Research On Fernando Pessoa’s Tendency Of Pessimism In His Creative Process

Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa（1888-1935）is a prominent Portuguese poet,writer,litterateur,literary critic and philosopher of the 20^thcentury.His distinctive style–writing under heteronyms–made him an iconic figure in Western literary circles and earned him a worldwide reputation as well.From the perspective of pessimism,this paper expounds on the pessimistic tendency exhibited during his creation to convey his contemplation of“human”survival in the modern context and his daring transcendence of the tragic nature of life.The introduction presents Fernando Pessoa’s literary status,influence and reputation,and the significance of the paper.Meanwhile,recent developments in domestic and overseas research on Fernando Pessoa are reviewed;on this basis,the research ideas and methods are set out.The first chapter discusses backdrop and contributes of Fernando Pessoa’s creation.On the one hand,the rationale for Pessoa writing under heteronyms is identified as his remitting pursuit and exploration of self-identity and complex human emotions;the main heteronyms in Pessoa’s literary world are also introduced to accentuate the richness of his creation.On the other hand,Pessoa’s new concepts of poetics like Paulismo,Interseccionismo and Sensacionismo are explained,and the specific situation of starting Orpheus and other avant-garde magazines by Pessoa is also described,thus revealing the close connection between Pessoa and Portuguese Modernism.The second chapter demonstrates the pessimistic tendency exhibited during his creation on the levels of inaction,will and religion.In The Shepherd,for example,Albert Caeiro’s notion of watching without thinking coincides with Schopenhauer’s aesthetic intuition theory and Chuang Tzu’s aesthetic contemplation idaes to some extent.According to the content of A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe,álvaro de Campos’s inner fatigue is actually a manifestation of Schopenhauer’s philosophy of will and nothingness and the Buddhist doctrine of void and benevolence.Through analysis of the connotations of Neopaganism in Odes by Ricardo Reis,this new religious system is found to embody the duality of Apollonian and the Dionysian impulses in as Nietzsche’s thoughts about tragedy.After discussing the profound connotations of pessimism in each work,the rationale behind Pessoa’s pessimism is elaborated in consideration of domestic political,economic religious conditions of Portugal as well as the psychological trauma after World War One.The third chapter discusses the characteristics of Pessoa’s pessimism.Through a comparative analysis of The Shepherd,A Little Larger than the Entire Universe and Odes,three poems written under heteronyms,it is expounded that Pessoa’s pessimism contains Schopenhauer’s nihilistic“negative pessimism”and Nietzsche’s strong-willed“positive pessimism”as well.The paradoxical complexity and modern inspiration of Pessoa’s pessimism is thus revealed.The conclusion section argues that Fernando Pessoa sheds light on the living condition of“human”in modern society by means of his heteronyms’poetry works.Meanwhile,the pessimistic thought in his creation reflects profound care for humans and bravery to transcend the painful nature of life,which has important instructive meaning in life and great contemporary value.