An Analysis of the Relationship between Beauty and Death in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe_英语论文

摘要

“死亡”是文学作品的永恒主题之一，埃德加·爱伦·坡（Edgar Allan Poe（1809-1849）对这一主题情有独钟。坡的小说在恐怖和死亡中给人以美感，字里行间渗透着他的唯美主义倾向和独特的审美观。其诗歌中也通过描写美人的死来体现一种忧郁孤独的美。坡的作品描写了死亡、恐怖、神秘、梦幻和宿命。本文通过对爱伦・坡作品的分析，探讨了他的死亡主题所蕴涵的内容和意义。

爱伦坡对死亡主题的热衷与他在艺术上的追求创新是密不可分的。他独特的审美取向和创作原则决定了其对死亡主题的选择，继而来创造美。坡认为，无论是小说还是诗歌创作，必须讲究效果的统一，必须时刻想到预定的结局。爱伦坡的作品正是因为以死亡主题来制造恐怖的气氛，不仅能够给读者心灵带来极大的震撼，还能够达到预定的效果。

本文旨在通过分析爱伦坡的主要作品以及创作背景，解构死亡这一主题和坡所追求的文学的纯美之间的关系。首先分析爱伦坡涉及死亡主题的作品，找出描写死亡主题，死亡情节，刻画死亡画面和内心幻想的语句。然后将理论与实践结合起来，分别从小说，诗歌进行深入分析爱伦坡作品中美和死的关系以及如何体现。再试着从个人经历，社会背景和文学理论联系作品总结美与死的关系。从整体性来说，分析清楚死亡与美的关系有利于广大读者对爱伦坡死亡主题作品的统一性把握。

关键词：埃德加·爱伦·坡 文学作品 死亡主题 美学

Abstract

Death is one of the eternal themes of literary works. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) has affinity to this subject. And the horror and death in the poetry of Poe give people a sense of beauty, between the lines permeated with his aesthetic tendencies and unique aesthetic. His poems also reflect the beauty with melancholy loneliness by describing the beauty of death. His work is characteristic of death, horror, mystery, illusion and fatalism. Through the analysis of Ellen Poe’s works, this paper discusses the content and significance of his death theme.

Allan Poe’s passion for the theme of death is inseparable from his pursuit of innovation in art. His unique aesthetic orientation and creative principles decide his choice of the theme of death, and then he uses them to create beauty. He argues that writers must pay attention to the unity of the effect whether it is novel or poetry, and must always think of the intended outcome. Poe’s work is to use the theme of death to create a terrorist atmosphere, so it not only brings great shock to the readers’ mind, but also achieves the desired effect.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the theme of death and the pureness of literature’s pursuit by analyzing the main works and creation background of Allan Poe. First, this paper will find out the description of death theme, death plot, and fantasy statements of inner world by analyzing his works related to the theme of death. And then this paper will deeply analyze the relationship between death and beauty through the combination of theory and practice and how to reflect in the novel and poetry. Finally, this paper tries to summarize the relationship between beauty and death from personal experience, social background and literary theory. From the whole, it is helpful to readers to grasp the relationship between death and beauty of the works with death theme of Allan Poe.

Key words: Edgar Allan Poe; Literary Work; Death Theme; Aesthetic