автор: Булимова Дарья Львовна
Учитель английского языка Школа №66, Рязань
Разбор произведения О. Уайлда «Соловей и Роза»
- Ex. 1
The phrase ‘art for art’s sake’, in Wilde’s understanding, considers the notion that art has its own value and should be judged apart from any themes which it might touch on, such as morality, religion, history, or politics. It teaches that judgements of aesthetic value should not be confused with those proper to other spheres of life. Also, he supposes, that the artist shouldn’t rely on art as the source of income, as much as he shouldn’t reckon that it’s the way to get recognition from public.
Ex. 3
To my mind Oscar Wilde represents the story from all-seeing point of view. The story-teller is the all-knowing narrator. He uses the third person to tell the story, he is not involved in it. The narrator is objective, he just reports facts and does not tell his opinion, but also the story shows us the student’s and the bird’s point of view. The text is full of indirect comments on life, personifications, similes and symbolism.
If the author changed the narrator to the student’s point of view, for example, the story would be not so touching, because the already existed narrator knows and transfers to the reader all of the pain of the bird, all of the thoughts and feelings of the other characters.
Ex. 4
I’ll try to retell the story from the student’s point of view. This version will show that nobody even thinks about the nightingale and the fact that she has sacrificed her life, especially the student, who does not fulfill her last wish that was to be true to his love.
Once I fell in love with one beautiful girl, but she refused my love if only I could get her a red rose, in spite of it was not the season, to win her heart. My cries were heard by nightingale, so the day after I opened the window and saw the most beautiful red rose in the world on the bush. Probably, she might be somehow connected with the rose, but I thought she wouldn’t sacrifice herself for others. Then, I got the rose and came to the girl I loved. But when I came to her to ask for a dance and to give the rose, the things turned out, the girl did not appreciate the rose because another young man has offered her jewels instead (a more expensive present). I felt rejected but didn’t waste my time mourning the loss, but rather went back to my books and lessons in philosopy.
Ex. 5
To my mind the point of the highest tension is the moment when the bird is giving her blood to the rose’s bush and sacrificing her life.
The details: the oak-tree that says to the bird:
— “Sing me one last song,” he whispered; “I shall feel very lonely when you are gone.”
— “And when the Moon shone in the heavens the Nightingale flew to the Rose-tree, and set her breast against the thorn. All night long she sang with her breast against the thorn, and the cold crystal Moon leaned down and listened. All night long she sang, and the thorn went deeper and deeper into her breast, and her life-blood ebbed away from her.”
— “But the Tree cried to the Nightingale to press closer against the thorn. “Press closer, little Nightingale,” cried the Tree, “or the Day will come before the rose is finished.” So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and louder and louder grew her song…”
The role of the repetition is very important, because the repetition shows all of the pain of the bird that she feels through sacrificing her life in the name of love. The gradual death and the birth of the red rose are vividly described. The increasing pain of the Nightingale keeps time with the increased tempo of her song, which ironically is a celebration of eternal love. As the bird grows weaker, everything around her responds to her last burst of music. The effect it had on the listeners is powerfully depicted as follows:
• The white Moon heard it, and she forgot the dawn, and lingered on in the sky.
• Echo bore it to her purple cavern in the hills and woke the sleeping shepherds from their dreams.
Ex. 6
The details that make us doubt that everything will be all right in the end:
— When the Nightingale sings a song, he says that her voice is beautiful but shallow and lacks any emotion which shows that he is a materialistic person who is unable to feel deep emotions, he just went back to his room and fall asleep. Quote: “When she had finished her song the Student got up, and pulled a note-book and a lead-pencil out of his pocket. “She has form,” he said to himself, as he walked away through the grove—“that cannot be denied to her; but has she got feeling? I am afraid not. In fact, she is like most artists; she is all style, without any sincerity. She would not sacrifice herself for others. She thinks merely of music, and everybody knows that the arts are selfish. Still, it must be admitted that she has some beautiful notes in her voice. What a pity it is that they do not mean anything, or do any practical good.”
— The unhappy ending is predictable, because almost in the middle of the story it is shown the moral values of the bird. The nightingale is all about the importance of love because it cannot be bought. She thinks it is so important that she even sacrifices her own life for the beauty of love. » It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. Pearls and pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in the market-place. It may not be purchased of the merchants, nor can it be weighed out in the balance of gold.” But the girl who rejected the student’s love chose the jewelry of Chamberlain’s nephew, than a love of the student.
— Also, it might be one of the details, that make us doubt that everything will be all right at the end of the story, if only the bird wouldn’t be so generous and sacrificing to give her life for the sake of student’s love. The red rose tree in the Student’s garden needed care and attention: “…the winter has chilled my veins…nipped my buds…broken my branches”. If the Student had cared for the tree like he should have done, and not been so selfish, the poor Nightingale would not have had to sacrifice her life to make a red rose. It proves that even the tree needed love, and if the Student had given the tree love, it would have returned the favour by bearing a red rose.
— The last one detail, that makes us doubt that everything will be all right in the end, is the student’s attitude to a flower, that appeared next morning. Student, who did not care how the red rose suddenly appeared upon the bush, said: “What a wonderful piece of luck!” He had no idea where it came from, and he did not care. As long as he had what he wanted, he was satisfied. The Student, meanwhile, is naive for thinking that all he needs is a red rose to win the heart of the Professor’s daughter. He believes a romantic gesture will make up for his relative poverty. He is also shallow because he is so concerned with his problems and philosophizing that he doesn’t even notice the Nightingale trying to help him.
Ex. 7
The poem and the tale have in common the next things:
The phrase: “Accompanied by lucky Death” might mean the Nightingale, who is the sacrifice of love, that is a “lucky” for the Student. So, her death is lucky for him, because he thought he would finally get the girl.
The first line “Love… A useless thing” relates with the price of bird’s life, that she paid for “the true love” that finally appeared to be not true.
This sentence “Who spreads his wing
And cannot soar in to the air,” may relate with the story like a bird, which spread her wings up to the happy future of the the Student and the girl, but “cannot soar into the air” means that this love union isn’t destined to be.
The phrase: “Who feeds himself on one’s despair” might be understood as the Bird’s despair, that makes her sacrifice her own life for the sake of student’s love, who “feeds himself” by this sacrifice.
The difference between the poem and the tale is that the poem is very short and unfinished, we can only suppose if there is another meaning of it. But to my mind both of it imply the same themes: the theme of sacrifice and the theme of love. The only different thing is that the story have one another theme — materialism, that is explored by the human characters. The young student, Professor’s daughter and Chamberlain’s nephew are materialistic in some sense.
