美国文学选读总结陶洁版.docx

美国文学选读总结陶洁版.docx

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美国文学选读总结陶洁版

第一讲

PeriodsofAmericanLiterature

1607—1775theColonialPeriod

1765—1790theRevolutionaryAge

1775—1865theearlynationalperiodandtheRomanticPeriod

1865—1914theRealisticPeriod

1900—1914theNaturalisticperiod

1914—1939theModernperiod

1939---thecontemporaryperiod

TheColonialPeriod

FromthefoundingofthefirstsettlementatJamestown,Virginia,totheoutbreakoftheAmericanRevolution

Historicalbackground

TheReformationinEurope→mostofthefoundingfatherswerepuritans→theAmericanPuritanismbecameoneofthemostenduringshapinginfluences

whatisAmericanPuritanism?

HowdoesitinfluenceAmericanliterature?

AmericanPuritanism

Acodeofvalues,aphilosophyoflife,orasetoftenetsofTheAmericanpuritans

TheywereidealistsbelievingthattheirchiefbusinesstoseethatmanlivedandthoughtandactedinawaywhichtendedtothegloryofGod.Theyacceptedthedoctrineofpredestination,originalsinandtotaldepravity,andlimitedatonement（orthesalvationofaselectedfew）throughirresistiblegraceofGod.

Ontheotherhand,theywerepracticalidealists,ordoctrinaireopportunists.TheyfelttheywereexilesunderthegraceofGodtoestablishaparadiseinthenewworld,yettheharshrealityforcedthemtobuildawayoflifethatstressedhardwork,thrift,piety,andsobriety.

TheinfluencesonAmericanliterature

Optimism:

Anglo-Americanliterature,basedontheBiblicalmythoftheGardenofEden,isaliteraryexpressionofthepiousidealismofthePuritanbequest.Firedwithasenseofmission,theydreamedofbuildinganewEdeninAmerica,whichledtotheemergenceofAmericandreaminliterature.

Literarysymbolism:

Puritan’smetaphoricalmodeofperceptionhelpedtodevelopliterarysymbolismastheysawthephysical,phenomenalworldwasnothingbutasymbolofGod.Hencesymbolismasatechniquewasacommonpractice.

TheliterarysceneinColonialAmerican

Humbleorigins:

histories,travelaccounts,diaries,letters,sermons,biographies,autobiographies,commonplacebooks,andpoemstorecordtheirexperiencesandexpresstheirviewsandfeelings.

Literatureofdiscovery,ofpuritanexpansion,andofGod

WilliamBradford（1590-1657）OfPlymouthPlantation

JohnSmith（1580-1631）ADescriptionofNewEngland

AnneBradstreet（1612-1672“theTenthMuse”）

PuritanPoet:

EdwardTaylor（1642-1729）

characteristics

FullofSymbolicmeanings

Utilitarian,polemical,ordidactic

Thestyle:

fresh,simple,anddirect

Therhetoricisplainandhonest,notwithoutatouchofnobilitytraceabletothedirectinfluenceoftheBible

The18thCentury

“ForthreegenerationstheprevailingAmericancharacterwascompactinonetype,themanofactionwhowasalsothemanofGod.Notuntiltheeighteenthcenturydidtheriftappear…itappearedinthetwophilosophers,JonathanEdwardsandBenjaminFranklinwhofixedthepolesofournationallife….JonathanEdwardsdisplayedtheinfiniteinflexibilityoftheupperlevelsoftheAmericanmind…typicallyFranklinthefiniteflexibilityofitslowerlevels”

VanWyckBrooks:

American’sComingofAge1915

AmericanPuritanismisatwo-facetedtraditionofreligiousidealismandlevelcommonsense.Edwardsrepresentedtheformeraspect,whileFranklinthelatter

TwobasicpatternsofthoughtinAmerican

Theinfluenceofthedeism.（Godasthemakeroftheclock）→Theageofenlightenment,reason,order

thepersistentCalvinistbeliefs→the“GreatAwakening”

EdwardsandFranklinrepresenttheparadoxofPuritanmaterialismandimmateriality.

BenjaminFranklinandhisAutobiography

Bornin1706intoapoorcandle-maker’sfamily---“poorandobscure”,littleformaleducation.

Independentprinterandpublisher,essayist,scientist,orator,statesman,philosopher,politicaleconomist,ambassador,parlorman,----“Jackofalltrades”

Sinceearly1750s,publiccareerbegan.TheonlyAmericantosignthefourdocumentsthatcreatedtheUS----TheDeclarationofIndependence,thetreatyofalliancewithFrance,thetreatyofpeacewithEngland,andtheconstitution.

Masterofeachandmasteredbynone---thetypeandgeniusofhisland-------HermanMelvillethusdescribedhim.

TheAutobiography

thesimpleyetfascinatingrecordofamanrisingtowealthandfamefromastateofpovertyandobscurity,thefaithfulaccountofthecareerofAmerican’sfirstself-mademan.

aPuritandocument,arecordofself-examinationandself-improvement.Aconvincingillustrationofthepuritanethicthatinordertogetonintheworld,onehastobeindustrious,frugal,andprudent.

Aneloquentexplanationofhisphilosophy:

moderation,order,man’sbasicallygoodandfreenature,man’scapabilityofimprovement,man’sinalienablerights.

