19世纪末20世纪初，随着资本主义工业化进程的不断加剧，人与自然的关系成为了文学创作中不可或缺的母题，人类对大自然从恐惧敬畏到利用征服，这一巨大转变在近现代作家的文学想象中不断发酵，催生出一系列经典作品。美国象征主义大师梅尔维尔的《白鲸》正是这些作品的开山鼻祖，作者以亚哈船长和白鲸莫比·迪克的亡命对抗象征了资本主义工业化时代人与自然的强烈冲突，表达了对美国自然生态恶化的深深忧虑。本期为大家推荐的书目就是赫尔曼·麦尔维尔的这部代表作《白鲸》，一起跟随作者亲历这场神秘危险的海上行动。

作品简介

《白鲸》是十九世纪美国小说家赫尔曼·梅尔维尔于1851年发表的一篇海洋题材的长篇小说。该小说描写了亚哈船长为了追杀白鲸莫比·迪克，最终与白鲸同归于尽的故事。该书对鲸鱼做了十分详尽的描写，堪称鲸鱼的百科全书。作者以哥特式和充满象征意义的写作手法，表达了对人与自然这一宏大主题思考和见解，故事人物生动鲜明，情节扣人心弦，对现代和后现代主义小说产生了重大影响。

 

作者简介

赫尔曼·梅尔维尔（Herman Melwille，1819-1891），十九世纪美国最伟大的小说家、散文家和诗人之一，与霍桑齐名。出生于纽约市一个有名望的家庭，家道中落后成为一名船员，四年的航海生涯奠定了其民主、平等和人道主义的思想基础。梅尔维尔的创作在其生前并未引起重视，直到二十世纪二十年代才声名鹊起，被誉为美国的“莎士比亚”。

美国象征主义文学大师赫尔曼·梅尔维尔

（图片源自百度百科，如有侵权，请联系删除）

 

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CALL ME ISHMAEL. Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off -- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

 

词汇学习

sail  n. 帆，航行

          v. 航行

regulate  vt. 管制，控制；调节，校准；调整

funeral  n. 丧礼，葬礼

moral  adj. 道德的，道义的
        n. 道德，伦理；寓意，教育意义

flourish  vi. 繁荣，茂盛；兴旺

（单词注释来自有道词典）

《阳台故事集》是美国文学大师麦尔维尔生前唯一集结出版的中短篇小说集。故事绚丽、奇异、深刻、幽默、语言动人而流畅。其中，《魔法群岛》讲述加拉帕戈斯群岛的奇特风貌和传奇故事；《书记员巴比特》记述了一个怪人巴比特不可思议又悲惨的生活经历；《阳台》讲述了一段山间跋涉，想象力纵横飞扬，令读者沉醉的故事；《钟楼》记述了一个奇异的死亡事件，钟楼的设计师由于疏忽大意，死于自己匠心独运的精妙作品……

A double portrait of two of America’s most influential writers that reveals the surprising connections between them -- and their uncanny relevance to our age of crisis. Up from the Depths tells the interconnected stories of two of the most important writers in American history -- the novelist and poet Herman Melville (1819-1891) and one of his earliest biographers, the literary critic and historian Lewis Mumford (1895-1990). Deftly cutting back and forth between the writers, Aaron Sachs reveals the surprising resonances between their lives, work, and troubled times -- and their uncanny relevance in our own age of crisis.

 

文案策划及录音：图书借阅部 李圣昭

编辑：宣传策划小组 王丹