate and well-detailed ruse involving disguises and a gypsy fortuneteller. The book, and its narrator, both definitely have charm: we like Jane, we like what she says, and we want to see what she will say next.
What We Like About Jane Eyre

Where we like Jane the most is in the book's principal episode, which involves Jane working as a governess for a young charge of dark, Byronic Rochester amidst the mysteries of his dark, Byronic estate Thornfield--all revealed, of course, after many dark, Byronic outbursts of extreme sentiments that Charlotte Bronte probably enjoyed writing very much. And, Rochester is actually enjoyable: a match for Jane in terms of wit, impressive in his authority, and sympathetic in his vulnerability. He's likable enough, in fact, that once Jane begins to speculate on the possibility of becoming closer still to her employer, we realize that we like the idea of these two becoming a pair. Suddenly, the story floods with tension. We're no longer reading just because we happen to like Jane, but because we're invested in a likable outcome.
More: we're invested in a likable outcome that seems increasingly threatened by Rochester's secrets. Bronte hints at these with the facility of a mystery novelist: she knows the ideal times to drop a scream from the walls or a mysterious guest from the past into our laps. In her continued ability to strain, felicitously, at the bounds of rhetoric, she raises the novel to a level no mystery writer usually wants to attempt.

And the conclusion, when it finally hits, is worth the wait--not only raising the level of tension and rhetoric, but also the thematic level of the book as well. The Rochester episode is the story that everyone remembers from Jane Eyre, and the one part of the book that deserves to be called truly great.

But then there's the rest of the book, which isn't great; it's just there. Jane's school is infested with typhus, Jane meets her long-lost cousin, Jane is tempted to run off and become a missionary: really, how does this stack up to Thornfield? And why does it need to be there at all, other than filling in a necessary gap in time before Rochester can come storming back in on his black horse (figuratively, of course, considering certain events in the plot) and make the story interesting again?

It needs to be there, one might think, because the story isn't about Rochester and Jane; it's about Jane--which would be true. But, if the story is about Jane alone, relegating Rochester to a brief but important incident in Jane's life, then it's not a great story. With her her likable, narratorial qualities, Jane may be a great narrator, but she makes an extremely lousy dynamic character, even if she is involved in a typhus scare.

Jane is objective, outspoken, and virtuous throughout, which means she's not particularly susceptible to temptations (except those Rochester provides). That means that Rochester is crucial to the real, emotional conflict of the book--crucial to the power of the book. The rest is just Jane being Jane, which may be fun to read, but it doesn't intersect with any real threat, any real conflict of values that lends a great book its electric charge.

So what the novel has to its name is rhetorical brilliance, a good episode that doesn't take up nearly a large enough percentage of the page count, and a lot of needless distractions.
There are great books that are structurally unbalanced, even structurally deranged, Don Quixote being maybe the prime example, but even Don Quixote is unusually good about keeping its Quixote chapters strictly separate from its "filler" chapters, allowing the knight to remain his untarnished self throughout its plot, and throughout our memories.

Whereas Bronte, in taking as her narrative logic an episodic structure united by an ideal protagonist, gives her book a larger measure of consistency at the expense of diluting its overall strength. Thus Jane Eyre remains a beautiful sandcastle while it's being experienced, but not one of which much (save its brief heart) remains after the tides of time and memory crash down over its Thornfieldean parapets.

2. 英語文學賞析

The Lorelei
by Heinrich Heine

I know not whence it rises, This thought so full of woe; --- But a tale of the times departed Haunts me --- and will not go.
The air is cool, and it darkens, And calmly flows the Rhine; The mountain peaks are sparkling In the sunny evening-shine.
And yonder sits a maiden, The fairest of the fair; With gold is her garment glittering, And she combs her golden hair.
With a golden comb she combs it, And a wild song singeth she, That melts the heart with a wondrous And powerful melody.
The boatman feels his bosom With a nameless longing move; He sees not the gulfs before him, His gaze is fixed above.
Till over boat and boatman The Rhine's deep waters run; And this with her magic singing The Lore-Lei hath done !

