美国文学史考试资料全.docx

美国文学史考试资料全.docx

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美国文学史考试资料全

AnOverviewofAmericanLiterature

1.Colonialperiod（early17th—late18th）

2.Romanticperiod（firsthalfof19th）

3.Realism（after1865）

4.Naturalism（lastdecadeofthe19th）

5.Modernism（thefirsthalfofthe20th）

AmericanLiteratureTheLiteratureoftheColonialPeriod

ThefirstviewofAmerica

Beingthuspassedthevastocean,andaseaoftroubles…theyhadnownofriendstowelcomethemnorinnstoentertainorrefreshtheirweatherbeatenbodies;nohousesormuchlesstownstorepairto,toseekforsuccour…savagebarbarianswerereadiertofilltheirsideswitharrowsthanotherwise.Andforthereasonitwaswinter,andtheythatknowthewintersofthatcountry,knowthemtobesharpandviolent,andsubjecttocruelandfiercestorms…thewholecountry,fullofwoodsandthickets,representedawideandsavagehue.

--fromWilliamBradford’sHistoryofPlimmothPlantation

AWealthofNaturalResources

Heisabadfisherwhocannotkillononedaywithhishookeandline,one,two,orthreehundredCods.

--JohnSmith,ADescriptionofNewEngland

AsupofNewEngland’sairisbetterthanawholedraftofoldEngland’sale.

--FrancisHigginson,New-England’sPlanatation

TheColonies

Jamestown,Virginia1607NewEngland1620MassachusettsBay1630

AmericanPuritanism

“Puritans”

AmericanPuritanism

AmericanPuritanismstressedpredestination,originalsin,totaldepravity,andlimitedatonementfromGod’sgrace.

Awayoflifethatstressedhardwork,thrift,pietyandsobriety.

“Hewasavisionarywhoneverforgetthattwoplustwoequalsfour;hewasasoldierofJehovahwhonevercameoutonthelosingsideofabargain…Hewasapracticalidealist…HiscreedwastherevealedwordofGodandhislifewastheruleofmoderation;hisbeliefswerehandeddownonhighandhisconductwasregulatedbyexpediency.Hewasadoctrinaireandanopportunist.”

LiteratureofEarlySettlements

AliteraryexpressionofthePuritanidealism.

Typesofwriting:

histories,travelaccounts,biographies,diaries,letters,autobiographies,sermons,andpoems…

UsefulnessandPlainness:

Utilitarian,polemical,ordidactic.

Style:

fresh,simple,directandwithatouchofnobility.

ThefirstpublishedbookofpoemsbyanAmericanwasalsothefirstAmericanbooktobepublishedbyawoman—AnneBradstreet（1612-1672）

HerabilitytocapturethecolonialexperienceinpoetryestablishedherplaceasoneofAmerica’smostnotableearlywriters.

*Background/earlylife/education

*BornandeducatedinEngland

*AdmiredandimitatedseveralEnglishpoets

*At18,shewenttoAmericain1630.

*Fatherandhusbandservedasgovernors.

*TheTenthMuseLatelySprungupinAmerica（1650）

Stylisticcharacteristics:

Bradstreet’spoemsusuallyemployiambicpentameterwithkeyvariationsinrhythmandsyntaxforspecialrhetoricaleffectoremphasis.

Herpoemsarealsofilledwithimagery,followedwithsustainedparallels.Metaphysicalconceitscouldalsobefoundinherpoems.

Herpoemsarealsofilledwithself-effacing"apology"（artclaimingartlessness）,whichgraduallybecomesmoreauthoritativepoeticpersona（questioningGod）

（persona:

Avoiceorcharacterrepresentingthespeakerinaliterarywork）

Languageandimageryareoftendirect,andrelativelysimple.

TheAuthorToHerBook

Thouill-formedoffspringofmyfeeblebrain,

Whoafterbirthdid'stbymysideremain,

Tillsnatchtfromthencebyfriends,lesswisethantrue,

Whotheeabroadexposedtopublicview,

Madetheeinrags,haltingtoth'presstotrudge,

Whereerrorswerenotlessened（allmayjudge）.

Atthyreturnmyblushingwasnotsmall,

Myramblingbrat（inprint）shouldmothercall.

Icasttheebyasoneunfitforlight,

Thevisagewassoirksomeinmysight,

Yetbeingmineown,atlengthaffectionwould

Thyblemishesamend,ifsoIcould.

Iwashedthyface,butmoredefectsIsaw,

Andrubbingoffaspot,stillmadeaflaw.

Istretchtthyjointstomaketheeevenfeet,

Yetstillthourun'stmorehobblingthanismeet.

Inbetterdresstotrimtheewasmymind,

Butnoughtsavehome-spuncloth,i'th'houseIfind.

Inthisarray,'mongstvulgarsmay'stthouroam.

Incritic'shands,bewarethoudostnotcome,

Andtakethywaywhereyetthouartnotknown.

Ifforthyfatheraskt,say,thouhadstnone;

Andforthymother,shealasispoor,

Whichcausedherthustosendtheeoutofdoor. 

*ThiscasualpoemisoneofAnneBradstreet’smostdelightfulandgenuine.Itrecountswithhumorherfeelingsatseeingherpoems（TheTenthMuse）inprintin1650withoutherauthorizationorcorrection,andhersubsequenteffortstoimprovethem.Itappearsthatsheintendedthistostandlastamongherpoemswhensherevisedthemabout1666foraproposedsecondedition.

