美国文学复习资料.docx

美国文学复习资料.docx

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美国文学复习资料

Part1AmericanPuritanismtoEnlightenment–ColonialPeriod

I.AmericanPuritanism（northcolonies）:

i.Puritans:

ThesettlementoftheNorthAmericancontinentbytheEnglishbeganintheearlypartofthe17thcentury（“Mayflower”,1620）–onAmerica’snorthernseacoast–NewEngland–thefirstsettleswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthemPuritans.

ii.IdealofPuritans:

Theywereidealiststo“purify”theritualsofthechurch,tolessentheauthorityofbishops,believingthatthechurchshouldberestoredtothe“purity”ofthefirstcenturychurchasestablishbyJesusChristhimself.

iii.Puritanism:

Puritanswereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,theyhadtheirowncodeofvalues,aphilosophyoflife,andtheirpointofview

A:

Threebasicpuritantenets:

God’sabsolutesovereignty,OriginalSin,Predestination–HumanracesispredestinedbyGod

B.Anethicwasdevelopedaroundhardwork:

Thedriveformoneyandtheacquisitionofwealththroughworkmaynotbeasteptowardsalvation（sincetherewasnochoice）butperhapsasignthatonewassaved.Iflifewereadiscoveryofwhetherornotsomeonewassaved,theneveryeventwassignificant.Ofoneactedinawaythatwasnotinaccordancewiththisbelief,thenonewassurelynotsavedanddefinitelyathreattotheexistingorder.

C.ManywritersregardedthesettlersasGod’sagents,sentunderHis“wonderworkingprovidence”tomakehomesforHischosenandtoconvertordestroytheIndianswhomtheyfeltweresentbythedeviltodisturbtheirprogress.ThewritingbroughthometotheaveragechurchmemberafearandwonderforGod’sworkings–nothingwaswrittenformereamusement–plainstyle,Biblicalallusion（quotation,sermons）

iv.AmericanMyth:

Americanliteratureisbasedonamyth–theBiblicalmythoftheGardenofEden

AliteraryexpressionofthepiousidealismoftheAmericanPuritanbequest–optimistic

Religiousandutilitarian--reflectingthosepeople’sstrivingforsalvation,especiallymaterially

v.AmericanDream（basicallyoptimistic）

●religiouslypiousandpracticalindividualsuccess–individualism

●westlandtoexplore,unlimitedopportunities,forbiddingnaturalsurroundingsthatintriguingpeople’sfightingspirit–“AsupofNewEngland’sairisbetterthanawholedraftofoldEngland’sale”FrancisHigginsonNewEnglan’sPlantation1630）–TheveryseverityofthefrontierconditionstaughttheAmericanPuritanstobetougher,tobeeveryreadyforanymisfortunesandtragicfailuresthatmightlieinwaitforthem.

II.LiteraryScene（PuritanandEnlightened）:

i.theme:

abouttheirvoyagetothenewland,aboutadaptingthemselvestounfamiliarclimatesandcrops,aboutdealingwithIndians,aboutthelandwhichstretchedbeforethem–unimaginableandimmense,withrichdenseforestsanddeepbluelakesandrichsoil–allseemedpossiblethroughhardworkandfaith

ii.form:

Englishliterarytraditionimitated

iii.languagestyle:

fresh,simpleanddirect,plainandhomely,honestrhetoric,Biblicalallusion

iv.representatives:

（WilliamBradford,AnneBradstreet,EdwardTaylor,ThomasPaine）

A.PhilipFreneau–religiousfreedom–dawningnationalism,Americansubjectmatter,poetofAmericanrevolution

--TheWildHoneySuckle--TheIndianBuryingGround

B.JonathanEdwards–religiousecstasy–influenceuponlateryears:

Emerson,anticipating18thc.Transcendentalism

C.BenjaminFranklin（1706-1790）

a.oppositeofEdwards:

theparadoxofPuritanmaterialismandimmaterialityb.Jack-of-all-trades,aself-mademan

c.ThesymboloftheAgeofEnlightenment,ageofReason–leadingtotheAgeofRomanticism

d.PoorRichard’sAlmanac

e.Autobiography–howamanshouldlivehislife,13virtues（industrious,frugal,prudentetc.）

--aPuritandocument:

self-examinationandself-improvement,self-reliance,thefulfillmentofthe“AmericanDream”–senseofoptimismrevolution--romantic

--spokesmanfortheneworderof18thc.AmericanEnlightenment:

Manisbasicallygoodandfree,bynatureendowedbyGodwithcertaininalienablerightsoflibertyandthepursuitofhappiness–benevolenceofGod

--style:

simplicity,directness,concision,plainness,homelinessofimagery

D.Anoppositetone:

pessimisticSt.JohndeCrevecoeur

●HesawandspokeoftheillusorynatureofthatAmericandream,beingawareoftheexistenceofslavery,violence,anddisease–allformsofevilthathethoughttheAmericanhadnotleftbehindwithhismigrationtothissideoftheAtlantic

●Thusalmostattheverybeginning,theNewWorldhadinitsconstitutiontheelementsoftheold,andtheidealhadasitstwinbrother–theanti-ideal.

