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1、愛倫坡運(yùn)用恐怖取娛 【關(guān)鍵詞】愛倫?坡恐怖娛樂 1. Introduction Edgar Allan Poe is a famous poet, short story writer and literary critic of America. His short story is Gothic, which is horror. Most of his works convey the supernatural horror, mysterious death, brutal crime and desolate fate. He proposes the theory of ar

2、t for art, and the purpose of his writing is just for entertainment not for truth of something. So, most of his stories have no themes. But his creations of stories are the reflection of himself. He uses the horror in his works to get psychological balance, to relieve his feeling and entertain(enter

3、tain himself and readers). This thesis intends to explore ways in which Edgar Allan Poe uses horror to entertain in his stories. 2. Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe 2.1 Allan Poe’s Lifetime Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 in a family of wandering theater playe

4、rs. Less than two years old, Poe’s father left the family for some reasons, leaving his mother and other two children, and his mother died of tuberculosis the following year. At that time, Poe was no more than three years old. Then, John Allan who was a tobacco export trader in Richmond adopted Poe.

5、 His childhood was not a good memory to him, although he had studied for five years in England and was given a fine elementary education. In 1826, he entered the university of Virginia where he studied well and made excellent marks, but he contracted large debts by drinking and gambling that his ste

6、pfather Allan refused to pay. As a result he had to terminate his university career less than one year, and this also made his breaking off relations with John Allan, henceforth beginning his drift life. After that, in order to make living, Allan Poe enlisted in the army in May 1827, where he stayed

7、 for two years. Next he went to the West Point Academy, taking one year’s course, but he didn’t get accustomed to its serious life and eventually was discharged. From then on, Allan Poe formally began his literary career, running in Richmond, New York and some other places, publishing poems on perio

8、dicals and once taking as an editor with lowest pay just enough for living. Poe’s first love ended with the girl’s father’s intervention. Later, in 1835, Allan Poe married his cousin Virginia, who was only thirteen, but Poe was 27 years old. It’s Poe’s prime time of his life and literary career dur

9、ing twelve years after their marriage. During that time, for having a warm family, he could make full energy write and received a lot. Most of his important works were produced at this time. He still assumed several periodical’s editorial works. However, it was not a long time that his 25-year old w

10、ife’s death gave Poe a big strike in spirit. Because of grief at his wife’s death, he had no mood and energy to write. So in the following two years, he just corrected one novel he had written five years ago except for few poems and the same fate on his poor love affairs. On October 3,1849, Poe died

11、 of congestion of the brain on a Baltimore street, ending his hard life. 2.2 Allan Poe’s Works During Allan Poe’s lifetime, he has contributed many poems, novels and literary critics to us. His literary creation begins with writing poems. In all he writes more than 50 poems, and most of them are p

12、opular, like Raven, To Helen, Annabel Lee, and The City in the Sea, Israel. As a poet Poe thinks that poetry should appeal only to the sense of beauty, not truth, and sets himself against realistic details in poetry. He makes good use of a number of poetic devices to create a mood appropriate to the

13、 theme of his poems.1 Another great contribution to American literature is his short stories. He writes 70 stories of which about 20 are famous in the world. Poe’s short stories can be divided into two categories: tales of grotesque and arabesque. The representatives of his gothic novels are The Fal

14、l of the House of Usher, The Black Cat, The Pit and Pendulum, The Cask of Amontillado, and Logier. The representatives of latter are Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget, The Purloined Letter, The Gold Bug and It’s You. As the first major American critic, Poe stresses the value of a

15、rt, form and unity that plays a vital part in the development of the analytical approach, a method typical of modern criticism. These works have great effect on American and the whole world’s literature. 3. The Source of Allan Poe’s Creation in Novels 3.1 America in the 19th Century Allan Poe was

16、 born in the 19th century. At that time, America had succeeded in liberty. During the growing of national culture, the new works of the native writers had being come up. Though these works imitated the English literature in technique of expression they manifested their own distinctive national featu

17、re. After a period’s ferment of national literature, it’s come up to the prime time in the first half of the 19th century, forming Romantic Movement. American national literature used vivid manifestation to express the bourgeoisie’s ideal and compassion in its rising time in content, and was freed f

