《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