the history of american literature.docx
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thehistoryofamericanliterature
AbriefintroductionofAmericanliteraturehistory
Introduction
AlthoughthehistoryofAmericajusthasaround200years,ithasmademanygreatachievementsinallthefieldsofhumancivilianization.AndAmericanLiteratureisoneamongthem.FromthetimethatEuropeanslaughedatAmericawithoutitsownliteraturetothetimethatthe10thAmericanwritergottheNobelPrizeinLiterature,Americanliteratureiswidelyacceptedinthewholeworld.
Generallyspeaking,Americanliteraturecanbedividedinto5parts:
theEarlyAmericanLiterature,AmericanRomanticism,AmericanRealismandNaturalism,AmericanModernism,andAmericanPost-modernism.Eachperiodhasanintimaterelationshipwithsomehistoricalevents.
TheearlyAmericanliterature,tosomedegree,isadescendantofEuropeanliterature.FromtheperiodofRomanticism,Americanliteraturebegantoformitsownfeatures.Astheindustrializationdeveloping,Americansocietybecomemoreandmorecomplicated,soliteratureinthislandgraduallyvariesinstyle.ThetheoriesofRomanticism,RealismandNaturalismareborrowedfromEurope.ButthesituationinvertssincetheageofModernism.AmericabecomestheoriginallandofbothModernismandPost-modernism.Fromthenon,Americanliteraturehasestablisheditsownstageontheworldliteraturestage.
1TheAmericanRomanticism(1810-1865)
1)PeriodandBackground
TheAmericanRomanticperiodstretchedfrom1810to1865,whichwascrucialtothedevelopmentofAmericanliterarytraditions.ItsawmiraculousachievementsinAmericanliterature.BoththeoutsideandinsideenvironmentinthecountrycontributedtotheboomingofAmericanRomanticism.
Foronehand,AmericanRomanticismcamefromEurope.Attheendof18thcentury,RomanticismgaineditsstrengthinWesternEuropeaftertheIndustrialRevolution.ManyAmericanliterarycreationswereinspiredbytheEuropeanRomanticistslikeWilliamWordsworth,Byron.Tosomedegree,alotofliteraryworksinthaterawerecreatedbyimitatingEuropean’s.
Fortheotherhand,politically,thecountryhasgraduallydevelopeditsnewsocialorderwhichcontributedtobuildingademocraticcountry.Economically,theIndustrialRevolutionwasspreadallaroundthecountry;asaresultthatAmericabecamealandofwealthandhope.PeopleinsuchacircumstancebegantoseektheAmericanownvaluetosecuretheirexistence.Owningtoreasonsabove,theAmericanRomanticismbegantorootinthisfertilesoil.
2)TheEarlyRomanticism
Intheearlyromanticismwritersmainlyfocusedonfeelingswhenthecountrywasfoundednewly.Thevastlandprovidespeople’sgreatpassiononbuildingtheircountry.Thethemesinworksusuallyweresomethingonhumanrightsandindividualism.Heroeswoulddieattheendingforprotectingcountry.WashingtonIrvingandWilliamCullenBryantwererepresentativesofthispart.
Therewasagroupofpoetscalled“firesidepoets”becausetheyoftenreadtheirpoemswhenfamiliesorfriendssataroundafire.ThepoetswerehauntedwiththetraditionalEuropeanculture.ThemostfamousonewasHenryWadsworthLongfellow.
3)TheTranscendentalism
TranscendentalismwasthemostimportantpartofAmericanRomanticism.ItwasputforwardbyRalphWaldoEmerson.Themajorconceptsabouttranscendentalismcouldbesummarizedasfollowingfourpoints:
first,itstressesthepowerofintuition.Second,ittakesnatureassymbolicofspiritofgod.Third,itemphasizesthesignificanceoftheindividual.Fourth,religionisanemotionalcommunicationbetweenanindividualsoulandtheuniversal”over-soul”.Inthisperiod,therearealargeamountofsuccessfulwritersandpoets,suchas,GeorgePutnam,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,WaltWhitmanandEmilyDickinson.
4)ASpecialGroup:
theGothic
TheTranscendentalistsbelievedthekindnessofhuman’snature,whiletheGothicwritersthoughttheevilnessofhuman’snature.EdgarAllanPoebelongedtothegroup.MostPoe’sworkswereillustratedintheGothicwaylikeTell-taleHeartandtheBlackCat.NathanielHawthornealsobelongedtothisgroup.ThecriticismtowardPuritanismoftenappearedinhisworks.Hisworks,likeYoungGoodmanbrown,theScarletLetter,showeditclearly.
5)TheFeaturesofLiteraryWorks
Thisliteraryperiodwasregardedas1stAmericanRenaissance.ItwasnotonlybecauseAmericanwritersusedAmericanassubjectsintheirworksbutbecausealltheliteraryforms(exceptfordrama),likefiction,non-fictionproseandpoetryoccurred.
Atthismoment,Americabegantohaveitsownliteratureworks.ItiswritersorpoetsfromWashingtonIrvingwhomakecontributiontothisquickdevelopment.Anddifferentliterarystyleownsitsspecialfunctiononit.Forexample,thefictionstendingtoexploreintothehiddenrecessionofthespiritoftheindividualswasthatAmericawaslackinginsettledandtraditionalcommunitylife.
