As a teacher and writer of long experience, I hope that I am being fair in thinking myself qualified to address you on the subject of literary analysis. Over the years, I have read many (though not all) of the major writers. In fact, at this point in history – and flying in the face of the popular notion that mass media is reducing us all to a common mediocrity – the truth is that more literature, including even poetry, is being produced worldwide. There is simply no shortage of it, and many artists of formidable ability go unnoticed. Sometimes I find – or am led – to one of these splendid artists and the pleasure plus the insights into the human condition I get are astounding. To make a study of such literature old and new, past and present, is to make a study of life itself.
作為(wei) 一名經驗豐(feng) 富的教師和作家，我認為(wei) 自己有資格就文學賞析essay的寫(xie) 作給你們(men) 一些建議。多年來，我閱讀了許多（盡管不是全部）的主流作家的作品。事實上，如今——雖然大眾(zhong) 媒體(ti) 正在使我們(men) 所有人的品味都趨於(yu) 平庸——全世界正在產(chan) 生更多的文學作品，包括詩歌。真相是，我們(men) 不乏文學作品，甚至許多實力強大的藝術家都被忽視了。有時我會(hui) 主動——或被引導著——找到這些出色的文學家之一。我從(cong) 這些作品中獲得的樂(le) 趣以及對人性的洞察是非常讓人震驚的。研究這些新的，舊的，過去的和現在的文學，就是研究生活本身。
First, a word about the kind of writing which at the moment is not prerequisite to our young students but which will become more and more important as they go up the education ladder. And that is what is known as ‘Academic Writing.’ It is far more rigid and demanding than basic expository and narrative writing, which is what we are concentrating on now. It requires a great deal of secondary (second source) material and considerable skill at organizing the material, keeping to a narrow theme, and using all sources and references effectively and in complete conformity to the format assigned. ‘Academic '’ means just what it sounds like, and for many students this type of strict, template and structured writing is less enjoyable than when composing simple opinion pieces. But all serious academic and scientific journals require it. The standard English must be flawless.
首先，我要說文學賞析essay 寫(xie) 作對我們(men) 年幼的學生來說不是非常必需，但隨著他們(men) 的年級不斷上升，這樣的寫(xie) 作會(hui) 越來越重要。這就是所謂的“學術寫(xie) 作” 。學術寫(xie) 作比基本的說明性和敘述性寫(xie) 作要嚴(yan) 格得多，要求高得多，而這正是我們(men) 今天要談論的重點。它需要大量的二手（第二來源）的材料和相當高超的組織材料的能力，要討論比較專(zhuan) 的主題，要有效地使用所有資訊和參考資料，並且需要符合指定的格式。“學術” 的意思就是它聽起來的樣子，對於(yu) 許多學生來說，這種嚴(yan) 格、模板化和結構化的寫(xie) 作比撰寫(xie) 簡單的議論文要枯燥。但所有嚴(yan) 肅的學術和科學期刊都需要它。標準化的英語必須完美無瑕。
But, parents, please, let us not get ahead of ourselves. For now the students need only to produce coherent, graceful, grammatically correct, and hopefully inspired essays based solely on what they themselves think. While it might be tempting for ambitious parents to think that their children should leave out the early stages of writing development and jump straight into what will be required in the big institutions, I personally feel that this is unwise. Writing is above all a process, and students need time to master this process.
