高级英语第七课The+Libido+for+The+Ugly.docx

高级英语第七课The+Libido+for+The+Ugly 英语专业同学用书ppt The Libido for The UglyH.L. Mencken Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Teaching Objectives To learn about Henry L. Mencken To learn about the writing technique of description To appreciate the writer’s bombastic style To appreciate the language features Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Henry Louis Mencken Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Henry Louis Mencken(1880 - 1956) His lifeHe spent most of his life in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of German immigrant parents. He completed high school but did not attend university, only graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute at 16. He became a reporter on the Baltimore Morning Herald. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt A few years later, he joined the staff of its rival newspaper, the Baltimore Sun or Evening Sun, first as a reporter, then as its drama critic and editor, a position which he held until 1941. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt – He helped to found and edit two literary magazines which were highly influential among intellectuals.1)The Smart Set 2) The American Mercury Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt He was a central figure in American intellectual life during the 1920s. He launched the most cutting attacks of any writer against Americas middle class culture. He invented the word booboisie, combining the two words bourgeoisie and booby (an awkward, foolish person). Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt In caustic, witty essays, he derided (mocked) the institution which supported the middle class. He enjoyed controversy and tried to arouse his antagonists with his direct and devastating attacks. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt His works– The American Language 1918 – Prejudices (6 vols) 1919--1927 – Happy days – Newspaper Days 1940--1943 autobiography – Heathen Days – 25 Books and thousands of articlesChen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt He was a leading scholar in the field of language. His monumental book The American Language is considered an outstanding work of philology. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt The American Language a) It examined the development of the English language in America, b) It contrasted English and American expressions and usage. c) It explained the origin of many American idioms, d) It traced the influence of immigrant languages on American English. He made a large contribution to the study of language and particularly encouraged scholarly study of the American branch of English.Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Menckens Creeds I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking. I believe that all government is evil, in that all government must necessarily make war upon liberty...Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Menckens Creeds I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect. I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech... I believe in the reality of progress. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Menckens Creeds I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run. I - But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt 1) He hated narrow-minded religion. He believed strongly in intellectual freedom and fought all attempts to censor literature and drama. He felt that the greatest threat of censorship came from the countrys religion fundamentalists, whose opinions were all based on their interpretation of the Bible. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt 2) He hated commercialism. 3) He did not support democracy because he considered the masses too ignorant and greedy to exercise it wisely. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt His Style– He is well-known for his bombastic style and acid tongue. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt His Style He wrote with strong feeling, eager enjoymentand exaggeration. His extravagant use of the language was so amusing and startling that even his most violently critical essays became acceptable to his readers. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt His Style He employed a huge vocabulary and liked to insert unusual or unexpected words, for surprise or comic effect, into otherwise normal sentences. Although his style is occasionally difficult to read, Mencken is still considered one of the best and liveliest essayists of this century. Chen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Bombastic style and acid language –exaggeration –hyperbole –pompous Language--- biting \sharpChen Huanhong 英语专业同学用书ppt Pen。