欧茨小说《大瀑布》的阳刚之美

Masculinity in Oates' The Falls

论述古希腊和古罗马以降,美就二分为两个基本范畴:秀美和崇高美(中国历来有柔美和阳刚之分),尤其是朗吉努斯的《论崇高》,确定了崇高的美学规定,自此,艺术家表现崇高美有了哲学的理论依托。欧茨小说《大瀑布》以尼亚加拉大瀑布为背景,热情讴歌大瀑布的阳刚之美。自然景观的壮美令人沉醉,而小说中的男性角色在困境中表现的优雅和勇气,令人肃然起敬,彰显人类的崇高气魄和阳刚之美。

It's human's permanent wish to pursue and explore beauty. From ancient Greece and Rome it' generally acknowledged that there appears a remarkable contrast aesthetically in view of beauty: the sublime and beauty( Femininity and masculinity in Chinese). Longinus raises and answers the question whether there is such an art of the sublime. After that artists endeavor to represent and express this form of beauty accordingly. Oates' The Falls is set at the Niagara Falls and its sublimity is highly appraised in the novel. While appreciating the myth and sublimity of the natural wonder,we are impressed by the grace and courage of the male characters,which can be regarded as the sublime and masculinity of man.