美国文学名词解释.docx

美国文学名词解释.docx

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美国文学名词解释

美国文学

1.殖民地时期及独立革命战争时期的美国文学

PhilipFreneau（菲利普﹒弗瑞诺）

（1）Hewasconsideredasthe“PoetoftheAmericanrevolution”asthemostoutstandingpoetinAmericaofthe18thcentury.

（2）Hewasasatirist,abitterpolemicist.（3）HewrotemanypoemsencouragingrevolutionandencouragingtheglorythatwouldbewonbyovercomingtheBritish.

TheWildHoneySuckle《野金银花》

TheIndianBuryingGround《印第安人的殡葬地》

TheBritishShip《英国囚船》

TheRisingGloryofAmerica《美洲光辉的兴起》

（1）TheWildHoneySuckleisFreneau’sbestlyric

（2）Itanticipatedthe19th—centuryuseofsimplenatureimagery.

TheIndianBuryingGroundanticipatedromanticprimitivismandthecelebrationofthe“NobleSavage”.

ThomasJefferson（托马斯﹒杰弗逊）

TheDeclarationofIndependence《独立宣言》

（1）TheDeclarationofIndependencewasadoptedJuly4,1776.

（2）Itnotonlyannouncedthebirthofanewnation,butalsoexpoundedaphilosophyofhumanfreedom.（3）Itlists13crueltiescommittedbytheKingofBritain.（4）Thefamouslinesare:

“Weholdthesetruthstobeself-evident,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienablerights,thatamongtheseareLife,LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness.”（5）ThomasJefferson’sthoughtwasinspiredbythethoughtsofJohnLocke.

2.浪漫主义时期的美国文学

Calvinism（加尔文主义）

（1）CalvinismreferstothereligiousteachingsofJohnCalvinandhisfollowers.

（2）Calvintaughtthatonlycertainpersons,theelect,werechosenbyGodtobesaved,andthesecouldbesavedonlybyGod’sgrace.（3）CalvinismformsthebasisforthedoctrinesandpracticesoftheHuguenots,Puritans,Presbyterians,andtheReformedchurches.

AmericanRomanticism（美国浪漫主义）

（1）AmericanRomanticismisoneofthemostimportantperiodsinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.

（2）Itwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.Theyemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup.Theyaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andcherishedstronginterestinthepast,thewild,theremote,themysteriousandthestrange.Theystressedtheelement“Americanness”intheirworks.（3）ItstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving’sTheSketchBookandendedwithWaltWhitman’sLeavesofGrass.（4）BeingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalled“theAmericanRenaissance.”（5）AmericanRomanticistsincludesuchliteraryfiguresasWashingtonIrving,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,WilliamCullenBryant,HenryWordsworthLongfellow,NathanielHawthorne,EdgarAllanPoe,HermanMelville,WaltWhitmanandsomeothers.

Transcendentalism（超验主义）

（1）TranscendentalismreferstothereligiousandphilosophicaldoctrinesofRalphWaldoEmersonandothersinNewEnglandinthemiddle1800’s,whichemphasizedtheimportanceofindividualinspirationandintuition,theOver—soul,andNature.OtherconceptsthataccompaniedTranscendentalismincludetheideathatnatureisennoblingandtheideathattheindividualisdivineand,therefore,self—reliant.

（2）NewEnglandTranscendentalismistheproductofacombinationofnativeAmericanPuritanismandEuropeanRomanticism.

Freeverse（自由体诗歌）

（1）Freeversemeanstherhymedorunrhymedpoetrycomposedwithoutpayingattentiontoconventionalrulesofmeter.

（2）FreeversewasoriginatedbyagroupofFrenchpoetsofthelate19thcentury.（3）Theirpurposewastofreethemselvesfromtherestrictionsofformalmetricalpatternsandtorecreateinsteadthefreerhythmsofnaturalspeech.（4）WaltWhitman’sLeavesofGrassis,perhaps,themostnotableexample.

Symbol（象征）

（1）Symbolmeansanact,aperson,athing,oraspectaclethatstandsforsomethingelse,usuallysomethinglesspalpablethanthenamedsymbol.

（2）Therelationshipbetweenthesymbolanditsreferentisnotoftenoneofsimpleequivalence.Allegoricalsymbolsusuallyexpressaneaterequivalencewithwhattheystandforthanthesymbolsfoundinmodernrealisticfiction.

Theme（主题）

（1）Thememeanstheunifyingpointorgeneralideaofaliterarywork.

（2）Itprovidesananswertosuchquestionsas“Whatistheworkabout?

”（3）Eachliteraryworkcarriesitsownthemeorthemes.Forexample,KingLearhasmanythemes,amongwhichareblindnessandmadness.

3.现实主义与自然主义时期的美国文学

AmericanNaturalism（美国自然主义）

（1）TheAmericanNaturalistsacceptedthemorenegativeinterpretationofDarwin’sevolutionarytheoryandusedittoaccountforthebehaviorofthosecharactersinliteraryworkswhowereregardedasmoreorlesscomplexcombinationsofinheritedattributes,theirhabitsconditionedbysocialandeconomicforces.

（2）AmericanNaturalismisevolvedfromrealismwhentheauthor’stoneinwritingbecomeslessseriousandlesssympatheticbutmoreironicandmorepessimistic.Itisnomorethanagloomyphilosophicalapproachtoreality,ortohumanexistence.

（3）Dreiserisaleadingfigureofhisschool.

Darwinism（达尔文主义）

（1）DarwinismisatermthatcomesfromCharlesDarwin’sevolutionarytheory.

