马克?吐温幽默语言风格的表现形式

摘要：马克·吐温幽默的语言风格已对世人产生了很大影响。他的幽默艺术有其理论基础。这种幽默风格主要通过一些表现手法和修辞技巧展现出来，如：夸张、对比、讽刺和比喻都能在其大部分作品中找到例证。

关键词：幽默 语言风格 表现手法

Abstract：Mark Twains language style， humor， has greatly influenced many people.His humorous art has the theoretic bases.The techniques of expression and rhetoric，such as exaggeration， contrast， irony， and metaphor， can be seen clearly in most of his works.

Key words： humor language style rhetoric

1. Introduction

Mark Twain is the most famous realistic writer，humorist and satirist in the later nineteenth century. His novels show the pure American features，which mark the emergence and development of idiomatic American local colorism. His understanding of the American society and human beings，his devotion to the development of American English leave a deep impression on the readers.There is no doubt that Mark Twains humor is the mostm unforgetcable thing for the readers.He not only carries forward the humor shown in the works of Washington Irving，but also makes the humor win the social recognition as an American literary element. Here I just illustrate the art of humor used by Mark Twain in his novels.

2.The Techniques of Rhetoric

Mark Twains humorous art is reflected in his humorous techniques of rhetoric.I just choose the main four kinds of techniques：exaggeration，contrast，irony and metaphor.

Firstly， Mark Twains humor in language is expressed by over-exaggeration.His exaggeration，burlesque and understatement （a kind of inverse exaggeration） caught from the frontier tellers of tall tales---uppermost in his writing through Roughing It（1870）：“l went away from there，” he writes in Innocents Abroad（1869），recalling in Milan his boyhood experience of discovering a corpse in his fathers office，where he had taken refuge for the night. “I do not say that I were in any kind of hurry， but I simply went. That is sufficient. I went out of the window. I carried the sash along with me. I did not want the sash， but it was handier to take it than to leave it. I was not scared， but I was considerably agitated.” This is a higher type of humor than the cacograph （distorted spelling， pronunciation， and grammar）.

Mark Twain likes to use exaggerated words when he describes things so that the humor can be learned from some incongruity. In his short novels Political Economy， a lightning-rod man puts up dozens of lightning-rods for the man who is writing the paper about political economy. “...we are all about worn out. For four-and-twenty hours our bristling premises were the talk and wonder of the town. The theaters languished， for their happiest scenic inventions were tame and commonplace compared with my lightning-rods. Our street was blocked night and day with spectators， and among them were many who came from the country to see.”（Charles Neider， 1957：63）

From the above， we can notice the use of exaggeration.

Secondly， Mark Twain is good at using contrast. One of German philosophers says that discordance between means and purpose， reason and result， thought and expression is ridiculous. The contrast between splendid， grand， gorgeous things and contemptible， valueless things is also ludicrous. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer， one clergyman is preaching carefully and pious believers are listening. When a dog runs into the church. The dog jumps up and down to catch a beetle. The contrast between solemn atmosphere and the dog catching a beetle makes people laugh.

In modem psychologists opinion， when the brain keeps tense appropriately， and relaxes suddenly， laugh is produced. The appearance of two different things in nature makes us relaxed. Mark Twain writes two long novels： The Prince and The Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court using the method of contrast.

Thirdly， humor can be reflected by means of irony. The humorous effect expressed by irony is more violet than that of exaggeration because over-exaggeration is ridiculous， but there is still some authenticity， that is， in a certain degree， the exaggerated things are identical with things in the real meaning. Irony is different. Irony regards the black as the white， the bad as the good. It reverses the relationship of object and subject. This method makes the readers feel that the author cheats them when they read this kind of literary works. Yet when they think about the works again， they will think that the description is true. It coincides with the characters status in the stories. The readers suddenly realize what has happened. They understand the authors real meaning and burst into a laugh. Mark Twain used this device in Tom Sawyer（1876） and Huckleberry Finn（1884）. Nowhere is to be found more effective dramatic irony than that at the expense of Tom and Huck. The author puts the readers in the way of having a point of view on the two boys. And the readers are blissfully unaware of it. Sometimes aunt Polly also comes in for a satirical implication. When Huck tells her about a steamboat accident，

“Good gracious！” she exclaims， “anybody hurt？”

“Nom，” he answers， “Killed a nigger.”

