美国文学史与及选读期末复习题.docx

美国文学史与及选读期末复习题.docx

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美国文学史与及选读期末复习题

1.CaptainJohnSmithbecamethefirstAmericanwriter.

2.Thepuritanslookeduponthemselvesasachosenpeople.

3.PoorRichard’sAlmanacisanannualcollectionofproverbswrittenbyBenjaminFranklin.

4.ThomasPaine’sfamouspamphletCommonSenseboldlyadvocateda“DeclarationforIndependence”.

5.ThomasJeffersondraftedtheDeclarationofIndependencewithJohnAdams,BenjaminFranklin,RogerSherman,andRobertLivingston.

6.PhilipFreneauhasbeencalledthe“FatherofAmericanPoetry”.

7.InWashingtonIrving’sSketchBookappearedthefirstmodernshortstoriesandthefirstgreatAmericanjuvenileliterature.

8.Cooper’senduringfamerestsonhisfrontierstories,especiallythefivenovelsthatcomprisetheLeatherstockingtales.

9.“ToaWaterfowl”isperhapsthepeakofWilliamCullenBryant’swok.

EdgarAllanPoeisconsidered“fatherofAmericandetectivestoriesandAmericangothicstories”.

10.Emersonbelievedaboveallinindividualism,independenceofmind,andself-reliance.

11.Hawthorne’sstoriestouchthedeepestrootsofman’smoralnature.

12.MobyDickisatremendouschronicleofawhalingvoyageinpursuitofaseeminglysupernaturalwhitewhale.

13.Afterhisdeath,LongfellowbecametheonlyAmericantobehonoredwithabustinthePoet’sCornerofWestminsterAbbey.

14.HarrietBeecherStowe,theauthorofUncleTom’sCabin,hadbecomeanAmericaninstitutionandthemostfamousliterarywomanintheworld.

15.Thenaturalistsemphasizedthattheworldwasamoral,thatmenandwomenhadnofreewill,thattheirliveswerecontrolledbyheredityandtheenvironment.

16.ThepoeticstyleWaltWhitmandevisedisnowcalledfreeverse.

HenryJamesisfamousforhisinternationalthemeofthetraditionlessAmericanconfrontingthecomplexityofEuropeanlife.

17.Writersofthefirstpostwareraself-consciouslyacknowledgedthattheywerea“LostGeneration,”devoidoffaithandalienatedfromacivilization.

18.WiththepublicationofTheSunAlsoRises,HemingwaybecamethespokesmanforwhatGertrudeSteinhadcalled“alostgeneration.”

Terms

1.Transcendentalism

TranscendentalismreferstothereligiousandphilosophicaldoctrinesofRalphWaldoEmersonandothersinNewEnglandinthemiddle1800’s,whichemphasizedtheimportanceofindividualinspirationandintuition,theOversoul,andNature.NewEnglandTranscendentalismistheproductofacombinationofnativeAmericanPuritanismandEuropeanRomanticism.

2.Naturalism

Naturalism,amoredeliberatekindofrealism,usuallyinvolvesaviewofhumanbeingsaspassivevictimsofnaturalforcesandsocialenvironment.Asaliterarymovement,naturalismwasinitiatedinFrance.Naturalfictionaspiredtoasociologicalobjectivity,offeringdetailedandfullyresearchedinvestigationsintounexploredcornersofmodernsociety.ThemostsignificantworkofnaturalisminEnglishbeingDreiser’sSisterCarrie.

TheLostGeneration

ThetermLostGenerationwascoinedbyGertrudeSteintorefertoagroupofAmericanLiterarynotableswholivedinParisfromthetimeperiodwhichsawtheendofWorldWarItothebeginningoftheGreatDepression.SignificantmembersincludedErnestHemingway,F.ScottFitzgerald,EzraPound,andGertrudeSteinherself.Moregenerally,thetermisbeingusedfortheyoungadultsofEuropeandAmericaduringWorldWarI.Theywere“lost”becauseafterthewarmanyofthemweredisillusionedwiththeworldingeneralandunwillingtomoreintoasettledlife

5.Modernism

Modernwritingismarkedbyastrongandconsciousbreakwithtraditionalformsandtechniquesofexpression;itbelievesthatwecreatetheworldintheactofperceivingit.Modernismimplieshistoricaldiscontinuity,asenseofalienation,ofloss,andofdespair.Itelevatestheindividualandhisinnerbeingoversocialmanandpreferstheunconscioustotheself-conscious.

