从修辞角度论欧·亨利短篇小说的文学美

蒋侃婕

【Abstract】O.Henry，as the founder of American short stories，is famous for his works in which language is always vivid and witty.This paper analyzes two of O.Henrys famous short stories.By giving examples of phonetic and lexical and syntactic and semantic rhetorical devices，the paper shows that a good master of rhetorical devices can not only promote the development of the story itself，but also reveal its artistic and stylistic beauty.

【Key Words】Rhetorical Devices； Humorous Effect； Literary Beauty

【摘要】歐·亨利作为美国短篇小说的奠基人，因其作品语言生动形象、诙谐幽默而闻名。本文作者选取了欧·亨利的两篇著作，分别从语音修辞、词汇修辞这四个方面对作品进行了分析，从而说明灵活应用修辞手法，不仅能推动故事本身情节的发展，还能成就作品的艺术和文学美。

【关键词】修辞手法 幽默作用 文学美

Introduction

O.Henry （1862-1910），pseudonym of William Sydney Porter，one of the three most famous short-story writers throughout the world.It is said that O.Henry gained a rich life experience ever since he was a teenager，which，without any doubt，contributes a lot to his achievements as a short-story writer.Rhetoric has already come into every aspect of human life.Generally speaking，it is a study concerning with the uses of language in a complex society.

Rhetorical Devices Used in O.Henrys Short Stories

Rhetorical devices are indispensable in short story writing，for they not only polish the language itself，but also bring about positive effect on the promotion of the plot or the release of the theme.As O.Henry is known as a master of the application of rhetorical devices，the author of this paper is going to offer some examples taken out from four of his famous short stories，further revealing the literary beauty of O.Henrys works.

Generally speaking，phonetic rhetorical devices are sound-related figures of speech.They encompass various stylistic means，namely alliteration，assonance，consonance，onomatopoeia and pun.

O.Henry used much alliteration in this story.According to English Rhetoric written by Zhang Xiuguo （45），alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant in a sequence of words，making a block of words of more rhythmic and at the same time，leaving readers an unforgettable impression.For example，in the sentence “…which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs，sniffles，and smiles，with sniffles predominating…”（The Gift for Magi 3），the first four “s” in the four words in bold can be looked on as an outcome of the use of alliteration.It tends to give readers a depressing impression that Della，the protagonist in the story，is really going through a hard time.

Lexical rhetorical devices refer to those lexical means that the authors employ while conveying their ideas to readers.It helps the authors to express themselves clearly and effectively and achieve artistic and stylistic effect.

FR （O.Henry，75） is a story about a man who spends five months looking for his beloved girl.After five-month efforts，he gives up and commits suicide in the furnished room.What is surprising is that the girl he loves deeply actually kills herself in the same room.In this story，there is an example of anadiplosis “her voice came from her throat； her throat seemed lined with fur” （The Furnished Room 3）.Therefore，it is easy to see that “anadiplosis is the repetition of the last part of a unit or sentence at the beginning of the next unit or sentence” （Zhang Xiuguo，45）.It makes the dialogue between the landlady and another woman，which appears at the end of the story，sharply revealing her coldness and detachment.

Chapter Three Conclusion

O.Henry focuses on the poor life and spiritual depression of common people.He not only widens the experience of his readers，he also restates the verities that exist wherever people continue to strive for truth and beauty in life.The humanity reflected from the twist ending makes his stories at their best an influence for the furthering of those ideals that still tend to command the allegiance of civilized men.

The literary beauty of O.Henrys short stories are best shown via the various rhetorical devices，which always leads to a humorous effect and makes the twist ending more surprising and thought-provoking.O.Henry is a master of using rhetorical devices，and many of his short stories are studied by experts for the artistic and stylistic beauty.

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