Part one.docx

Part one.docx

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Partone

TheLiteratureofColonialAmerica

1.ThemainstreamofAmericannationalhistorywasrecognizedasstartedinVirginiaandMassachusetts.

2.TheearlysettlersincludedDutch,Swedes,Germens,French,Spaniards,Italians,andPortuguese.TheyallmadeacontributiontoAmericancivilization.

3.Englishtradition,lawsandcommercefunctionedwellinNewEngland.ThefirstwritingsfeaturedasAmericanwerethenarrativesandjournalsofthesesettlement.（DancewiththeWolf）

4.ThefirstdistinctlyAmericanliteraturewasascribedtobewrittenbyJohnSmith.Thecharacteristicsofhisdescription.

Understandthewordsasthemes,myths,images,scenes,characters,events,Pilgrims,Puritans,OldWorld（NewWorld）,Israel,PromisedLand.

5.ThomasJeffersonasapoliticalphilosopher（1743-1826）.ThethirdpresidentoftheUnitedStates.ThefounderofUniversityofVirginia,hewasveryprofoundinlearning,goodatviolinknewmanykindsoflanguage,generousandverykindtopeople.Iadmirehimagreatdeal.

6.UnderstandthePuritans,andtracebacktotheoriginofAmericanvalue.Puritansweregenerallyregardedasacrowdoftoughness（坚韧）,purpose（有追求的）,andcharacter（品格高尚的）.ThewordPuritanadoptedbythemmeanstheywantedtomakepuretheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices,sotheycouldbealsocalledasSeparatists.P8

7.UnderstandthepoembyBradfordbeforehisdeath,（P6）.Explainthewordsinthepoem:

His（God）,Truth（JesusChrist）,Grace（恩典）.

8.JohnWinthropandhisTheHistoryofNewEngland,featuredforitssimplicityandhonesty.

9.ThePuritanMovement:

ItmayberegardedasasecondorgreaterRenaissance,arebirthofthemoralnatureofmanfollowingtheintellectualawakeningofEuropeinthe15thcenturyand16thcentury.

Puritanmovementhadtwochiefobjects:

Personalrighteousnessandcivilandreligiousliberty.Inanotherwords,itaimedtomakemenhonestandtomakethemfree.Puritanismbecameanationalmovement.ItincludedEnglishchurchmenaswellasSeparatists,Calvinists,Catholicnoblemen,allboundtogetherinresistancetodespotism专政inchurchandState,andwithapassionforlibertyandrighteousness.Naturallysuchamovementhaditsextremes,anditisfromafewzealotsandfanaticsthatmostofourmisconceptionsaboutthePuritanarises.Manysimplepleasurewereforbidden,andanaustere朴素的standardoflivingwasforceduponanunwillingpeople.

WeshouldhaveacorrectunderstandingofthePuritanmovementifwewanttostudyEnglishliteratureofthetime.Thoughthespiritofthemovementwasprofoundlyreligious,thePuritanswerenotareligioussect宗派,neitherwasthepuritananarrow-mindedandgloomydogmatist,asheisstillpicturedinthehistory.MiltonwasaPuritan;andinthelongstruggleforhumanlibertytherearefewnameshonoredbyfreemeneverywhere.

AmericanPuritanism:

TheAmericanpuritanswereoriginallymembersofadivisionoftheProtestant新教徒Church,whocameintoexistenceinthereignsofQueenElizabeth.ThefirstsettlerswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthemPuritans.TheycametoAmericaoutofvariousreasons,butitshouldberememberedthattheywereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheAmericanPuritans,liketheirbrothersbackinEngland,wereidealists,believingthatthechurchshouldberestoredtocomplete“purity”.Theyacceptthedoctrineofpredestination（神意论）,originalsinandtotaldepravity（堕落）,andlimitedatonement（赎罪）throughaspecialinfusion（充满）ofgracefromGod.Puritan’slifewasextremelydisciplinedandhard.Asacultureheritage,PuritanismdidhaveaprofoundinfluenceontheearlyAmericanmind.AmericanPuritanismalsohadanenduringinfluenceonAmericanliterature.Ithadbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,somuchapartofthenationalculturalatmosphere,ratherthanasetoftenets（教义，信条）.

11.Calvinism:

CalvinismisthedoctrineofJohnCalvin,thegreatFrenchtheologianwholivedinGeneva.Itisadoctrineofpredestination,originalsinandtotaldepravity,andlimitedatonement（orthesalvationofaselectedfew）throughaspecialinfusionofgracefromGod.

12.Puritanstyleofwritingisgenerallyregardedassimplicity,austerity（艰苦，严肃）andrigidityinmattersoftaste,theirdistastefortheartsandmanifestationofsensuous激发美感的beauty.Theirstyleisfresh,simpleanddirect;therhetoricisplainandhonest,notwithoutatouchofnobilityoftentraceabletothedirectinfluenceoftheBible.

