rip van winkle中自然描写的作用.docxVIP

— PAGE \* Arabic 1 — rip van winkle中自然描写的作用 The Functions of Nature  王雯In Rip Van Winkle, there are many descriptions about nature. And,it’s obvious that the writer paid much attention to them. In my personal view, nature has three functions in this novel.  Firstly, descriptions of nature is necessary for setting the scene. Rip Van Winkle is an imaginative novel,writer uses dreamlike environment description and the people’s fancy experience to create atmosphere. Most of natural environment described in this novel is so beautiful that give people the sense of unreality.  Secondly, descriptions of nature express the writer’s preference of nature. The writer himself loves nature in his real life. That makes him use flowery language and fertile imagination to present the expected nature in his heart. And one of the literary characteristics of Romanticism is they have a presumption that the natural world was a source of goodness and man’s society a source of corruption. They want to go back to nature and enjoy the leisure time. Puritan life style are no longer that popular among Americans,they begin to pursue what they really want. Nature is just a sample of what they are seeking.  Thirdly, descriptions of nature convey the main idea of the novel--the desire for an escape from society. In this novel,Rip Van Winkle want to escape from his wife who rattles all the time and escape from his family  which is annoying in his mind. Actually,Rip Van Winkle represents the backward generation who are unwilling to accept the reality that America has won its revolution. They are used to old life style and politics. Escape is always a good way to solve unexpected problem. In this novel, escape to nature euphemistically reflect the social condition.  So, nature is an important part in this novel.