1、O.Henry 欧亨利The famous American critical realist writer 美国著名批判现实主义作家 One of the three great masters of short stories of the world(others are:Anton Chekhov契诃夫，Guy de Maupassant 莫泊桑).世界三大短篇小说巨匠之一。Manhattan laureate prose writer and the father of modern American short stories.曼哈顿桂冠散文作家和美国现代短篇小说之父。“Encyc
2、lopedia of American life with humor”.美国生活的幽默百科全书美国生活的幽默百科全书Name of O.HenryPen name:O.HenryAnother pen name:Olivier HenryHis primitive name:Williams Sydney Porter 原名：威廉姆斯西德尼波特Life of O.Henry.1.Borned in North Carolina in1862;his father was a physician（内科医生）.2.Received little education.He left school
3、at 15 years old,but he was an avid reader.3.Rich in working experiences.He did a variety of jobs such as clerk,book keeper,reporter.4.Accused of stealing in 1894 and captured in1897.He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.At this period,he bagan to write and became successful in writing.But he wrot
4、e for bread.Life of O.Henry His last years was tragic as a result of alcoholism,financial problem,and poor health.He died of cirrhosis（肝硬化）of the liver on June 5,1910,in New York.He was 48 years old when he dead.Three subject matters1)The United States western life（西部生活（西部生活 ）2)Latin American life（拉
5、美生活）（拉美生活）3)urban subject（大都市生活）（大都市生活）three major novels reflect the subject matters:The heart of the west（西部之心）:describing the western grasslands and cowherd people live-描写西部草原生活 cabbages and kings（白菜与国王）:Central America-中美洲 Four million（四百万）:the city life,especially New York life-城市生活，特别是纽约生活Sett
6、ing Most of stories took place in the early 20th centure in New York,especially in Manhattan.He is concerned about lower class people,and most of his works focus on the ordinary paople in an urban background.Writing technique1.Humorous：幽默：幽默 2.Realistic：写实：写实3.O Henrys Twisting End：欧亨利式结尾欧亨利式结尾1.Hum
7、orous：幽默：幽默 Humor is one of American literary traditions.O.Henry inherited this tradition,and was influenced by the contemporary writers.Moreover,his own unusual experiences contribute to his unique sense of humor called tearful smile-filled with bitter laughter,exaggeration,irony.2.Realistic techni
8、que His description is always lively and vivid.Many of his stories contain a great deal of slang（俚语）and colloquial（通俗的）expression that made them hard to be understood by people outside of American.This is called local colour.Besides,most leading characters in the stories are poor people.3.Twisting e
9、nd The so-called O.Henrys twist ending means:the end of the article makes sense not only unexpected but logical and convincing.（意（意料之外，情理之中）料之外，情理之中）e.g.Gift of the Magi,the last piece of ivy leaves“and“The cop and the anthem”.Artistic feature 1.Narrative structure,well structured plot,and witty nar
10、ration.构思新颖，情节巧妙。All of stories are marked by twist of plot and short in size.And the very plot turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance.2.The use of twist ending.That is climax or unexpected conclusion to a work of fiction.It often contains irony and causes the readers to reexamine the chara
11、cters or narrative.追思追忆的效果。3.Foreshadowing beginning.伏笔式开端 He always prepared for the clues for the ending cleverly.Artistic feature 4.Style:humurous,clear,witty.Most of his stories are irony and abound in good-natured humor.O.Henrys own speech,both spoken and written,is always clear.Throughout whol
12、e life，He wrote 281 short stories(短篇)，only 1 novel（长篇）and several poems（诗）in total.works:Novel collections 1904:Cabbages and Kings白菜与皇帝 唯一的长篇小说 1906:The Four Million四百万 1907:Heart of the West西部的心 1907:The Trimmed Lamp剪亮的灯盏 1908:The Voice of the City城市之声 1908:The Gentle Grafter善良的骗子 1909:Roads of Des
13、tiny命运之路 1909:Options选择 1910:Strictly Business毫不通融 1911:Sixes and Sevens乱七八糟 1917：Waifs and Strays 流浪儿 Twenty years later 二十年后 Mammon and the Archer 财神和爱神 A Cosmopolite in a Caf 咖啡馆里的世界公民 “The Cop and the Anthem”警察与赞美诗 “The Furnished Room”带家具出租的房间 “The Gift of the Magi”麦琪的礼物 “The Last Leaf”最后一片叶子 “A
14、 Service of Love”爱的隐秘 “The Ransom of Red Chief”红酋长的赎金 works:Some masterpiecesThe Cop and the Anthem Published in 1904 Embodying(体现）体现）his classic elements:a setting in New York city;an empathetic look at the state of mind of the member of the lower class;an ironic ending.The Cop and the Anthem plot
15、summary:With winters coming,Soapy wanted to be arrested.swindling（欺骗）（欺骗）a restaurant vandalizing（摧残）（摧残）the window of luxury shop sexually harassing（扰乱）（扰乱）a young woman;pretending to be publicly intoxicated（喝醉的）（喝醉的）;stealing another mans umbrella Arrested:guilty of misdemeanor（轻罪）（轻罪）Theme State of minds of the people in lower class.Hypocrisy（虚伪）of the seeming（外观）high class people.The antithesis（对立）of the secular power and religious power.
