# 第四册 Lesson 21 William S. Hart and the early 'Western' film 威廉·S·哈特和早期西部片

## 一、课文原文

William S. Hart was, perhaps, the greatest of all Western stars, for unlike Gary Cooper and John Wayne he appeared in nothing but Westerns. From 1914 to 1924 he was supreme and unchallenged. It was Hart who created the basic formula of the Western film, and devised the protagonist he played in every film he made, the good-bad man, the accidental, noble outlaw, or the honest, but framed cowboy, or the sheriff made suspect by vicious gossip; in short, the individual in conflict with himself and his frontier environment.

Unlike most of his contemporaries in Hollywood, Hart actually knew something of the old West. He had lived in it as a child when it was already disappearing, and his hero was firmly rooted in his memories and experiences, and in both the history and the mythology of the vanished frontier. And although no period or place in American history has been more absurdly romanticized, myth and reality did join hands in at least one arena, the conflict between the individual and encroaching civilization.

Men accustomed to struggling for survival against the elements and Indians were bewildered by politicians, bankers and businessmen, and unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos. Hart's good-bad man was always an outsider, always one of the disinherited, and if he found it necessary to shoot a sheriff or rob a bank along the way, his early audiences found it easy to understand and forgive, especially when it was Hart who, in the end, overcame the attacking Indians.

Audiences in the second decade of the twentieth century found it pleasant to escape to a time when life, though hard, was relatively simple. We still do; living in a world in which undeclared aggression, war, hypocrisy, chicanery, anarchy and impending immolation are part of our daily lives, we all want a code to live by.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| formula | /ˈfɔːmjʊlə/ | n. | 公式，模式 | basic formula 基本模式 |
| protagonist | /prəˈtæɡənɪst/ | n. | 主角，主人公 | devised the protagonist 设计主角 |
| outlaw | /ˈaʊtlɔː/ | n. | 亡命之徒，法外之徒 | noble outlaw 高贵的亡命之徒 |
| framed | /freɪmd/ | adj. | 被诬陷的 | framed cowboy 被诬陷的牛仔 |
| vicious | /ˈvɪʃəs/ | adj. | 恶毒的，恶意的 | vicious gossip 恶毒的流言 |
| frontier | /ˈfrʌntɪə/ | n. | 边疆，前沿 | vanished frontier 消失的边疆 |
| romanticize | /rəʊˈmæntɪsaɪz/ | v. | 使浪漫化 | absurdly romanticized 荒谬地浪漫化 |
| encroach | /ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ/ | v. | 侵犯，蚕食 | encroaching civilization 侵蚀的文明 |
| bewilder | /bɪˈwɪldə/ | v. | 使困惑，使不知所措 | bewildered by 被...搞糊涂 |
| unhorse | /ʌnˈhɔːs/ | v. | 使下马，推翻 | unhorsed by fences 被栅栏逼下马 |
| alien | /ˈeɪliən/ | adj. | 陌生的，异己的 | alien taboos 陌生的禁忌 |
| taboo | /təˈbuː/ | n. | 禁忌 | alien taboos 异己的禁忌 |
| disinherited | /ˌdɪsɪnˈherɪtɪd/ | adj. | 被剥夺权利的 | the disinherited 被剥夺权利者 |
| hypocrisy | /hɪˈpɒkrəsi/ | n. | 虚伪，伪善 | 与 undeclared aggression 并列 |
| chicanery | /ʃɪˈkeɪnəri/ | n. | 诡计，欺诈 | 政治手腕的欺骗 |
| anarchy | /ˈænəki/ | n. | 无政府状态 | 社会混乱 |
| immolation | /ˌɪməˈleɪʃn/ | n. | 献祭，自我毁灭 | impending immolation 即将到来的毁灭 |
| code | /kəʊd/ | n. | 准则，规范 | a code to live by 生活准则 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 强调句型 It was...who...

> **It was Hart who** created the basic formula of the Western film...

> ...especially when **it was Hart who**, in the end, overcame the attacking Indians.

- 强调主语 Hart
- 两次使用强调句，凸显Hart的核心地位

### 2. nothing but 只不过，仅仅

> ...he appeared in **nothing but** Westerns.

- = only, merely
- 仿写：He did nothing but complain.

### 3. in short 总之

> **In short**, the individual in conflict with himself and his frontier environment.

