爱伦·坡小说中的“裹尸布”评析

Understanding of Grave-Cerements in the Stories by Allen Poe

独特的意象是爱伦·坡小说的重要艺术特色,评论界对此进行了有效的解读。美中不足的是,坡小说中最为独特一个意象,即"裹尸布"却未被引起足够的关注。"裹尸布"像一串珍珠闪耀在坡的数篇小说中,彰显着独特的艺术功能:在《红死病的假面具》中,它强化了恐怖效果;在《丽姬娅》中,它甄别了人物身份;在《阿瑟·戈登·皮姆的故事》中,它揭示了小说的主题。

One of the most essential features in the stories by Allen Poe is the unique images, which have widely been commented, but it is a pity that one of the most characteristic images, the grave-cerement, has caught no critical attention. In fact, it is shinning like a string of pearls in several stories of Poe, playing different artful roles, namely, intensification of horror effect in ＂The Masque of the Red Death＂, identification of characters in ＂Ligeia＂ and revelation of themes in ＂The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket＂.