Reading journal –The Gay Genius

20171221 Chapter 14 Arrest and Trial

1 Outstanding Question

This chapter mainly talked about how SuTungpo’s poems got him into political trouble.

My thoughts

感触最深的是看到谏官们对苏东坡诗歌的恶意曲解。他确实对新政造成的民不聊生心怀愤懑，不吐不快，于是写了些“事实”在自己的诗里。但谏官们的很多解读确实让人无语。文字狱真的是对文人最恶意的揣测了。让写作不再是抒情达意，而变成了随时可能致命的东西。

最喜欢苏东坡入狱之后写诗表达对皇帝敬意的情节，虽然可能只是传说，但我希望这是真的，感觉这更符合苏东坡的天才形象~哈哈。

Words and expressions

1.incorrigible

原文：Incorrigible as he was,that very day he wrote two poems again wherein he said that “facing the wine cup”he “felt like coming out of a dream”.

释义：adj. bad in a way that cannot be changed

or improved – often used humorously屡教不改的

造句：Don’t be an incorrigible liar!

2. hang fire

原文：On account of the funeral for EmpressDowager, the casehung firefor along time.

释义：to wait for a short while before you dosomething

造句：Maybe we have to hang fire for a week.

3.indebted

原文：As Su Tungpo had in all his poetry usedthe choicest phrases and a great number of literary historical allusions, weare indebted to his record of thetrail…

释义：adj. to be grateful to someone for thehelp they have given to you

造句：We are deeply indebted to you, for yourdonation.

4. laughing stock

原文：Whatever Su wrote attracted wideattention, and the letter of thanks made the “young upstarts” the laughing stock of the reading public.

释义：someone who has done something so silly

that people have no respect for them.笑柄

造句：This program has made the school alaughing stock.

5. temporize (formal)

原文：The government was in the hands ofnondescript, third-rate men who merely temporized and stood for neither one thing nor the other.

释义：v. to delay or avoid making a decisionin order to gain time

同义词：procrastinate