基于英文经典短篇小说的“以读促写”实践探讨——以欧·亨利短篇小说The Gift of the Magi 为例

王寒英

（韶关市第一中学，广东 韶关 512023）

基于克拉申（Stephen Kashen）的语言输入假说和斯温纳（Swain）输出理论，阅读与写作可以紧密地结合在一起，以达到以读促写的目的。学生的写作能力也会随着阅读数量加大而逐渐提高［1］。

王敏、王初明提出：以阅读为基础，以写作为目的，把输入和输出有机结合，实现模仿和迁移，能提升学生的写作思维［2］。实验证明，读英语之后续写能够抑制母语迁移，阻止汉语语境知识补缺，英语写得更地道，犯错率也更低。

语言理解和产出结合的紧密程度决定了外语学习的效率，结合程度越高，其学习效果越佳。而阅读作为一种典型的外语输入形式，不仅仅可以丰富外语学习者的语言知识，还是一种良好的交互手段——帮助学习者注意到与目标语的差距（notice the gap），激活学习者写作背景知识系统。同时，写作前的阅读输入为学习者提供良好的参考文本，学习者可以注意有用的语言片段（language-related episodes）继而使用在自己的文章之中［3］。

《普通高中英语课程标准》明确提出：“鼓励和指导学生开展课外学习活动，尝试阅读英语故事及其他英语课外读物，确保每周的课外阅读不少于1 500 词，”并在阅读能力目标中要求学生“能阅读一般的英文原著，抓住主要情节，了解主要人物（九级）”［4］。基于教学实践观察和学生的身心发展特征，笔者发现英文原著，尤其是小说类、故事类的语篇深受学生欢迎并能最大程度地激发学生的阅读主动性。高质量的语言输入是学生语言习得和模仿的理想渠道。

自2021 年开始，高考英语全国卷采用了新的作文试题——读后续写。2021—2023 各地高考英语读后续写命题，见表1。

表1 2021—2023 年高考英语读后续写

从表1 不难看出，历年高考读后续写的主题大都围绕“人与自我”，尤其凸显青少年的自我迷茫、自我学习、自我突破、自我领悟和自我成长的过程。就故事内容而言，从2020 年关注各种奇遇类的文章（如：人狼大战、人熊邂逅）逐渐过渡到日常生活类的文章（如：社区助人、家庭之爱、师生之情）。从情节构造来看，高考读后续写主要是以Conflict—Solution 的解决为目标，体现学习语言的“语用”和“育人”的真正功能。

作为世界短篇小说巨匠， 欧·亨利的小说聚焦平凡的小人物，故事平淡却充满温馨与爱［5］。欧·亨利的小说思想与高考读后续写立德树人的理念不谋而合，非常适合作为学生的课外阅读补充读物。阅读原汁原味的原著小说，不仅提供了最地道的语言素材，还能提供独特的观点和立意，有利于培养学生的创造性、批判性思维。

高考读后续写的故事情节走向与欧·亨利的很多短篇小说的故事布局类似，笔者结合“以读促写”的方法论，通过英文短篇小说The Gift of the Magi的课堂阅读实践，探讨如何通过英文经典短篇小说阅读实现知识迁移，提升学生读后续写水平。在课堂教学过程中，以语篇教学引领学生感知、预测、获取、分析、概括、比较、评价、创新等思维活动，培养学生的阅读思维，激发其进行逻辑性续写，使英语核心素养培养落地。

一、欧·亨利短篇小说The Gift of the Magi“以读促写”课堂实践

欧·亨利小说的精巧体现在叙述线索的丰富和灵活转变上。 欧·亨利擅长使用两条或者更多的叙述线索，灵活转变这些线索并将其巧妙安排在故事情节中。同时，欧·亨利偏爱朴实的文字，他的小说通俗易懂。这些小说特点，与高考读后续写命题和评价标准不谋而合。

