The Age of Romanticism.docx

The Age of Romanticism.docx

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TheAgeofRomanticism

TheAgeofRomanticism

AmericanRomanticism

Backgrounds

1nationalinfluences

A.Inpolitics:

democracyandpoliticalequalitylaythefoundationofRomanticism;

B.Ineconomics:

thespreadofindustrialism;thesuddeninfluxofimmigrationandthepioneerspushingthefrontierfurtherwest;

C.Inculture:

thepublicationofWebsterDictionarymarkedthebeginningoftheAmericanEnglish;theappearanceofmanymagazinesandnewspapers;

2internationalinfluences

A.RomanticMovementinEnglandandEuropeprovedtobeadecisiveinfluence;

B.ManyEnglishandEuropeanmastersofpoetryandprosemadestimulatingimpactonAmericanRomanticism.

Romanticism

Amovementofthe18thand19thcentury.Itisthepredominanceofimaginationoverreasonandformalrulesandoverthesenseoffactortheactual,apsychologicaldesiretoescapefromunpleasantrealities

DetailedInformation

A.Romanticismwasamovementinliterature,philosophy,musicandartwhichdevelopedinEuropeinthelate18thandearly19thcenturies.

B.ItemphasizedindividualvaluesandaspirationsabovethoseofsocietyasareactiontotheIndustrialRevolution.

C.ItlookedtotheMiddleAgesandtodirectcontactwithnatureforinspiration.

D.Itgaveimpetustothenationalliberationmovementin19th-centuryEurope.

AmericanRomanticism

　　TheRomanticPeriod,oneofthemostimportantperiodsinthe　historyofAmericanliterature,stretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.1.ItstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving'sTheSketchBook（1819）andendedwithWhitman'sLeavesofGrass（1855）.2.Itwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.3.Theyemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup.Theyaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andcherishedstronginterestinthepast,thewild,theremote,themysteriousandthestrange.4.theystressedtheelement“Americanness”intheirworks.5.BeingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalledtheAmericanRenaissance.6.AmericanRomanticismis,inacertainway,derivative.

2.TheAmericanRenaissanceorNewEnglandRenaissanceisaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,fromthe1830sroughlyuntiltheendoftheAmericanCivilWar.Itcameofageasanexpressionofanationalspirit.OneofthemostimportantinfluencesintheperiodwasthatoftheTranscendentalists,includingRalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau.

2.TheuniquecharacteristicsofAmericanRomanticism

　　AlthoughgreatlyinfluencedbytheirEnglishcounterparts,theAmericanromanticwritersrevealeduniquecharacteristicsoftheirownintheirworksandtheygrewonthenativelands.Forexamp1e,

（1）theAmericannationalexperienceof"pioneeringintothewest"provedtobearichsourceofmaterialforAmericanwriterstodrawupon.TheycelebratedAmerica'slandscapewithitsvirginforests,meadows,groves,endlessprairies,streams,andvastoceans.Thewildernesscametofunctionalmostasadramaticcharacterthatsymbolizedmoral1aw.

（2）ThedesireforanescapefromsocietyandareturntonaturebecameapermanentconventionofAmericanliterature.SuchadesireisparticularlyevidentinCooper'sLeatherStockingTales,inThoreau'sWaldenand,later,inMarkTwain'sAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.（3）WiththegrowthofAmericannationalconsciousness,Americancharactertypesspeakinglocaldialectsappearedinpoetryandfictionwithincreasingfrequency.（4）ThentheAmericanPuritanismasaculturalheritageexertedgreatinfluencesoverAmericanmoralvaluesandAmericanRomanticism.OneofthemanifestationsisthefactthatAmericanromanticwriterstendedmoretomoralizethantheirEnglishandEuropeancounterparts.（5）Besides,apreoccupationwiththeCalvinisticviewoforigina1sinandthemysteryofevilmarkedtheworksofHawthorne,Melvilleandahostoflesserwriters.

DistinctFeatureofAmericanRomanticism

1.Itwastheexpressionof“arealnewexperience”

2IttendedtobedidacticbecauseofPuritaninfluence.

3Itwasbothimitativeandindependent

Transcendentalism

Abroad,philosophicalmovementinNewEnglandduringtheRomanticera（peakingbetween1835and1845）.Itstressedtheroleofdivinityinnatureandtheindividual‘sintuition,andexaltedfeelingoverreason.

NewEnglandTranscendentalism

　　ThephaseofNewEnglandTranscendentalismisthesummitofAmericanRomanticism.Itwas,inessence,romanticismonPuritansoil.ItwasstartedintheareaaroundConcord,Mass.byagroupofintellectualandtheliterarymenoftheUnitedStatessuchasEmerson,HenryDavidThoreauwhoweremembersofaninformalclub,i.e.theTranscendentalClubinNewEnglandinthel830s.Thetranscendentalistsreactedagainstthecold,rigidrationalismofUnitarianism（基督教）上帝一位论inBoston.Theyadheredtoanidealisticsystemofthoughtbasedonabeliefintheessentialunityofallcreation,theinnategoodnessofman,andthesupremacyofinsightoverlogicandexperiencefortherevelationofthedeepesttruths.ThewritingsofthetranscendentalistspreparedthegroundoftheircontemporariessuchasWaltWhitman,HermanMelville,andNathanielHawthorne.

