OHenry and His Writing Style.docx
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OHenry and His Writing Style.docx
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OHenryandHisWritingStyle
欧亨利和他的写作风格
O.HenryandHisWritingStyle
Contents
Abstract……………………………………………………………………...1
Keywords…………………………………………………………………....1
I.Introduction…………………….…………………………………….....2
II.O.Henry,MouthpieceoftheLowerPeople…………………………….2
1.Sympathyforthepoorpeople……………………………………….........2
2.Reflectionontheordinarypeople…………………….………………….3
III.TheCharacteristicsofHisWriting……………………………………5
1.Surprisingending…………………….………….……………………...5
2.Thevividnessofdetails…………………………………………………..6
3.Coincidence………………….……..…...……………………….........7
4.Humorandirony……………..………....………………………........8
5.Brilliantuseoflanguage………..……..…………………………........9
IV.ShortCriticalCommentsonO.Henry'sWritingStyle……………...9
V.Conclusion………………………………….…………….……………..10
References……………..………………………..………………………….11
O.HenryandHisWritingStyle
Abstract:
O.HenrywasadistinguishedAmericanstorywriter.Hewrotemorethan300shortstoriesinhislife,andallofhisstorieswereingeniouslyconceived,withtheendingsalwayscontrarytoreader'sexpectations,yetnotbeyondreason,forbothwaysconformwelltothelogicoflife.Actually,hisstylehadagreatinfluenceonmodernAmericanfiction,especiallystoriesprintedinmagazines.Therefore,somecriticscalledhim"thefounderofAmericanstories".Beinggiftedwithhumorandakeenawarenessofdetails,heobjectivelyshowsuswhatAmericalookslike.AllhisstoriesputtogetherconstituteatruepanoramaofAmericanlife,orassomeonesaid,"theencyclopediaofAmericanlife."
Keywords:
shortstory;writingstyle
摘要:
欧·亨利原名威廉·西德尼·波特(WilliamSydneyPorter),是美国最著名的短篇小说家之一,他一生中写了三百多部小说,曾被评论界誉为曼哈顿桂冠散文作家和美国现代短篇小说之父。
他善于描写美国社会尤其是纽约百姓的生活。
从艺术手法上看,欧.亨利善于捕捉生活中令人啼笑皆非而富于哲理的戏剧性场景,用漫画般的笔触勾勒出人物的特点。
作品情节的发展较快,在结尾时突然出现一个意料不到的结局,使读者惊愕之余,不能不承认故事合情合理,进而赞叹作者构思的巧妙,被誉为“美国生活的百科全书”。
关键词:
短篇小说;写作风格
I.Introduction
O.HenryoriginallynamedWilliamSydneyPorterisadynamicauthorandindividualwhoestablishedhimselfamongsignificantAmericanauthorsbyemergingfromatroubledpast,creatingavastuniquecollectionofshortstories,andthroughthelastingpopularitythatheearned.Mostofhis200shortstoriesfolloweda"patternofcharacter,plot,structure,andsetting,"oftenculminatingwithanO.Henrytwist.Thiscontinuityallowedhimtogarnerconsiderablefame,addedtobythepersistentuseofidealisticandromanticizedthemes.WilliamSaroyanstated,"ThepeopleofAmericaloveO.Henry...Hewasanobody,buthewasanobodywhowasalsoasomebody,everybody'ssomebody".UnderestimatingtheimportanceofPorter'sbackgroundwouldbedoinginjusticetohisworkandthetruenatureoftheauthor.Current-Garciasupportsthisviewinsaying,"Thelandscapesofhisstorieswerevastlyenrichedbyhisuniquelifeexperiences,bothasaconvictedcriminalwholearnedtowriteshortstorieswhileinjailand,later,asaliterarycelebrityinNewYorkCity".WilliamSydneyPorterhasdeservinglymeritedhisstatureamongthegreatestAmericanauthors.StephenLeacockepitomizesthispointinsayingthat"thewholeEnglish-speakingworldwillrecognizeinoneofhisgreatestmastersofmodernliterature".
II.O.Henry,MouthpieceoftheLowerPeople
1.Sympathyforthepoorpeople
O.HenrywroteaboutthelifeofordinarypeopleinNewYorkCity.Heismouthpieceofthelowerpeople.Manyofhisstoriesshowsympathyforthelowerpeople,suchasTheVoiceoftheCityandTheFourMillion.Theseworkssympathizewiththeyoungpoorcouple,withthedownandouter,thedrifter,orthealien,withhissympathyasthemainfeatureofhisworksandisaprojectionofhispersonalloneliness.O.Henry’soriginalfeelingforthepoorpeoplehasagreatdealtodowithhisownexperiencefulloffrustration.
O.Henryhadasadexperienceinhisearlyyears.Hismotherdiedwhenhewasthreeyearsold,thenhewasbroughtupbyhisaunt,andvirtuallybecameanorphan.Heworkedinhisuncle’sdrugstorewithlittleschooling.In1887,O.HenryfellinlovewithagirlcalledAtholEstes,butherfamilydidn’tagreetothemarriageoftheyoungcouple.Asaresult,thetwoyoungpeoplehadnochoicebuttorunawaytogether.In1897,O.HenrywaschargedwithembezzlementoffundsfromtheAustin,Texasbank.Toavoidbeingarrested,hefledtoNewOrleansandHonduras.Hiswifebecameillduringhisabsence,sohehadtocomebacksecretly.Onetroublefollowedanother.Hewasheart-brokenwithgriefforhiswife’sdeath.FinallyhewasarrestedandsentencedtofiveyearsintheOhioPentitentiary.Inprisonhethoughtofhisownmiseryandhumiliation,alsothelowerpeople’slivesaroundhim.Hewasdeterminedtowritediligentlywithhispenasamouthpieceofthepoorpeople.
