《英美文学选读》自学笔记Word格式.docx

《英美文学选读》自学笔记Word格式.docx

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ShoolsofWritings

1.Naturalism

Naturalismisatermofliteraryhistory,primarilyaFrenchmovementinprosefictionandthedramaduringthefinalthirdofthe19th-cent.Althoughitisalsoappliedtosimilarmovementsorgroupsofwritersinothercountriesinthelaterdecadesofthe19thandearlyyearsofthe20thcents.InFranceEmileZola（1840-1902）wasthedominantpractitionerofNaturalisminprosefictionandthechiefexponentofitsdoctrines.

TheemergenceofNaturalismdoesnotmarkaradicalbreakwithRealism,ratherthenewstyleisalogicalextensionofit.Broadlyspeaking,Naturalismischaracterizedbyarefusaltoidealizeexperienceandbythepersuasionthathumanlifeisstrictlysubjectedtonaturallaws.TheNaturalistssharedwiththeearlierRealiststheconvictionthattheeverydaylifeofthemiddleandlowerclassesoftheirowndayprovidedsubjectsworthyofseriousliterarytreatment.Emphasiswaslaidontheinfluenceofthematerialandeconomicenvironmentonbehaviour,especiallyinZola,onthedeterminingeffectsofphysicalandhereditaryfactorsinformingtheindividualtemperament

2.Sentimentalism

I.ThenatureofSentimentalism

SentimentalismisoneoftheimportanttrendsinEnglishliteratureofthemiddleandlaterdecadesofthe18thcentury.

Alongwithanewvisionoflove,sentimentalismpresentedanewviewofhumannaturewhichprizedfeelingoverthinking,passionoverreason,andpersonalinstinctsof"

pity,tenderness,andbenevolence"

oversocialduties.

Literaryworkofthesentimentalism,markedbyasinceresympathyforthepoverty-stricken,expropriatedpeasants,wrotethe"

simpleannalsofthepoor”.

Writersofsentimentalismjustlycriticizedthecrueltyofthecapitalistrelationsandthegrosssocialinjusticesbroughtaboutbythebourgeoisrevolutions.

Buttheyattackedtheprogressiveaspectofthisgreatsocialchangeinordertoeliminateitandsighedforthereturnofthepatriarchaltimeswhichtheyidealized.

SentimentalismembracesapessimisticoutlookandblamesreasonandtheIndustrialRevolutionforthemiseriesandinjusticesinthearistocratic-bourgeoissocietyand 

indulgesinsentiment,hencethedefinitesignsofdecadenceintheliteraryworksofthesentimentaltradition.

II.SocialbackgroundofSentimentalism

ThebourgeoisiegainingtheirascendancyinnationalpoliticsinEnglandafterthetworevolutionsof1640and1688.

ThehandicraftslabourgraduallytransformedtomachineindustryinthecourseoftheIndustrialRevolutioninthemiddleandlaterdecadesofthe18thcentury

Thenewcapitalistrelationswereestablished.

Sharpsocialcontradictionsbegantotakeshapeandtothreatentheshort-livedsocialstabilityintheearlydecadesofthe18thcentury.

Thecontinuous,large-scaleenclosuresoflandresultedinruralbankruptcy.

Thepovertyandmiseryoftheexploitedandunemployedlabouringmassesinthecitiesincreased.

TheEnlightenmentwhichbelievedineducatingthepeopletobekindandrighteousandupheldreasonasthecure-allforallsocialwrongsandmiseriesdeclined.

Allthisledtoskepticismanddisbeliefinthemythaboutthebourgeoissocietyasthebestofallpossibleworlds

Lackofabetterormoresoundsubstituteforreasonastheinstrumenttoreformthenone-too-satisfactoryorevenhighlyunsatisfactorysociety,sentimentorevenanover-doseofsentimentwasindulgedinatleastasasortofreliefifnotasasalvoforthegrievesandheart-achesfelttowardtheworld'

swrongs

Hencesentimentalisminliterature.

III.LiteraryFormsinSentimentalism

InEnglishpoetryofthe18thcentury,sentimentalismfirstfounditsfullexpressioninthefortiesandthefifties;

Inthelaterdecadesofthecentury,strainsofsentimentalismmaystillbefoundinanumberofthepoemsofWilliamCowper.

InEnglishdramaofthecentury,thetruefounderofsentimentalcomedyhasoftenbeentracedbacktoRichardSteelewhosecomedies"

TheLyingLover"

（1703）and"

TheConsciousLovers"

containedelementsofsentimentalismasasortofreactiontotheimmoralcomediesofmannersoftheRestorationperiod.

inthefieldofprosefictionthatsentimentalismhaditsmostoutstandingexpression,OliverGoldsmith'

s"

TheVicarofWakefield"

maybeconsideredasrepresentativeworksofthiscategory.

OliverGoldsmith’spoetryandprosefictionwasquiteanexponentofsentimentalism.

LaurenceSternewasthemostprominentandthemosttypicalofthesentimentaltraditionamongallEnglishnovelistsandamongallEnglishwritersofthe18thcentury

3.SymbolisminLiterature

Justascharacterizationanddialogueandplotworkonthesurfacetomovethestoryalong,symbolismworksunderthesurfacetotiethestory'

sexternalactiontothetheme.Earlyinthedevelopmentofthefictionalnarrative,symbolismwasoftenproducedthroughallegory,givingtheliteraleventanditsallegoricalcounterpartaone-to-onecorrespondence.

