“Fanny Fern”这篇文章作为GRE Hard section的高频阅读，曾数次在考场上出现。

文章难点有两个：

1. 部分修饰性词语存在一词多义的现象，使得同学们不好判断正向评价与负向评价。

2. 不同学者学派类别较多，同学们在考场上容易不知所措，陷入被动。

↓↓↓ 一起来看看题目原文 ↓↓↓

Before feminist literary criticism emerged in the 1970s, the nineteenth-century United States writer Fanny Fern was regarded by most critics (when considered at all) as a prototype of weepy sentimentalism—a pious, insipid icon of conventional American culture. Feminist reclamations of Fern, by contrast, emphasize her nonsentimental qualities, particularly her sharply humorous social criticism. Most feminist scholars find it difficult to reconcile Fern’s sardonic social critiques with her effusive celebrations of many conventional values.

Attempting to resolve this contradiction, Harris concludes that Fern employed flowery rhetoric strategically to disguise her subversive goals beneath apparent conventionality. However, Tompkins proposes an alternative view of sentimentality itself, suggesting that sentimental writing could serve radical, rather than only conservative ends by swaying readers emotionally, moving them to embrace social change.

—GRE真题机经240篇

现在我们来用思维导图法分析文章的句内句间关系。

首先，对于FF这名作家的写作风格的看法分为两类：

1. 1970s前:Most critics

weepy sentimentalism—a pious, insipid icon of conventional American culture

2. 1970s后:Feminists

nonsentimental qualities, particularly her sharply humorous social criticism

接着，Feminists学派出现后， 一个问题产生了：

Most feminist scholars find it difficult to reconcile Fern’s sardonic social critiques with her effusive celebrations of many conventional values.

为了调和这种矛盾， Harris，Tompkins 又分别提出了自己的观点。

通过思维导图进行分析后，同学们再来做做题，看看自己能不能答对。