美国文学 O. Henry 2

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O. HenryInitiator of modern American short story teller.

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Life Experience True name is William Sidney Porter. born at Greensboro, North Carolina on September 11, 1862. 3, his mother died and he was brought up by his aunt. The Civil War was just over during Porter boyhood days, and times were very hard in the South. He spent all of his free time reading books,

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Life Because of poor health, he went to Taxes for fifteen years of his life. He did various jobs, being a bookkeeper, a drug store clerk. , he fell in love with Athol Estes, because of the disapproval of her family, they eloped In the same year he sold his first writing. The young couple did not make out well financially at first until Porter secured a position as a clerk in a bank.

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Life in 1897 he was accused of embezzling money and fled to Honduras to avoid arrest. His wife became ill during his absence and he returned secretly to the United States. His wife died and he was broken by grief. Finally he was arrested and sentenced to five years in the Ohio prison. In order to kill time in the prison, he began to write diligently.

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Life Due to his good conduct he was dismissed after about three years, and went off to Pittsburgh to start a new life. 39, he worked as a journalist for the Pittsburgh Dispatch newspaper for a while and then drifted on to New York where he met wellknown men of the literary world. His writing came to draw the attention of the public and he quickly became popular. .

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Life From that time on he was a wealthy man. He lived luxuriously and drank heavily 45, he remarried. He was never a strong man physically and his exciting life finally wore him out before his time. He died at the age of forty-eight on June 3, 1910. An alcoholic, he died virtually penniless.

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Literary Career he published over 300 stories and gained worldwide acclaim as America's favorite short story writer. The Four Million the O Henry Memorial Awards

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Main works:Cabbages and Kings 《白菜与国王》 白菜与国王》 The Four Million 《四百万》 四百万》 The Gift of the Magi 《麦琪的礼物》 麦琪的礼物》 Heart of the West 《西部之心》 西部之心》 The Voice of the City 《市声》 市声》 The Cop and the Anthem《警察与赞美诗》 《警察与赞美诗》

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Text A

The Last LeafO.Henry

The Last Leaf

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About the story Place: in a street crowded with poor artists Time: in cold November Characters: Sue, Johnsy (who suffered from Pneumonia and on the verge of dying) Mr.Behrman (an old artist)

Event: “They’re falling faster now. Three days ago there werealmost a hundred. It made my head ache to count them. But now it’s easy. There goes another one. There are only five left now”.

“Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too.” The ivy tree was still there.

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Johnsy and Sue a

re artists who move into Greenwich Village in New York City. As Winter approaches and the weather gets colder, Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia. She gets so sick that she believes that when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her window, she will die. An old artist, named Behrman, who lives in the same building as the girls, braves a storm one night to paint a leaf on the wall — a leaf that will never fall. Cold and wet from painting in the icy rain, he catches pneumonia and dies. This gives Johnsy the hope to survive her illness, and it also creates the masterpiece Behrman had always dreamed of painting

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Ending: Johnsy was out of danger, while Mr.Behrman died of pneumonia in the hospital.

“Look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn’t you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it’s Behrman’s masterpiece—he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.”

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A Service of Love Joe: love drawing very much Delia: love music Both went to the North to further their study and they met and fell in love and got married. But they were soon thrown into poverty. In order to support the family, Delia began to teach the students in a wealthy family. Joe began to work very hard and sell his paintings. But at last it turned out that both of them were working hard in the same place.

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A Service of Love “I couldn't get any pupils.” She confessed. “And I couldn’t bear to have you give up your lessons; and I got a place ironing shirts in that big Twenty-fourth laundry.” “I had been firing engine in that laundry for the last two weeks.”

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The Furnished Room

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Subject matter life of the underdogs: people who are defeated in the battle of life, esp. the selfsacrificing member of the family.

Characters of ordinary people