- = to sum up, briefly
- 用于概括前面的列举

### 4. 过去分词作后置定语

> ...the sheriff **made suspect** by vicious gossip

> Men **accustomed to** struggling for survival against the elements and Indians

- made suspect = 被弄得可疑
- accustomed to = 习惯于

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. devise the protagonist 设计主角

> ...and **devised** the protagonist he played in every film he made...

- devise = invent, create by careful planning
- 仿写：He devised a new method for solving the problem.

### 2. join hands 携手，结合

> ...myth and reality did **join hands** in at least one arena...

- = come together, unite
- 注意用did强调

### 3. along the way 在此过程中

> ...if he found it necessary to shoot a sheriff or rob a bank **along the way**...

- = in the process, on the way
- 仿写：We learned a lot along the way.

### 4. a code to live by 生活准则

> ...we all want **a code to live by**.

- to live by = to guide one's life
- 仿写：Everyone needs a principle to live by.

## 五、课文翻译

威廉·S·哈特也许是所有西部片明星中最伟大的，因为与加里·库珀和约翰·韦恩不同，他只出演西部片。从1914年到1924年，他是至高无上、无可挑战的。正是哈特创造了西部片的基本模式，并设计了他每部电影中扮演的主角——亦好亦坏的人，偶然成为高尚法外之徒的人，或是诚实却被诬陷的牛仔，或是因恶毒流言而变得可疑的警长；简而言之，就是与自身和边疆环境冲突的个人。

与好莱坞的大多数同时代人不同，哈特确实了解旧西部的一些情况。他小时候在那里生活过，当时旧西部已经在消失了，他塑造的英雄深深扎根于他的记忆和经历中，也扎根于消失了的边疆的历史和神话中。虽然美国历史上没有任何时期或地方比这被更荒谬地浪漫化了，但神话和现实确实在至少一个领域携手了——个人与入侵文明之间的冲突。

习惯了与自然环境和印第安人搏斗求生的人，被政客、银行家和商人弄得不知所措，被栅栏、法律和陌生的禁忌逼下了马。哈特塑造的亦好亦坏的人总是局外人，总是被剥夺权利的人之一，如果他在此过程中觉得有必要射杀警长或抢劫银行，他早期的观众很容易理解和原谅他，尤其是当最终是哈特击退了进攻的印第安人时。

20世纪第二个十年的观众觉得逃到一个生活虽然艰苦但相对简单的时代是令人愉快的。我们至今仍然如此；生活在一个不宣而战的侵略、战争、虚伪、诡计、无政府和即将来临的毁灭都是我们日常生活一部分的世界里，我们都想要一个可以遵循的生活准则。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 写作手法：电影评论+文化分析

- 前半部分：哈特的艺术成就（创造了西部片模式）
- 中间部分：旧西部的历史与神话
- 后半部分：从电影观众心理上升到普遍的人类需求

### 2. 文化背景

- **威廉·S·哈特（William S. Hart, 1864-1946）**：默片时代最著名的西部片演员
- **西部片（Western film）**：美国特有的电影类型，以西部边疆为背景
- **边疆学说（Frontier Thesis）**：美国历史学家特纳提出的理论，认为边疆塑造了美国精神
- **加里·库珀、约翰·韦恩**：后来的西部片巨星

### 3. 修辞分析

- **排比**：the good-bad man, the accidental noble outlaw, the honest but framed cowboy——三种角色的排比
- **隐喻**：unhorsed by fences——被栅栏"逼下马"，暗喻文明对自由的束缚
- **递进**：从电影角色→历史神话→当代焦虑，层层递进

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **理解题**：How did William Hart's childhood prepare him for his acting role in Western films?（他在旧西部生活过，有亲身经历）
2. **语法题**：It was...who...强调句的识别与改写
3. **词汇题**：区分 bewilder/confuse/baffle 的程度差异
4. **写作练习**：用文化分析方法评述一种电影类型

## 八、本课小结

本课评述**威廉·S·哈特与早期西部片**，核心观点：哈特以亲身经历创造了西部片的经典模式——个人与环境的冲突，这种冲突也是美国边疆精神的体现，至今仍能满足人们对生活准则的渴望。语法重点包括It was...who...强调句、nothing but限定、过去分词作定语。写作手法上融合电影评论与文化分析，以递进结构从艺术上升到哲学。