Thepuritansdreamedoflivingunderaperfectorderandworkedwithindomitable坚忍不拔的courageandconfidenthopetowardbuildinganewGardenofEdeninAmerica,wheremancouldatlonglastlivethewayheshould.Firedwithsuchasenseofmission,thepuritanslookedeventheworstoflifeinthefacewithatremendousamountofoptimism.IfEmersonsawtheAmericanasAdamhimselfreborn,standingsimpleandsincerebeforetheworld,ifThoreauportrayedhimselfasanAdaminhisEden,andWhitmanfeltrapturous狂喜的atthesightoftheAmericanbustlingwithactivityasthechildrenofAdamrestoredtotheirlostparadise,andHenryJamesespeciallyinhisearlycareer,abouttheinnocenceandsimplicityofAmericans,andifthespiritofoptimismburstoutofthepageofsomanyAmericanauthors,theChinesestudentofAmericanliteratureshouldn’tbeundulysurprised:

theoptimisticPuritanhasexertedagreatinfluenceonAmericanliterature.

PartTwo

TheLiteratureofReasonandRevolution

Humanbeingsaretheanimalswhocouldusetheirreason.

1.Whatisreason?

It’sacapabilityandprocessbyusinglogicandargumenttotheconclusion.Strictlyspeaking,itisacapabilityoppositetoperception,cognition,emotionanddesire.Itissupposedthatbyusingreason,wecouldgettothefundamentaltruth,andthefundamentaltruthisthecauseofallthefactsandphenomenonintheworld.

Kant康德:

（representativeofreason）Heusedreasontoarrangealltheconceptsasanintegratedwhole.Kantseparatedpurereasonfrompracticalreason,andhealsostudiedthefunctionofcriticalcapabilityofintellectuals.

（Thestarry闪亮的heavensabovemeandthemorallawwithinmefillthemindwithevernewandincreasingadmirationandawe,theoftenerandthemoresteadilywereflecton.）

Aristotledevelopedthemethodologyoflogicform:

fromgeneraltoconcrete,andfromconcretetogeneral.

Howeverintheology,reasonisdifferentfromfaith,reasondealwithreligioustruthbydiscoveryorbyexplanation.Kundelaoncesaid“Godwilllaughwhenhumanbeingisusinghisreason.”

Generalspeaking,modernChristianity,especiallytheProtestanttenets信条allowsanextensiveuseofreason,whilestillkeepstheultimatetruth（supernaturaltruth）intherealmoffaith.

2.TheologydominatedthepuritanphaseofAmericanwriting.Politicswasthesecondgreatsubjecttocommandthebestattentionofthebestminds.

3.Themesoftheirwritingwerefightforindependenceandfreedom,

4.EconomicgrowthandthedevelopmentofindustryofUSledtostrainwithEngland.

TomakeUSremainpoliticallyandeconomicallydependentonBritain,BritishgovernmenthamperedUSeconomybyrequiringUStoshiprawmaterialsabroadandtoimportfinishedgoodsatpricehigherthanathome.PoliticallytheBritaingovernmentforceddependencebyrulingfromoverseasandbytaxingwithoutgivingthemrepresentativeinparliament.

5.Therestless,growingAmericacouldn’tacceptthisasfuture.Theyneedrealliberty,developmentoftheirowneconomicgrowth.

ThewarforIndependence（1776-1783）endedintheformationofafederativebourgeoisdemocraticrepublic-TheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

6.ThespirituallifeinthisperiodwastoagreatdegreemouldedbythebourgeoisEnlightenment.TherepresentativesoftheEnlightenmentsetthemselvesthetaskofdisseminating传播knowledgeamongthepeopleandadvocatingrevolutionaryideas.TheydealtadecisiveblowuponthePuritantraditionandbroughttolifeseculareducationandliterature.TheAmericanreadingpublicatthetimedisplayedgreatinterestingworksofEnglish:

Newton,Swift,Lockeandothers.FrenchEnlightenmentwriterVoltairewasalsowidelyread.

18thcenturyofEnglandisknownastheageofEnlightenmentortheageofReason.ItwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementgoingonthroughoutEuropeatthetime,withFrenchinthevanguard先驱.Itcelebratedreason（rationality）,equality,scienceandhumanbeing’sabilitytoperfectthemselvesandtheirsociety.Themovementwasbasedonthetheoriesprovidedbythephilosophyoftheage,whichrangedfromLocke’smaterialism,LordShaftsbury’sdeism（自然神论者，相信世界是上帝创造的，却不理会他的教诲）,andGeorgeBerkeley’simmaterialism,toDavidHume’sskepticism.Whateverphilosophicalbeliefstheymighthave,theyholdthecommonfaithinhumanrationalityandthepossibilityofhumanperfectionthrougheducation.Theybelievedwhenreasonservedastheyardstick衡量标准formeasurementofallhumanactivitiesandsocialrelations,superstition,injustice,privilegeandoppressionwereyieldplaceto“eternaltruth”,“eternaljustice”,and“naturalequality”orinalienable不可剥夺的rightofmen.Everythingwasputunderscrutiny细看,tobemeasuredbyreason.Noauthorities,politicalorreligiousorotherwise,wereacceptedunchallengedwhilealmostalltheoldsocietiesandgovernmentsandallthetraditionalconcepts,includingChristianity,wereexaminedandcriticized.ThebeliefprovidedtheoryfortheFrenchRevolutionin1789andtheAmericanWarofIndependence.

7.Secular世俗的idealswereexemplifiedinthelifeandcareerofBenjaminFranklin.Hewasaprinter,humanist,scientistamasterofdiplomacy;ahumanitarianwhohelpedes