Probe into the Title of Tender is the Night

Abstract Fitzgerald is well-known as the symbol of the faithless jazz generation, while I consider he is a spender as well as a moralist who can contemplate and retrospect constantly。 Tender is the Night is the novel that Fitzgerald poured nearly a decade of his time into。 Unlike the commercial potboilers, it is worthy of deep dig and further meditation。 But where should the reading and thinking start? I believe it is the title that facilitates and casts lights on the integral understanding of the novel。 Consequently, firstly, regardless of the novel’s content, I will discuss the meaning of “tender” and “night” respectively connected with the Chinese philosophical classic Tao Te Ching and The Holy Bible。 It turns out that “tender” is only seemingly gentle and vulnerable and is in fact forceful and long-lasting and “night” is more encompassing yet more jumbled and dangerous。 As a whole, a tender night that gives the first impression of innocent and flawless could be deceptive and the expression has a chance of being an irony。 And since the night boasts two magic weapons, the moon and the dreams, it triggers a cascade of sentimental emotions and a wild imagination。 75224

Moreover if we look back of the title after a thorough reading of the novel, we will find the title’s intimate relation with the themes, comprising of the failure of American Dream and gradual degeneration and also, from my point of view, the salvation theme。 Finally, since comparison can set off the excellent title, I trace back the naming process of the Tender and Fitzgerald’s other novels。 Every title of these novels, used or abandoned is existed out of reason and these adopted are apt to be delicately made with aesthetic as well as functions of indicating the themes or implying something。 Interestingly, I also draw some conclusions on Fitzgerald’s orientations when making titles。

Keywords: Fitzgerald; Tender is the night; title; theme

对《夜色温柔》这一题目的探索

摘要菲茨杰拉德作为爵士时代的标志而为人们所熟知，但我认为他除了是一个无度的挥霍者之外还有着没有泯灭的道德感。这使他在挥霍之余，常常冥想和反思。《夜色温柔》是他耗时将近10年的呕心沥血之作。不同于那些为了商业目的而粗制滥造的小说，它值得我们更加深入的探索和更加深远的思考。而我们阅读它的突破口在哪呢？我认为题目会为我们后期的完整阅读提供便利和许多宝贵的信息。因此 首先，抛开小说的内容，我开始探讨题目。我结合中国古代哲学经典《道德经》和西方的《圣经》来分别理解“温柔”和“夜”。我发现“温柔”并不意味着字面上的脆弱，实际上，它里面充满力量，并且具有长久存在的潜质。至于“夜”，因为它包罗万象所以鱼龙混杂，也就危机四伏。作为一个整体，夜色温柔给予人的单纯美好可能只是假象，而对于这本小说来说，它也许是一种讽刺。还有，因为夜拥有两样独门法宝——月和梦，它常常让人变得多愁善感或者引人进入奇幻的想想。

另外，如果我们看完小说再回过头来看题目，我们会发现它跟小说主题的紧密联系。这些主题包括美国梦的破灭和逐渐沉沦，也包括我所认为的存在的救赎主题。最后，因为只有通过比较才能衬托出这个题目的妙处，我于是追溯了菲茨杰拉德给他的众多命题的过程。不论是被使用的还是没抛弃排除的，每一个题目都是有迹可循有理可追的；而那些现在被使用的往往有一种美感或者对主题和内容有暗示作用。有趣的是我还发现和总结了一些菲茨杰拉德命题的小习惯。

毕业论文关键词：菲茨杰拉德；夜色温柔；题目；主题