| Edward Said is well-known in the academic world for his postcolonial criticism.Although his later work " On Late Style: Music and Literature Against the Grain " has also been mentioned by many people,the specialized research on this book is weak.The author believes that the "late style" theory is a representative of Said’s later theoretical center of gravity,which is also an important theoretical perspective for his interpretation of literature/artists and their works.The late-style characters in his works may be awkward in the form of the work,or inexplicably return to tradition in the aesthetic style,and stubbornly choose to compete with the value concept of the era and banish himself to the edge.This article tries to sort out and summarize these characteristics,and reveals the connotation of the "late style" theory in depth.At the same time,the author will clarify the difference between the "late style" theory and Said’s early post-colonial criticism,and regard it as his representative work in the later aesthetic bias.In addition,by reading Said’s previous works,the author also excavated and combed out his earlier thought and value standpoint contained in the "late style" theory.Regarding the structural arrangement of this article,the first chapter mainly traces the theoretical background related to the "late style".In the beginning,the author distinguishes between the commonly considered "late years" and the "late years" discussed in this article."Late years" refers to physiological O ld age,but "late" refers specifically to a unique aesthetic style discussed by Adorno and Said.Therefore,some people who arrive in their later years of life may not have "late style" in their works,while some literature and artists who are still middle-aged or even young may create works with "late style".However,Said’s discussion of "time" and "late" still focuses on the analysis of disease,aging and the sense of death caused by it,while Arnheim discusses the artist’s late works from the special psychological state of "late years" It can provide a good reference for understanding Said.O f course,it is Adorno that directly influenced Said’s theory of "late style".He proposed the independent concept of "late style" when he expounded Beethoven’s later musical works.He believes that Beethoven revealed a departure from his previous musical ideas in his later works,which is also rebelling against the value order and aesthetics of his era.On this point,the author will proceed from the interpretation of Adorno’s philosophical position and aesthetic theory.In the second chapter,the author summarizes and refines the connotation and spiritual character of "late style" by analyzing Said’s exposition on "persons of late style".Adorno scoffed at Richard Strauss’ s music,thinking that his work could not have the "late style",but Said paid attention to his tendency to express the 18 th century in his work,and thought it was intentionally alienated The contemporary "atonality" music trend,and his operas only focused on personal daily chores,but in fact rejected the grand narrative of history,and both are alienated from "Zeitgeist".The two works created in the later years of Rene’s inner life-"Captive of Love" and "Screen"-are the objects of Said’s key analysis.He revealed the unremitting resistance to "identity politics" in the work and regarded it as the important connotation of "late style".Therefore,confrontation with "Zeitgeist" and rebellion with "identity politics" is the "late" connotation eventually pointed by Said,which reveals the concern for individual life and the dissolution of power discourse.The last section of this chapter is an elaboration of the relationship between this "lateness" and death.The author believes that death is a factor that triggers "late" thinking and has a positive significance for saving the individual,but at the same time,the individual is firmly clamped by death,helplessly towards the end of life.The last chapter will discuss the position and analysis strategy of Said when he discusses the late style from the perspective of methodology.Connected with his entire theoretical system,one can see that Said’s post-colonial theory,humanistic standpoint,literary interpretation methods,and intel ectual views are all presented in the "late style" theory.Said criticized traditional humanism in "Humanism and Democratic Criticism".This may be because he saw the inherent defects of Western humanism from the perspective of postcolonial theory.But he did not completely deny the value of the West,but tried to heal it with the reading patterns of secular criticism and literary literature.The "late style" theory also profoundly reflects his standpoint and concept.In addition,on the basis of Adorno,Said expanded the research object of "late style" from the field of music to many art categories including music,literature and film,and believed that "late style" is not restricted by artistic genre.And it has the characteristics of breaking the categories of regulations,and has always been open to the social and cultural situation.At the same time,when Said discusses the late characters one by one,he analyzes from various angles such as formal skills,post-colonial criticism,and class politics,because "late works" are mostly beyond classic works,and have not drawn enough attention.Beethoven’s late music is usually not included in his masterpieces,Adorno endowed him with late character.Works such as "Woman’s Heart","Rose Knight","Screen" and "Leopard" also show "late style" in Said’s interpretation.The genres and appearances of these works are very different,and even opposed to each other,and their creation environment is different from the times.How to see the "late style" they may have?Said’s method is not to limit the text to the traditional interpretation model that has nothing to do with reality and has no stakes,but to cut in from various theoretical perspectives to explore the rich connotations. |
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