美国文学术语解释全面且简练.docx

美国文学术语解释全面且简练.docx

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美国文学术语解释全面且简练

术语解释（美国文学简史）

1、AmericanPuritanism

Backgrounding:

AmericanPuritanismappearedinthecolonialperiod,from1607to1775,inAmerica.

Representatives:

Therearemanywritersinthisperiod,suchasCaptainJohnSmith,theauthoroftheTrueRelationofVirginia（1608）andDescriptionofNewEngland（1616）,AnneBradstreet,whowrotethefamousworkcalledTenthMuseLatelySprungupinAmerica（1650）.

Mainideas:

Theystresspredestination,originalsin,totaldepravity,andlimitedatonementfromGod’sgrace.TheygotoAmericatoprovethattheyareGod’schosenpeoplewhowillenjoyGod’sblessingsonearthandinHeaven.Finally,theybuildawayoflifethatstresseshardwork,thrift,piety,andsobriety.

Influences:

AmericanLiteratureisbasedonamyth------theBiblicalmythoftheGardenofEden.TheAmericanPuritan’smetaphoricalmadeofperception----symbolism.IthasagreatinfluencenotonlyontheLiterarySceneinColonialAmerica,,butalsoontheliteratureinthe18thcentury,especiallyonJonathanEdwardsandBenjaminFranklin.

AmericanRomanticism

Backgrounding:

Itappearedintheendofthe18thcenturythroughtheoutbreakoftheCivilWar,from1828to1865,anditwasstronglyinfluencedbyEuropeanculture.

Representative:

TherearesomerepresentativenewEnglandpoetsandout-sandingwriterssuchas,JamesFenimaoreCooper,theauthorofTheLeatherStockingTales,WashingtonIrving,whosefamousworkisTheSketchBook（1819）.

Mainideas:

Romanticismisarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism..Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsaremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.Theyemphasizeindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup,againstauthority.

Influence:

Itproducesafeelingof“Newness”whichinspirestheromanticimagination.

3、Transcendentalisms

Backgrounding:

TranscendtalismflourishedintheNewEnglandfromabout1836to1860.

RalphWaldoEmersonpublished‘Nature’in1836whichrepresentedanewwayofintellectualthinkinginAmerica.

Representatives:

Therearetworepresentativewriters,namelyRalphWaldoEmerson（1803----1882）,whosefamousworkcalledNature,HenryDavidThoreau（1817----1862）,theauthorofWalden..

Mainideas:

Believepeoplecanlearnthingsbothfromtheoutsideworldbymeansofthe5sensesandfromtheinnerworldbyintuition;Itplacesspiritfirstandmattersecond;IttakesnatureassymbolicofspiritorGod.Itemphasizesthesignificanceoftheindividual;Religionisanemotionalcommunicationbetweenanindividualsoulandtheuniversal‘oversoul’.

Influences:

ItisamanifestationofRomanticMovementinliteratureandphilosophyandanethicalguidetolifeofAmerica.However,itisneverasystematicphilosophybecauseofalackoflogicalconnection.

4、Realism

Backgrounding:

InAmericanliterature,theCivilWarbroughttheRomanticPeriodtoanend.TheAgeofRealismcameintoexistence,from1865to1918.

Representatives:

Therearesomefamouswritersinthisperiod,suchasWilliamDeanHowells,theDeanofAmericanRealism,whosefamousworkisAChanceAcquaintance《偶然相遇》;O.Henry,theauthorofAfterTwentyYears;HenryJames,theauthorofThePortraitofaLady.

Mainideas:

Realismisthetheoryofwritinginwhichfamiliaraspectsofcontemporarylifeandeverydayscenesarerepresentedinastraightforwardormother-of-factmanner.Itoftenusestheopenending,focusesonthelivesofthecommonpeople,andemphasizesobjectivity.

Influences:

Itcomesasareactionagainstthelieofromanticismandsentimentalism.Itexpressestheconcernforcommonplaceandthelow,anditoffersanobjectiveratherthananidealisticviewofhumannatureandhumanexperience.

5、LocalColorism

Backgrounding：

LocalcolorismasatrendbecamedominantinAmericanliteratureinthelate1860sandearly1870s；Thefrontierhumoristswhohadbeenpopularwiththeir“talltales”beforetheCivilWarpavedthewayforlocalcolorfiction.

Representatives：

Thereisafamouswritersinthisperiod,namelyMarkTwain,（马克?

吐温）,whosemasterpieceisHuckleberryFinn.

Mainideas:

Localcolorfictionpresentsalocalewhichisdistinguishedfromtheoutsideworld,anddescribestheexoticandthepicturesque.Itdescribesthingsthatarenotcommoninotherregions,attemptingtoshowthingsastheyastheyare.

Localcolorfictionglorifiesthepastandstressestheinfluenceofsettingoncharacter.

Influences:

MarkTwainistherepresentativeinthisperiod,andhisstyleisthevernacularlanguage,localcolor,andcracker-barrelphilosopher.