但是，請父母們(men) ，讓我們(men) 不要揠苗助長。目前，學生們(men) 隻需要完全根據他們(men) 自己的想法寫(xie) 出連貫、優(you) 美、語法正確、有自己想法的文章。雖然雄心勃勃的父母可能會(hui) 認為(wei) 他們(men) 的孩子應該跳過寫(xie) 作發展的早期階段而直接進入更高年級的的要求，但我個(ge) 人認為(wei) 這是不明智的。寫(xie) 作首先是一個(ge) 過程，學生需要時間來掌握這個(ge) 過程。
So for our present purposes, let’s begin as follows:
First, the student should choose – or have chosen for him/her – a text that is manageable for the student’s current level. There is no good purpose in force feeding a child a work of adult literature that is behind the child’s grasp. So the ‘sink or swim’ idea – throw him into the ocean and he must swim – is counterproductive and only the product of ambitious parents’ wishful thinking. It does nothing but frustrate the child and drive them into corners where they have to come up with ‘cliffnotes’ type of ideas that are not their own. To this I add the disclaimer that these sources can be extremely useful in offering windows into texts that are difficult or ambiguous even for seasoned adults, but they should not be used in place of the actual story or poem. That should be the student’s firsthand experience。
因此，讓我們(men) 開始討論吧：
首先，學生應該選擇——或者別人已經為(wei) 他/她選擇了——適合學生當前水平的文本。強迫孩子閱讀兒(er) 童無法理解的成人文學作品並沒有什麽(me) 好處。因此，“要麽(me) 沉沒，要麽(me) 遊泳”的想法——就是把孩子扔到海裏，他就必須遊泳的想法——會(hui) 適得其反，隻是雄心勃勃的父母一廂情願的心思罷了。它隻會(hui) 讓孩子感到沮喪(sang) ，把他們(men) 逼急了，他們(men) 不得不弄出一些不屬於(yu) 他們(men) 自己的，從(cong) ‘文學作品學習(xi) 手冊(ce) “截取的想法。在這裏，我要聲明，’文學作品學習(xi) 手冊(ce) ‘ 能幫助人們(men) 理解那些即使對於(yu) 經驗豐(feng) 富的成年人也難以理解或模棱兩(liang) 可的文本，但它們(men) 不應被用來代替實際的故事或詩歌。那（要被賞析的文學作品）應該是學生的第一手資料。
Students also need time to thoroughly examine and consider the reading material, and I will discuss how extremely important I think it is for students to understand the background, setting, and historical milieu behind the literary text (book or story) itself. In some cases, it’s not vital; often it is; otherwise, one will misread the whole thing and mislead oneself into misleading his or her reader as well.
學生首先需要時間來好好審查和選擇閱讀材料，我將討論讓學生了解文學文本（書(shu) 籍或故事）本身背後的背景，發生地和曆史環境是多麽(me) 重要。在某些情況下，這些也許並不重要。但更多的情況下，這些因素非常重要，否則，人們(men) 會(hui) 誤讀整件事，也會(hui) 誤導自己誤導他或她的讀者。
So in my opinion, it is wrong to try to get a 9-year-old to read Hamlet. For one thing, there is no way that a student at this age (not even a native speaker) can handle Shakespeare’s language in the Elizabethan original. And reading some watered-down, modernized version is obscene. DON’T DO THAT !! Either read Shakespeare or don’t read Shakespeare, but read it as it was written. This requires time and careful coaching.
所以在我看來，試圖讓一個(ge) 9 歲的孩子讀哈姆雷特是錯誤的。一方麵，這個(ge) 年齡的學生（甚至不是英語為(wei) 母語的人）無法理解伊麗(li) 莎白時代莎士比亞(ya) 原著中的語言。閱讀一些簡化了的、現代化的版本是不體(ti) 麵的。不要那樣做！要麽(me) 讀莎士比亞(ya) ，而且是照原樣讀要麽(me) 不讀莎士比亞(ya) 。這需要時間和耐心的教導。
It also requires some context beyond the play itself, and this is what everyone ignores or forgets. As a teacher I insist on it. To understand Shakespeare, you simply have to understand something about the world he lived in; otherwise, how can you make sense of it? For example, if I write “She’s”, do I mean “She is” or She has” ? It is impossible to tell without a context. Shakespeare existed in history and wrote out of that epoch. One doesn’t need to be a scholar, but without knowing anything at all, Shakespeare diminishes in value.
