商品簡介
This book began as a dissertation in the late 1990s when I was doing my Ph. D. in Shanghai International Studies University under the supervision of Professor How Weirui and Professor Yu Jianhua， to whom I would like to express my deepest gratitude for their kind encouragement and academic guidance.
作者簡介
張鈞，1965年生。東北師范大學外國語學院副院長、副教授。曾獲東北師范大學文學碩士（1989年）和上海外國語大學文學博士（2001年）學位，2003-2004年作為富布萊特研究學者在美國芝加哥大學研修。長期從事英語專業教學與研究工作，主要研究方向為20世紀英美文學。2000年以來，主持、參加省部級研究及校級教學改革項目5項，發表論文10余篇。
目次
Introduction
Cognizance of Darkness: DangLing Man and The Victim
Turning Away from Darkness: The Adventures o f Augie March
Concentrated Expression of Darkness and Vision of Light:Seize the Day
Allegorical Representation of Bellow's Quest: Henderson the Rain King
Honest Confrontation with Darkness and Final Breakthrough into Light:Herzog
Conclusion
Bibliography
后記
書摘/試閱
Caligula's failure evaporates Thea's obsessed pursuit of nobility，and "the slump from nobility of pursuit harmed everybody" （AM 356）.The house， in spite of its beloved name-Casa Descuitada-Care free House is no longer a place of love and hope for happy-go-lucky Augie."The house was dull while Thea was in her laboratory. Dull isn'tperhaps the word when you consider what disappoint ment and wrath were kept down. And I couldn't stay in bed while Caligula was being neglected， if only for the reason that he'd become dangerous through hunger， let alone the humane side of it" （AM 356）. Benton Harbour is no Eden of milk and honey， nor is the primitive region of Mexico where Augie and Thea hunt for the giant lizards. 6There the heat was thick; it collected stagnant in the rocks， which were soft and eaten by rain acids in to grottos and Cambodian shapes. The lizards were really huge， with great frills or sails-those ancient membranes. The odor here wassnaky， and we seemed in the age of snakes among the hot poisons of green and the livid gardenias" （AM 353）. It is more hell-like， and appropriately， Augie rushes into a hunting accident while they attempt o give Caligula another try. The old horse Bizcocho cracks Augie'sskull and "had broken a leg and Thea shot him" （AM 362）. As for Caligula， Thea sends him away. The whole project of creating a nobierreality by hunting with a manned animal ends with "the crackup of hopes and ridiculing of expectations" （AM 363）. Gradually becomingbored of staying in the house with Augie， Thea goes hunting alone and Augie starts to go around with some others and "put all my time into gambling." "With Thea “I behaved as though nothing was wrong， andyet l knew we were slipping" （AM 369）. He painfully realizes his problem. Thea is obsessed with her snakes and "I was resentful of the snakes and that she tended them" （AM 369）. Their conflict comes up to the surface. Thea does not like the "gang" Augie lingers with and I'd be damned if I could get myself into Thea's excitement about catching snakes. It was too extreme a way of making out， with that vigor that couldn't be satisfied in ordinary pursuits. If she had to go and snatch these dangerous animals by the throat with a noose， and keep them and milk their venom from them， okay. But I knew at last that definitely there was one thing that was not for me" （AM 370）. Augie does not share Thea's enthusiasm with her animal world. Thea gets her divorce but declines Augie's proposal to get married. "Then Iremembered how once when afraid of pregnancy she let escape the fear of explaining to her family that I was the father" （AM 372）. Augie finally gets some idea of the difference that lies between his conception of reality and that of Thea： "Everyone tries to create a world he can live in， and what he can't use he often can't see. But the real world is already created， and if your fabrication doesn't correspond， then even if you feel noble and insist on there being something better than what people call reality， that better something needn't try to exceed what， in its actuality， since we know so little， may be very surprising. If a happy state of things， surprising; if miserable or tragic， nor worse than what we invent" （ AM 378）. He becomes aware that all human constructions are fabrications to conceal the truth or at least some aspects of the truth. To "create a world" is to falsify and the invention also extends to love. He has not been able to escape from this weakness， either.
Then the episode of Stella pops out. She asks Augie to drive her out of the town， to help her "out of trouble" while Thea demands Augie go down to Chilpanzin go with her.
……
