美国文学史.docx

美国文学史.docx

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美国文学史

Lecture2:

EarlyAmericanLiterature（17th—18thcenturies）

AHistoricalSurvey:

ItisgenerallyheldthatChristopherColumbusdiscoveredtheAmericancontinentin1492.However,thefirstsettlingoftheEnglishpeopleinJamestown,Virginiahappenedmorethan100yearslaterin1607,andin1620,thesecondgroupcame,withMayflowerdroppinganchoratPlymouthharbor.

Itwasnotuntil1760s,another100yearslater,whenthesepeoplebegantocallthemselvesAmericans,distinguishingtheiridentityfromtheirEuropeanancestors.In1776,theDeclarationofIndependencewassigned,togetherwiththreeotherdocuments,thetreatyofalliancewithFrance,theTreatyofParisandtheConstitution,whichlegallymarkedtheUnitedStatesasanindependentnation.However,conflictsstilloccurredinthefollowingyearsbetweentheAmericansandtheBritishandFrenchpeopleoccupyingterritoriesonthecontinent.

In1789GeorgeWashingtonwaselectedthefirstpresident,andtwoyearslater,WashingtonD.C.wasestablishedasthenation’scapital.

“TheUnitedStatesofAmericagrewoutofreligiouscontroversy;outofthedesireofmonarchstoexpandtheirempires;outofthehumanlongingforland,adventure,and‘glisteringgold’;evenoutofnations’effortstoridthemselvesofsurpluspopulations….ThegrowthofcolonialAmericaintotheUnitedStatesisrecordedinaliteraturethatbeganasreportsofexplorationandcolonization.Europeanexplorers,traders,andsettlerswroteoftheirhopes,raretriumphs,andfrequentdisasters—andtherebycreatedaliteraturethatislarge,various,andamazinglyrich.”（McMichael,ed.,AnthologyofAmericanLiterature,1）

CaptainJohnSmith,forexample,whoestablishedJamestownin1607,wroteinhisDescriptionofNewEngland（1616）,“HerenatureandlibertyaffordusthatfreelywhichinEnglandwewant[i.e.,lack],oritcostsusdearly.”

TheearlysettlersontheAmericancontinentlaterbecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannation.So,whowerethesepeople?

Whatweretheyandwhydidtheycome?

MostoftheimmigrantscamebecausetheywerehungryandAmericaofferedthemgoodandextensiveland.Theythendescribedtheirgoodfortuneintheirlettershome,attractingmoretocome.

Otherpeoplecamebecausetheywantedtogetawayfromthereligiouspersecutionbackintheirowncountry.IfyouwereaCatholicinaProtestantcountry,oraProtestantinaCatholiccountry,oraJewinalmostanycountry,youmightbelaughedat,havedifficultyinfindingjobsandevenbemurdered.

Or,youmighthaveawrongpoliticalopinion（onbureaucracy,taxes,democracy）andyouwerefacedwithaprobabilityofbeingputintoprison.

Thosewhowereconsidered“undesirable”—paupers,convicts,criminals—weresentherebyships.Actuallymanyofthemhadmadeonlysmalloffensessuchasstealingaloafofbread,orbeingindebt.Theywerenot“good”citizensasfarasEnglandwasconcerned.So,offtheAmerica!

Merchantscamelater.Ontheonehand,theshippingcompanyflourishedbecauseitbroughtmillionsofpeopletoAmerica.Ontheotherhand,tradingcompanieswereorganized,buyingsomethingsfromthesettlersandsellingotherthingstothemataprofit.Stilllater,theindustryofadvertisementalsocameintobeing.

So,theycame,boththewillingandtheunwilling.Themovementbeganwithafewpeopleinearly1600’s,andin1907morethanamillionpeopleenteredthecountrywithinayear.“Intheyears1903to1913,everytimetheclockstruckthehour,dayandnight,100personsborninsomeforeigncountry,notincludingCanadaandMexico,landedontheshoresoftheUnitedStates.”（We,thePeople,14）

ThePuritansandPuritanism:

MostoftheearlysettlerswerePuritans,agroupofserious,religiouspeoplewhoadvocatedstrictreligiousandmoralprinciples.

--TheywantedtopurifytheEnglishChurchandtorestorechurchworshiptothe“pureandunspotted”conditionofitsearlierdays.

--TheyopposedtheelaborateritualsoftheEnglishChurch.

--TheybelievedthattheBiblewastherevealedwordofGod,therefore,peopleshouldguidetheirdailybehaviorwiththeBible.

ThePuritansbroughtwiththemaphilosophyoflife,whichispopularlyknownasAmericanPuritanism.AdominantfactorinAmericanlife,PuritanismwasoneofthemostenduringandshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.WithouttrueunderstandingofPuritanism,therewouldbenorealunderstandingofAmericanliteratureandAmericanculture.

