A wise, absorbing, and surprising introduction to poetry written in English, from one of England's leading poets James Fenton is that rare scholar "not ashamed to admit that he mostly reads for pleasure" (Charles Simic, "The New York Review of Books"). In this eminently readable guide to his abiding passion, he has distilled the essense of a library's--and a lifetime's--worth of delight. The pleasures of his own verse can be found in abundance here: economy, a natural ease, and most of all, surprise. What is English poetry? Fenton argues that it includes any recited words in English that marshall rhythm for their meaning--among them prisoners's work songs, Broadway show tunes, and the cries of street vendors captured in verse. From these beginnings, Fenton describes the rudiments of--and, most important, the inspiration for--the musical verse we find in books, and concludes with an illuminating discussion of operas and songs. Fenton illustrates his comments with verse from all over the English-speaking world. Catholic in his taste, shrewd in his distinctions, and charmingly frank, Fenton is an ideal guide to everything to do with poetry, from the temperament of poets to their accomplishment, in all its variety. In all his writing, prose or verse, Fenton has always had the virtue of saying, in a way that seems effortless, precisely what lies at the heart of the matter. In this vein, "An Introduction to English Poetry" is one of his highest accomplishments.
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这本书的装帧和排版,坦白说,更像是为图书馆收藏而准备的,而非供日常翻阅。字体偏小,行距紧凑,在光线稍暗的环境下阅读,眼睛很快就会感到疲劳。我尝试带着它去咖啡馆进行“沉浸式阅读”,结果发现,每读过几页,我就得停下来,揉搓一下眼睛,然后重新校准自己的注意力焦点。它似乎没有过多考虑现代读者的阅读习惯,那些厚重的脚注,虽然提供了详尽的考证,却总是在关键的段落后猛地打断了思维的流畅性,让人不得不频繁地在正文与页脚之间来回跳转,极大地削弱了阅读的连贯体验。我甚至试过用荧光笔标记重点,但很快就放弃了,因为整本书的密度实在太高,任何一处标记都显得微不足道。如果说一本好的教材应该引导读者轻松进入主题,那么这本书更像是设下了一道道高耸的门槛,只有那些意志力坚定、且拥有极佳视力的“朝圣者”,才能真正抵达其深处。
评分我不得不承认,作者在梳理那些早期诗人的生平和作品之间的关联性上,展现出了令人敬畏的功力。他对于那些被主流评论界略微忽视的次要诗人,也给予了细致入微的考量,避免了将整个诗歌史简化为几位巨匠的传记。这种细致入微的态度,使得我们对那个时代文学生态的理解变得更加立体和真实。但问题在于,这种详尽常常是以牺牲可读性为代价的。例如,在讨论某一位诗人对拉丁语经典的借鉴时,作者引用了大量的原文和直译,却没有提供足够的上下文解释,这使得对于拉丁语一窍不通的读者来说,这些篇幅显得格外冗长和难以亲近。仿佛作者默认读者与他拥有完全相同的学术背景,这种“圈内人”的叙事方式,让一个外行人感到自己始终站在门外,只能窥见其光辉的一角,却无法真正参与到学术的对话中去。我希望看到更多的是对诗歌“感官冲击力”的分析,而不是对文献来源的穷举式罗列。
评分这部厚重的文本,初翻时便被其散发出的古典气息所吸引,仿佛能嗅到羊皮纸与陈年墨水的味道。我原本期望能在其中找到一些关于诗歌创作的实用技巧,比如如何巧妙运用韵律、意象的构建等等。然而,这本书似乎更专注于宏大的叙事和历史的梳理。它用近乎学术的严谨态度,将英诗的发展脉络拉成了一幅绵延不绝的织锦,从朗诵的吟游诗人时代,一直追溯到那个充满变革与探索的近代初期。对于那些对“诗歌流派如何演变”比“如何写出下一首十四行诗”更感兴趣的读者来说,这无疑是一座宝库。但是,对于渴望获得立竿见影的创作指导的普通爱好者而言,可能会感到一丝迷茫,需要极大的耐心去穿透那些详尽的引文和复杂的历史背景注解。我花了数周时间才勉强理清其中关于“崇高”与“优美”在不同世纪的定义差异,这过程与其说是阅读,不如说更像是在进行一场耐力的学术马拉松。它要求读者不仅要熟悉诗歌本身,更要对当时的社会哲学思潮有着深刻的洞察力,否则那些密集的理论推导和引述就会让人感到云里雾里,难以消化。
评分这本书最让我感到困惑的一点是其“去情感化”的写作风格。它将诗歌视为一种纯粹的语言结构和历史产物来解剖,每一次的分析都像是冷峻的外科手术刀,精准地切开文本的肌理,指出其语法结构和修辞手法。然而,诗歌的魅力,恰恰在于它那难以言喻的情感共鸣和瞬间的直击心灵。在这本书中,我找不到对任何一首诗歌的“热爱”的痕迹,所有的描述都保持着一种近乎机械的客观性。比如,当描述某段著名的爱情诗句时,作者着重分析了其中的代词转换和音节的抑扬,却对其中蕴含的深刻的悲怆或狂喜避而不谈,仿佛情感本身就是一种需要被剔除的“噪音”。对于我这样一个将诗歌视为慰藉和精神食粮的读者而言,阅读过程变得异常枯燥,就像是在阅读一份关于精密机械的维修手册,尽管结构完美,但却缺乏灵魂的温度和生命的活力。
评分如果说这本书有任何一处是真正出彩的,那便是它对“翻译的困境”所做的探讨。在深入研究不同版本(尤其是十七、十八世纪的译本)时,作者巧妙地揭示了语言和文化边界如何形塑了对同一首诗歌的不同解读。他通过对比那些“忠实”翻译与“自由”再创作之间的张力,成功地展示了诗歌作为一种跨越时空的交流媒介所面临的内在矛盾。这部分内容非常引人入胜,因为它将原本静态的文本分析,突然赋予了一种动态的、不断生成意义的生命力。然而,这精彩的片段仅仅是整部巨著中少有的亮点,就像沙漠中的一泓清泉,让人倍感珍惜,却又深知其稀缺。总而言之,它更像是一部工具书或是一份详尽的史料汇编,而非一本能带你真正走进诗歌世界的“导游手册”。它提供了关于诗歌建造的蓝图,但未能带你去感受诗歌内部的阳光与风雨。
评分a concise and funny introduction by a seasoned practitioner of the craft of poetry. useful for not only reading but also writing English poetry.
评分a concise and funny introduction by a seasoned practitioner of the craft of poetry. useful for not only reading but also writing English poetry.
评分a concise and funny introduction by a seasoned practitioner of the craft of poetry. useful for not only reading but also writing English poetry.
评分a concise and funny introduction by a seasoned practitioner of the craft of poetry. useful for not only reading but also writing English poetry.
评分a concise and funny introduction by a seasoned practitioner of the craft of poetry. useful for not only reading but also writing English poetry.
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