thesouthernrenaissancewilliamfaulkner

thesouthernrenaissancewilliamfaulkner内容摘要：

he Athens Academy • regarded as an important interpreter of the universal theme of the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself • experimented in the use of streamofconsciousness technique and in the dislocation of narrative time. The Sound and the Fury was published in 1929. Many critics and even Faulkner himself think that it is the best novel that he wrote. Its subject is the downfall of the Compson family, the offspring of the pioneer Jason Lycurgus Compson. The Sound and the Fury Plot: 小说的故事发生在杰弗生镇上的康普生家。 这是一个曾经显赫一时的望族，祖上出过一位州长、一位将军。 家中原来广有田地，黑奴成群，如今只剩下一幢破败的宅子，黑佣人也只剩下老婆婆迪尔西和她的小外孙勒斯特了。 一家之长康普生先生是一九一二年病逝的。 他在世时算是一个律师，但从不见他接洽业务，他整天醉醺醺，唠唠叨叨地发些愤世嫉俗的空论，把悲观的情绪传染给大儿子昆丁。 康普生太太自私冷酷，无病呻吟，总感到自己受气吃亏，实际上是她在拖累、折磨全家人。 她时时不忘南方大家闰秀的身分，以致她仅仅成了一种“身分”的化身，而完全不具有作为母亲与妻子应有的温情。 家中没有一个人能从她那里得到爱与温暖。 女儿凯蒂可以说是全书的中心，虽然没有以她的观点为中心的单独的一章，但书中一切人物的所作所为都与她息息相关。 物极必反，从古板高傲、规矩极多的旧世家里偏偏会出现浪荡的子女。 凯蒂从“南方淑女”的规约下冲出来，走过了头，成了一个轻佻放荡的女子。 她与男子幽会，有了身孕，不得不与另一男子结婚。 婚后丈夫发现隐情，抛弃了她。 她只得把私生女（也叫昆丁）寄养在母亲家，自己到大城市去闯荡。 哥哥昆丁和凯蒂儿时感情很好、作为没落的庄园主阶级的最后一代的代表者，一种没落感始终追随着昆丁。 他极其骄傲，极其敏感，却又极其孱弱（精神上、肉体上都是如此）。 他偏偏又过分重视妹妹的贞操，把它与门第的荣誉甚至自己生与死的问题联系在一起。 凯蒂的遭遇一下子使他失去了精神平衡。 就在妹妹结婚一个多月后，他投河自尽了。 对昆丁来说，“未来”是看不见的，“现在”则是模糊不清的一片混饨，只有“过去”才是真实清晰的。 昆丁本也想与妹妹“一起进地狱”，因为只有这样才可以与蔑视、鄙视他们的世界隔绝开来。 这一点既然办不到，他只得采用结束自己生命的办法，免得自己看到事态朝他不喜欢的方向发展。 表面上他是为妹妹而死，实际上则是为家庭的没有前途而亡。 • 这部小说以美国南方没落庄园主康普生一家人的经历为主线，写出了存在于他们中间的混乱思想、沉沦道德。 老康普生游手好闲、恋酒贪杯、而他的妻子则冷酷无情。 长子昆丁是个守旧者；妹妹凯蒂风流成性；次子杰森冷酷贪婪；三子班吉是个白痴。 故事通过老康普生一家人的内心独白，围绕着凯蒂的堕落展开情节，最后则以黑人女佣迪尔西的话总结全书：“如果你还算是人的话，你也只是个冷酷无情的人，杰森。 ” Character List: Jason Compson III The head of the Compson household until his death from alcoholism in 1912. Mr. Compson is the father of Quentin, Caddy, Jason IV, and Benjy, and the husband of Caroline. Caroline Compson The selfpitying and selfabsorbed wife of Mr. Compson and mother of the f o u r C o m p s o n c h i l d r e n . C a r o l i n e‘ s hypochondria（ 忧郁症 ） preoccupies her and contributes to her inability to care properly for her children. Quentin Compson The oldest of the Compson children and the narrator of the novel39。 s second chapter. A sensitive and intelligent boy, Quentin is preoccupied with his love for his sister Caddy and his notion of the Compson family39。 s honor. He mits suicide by drowning himself just before the end of his first year at Harvard. Caddy Compson The second oldest of the Compson children and the only daughter. Actually named Candace, Caddy is very close to her brother Quentin. She bees promiscuous, gets pregnant out of wedlock, and eventually marries and divorces Herbert Head in 1910. Jason Compson IV The second youngest of the Compson children and the narrator of the novel39。 s third chapter. Jason is meanspirited, petty, and very cynical. Benjy Compson The youngest of the Compson children and narrator of the novel39。 s first chapter. Born Maury Compson, his name is changed to Benjamin in 1900, when he is discovered to be severely mentally retarded. Narrative: stream of consciousness The first three chapters of the novel consist of the convoluted thoughts, voices, and memories of the three Compson brothers, captured on three different days. Benjy, a severely retarded thirtythreeyear。