《美国文学选读》(第3版)索尔

第24单元索尔?贝娄

24.1复习笔记

I.Introduction to author（作者简介）

1.Life（生平）

Saul Bellow was about the best-known writer of his generation.He was born into a Russian Jewish family in Canada,he grew up in Chicago.His first book, Dangling Man,was published in1944,and for over a half a century,he wrote a good number of novels,short stories and plays,and won a good number of awards. His career reached its exciting climax in1976when he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature.

索尔·贝娄(1915—2005)是当代美国最著名的小说家。他出生于加拿大一个俄国犹太移民家庭。他在芝加哥长大。他的第一部小说《摇来晃去的人》发表于1944年。在接下来的半个多世纪，他创作了大量的长篇小说、短篇小说和剧本，赢得了众多的奖项。1976年他的创作事业到达巅峰，他同时被授予普利策奖和诺贝尔文学奖。

2.His Themes（主题）

Saul Bellow’s basic themes are essentially Three-fold:first,he views contemporary society as a threat to human life and human integrity.Then living in such an environment,people tend to become paranoid,high-strung,and impotent, and so lose their sanity.Finally,there is the quest motif,a quest for truth and values,

difficult,excruciating,but successful in a way.

索尔·贝娄的主题主要是如下三方面：首先，他认为当代社会对人们的生活和独立人格是个威胁。因此，生活在这种环境中，人们容易偏执多疑、精神紧张、虚弱无能以至失去理智。最后，他的作品中总会有追寻真理及价值观的主题，追寻的过程是困难的、痛苦的，但最终结果却是成功的。

3.Major works（主要作品）

Dangling Man(1944)《晃来晃去的人》

The Victim(1947)《受害者》

The Adventures of Augie March(1953)《奥吉·马奇历险记》

Seize the Day(1956)《只争朝夕》

Henderson the Rain King(1959)《雨王汉德森》

Herzog(1964)《赫尔索格》

The Last Analysis(1965)《最后的分析》

Mosby’s Memoirs(1968)《莫斯比的回忆》

Mr.Sammler’s Planet(1970)《塞姆勒先生的行星》

Humboldt’s Gift(1975)《洪堡的礼物》

The Dean’s December(1982)《院长的十二月》

More Die of Heartbreak(1987)《更多人死于悲痛》

The Bellarosa Connection(1989)《贝拉罗莎暗道》

A Theft(1989)《偷窃》

Something to Remember Me(1991)《以此记住我》

Ⅱ.Selected works（选读作品）

◆Looking for Mr.Green《寻找格林先生》

Looking for Mr.Green is Bellow’s representative short story.The quotation at the very beginning of the story points out the story’s theme—“Whatever thy hand findeth to do,do it with thy might…”In the story,the protagonist Grebe goes through many difficulties and hardships to find the man who should get the check. Bellow thought that although people cannot change his fate,he can surpass the alienated environment by some way with his humanity.Grebe’s endeavor to find Mr.Green shows his rich humanity and his strong will and firm resolve to search for identity and surpass the alienation.At the same time,Bellow shows great sympathy for the lower class,especially those blacks.

《寻找格林先生》是贝娄的一篇代表性短篇小说。篇首引语点明了文章的主题——“凡你当做的事，要尽力去做……”故事中，主人公格利伯不畏困难，竭尽全力去寻找应领取救济支票的格林先生。贝娄认为，尽管人不能改变自己的幸运，但凭着他的人性，他能以某种方式超越异化的环境。格利伯寻找格林的努力显示了他丰富的人性以及他寻找自我、超越异化的强烈愿望和坚定意志。同时，贝娄对下层人，尤其是黑人表示了深切的同情。

24.2课后习题详解

1.Each of the characters in the story—Grebe,Raynor,the janitor,Staika,the Italian grocer.Field—either explicitly or implicitly embodies a certain attitude toward life.

Can you identify or characterize these attitudes?

Key:The characters in the story represent different attitudes towards life.Grebe,a hard-working man,succumbs to his hard life,and goes through it with his serious and earnest attitude.Although his work is uneasy to do,he tries his best to accomplish it.He takes hard life and work for granted.Raynor is the chief supervisor of Grebe,who lives a comfortable life free from coldness and hunger. He looks down on Grebe for his low income and his idealism.He does not take his work seriously as Grebe does.He is the representative of the easy official class. The janitor shows indifference to Grebe’s questions and is a little hostile to him. Staika is a poor mother,and she has to ask for more money for their electric bills. In order to get what she wants,she goes to the government to create disturbance. She loses her dignity because of poverty.The Italian grocer complains much about his living surroundings and current situation.He is very pessimistic about life and he thinks that life has fallen into pieces and nothing is complete.Field shows great dignity before poverty and depression.He has his own ideal dreams about life and future,though it is not practical at all.

2.Why does it become increasingly important to Grebe that there is“a real Mr. Green”?

Key:Because that Grebe hopes his labor would be worthwhile rather than empty. He is very responsible for his work and he wants to accomplish it perfectly with no error.He cares about the poor very much and he really wants to help those

who need help.If there is a real Mr.Green,his work will be done with a real sense.

3.What are we to make of the story’s conclusion?Is it optimistic,pessimistic,or simply ambivalent and inclusive?

Key:In fact,the ending of the story is an open one,and it is neither optimistic nor pessimistic.Perhaps,we’d rather like this one.Because that the fact is that Grebe is not sure whether the woman is Mrs.Green or not.He gives it to her,and he hopes that she is,so do us readers.If she is,Grebe is very lucky that he accomplishes his work with no error,and if she is not,Grebe will also be happy that he helps another black.

24.3考研真题与典型题详解

I.Fill in the blank.

Seize the Day was written by______.（大连外国语学院2008研）

【答案】Saul Bellow

【解析】索尔·贝娄，美国作家，1976年荣获诺贝尔文学奖，瑞典皇家学会授奖时特别提及他的小说《只争朝夕》(Seize the Day)，认为是现代典型作品之一。

Ⅱ.Multiple Choice

1.Which of the following is NOT a southern writer in the USA?

A.Saul Bellow

B.Tennessee Williams

C.Eudora Welty

D.Flannery O’Connor

【答案】A

【解析】索尔·贝娄是著名的犹太作家，他出生于加拿大，在芝加哥长大，因而不是南方作家。

2.Which of the following is NOT a Jewish Nobel Prize writer?

A.Saul Bellow

B.Joseph Brodsky

C.Isaac Bashevis Singer

D.Ralph Waldo Ellison

【答案】D

【解析】索尔·贝娄、艾萨克·巴什维斯·辛格和约瑟夫·布罗茨基均为著名的美国犹太作家，曾获得诺贝尔文学奖。拉尔夫?华尔多?埃利森为非裔美国作家，其代表作为《看不到的人》(Invisible Man)。

Ⅲ.Short answer question

Comment briefly on Saul Bellow’s themes.

Key:Saul Bellow’s basic themes are essentially three-folded:First,he views contemporary society as a threat to human life and human integrity.Modern civilization tends to dehumanize,making people lose their distinction and turning