（一）学习The Gift of the Magi 的情节处理

小说的情节通常包括exposition（阐述）、rising action（情节上升）、climax（高潮）、falling action（情节下降）和resolution（结局）五部分，相当于一座情节山（story mountain）。经典短篇或者微型英文原版小说以其篇幅短小、构思巧妙、情节引人入胜、人物个性鲜明而受到人们的青睐。The Gift of the Magi的情节山，见图1。

图1 The Gift of the Magi 情节山

从The Gift of the Magi情节山可知，小说主要讲述一对夫妇为了在圣诞节给对方一个好的圣诞礼物，而发生的一系列事情。欧·亨利在布局整个故事情节时，紧紧抓住主要矛盾——没钱买礼物（problem - solution），明暗线交迭使故事节奏紧凑，结局出乎意料。欧·亨利在小说中，构筑了两条线索，一明一暗。Della 卖发买表链是明线，Jim 卖手表买梳子是暗线。欧·亨利着重描述了Della 卖发前的焦虑、犹豫和不舍，对比Della 送表链给丈夫时的急切、兴奋和忐忑，而对Jim 买梳子没有特别的描述。整个故事大部分发生在主人公的破旧公寓里，也提到了Della 出门卖发的其他场所，可以体会到作者的精心布局。

学生透过赏析、探讨、深度学习小说的情节构造，尝试在自己的读后续写训练中，采取类似的处理方法。以2023 年深圳市英语第一次模拟考试读后续写试题为例。

2023 年“深圳一模”英语读后续写：

Today was Community Service Day at school.Maya’s class was going to make cards for the seniors living in a nursing home. It was also the first day Maya would be wearing her leg brace（腿支架）to school，which was designed to help her walk more steadily and smoothly.

It was a cold autumn morning，Maya looked down，feeling embarrassed. To make it lovelier，she had delicately decorated the brace with pretty butterfly patterns. Still，she was unsure about others’reaction. All morning at school，kids kept glancing at her brace. To her relief，they didn’t say anything.

In the classroom，Maya was drawing little green buds（芽）and pretty flowers when her friend Samir came over and sat by her. She felt his eyes fixed on her brace and heard him asking，“What’s that for？”Not knowing what to say，Maya pretended she didn’t hear him. After a few seconds of awkwardness，she glanced back at him，and found that he looked a little sad.

After lunch，the class set off. The nursing home was on a small hill and all of them walked there happily along the path. Maya found that the brace did make it easier for her to walk up.

Maya and Samir were paired up with a lady who was 83 years old. There at the end of the hall in a wheelchair，with a big smile on her face，sat the lady，wearing a pink coat，with red lipstick and beautiful earrings. She looked bright and full of life. Moving flexibly and fast towards Maya and Samir，she greeted first.“I’m Joan，”she said cheerfully，“Glad to meet you. ”

Maya and Samir handed her the cards they made. Joan looked at Samir’s card carefully and spoke with admiration，“You’ve written a poem!That’s so artistic!”Samir’s face reddened with shyness. Then Joan turned to Maya’s picture.“The first flowers of spring!”she cried in delight.“You really have a gift for using colour!”she said. Clearly，Joan’s praise added great power into Maya.

Para 1：In a sudden wave of bravery，Maya asked，“What’s it like being in a wheelchair？”

Para 2：Deeply impressed by Joan，Maya offered to sit beside Samir on the bus ride back home.

学生通过小说情节山的方法，分析原文情节，紧紧抓住problem-solution 这一要素，分析出原文的主要矛盾是主人公Maya 的自我认知，次要矛盾是Maya 和Samir 的友情危机，学生根据主要矛盾和次要矛盾，在续写中提出可行的解决办法。首先，Joan 在轮椅上的坦然让Maya 找回自信。其次，Maya 回答Samir 腿架的作用。学生利用原文明暗线索，进行时空转移，故事发展是一天内，从school到nursing home 再到bus 最后到home，见图2。

图2 2023 年“深圳一模”读后续写leg brace 情节山

学生在续写“深圳一模”作文时，运用了欧·亨利小说的problem-solution 的方法，并在叙述过程中使用了欧·亨利小说常见的明暗线、时空转移、主题升华等技巧，使得续写作文的情节科学、合理、有逻辑。以下是学生习作：