羅蕾萊
亨利希•海涅

不知道什麼緣故， 我是這樣的悲哀，一個古代的童話，我總是不能忘懷。
天色晚，空氣清涼， 萊茵河靜靜地流， 落日的光輝 照耀著山頭。
那最美麗的少女 坐在上邊，神采煥發，金黃的首飾閃爍， 她梳理金黃的頭發。
她用金黃的梳子梳，還唱著一支歌曲，這歌曲的聲調， 有迷人的魅力。
小船上的船夫，感到狂想的痛苦；他不看水裡的暗礁，卻只是仰望高處。
我知道，最後波浪 吞沒了船夫和小船；羅累萊用她的歌唱 造下了這場災難。
背景知識
羅蕾萊（德語：Loreley或Lorelei）是一座萊茵河中游東岸高132米的礁石，坐落在德國萊茵蘭-普法爾茨州境內。

羅蕾萊礁石處的萊茵河深25米，卻只有113米寬，是萊茵河最深和最窄的河段，險峻的山岩和湍急的河流曾使得很多船隻在這里發生事故遇難，如今仍有信號燈指引過往船隻注意安全。關於羅蕾萊最出名的傳說是，在羅蕾萊礁石上坐著一個名叫羅蕾萊的女人，她用一把金色的木梳梳理著她的金色長發，過往萊茵河的船員被她美妙的歌聲所吸引，因為沒有注意到危險的湍流和險峻的礁石，而不幸與船隻一起沉入河底。
德國著名的浪漫主義詩人海因里希•海涅在1824年創作了敘事詩「羅蕾萊」（德語：Die Lore-Ley），1837年德國作曲家弗里德里希•西爾歇爾（Friedrich Silcher，1789年6月27日—1860年8月26日）為這首詩歌譜曲，從而成為一首世代相傳的德國民歌。海涅這首傷感的抒情詩在19世紀成為了德國民歌，它在德國是如此的膾炙人口，以至於德意志第三帝國時期，雖然海涅是猶太人，他的作品都被納粹禁止和燒毀，但唯獨這首「羅蕾萊之歌」仍被保留，只不過作者被改成了「匿名」

詩人簡介
亨利希•海涅 (或海因里希•海涅 Heinrich Heine, 1797-1856)

