A Brief Summary of The History of American Literaturedoc资料.docx

A Brief Summary of The History of American Literaturedoc资料.docx

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ABriefSummaryofTheHistoryofAmericanLiteraturedoc资料

ABriefSummaryofTheHistoryofAmericanLiterature

ABriefSummaryofTheHistoryofAmericanLiterature

1.outline

“EachgenerationshouldproduceatleastoneliteraryhistoryoftheUnitedStates,foreachgenerationmustdefinethepastinitsownterms.”

InfluencedbyliterarycurrentandmovementofEuropeandtheirownnationsuchasNeo-Classicism,IndustrialRevolution,AmericanWarofIndependenceinlate18thandearly19thcentury,theCivilWar,Industrialization,Darwin’sevolutionarytheoryinlate19thandearly20thcentury,WorldWar

GreatDepression,WorldWar

in20thcentury,theColdWar,theCivilRightsMovement,theVietnamWarinlate20thcentury,thehistoryofAmericanliteraturefromRomanticismtoPost-modernismcameintobeinginacontextthatwasuniquelyAmerican.

wewillhaveafurtherdiscussiononthisperiodbydividingthemintoseveralparts:

Romanticism,Realism,Naturalism,ModernismandPost-modernism.

2.AmericanRomanticism

TheAmericanRomanticperiodstrectchedfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.TheliteratureofthisperiodwascrucialtothedevelopmentofAmericanliterarytraditionsandthe55yearsfrom1810to1865sawmiraculousachievementsinAmericanliterature.

3.1BackgroundandReasons

3.1.1Politics

Politicallythetimewasripe.The18thcenturyleftaheritageofoptimismaboutman’spossibilitiesandperfectibility.Theloftyidealsofdemocracyassertedthevalueofindividuals,regardlessofclassandeducation.Ofcourse,thesevaluesprimarilyappliedtowhitemales.Infact,tensionswerebuildingwhichcriedoutforcreativerelease.Inequality,notequalitywastheruleformany,especiallywomenandslaves.

Meanwhile,thenationwitnessedanincredibleexpansion,amongwhichthemostinfluentialonewaswestwardexpansion.Theconquestofthenewterritoriescertaionlyopenednewhorizons,butthecountrywasalsotornbytheriskofinternaldivision,whichledtoAmericanCivilWar.

3.1.2Economy

EconomicallyAmericahadneverbeenwealthier.ButtherisingmaterialismaffectedbyindustralizationandfocusonbusinessatthecostofthemindandthespiritwasspawningreformmovementsalloverAmerica.Over150intentionalcommunities—fromtheShakerstoOneidatoBrookFarm—wereformedbypeopledisillusionedbythematerialisticvaluesandinequitiesofAmericansociety.

3.1.3CulturalandSocialBackground

Culturally,Americanownvalueemerged.America’smountains,deserts,andtropicsandmostofallitsunexploredvastnessprovidedasettingforitsfreshconceptsandideals.

Therewerereaders,oftenwomeneagertoexpandtheirminds.Itwasactuallypossibletomakeakindoflivingasawriter,althoughitwasdifficultandlimited,makingthesewritersagonizeovertheproblemof“vocation.”

3.1.4Religion

Religion,alwaysabasicconcernforAmericans,wasalsoripeforromanticismanditskindofpantheisticreligion.

3.2Definition

Romanticismisamovementofthe18thand19thcenturiesthatmarkedthereactioninliterature,philosophy,art,religion,andpoliticsagainsttheneoclassicismandformalorthodoxyoftheprecedingperiod.

3.3FormationandDevelopment

AmericanRomanticismsharesmanycharacteristicswithBritishromanticism.ItflourishedintheflowofWordsworth’spoeticencounterwithnatureinThePrelude.However,developingasitdidfromtherhetoricofsalvation,guilt,andprovidentialvisionsofPuritanism,thewildernessreachesoftheAmericancontinent,andthefierythetoricoffreedomandequality,theAmericanbrandofromanticismdevelopeditsowncharacter,especiallyasthesewriterstriedself-consiciouslytobenewandoriginal.

3.4FeaturesandStyles

AmericanromanticwriterssharedsomecommonfeatureswiththeEnglishromanticists.InmostoftheAmericanwritingsoftheperiodtherewasanewemphasisupontheimaginativeandemotionalqualitiesofliterature.EventhoughAmericanromanticismexhibitedfromtheveryoutsetdistinctfeaturesofitsown.Herearesomemajorprinciples:

1）Expressiveness:

theromanticistsheldthatthewritersshouldexpresstheiremotions,feelings,empressions,instinct,intuition,ortheirbeliefsintheirworksinsteadoftheimitationoftheclassicalwriters.

2）Imagination

3）Worshipofnature:

natureincludinghumannatureasasourceofinstruction,delight,andnourishmentforthesoul;returentonatureasasourceofinspirationandwisdom.

4）Simiplicity:

turnedtothehumblepeopleandtheeverydaylife,adoptedtheeverydaylanguage.