　　InJohnBunyan'

sPilgrim'

sProgress,forexample,everythingandeveryonestandsforsomethingelse.TheprotagonistChristian,tonoone'

ssurprise,standsforeveryChristianreader;

hisgoal,theCelestialCity,standsforHeaven;

theplacesthroughwhichhepassesonhisway--LucreHill,VanityFair,andthelike--standforthetemptationsBunyanfeltthatChristianreaderswerelikelytoencounterontheirjourneytosalvation.EventhenamesofChristian'

sfellowtravelers--Mr.Feeble-mind,Great-heart,andthelike--representnotindividualcharactersbutstatesofbeing.

　　Allegoryisundoubtedlythesimplestwayoffleshingoutatheme,butitisalsotheleastemotionallysatisfyingbecauseitmakesthingsalittletooeasyonthereader.Wefeelthatwearebeinglecturedto;

it'

salmostasiftheauthorisstoppingeverysentenceortwotosay,"

Nowpayspecialattentiontothis,becauseifyoudon'

trememberit,youwon'

tgetthepoint."

Essentially,allegoryinsultsourintelligence.

　　Allegoryalso,however,limitsourperceptions.Thebestworksofliteraturearethoseinwhichanelementofmysteryremains--thosewhichlendthemselvestoavarietyofinterpretations.Strictallegoryseldomdoesthis,whichiswhyreligiousallegoryisgenerallylesssatisfyingthanthescripturalstoryonwhichitwasbased.

　　Totakeallegorytothenexthigherlevel,wearriveatsomethingthatforwantofabettertermcanbecalledsymbolism.Atthislevel,thereisstillaformofcorrespondence,andyetitisnotsoone-to-one,andcertainlynotsoblatant.Whereasallegoryoperatesveryconsciously,symbolismoperatesontheleveloftheunconscious.Thisdoesnotmeanthattheauthorhimselfisunconsciousoftheprocessofcreatingsymbolism--merelythatwe,asreaders,acceptitsinputwithoutreallyunderstandinghowitworks.

　　InShakespeare'

sHamlet,forexample,wediscoverthatHamletisfascinatedwithactorsandacting.Uponreflection,anastutereaderrealizesthatthisisbecauseHamlet'

swholelifehasbecomeunreal;

heisbeinghauntedbytheghostofhisfather,hisfatherturnsouttohavebeenmurderedbyhisuncle,hismotherhasmarriedhisfather'

smurderer.ThemotifoftheactorsisasymbolfortheunrealityofHamlet'

slife.

　　Similarly,nearthebeginningofF.ScottFitzgerald'

snovelTheGreatGatsby,thereisthefamoussceneoftheValleyofAsheswhereTomBuchanan'

smistressMyrtlelives.AlthoughFitzgeraldneversaysso,itisclearthattheValleyofAshesrepresentstherealstateofTom'

ssoul;

althoughtotheoutsideworldhisresidenceisinamansiononthebeautifulbayatEastEgg,whereeverythingisopulentandexpensiveandtasteful,theinwardlyrotten,spirituallydesiccatedTomreally"

lives"

wherehis"

heart"

does,inagrimashenvalleypresidedoverbyabillboarddecoratedwithahugepairofbespectacledeyes.TheeyesrepresentGod,whoseesTom'

sactionsandknowstheinteriorofhisheart,butominouslyseemspowerlesstointervene.

OtherfamoussymbolsareMelville'

sgreatwhitewhaleinMobyDick;

Dante'

sjourneyintotheunderworldinTheInferno;

andColeridge'

salbatrossin"

TheRimeoftheAncientMariner."

Alltheseconcreteobjectsorplacescarrywithinthemawiderangeofassociationsthatstandforsomethingsoineffableitwouldspoilthemagictoexplainit.Symbolism,therefore,isanintegralcomponentoffiction,becauseitenrichesthenarrativebypullingitsmessagedowntothelevelofourunconsciousandanchoringitthere.

4.Romanticism

I.Introduction

Romanticism（theRomanticMovement）,aliterarymovement,andprofoundshiftinsensibility,whichtookplaceinBritainandthroughoutEurope1770-1848.IntellectuallyitmarkedaviolentreactiontotheEnlightenment.PoliticallyitwasinspiredbytherevolutionsinAmericaandFranceandpopularwarsofindependenceinPoland,Spain,Greece,andelsewhere.Emotionallyitexpressedanextremeassertionoftheselfandthevalueofindividualexperience（the'

egotisticalsublime'

）,togetherwiththesenseoftheinfiniteandtranscendental.Sociallyitchampionedprogressivecauses,thoughwhenthesewerefrustrateditoftenproducedabitter,gloomy,anddespairingoutlook.

Asanageofromanticenthusiasm,TheRomanticAgebeganin1798whenWilliamWordsworthandSamuelTaylorpublishedLyricalBallads,[inthePrefaceofthe2ndand3rdeditionsofwhichWordsworthlaiddowntheprinciplesofpoetrycomposition,]andendedin183