（2）Darwinistthinkthatthosewhosurviveintheworldarethefittestandthosewhofailtoadaptthemselvestotheenvironmentwillperish.Theybelievethatmanhasevolvedfromlowerformsoflife.HumansarespecialnotbecauseGodcreatedtheminHisimage,butbecausetheyhavesuccessfullyadaptedtochangingenvironmentalconditionsandhavepassedontheirsurvival-makingcharacteristicsgenetically.

（3）Influencedbythistheory,someAmericannaturalistwritersapplyDarwinismasanexplanationofhumannatureandsocialreality.

LocalColorists（乡土作家）

（1）Generallyspeaking,thewritingoflocalcoloristsareconcernedwiththelifeofasmall,well-definedregionorprovince.Thecharacteristicsettingistheisolatedsmalltown.

（2）Localcoloristswereconsciouslynostalgichistorianofavanishingwayoflife,recordersofapresentthatfadedbeforetheireyes.Yetforalltheirsentimentality,theydedicatedthemselvestominutelyaccuratedescriptionsofthelifeoftheirregions.Theyworkedfrompersonalexperiencetorecordthefactsofalocalenvironmentandsuggestedthatthenativelifewasshapedbythecuriousconditionsofthelocale.

（3）MajorlocalcoloristsincludeHamlinGarland,MarkTwain,KateChopin,etc.

TheodoreDreiser（西奥多·德莱塞）

HeisgenerallyacknowledgedasoneofAmerica’sliterarynaturalists.

WorksSisterCarrie《嘉莉妹妹》

（1）SisterCarrietellsaboutapoorcountrygirl（CarrieMeeber）whogoes

toChicagotopursuetheAmericanDream.

（2）ThenovelshowsDreiser’snaturalisticviewaboutlifebyillustrating

thepurposelessnessoflife.

（3）Thedominantsymbolofthenovelistherockingchairthatistherockingchairthatisindicativeoftheuncertaintyoflife.

JennieGerhardt《珍妮姑娘》

TrilogyofDesire《欲望》三部曲

a.TheFinancier《金融家》b.TheTitan《巨人》c.TheStoic《斯多葛》

TheGenius《天才》

AnAmericanTragedy《美国的悲剧》

（1）AnAmericanTragedyisDreiser’sgreatestworkandthetitleofthe

BookimpliesDreiserintentiontotellusthatitisthesocialpressure

thatmakesClyde’sdownfallinevitable.

（2）Clyde’stragedyisatragedythatdependsupontheAmericansocial

systemwhichencouragedpeopletopursuethe“dreamofsuccess”at

allcosts.

SherwoodAnderson（舍伍德·安德森）

（1）HehasbeencalledthefirstofAmerica’s“psychologicalwriters”becausehefirstexploredthemotivationsandfrustrationsofhisfictionalcharactersintermsofSigmundFreud’stheoriesofpsychology.

（2）HetremendouslyinfluencedsuchwritersasHemingwayandFaulkner.

WorksWinesburg,Ohio《小镇畸人》

（1）Winesburg,Ohioisacollectionof23interrelatedstoriesof

samll-townlife.Thesestoriessoundmorbidandgrotesque,but

Underneaththemrunsastrongdesiretocommunicate,andloveand

beloved.

（2）ItwontheauthoraforemostpositionincontemporaryAmerican

literary.

4.现代时期的美国文学

TheLostGeneration（迷惘的一代）

（1）TheLostGenerationisatermfirstusedbyGertrudeSteintodescribethepost-WorldWarIgenerationofAmericanwriters:

menandwomenhauntedbyasenseofbetrayalandemptinessbroughtaboutbythedestructivenessofthewar.

（2）Fullofyouthfulidealism,theseindividualssoughtthemeaningoflife,drankexcessively,hadloveaffairsandcreatedsomeofthefinestAmericanliteraturetodate.

（3）Thethreebest-knowrepresentativesofLostGenerationareF.ScottFitzgerald,ErnestHemingwayandJohnDosPassos.

（4）OthersusuallyincludedamongthelistareSherwoodAnderson,KayBoyle,HartCrane,FordMaddoxFordandZeldaFitzgerald.

Imagism（意象派诗歌）

（1）ImagismcameintobeinginBritainansU.S.around1910asareactiontothetraditionalEnglishpoetrytoexpressthesenseoffragmentationanddislocation.

（2）Theimagists,withEzraPoundleadingtheway,holdthatthemosteffectivemeanstoexpressthesemomentaryimpressionsisthroughtheuseofonedominantimage.

（3）Imagismischaracterizedbythefollowingthreepoeticprinciples:

）directtreatmentofsubjectmatter;

）economyofexpression;

）asregardsrhythm,tocomposeinthesequenceofthemusicalphrase,notinthesequenceofmetronome.

（4）EzraPound’sInaStationoftheMetroisawell-knownimagistpoem.

TheBeatGeneration（垮掉的一代）

（1）ThemembersoftheBeatGenerationwerenewbohemianlibertines,whoengagedinaspontaneous,sometimesmessy,creativity.

（2）Thebeatwritersproducedabodyofwrittenworkcontroversialbothforitsadvocacyofnon-conformityandforitsnon-conformingstyle.

（3）ThemajorbeatwritingsareJackKerouac’sOntheRoadandAllenGinsberg’sHowl.HowlbecamethemanifestooftheBeatGeneration.

AmericanDream（美国梦）

（1）AmericanDreamreferstothedreamofmaterialsuccess,inwhichone,