Themainissuesinvolvedinthedebateweregenerallyphilosophical,concerningnature,manandtheuniverse.Basically,Transcendentalismhasbeendefinedphilosophical1yas"therecognitioninmanofthecapacityofknowingtruthwithintuition（theactorfacultyofknowingorsensingwithouttheuseofrationalprocesses）,orofattainingknowledgetranscendingthereachofthesenses."Emersononceproclaimedinaspeech,"Nothingisatlastsacredbuttheintegrityofyourownmind."OtherconceptsthataccompaniedTranscendentalisminc1udetheideathatnatureisennoblingandtheideathattheindividualisdivineand,therefore,self-re1iant.

●Appearedin1830,markedthematurityofAmericanromanticismandthefirstrenaissanceintheAmericanliteraryhistory.

●ThetermwasderivedfromtheLatinverbtranscendere:

toriseabove,topassbeyondthelimits.

●RiseofTranscendentalism:

theproductofcombinationofforeigninfluence（Germanidealisticphilosopher,neo-Platonism,Orientalmysticism,ConfuciusandMencius）andAmericannativePuritantradition.

●SpiritorOversoul:

theuniverseiscomposedofNatureandSoul.Spiritiseverywhere.

●Individualism:

themostimportantelementinsociety,thedivinityofindividual.

●Nature:

isaconnectinglinkbetweenGodandman.ItisasymboloftheSpirit.

●Communitylivinganddignityofmanuallabor.

●RelyingonIntuitionandConscience超我之心,mancantranscendthelimitsofthesensesandoflogicanddirectlyreceivehighertruthsandgreaterknowledgedeniedtomoremundanemethodsofknowing

.

SummaryofTranscendentalism

TranscendentalismreferstothereligiousandphilosophicaldoctrinesofRalphWaldoEmersonandothersinNewEnglandinthemiddle1800’S，whichemphasizedtheimportanceofindividualinspirationandintuition,theOver-soul,andnature.OtherconceptsthanaccompaniedTranscendentalismincludetheideathatnatureisennoblingandtheideathatnatureisennoblingandtheideathattheindividualisdivineand,therefore,self-reliant.NewEnglandTranscendentalismistheproductofacombinationofnativeAmericanPuritanismandEuropeanRomanticism

AmericanRomanticistsdifferedintheirunderstandingofhumannature.

TothetranscendentalistssuchasEmersonandThoreau,manisdivineinnatureandthereforeforeverperfectible;buttoHawthorneandMelville,everybodyispotentiallyasinner,andgreatmoralcourageisthereforeindispensab1efortheimprovementofhumannature,asisshowninHawthorne'sTheScarletLetter.

Majorwritersoftheromanticperiod

　　Thereemergedagreathostofmenoflettersduringthisperiod,amongwhomthebetter-knownarepoetssuchasPhilipFreneau,WilliamCullenBryant,HenryWordsworthLongFellow,JamesRusselLowell,JohnGreenleafWhitter,EdgarEllenPoe,and,especially,WaltWhitman,whoseLeavesOfGrassestablishedhimasthemostpopularAmericanpoetofthe19thcentury.ThefictionoftheAmericanRomanticperiodisanoriginalanddiversebodyofwork.ItrangesfromthecomicfablesofWashingtonIrvingtotheTheGothictalesofEdgarAllenPoe,fromthefrontieradventuresofJamesFenimoreCoopertothenarrativequestsofHermanMelville,fromthepsycho1ogicalromancesofNathanielHawthornetothesocialrealismofRebeccaHardingDavis.

WashingtonIrving

（1783—1895）华盛顿.欧文

HisLife

vBornintoawealthyNewYorkmerchantfamily

vBeganwritingfromaveryearlyage

vStudiedlawandledforatimethelifeofagentlemanlawyer

vLovedwritingmoreandwrotehisfirstbookin1809

vWenttoEnglandin1815totakecareoffamilybusinessbutfailed

vHadtowritetosupporthimself

TheSketchBookwonhiminternationalfame

vWentasdiplomaticattachetoSpainin1826andgatheredmaterialforwriting

vSecretaryofU.S.Legation公使馆inLondonfrom1829—1832

vReturnedtoAm.atabout50afterbeingawayfor17years

vLivedaleisurelifeandwrotetherestofhislifeexcept4yearsasMinistertoSpain

vDiedin1859andunmarriedallhislife

Hiscareerandworks

1stphase:

1809—1832“Englishphase”主要阶段或英国阶段

1.AHistoryofNewYorkfromtheBeginningoftheWorldtotheEndoftheDutchDynasty《纽约外史》（1809）

2.TheSketchBook《见闻札记》（1819—1820）

/TheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.:

“RipWanWinkle”《瑞普.凡.温克尔》

“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”《睡谷的传说》

—markedthebeginningofshortstoryasagenreinAm.

literature

—markedthe