6.Romanticism

7.Puritanism

TheprinciplesandpracticesofpuritanswerepopularlyknownasPuritanism.PuritanismacceptedthedoctrinesofCalvinism:

thesovereigntyofGod;thesupremeauthorityoftheBible;theirresistibilityofGod’swillformanineveryactoflifefromcradletograve.ThesedoctrinesledthePuritanstoexaminetheirsoulstofindwhethertheywereoftheelectandtosearchtheBibletodetermineGod’swill.

8.HemingwayHeroes/CodeHero

Suchaherousuallyisanaveragemanofdecidedlymasculinetastes,sensitiveandintelligent.Andusuallyheisamanofactionandofafewwords.Heissuchanindividualist,aloneevenwhenwithotherpeople,somewhatanoutsiderTheHemingwayheroesstandforawholegeneration.ButHemingwayheroespossessakindof“despairingcourage”Itisthiscouragethatenablesamantobehavelikeaman,toasserthisdignityinfaceofadversity.

Givebriefanswerstothefollowingquestions.

1.WhatarethecharacteristicsoftheColonialLiterature?

Inarealsense,therewerenoliteralworksintheearlycolonialperiod.Theywerejustpersonalliteratureintheformofdiaries,travelbooks,letters,journals,sermons,historiesandprose.

（1）Incontent,theywroteaboutthevoyagetothenewland,aboutadoptingthemselvestounfamiliarclimatesandcrops,aboutdealingwithIndian,andespeciallyaboutreligion.

（2）Inform,Englishtraditionswereimitated.

2.CommentbrieflyonEmilyDickinson’sthemes?

（1）ByfarthelargestportionofDickinson’spoetryconcernsdeathandimmortality,themewhichlieatthecentreofDickinson’sworld.

（2）Dickinson’snaturepoemsarealsogreatinnumberandrichinmatter.Naturalphenomena,changesofseasons,heavenlybodies,animals,birdsandinsects,flowersofvariouskinds,andmanyothersubjectsrelatedtonaturefindherwayintoherpoetry.

（3）Dickinsonalsowrotesomepoemsaboutlove.Likeherdeathandnaturepoems,herlovepoemswereoriginal.

（4）Besidesdeathsandimmortality,natureandlove,Dickinson’spoemsareconcernedaboutethics,withrespecttowhich,sheemphasizesfreewillandhumanresponsibility.

4HenryJamesisagreatrealisticwriter.Nametwoofhismajorworks.Doyouknowanythingabouthisnarrative“pointofview”?

Whatisitfor?

HowdoesJamesemployitinhisworks?

Brieflydiscussthisquestion.

（1）HenryJames’smajorworksincludeDaisyMillerandThePortraitofALady,etc.

（2）OneofHenryJamesliterarytechniquesishisnarrative“pointofview.”Astheauthor,Jamesavoidstheauthorialomniscienceasmuchaspossibleandmakeshischaractersrevealthemselveswithhisminimalintervention.Soitisoftenthecasethatinhisnovelsweusuallylearnthemainstorybyreadingthroughoneorseveralmindsandsharetheirperspectives.Thisnarrativemethodprovestobesuccessfulinbringingouthisthemes.

5.TellthedifferencesbetweenEmilyDickinsonandWaltWhitman

（1）EmilyDickinsonexpressestheinnerlifeofindividuals,whileWaltWhitmankeepshiseyesonthesocietyatlarge.

（2）EmilyDickinsonis“regional”,whileWaltWhitmanis“national”inhisoutlook.

（3）Formally,EmilyDickinsonusesconcise,simpledictionsandsyntax,whileWaltWhitmanusesendless,all-inclusivecatalogs.

8.BrieflydiscusstheJazzAge

“TheJazzAge”describestheperiodtheperiodofthe1920sand1930s,theyearsbetweenWorldWarIandWorldWarII,particularlyinNorthAmerica;withtheriseoftheGreatDepression,thevaluesofthisagesawmuchdecline.PerhapsthemostrepresentativeliteraryworkoftheageisAmericanwriterF.ScottFitzgerald’sTheGreatGatsby,highlightingwhatsomedescribeasthedecadenceandhedonism,aswellasthegrowthofindividualism.Fitzgeraldislargelycreditedwithcoiningtheterm“TheJazzAge”.Itcanalsobeknownas“TheRoaringTwenties”and“TheDollarDecade.”