南开大学 外国语学院 美国文学后浪漫主义.docx

南开大学 外国语学院 美国文学后浪漫主义.docx

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南开大学外国语学院美国文学后浪漫主义

NathanialHawthorne/HermanMelville/EdgarAllanPoe/WaltWhitman

NathanielHawthorne（1804-1864）

1.Works

a）Twice-ToldTales1837《重述故事》

b）MossesfromanOldManse1843《古宅青苔》

c）TheScarletLetter1850《红字》

d）TheHouseoftheSevenGables1851《七个尖角阁的房子》

e）TheBlithedaleRomance1852《福谷传奇》

f）TheMarbleFaun1860《大理石雕像》

g）“YoungGoodmanBrown”《好小伙布朗》

h）“TheMinister’sBlackVeil”《教长的黑面纱》

i）“Dr.Rappacini’sDaughter”《拉普奇尼博士的女儿》

2.Life

LikeJamesFenimoreCooper,Hawthornewasextremelyconcernedwithconventionality;hisfirstpseudonymouslypublishedshortstoriesimitatedSirWalterScott,asdidhis1828self-publishedFanshawe.

HislaterworksshowsomeTranscendentalistinfluence,includingabeliefinindividualchoiceandconsequence,andanemphasisonsymbolism.AsAmerica'sfirsttruepsychologicalnovel,TheScarletLetterwouldconveytheseideals;contrastingpuritanmoralitywithpassionandindividualism.

⏹TheScarletLetterrepresentstheheightofHawthorne'sliterarygenius;densewithtersedescriptions.Itremainsrelevantforitsphilosophicalandpsychologicaldepth,andcontinuestobereadasaclassictaleonauniversaltheme.

3.ReasonsforHawthorne'sCurrentPopularity

⏹Oneofthemostmodernofwriters,Hawthorneisrelevantinthemeandattitude.AccordingtoH.H.Waggoner,Hawthorne'sattitudesuseirony,ambiguity,andparadox.

⏹HawthorneroundsoffthepuritancycleinAmericanwriting-beliefintheexistenceofanactiveevil（thedevil）andinasenseofdeterminism（theconceptofpredestination）.

⏹Hawthorne'suseofpsychologicalanalysis（pre-Freudian）isofinteresttoday.

⏹Inthemesandstyle,Hawthorne'swritingslookaheadtoHenryJames,WilliamFaulkner,andRobertPennWarren

4.InfluencesonHawthorne

⏹Salem-earlychildhood,laterworkattheCustomHouse.

⏹Puritanfamilybackground-oneofhisforefatherswasJudgeHawthorne,whopresidedovertheSalemwitchcrafttrials,1692.

⏹Beliefintheexistenceofthedevil.

⏹Beliefindeterminism.

5.MajorThemesinHawthorne'sFiction

⏹Alienation-acharacterisinastateofisolationbecauseofself-cause,orsocietalcause,oracombinationofboth.

⏹Initiation-involvestheattemptsofanalienatedcharactertogetridofhisisolatedcondition.

⏹ProblemofGuilt-acharacter'ssenseofguiltforcedbythepuritanicalheritageorbysociety;alsoguiltvs.innocence.

⏹Pride-Hawthornetreatsprideasevil.Heillustratesthefollowingaspectsofprideinvariouscharacters:

physicalpride（Robin）,spiritualpride（GoodmanBrown,EthanBrand）,andintellectualpride（Rappaccini）.

⏹PuritanNewEngland-usedasabackgroundandsettinginmanytales.

⏹Italianbackground-especiallyinTheMarbleFaun.

⏹Allegory-Hawthorne'swritingisallegorical,didacticandmoralistic.

⏹Otherthemesincludeindividualvs.society,self-fulfillmentvs.accommodationorfrustration,hypocrisyvs.integrity,lovevs.hate,exploitationvs.hurting,andfatevs.freewill.

6.HawthorneasaLiteraryArtist

⏹Firstprofessionalwriter-collegeeducated,familiarwiththegreatEuropeanwriters,andinfluencedbypuritanwriterslikeCottonMather.

⏹Hawthornedisplayedaloveforallegoryandsymbol.Hedealtwithtensionsinvolving:

lightversusdark;warmthversuscold;faithversusdoubt;heartversusmind;internalversusexternalworlds.

⏹Hiswritingisrepresentativeof19thcentury,and,thus,inthemainstreamduetohisuseofnature,itsprimitiveness,andasasourceofinspiration;alsoinhisuseoftheexotic,thegothic,andtheantiquarian.

7.Featuresofhisworks

Settings->PuritanNewEngland

Themes->Evil&sin

Idea->“blackvision”towardhumanbeings

Feature->Ambiguity

Technique->symbolism

8.TheScarletLetter

⏹Hestersin

⏹Chillingwhothevil

⏹Dimmesdalesin

⏹Pearl

->Adultery/Ability/Angel

HermanMelville（1819-1891）

and

MobyDick

Works

1.Redburn1849

2.Typee1846

3.Omoo1874

4.MobyDick1851

5.Mardi1849

6.WhiteJacket1850

7.Pierre1852

8.BillyBudd1924

Life

In1839,MelvillebeganhisaffairwithseawhenhejoinedthecrewoftheSt.LawrenceandsetsailforLiverpoolEngland.

In1840,MelvillesetsailaboardtheAcushnet,awhalingshipheadedfortheSouthPacific.TheroughconditionsoftheseatoughenedtheromanticNewEnglanderandhetooksuchalikingtosealifethathesailedaroundtheglobefouryearsaboardvariousships.