德國革命民主主義詩人。1797年12月13日出生於杜塞爾多夫一個猶太商人家庭。父親薩姆蓀•海涅經營呢絨生意失敗，家道中落；母親貝蒂•海涅是一位醫生的女兒，生性賢淑，富有教養，喜好文藝。在她的影響下，詩人早早地產生了對文學的興趣，十五歲還在念中學時就寫了第一首詩，可是他卻不得不遵從父命走上經商的道路，十八歲時去法蘭克福的一家銀行當見習生，第二年又轉到他叔父所羅門•海涅在漢堡開的銀行里繼續實習。在富有的叔父家中，海涅不僅嘗到了寄人籬下的滋味(《屈辱府邸》一詩便反映他當時的經歷)，更飽受戀愛和失戀的痛苦折磨，因為他竟不顧門第懸殊，痴心地愛上了堂妹阿瑪莉——一位他在詩里形容的「笑臉迎人，胸存詭詐」的嬌小姐。1819年，因為前一年在叔父資助下興辦的哈利•海涅紡織品公司經營失敗，同時在杜塞爾多夫做生意的父親也破了產。年輕的海涅完全失去了經商的興趣和勇氣，遂接受叔父的建議進入波恩大學學習法律，准備將來做一名律師，然而從小愛好文藝的他無心研究法學，卻常去聽奧古斯特•威廉•施勒格爾的文學課，並經常與之來往，因而受浪漫派的影響。接下來他又到哥廷根大學和柏林大學學習。在柏林時他聽過黑格爾的哲學課程，結識了浪漫派作家沙米索、富凱等，並積極參加爭取猶太人解放的工作。 1825年獲法學博士學位。 在1821至1830年期間，海涅曾到德國各地和波蘭、英國、義大利旅行。1822年出版第一部「詩集」，次年又出版「悲劇—抒情插曲」。1827年他把早期抒情詩匯集在一起出版，題名「歌集」，引起轟動，奠定了他在文壇上的地位。這期間，他還創作了「哈爾茨山游記」等散文作品，也引起巨大反響。海涅這個時期的抒情詩和游記，大多抒寫他個人的經歷、感受、憧憬，感情真摯，語言優美，具有明顯的浪漫 主義色彩。 1830年法國爆發七月革命，海涅深受鼓舞，決定前往巴黎。在這兒他結識了大仲馬、貝朗瑞、喬治•桑、巴爾扎克、雨果等作家和李斯特、肖邦等音樂家，並與空想主義者聖西門的信徒交往，也受到這方面的影響。這時期他寫了「論德國宗教和的歷史」（1835）和「論浪漫派」（1836）兩本著作。為了和激進派詩人內容空洞的「傾向詩」進行斗爭，他寫了長詩「阿塔•特羅爾，一個仲夏夜的夢」（1843）。1843年底，海涅和馬克思在巴黎結識。這個時期，他的詩歌創作達到了新的高峰，他發表了「新詩集」（1844），其中包括一部分以「時代的詩」命名的政治詩，和長詩「德國，一個冬天的童話」（1844）。這些詩歌在思想內容和藝術兩方面都取得很高的成就，成為1848年革命前夕時代的最強音。
海涅在1848年革命失敗後，忍受癱瘓的痛苦，在「床褥墓穴」用口授方式創作了許多優秀詩篇，其中包括「羅曼采羅」（1851）、「1853至1854年詩集」和一些遺詩。這些中雖有悲憤憂郁之作，但大多數仍充滿戰斗的豪情、對祖國和人類的未來具有堅定的信心。1856年2月17日，海涅在巴黎逝世，葬於蒙馬特公墓。在巴黎這個革命中心和國際文化大都會，海涅結識了巴爾扎克、仲馬、維克多•雨果和喬治•桑等法國大作家，以及肖邦、李斯特、柏遼茲等著名的音樂家和藝術家，經常有機會參加各種文藝聚會，觀看演出和參觀美術展覽，過著緊張而充實的生活，眼界進一步地開闊了，思想也進一步地活躍起來。在隨後的十多年裡，他雖也繼續詩歌創作，但更多的時間和精力卻用於為德國國內的報刊撰寫通訊和時事評論，及時而又如實地報道法國和巴黎的各方面情況，想讓法蘭西革命的燦爛陽光去驅散籠罩著封建分裂的德意志帝國的濃濃黑暗，讓資產階級進步意識形態的熏風去沖淡彌漫在那兒的陳腐之氣，於是產生了《法蘭西現狀》、《論法國畫家》、《論法國戲劇》以及《路台齊亞》等一大批報道和文論。