文學賞析寫(xie) 作還需要了解一些超出戲劇本身的背景，這是每個(ge) 人都忽略或忘記的。作為(wei) 老師，我堅持這是必須的。要了解莎士比亞(ya) ，您就需要了解他所生活的世界。否則，你怎麽(me) 能徹底理解呢？例如，如果我寫(xie) “She’s”，我的意思是“She is”還是“She has”？沒有上下文是無法判斷的。莎士比亞(ya) 存在於(yu) 曆史中，並寫(xie) 於(yu) 那個(ge) 時代。一個(ge) 人不需要成為(wei) 一名學者（來讀莎士比亞(ya) ），但如果你什麽(me) 都不知道，莎士比亞(ya) 的著作的價(jia) 值就會(hui) 降低。
The same is true for a book like To Kill A Mockingbird, which I have also taught. If you do not understand anything at all about the Jim Crow era of the deadly racist American South where the novel is set, then DON’T READ THE NOVEL.
像《殺死一隻知更鳥》這樣的書(shu) 也是如此，我也教過這本書(shu) 。如果您對小說設定的致命種族主義(yi) 橫行的美國南部的吉姆克勞時代一無所知，那麽(me) 請不要閱讀這本小說。
Now there are academic intellectuals who would disagree on purely semantic terms. They speak of ‘deconstructing’ the novel, the irrelevance of time, place, and authorship and other pedantic gobbledygook. Common sense says otherwise. How can you really get your head around a work of literature if you know NOTHING about the author and the time and place, he/she lived in? Plus, reading the book simply isn’t as much fun.
有些學術知識分子會(hui) 在單純的語義(yi) 術語上持不同意見。他們(men) 會(hui) 談到“解構”小說，他們(men) 認為(wei) 時間、地點和作者身份毫無關(guan) 係，以及其他迂腐的胡說八道。但是這不符合常識。如果您對作者以及他/她居住的時間和地點一無所知，您如何真正了解文學作品？另外，閱讀這本書(shu) 並沒有那麽(me) 有趣。
So, my advice here is mostly to the parents: CHOOSE WISELY AND DON’T OVERREACH.
所以，我在這裏的建議主要是給父母的：明智地選擇讀物，不要揠苗助長。
If in doubt, there is always Harry Potter and his friends. It is good writing and very entertaining. Moreover, Hogwarts exists independently of time and space.
如果有疑問，你可以讀哈利波特和他的朋友們(men) 。這些書(shu) 文筆很好，也很有趣。而且，霍格沃茨獨立於(yu) 時間和空間而存在。
Now, as for responding in essay form to a work of literature. Most of you are totally aware that such a response calls for both SUMMARY and ANALYSIS.
現在，至於(yu) 文學賞析essay寫(xie) 作，你們(men) 中的大多數人完全清楚，這樣的文章需要摘要和分析。
SUMMARY is nothing more than a condensed version of the plot, and the complicated thing for students is how to decide what the extent of the summary short be: short or long? And once more, it is more a matter of common sense than anything else. Are we speaking of a short story or a whole novel? If the latter, maybe it would be best to break down the Summary chapter by chapter, for rarely is a student required to summarize the whole book all at once.
摘要不過是情節的濃縮版，學生覺得難的是應該提煉到什麽(me) 程度：短還是長？再一次，這其實是個(ge) 常識認知。我們(men) 說的是短篇小說還是整部小說？如果是後者，也許最好逐章分解寫(xie) 摘要，因為(wei) 很少有學生需要一次提煉整本書(shu) 。
The student needs to ask himself: is this a book that most people would be familiar with or something nobody has heard of? Is the plot simple or complicated? Does it involve a single protagonist (two at most) or is there a gallery of characters? If there are many characters, it is a good technique to list them for the reader, just as the cast of a play is listed. Tell us briefly who these characters are and what is their function in the novel? Nice and neat, and then move on.
學生需要問自己：這是一本大多數人都會(hui) 熟悉的書(shu) 還是沒有人聽說過的書(shu) ？劇情是簡單還是複雜？它涉及一個(ge) 主角（最多兩(liang) 個(ge) ）還是有很多角色？如果有很多角色，為(wei) 讀者列出角色是一種很好的技巧，就像列出戲劇的演員一樣。簡單地告訴我們(men) 這些人物是誰，他們(men) 在小說中的作用是什。漂亮整潔，然後繼續。
The main skill needed to produce a great summary (and there seems to be a ‘knack’ for it that comes naturally to some and laboriously to others) is to develop a sharp eye for what the reader absolutely must know and what can be left out. Monstrous gaps in the narrative-oriented summary can leave the reader puzzled and frustrated. Just imagine that you are walking along in familiar territory and someone stops and asks you for directions. What do you tell the guy? What can be left out? If you assume he knows the locale – which obviously she doesn’t or she wouldn't be asking, you are going to say stupid things like “Turn right when you come to the place where Old Man Johnson’s farm USED TO BE.” Or, “Let’s see. You go through three traffic lights – or is it four? And then you turn right, but first you have to go left a little way before you get to the right turn, and actually the road might be closed, and…” Good luck.
