夜莺与玫瑰书评(英文版)

A Review of “t he Nightingale and the Rose”

1. Introduction

This story was mainly about a young student fell in love with a girl and tried to please her. In order to express his love for the girl, he needed to give her a red rose. However, it was a cold winter, and it was not possible for him to find a red rose. So he was very sad and sat on the ground crying. All the pedestrians laughed at him, only a kind-hearted nightingale was impressed by his love and sympathized with his sufferings. Hence, the little bird decided to find a red rose to help the student to realize his dream of love. She begged the rose tree over and over again hoping to get a red rose, which only ended up in failure. Finally, the nightingale found a red rose tree below the window of the student with the help of a yellow rose tree. But the red rose tree rejected the nightingale and told her that the winter chilled her veins, and frost nipped her buds, and storm broken her branches, and she would have no roses all this year. But, the red roses could be made by the moon light and the nightingale’s blood. The nightingale needed to put her heart against the thorn of the rose tree and sang all the night until her blood became the rose’s. Confronted with the choice of live or death, the little nightingale agreed with the rose tree which was at the cost of her own life. The young student expressed his love with the red rose but rejected by the girl, and the precious red rose became overshadowed and worthless at that moment. (Wilde, 2001).

2. Review of “the Nightingale and the Rose”

This is a tragedy of love. For the nightingale, the love which exchanges with her life is trampled. For the young student, the love which he pays sincerity still can not impress the girl. Oscar Wilde once said: there are two tragedies in life: the one what you want but can not get and the one what you get but do not want. (Ellmann, 2013). This seems a contradictory sentence but reveals Oscar Wilde’s infinite pursuit to beauty.

“The nightingale and the rose” is a mockery fairy story to love which is also a pursuit

of the aestheticism of love. (Freedman, 1993). The title is named by the nightingale which is famous for its singing and the rose which is famous for its attractive color. Just taking a perspective of the topic, it is easy to arouse the readers’ beautiful reverie. This work, with the theme of love, shows several kinds of beauty.

2.1 Beauty of Images

The author has cudgeled his brains on the choice of the symbolic image in it. One is a singing nightingale and the other is a red rose representing love. The image has charmed the readers apart from the tragic and poignant plot. The nightingale pierced the thorn into her heart in order to water the rose and the rose burst into gorgeous flowers for gratitude, which are heartbreaking.

2.2 Beauty of Artistic Conception

Artistic conception is the refraction of vitality which is the unity of subject and object. In the work of “the nightingale and the rose”, the author makes the white roses like the waves of the sea, the yellow roses like the blonde hair of the mermaid and the red rose like the feet of the dove. A series of different colors can make a clear contrast with the phenomenon of the natural world and form an elegantly and witty picture in the work which is the artistic conception created by the author. And a good artistic conception likes a beacon which can take the readers travel through the work and do not lost exploration direction. (Freedman, 1993).

2.3 Beauty of Mind

The beauty of mind is really beautiful which can be eternal. If the soul is not beautiful, a gorgeous appearance can not cover the dirty soul. The leading role of “the nightingale and the rose” is the nightingale wh o is kind-hearted and willing to help others at the cost of a thorn piercing her body. Even her throat had been cut to bloody, she resolutely and loudly sang the praises of life.

2.4 Beauty of Tragedy

From the end of “the nightingale and the rose”, the sacrifice of the nightingale can be seen, which is the seed of a tragedy. And the young student kept thinking about the girl and he tried to do something impossible just because of the girl’s words. He finally found a red rose with the nightingale’s help, but he was eventually rejected by