Para1：In a sudden wave of bravery.Maya asked，“What’s it like being in a wheelchair ？”“It helps me get around，”Joan laughed，“I can move fast and easily with it.”Then Joan drove wheelchair to walk forward and back，turned right and left flexibly.She raised her head，looked into Joan’s genuine eyes and touched her leg brace silently，feeling like a seed of confidence growing quietly in her mind. The broad smile as vibrant as sun flashing on her face drew Maya’s heart. Joans encouraging behaviours lingered in her head. which made her a complete change of attitude.

Para2：Deeply impressed by Joan，Maya offered to sit beside Samir on the right back home. While Samir just startled，Maya bravely showed her brace which was made a beautiful addition by the butterflies she drew.“I want to be as cool as Joan.”She said，“So I think that I can reply your question now.”It was the first time that Maya succeed in the fight with her embarrassment.It was a big stone that was removed from Maya’s heart.“Thank you.”She grinned. While hearing that Maya explained her brace could help her walk more steadily and smoothly，Samir listened carefully and widened his eyes.“That’s really cool.”He nodded after Maya’s words.Though the dusk sun of autumn was cold，Maya felt that the warmth of spring surrounded her.

（二）学习The Gift of the Magi 的细节处理

一篇成功的续写文章不仅要有合理的情节，还要有鲜明的主题思想，并且在续写中能够恰如其分地增加一些细节描写，如心理活动描写、动作描写、语言描写、环境描写［6］，见图3。

图3 “三点两线一整体”续写

笔者在训练学生续写过程中发现，学生可以借助很多情节处理策略来把握续写情节，立意也不错，但在记人叙事时，过于笼统、内容空洞苍白、难以给读者留下深刻的印象，更谈不上打动考官，拿到高分。以2023 年深圳市英语第二次模拟考试读后续写试题为例。

2023 年“深圳二模”英语读后续写：

Ballet was a way of life in Kelly’s family.Her elder sister Serena was now dancing at a top college.Though Kelly’s mom always wanted her to follow in her sisters footsteps and Kelly herself was good at ballet，her love for ballet had faded years before and she was eager for a new challenge. One day at school，as Kelly left the dance studio she walked past the gym，fascinated by boxers（拳击手）training inside the boxing ring. She was deeply impressed by how hard they hit and how fast they moved. In fact shed long been attracted to boxing.

She pulled a piece of paper from her backpack.On the familiar Oakwood High School Club Sign-up Sheet was the phrase: BOXING CLUB TRYOUT（选拔）.That was what Kelly really wanted to do.She knew her mom had high expectations for her when it came to ballet. Tired of trying to keep up with her sister，Kelly was ready to carve her own path.

The next day，she gathered her courage and told Serena about her new passion. At first Serena didn’t understand and thought she was just joking.But when she saw Kelly was serious.she replied，“You know Mom wants you to be a ballet dancer，right？Besides，boxing is only for boys，and you’re so good at ballet.Lean into your strength，Kelly.”

“But this is where I want to put my strength，”Kelly insisted，“and what exactly does only for boysmean，anyway？Boxing is a sport for everyone!”

Gradually，touched by her determination and passionSerena began to understand and support her. Kelly could feel it.Her sister was going to respect her decision no matter what. But that was nothing compared to the preparations for the tryout，where she was required to show her footwork and punching（击打）abilities with other candidates.Boxing didn’t come natural to Kelly，but she had made up her mind to stick with her choice.

Para 1:Then Kelly began her training for the tryout，keeping it a secret from her mom.

Para 2:The following Monday，results of the boxing tryout were posted.