“Well， its lucky，” she replies， “because people sometimes do get hurt.”（Mark Twain， 1995：243）

Fourthly， metaphor is a kind of word or phrase to indicate something different from （through related in some way to） the literal meaning. From the metaphors we can distinguish the authors imagination and the ability of using language. Many maxims at home and abroad have connection with the application of metaphor. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， Huck was once surrounded by some dogs，“In a quarter of a minute I was a kind of a hub of a wheel， as you may say ---spokes made out of dogs ---circle of fifteen of them packed together around me”（Mark Twain， 1995：241）

The lively description makes the readers beam with smiles.

3. The Theoretic Bases of Humorous Art

As an attractive expression of the art of novels，the main external feature of humor is that it can make people laugh.Yet its internal quality is the profound connotation and sharp sense of right and wrong， beauty and ugliness. The humorous art of Mark Twains novels embodies this kind of internal quality of humor， which practices concretely his bumorous theories. The following three aspects reflect Mark Twains theory of humor most.

First of all，in Mark Twains opinion，one of the important aims of humorous works is to make the readers laugh，to make them relieved，happy and free from helplessness.Mark Twain realizes that it is not easy to master and create real humorous art.Mark Twain indicates that humorous story is a kind of delicate advanced art.Humorous works are never a superficial play with words.It is a means of expressing the good and the evil.It can help the readers improve the ability of judging.

Then， Mark Twain approves the instructive role of humorous literature.He thinks a person of integrity should have definite social critical consciousness，and satirize the hideous phenomena of society or shortcomings of the people by humorous works.Otherwise their works will lack power and cannot be remembered forever. From his first collection of short novels The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Others（1867） to his later novels，we can see that this famous writer keeps practicing his own art theory of humor.

Finally， Mark Twain holds the opinion that humorous stories should have a large structure into which episodes can be inserted.The authors should gain freedom to the most degree so that they can describe freely colorful social life to the readers.Among Mark Twains main works，The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a typical example.It takes such a kind of structure.Of course，this kind of structure is not created by Mark Twain.It is used in all the European tramping novels.Mark Twain carries on this structure：By the first persons vivid description，Huck is remembered as a tramp.So all the critics regard The Adventures ofHucMeberry Finn as an American tramping novel.

4.The Techniques of Expression

Mark Twain is an expert in handling humor in the history of literature.His works are full of humor.And there are colorful and various techniques of expression in his humorous art，which is acclaimed as the acme of perfection.

Firstly， by absurd，preposterous way of thinking，the normal states are changed into abnormal situation to achieve an excellent humorous result. In My Watch， Mark Twain tells us an ordinary thing： he bought a beautiful new watch.This watch “had run eighteen months without losing or gaining，and without breaking any part of its machinery or stopping.”（Charles Neider， 1957：57） Yet one day there is something wrong with this watch.So “I” make it repaired.Pitifully，all the repairers are laymen.The more it is repaired，the worse it becomes.At last it cannot be used completely.We had better read several paragraphs in My Watch，“My watch began to gain.It gained faster and faster day by day. Within the week it sickened to a raging fever，and its pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in the shade.At the end of two months it had left all the timepieces of the town far in the rear， and was a fraction over thirteen days ahead of the almanac.It was away into November enjoying the snow， while the October leaves were still turning.It hurried up house rent，bills payable，and such things，in such a ruinous way that I could not abide it.”（Charles Neider， 1957：57）

“For half a day it would go like the very mischief，and keep up such a barking and wheezing and whooping and sneezing and snorting， that I could not bear myself think for the disturbance；and as long as it held out there was not a watch in the land that stood any chance against it.”（Charles Neider， 1957：57）

“And every time it went off it kicked back life a musket.I padded my breast for a few days，but finally took the watch to another watch maker.”（Charles Neider， 1957：58）

From the above quotes，we can see that Mark Twain uses some artistic techniques， such as exaggeration， imagination， satire， personification and so on. It seems that he is describing a fact， pouring out his trouble. Yet the readers feel that the described situation is odd and abnormal. It depends on the authors absurd， monstrous thought. This kind of thought plays a special role in achieving a humorous effect.

