美国文学.docx

美国文学.docx

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美国文学

AmericanLiterature

ASurveyofAmericanLiterature

⏹PartI.ColonialAmerica（1607-1765）

⏹PartII.EnlightenmentandRevolutionPeriod（1765-theendof18thcentury）

⏹PartIII.TheAgeofRomanticism（1880-1865）

⏹PartⅣTheAgeofRealismandNaturalism（1865-1918）

⏹part.ⅤTheAgeofModernism（1918-1945）

⏹partⅥContemporaryLiterature（1945-）

PartI.ColonialAmerica（1607-1765）

⏹HistoricalBackground

⏹WritersandPoets

⏹Puritan

⏹Puritanism

HistoricalBackground

⏹1）ThenativeAmericanandtheirculture–Indians

⏹2）ChristopherColumbusfoundthenewcontinentcalledAmericaIn1491.

⏹3）Immigrants:

⏹4）PuritanscametheNewEnglandarea,byMayflowerin1619.

⏹5）.ThesecondsettlementwasestablishedinPlymouth,NewEngland,in1620

⏹

WritersandPoets

⏹South,Jamestown,Virginia:

⏹CaptainJohnSmith---firstAmericanwriter,8works

⏹North,NewEngland,PuritanWriters

⏹WilliamBradford:

firstgovernorofPlymouth,TheHistoryofPlymouthPlantation:

simplicity,earnestness,directreporting,readable,moving.

⏹JohnWinthrop:

firstgovernorofBoston,TheHistoryofNewEngland,candidness（bluntness）,simplicity,honesty

⏹TwoPoets:

AnneBradstreet,firstAmericanwomanpoet;aPuritanpoet;herpoemsmainlyaboutreligiousexperience,familylifeandearlysettlers’lives;

⏹EdwardTaylor

GeneralfeaturesofColonialLiterature

Humbleorigins:

diaries,histories,lettersetc.

Incontent:

servingeitherGodorcolonialexpansionorboth

Inform:

imitatingEnglishliterarytraditions

Puritans：

Puritans=Calvinists

Puritanism

Areligiousandpoliticalmovement.Throughit,oneseestheemergingrightoftheindividualtopoliticalandreligiousindependence.

Theirreligiousdoctrines:

⏹originalsin（原罪，人生下来就是有罪的，因为人类的祖先亚当和夏娃是有罪的）,,

⏹totaldepravity（人类是完全堕落的，所以人要处处小心自己的行为，要尽可能做到最好以取悦上帝）,

⏹predestination（命运天定）,

⏹limitedatonement（有限救赎，只有被上帝选中的人才能得到上帝的拯救）.

PartII.EnlightenmentandRevolutionPeriod

（1765-theendof18thcentury）

1.HistoricalIntroduction

2.Authorsandtheirwritings

HistoricalIntroduction

⏹IndustrialRevolution:

spurredtheeconomyinAmericancolonies.

⏹IndependenceWar:

⏹FreethemfromtheEnglishColonialrule,andfoundedtheirownindependentcountry---EarthlyParadise

⏹Spirituallifeofthecolonies—Enlightenment:

Philosophicalandintellectualmovement.

Advocatedreasonorrationality,thescientificmethod,equalityandhumanbeings’abilitytoperfectthemselvesandtheirsociety.

⏹Agreedonfaithinhumanrationalityandexistenceofdiscoverableanduniversallyvalidprinciplesgoverninghumanbeings,natureandsociety.

⏹Opposedintolerance（不容许相反的言论）,restraint,spiritualauthorityandrevealedreligion

2.Authorsandtheirwritings

⏹BenjaminFranklin

⏹ThomasPaine

⏹ThomasJefferson

⏹PhilipFreneau

BenjaminFranklin

1.PoorRichard’sAlmanac:

（Itcontainsmanyproverbsofindustryandfrugality.）

2.TheAutobiography：

inspiringaccountofapoorboy’srisetoahighposition.Itisahow-to-do-itbook,oneontheartofself-improvement.

