美国文学名词解释 总结.docx

美国文学名词解释 总结.docx

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美国文学名词解释总结

美国文学名词解释总结

BasicLiteraryKnowledge

I.LiteraryTerms

1.Shortstory:

Afictionalprosetaleofnospecifiedlength,buttooshorttobepublishedasavolumeonitsown.Ashortstorywillnormallyconcentrateonasingleeventwithonlyoneortwocharacters,moreeconomicallythananovel’ssustainedexplorationofsocialbackground.Theshortstoryflourishedinthemagazinesofthe19thandearly20thcenturies,especiallyintheUSA.

2.Plot:

Plotisthefirstandmostobviousqualityofastory.Plotiswhathappensinastory.Unlikelife,whichisrandomandunpredictable,thestorywillusuallybeshapedbyachainofevents,oneleadinginevitablytoanotherinalineofrisingactiontoamomentofcrisis—theclimax.

3.Nonfiction:

Itreferstoanyprosenarrativethattellsaboutthingsastheyactuallyhappenorthatpresentsfactualinformationaboutsomething.Autobiographyandbiographyareamongthemajorformsofnonfiction.Thepurposeofthiskindwritingistogiveapresumablyaccurateaccountingofaperson’slife.Essaysarealsocommonformsofnonfiction.Otherkindsofnonfictionincludethestories,editorials,andletterstotheeditorfoundinnewspapers,aswellasdiaries,journalsandtravelliterature.

4.Imagery:

Itistherepresentationinpoetryofsensoryexperiences.Itisadevicebywhichpoetsappealtooursenses.Althoughweusuallythinkwithwords,manyofourthoughtscometousaspicturesorimaginedsensationsinourminds.Suchimaginedpicturesorsensationsarecalledimages.

5.Character:

Charactersarethepersonspresentedinadramaticornarrativework.Inordertohaveafullunderstandingofacharacter’smoral,dispositionalandemotionalqualities,thereadersneedtointerpretwhattheysayandwhattheydo.

6.Surrealism:

ItisaliteraryandartmovementinfluencedbyFreudianism,dedicatedtoexpressingtheimaginationasrevealedindreams,freeoftheconsciouscontrolofreasonandconvention.Inliterature,surrealismwasconfinedalmostexclusivelytoFrance,andwasbasedontheassociationsandimplicationsofwords.Surrealismwasamajorintellectualforcebetweenthewars.

7.Theatreofabsurdity:

ItisatermusedtoidentifyabodyofplayswrittenprimarilyinFrancefromthemid-1940sthroughthe1950s.theplaysusuallyemployillogicalsituations,unconventionaldialogues,andminimalplotstoexpresstheapparentabsurdityofhumanexistence.TheleadingfiguresofthemovementareIrish-bornplaywrightSamuelBeckettandtheFrenchplaywrightEugenIonesco.

8.Deconstruction:

itisthemethodofanalyzingliteraturethatseekstouncovermultiplelayersofmeaning,includingtheauthor’sintentionsandothermeaningsthatarebasedonhowthesamelanguage,images,orideashavebeenusedbefore.TheleadingfigureistheFrenchphilosopherJacquesDerrida.

IV.Questionsandanswers.

1.HowdoyouunderstandMarktwain’suseoflocalcolorinhiswriting?

MarkTwain’snarrativesaredistinguishedforhisuseoflocalcolor.Thismaybedefinedasthecarefulattentiontodetailsofthephysicalsceneandtothosemannerismsinspeech,dress,orbehaviorpeculiartoageographicallocality.Heinsistedthatthejobofthenativenovelistswastodepicteachofthecountry’sregionsandpeopleaccurately.OnlyinthiswaycouldthepeculiarityofAmericanexperience,thepolyglottonguesofitspeople,andthevastnessofthecontinentbecaptured.HemainlyexploitedthepossibilitiesofthelocalcolorintheMississippiregion.

2.Discusstheconceptofwastelandinrelationtotheworksofthosewritersinthe20thcenturyAmericanliterature.

‘TheWasteLand’isapoemwrittenbyT.S.Eliotonthethemeofthesterilityandchaosofth3contemporaryworld.Thismostwidelyknownexpressionofthedespairinthepostwarerahasappearedoverandoveragainintheworksofthosewritersinthe2othcenturyAmericanliterature.FaulknerexemplifiedT.S.Eliot’sconceptofmodernsocietyasawastelandisadramaticway,hecondemnedthemechanized,industrializedsocietythathasdehumanizedmanbyforcinghimtocultivatefalsevaluesanddecreasethoseessentialhumanvaluessuchascourage,fortitude,honestyandgoodness.Fitzgeraldsoughttoportrayaspiritualwastelandofthejazzage.Beneaththemasksofrelaxationandjoviality,therewasonlysterility,meaninglessandfutilityamidthegrandeurandextravagance,therewasahintofdecadenceandmoraldecay.Hemingway,theleadingspokesmanoftheLostGeneration,thoughdisillusionedinthepostwarperiod,strovetobringaboutman’s“graceunderpressure”.Hetriedtobringouttheideathanmancanbephysicallydestroyedbutneverdefeatedspiritually.

3.AnalyzeWaltWhitman’s‘OCaptain!

MyCaptain’intermsoffreeverse.