CelebratesthefulfillmentoftheAmericandreamthroughthespiritofself-reliance.

Thestyle

Patternofpuritansimplicity,directness,andconcision.

Plainnessofstyle

Homelinessofimagery

Simplicityofdiction

Lucidityofthenarrative

WashingtonIrving（1783-1859）

BornintoawealthyNewYorkmerchantfamily.

Firstbookin1809:

AHistoryofNewYork

WiththepublicationTheSketchBook（1819-1820）,acollectionofessays,tales,andsketches,hewonameasureofinternationalrecognition.

In1826,senttoSpainasanAmericandiplomaticattaché.

from1829-1832,wasasecretaryoftheunitedstatesLegationinLondon.

Upto1832,hewasdrawntotheruinsandrelicsofEuropeandwritingaboutsubjectseitherEnglishorEuropean.Hefoundvaluesinthepastandinthetraditionsoftheoldworld.BackinAmerica,hefoundawholenewspiritofnationalisminAmericanfeelingandletters.

IrvingwasthefirstAmericanwriterofimaginativeliteraturetogaininternationalfame.TheshortstoryasagenreinAmericanliteraturebeganwithhisTheSketchBook,ofwhichthemostfamousareRipVanWinkleandTheLegendofSleepHollow.ItalsomarkedthebeginningofAmericanRomanticism.

Irving’sstyle

1.Avoidmoralizingasmuchaspossible;wrotetoamuseandentertain.

2.Despitetheslimplot,heisgoodatenvelopinghisstoriesinanatmosphere

3.Hislanguageisfinishedandmusical.TheAmericanGoldsmith

第二讲

TheRomanticPeriod

Stretchesfromtheendof18thcenturythroughtheoutbreakofthecivilwar

Historicalandculturalbackground

a.thebuoyantmoodofthenationburstingintonewlife

b.theflourishingromanticmovementinEurope

c.theculturalheritage:

AmericanPuritanism

Americanromanticismwasbothimitativeandindependent

a.itwasinessencetheexpressionofarealnewexperienceandcontainedanalienquality.ItexhibitedanapathytoAmericanlifelikethewestwardexpansionsanddemocracyandequality.

b.intechniqueAmericanromanticistlovedtraditionalmetersandstanzaforms,usedstereotypedmetaphorsandsuperficialandexplicitsymbolism

NewEnglandTranscendentalism

ThesummitofAmericanromanticism,“AmericanRenaissance”

ThetranscendentalclubwithitsjournalDialexpresstheirresentmenttothematerialistic-orientedlifeofthetimeandtothecold,rigidrationalismofunitarianism

Themajorfeatures

Emphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.Theoversoulwasanall-pervadingpowerforgoodness,omnipresentandomnipotent,fromwhichallthingscameandofwhichallwereapart.Itexistedinnatureandmanalike.→anewwayoflookingattheworld,reactionagainsttheNewtonianconceptoftheuniverseandthemechanizedcapitalisticAmerica.

Stressedtheimportanceofindividualwhichwasthemostimportantelementofsociety.Theindividualsoulcommunedwiththeoversoulandwasthereforedivine.Thefirstconcernofmanwashisperfectionthroughself-culture,self-improvement,andself-reliance.→anewwayoflookingatman,reactionagainsttheCalvinismandthedehumanizationofcapitalism

OfferedafreshperceptionofnatureassymbolicofthespiritorGod.

Naturewas,tothem,notpurelymatter.Itwasalive,filledwithGod’soverwhelmingpresence.ItwasthegarmentoftheOversoul.Thereforeitcouldexerciseahealthyandrestorativeinfluenceonthehumanmind.

NewEnglandtranscendentalismwastheproductofacombinationofforeignromanticinfluencesandtheAmericanPuritanidealism.RomanticismonthePuritansoil.

RalphWaldoEmerson（1803-1882）

DescendantofalonglineofNewEnglandclergymen.

WenttoHarvard,whereheunderwentaspiritual“odyssey”

Calvinistbelief→Unitarianminister→EuropeanRomanticism

→themosteloquentspokesmanofNewEnglandtranscendentalism

HisNature（1836）:

themanifestoofAmericantranscendentalism

TheDivinitySchoolAddress（1838）

TheAmericanScholar（1837）:

American’sdeclarationofIntellectualIndependence

TheRepresentativeMen（1850）:

biographiesofgreatmen,revealhisambivalencetowardaggressivenessandself-seeking

TheConductofLife（1860）

TheTranscendentalistviewsofEmerson

Thetranscendenceofthe“Oversoul”andthedivinityofman

ThespiritualandimmanentGodisoperativeinthesoulofman,andthatmanisdivine.

Theinfinitudeoftheprivateman

Ifmandependsuponhimself,cultivateshimself,andbringsoutthedivineinhimself,hecanhopetobecomebetterandevenperfect.thepossibilitiesformantodevelopandimprovehimselfareinfinite.

Manshouldandcouldbeself-reliant.Trustthyselfandmakethyself

Thesanctifyingmoralinfluenceofnatureasthesymbolofspirit

Thenaturalworldisvitalisticandevolutionary.Itmediatesbetweenmanandgod,andisawholesomemoralinfluenceonman.

Aesthetics:

romanticorganicprinciple

truepoetryandartshouldserveasamoralpurificationandapassagetowardorganicunityandhigherreality.

Self-relianceiswidelyconsideredtobe