18、rom old pattern in colonial time, all of which made American national literature use romantic creational method. In addition, European literature was in the prime time of romanticism at that time, and affected American literature. So it’s naturally came to the trend of Romanticism. And Super-Empiric

19、ism was born at that time; its central idea was that human beings could directly get to know truth by surpass his sensation and reason. It stressed the subjective initiation of human beings and provided ideological base to romanticism. It was the liberation movement of ideology that came up as the d

20、evelopment of capitalism and there’s another aspect of literature in this time, which was abolishing slavery literature. 3.2 The Character of Poe The whole life of Allan Poe is hard. When he was young, he lost his parents’ love(both farther and mother’s), of which the fate deprived from the very b

21、eginning. And then John Allan, a rich merchant, adopted him. Although he accepted some education, he couldn’t get the real love from them. He was sensitive and so he didn’t get along well with his stepfather. The failure of family love made Poe feel depressed of the future, and soon addicted to drin

22、king, gambling and dragging, all of which made Poe’s break off relationship with Allan. So since then, Poe had to make living for newspaper and magazine editorial work and just could eat his own bread. Poe was quick in brilliant mind; the depression of life and thought may to some extent stimulate h

23、is inspiration of literary creation. In his later life, his young wife’s death undoubtfully gives a big strike to him. He couldn’t face and endure this fact to him. And the effect of the abnormal society makes him write and drink to express his sorrow and depression. Once he said that his enemies ow

24、e his insane to drinking, not drinking to insane. Before his death, he mentioned:“I was never really insane, except on occasions when my heart was touched.”2 Poe’s life is filled with horrible crime and madness, he gets some psychological balance by writing, so to a great extent, many of his works a

25、re the reflection of Poe’s real life. In the late of the 18th century, someone has created the horrible novel, but Allan Poe’s abnormal character made this type of work to its prime time. The contradiction in his heart reflected its basic character at that time. He realized the breakage between the“

26、new” world and the“old” world. America has being freed from economic politics, ideology and literature. He was infatuated with past and sensitive to the new. He said high to noble politics, but doubted demo criticism, defending slavery system but deeply against the development of commercial economy.

27、 He meant to find his own place in traditional society, while it pushed him to his opposition, intensifying his loneness. The breakage of his personal hope enabled him to know the life and society more clearly. He doubted the American dream long ago, and predicted many“nightmares” of the contemporar

28、y time in 20th century. 4. The Characteristics of Allan Poe’s Short Story 4.1 Poe’s Theory on Short Story Allan Poe has written seventy short stories in his lifetime and about twenty of which are famous in world literature, making great contribution to American literature. Poe’s short stories can

29、 be generally divided into two kinds: gothic novel and detective novel. It is considered that Poe is a pioneer in the development of American short stories, though Washington Irving writes short story earlier than him for Poe is the first to treat it as an independent literary form and poses short s

30、tory’s creating theory. He insists that the writer must determine the effect that he wishes to produce first and then deliberately chooses incidents to assist in the creation of such an effect.3 All of Poe’s novels embody this“effect” theory he has posed. In each work, he requires each plot; sentenc

31、e even every word to contribute to exaggerate the special atmosphere that he schemes in advance. 4.2 The Gothic Novel 4.2.1 The Origin of Gothic Novel The word“ Goth” dates from the name of gothic tribe in the Teutonic nation, which formerly settles in northern Europe after several centuries’ mig

32、ration and has finally conquered the powerful Western Roman Empire in 5th century A.D. The strong gothic people are the main force against Roman in the battle. However, like many other nations conquered by advanced civilization in the history, the Goths has also rapidly being assimilated and losing

33、its own nationality. After about in 7th century A.D., the Goths, as a nation, has disappeared in history. But because they are brave and skillful in the battle, the traumas and the hateful and horrible perplexed mind in southern European’s heart are not die out. After more than one thousand years of

34、 the extinction of Western Roman Empire, the Italian Vasari finds out the word“ Goth” to address the middle century’s architectural style, which the Renaissance thinkers dislike. This kind of architectural style prevails in Europe from 12th century to 16th century, which mainly used for building the

35、 church and the castle. The architecture usually has a high pinnacle, a thick and heavy cliff, narrow windows, tinged glasses, gloomy indoors, the ghastly tunnel and even the basement hiding corpse and so on, which in those Renaissance thinkers’ eyes, represents backwardness, brutality and darkness.