寫(xie) 出一個(ge) 漂亮的摘要所需的主要技能（似乎有一個(ge) “訣竅”，但這個(ge) “訣竅“對某些人來說很自然，對另一些人來說卻很費力）是培養(yang) 敏銳的眼光，了解哪些內(nei) 容是讀者絕對必須知道的，以及哪些內(nei) 容是可以忽略的。以敘述為(wei) 導向的摘要中的過度的留白可能會(hui) 讓讀者感到困惑和沮喪(sang) 。想象一下，你正走在熟悉的領域，有人停下來向你問路。你跟那個(ge) 人說什麽(me) ？什麽(me) 是可以省略不說的？如果你貿然假設他知道目的地——但是顯然他不知道，否則他不會(hui) 問——你會(hui) 說一些愚蠢的話，比如“當你來到老約翰遜農(nong) 場曾經所在的地方時右轉。”或者，“讓我們(men) 看看。你要經過三個(ge) 紅綠燈——還是四個(ge) ？然後你右轉，但在右轉之前你必須先向左走一點，實際上這條路可能會(hui) 被封閉，而且……”那就祝他好運吧。
So, REMEMBER: You, yes YOU, are the EYES of the reader. The reader can only see what YOU show her. So， choose your information-share wisely, saying only what needs to be said and nothing more. A summary should never be more than 1/10th of the text, maybe even less depending on how simple or complex the narrative is in terms of following the story. (It may prove to be extremely complex when you try to analyze it, so beware. But that’s another issue.)
所以請記住：你，是的，你，是讀者的眼睛。讀者隻能看到你向他展示的內(nei) 容。所以明智地選擇你要共享的信息，隻說需要說的話，僅(jin) 此而已。摘要不應超過文本的 1/10，甚至可能更少，這取決(jue) 於(yu) 跟著故事敘述的簡單或複雜程度。（當你試圖分析它時，它可能會(hui) 非常複雜，所以要小心。但這是另一個(ge) 問題。）
The SUMMARY is the whole story or chapter, as the case may be, in MICRO-FORM. But the difference is only PROPORTIONAL. Neither too many nor too few arms and legs.
摘要可以是整個(ge) 故事或章節（這個(ge) 視情況而定）的縮微格式。但（摘要和文本之間的）差異是成比例的。不需要太多也不能太少。
Above all, remember that the SUMMARY only deals with the questions of WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and HOW. That is its job
最重要的是，請記住，摘要僅(jin) 涉及誰、什麽(me) 、在哪裏、何時和如何等問題。這就是它需要傳(chuan) 達的信息。
The ANALYSIS deals with the WHY aspect, and, needless to say, it is critically important. It is also the part that most students devote the least time to. Maybe it’s because the ANALYSIS challenges the student to THINK rather than merely RECORD. Sometimes, true, there is not much need for analysis. “Intellectuals’ have tried to make Harry Potter the subject of profound analysis, but, if that can be justified, it would probably have more to do with why the series has always been so popular with kids everywhere rather than anything especially profound that Harry or Hermione have to say about anything.