3.4RepresentitiveWritersandWorks

Belletristicliterature,orliteratureasfineart,finallyemergedinthe19thcentury.The50yearbetween1815and1865sawmiraculousachievementsinAmericanliterature.AfteraperiodofearlyromanticismthatincludedIrning,CooperandBryant,therewasasuddenoutburstofcreativepower.LiterarygaintssuchasPoe,Emerson,Thoreau,Hawthorne,Melvillebeganproducingworksofgreatvitalityanddistinction.Soon,theirachievementswouldbematchedbythosefromWhitmanandDickinson,amongothers.Inthehalfdecadeof1850—1855aloneappearedEmerson’sRepresentativeMen（1850）,Hawthorne’sTheScarletLetter（1850）andTheHouseoftheSevenGables（1851），Melville’sMobyDick（1851）andPierre（1852）,Thoreau’sWalden（1854）,Whitman’sLeavesofGrass（1855）,andothernotedliteraryworks.Takentogether,thesezccomplishmentssuggestthatAmericanliteratrematured.

3.5AchievementandInfluence

InliteratureRomanticismwasAmerica’sfirstgreatcreativeperiod,afullfloweringoftheromanticimpulseonAmericansoil.Thepoetrywaspredominantlyromanticinspiritandformunitedtoaconceptofdemocracythatwaspervasivelyegalitarian.InessaysandinlecturestheNewEnglandtranscendentalistscarriedtheexpressionofphilosophicandreligiousideastoahighlevel.Inthenewnation’ssearchforaculturallyindependentidentity,romanticismalsohelpedbuildthebridgebetweenthepastandpresent,andbetweenAmericaandEuropeItwasaRenaissanceinthesenseofaflowering,fullofexcitementoverhumanpossibilities,andahighregardforindividualego.

Romanticismandsentimantalism,asliteraryandculturalmodes,havepersistedinAmericanculture.ItmaybearguedinfactthattheUnitedStatescontinuestobeaRomanticculturewhosefundamentalvaluesandsymbolswereshapedinthefirsthalfofthe19thcentury.

3.6ShortcomingsandDecline

BytheendoftheCivilWaranewnationhadbeenborn,anditwastodemandandreceiveanewliteraturelessidealisticandmorepractical,lessexaltedandmoreearthy,lessconsciouslyartisticandmorehonestthanproducedintheagewhentheAmericandreamhadglowedwithgreatestintensityandAmericanwritershadcreatedagreatliteraryperiodbycapturingontheirpagestheenthusiasmandtheoptimismofthatdream.Gradually,theRomanticismeraintheUnitedStateswassurpassedbytheriseofRealisminthelater19thcentury.

3.AmericanRealism

4.1Theperiodrangingfrom1865to1914hasbeenreferredtoastheAgeofRealismintheliteraryhistoryoftheUnitedStates,whichisactuallyamovementortendencythatdominatedthespiritofAmericanliterature,especiallyAmericanfiction,fromthe1850sonwards.

4.1.1Politics

PoliticallytheCivilWaraffectedboththesocialandthevaluesystemofthecountry.AmericahadtransformeditselffromaJeffersonianafrariancommunityintoanindustrializedandcommercializedsociety.

4.1.2Economy

ThewaralsobroughtsomenoticeablechangestotheAmericaneconomy.Ithadstimulatedthetechnologicaldevelopment,andnewmethodsoforganizationandmanagementweretestedtoadapttoindustrialmodernizationonalargescale.

4.1.3CuturalandSocialbackground

Asfarastheideologywasconcerned,peoplewereonashakingground.TheharshrealitiesoflifeaswellasthedisillusionofheroismresultingfromthedarkmemoriesoftheCivilWarhadsetthenationagainsttheromance.

4.2Definition

Realismisamovementofthe19thand20thcenturiesthatmarkedthereactioninliteraturalmethod,aphilosophicalandpoliticalattitude,andaparticularkindofsubjectmatteragainstRomanticism’semphasisonintuition,imagination,adreamy（orinnocent）senseofwonder,idealism,faithinnature,andgeneraloptimisticbeliefinthegoodnessofthingsandclaimtoseektruththatisverifiablebyexperienceandhaspracticalconsequences.

4.3FormationandDevelopment

InAmericanliterature,theterm“Realism”encompassestheperiodoftimefromtheCivilWartotheturnofthe20thcentury.AmericanRealism,althoughinfluencedbyEnglishandEuropeanauthors,wasbasicallynative.RealismfirstappearedintheUnitedStatesintheliteratureoflocalcolor,anamalgamofromanticplotsandrealisticdescriptionsofthingsimmediatelyobservable:

thedialects,customs,sights,andsoundsofregionalAmerica.

4.4FeaturesandStyles

Asanewliterature,Realismemergedforanage.UndertheinfluenceoftheCivilWarandindustrialization,Realismsurelyformeditsownfeatures.

1）Realismaimsatthedescriptionoftheactualitiesofthelifeandfreefromsubjectiveprejudice,idealismorromanticcolor.

2）Realismfocusesoncommonnessofthecommonpeople.Theemphasisisonordinarypeople,settingsandevents

3）Lifeispresentedasitis.

4）Userealcharacters,realincidents,reallanguageandlocaldialects.

5）Inmattersofstyle,dictionandsentencestructuretendtowardsaplainstyle

4.5RepresentativeWritersandWorks

ThemajorrealistswhopublishedtheirworksinthisperiodwereMarkTwain,WilliamDeanHowell,andHenryJames.Mark