與此同時，他也向法國讀者介紹德國的宗教、歷史、文化、哲學以及社會政治現狀，寫成了《論浪漫派》、《德國宗教和哲學的歷史》等重要論著，幫助法國人民對德國精神生活的方方面面產生比較深刻的認識。這樣，海涅便開始了他寫作生涯更緊密地聯系現實和富有革命精神的第三個階段。在這個階段，除去時評和文論，海涅還發表了小說《施納波勒沃普斯基回憶錄》、《佛羅倫薩之夜》和《巴哈拉赫的法學教師》。只可惜這些作品全都是一些片斷，而詩歌創作也幾乎陷於停頓。這大概是因為時事過於動盪，詩人已無法靜下心來從事純文學的創作，拿德國著名的馬克思主義文學批評家弗朗茨•梅林的話來說就是：「海涅在三十年代極其嚴肅地對待他的『使徒的職責』和『護民官』的任務，因而他的詩歌創作就退居相當次要的地位了。」這意味著，海涅把自己革命戰士的職責看得比他詩人的成就和榮譽還重，然而也多虧如此，他才得以充分展示在游記作品裡已初露鋒芒的社會觀察家和批評家的才華，讓後世能一睹其博大深邃的思想家和英勇善戰、堅強不屈的戰士的風采。一八四四年，海涅在巴黎遇見馬克思，與這位比自己年輕的革命家及其周圍的同志結下了親密的友誼，受到了他們的共產主義理想的影響。這一年十一月，詩人在流亡十三年後第一次短時間回祖國探望母親，心情異常激動，以致一到邊界心臟就「跳動得更加強烈，淚水也開始往下滴」。待到發現德國封建、落後的狀況依舊，詩人更加悲憤難抑，於是懷著沉痛的心情寫成了長詩《德國，一個冬天的童話》。在詩里，他不僅痛斥和鞭笞形形色色的反動勢力，而且發出了「要在大地上建立起天上的王國」的號召。這部作品與合在一起出版的《新詩集》，也和前面提到的那些時評和文論一樣，都具有緊密聯系社會現實、有力針砭時弊和富有革命精神的特點。也就難怪恩格斯會興奮地宣告「德國當代最傑出的詩人亨利希•海涅也參加了我們的隊伍」，公開承認了他乃是一名革命戰士。進入十九世紀四十年代，特別是在《德國，一個冬天的童話》寫作成功以後，海涅的詩歌之泉在乾涸了近十年後又迅速而激越地流淌、噴湧起來，從而開始了他文學生涯的第四個階段。在這個階段，他寫了大量如投槍匕首般鋒利尖銳的「時事詩」，如被譽為「德國工人階級的馬賽曲」的《西里西亞的紡織工人》等等，對各式各樣的反動勢力進行無情的揭露和諷刺。也就是說，與早年的抒情詩相比，詩人這時的作品已發生了質的變化，不再是抒發個人喜怒哀樂的低吟淺唱，而成了戰場上震撼心魄的鼓角和吶喊。可惜的是，在一八四八年法國爆發二月革命，整個歐洲都掀起了革命高潮之際，海涅的詩歌創作又中斷了一兩年。原因是詩人在年前罹患脊髓癆，到一八四八年已經卧床不起，正苦苦地與死亡進行著抗爭。進入十九世紀五十年代以後病情稍有緩和，海涅在創作「時事詩」的同時，也寫了不少音調沉鬱、憤世嫉俗的抒情詩，哀嘆自身不幸的命運和遭遇。他身為猶太人而傾向進步和革命，因而長期受到德國政府的迫害。自一八三五年起，他的作品就列入了德國官方的查禁名單，且高踞榜首，新作更難在國內出版，稿費來源幾近枯竭。與此同時，叔父所羅門•海涅對他的接濟也早已斷絕，在流亡中的詩人經濟十分拮據，不得已而領取了法國政府發給的救濟金。這事在一八四八年被國內的論敵知道了，海涅因此遭到惡毒攻擊，再加上生活艱苦辛勞等原因，致使他患的脊髓癆進一步惡化。一八五一年，在妻子瑪蒂爾德陪同下，海涅好不容易支撐著病體，最後一次外出參觀了盧浮宮博物館，從此以後便長年地痛苦掙扎在他所謂的「床褥墓穴」中。可是盡管如此，詩人仍然像一位臨死仍堅持戰斗的戰士一樣堅持寫作，直至一八五六年二月十七日在巴黎逝世，葬於蒙馬特公墓。他在逝世前一年為自己的散文集《路台齊亞》法文版撰寫的那篇序言，表明這位戰士詩人至死不悔，始終忠於自己的共產主義的信念和革命理想。