分析涉及“為(wei) 什麽(me) ”方麵，不用說，它至關(guan) 重要。但這也是大多數學生花時間最少的部分。這也許是因為(wei) 分析會(hui) 挑戰學生去思考，而不僅(jin) 僅(jin) 是記錄。有時，確實，沒有太多東(dong) 西需要分析。“知識分子” 試圖讓哈利波特成為(wei) 深入分析的主題，但是，如果我可以決(jue) 定的話，更多的是應該分析為(wei) 什麽(me) 該係列一直如此受世界各地的孩子們(men) 歡迎，而不是分析哈利或赫敏對什麽(me) 事情說了什麽(me) 特別深刻的話。
Nor, believe it or not, does Oliver Twist require much analysis, and that is because of Dickens’ pronounced tendency to simplify his characters into all-good and all-bad. So besides the story, there really isn’t much to think about. Of course, one could sail off into an in-depth analysis about living conditions of the poor in Victorian England, but that sort of gets us away from the novel. But once again, as I stated earlier, if you don’t know anything about the social milieu of Dickensian London, for example, the book is reduced to just being a story on about the same level as a rather gritty fairy tale. It also helps to know that Dickens himself was poor growing up and subject to some of the conditions as Oliver. This is what I mean by knowing the background and the culture that the literature grew out of
信不信由你，Oliver Twist 也不需要太多分析，這是因為(wei) 狄更斯明顯傾(qing) 向於(yu) 將他的角色簡化為(wei) 全好和全壞。所以除了故事之外，真的沒什麽(me) 好分析的。當然，人們(men) 可以開始深入分析維多利亞(ya) 時代英格蘭(lan) 窮人的生活條件，但這會(hui) 讓我們(men) 遠離小說本身。但再一次，正如我之前所說，如果你對狄更斯式的倫(lun) 敦的社會(hui) 環境一無所知，那麽(me) 這本書(shu) 就會(hui) 淪為(wei) 一個(ge) 與(yu) 相當堅韌的童話故事大致相同的故事。如果你知道狄更斯本人在成長過程中很窮，並且和Oliver受到很多製約，這些對你理解小說也很有幫助。這就是我所說的了解文學產(chan) 生的背景和文化的意思。
- 查爾斯·狄更斯 -(Charles Dickens,1812--1870)
If you are going to read Robinson Crusoe, you need to know Defoe’s ideas about the emerging English middle class; if you are going to read Gone With the Wind, then you had better know something about the American Civil War. Etc.
如果你要讀魯濱遜漂流記，你需要了解笛福對新興(xing) 英國中產(chan) 階級的看法；如果你要讀《亂(luan) 世佳人》，那麽(me) 你最好對美國內(nei) 戰有所了解。等等。
On the other hand, there are books, stories, and poems which require A LOT of analysis. Franz Kafka, Dostoyevsky, Hemingway, Faulkner, Golding (Lord of the Flies), and many others write complicated things about complicated themes, and these works require stringent analysis. In order to do this, there is no reason at all why the student should not consult secondary source material. I have done it myself, and still do it. But while it is tempting to let the ‘website analyst’ do all the work, it would be a serious mistake – and actually a form of intellectual dishonesty – just to let someone else do your thinking for you and, in effect, tell you what to think. Allow the secondary source to ‘coach’ you, even use it as a ‘way in’ to an especially difficult text (if it’s that difficult maybe it shouldn’t be assigned to a 10-year-old in the first place)), but do NOT allow it to blunt out or shut out your own capacity for thinking.
另一方麵，有些書(shu) 籍、故事和詩歌需要大量分析。弗朗茨·卡夫卡、陀思妥耶夫斯基、海明威、福克納、戈爾丁（《蠅王》）等許多人都在複雜的主題上寫(xie) 了複雜的東(dong) 西，這些作品需要嚴(yan) 格的分析。為(wei) 了做到這一點，學生完全沒有理由不去查閱二手資料。
我自己做過，現在還在做。雖然讓 “網站分析師” 為(wei) 你做所有工作很誘人，但如果讓別人替你思考，或者告訴你應該想什麽(me) ，這將是一個(ge) 嚴(yan) 重錯誤——實際上是一種腦力上的不誠實。我們(men) 可以允許這些二手資料來 “指導”你，甚至將其用作閱讀特別困難的文本的“途徑”（如果它那麽(me) 困難，也許一開始就不應該分配給 10 歲的孩子），但不要讓它削弱或關(guan) 閉你自己的思考能力。
Therefore, the whole process runs like this:
Who is the author and where and when is the story situated?
What historical information is required to make sense of the story?
Who are the main characters (protagonists) in the story?
