象征主义是现代派文学中出现最早、影响最大的一个分支。象征主义(Symbolism)来自“象征”(Symbol)一词,在希腊文原义中是“把一块木板分成两半,双方各执其一,以表示接待”的信物。后来逐渐演变为“用一种形式作为一种概念的习惯代表”的涵义。英国的著名文学评论家卡莱尔(Carlyle)认为,“正是在象征之中并通过象征,人们才能自觉或不自觉地生活、工作并成其为人。”亚瑟·席孟斯 Symbolism is the earliest and most influential branch in modernist literature. Symbolism comes from the word “Symbol,” in the original Greek meaning “a piece of wood divided in half, with each of them acting as a token of hospitality”. It later evolved into the meaning of “a form of habitual representation as a concept”. Carlyle, a well-known British literary critic, believes that “it is in symbolism and symbolism that people can consciously or unconsciously live, work and become human beings.” Arthur Schimes