Inthepoem,WhitmancelebratestheheroicstruggleoftheAmericanpeoplefordemocracy,freedomandjusticeandexpresseshisseethinghatredofslavery.

Freeverseisakindofpoetrythatlacksregularmeterorpatternandmaynotrhyme.Dependingonnaturalspeechrhythms,itslinesmaybeofdifferentlengthsandmayswitchabruptlyfromonerhythmtoanother.WhitmanwasthefirstAmericanpoettousefreeverseextensively,becauseitisanappropriateformforhisliberatingviewoflifeandforhispoetrythatwouldalloweveryaspectoflifetospeakwithoutrestraint.Hetriedtoapproximatethenaturalcadencesofspeechinhispoetry,carefullyvaryingthelengthofhislinesaccordingtohisintendedemphasis.

LiteratureofColonialAmerica

I.LiteraryTerms

1.Separatists:

Inthecolonialperiod,thePuritanswhohadgonetoextremewereknownas“separatists”.UnlikethemajorityofPuritans,theysawnohopeofreformingtheChurchofEnglandfromwithin.Theyfeltthattheinfluencesofpoliticsandcourthadledtocorruptionswithinthechurch.TheywishedtobreakfreefromtheChurchofEngland.AmongthemwasthePlymouthplantationgroup.TheywishedtofollowCalvin’smodel,andtosetup“particular”churches.

2.PilgrimsandPuritans:

AsmallgroupofEuropeanssailedfromEnglandontheMayflowerin1620.Thepassengerswerereligiousreformers---PuritanswhowerecriticaloftheChurchofEngland.Havinggivenuphopeof“purifying”theChurchfromwithin,theychoseinsteadtowithdrawfromtheChurch.ThisactionearnedthemthenameSeparatists.Weknowthemasthepilgrims.

II.Questionandanswer.

WhowasAnneBradstreet?

Whatwereherliteraryachievements?

AnneBradstreet（1612-1672）isoneofthemostimportantfiguresinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.SheisconsideredbymanytobethefirstAmericanpoetandherfirstcollectionofpoems,TheTenthMuseLatelySprungupinAmerica,byaGentlewomanofThoseParts,wasthefirstbookwrittenbyawomantobepublishedintheUnitedStates.Mrs.Bradstreet’sworkalsoservesasdocumentofthestrugglesofaPuritanwifeagainstthehardshipsofnewEnglandcoloniallife.

LiteratureofReasonandRevolution

I.Literaryterms.

1.Autobiography:

Anautobiographyisaperson’saccountofhisorherlife.Generallywritteninthefirstperson,withtheauthorspeakingas“I”.Autobiographiespresentlifeeventsasthewriterviewsthem.Inadditiontoprovidinginsidedetailsaboutthewriter’slife,autobiographiesofferinsightsintothebeliefsandperceptionsoftheauthor.Theyalsoofferglimpseofwhatitwasliketoliveintheauthor’stimeperiod.Theyoftenprovideaviewofhistoricaleventsthatyouwon’tfindinhistorybooks.BenjaminFranklin’sAutobiographysetthestandardforwhatwasthenanewgenre.

2.Persuasion:

Persuasioniswritingmeanttoconvincereaderstothinkoractinacertainway.Apersuasivewriterappealstoemotionsorreason,offeropinionsandurgesaction.

3.Aphorism:

Anaphorismisashort,concisestatementexpressingawiseorcleverobservationorageneraltruth.Avarietyofdevicesmakeaphorismseasytoremember.Somecontainrhymesorrepeatedwordsorsounds.Othersuseparallelstructuretopresentcontrastingideas.Theaphorism“nopainsnogains”usesrhyme,repetitionandparallelstructure.

II.QuestionsandAnswers.

1.WhatarethecharacteristicsofBenjaminFranklin’sliterarywork?

ThemainqualityinallBenjaminFranklin’swritingisitsgenuinehumanness.Hisliteraryworkwastypicalofhimself.Honest,plain,democratic,clear-headed,shrewd,worldly-wise,hewasinterestedinthepracticalsideoflife.Theabsenceofidealityisobviousinallhiscompositions.Heneverreachedthehighlevelsofimaginativeart.Butonthislowerplaneofmaterialinterestandevery-daylifehewas,theworkspossessauniversalcharm

2.GiveabriefaccountofAmericanliteratureofthisperiod.

MuchworkduringtheRevolutionaryperiodwaspublicwriting.BythetimeoftheWarforIndependence,nearlyfiftynewspapershadbeenestablishedinthecoastalcities.AtthetimeofWashington’sinauguration,therewerenearlyfortymagazines.AlmanacswerepopularfromMassachusettstoGeorgia.Themindofthenationwasonpolitics.Journalistsandprintersprovidedaforumfortheexpressionofideas.Thewritingofpermanentimportanceismostlypoliticalwriting.Thebest-knownwritingoftheperiodoutsidethefieldofpoliticswasdonebyBenjaminFranklin.

3.WriteananalysisofTheDeclarationofIndependence.

TheDeclarationofIndependence,adoptedonJuly4,1776,notonlyannouncedthebirthofanewnation,italsosetforthaphilosophyofhumanfreedomwhichservedasanimportantforceinthewesternworld.ItsideasinspiredmassfervorfortheAmericancause,foritinstilledamongthecommonpeopleasenseoftheirownimportance,andinspiredstruggleforpersonalfreedom,self-government,andadignified