AmericanLiteraryandCulturalIndependence

TheAmericanCleavagefromtheParentCultures

NoothercountrywhoseoriginliesinEuropehashadsosharpanawarenessofitscleavagefrom,andsuperiorityto,theparentcultures.RunningthroughAmericanhistory,andthereforethroughAmericanliterature,isadoubleconsciousnessofOldWorldmodesandtheNewWorldpossibilities.Yesterdayhasbeendismissedandpinedfor:

tomorrowhasbeeninvokedanddreaded.（palefacesforEuropeanizedconceptofliteraturevsredskinsfornotionofnativeliterature;stateroomvssteeragestyles）

Thebeginningofamyth

TheodoreRooseveltsaidthatwhetherthosewhocamewerecalledsettlersorimmigrants,theytravelledsteerage—thehardway.Totransferoneselfandone’sfamilyacrosstheoceanwasastepnotlightlytaken.Itwassomethingofanactoffaith,thebeginningofamyth.Inthemythology,Europewasassociatedwiththepast…hunger,poverty,oppression.America,bycontrast,wasthefuture:

plenty,prosperity,freedom.

*It’sacomplexfate,beinganAmerican,andoneoftheresponsibilitiesitentailsisfightingagainstasuperstitiousvaluationofEurope.

HenryJames（1872）

*AmericamustbeasindependentinLiteratureassheisinpolitics,asfamousfortheartsasforarms.

NoahWebster

LiteraryandCulturalIndependence

LiteraturetheAmericanshavenone–nonativeliterature,wemean.Itisallimported.TheyhadaFranklin,indeed;andmayaffordtoliveforhalfacenturyonhisfame.…-andsomepiecesofpleasantrybyMrIrving.ButwhyshouldtheAmericanswritebooks,whenasixweeks’passagebringstheminourowntongue,oursense,scienceandgenius,inbalesandhogsheads?

--SydneySmithinEdinburghReview,Dec.1818

WehavelistenedtoolongtothecourtlymusesofEurope.

---Emerson“AmericanScholar”asAmerica’sIntellectualDeclarationofIndependence

IndependencelayovertheHorizon

Canweneverbethought/Tohavelearningorgrace/Unlessitbebrought/Fromthatdamnableplace?

–PhilipFreneau

Wehaveatlengtharrivedatthatepochwhenourliteraturemayandmuststandonitsownmeritsorfallthroughitsowndefects.Wehavesnappedasundertheleading-stringsofourBritishGrandmamma.

–EdgarAllanPoe（1830）

*Itwouldtake50yearsofaccumulatedhistoryforAmericatoearnitsculturalindependenceandtoproducethefirstgreatgenerationofAmericanwriters:

*WashingtonIrving,JamesFenimoreCooper,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,HermanMelville,NathanielHawthorne,EdgarAllanPoe,WaltWhitman,andEmilyDickinson.

Literatureofthe18thCenturyTheLiteratureofReasonandRevolution

Literatureofthe18thCentury

JonathanEdwards（1703-1758）andBenjaminFranklin（1706-1790）sharedthe18thcenturybetweenthem.

BothInheritorsofthePuritantraditionbutdifferentdirections.

JonathanEdwards:

theGreatAwakening（aperiodofnewreligiousfervorinNorthAmericafrom1735-1750）.

Franklin:

thespiritoftheEnlightenmentinAmerica.

JonathanEdwards

Calvinism“SinnersintheHandsofanAngryGod”

Describedtheagoniesofhellandurgedpeopletorepenttheirsins.

OneofthehallmarksofAmericanoratory.

BenjaminFranklin

AmericanEnlightenment

Rationalityinsteadoftradition

Scientificinquiryinsteadofunquestioningreligiousdogma

Representativegovernmentinsteadofmonarchy

BenjaminFranklinembodiedtheEnlightenmentidealofhumanerationality.

…withtheadventofEnlightenment,thePuritansbegantolosetheirgrip.

BenjaminFranklin—PragmaticIndividualism

BF（1706-1790）wastheonewhoreallyopensthestoryofAmericanliterature,thoughfarmoreaJack-of-all-tradesthanamanofletters.（thefatherofhiscountry）

InmanywaysitisFranklinwhobestrepresentsthespiritoftheEnlightenmentinAmerica:

self-educated,social,assured,amanoftheworld,ambitiousandpublic-spirited,speculativeaboutthenatureoftheuniverse,butinmannersofreligioncontenttoobservetheactualconductofmenratherthantodebatesupernaturalmatterswhichareunprovable.

BenjaminFranklinworks:

PoorRichard’sAlmanac（Earlytobed,earlytorise,makesamanhealthy,wealthy,andwise./Godhelpsthosethathelpthemselves./Losttimeisneverfoundagain./Bewareoflittleexpenses,asmallleakwillsinkagreatship./Whenthewell’sdry,theyknowtheworthofwater./Makehaywhilethesunshines./Theworstwheelofthecartmakesthemostnoise./HethatwouldbebeforehandintheWorld,mustbebeforehandwithhisBusiness.）

RichardSaunders,acrackerbarrelphilosopher

maxims

TheWaytoWealth（1774）

Essenceofhisteaching:

thrift,carefulness,independence.

TheAutobiography（13virtues–temperance/silence/order/resolution/frugality/industry/sincerity/justice/moderation/cleanliness/tranquility/chastity/humility.）

Anaccountofapoorboy’srisetowealthandfameandthefulfillmentoftheAmericanDream.

*Franklinembodiedthetran