Ashisexperienceshows,themajoritypeoplemeetinhisdailylifearethoseinthelowerclassofthesocietysuchasclerks,policemen,andwaitresses.HeopensTheFourMillionbyobservingthat"Someoneinventedtheassertionthattherewereonly'FourHundred'peopleinNewYorkCitywhowerereallyworthnoticing.Butawisermanhasarisen—thecensustaker—andhislargerestimateofhumaninteresthasbeenpreferredinmarkingoutthefieldoftheselittlestoriesoftheFourMillion".Butjustbecausehisobservationforthepoorandtheordinarypeoplemadehimthemostfamousauthorinhistimesandthisiswhyhistwistendingcangainthesympathyandthetearsofsomanyreaders.Theyarethestoriesoffourmillionpeople,butnotthestoriesoffourhundredpeople.
Inshort,withoutO.Henry’smiserableexperience,therewouldnotbehisdeepsympathyforthelowerpeopleinhisstoriesandhewouldnotformhisownwritingstyle.
2.Reflectionontheordinarypeople
InmanyofO.Henry’sshortstories,hewroteaboutthelivesoftheordinarypeopleinNewYork,aswellasintheotherplaces.
O.Henrywasveryfamiliarwithcommonpeople'slifestyle.Hedriftedthroughseveraloccupations:
abookkeeper,adrugstoreclerk,aTexasRanger,anaccountant,adraftsman,abanktellerandanewspapercolumnist.Hehimselfhadexperiencedmanyfailuresandfrustrations,suchashiswife'sdeath,somefinancialfailuresinearlyliteraryventuresandthefailureofhisownhumorousweeklyTheRollingStone.Hewasevenindictedonachargeofembezzlingfundsandwasthrownintoprison.Hecouldturnoutmanystoriesbasedonhisownlife,andhehimselfmightbetheprototypeofmanyofhischaracters.Inaddition,O.HenryusedtowanderaboutNewYorkCity,driftingintoconversationswithstrangersonthestreetsorintheparks,observingwithanacuteeyeandear,sightsandsounds,nuancesofsounds,nuancesofdayoronWallStreet.Heknewordinarypeoplesowellandthewayherepresentstheminhisstoriesgivesthereaderstheimpressionthattheymeetthesecharacterseveryday.Theyhavenotanystrikingcharacteristics,notwouldtheybeeasytofindinalargemultitudeofpeople.Infact,everyoneofthemwasasordinaryasagrainofsand,andtheonlywordthatcouldbeusedtodescribethemis"common".
O.Henry'sstorieswerewrittentohelppeopleescapefromtheireverydayproblems.Theauthorhadbeenaskilledstorytellersincehewasateenager.Heusedtoentertainpeopleinhisuncle'sdrugstoreandontheTexasranchwherehelivedasayoungman.Hewantedhisstoriestobeentertainingandenjoyable.Toachievethis,heuseslivelydialogue,vividandquicklydrawndescriptions,humor,irony,chancehappenings,andsurpriseendings.
In1908criticHenryJamesFormanwrotethat"Notalentcouldbemoreoriginalormoredelightful.Thecombinationoftechnicalexcellencewithwhimsical,sparklingwit,abundanthumorandafertileinventionissorarethatthereaderiscontentwithoutcomparisons."
E.HudsonLongwhowritesthebookO.Henry,theManandHisWorkoncesaid"Povertyissoterribleandsocommon,weshouldalldomorethanwedo--muchmore--torelieveit."TherecanbenodoubtaboutO.Henry’ssinceresympathyforthosewhoneededhelp,butwereunabletohelpthemselves.StorieslikeBrickdustRowandAnUnfinishedStorycausedTheodoreRoosevelttosay,"ItwasO.Henrywhostartedmeonmycampaignforofficegirls."Becauseofthisinterestintheunfortunate,especiallythevictimsofenvironment,thestoriesofO.Henrytakeonsociologicalimport.Hepresentedtheshopgirl,thederelict,thewomanofthestreet,thegangster,againstthebackgroundthatproducedthem.Heknewthatenvironmentcouldcausetragedy,andherealizedtheinjusticeofasystemwhichwouldpermitanemployertopayaclerkonlysixdollarsaweek.BrickdustRowdepictsthedamagingeffectsonthelivesofthosewhosesurroundingsareinadequateandsqualid.TheGuiltyPartyattemptstoshowthatslumchildren,forcedtoplayinthestreets,aredefeatedinlifebeforetheystart.
Itwasonbehalfoftheshopgirl,however,thatO.Henryfinallydippedhispeninacid.AnUnfinishedStoryendswiththeauthor,atthebarofjudgment,beingaskedifhebelongswithacertaingroup:
"Whoarethey?
"ajournalistasked."Why,"saidhe,"theyarethemenwhohiredworking-girls,andpaidmefiveorsixdollarsaweektoliveon.Areyouoneofthebunch?
""Notonyourimmortality,"saidjournalist."I'monlythefellowthatsetfiretoanorphanasylum,andmurderedablindmanforhispennies".
SoO.HenryhasbeenrecognizedamongthegreatestAmericanauthors.Notonlybecauseofhisremarkablelifestorybutalsohisgoodattitudetowardslife.
III.TheCharacteristicsofHisWriting
O.Henry'sstorieshadmanyrecognizableelements,someofwhichbecamedistinctlyhisown.Someofthesewere"poor,working-classcharacters,ahumoroustone,realisticdetail,andasurpriseending".Hewassoadaptandskill
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