6、Naturism

Backgrounding：

NaturalismisaliterarytrendprevailinginEurope,especiallyinFranceandGermany,inthesecondhalfofthe19thcentury.And,CharlesDarwinstressesthestruggleofexistence,survivalofthefittest,naturalselection.

Representatives:

Therearesomewritersinthisperiod,suchasStephenCrane,FrankNorris,andJackLondon.Crane’sMaggie:

AGirloftheStreetsisthefirstAmericannaturalismwork.Mainideas:

Humansarecontrolledbylawsofheredityandenvironment.

Theuniverseiscold,godless,indifferentandhostiletohumandesires.

Influences:

Althoughnaturalistliteraturedescribestheworldwithsometimesbrutalrealism,itsometimesalsoaimsatbetteringtheworldthroughsocialreform.ThiscombinationofgrimrealityanddesireforimprovementsistypicalofAmericaasitmovesintothetwentiethcentury.

7、Imagism

Backgrounding:

ImagismisaliterarymovementlaunchedbyanumberofBritishandAmericanpoetsfrom1909to1917,whichisprevalentintheWesternworldandisabranchoftheSymbolistliterarymovement.

Representatives:

FourQuartets;WallaceStevens;RobertFrost.

Mainideas:

Inasense,imagismisequivalenttonaturalisminfiction.Itproducesfreeversewithoutimposingarhythmicalpattern.Imagismtriestorecordobjectiveobservationsofanobjectorasituationwithoutinterpretationorcommentbythepoet.

Influences:

Itisoneofthemostessentialtechniquesofwritingpoetryinmodernperiod,withaspiritofrevoltagainstconventions;imagismisanti-romanticandanti–Victorian.

8、theLostGeneration

Backgrounding:

Theterm“lostgeneration”iscoinedbyGertrudeStein,alostgenerationwriterherself,afterWorldWarI.ItisbetweenthefirstandsecondWorldWars.

Representatives:

Therearesomeexcellentwriters,includingErnestHemingway;whosefamousworkisTheOldManandtheSea（1952）;ScottFitzgerald,theauthoroftheGreatGatsby.

Mainideas:

TheLostGenerationisatermusedtodescribeagroupofAmericanwriterswhowererebellingagainstwhatAmericahadbecomebythe1900’s.

ItaimstoseekthebohemianlifestyleandrejectthevaluesofAmericanmaterialismandmeansthisgenerationhadlostthebeautifulsenseofthecalmidyllicpast.

Influences:

Beingcutofffromtheirpast,disillusionedinreality,andwithoutameaningfulfuturetofallon,theyarelostindisillusionmentandexistentialvoids.

9、thecodehero（网上找的）

TheHemingwayheroisanaveragemanofdecidedlymasculinetastes,sensitiveandintelligent,amanofaction,andoneoffewwords.Thatisanindividualistkeepingemotionsundercontrol,stoicandself-disciplinedinadreadfulplace.Thesepeopleareusuallyspiritualstrong,peopleofcertainskills,andmostofthemencounterdeathmanytimes.TheheroesinhisbookareallhavesomethingincommonwhichHemingwayvalues:

theyhaveseenthecoldworldandforonecauseoranother,theyboldlyandcourageouslyfacethereality;whatevertheresultis,theyarereadytolivewithgraceunderpressure.TheHemingwaycodeherohasanindestructiblespiritforhisoptimisticviewoflife;thoughheispessimisticthatisHemingway.

10、IcebergTheory（网上找的）

ItisatermusedtodescribethewritingstyleofAmericanwriterErnest

Hemingway.Themeaningofapieceisnotimmediatelyevident,becausethecruxofthestoryliesbelowthesurface,justasmostofthemassofarealicebergsimilarlyliesbeneaththesurface.

11、theJazzAge

The20’sarealsoreferredtoas“TheJazzAge,”atermcoinedbyF.ScottFitzgerald

TheJazzAgebeganwiththeendofWWI,atatimewhen,forthefirsttime,theU.S.hademergedasaworldpowerandendedwiththestockmarketcrashof1929.

ThemostrepresentativeliteraryworkisAmericanwriterF.ScottFitzgerald’sthegreatGatsby.

ThisdecadesawchangesinlifestyleandtechnologythatrevolutionizedAmericanlifeinsuchawaythatithasneverbeenthesamesince.

12、Freeverse:

Freeverseispoetrythathasanirregularrhythmandlinelength,andthatattemptsavoidanypredeterminedversestructure.Whileitalternatesstressedandunstressedsyllablesasstricterverseformsdo,freeversedoessoinalooserway.Whiteman’spoetryisanexampleoffreeverseatitsmostimpressive,forexampleSongofMyself.IthassincebeenusedEzraPound,T.S.EliotandothermajorAmericanpoetsofthe20thcentury.WaltWhiteman’sLeavesofGrassis,perhaps,themostnotableexample.