Who is NARRATING the story, and can the narrator be trusted?
First person narration or third person？
What are some of the devices the author uses in terms of foreshadowing, symbols, and so forth – DON’T get obsessed with this. It’s the kind of stuff many teachers insist on but often has nothing meaningful to offer. Crucifixion symbol. Phallic symbol. Who cares?
因此，整個(ge) 文學賞析essay寫(xie) 作的過程是這樣的：
作者是誰，故事發生在何時何地？
要理解這個(ge) 故事，需要哪些曆史信息？
故事中的主要人物（主角）是誰？
誰在講述這個(ge) 故事，敘述者可以信任嗎？
第一人稱還是第三人稱敘事？
作者用了鋪墊、符號等等的哪些修辭手法？——但不要沉迷於(yu) 此。這是許多老師堅持但往往沒有任何意義(yi) 的東(dong) 西。十字架符號，陽具符號，誰在乎？
WHAT IS THE CENTRAL CONFLICT(S) IN THE STORY (without conflict there is NO STORY？
WHAT IS THE CONFLICT INSIDE THE MIND OF THE PROTAGONISTS THEMSELVES? (Inner conflict is central to great literature. NOBODY IS COMPLETELY GOOD OR BAD)
How does the story build up to its climax, and WHAT IS THE CLIMAX?
WHAT POINT OR THEME DRIVES THE BOOK; WHAT DOES THE AUTHOR MEAN???
What did YOU PERSONALLY get from reading the work. What are YOUR OWN PERSONAL TAKEAWAYS?
故事中的核心衝(chong) 突是什麽(me) （沒有衝(chong) 突就沒有故事）？
主角自己內(nei) 心的衝(chong) 突是什麽(me) ？（內(nei) 心衝(chong) 突是偉(wei) 大文學的核心。沒有人是完全好或壞的）
故事是如何達到高潮的，故事高潮是什麽(me) ？
這本書(shu) 的觀點或主題是什麽(me) ；作者是什麽(me) 意思？？？
你個(ge) 人從(cong) 閱讀作品中得到了什麽(me) 。您的個(ge) 人收獲是什麽(me) ？
What do you think is good about the book and what didn’t you like (be honest, but have good reasons to support your view).
您認為(wei) 這本書(shu) 的哪些優(you) 點以及您不喜歡哪些方麵（說實話，但有充分的理由支持您的觀點）。
At appropriate places in your paper, quote directly from the text.
在論文的適當位置，直接引用正文。
Remember (nobody does or does not apply the principle, usually due to time constraints among busy, overworked students), WRITING IS REWRITING.
請記住（沒有人應用或不應用該原則，通常是由於(yu) 忙碌、過度勞累的學生的時間限製），寫(xie) 作就是不斷重寫(xie) 。
Almost NEVER is a first draft sufficient. The greatest writers who ever lived would not only agree with me here but would insist on the truth of the point. You CANNOT just flip it onto the page and imagine it is good work. IT ISN’T. The problem is the ridiculous pace of our society and the fact that students have neither time nor inclination to finish what they have started in terms of writing essays. So what the poor teacher is left with 99% of the time is a FIRST DRAFT. It’s like eating half your breakfast or taking your dog for ‘half a walk’. Or jumping off the top of a building and stopping half way down. If you are going to do it, FINISH THE JOB.
寫(xie) 作幾乎從(cong) 來沒有初稿就足夠完美了。有史以來最偉(wei) 大的作家不僅(jin) 會(hui) 同意我的觀點，而且會(hui) 堅持這一點的真實性。你不能隻是把文字寫(xie) 到紙上然後想象它是好作品。它不是。問題是我們(men) 的社會(hui) 的荒謬的節奏，以及學生既沒有時間也沒有意願完成他們(men) 在已經開始的論文寫(xie) 作這樣的事實。因此，可憐的老師在 99% 的時間裏得到的隻是一份初稿。這就像吃半份的早餐或帶你的狗散半個(ge) 步。或者像從(cong) 建築物的頂部跳下並在半途停下。既然你開始了，請完成你的工作。
【競賽報名/項目谘詢+微信：mollywei007】
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