Melvillewaswelcomedhomebyhisfamilywhowasentertainedbyhistalesofthehighseasandencouragedhimtowritethemdown.HermanwroteTypeequicklyin1845,andpublisheditthenextyear.Typeebecameacriticalandfinancialsuccess

Tomakehimselfmorefinanciallystableforhisimpendingmarriage,MelvillesoughtapositionwiththeU.S.Treasuryandtookonextraworkwritingbookreviews.

MobyDickpublishedinNovember1851,receivedpoorreviewsanddidnotsell.

Despitethiscontinuedoutputandthefacthisearliernovelscontinuedtobereprintedandsoldfairlywell,Melville'sliteraryreputationwasinrapiddecline.

HisdeathfromaheartattackonSeptember28,1891wententirelyunheededbythegeneralpublic.

Melville'sliteraryreputationremainedindeclineuntilhewasrediscoveredinthe1920's,whenageneration,disillusionedbytheGreatWarbegantoappreciatethedepthofMelville'sspiritualstrugglesandthe'modern'experimentalstyleofhisstories.

MobyDick

⏹Typeofwork:

symbolicnovel

⏹Firstpublication:

1851

⏹Setting:

Mostofthebooktakesplaceonvariousoceans,suchastheAtlantic,theIndian,andthePacific,intheearlytomid1800’s.However,agooddealofthefirstpartofthenoveltakesplaceinNewEnglandinsideandaroundNantucket.

PrincipalCharacters:

⏹Ishmael

Schoolteacherandpart-timesailor;aPresbyterian,likeMelville,heprojectsCalvinisticthinkingtemperedbyhisbackgroundinliteratureandphilosophy.Hediscussessuchissuesasfreewill,predestination,necessity,anddamnation.HeisthesolesurvivorofthePequod.

⏹CaptainAhab

Amanwhoisobsessedwiththekillingofawhitewhalethathasmaimedhim.Hehasascarwhichextendsfromhisheadtohisleg.

⏹Starbuck

Thefirstmate,isboldenoughtocriticizeAhab'svengeance,considersmutinybutfails.

⏹Stubb

Thesecondmatewhoiscarefree,indifferent,andfatalistic.

⏹MobyDick

ItistheWhiteWhale;theworld’slargestcreature.Itispowerful,legendaryimageofnature.Itswimspeacefullyintheseauntildisturbedbyhumans,thenshowsaterriblefuryandanger.ForAhab,MobyDickisthesymbolofevil.

ThemesofMobyDick

✓Searchfortruth：

Thestorydealswiththehumanpursuitoftruthandthemeaningofexistence.

✓ConflictbetweenGoodandEvil.

✓ConflictbetweenManandNature.

✓Isolationbetweenmanandman;manandnature;manandsociety.

✓Solipsism（唯我论）.

Symbols

ThePequod

ThePequodisasymbolofdoom.Itispaintedagloomyblackandcoveredinwhaleteethandbones,literallybristlingwiththemementosofviolentdeath.Itis,infact,markedfordeath.Adornedlikeaprimitivecoffin,thePequodbecomesone.

MobyDick

MobyDickpossessesvarioussymbolicmeaningsforvariousindividuals.

1）Symbolofnatureforhumanbeings,becauseitismysterious,powerful,unknown.

2）SymbolofevilfortheCaptainAhab.

3）Symbolofgoodandpuritybecauseofitswhiteness.

VoyageofthePequod

Symbolofthepursuitofideals,adventure,andthehuntinthevastwilderness.

Ahab

Symbolofsolipsism,revengeandthenevil.

Starbuck

Symbolofgoodandnoble.

theDoubloon

Symbolofthelureofevilandenticementstogreed.

Sea

Symbolofvastness,loneliness,andisolation.

Evaluation

⏹MobyDickis,criticshaveagreed,oneoftheworld’sgreatestmasterpieces.Togettoknowthe19thcenturyAmericanmindandAmericaitself,onehastoreadthisbook.

⏹OneoftheclassicsofAmericanLiteratureandevenworldliterature.

⏹MobyDickisanencyclopediaofeverything,history,philosophy,religion,etc.inadditiontoadetailedaccountoftheoperationsofthewhalingindustry.

WaltWhitman

OneofthegreatinnovatorsinAmericanliterature

HegaveAmericaitsfirstgenuineepicpoem:

LeavesofGrass

（LeavesofGrass（1855）acollectionofpoemsbyWaltWhitman,writteninfreeverse（=poetrywithoutregularpatterns）,whichstronglyexpresshisloveofnatureandhisrespectforfreedom.ThesepoemsareimportantbecausetheymadefreeversemoreacceptableandinfluencedlaterUSwriters.）

In1855,WhitmantookoutacopyrightonthefirsteditionofLeavesofGrass,whichconsistedoftwelveuntitledpoemsandapreface.

Whitmanreleasedasecondeditionofthebookin1856,containingthirty-threepoems,aletterfromEmersonpraisingthefirstedition,andalongopenletterbyWhitmaninresponse.

Aftersufferingastroke,WhitmanfounditimpossibletoreturntoWashington.Hestayedwithhisbrotheruntilthe1882publicationofLeavesofGrassgaveWhitmanenoughmoneytobuyahomeinCamden.

Inthesimpletwo-storyclapboard（装有护墙板的）house,Whitmanspenthisdecliningyearsworkingonadditionsandrevisionstoaneweditionofthebookandpreparinghisfinalvolumeofpoemsandprose,Good-Bye,MyFancy（1891）.

WORKS

Poetry

⏹DrumTaps（1865）

⏹Good-Bye,MyFancy（1891）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1855）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1856）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1860）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1867）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1870）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1876）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1881）

⏹LeavesofGrass（1891）

⏹PassagetoIndia（1870）

⏹SequeltoDrumTaps（1865）

Prose

⏹CompleteProseWorks（1892）

⏹DemocraticVistas（1871）

⏹FranklinEv