ThomasPaine

⏹Propagandist传道者,pamphleteer,amasterofpersuasionwhounderstandsthepoweroflanguagetomoveamantoaction.

Mainworks:

⏹TheAmericanCrisis；

⏹CommonSense；

⏹TheRightsofMan；

⏹TheAgeofReason

ThomasJefferson

⏹Enlightener,planter,aristocrat,lawyer,asymbolofAmericandemocracy.

⏹Manofmanytalents:

scientist,inventor,musician,linguist,architect,diplomatandwriter.

PhilipFreneau

⏹FatherofAmericanPoetry

⏹MainWorks:

⏹TheRisingGloryofAmerica

⏹TheBritishPrisonShip

⏹TheWildHoneySuckle

⏹TheIndianBuryingGround

BenjaminFranklin:

Autobiography

⏹Summery:

⏹It’sinspiringaccountofapoorboy’srisetoahighposition.Itisahow-to-do-itbook,oneontheartofself-improvement.ItcoveredFranklin’slifeonlyuntil1757whenhewas51yearsold.Itdescribedhislifeasashrewdandindustriousbusinessmanandnarrateshowheownedtheconstantfelicityofhislife,hislong-continuedhealthandacquisitionoffortune.

⏹

AnalysisofSelectedParts

⏹Chapter1

ToHisSon:

TheAuthor'sreasonsforundertakingthepresentwork

⏹Chapter2

TheArrivalinPhiladelphia:

Reasonsforhisleavinghisbrotherandthehardjourney.

Significance:

⏹

（1）ItpresentsaprototypeofAmericansuccesswhichinspiredgenerationsofAmericans.ItisanembodimentofPuritanismandenlighteningspirits.

⏹

（2）Withithesettheformforautobiographyasagenre.

（3）Style:

Hisstyleischaracterizedbysimplicity,frankness,wit,clarity,logicandorder.Hedevelopedautilitarian（practical）anddidactic（instructive）style.

Theme

⏹TheopeningpartofTheAutobiographydevelopssomethemesofself-bettermentandfaithtothereligion.

PartIII.TheLiteratureofRomanticism

1.HistoricalIntroduction

2.Twostages

pre-romanticism（1770s-1830）

post-romanticism（1830-60,65-75）

3.Romanticism

4.Transcendentalism

LiteraryIdeas:

RomanticismandTranscendentalism

2.TwostagesofRomanticism

A.pre-romanticism（1770s-1830）

---beginningstageofAmericanliterature

 Representatives:

WashingtonIrving,JamesFenimoreCooperandWilliamCullenBryant

B.post-romanticism（1830-60,65-75）

---FloweringofAmericanliterature

Representatives:

novelists:

Hawthorne,Melville,Poe.essayists:

Emerson,Thoreaupoets:

Whitman,Dickinson,etc.

3.Romanticism

⏹Artisticandintellectualmovementthatoriginatedinthelate18thcenturyandstressedstrongemotion,imagination,freedomfromclassicalcorrectnessinartforms,andrebellionagainstsocialconventions.RomanticeraintheUnitedStatesofAmericaasthe“AmericanRenaissance”—isroughlythegenerationbeforetheCivilWar（c.1830-1860,onegenerationaftertheRomanticerainEurope）.

GeneralfeaturesofRomanticism

⏹A.Stressingemotionratherthanreason

⏹B.Stressingfreedomandindividuality

⏹C.Idealismratherthanmaterialism

⏹D.Writingaboutnature,medievallegendsandwithsupernaturalelements

FeaturesofAmericanRomanticism

A.Imitative:

⏹B.Independent

4.Transcendentalism

⏹Transcendentalismisbasedonthebeliefthatthemostfundamentaltruthsaboutlifeanddeathcanbereachedonlybygoingbeyondtheworldofthesenses.Emerson’sNaturehasbeencalledthe“ManifestoofAmericanTranscendentalism”andhisTheAmericanScholarhasbeenrightlyregardedasAmerica’s“DeclarationofIntellectualIndependence”.