学生通过情节山的分析，得出这篇续写的主要矛盾就是主人公Kelly 要放弃自己的芭蕾梦追求拳击梦，次要矛盾是如何得到母亲的支持。学生第一次续写的原稿如下：

Then Kelly began her training for the tryout，keeping it secret from her mom. At the first，she was always beaten down as a fresh trainer. Tired and desperate as she was，she stood up again and again continuing her training. The Sunday fell on soon，Kelly finally came to the boxing tryout，as the only girl in the scenes. However，everyone were deeply astonished by Kelly’s performance，which was out of their image. How can this girl performed so well ？ They whispered near the stage.With their admired looks，Kelly completed the tryout perfectly.

读完学生的续文，很难想象主人公Kelly 如何从一名芭蕾舞蹈生获得了拳击选手的资格，具体的训练过程、训练时的心理变化、母亲的反应在续文中都没有得很好的体现。

王初明教授的“续论”促学语言的核心理念是“创造性模仿”，指学习者在自主创造内容过程中模仿学用语言，即“内容要创造、语言要模仿”，前后文的语言风格要保持高度一致［7］。以学生模仿借鉴The Gift of the Magi的细节描写为例阐述。

1.动作细节描写模仿

The Gift of the Magi通篇读来，读者很容易融入故事的情境中，这得益于欧·亨利用词方面的精雕细琢，用一系列的动词将细节活灵活现地展现在读者眼前，如：

（1）Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. （P8）

（2）Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.（P8）

（3）One flight up Della ran，and collected herself，panting.（P12）

（4）She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present. （P18）

小说用whirl 这个动词来描写Della 体态的柔软轻盈和心灵手巧的样子，动词 fall 体现Della 瀑布般飘逸的长发，panting，ransacking 两个现在分词表示动作的延续性同时又是动态动词，成功地塑造出女主人公灵动活泼的特点，并且更加生动地展现出人物的内心状态，这些词汇都将女主人公Della 刻画的栩栩如生［8］。

“深圳二模”“拳击梦”学生修改稿：

Punching，foot lifting，punching，foot lifting，she meticulously repeated these movements，as if forgetting tiredness. （出拳，抬脚，出拳，抬脚，她一丝不苟地重复着这些动作，好像忘记了疲倦。）

教师点评：短文借鉴了The Gift of the Magi的语言动词链，刻画了主人公在追求拳击梦过程中刻苦训练的情节，让人物的形象更加丰满、真实。

2.颜色词汇的巧妙使用

The Gift of the Magi运用了非常多的颜色词去描述主人公Della 外貌、家境情况、买礼物的纠结和解决问题的喜悦。如：

（5）She stood by the window and looked out at a gray cat walking along a gray fence in a gray backyard. （P6）

（6）So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shinning like a cascade of brown waters. （P10）

（7）On went her old brown jacket；on went her old brown hat.（P11）

（8）Down rippled the brown cascade.（P15）

从以上例子看，欧·亨利巧妙地使用了gray这个颜色词，从侧面刻画了女主人公的心情、居住环境；反复出现brown 这个颜色词，让读者更进一步感同身受男女主人公生活不易，引发共鸣。

“深圳二模”“拳击梦”学生修改稿：

Whenever her mother came in，she always hurried to take out her white ballet shoes，but her eyes could not help but fall on the red boxing gloves hidden under the bed. That red scorched her heart from time to time，making her dare not look directly into her mother’s eyes.

教师点评：短文借鉴The Gift of the Magi颜色词汇的使用，巧妙地运用了强烈的颜色词作对比，用白色芭蕾鞋和红色拳击手套，表现女主人公在追求拳击梦时的心理斗争。比起直白告知，这种方式更有画面感、代入感。

3.恰当的修辞手法

在The Gift of the Magi中，欧·亨利运用多种修辞手法来丰富细节，尤其是押韵、比喻等修辞手法的运用，使文章语言更具有美感，使读者能够对故事拥有更好的理解。尤其小说最后，作者通过一个恰当的比喻道出了生活的五味杂陈：“There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs，sniffles，and smiles，with sniffles predominating.”（生活是由哭泣、抽泣和微笑组成的，其中以抽泣占主导地位。）

欧·亨利运用定义式比喻，将生活中的情感本质抽离出来，哭泣、抽泣和微笑三种情感也升华了文章。尽管生活窘迫，仍以自己珍贵的物件换钱给爱人买礼物，真情无价，用普通事件体现生活中普遍但深刻的道理。

“深圳二模”“拳击梦”学生修改稿：

Through the course of chasing the boxing dream，Kelly understood that life is made up of blood，toil，tears，and sweat，with blood predominating.