Secondly， by showing the conflict between words and deeds， humor is revealed naturally. The usage of this method of humor has close connection with the satiric intention. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， the writer portrays Hucks father vividly. “He used to lay drunk with the hogs in the tanyard.”（Mark Twain， 1995：8） Later， the judge talked to him about temperance and such things. Hucks father cried， “and said hed been a fool， and fooled away his life； but now he was agoing to turn a new leaf and be a man nobody wouldnt be ashamed of”（Mark Twain， 1995：24） At last， the old man held out his hand， and said： “looked at it gentlemen， and ladies all； take ahold of it； shake it. Theres a hand that was the hand of a man thats started in on a new life， andll die before he'll go back. You mark them words---dont forget I said them. Its a clean hand now； shake it---dont be afread.”（Mark Twain， 1995：24） At that time， his words moved people， “so they shook it， one after the other， all round.” To our surprise， “the judges wife she kissed it.”（Mark Twain， 1995：25） Yet， in the night， the old man “got powerful thirsty and clumb out onto the porch-roof and slid down a stanchion and traded his new coat for a jug of forty-rod.” And “drunk as a fiddler， and rolled off the porch and broke his left arm in two places”（Mark Twain， 1995：25） In the same novel， Mark Twain shows us that the king and the duke tell one way and behave another. On the one hand， they do a lecture on temperance in public， on the other hand， they bring wine to drink by the money they made in the lecture on temperance. In Mark Twains novels， examples like these are too numerous to mention individually. In view of this， Mark Twain is handy at the distinctive way of humor to mock the shortcomings and bad deeds of human beings.

Thirdly， Mark Twain often applies caricature skills to draw a picture of a humorous situation. The readers know the profundity of his humorous art. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， we follow the main character Huck to come to church， and we see such a situation：

“There warnt anybody at the church， except maybe a hog or two， for there warnt any lock on the door， and hogs likes a puncheon floor in Summer-time because its cool. If you notice， most folks dont go to church only when theyre got to； but a dog is different.”（Mark Twain， 1995：122）

At the first glance， these words seem a little inattentive. But as long as we think it over carefully， it is not ditIicult for us to understand its connotation： satire to the weakness of religion.

Fourthly， to break the monotonous pattern of the traditional humorous art， and to mix comedy and tragedy together can bring lyric elements to humor.

As for the category of aesthetics， humor belongs to comedy. The traditional humorous art displays strong comic atmosphere， such as Swifts Gullivers Travels. Yet Mark Twain breaks intentionally the monotonous pattern of the traditional humorous art. He inserts some tragic elements into humor. In other words， grief and joy are intermingled in his humor. The ￡1，000，000 Bank-Note is about a tragedy， but the humor in it makes it hold rich comic elements. The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg shows us grief and joy intermingled with humor， from which we can notice the violent satire to the society.

When talking about the comic elements of Mark Twains humorous art， wed better look at carefully one of his skills， that is， the funny performance of two characters. For example， in Huckleberry Finn， Mark Twain describes the hideous and ridiculous performance of two swindles： the king and the duke. In order to gain other peoples money by cheating， they promise “the most thrillingest one that ever was”（Mark Twain， 1995：122）. When hed got everybodys expectations up high enough， “he rolled up the curtain and the next minute the king come a-prancing out on all fours， naked and he was painted all over， ring-streaked-and-striped， all sorts of colors， as splendid as a rainbow.”（Mark Twain， 1995：122） Facing such a situation， “the people almost killed themselves laughing； and when the king got done：capering， and capered， off behind the scenes”（Mark Twain， 1995：122）. Mark Twain writes scornfully， “Well， it would a made a cow laugh to see the shines that old idiot cut.”（Mark Twain， 1995：122） We notice the humor through the description about the funny performance. After we think it over， we feel that these comic elements of humor are blended with tragic elements.

Of course， there are other techniques of expression. Yet the above four are the most important.

5. Conclusion

Mark Twains humorous art is immortal and its influence is profound.Mark Twains humor can be accepted by the ordinary people.The main reason is that it is based on the sense of justice and his keen observation on social life.

References：

[1]Charles Neider， The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain[M].Arrangement with doubleday and company， Inc.， 1957

[2]Mark Twain， The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn[M]， Beijing： Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press， 1995

[3]权立峰，马克·吐温的幽默叙事研究[D].南京大学，2012，5

[4]田育婧.马克·吐温游记小说中“讽刺”手法的应用[D]，太原理工大学，2010，6

[5]文辛.从《哈克贝利费恩历险记》看马克·吐温的写作风格[J].《剑南文学》，2011，4

[6]周战军.鲁迅与马克·吐温作品中讽刺手法比较[J].《北方文学》，2011，2

作者简介：孙秀丽（1980--），女，黄淮学院外国语言文学系讲师，硕士，主要研究方向：英语教学。