Transcendentalism

⏹It’sromanticidealism,philosophicalromanticismpopularinNewEnglandduringthe1830s,markedthematurityofAmericanromanticismandthefirstrenaissanceintheAmericanliteraryhistory.

Features

⏹A.EmphasisonSpirit（Oversoul）（超灵）（

⏹B.Emphasisonindividuals

⏹C.TakingnatureasthesymboloftheSpirit（Oversoul）,

⏹D.Brotherhoodofman（equalityandliberty）

Representativesinpost-romanticism

⏹EdgarAllanPoe--TheCaskofAmontillado

⏹Hawthorne--

⏹Melville--

⏹（Emerson）Thoreau--

⏹Whitman,Dickinson--

EdgarAllanPoe

TheCaskofAmontillado

⏹Summary:

⏹ThestoryisnarratedbyMontresor,whocarriesafeelingofresentmentagainstFortunatoforaninsultthatisneverexplained.MontresorleadsadrunkenFortunatothroughaseriesofchambersbeneathhispalazzowiththepromiseofatasteofAmontillado,awinethatMontresorhasjustpurchased.Whenthetwomenreachthelastundergroundchamber,MontresorchainsFortunatotothewall,buildsanewwalltosealhimin,andleaveshimtodie.

Backgroundinformation:

Themes:

⏹Revenge

TheCaskofAmontilladoisahorrorstoryofrevenge.MontresorcommitsthehorriblemurderofFortunatoduetohispowerfuldesireforrevenge.Theideaofrevengeisrepeatedseveraltimesintheopeningparagraph.ThetermsoftherevengearequiteclearinMontresor'smind.Anditisrealizedthroughtheevenprocessofkilling.

⏹Pride

pridecanbeaverydangerousthing,whenoneisoverwhelmedwithit.Mstopsatnothingtogettherevengethathedeemshimselfandhisfamilyworthyof,andF’spridewillultimatelybethefallofhisowndeath.

3.Stylisticfeatures:

⏹1）PointofViewandNarrator

ItistoldinthefirstpersonbyMontresor,asbothmajorcharacterandnarrator,whichproducepersonalrelationshipwiththereader.Hisdeliveringofalongmonologueinthefirstparagraphshortenedthepsychologicaldistancefromthereaders,revealinghismotivesandpsyche,andforcingthereaderstoturnintheplot.Byexperiencingtheeverydetailsofmurdering,thusthehorrificeffectisachieved.

⏹2）Creationofsymbols,ironies,foreshadowing:

Verbalirony:

eg:

“AndItoyourlonglife”,“…yourhealthisprecious…”,etc

Dramaticirony:

eg:

thenameFortunato;theirjourneytothecatacomb

---torevealtherealitydifferentfromwhatappearstobetrue,thus,

----achievinghisUnityofEffect

Symbols:

toamplifytherealmeanings

eg:

thecoatofthefamilyarms;therepeatedbones;thefeeblelightoftorch,amaskofblack,etc.

Foreshadowing:

“Ishallnotdieofcough…”,“mason”

---helpwiththedevelopmentoftheplot.

---helptobuildsuspenseandhorrificatmosphere

3）Preferenceofdictionandsyntax

⏹loanwords:

M’shighereducationincontrasttohiscruelnature

eg:

Palazzo（Italian）“Nemomeimpunelacessit”，“Inpacerequiescat!

”（Latin）,ect.

⏹Sentencevariety:

（complexvssimple）

complexsentences:

inthefirstparagraph,complexstructurestandsforthecomplexityofcharacter’spsychologyandhisastuteplan.

Simplesentence:

intheprocessofkilling,simpleandshortsentencesisusedtoshowM’scalmnessandlogicandcruelnesswithoutanytimidityandhesitance.

----hel