“Puritanismhadspokenforthepreeminenceoftheindividual,forfreedomfromoppressivegovernments,andforthevalueoflearningandeducation.ItledAmericanstoexaminetheirbeliefs,theirworld,andeachother.Itgaveordinarymenandwomenasenseofpurpose.Itencouragedthemtoscrutinizeissuesinreligionandingovernmentandtospeakout.IthelpedtocreateinAmericansasenseofdutytotheirGod,theirnation,andtheirfellowmen.Ittaughtmenandwomentolabortobegoodandtojudgeothersbytheirlives,notbytheirbirth.Atitsheight,PuritanismservedasthedominantforceinthecreatingofAmericanliterature.”（McMichael,ed.AAL,11-12）

AmericanPuritanismisatwo-foldculturalheritage,onebeingreligiousandtheotherpractical.Puritanswerethereforecalled“practicalidealist”or“doctrinaireopportunist”.

Ontheonehand,Puritanismisahighlystrictreligiousdoctrine.ThePuritansweredeterminedtofindaplaceonthenewcontinentwheretheycouldworshipGodinthewaytheythoughttrueChristiansshould.Whentheyarrivedonthecontinent,theysawvirginland,virginforests,vastexpansesofwilderness,andthereforebelievedthattheyweresentbyGodforadefinitepurpose.ContendingthatthereisonlyoneGodwhoruleseverythingontheearth,thesePuritansthoughttheywere“theselectedfew”,chosenbyGodtoreestablishaCommonwealthbasedontheteachingsoftheBible,torestorethelostparadiseandtobuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.“ThereforethejourneytotheNewWorldwasnotjustamigration.ItwasanewExodus,ordainedbyGodandforetoldintheBible,justastheBiblepromisedthecreationofaNewJerusalem,inAmerica.”（McMichael,ed.AAL,8）

Ontheotherhand,Puritanismalsohasitspracticalaspect.WhenthePuritansfirstlandedonthecontinent,whattheywerefacedwithwaswilderness—noshelter,nofoodandnoclothes.Theirstruggleforsurvivalandthemovementofpushingthefrontierwiththemastheymovedfurtherandfurtherwestwardmadethemmoreandmorepreoccupiedwithbusinessandprofits.Theyhadtoworkhardinordertomakealivingandbereadyforanymisfortunesandtragicfailuresthatmightlieinwaitforthem.Asfarasthisrespectisconcerned,thePuritanslearnedalotfromthenativeIndianswhohelpedthemthroughtheseverewinters.

TheimpactofPuritanismonAmericanliteraturecanbesummarizedintothefollowingthreecategories:

1.Americanliterature,inasense,isaliteraryexpressionofthepiousidealismofthePuritanrequest.ThePuritansdreamedoflivingunderaperfectorderandworkedwithhopeandcouragetowardbuildinganewGardenofEden.Therefore,theytendedtolookeverythingwithabigamountofoptimism.ThiswentintotheworksofEmerson,Thoreau,Whitman,andevenJames.Nowonderthereappearedamoodoffrustrationordespairinlaterperiods,becauseastheoldsayinggoes,“alwaysatthelatterendofwealstandswoe”.Whenthedreamdidnotmaterialize,whena“GildedAge”cameinsteadoftheGoldenonetheydreamedof,howcouldanyonefeel?

2.ThePuritans’metaphoricalmodeofperceptionbroughtAmericanliterarysymbolismintobeing.TothepiousPuritans,thephysicalworldwasspiritual,nothingbutasymbolofGod.Theworld,therefore,wasoneofmultiplemeanings.ThisideawasdistinguishableintheworksofsuchearlywritersasWilliamBradford,CottonMather,JonathanEdwardsandEmerson.IntheworksofHawthorne,MelvilleandPoe,thisdevelopeditselfintosymbolism.

3.ThePuritanstyleofwritingischaracterizedbysimplicity.ThePuritanshavebeen“abhorredfortheirausterityandrigidityinmattersoftaste”.Theyformedadistasteforartandforanymanifestationsofsensualbeauty,therefore,thestyleoftheirwritingwasfresh,simpleanddirest,therhetoricplainandhonest,wordssimpleandspare（notfancy）.Theuseofmetaphorswasonlytoexplaintheiropinionsratherthantodecorate.Theywrotenon-fictionalproseinsteadofnovels.Theyweregoodatwritinghistory,too,andbiographywasonceapopularformofliterature.

Literaryscene:

Almostallliteraturescomefromhumbleorigins—diaries,journals,letters,sermons,travelbooks,etc.SodidAmericanliterature.IntheColonialPeriod,personalliteratureoccupiedamajorpositionintheliteraryscene.Incontend,theyservedeitherGodortheexpansionorboth.Inform,theyweremainlytheimitationsoftheEnglishtradition.

Someimportantwritersinthisperiodinclude:

AnneBradstreet（1612—1672安妮"布拉兹特里特）,thefirstnotablepoetinAmericawhoselyricsremainedunsurpassedbyanyAmericanwomenwritersfor200yearsuntiltheappearanceofEmilyDickinson.HerTheTenthMuseLatelySprungUpinAmerica（1650）wasthefirstpublishedbookofpoetrywrittenbyasettlerintheEnglishcolonies.Mostofherpoemswereimitativeinform.

EdwardTaylor（c.1642—1729）,aconservativePuritanminister.Hewroteinthetraditionofmetaphysicalpoets,expressingdivineandelevatedideasinunrelated,homelyterms.HispoemsrevealedhiseffortstoobtainunionwithGod.Hismanuscriptswerediscoveredin1930s.

CottonMather（1663—1728）,theauthorofover400works.Hisworkswerefilledwithclassicalallusionsan