教师点评：短文借鉴了小说The Gift of the Magi的定义式比喻手法，总结了女主人公Kelly 放弃练习多年的芭蕾，勇敢地追求拳击梦后的自我感悟：“Life is made up of blood，toil，tears，and sweat.”文章的主旨得以升华。

基于以读促写的方法论，通过研究英文经典短篇小说的细节处理技法，挖掘原著的隐形价值，探究读后续写的各种写作方法、途径和方式是高三备考读后续写的重点。

二、“以读促写”课堂实践反思

“以读促写”强调在读与写中，创设一种互动的情景和途径，让学生带着明确目的进行阅读欣赏、写作技巧分析、处理各种现存的语言信息来实际感受和体验读写的魅力。学生由被动转为主动，把读转化为写，读写活动变成一种双向互动的良性过程后，写作思维得到提升。在基于英文经典短篇小说的“以读促写”实践中，师生通过精读欧·亨利名著，找到了优化读后续写人物描写的策略和技巧，如：ARE原则策略、汉堡法定情节策略、法读矛盾策略；插叙、明暗线、时空转移、细节描写等技巧。学生通过读后续写提升了英语学习能动性，培养了阅读英语名著的好习惯。教师应该积极创设多种英语写作教学的活动形式，不断探寻更多行之有效的教学方法。基于课堂实践，笔者形成了以下思考：

（一）坚持小说阅读，促进学生写作能力

英文经典短篇小说在情节构思、写作伏笔、环境烘托、主题映射、人物刻画、矛盾冲突、心理与动作描写都独具匠心，耐人寻味。学生阅读并体验原汁原味、不同风格的英文经典小说，切身感受英语语言的丰富性和生动性，作者设置情节的逻辑性和合理性，能够激发阅读和写作的欲望［9］。教师要在课堂教学中积极引入经典短篇小说，按照“品读—情节梳理—语言赏析—实战运用”的步骤，进行读后续写教学设计，培养学生的英语学科核心素养。

（二）创设多种英语写作教学活动形式

阅读英文原著小说的最终目标是帮助学生实现知识的迁移，写作思维的提升。在这一过程中，教师应该积极行动，创设多种英语写作教学活动，激活学生的学习动机。例如，采用小组合作探究的方式，鼓励小组成员通过赏析名著，充分讨论、探究，总结出小说细节描写的几种方法。课中，小组负责人积极汇报小说阅读成果，并结合高考真题实战演练，在活动中小组成员自主合作探究，相互学习、相互促进，实现了课堂的翻转，促进了学生深度学习。学生最终了解了如何进行名著阅读与续写，而且获得了知识、经验、技能，提高了学习能力。

（三）注重训练学生的高阶思维品质

有好的文本输入，才可能有好的文本输出。以读促写，读与写相辅相成。学生从最初关注小说内容、人物塑造、故事构造、语言技巧，到结合高考读后续写实战演练，从理解、分析到运用、评价，实现了从低阶思维到高阶思维的发展。通过阅读英文经典短篇小说，大部分学生已经真正掌握了读后续写的写作思路，写作的主动性大大地提升。

三、结束语

英文经典短篇小说阅读，作为学生课外阅读范本，足以达到以读促写的目的。备考时，不能陷入死记硬背、生搬硬套的套路中，学生要提升、优化读后续写，应该是写作思维的提升。通过研究欧·亨利经典小说The Gift of the Magi的写作风格和语言特色，发掘该小说情节处理的精妙之处。尤其是problem - solution 的写作手法，高度契合高考读后续写题型。此外，阅读英文经典小说不只是挖掘好词好句，更应注重启发学生深挖语言背后的逻辑，以达到高阶思维的提升。