AlthoughAmericanromanticismwasdividedintofourparts,anywayworksallbelongingtothisera,hadsomefeaturesincommon.Firstly,allofthemareclosetonature.Secondly,individualism,equality,freedomandsimplicitywereemphasized.Thirdly,Puritanismwasattacked.
2TheAmericanRealismandNaturalism(1865-1914)
1)PeriodandBackground
Rangingfrom1865to1914,itistheperiodofAmericanRealismandNaturalism.TheydominatedthespiritofAmericanliterature,especiallyAmericanfictions.
The50yearsbetweentheendoftheCivilWarandtheoutbreakofworldwarⅠisaperiodfullofchanges,ineveryaspectofAmericanlife,politically,economically,culturally,andreligiously.ThescaleofthechangewassovastthatitindicatedafundamentalredirectioninthenatureandideologyoftheAmericansociety.
Withtheappearanceofindustrialismthenatureoflaborchanged.However,beyondpeople’sexpectation,aftertheCivilWar,ordinarypeople’slifewasnotimprovedatallbutbecametougherandtougher,althoughthenationaleconomyincreasedrapidly.Allthefortunewentintocapitalistshands,asaresultthatthesocialgapbroadened,andthepolarizationbetweentherichandthepoorbecamelargerandlarger.Someacutewritersrealizeditandbegantheirrealisticcreationssothatagreatliteraryerawascoming.
2)TheAmericanRealism(1865-1890s)
Realismis,inabroadestsense,simplytoactualityinliterature.WilliamsdeanHowellsdefinedit:
“realismisnothinglessthanthetruthtreatmentofmaterial”.Hencethesubjectofrealisticfictiontendstobecontemporary,ordinary,andmiddle-class.
TherepresentativesinthiserawereWilliamdeanHowells,MarkTwain,andHenryJames.Thethreeliterarygiantsinthatperiodstoodforthreerealisticstyles:
genteelrealism,psychologicalrealismandLocalColorism.Howellswasgoodatwritingthetraditionofgenteelrealism,whocalledforthetreatmentofthe“smilingaspectoflife”.Jameswasfamousforpsychologicalrealismwiththemeoftheideologyofthenewworldandoldworld.AndMarkTwainreachedthemountoftheLocalColorismwhichwasthedescriptionoflocalplacesandpeopleheknewbest.
3)TheAmericanNaturalism(1890s-1914)
WhenCharlesDarwin’sevolutionarytheory:
thestruggleforexistence,survivalofthefittest,naturalselectionandtheamoralworldappeared,itofferedpeopletothinkthenewworldinatotallynewperspectives.Finallytheyfoundanswerstotheirpuzzles.ItisFrankNorriswhointroducedNaturalismintoAmericanland.Naturalistsadvocatedwritinglikethewayofscientistsconductingexperiment.Theprocessshouldbeasthefollowings:
Innaturalisticawork,fatalismandpessimismwerethecharacteristics.Innaturalistsview,people’sfatesweredeterminedbythreethings:
Heredity,EnvironmentandChance.ThefamousNaturalistsinAmericawereFrankNorris,StephenCrane,TheodoreDreiser,andJackLondon.Theslumgirlswereverycommonprotagonists.AndinmanyworkshumanweredescribedlikeanimalswhoonlyknewtoeatandsleeplikeMcTeague.Naturalistsusuallydidnotgivecommentsontheprotagonistsintheirwork.
Allinall,AmericanNaturalistsdidsharesomesimilaritiesinthemeandtechnique.Intheme,theyrepresentedthelowerclasses’livestruthfullyandbrokeintosuchforbiddenregionsasviolence,death,andsex;intechnique,theirworksexhibithonestskillsandartistry.
4)AComparisonbetweenAmericanRealismandNaturalism
SomepeopleregardedNaturalismasanextensionofRealism,whileothersvieweditasabridgebetweenRealismandModernism.Anyway,thesetwoperiodshavetheiruniquewritingstyles.Hereisachartofcomparisonbetweenthetwoasthefollowing:
Realism
Naturalism
Emphasizingtheordinary
Emphasizingontheextraordinary
Amirror/anautofocusingcamera
Alens/afocusingcamera
Anobserver
Ascientist
Moral/rational
Accidental/physiological
Fromthechart,wecanseetheirdifferencesclearly.First,Realistschoseaverygenteelwaytodescribetheharshrealitywhichnaturalistsdisapproveof.InNaturalists’minds,people’sattentioncanbeattractedonlybyusingsomeextraordinarycase,likeafocusingcamera.Second,realistsusearationalwaytorevealreality,andNaturalistsprefertothephysiologicalmethod.Inshort,thepurposeofthesetwoistoreveallifereality.NaturalismuseamorepowerwayinsteadofRealism’sgenteelway.
3TheAmericanModernism(1914-1945)
1)PeriodandBackground
BetweenthebeginningofWWⅠandtheendofWWⅡ,Americaenteredintoanewliteraryera:
Modernism.Asthesciencehighlydeveloped,lotsofinventionswereproduced;Lifeintheearly20thcenturywastotallydifferentfromthelifebefore.Inanaddition,AmericaexperiencedmanybigeventslikeWWⅠ