PART TWO Chapter2 The Realistic Period.docx

PART TWO Chapter2 The Realistic Period.docx

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PARTTWOChapter2TheRealisticPeriod

Chapter2TheRealisticPeriod

　　概　述

　　Theperiodrangingfrom1865to1914hasbeenreferredtoastheAgeofRealismintheliteraryhistoryoftheUnitedStates,whichisactuallyamovementortendencythatdominatedthespiritofAmericanliterature,especiallyAmericanfiction.

　　RealismwasareactionagainstRomanticismoramoveawayfromthebiastowardsromanceandself-creatingfictions,andpavedthewaytoModernism.

　　美国现实主义文学产生的社会和文化背景

　　TheAmericansocietyaftertheCivilWarprovidedrichsoilfortheriseanddevelopmentofRealism.

（一）南北战争

　　1.ThefiftyyearsbetweentheendoftheCivilWartotheoutbreakoftheFirstWorldWarisoneoftheperiodsintheAmericanhistorycharacterizedwithchanges,inrelationtoeveryaspectofAmericanlife,politically,economically,culturally,andreligiously.ThescaleofthechangewassovastthatitindicatedafundamentalredirectioninthenatureandideologyoftheAmericansociety.

　　2.Firstofall,theCivilWaraffectedboththesocialandthevaluesystemofthecountry.

　　3.ThewaralsobroughtsomenoticeablechangestotheAmericaneconomy.Ithadstimulatedthetechnologicaldevelopment,andnewmethodsoforganizationandmanagementweretestedtoadapttoindustrialmodernizationonalargescale.

　　4.Capitalinvestedinmanufacturingindustriesmorethanquadrupled;factoryemploymentnearlydoubled;industrialoutputgrewatageometricrate;andagriculturalproductivityincreaseddramatically.

　　5.Theburgeoningeconomyandindustrysteppedupurbanization.Americancitiesgrewfast,withonehalfoftheAmericanpopulationconcentratedinadozenorsocitiesbytheendoftheFirstWorldWar.

　　6.Theindustrializationandtheurbanizationwereaccompaniedbytheincalculablesufferingsofthelaboringpeople.

　　7.Polarizationofthewell-beingstartedtoshowup,withthepoorpoorerandtherichricher.

　　8.Asfarastheideologywasconcerned,peoplewereonashakingground.

　　9.Gonewasthefrontierandthespiritofthefrontiersman,whichisthespiritoffreedomandhumanconnection,andgonewasaplacetoescapefortheAmericanDream.

（二）内战后的文学界

　　1.TheharshrealitiesoflifeaswellasthedisillusionofheroismresultingfromthedarkmemoriesoftheCivilWarhadsetthenationagainsttheromance.

　　2.Anewgenerationofwriters,dissatisfiedwiththeRomanticideasintheoldergeneration,cameupwithanewinspiration.

　　3.Thisnewattitudewascharacterizedbyagreatinterestintherealitiesoflife.Itaimedattheinterpretationoftheactualitiesofanyaspectoflife,freefromsubjectiveprejudice,idealism,orromanticcolor.

　　4.People'sattentionwasnowdirectedtotheinterestingfeaturesofeverydayexistence,towhatwasbrutalorsordid,andtotheopenportrayalofclassstruggle.

　　5.WriterswhocoulddescribetheintegrityofhumancharacterreactingundervariouscircumstancesandauthorswhocouldpicturethepioneersoftheFarWest,thenewimmigrantsandthestrugglesoftheworkingclassesbegantogainthefavorofthereadingpublic.Thisliteraryinterestintheso-called"reality"oflifestartedanewperiodintheAmericanliterarywritingsknownastheAgeofRealism.

　　（三）现实主义作家的创作原则

　　1.Therealiststoucheduponvariouscontemporarysocialandpoliticalissues.Intheirworks,insteadofwritingaboutthepolite,well-dressed,grammaticallycorrectmiddle-classyoungpeoplewhomovedinexoticplacesandremotetimes,theyintroducedindustrialworkersandfarmers,ambitiousbusinessmenandvagrants,prostitutesandunheroicsoldiersasmajorcharactersinfiction.

　　2.Theyapproachedtheharshrealitiesandpressuresinthepost-CivilWarsocietyeitherbyacomprehensivepictureofmodernlifeinitsvariousoccupations,classstratificationsandmanners,orbyapsychologicalexplorationofman'ssubconsciousness.

　　（四）代表作家及特点

　　ThethreedominantfiguresoftheperiodareWilliamDeanHowells,MarkTwain,andHenryJames.

　　1.共同点

（1）Togethertheybroughttofulfillmentnativetrendsintherealisticportrayalofthelandscapeandsocialsurfaces,broughttoperfectionthevernacularstyle,andexploredtheliterarypossibilitiesoftheinteriorlife.

（2）Theyrecordedandmadepermanenttheessentiallifeoftheeasternthirdofthecontinentasitwaslivedinthelasthalfofthenineteenthcenturyonthevanishingfrontier,inthevillage,thesmalltown,ortheturbulentmetropolis.

　　（3）Theysettheexampleandchartedthefuturecourseforthesubjects,themes,techniquesandstylesoffictionwestillcallmodern.

　　2.不同点

（1）MarkTwainandHowellsseemedtohavepaidmoreattentiontothe"life"oftheAmericans;HenryJameshadapparentlylaidagreateremphasisonthe"innerworld"ofman.