●LeadingtothenoteofpessimismfirstclearlyheardandheededinMarkTwain’sTheGildedAge

III.SouthernPlantation:

alandedaristocracy,itsownintelligentsia

IV.MiddleColonies:

Americantoleration--Dutch,Swedish–NewYork,Pennsylvania–allnationalities’folkstoriesprovidingforthematerialsforlaterRomanticwriters,suchasWashingtonIrving

IV.ComparisonbetweenAmericanPuritanismandChineseConfucianism

--themoralandreligioussystemofChinafoundedConfuciusbytheendofthe6thc.B.C.Hisoriginalsayings（Analects）wereeditedwithcommentariesbyMenciusinthe4thB.C.,andhisphilosophywasfurtherdevelopedbyChuHisinthe12thc.andbyWangYang-minginthe16thc.

--Basicallyitisasystemofethicalprecepts—benevolent

love,righteousness,decorum,wiseleadership,sincerity–designedtoinspireandpresencethegoodmanagementoffamilyandsociety.

--Atheologicaldimensionwasintroducedinthe2ndc.B.C.whenTungChung-ShurelatedthefivevirtuestoacosmicordergovernedbyShang-Ti（rulerofheaven）towhomtheemperorwasimmediatelyresponsible.ItbecametheofficialdoctrineofImperialChinaundertheHanDynasty（2ndc.B.C.–2ndc.A.D.）.RitualsacrificeinappointedshrinescharacterizedConfucianismfromthe1stc.B.C.untilthePeople’sRepublicof1949.

--EclipsedbyTaoismandBuddhismfromthe3rdc.tothe7thc.,ConfucianismwasrevivedandmadethestatereligionundertheTangDynasty（618-906）

--Neo-Confucianism,strongbetweenthe10thc.andthe13thc..opposedthesupernaturalquietistictendenciesofBuddhismandTaoism,advocatingahumanisticsearchfortruth.

--Fromthe2ndc.B.C.untilthe20thc.,ConfucianismwasthedistinctivephilosophyofChina,andthebasisofsocialorganization,educationandadministration.

PartTwoAmericanRomanticism（Transcendentalism）

SectionOne（EarlyStage）

I.AmericanRomanticism:

i.Time–fromtheendofthe18thc.totheoutbreakoftheCivilWar（midofthe19thc.）

ii.Periods:

theearlystage–endofthe18thc.toaround1839–Irving,Cooper

thesummit–NewEnglandTranscendentalism（Emerson’sNaturein1836）–Emerson,Thoreau,Whitman,Dickinson–brightscenesombertunesplayedby–HawthornandMelvilleauniquetune–Poe

iii.Formingconditions

A.Foreigninfluences:

Europeancontinentalromanticism–amovementofliterature,philosophyandartwhichdevelopedinEuropeinthelate18thandearly19thcc.StartingfromtheideasandattitudesofRousseauinFranceandfromtheStrrmandDrangmovementinGermany,itheldthatclassicism,dominantsincethe16thc.,deniedexpressiontoman’semotionalnatureandoverlookeditsprofoundinnerforces.Romanticismisaboveallanexaltationofindividualvaluesandaspirationsabovethoseofsociety.ThemovementlookedtotheMiddleAgesandtodirectcontactwithnatureforinspiration,anditwasresponsiblenationalliberationmovementofthe19thc.Europe.TheleadingRomanticpoetswereByron,Keats,Shelley,Wordsworth,Hugo,andHeine.Beethoven,SchubertandBizetweregreatRomanticcomposers.Throughitsconcernwiththehiddenforcesinman,Romanticismexertedaprofoundinfluenceonmodernthought,andopenedthewaye.g.ofpsychoanalysis.Inart,thesamecurrentledtoexpressionismandsurrealism.

e.g.--Scott’sbordertales–Cooper’sfrontierstories--Byron’sOrientalromances–AmericanIndianromance

--Gothictradition–thecultofsolitudeandgloom

B.Domesticconditions:

--thesocietyasawhole–political,economicandculturalindependence

a.the“newness”oftheAmericansasanation:

theiridealsofindividualism（contrarytothoseidealsofEurope）andpoliticalequalityandtheirdreamthatAmericawastobeanewGardenofEden–producingafeelinga“newness”,senseofpride,senseofnationalism,senseofstriving,anddesiretoexpress,animpulsestrongenoughtoinspiretheromanticimaginationandchannelitintoadifferentveinofwriting–“AmericanDream”,senseofmissionwithwhichsomeAmericanromanticistsundertooktorepresenttheirpeopleinthenewworld--theAmericannationalexperienceof“pioneering”intothewestprovedtobearichfundofmaterial

b.theheritages

--AmericanPuritanismasaculturalheritage–moralvaluesinsociallifeandculturaltaste–AmericanromanticauthorstendedmoretomoralizethantheirEnglishandEuropeanbrothers–taboos:

sex,loveparticularlycarefulapproaching（Poe,Hawthorne,Whitman）--themiddlecolonies–Americantolerationresultedfromdifferent

--theEnlightenmentspiritofBenjaminFranklin（scientific,self-reliance,thefulfillmentoftheAm.Dream）

iv.Generalfeature–bothimitativeandindependent

--imitative–modelinguponEnglishandEuropeanmasters,esp.insubjectsandlanguage,annostalgicglance（home,familyandchildren,natureandidealizedlove）–IrvingandNewEnglandPoets（Longfellow）

--independent–nationalism,patriotic,westwardexpansion,democracy,equality,Americanlanguage,dialects–Emerson,