约翰生《诗人传》:博雅教育的典范之作

Samuel Johnson's Lives of the English Poets: A Canon for Liberal Arts Education

英国19世纪诗人和教育家马修·阿诺德形成博雅教育的理念之时,他极力推荐约翰生的《诗人传》作为学习的教材。不可否认,《诗人传》本身是一部饱含思想深度和广度的作品,然而,这与阿诺德和约翰生在教育观、批评实践和审美情趣以及文学功能等方面的契合是密不可分的。约翰生在教育理念上把道德修炼和心灵改造放在了比科学更为重要的位置,这一点正与后来人阿诺德反对自己所处社会中"科学至上"的观点如出一辙。阿诺德关注诗歌形式及其风格,特别欣赏约翰生在《诗人传》中的批评方式:能够指出诗歌存在缺陷,并提供例证;完全认同约翰生所强调的诗人诗作的道德教育功能,即诗人及其作品应该对人类有益,对社会有用。

Matthew Arnold, the 19 th Century British poet and educator, strongly recommended Samuel Johnson's Lives of the English Poets as a textbook for readers while he formed his idea of liberal arts education. Undeniable, Lives of the English Poets is a profound and thoughtful work with a wide range. However, it is closely related to the conformity of Matthew Arnold and Samuel Johnson's view in education, literary critical practice, aesthetic taste and the function of literature. According to Johnson, moral cultivation and spiritual transformation are more important than science for education, which is the same as the successor Arnold's opposition to 'Scientific Supremacy' in his society. Arnold is concerned about the form and style of poetry,and greatly appreciates Johnson's critical strategies in Lives of the English Poets, which is giving examples to illustrate the deficiencies of the poems. He totally agrees with Johnson on the poets and their poetry's function of moral education: which is to be beneficial for human beings and the society.