36、 This kind of architecture just replaces the symbol of so–called the Dark Ages of the old Roman’s glorious civilization. So, the name of that“brutal”,“cruel”, and“blood-thirsty” tribe, which ruins the old Roman, is most suitable for this kind of architectural style. And then, in the effect of the Re

37、naissance thinkers, the word“Goth” has many meanings, such as brutal, horrible, mysterious. Until the late 18th century,“Goth” has become the name of the new form of novel. This sort of novel usually sets in old castles, ruins and the wilds. The stories usually happen in the past, especially in the

38、Middle Ages. The plots are filled with horror and stimulation, murder, violence, revenge, adultery. The ghost usually appears in the story or other super natural phenomenon explained only by the illusion and fantasy. From the beginning to end, the atmosphere in the novel is gloomy, mysterious and ho

39、rrible, and filled with suspense. The main characters in the story are usually Scoundrels, owing castle or abbey, with noble but unclear birth. Usually there is a dark and gloomy cellar in the castle or abbey, where hides ulterior secrets, with occasional mysterious and horrible things’ happening, t

40、hese scoundrels often seek, detain even persecute a young, tender but weak girl who will terrified at the castle or abbess, and be tortured or frightened by them in attempting to escape. Then, these Scoundrels’ hypocritical masks are gradually exposed. With the combination of the victim and other ju

41、st powers, these Scoundrels are eventually defeated. The gothic novel first appeared in the year 1764. The babble and the Christianity legend are the important sources of gothic novel. The most outstanding, universal and lasting theme in the gothic novel is the perpetual conflicts between good and e

42、vil. As a form of novel, the gothic novel has not only established its place in England but also influenced other countries, especially America. The famous and non-famous writers are passionate for writing this sort of novel, and make it be the main stream in literature. In the late 18th and early 1

43、9th, the romanticism becomes the mainstream of literature and the gothic novel also comes to its most prime time. To some extent, all the romanticists are the Realistic traitors. But mainstream romanticism literature’s core is to idealize while the gothic novel not. Although in the gothic novel here

44、 are some idealistic figures and it also indirectly expresses the ideal values, it has always been focus on exposing evil and darkness. Thus, the gothic novel is a special romanticism literary faction, which called“Dark Romanticism” by commentators. The so-called“dark” is mainly manifested in two as

45、pects: Of the plot, it strongly exaggerates violence and terror; In theme ideology, not like general romantic works positively express their ideals with emphasis on the social, political and moral values, but through exposing social、 political、 religious and ethical evil, the dark sides of humanity

46、the gothic novel carries out more thorough exploration, especially moral exploration. Allan Poe’s gothic novels are even more accurate- called psychological gothic novels, because he usually puts the creation of his characters to his creational environment, focusing on how the psychological and ment

47、al activities presented delicately and precisely. And Poe uses the special power of horror to break up the incrustation made by the society, to free people from bondage of worldly concept so as to go into people’s deep soul to reveal their most secret inner hearts, unfolding the most original requir

48、ements and instinct or exposing the evil things which he isn’t willing or dare to face. Allan Poe has written so many excellent works by using his rich imagination and exploring his deep soul. 4.2.2 The Feature of Gothic Novel The gothic novel is considered to be Poe’s most important work. This ki

49、nd of work almost describes mysterious death, super-natural horror, which is thrilling and monstrous with gothic legend in writer’s tone. The background is generally gothic, such as decadent castle and mansion church basement or family tomb that is filled with skeleton and tomb-like new house. There

50、 are just one or two main characters, but they are learned and versatile rich and elegant in noble family, while at the same time decadent and declining and with the disease that can’t be cured. All shroud in the shade of death with no escape. All the stories repeat the theme of grim insaneness and

