ExploringLiteratureWelcometotheUnitWhatisliterature?writtenartisticworks,especiallythosewithahighandlastingartisticvalue.Literatureisthemirrorofsociety.Thusabookwritteninaparticulartimedefinespeople,theirthoughts,andtheinfluencesofthatera.“Theperson,beitgentlemanorlady,whohasnotpleasureinagoodnovel,mustbeintolerablystupid.”——JaneAustinPrideandPrejudice《傲慢與偏見》SenseandSensibility《理智與情感》FormsofLiteratureDrama（WilliamShakespeare）PoetryNovelEssayautobiographyGreatliteratureissimplylanguagechargedwithmeaningtotheutmostpossibledegree.—EzraPound

偉大的文學只不過是在最大程度上承載意義的語言。

——埃茲拉·龐德Americanpoets,literarycritictherepresentativeofimagismInaStationoftheMetroEzraPoundTheapparitionofthesefacesinthecrowd;Petalsonawet,blackbough.地鐵站人群中那些面孔的魅影；潮濕陰暗樹干上的花瓣。CharlesDickens(1812-1870)CharlesDickens

isoneofEngland’smostfamousnovelists.Hedescribedlifeinthemiddleofthe19thcentury,aperiodthatisnowcalledVictorian,asitiswhenQueenVictoriaruledBritain.ManyofDickens’novelstakeplaceinLondon.Hispopularworksare:DavidCopperfield,BleakHouse,ATaleofTwoCities,GreatExpectations,andOurMutualFriend.Dickens’worksMymeaningsimplyis,thatwhateverIhavetriedtodoinlife,Ihavetriedwithallmyhearttodowell;thatwhateverIhavedevotedmyselfto,Ihavedevotedmyselftocompletely;thatingreataimsandinsmall,Ihavealwaysbeenthoroughlyinearnest.—DavidCopperfield,byCharlesDickensadj.非常認真的;真誠的致力,專心,獻身SandraCisnerosSandraCisneros,(bornDecember20,1954,Chicago,Illinois,U.S.),Americanshort-storywriterandpoet,bestknownforhergroundbreakingevocationofMexicanAmericanlifeinChicago.SheisaLatinaAmericannovelistwhowrotethebestsellingnovelTheHouseonMangoStreet.TheHouseonMangoStreetItiscomprisedof44shortcharactersketches,orstories.TheyarenarratedbyEsperanza,whojustmovedwithherfamilytoMangoStreet,inthe

barrio.EsperanzahatestheirhouseonMangoStreetbecauseitisnota“real”house,liketheonesshe’sseenonTV.Youcanneverhavetoomuchsky.Youcanfallasleepandwakeupdrunkonsky,andskycankeepyousafewhenyouaresad.Herethereistoomuchsadnessandnotenoughsky.Butterfliestooarefewandsoareflowersandmostthingsthatarebeautiful.Still,wetakewhatwecangetandmakethebestofit.—TheHouseonMangoStreet,bySandraCisneros,n.蝴蝶Whatmessageisconveyedinthetwoexcerpts?TheexcerptfromDavidCopperfieldshowsthemaincharacter’spassionforwhateverheisdoing.TheotherexcerptfromTheHouseonMangoStreetintroducestheconceptofmakingfulluseofwhatwehavenow.Whichoftheexcerptsmakesyoufeellikereadingthewholebook?Why?ThesecondexcerptmakesmefeellikereadingthewholebookbecauseIthinkthelanguagetheauthorusesissimplebutbeautiful.Iparticularlylikeherdescriptionoftheskykeepingussafewhenwearesad.Whatisyourfavoriteworkofliterature?Why?Ofthe