The Libido for the Ugly 讲义.ppt

The Libido for the Ugly(爱丑之欲),Henry Louis Mencken,7,.,Outline of Class Teaching,An introduction to Henry Louis Mencken His early life and career His writing style His contributions to American language Reading theory on “Description”,.,Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956),The 1st American to be widely read as a critic (批评家),James Lowell (詹姆斯洛威尔),Edgar Allan Poe (埃德加爱伦坡 ),.,Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956),Born in Baltimore Privately educated there Graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute,.,Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956),Became a reporter on Baltimore Herald Joined Sunpaper Edited Smart Set Edited American Mercury,.,H. L. Menckens Great Concerns,He was a central figure in American intellectual life in the 1920s. He launched the most cutting attacks against Americas middle class culture. In his witty and satirical essays, he mocked the institution which supported the middle class. He enjoyed, met and challenged his antagonists with his direct and devastating attacks.,.,He hated narrowed-minded religions and strongly supported intellectual freedom. He fought with every effort to maintain the independence of literature. He felt the greatest threat of literature was the countrys prevailing religion “fundamentalism”, the opinions of which were based on the literary interpretation of the Bible.,H. L. Menkens Great Concerns,.,He hated commercialism and did not supported democracy, because he believed the majority of American population were too ignorant and greedy to exert “democracy” wisely.,H. L. Menkens Great Concerns,.,Menckens Writing Style,“I opened A Book of Prejudices and began to read. I was jarred and shocked by the style, the clear, clean, sweeping sentences. Why did he write like that? And how did one write like that? I pictured the man as a raging demon, slashing with his pen. I read on and what amazed me was not what he said, but how on earth anybody had the courage to say itI identified myself with that book.” -----Richard Wright,.,Rip-roaring, witty, humorous, ironical, combative, with unrestrained hyperbole, extravagant accentuation, fond of pairing adjectives, playful, comical. Menckens writing is endearing because of its wit, its crisp style, and the obvious delight he takes in it.,Menckens Writing Style,.,No other entertainment gave him greater pleasure than reporting from the conventions; nor did anyone appreciate his efforts more than Mencken himself. One reporter, peering through Menckens window late at night after one rally, recalled watching him at work alone in his hotel room, pounding out copy on a typewriter propped on a desk. He would type a few sentences, read them, slap his thigh, toss his head back, and roar with laughter. Then he would type some more lines, guffaw, and so on until the end of the article. ----Marion Elizabeth Rodgers,Menckens Writing Style,.,Menckens works were received with both delight and horror, depending on the readers point of view. He was highly respected for his literary criticism and he exerted a great influence on American literature.,Menckens Writing Style,.,Menckens Contributions to the American Language,Editor, social critic, and longtime journalist with The Baltimore Sun, Mencken inspired many young writers in the 1920s. And though he died more than half a century ago, his rip-roaring, witty, combative, yet graceful style continues to stir up the animals and attract fresh admirers.,.,H.L. Mencken wrote The American Language An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States This classic was written to clarify the discrepancies between British and American English and to define the distinguishing characteristics of American English. Menckens groundbreaking study was undoubtedly the most scientific linguistic work on the American language to date and continues to serve as a definitive resource in the field.,Menckens Contributions to the American Language,.,Reading Theory on “Description”,What is a description? What does the writer do in a description? What kind of words are preferred in a description? What is the order of organization for a description?,.,What is a description?,Description conveys the sensations, emotions and impressions that affect a writer experiencing a person, place, object or idea.,.,What does the writer do in a description?,The writer describes what he sees, hears, smells, feels, or tastes, and it often includes his emotional reactions to the physical sensations of the experience. In description, a writer paints verbal picture of a place, object or a person,.,What kind of words are preferred in a description?,In order to enable his reader to perceive the reality of the original, he produces an image and evokes that reality essentially by specific and concrete words that appeal to the readers sense of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch.,.,What is the order of organization for a description?,Description is usually organized and developed by space order. The writer may select a fixed posit。