51、difficult position. Beauty makes reader shroud in the gloomy horrible atmosphere while reading. Just as Poe emphasizes the“l(fā)udicrous heightened into the grotesque—the fearful colored into the horrible: the witty exaggerated into burlesque: the singular wrought out into the strange and mystical.”4 4

52、.3 The Feature of Detective Novel Allan Poe just writes five detective novels, but he is considered the father of the western short stories. These works have apparently affected the development of western detective novels’ skill. The hero or heroin in the stories owns exceeding intelligence to obse

53、rve invisible things in order to set off his super-power. There comes a friend who admires him greatly to recount his deeds, and a comparison with a stupid but kind-hearted detective. The place is usually arranged in a dark room locked closely, using unexpected methods to conceal the evidence of a c

54、riminal booty. The process of solving a case is using inference by compacting logic and placing oneself in others’ position, then forcing the criminal to commit the crime in good order, and eventually the main character prides him on explaining the whole accident. This is the pattern of Poe’s detect

55、ive novel, which owes not only inference but also horror. 5. The Way to Entertain 5.1 Use of Horror to Entertain We know that Allan Poe’s life is bumpy and hard. He is very sensitive to everything. He is abnormal and insane and indulged in writing and drinking to get balanced and entertain. He ad

56、vocates“art for art”,“the aim of all the arts is just for entertainment, not truth.”5 He thinks that the artist should arrange thrilling, horrible and strong feeling of effect and receives a kind of effect. Besides, he also poses that the short stories should be short, they are better to be finished

57、 reading within half an hour at most a quarter to an hour. Poe’s inner heart world is insane and mad, and so the words in his stories are also horrible, thrilling and mysterious. In his novels, he does use these horrors to express himself to get balanced to entertain. 5.2 The Way to Entertain in Go

58、thic Novel 5.2.1 The Fall of the House of Usher The novel The Fall of the House of Usher is regarded as one of the world’s most famous short stories. The story described the twin brother and sister of a noble family called the Usher lived in their old gloomy house that made someone feel stuffy. Th

59、e sister Madeline had long-continued illness, and her brother Roderick Usher had been baffled with nameless horror. When Madeline was seriously ill, Roderick invited“me” to company with him to expel his gloomy mood. For unexplained ill psychology, the brother buried his sister before she was eventua

60、lly died. In a wet and windy night, Madeline came out of the coffin and dragged her brother, perished together. The moment the friend“I” escaped from the house, the house of Usher also collapsed in the rain. The effect the author expected apparently is“horror”. In the beginning of the story, the des

61、cription of“a dull, dark and soundless day.”“The clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens.”“A singularly dreary tract of country.”“ The melancholy house of usher.”“bleak walls, vacant eye-like windows, a few rank sedges, and a few white trunks of decayed trees.”6 that successfully arranged tense

62、atmosphere to let people feel worried, settling“gloomy” tone for the story. As the plot went on, the atmosphere was becoming more and more tense. The twin brother and sister, one of whose body was being decayed, while the other’s spirit being broken up. Both of them were compared with the fall of th

63、e old house. The story narrates“I” gradually realized the horror of host of the old house’s fatal death. Brother Roderick is Poe-like hero. He profoundly knows that he is losing ration. He invites his friend“me” to company with him, observing his terrible process of the breaking up of this ration. H

64、e clearly tells to me:“I shall perish”,“I must perish in this deplorable folly.”7 He is so over sensitive that he becomes perplexed and uneasy. His whole heart is bounded by“evil”—everything that he is worried about and doubts, including personal plight, sister’s death and the destitution of his fam

65、ily. Roderick makes sad music, draws terrible fancy picture, reads ghost story book, pacing up and down, with gleam less eyes and trembling voice. When the story comes to the climax, just as Roderick reading:“madman! I tell you that she now stands without the door!”“ There did stand the lofty and en

66、shrouded figure of the lady Madeline of usher. There was blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of some bitter struggle upon every potion of her emaciated frame. For a moment she remained trembling and reeling to and fro upon the threshold----then, with a low moaning cry, fell heavily inward upon the person of her brother, and in her horrible and now final death-agonies, born him to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had dreaded