symbolism象征主义.ppt

symbolism;The introduction;The historical meaning;;symbolism in literature;Allegory also, however, limits our perceptions. The best works of literature are those in which an element of mystery remains -- those which lend themselves to a variety of interpretations. Strict allegory seldom does this, which is why religious allegory is generally less satisfying than the scriptural story on which it was based. To take allegory to the next higher level, we arrive at something that for want of a better term can be called symbolism. At this level, there is still a form of correspondence, and yet it is not so one-to-one, and certainly not so blatant. Whereas allegory operates very consciously, symbolism operates on the level of the unconscious. This does not mean that the author himself is unconscious of the process of creating symbolism -- merely that we, as readers, accept its input without really understanding how it works.　　In Shakespeares Hamlet, for example, we discover that Hamlet is fascinated with actors and acting. Upon reflection, an astute reader realizes that this is because Hamlets whole life has become unreal; he is being haunted by the ghost of his father, his father turns out to have been murdered by his uncle, his mother has married his fathers murderer. The motif of the actors is a symbol for the unreality of Hamlets life.　　;Similarly, near the beginning of F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby, there is the famous scene of the Valley of Ashes where Tom Buchanans mistress Myrtle lives. Although Fitzgerald never says so, it is clear that the Valley of Ashes represents the real state of Toms soul; although to the outside world his residence is in a mansion on the beautiful bay at East Egg, where everything is opulent and expensive and tasteful, the inwardly rotten, spiritually desiccated Tom really lives where his heart does, in a grim ashen valley presided over by a billboard decorated with a huge pair of bespectacled eyes. The eyes represent Go