欧亨利短篇小说选读导读

A Guide to Short Stories of O. HenryBy 刘富利、黄宇Objectives●Get to know the author and his style●Learn to read a short story and its elements●Learn the theme, plot, characters and techniques of the 4 stories in the printed selection Part One About the writer1. The biography of the writerGo to the following or other sites and answer the following questionshttp://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ohenry.htm/o_henry/Questions:1) Is O. Henry an English or American writer?2) What was the real name of this writer?3) Where and when was he born?4) What magazine did he start publishing in 1884?5) List at least 3 famous short stories by O. Henry besides this given four.2. The style of the writerGo to the following or other sites and answer the following questions/zymi2001/articles/14366.html/myhero/hero.asp?hero=henry_belarus_ul/~xeke/twoframe.htm/25/43741/archives/2007/359030.htmlQuestion:With reference to the background and the stories you read, please list and elaborate some characteristics of the works of the writer.Part Two About the four selected stories1. The Gift of the Magi2. The Romance of a Busy Broker3. The Cop and the Anthem4. The Roads We Take1. The Gift of the Magi1) The meaning and implication of some proper nouns and historical storiesmagi the Queen of Sheba King SolomonSofronie the baby in the manger the gift of the magi2) Paraphrasing the difficult sentencesFor example: “Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.”3) Understanding the themesAnalyze the themes from the following suggested perspectives:(1) About the gifts: wise or silly?(2) About the couple: their love and their poverty(3) About the meaning of the title with reference to the plot and the Bible4) Reflection on the readingThink about your understanding and comparison about the English version and the Chinese version (If you have read the Chinese version before), and can you find out any differences between your Chinese version reading and your English version reading?5) Role playingAdapt the text and write a play in your group. Prepare to perform it in the coming group discussion.2. The Romance of a Busy Broker1) The meaning of the terms used in financethe Exchange short brokerStocks and bonds loans and mortgages margins and securities2) Paraphrasing the difficult sentencesFor example: 1) “The machine sitting at that desk was no longer a man; it was a busy New York broker, moved by buzzing wheels and uncoiling springs.”; 2) “He jumped from ticker to phone, from desk to door with the trained agility of a harlequin.”3) Understanding the themesAnalyze the themes from the following suggested perspectives:(1) About Maxwell: Why he was so forgetful?(2) His “forgetfulness” about his stenographer, his wife, and himself(3) His business and his romance; his work and his life3. The Cop and the Anthem1) The meaning and implication of some proper nouns and historical storiesMadison Square Jack Frost Boreas Palm Beachthe Riviera hegira Sabbath as Caesar had his BrutusArcadia limbo2) The American slangcop con suds3) The figures of speechFind figures of speech in this story, such as: parallelism, metaphor, simile, comparison, contrast, personification, irony, paradox, etc.4) Paraphrasing the difficult sentencesFor example: “Strong and ready hands turned him about and conveyed him in silence and haste to the sidewalk and averted the ignoble fate of the menaced mallard.”5) Understanding the themesAnalyze the themes from the following suggested perspectives:(1) About the absurdity of the society(1) About the helplessness of the hero Soapy as an individual in the society6) Role playingAdapt the text and write a play in your group. Prepare to perform it in the coming group discussion.4. The Roads We Take1) The techniques used in writingFor example: 1) The comparison between the dream and the reality; 2) The use of repetition of some words.2) Paraphrasing the difficult sentencesFor example: 1) “It ain’t the roads we take; it’s what’s inside of us that makes us turn out the way we do.”; 2) “Bolivar cannot carry double.”3) Understanding the themesAnalyze the themes from the following suggested perspectives:(1) About the Dodson: greed, bloodthirsty(2) About the title: the implications of “the roads”4) Questions(1) What is “Shark”Dodson’s profession in the story?(2) What is Mr. Dodson’s real profession?(3) What’s the main difference between Shark Dodson and Mr. Dodson?(4) What words best describe Dodson?(5) How did “Shark” Dodson end up in the west?(6) Bob Tidball said, “Oh, I reckon you’d have en ded up about the same,”…”It ain’t the roadswe take; it’s what’s inside us that makes us turn out the way we do.” What does he mean by this statement?(7) What similarities do Bob Tidball and Mr. Williams share?(8) Consider the relevance of the following lines. For each, explain what is happening and how it relates to the story:“Mr. John Big Dog, sitting on the coal tender, unwittingly made a wrong lead by giving an imitation of a target, and the messenger trumped him.”“I’d a good deal rather that sorrel of yourn hadn’t hurt himself, Bob.” (bottom, 83)“…Bolivar cannot carry double.” (84)(9) This story uses repetition of phrases to create an effect. How is it effective in the following cases?a. “The expression on Dodson’s face changed in an instant to one of cold ferocity mingled with inexorable cupidity. The soul of the man showed itself for a moment like an evil face in the window of a reputable house.”b. “Bolivar cannot carry double.”(10) Consider “The Roads We Take” as a title for this short story. Why is this an effective title?Note:1) You can have more findings beyond this guide.2) Attention to some miss-prints in the handout, and point them out on the New Horizon.3) You may refer to its Chinese version provided by the students in the Discussion Forum。