Abstract

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are two American poets of the 19th century.  America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800's. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. In the field of literature and art, romanticism has gone to its peak, the new way yet to be found. During this tumultuous period, the two great American modern poets: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson made great breakthroughs in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Modernity of the poetry may find its fountain in both the two’s works. It can be said it is they who made the United States have their own poetry "modern" appearance. Both of them are regarded as precursor of American modernistic poetry because of the new ideas they used in their poetry and their unconventional writing styles. Whitman’s poems expressed his untiring pursuits of democracy and freedom and strong confidence in the American future. His bold use of free verse is of epoch-making significance in the history of American literature as well as the world’. Emily Dickinson created 1775 poems with her unique writing style and new artistic standards. Her poems are with wide range of subjects and profound thoughts; and her writing style does march to a different drummer. In a word, the subjects of their poems and their writing style break with traditional styles and are full of modernity. This thesis will start with the comparison of their different experiences, personality and influences they received in order to find the root of their differences; and then will focus on the subjects of their poems, of which I will choose democracy, death and religion to make a comparison; and finally I will have a survey of their writing styles. In this way, I am trying to look into the modernity in their works.

Key words: Walt Whitman; Emily Dickinson; Poems; Modernity

摘要

沃尔特•惠特曼和艾米莉•狄金森是美国十九世纪的两位伟大诗人。他们生活的时代正是美国社会政治，思想，文化转型的重要时期。在文学创作领域，浪漫主义到达巅峰，文学创作的新思路呼之欲出。惠特曼和狄金森的诗歌打破了那个时代的传统，他们的诗歌不仅能使我们了解当时的时代特征，更能引领我们了解人们的生活状态。两位诗人在诗歌主题和诗歌风格上独树一帜，打破传统，因而都被认为是美国现代诗歌的先驱，是他们让美国诗歌拥有了“现代”面貌，开创了美国诗歌的新纪元。沃尔特•惠特曼的诗歌大胆地运用自由诗的形式，表达了他对自由民主的渴望以及对未来美国的信心，对美国以及世界诗坛都有着划时代的意义。艾米莉•狄金森以她独一无二的诗歌艺术形式和审美标准，创作了1775首诗歌，她的诗歌题材广泛，思想深邃，语言形式上打破传统，独树一帜，成为美国现代诗坛的奇葩。两位诗人都以鲜明的特点成为美国现代诗歌的代表人物，他们的诗歌在诗歌题材和诗歌形式上都体现了各自浓厚的现代性。本课题拟采用对比的方法，试图探讨和比较沃尔特•惠特曼和艾米莉•狄金森诗歌现代性的不同体现。研究首先围绕他们的不同的生活环境、人生阅历以及教育背景展开，在他们生活背景的鲜明对比中揭示他们诗歌现代性方面差异形成的深层原因。接着，聚焦两者诗歌现代性的不同体现，选取民主、死亡、宗教这三个诗歌主题，结合实例，详细比较两者在诗歌创作主题上的差异；最后，分析两者诗歌创作形式上的差异，进一步探讨他们诗歌现代性的不同体现。

关键词: 沃尔特•惠特曼；艾米莉•狄金森；诗歌；现代性