（2）Howellsfocusedhisdiscussionontherisingmiddleclassandthewaytheylived,whileTwainpreferredtohavehisownregionandpeopleattheforefrontofhisstories.Thisparticularconcernaboutthelocalcharacterofaregionaboutas"localcolorist,"auniquevariationofAmericanliteraryrealism.

　　3.其他作家及写作特色

　　TheotherlocalcoloristsmightincludeSarahOrneJewett,JosephKirklandandHamlinGarland.

（1）Theirwritingsareconcernedwiththelifeofasmall,well-definedregionorprovince.Localcoloristswereconsciouslynostalgichistoriansofavanishingwayoflife,recordersofapresentthatfadedbeforetheireyes.Theydedicatedthemselvestominutelyaccuratedescriptionsofthelifeoftheirregion.

（2）Theyworkedfrompersonalexperience;theyrecordedthefactsofauniqueenvironmentandsuggestedthatthenativelifewasshapedbythecuriousconditionsofthelocale.

　　（五）达尔文进化论的影响

　　TheimpactofDarwin'sevolutionarytheoryontheAmericanthoughtandtheinfluenceof19thcenturyFrenchliteratureontheAmericanmenoflettersgaverisetoyetanotherschoolofrealism:

Americannaturalism.

　　TheAmericannaturalistsacceptedthemorenegativeimplicationsofthistheoryandusedittoaccountforthebehaviorofthosecharactersinliteraryworkswhowereconceivedasmoreorlesscomplexcombinationsofinheritedattributes,theirhabitsconditionedbysocialandeconomicforces.

　　（六）法国小说家的影响

　　1.Theychosetheirsubjectsfromthelowerranksofsociety,andportrayedmiseryandpovertyofthe"underdogs"whoweredemonstrablyvictimsofsocietyandnature.

　　2.AndoneofthemostfamiliarthemesinAmericannaturalismisthethemeofhuman"bestiality,"especiallyasanexplanationofsexualdesire.

　　（七）自然主义特点

　　1.Artisticallynaturalisticwritingsareusuallyunpolishedinlanguage,lackinginacademicskillsandunwieldyinstructure.

　　2.Philosophically,thenaturalistsbelievethattherealandtrueisalwayspartiallyhiddenfromtheeyesoftheindividual,orbeyondhiscontrol.Itistheveryshapeofasystemthatdeterminesthebasisofhisbeing.

　　3.Naturalismisevolvedfromrealismwhentheauthor'stoneinwritingsbecomeslessseriousandlesssympatheticphilosophicalapproachtoreality,ortohumanexistence.

　　一、MarkTwain（马克·吐温）

　　1.一生及创作生涯

　　MarkTwainisagreatliterarygiantofAmerica,whomH.L.Menckenconsidered“thetruefatherofournationalliterature.”

　　2.早期作品

（1）In1865,hepublishedhisfrontiertale“TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty,”whichbroughthimrecognitionfromawiderpublic.

（2）Hisfullliterarycareerbegantoblossomin1869withatravelbookInnocentsAbroad.Allthesemasterworksdrewuponthescenesandemotionsofhisboyhoodandyouth.

　　（3）ThefirstamongthesebooksisRoughingIt（1872）,inwhichTwaindescribesajourneythatworksitswayfartherandfartherwestthroughNavadatoSanFranciscoandthentoHawaii.

　　（4）LifeontheMississippi（密西西比河上的生活）tellsastoryofhisboyhoodambitiontobecomeariverboatpilot,thistimeupanddowntheMississippi.

　　（5）TwoofthebestbooksduringthisperiodareTheAdventuresofTomSawyer（1876）（《汤姆·索亚历险记》）andAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn（哈克贝里·费恩历险记）.Theformerisusuallyregardedasaclassicbookwrittenforboysabouttheirparticularhorrorsandjoys,whilethelatter,beingaboy’sbookspeciallywrittenfortheadults.

　　Theirepisodicsetofencounterspresentsasimpleofthesmall-townworldofAmericaandasurveyofthesocialworldfromthebankoftheriverthatrunsthroughtheheartofthecountry.

　　3.晚期作品

（1）Thistransitioncanbetracedlongbeforeinhissocialsatire,TheGildedAge（1873）,cameout.WrittenincollaborationwithCharlesDudleyWarner,thenovelexploredthescrupulousindividualisminaworldoffantasticspeculationandunstablevalues,andgaveitsnametotheget-rich-quickyearsofthepost-CivilWarera.Twain’sdarkviewofthesocietybecamemoreself-evidentintheworkspublishedlaterinhislife.

（2）InAConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourt（1889）（《亚瑟王朝廷上的康涅狄格州美国人》）,aparableofcolonialization,Twainfollowsthejourneyofarepresentativeofmoderntechnologyandideasintoahistoricallybackward,feudalsociety.

　　（3）AsimilarmoodofdespairpermeatesTheTragedyofPudd’nHeadWilson（1894）,whichshowsthedisastrouseffectsofslaveryonthevictimizerandthevictimalikeandrevealstousaMarkTwainwhoseconscienceasawhiteSouthernerwastormentedbyfearandremorse.

　　（4）WiththepublicationofTheManThatCorruptedHadleyburg（1900）andTheMysteriousStranger（1916）,thechangeinMarkTwainformanoptimisttoanalmostdespairingpessimistcouldbefeltandhiscynicismanddisillusionmentwithwhatTwainreferredtoregularlyasthe“damnedhumanrace”becameobvious.

　　4.代表作品

（1）TheAdventuresofTomSawyer（《汤姆·索亚历险记》）and,especially,itssequenceAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn（哈克贝里·费恩历险记）pr