Analysis on “The Nightingale and The Rose” from the

Yang Jixing

【Abstract】Oscar Wilde is one of the most famous writers in the period of the Victoria Age. As his classical work, “The Nightingale and The Rose” has been worshiped for its profound theme and the brilliant exertion of color. Now, the tale will be analyzed from the view of beauty in Color, expecting sharing my reviews with all of you.

【Key words】beauty; imagery; color; nightingale

1. The death of nightingale

It is absolutely vital for the expressive effect of art in the process of molding imagery by applying scores of descriptions of color. Firstly, the nightingales death appears to be aestheticism by colors qualifying. When the first time nightingale sees the tearful expression in that handsome mans face, which makes her feel an irresistible impulse to notice. As she says, “His hair is dark as the hyacinth--blossom, and his lips are red as the rose of his desire; but passion has made his face like pale ivory, and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow.” In her description, the applying of colors indeed make the appearance of young man vivid, from which the nightingale thinks that “this is a indeed expressive love”. The nightingale's death is beginning by her first direct-viewing expression, and the lifelike description of colors truly makes readers easier understand nightingale determination to die for the young man's love.

2.The devotion of nightingale

The nightingale's devotion appears more magnificent with the embellishment of color. Nightingale elects a grim journey to seek a red rose-tree, but this work is not proceed smoothly without a hitch. The three times in all the nightingale finds that tree, just like three distinctive answers applying to nightingales question what is the color of you rose, as “My roses are as white as the foam of the sea, and whiter than the snow upon the mountain; My roses as yellow as the hair of the mermaid who sits upon an amber throne, and yellower than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower comes with his scythe; My roses as red as the feet of the dove, and redder than the great fans of coral that wave and wave in the ocean-cavern.” This rough journey that nightingale seeks red-rose-tree has transmitted such an information that, it is so tough for nightingale to find a nightingale, much less getting a real red-rose? And then, what a high price nightingale needs to pay if she gets that rose? About this, author gives the answer--that is “life”. Doing a conclusion, the heavy description of color not only makes nightingales determination more formidable and greater, but pushes the character of nightingale over the limitation of animal, enduing a sort of engaging personality charm.

3. The significance of nightingale

The nightingales death appears more sentimental and heroic by the colors qualifying. When nightingale initially forces the rose-thorn to stick into her chest, the color of rose has a gradual change, “pale was it, at first, as the mist that hangs over the river--pale as the feet of morning, and silver as the wings of the dawn. As the shadow of a rose in a mirror of silver, as the shadow of a rose in a water-pool”. But the deeper as the thorn thrusts, “a delicate flush of pink came into the leaves of the rose, like the flush in the face of the bridegroom when he kisses the lips of the bride. But the thorn had not yet reached her heart, so the rose heart remained white”. For the appearing dawn, for finishing this work before the dawn, nightingales heart is approaching thorn step by step, eventually reaching it. Now, “the marvelous rose became crimson, like the rose of eastern sky. Crimson was the girdle of petal, and crimson as a ruby was the heart”. The impending of nightingales death as the transforming of rose-color, from pale to a delicate flush of pink, to crimson, such heavily fresh color indicates the gradual dying out of nightingales life as the gradual reaching of nightingales desire. To sum up, with the modifying of color, the ending that nightingale is willing-hearted to die for love appears more reasonable and possesses aesthetic perception, not losing the divine and lamentable characteristic.

References:

[1]Selanders Louise C and Crane Patrick C.The voice of Florence Nightingale on advocacy.[J].Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 2012.

[2]Oscar Wilde.The Nightingale and The Rose(C).New World Press.2013.

作者簡介：杨季行(1979-)，男，陕西洛南人，工程硕士，文学学士，副教授，研究方向：英语教学。