试议英文文学作品的比喻意象

A Brief Discussion on the Metaphor in English Literature

英语和汉语的表达方式中有很多相似的共同点。尤其在比喻方面,某些比喻有着非常相近之处,然而英语国家的意识形态、风俗习惯、历史典故、地理环境和社会生活等方面与我们迥然相别之处甚多,同样的事物所激发的联想也不尽相同,本文从部分英文文学作品(主要为英文情书、情诗)中总结出某些具有代表性的比喻意象,并与汉语作品中的同类意象作出对比,以期发现两者之间的异同与某些规律,从而为鉴赏相关英文文学作品带来帮助。

English and Chinese expression share many similarities, especially in terms of metaphor. Some metaphors in English and Chinese are quite alike. However, one object could evoke utterly dif- ferent association of thought between Chinese--speaking and English--speaking countries, due to their differences in ideology, customs, history, geographical environment as well as social codes. This paper sets out to epitomize a few typical metaphors in English literature （mainly English love letters and love poems）, and make comparison with those counterparts in Chinese literature. By do- ing this the author attempts to find out the nuances between them and summarize some laws guiding their expression, so as to facilitate our appreciation of English literature.