英美文学 第三章.docx

英美文学 第三章.docx

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英美文学第三章

PartThreeNewEnglandTranscendentalism

ChapterIABriefIntroductiontoNewEnglandTranscendentalism

In1836,RalphWaldoEmerson’sNaturemadeatremendousimpactontheintellectuallifeofAmerica.TheNewWorldwastrilledtohearitsvoices.“TheUniverseiscomposedofNatureandtheSoul,”itsays.“Spiritispresenteverywhere”.ItwasapparentthattheworldhadhadenoughofBenjaminFranklin,andawindofchangewasbeginningtoblow.Awholenewwayofthinkingbegantoexertitsinfluenceontheconsciousnessofman.Nature’svoicepushedAmericanRomanticismintoanewphase,thephaseofNewEnglandTranscendentalism,thesummitofAmericanRomanticism.

AccordingtoEmerson,transcendentalismisidealism.WhathappenedaboutthistimewasthatsomeNewEnglanders,notquitehappyaboutthematerialistic-orientedlifeoftheirtime,formedthemselvesintoaninformalclub,theTranscendentalistClub.Mostofthemwereteachersandclergymen.EmersonandThoreauwereamongthem.

ThemajorfeaturesofNewEnglandTranscendentalismcanbesummarizedasfollows:

First,theTranscendentalistsplacedemphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.TheOversoulwasanall-pervadingpowerforgoodness.Itexistedinnatureandmanandconstitutedthechiefelementoftheuniverse.Thisrepresentedanewwayoflookingattheworld.Apparently,itwasareactiontothe18thcenturyNewtonianconceptoftheuniverse.Inthe18thcenturyitwasgenerallyheldthattheworldwasmadeupofmatter.Secondly,Transcendentalistsstressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.Tothemtheindividualwasthemostimportantelementofsociety.Becausetheregenerationofsocietycouldonlycomeaboutthroughtheregenerationoftheindividual,hisperfectionandself-improvementshouldbethefirstconcernofhislife.Theidealtypeofmanwastheself-reliantindividual.Actually,theyweretellingpeopletodependuponthemselvesforspiritualperfection.AndtheindividualsoulcommunedwiththeOversoulandwasthereforedivine.Nowthisnewnotionoftheindividualandhisimportancerepresentedanewwayoflookingatman.ItwasareactionagainsttheCalvinistconceptthatmanisdepravedandsinful.Thirdly,thetranscendentalistsofferedafreshperceptionofnatureassymbolicoftheSpiritorGod.Naturetothemwasnotpurelymatter.Itwasalive,filledwithGod’soverwhelmingpresence.ItwasthegarmentoftheOversoul.Therefore,itcouldexerciseahealthyinfluenceonthehumanmind.Inshort,whattheTranscendentalistsseemedtobesayingwas“Gobacktonature,you’llbecomespirituallywholeagain.”Thenaturalimplicationofallthiswasthatthingsinnaturetendedtobecomesymbolic,andphysicalworldwasasymbolofthespiritual.ThisinturnaddedtothetraditionofliterarysymbolisminAmericanliterature.

Chapter

ConnectionbetweenPuritanismandTranscendentalism

NewEnglandTranscendentalismwastheproductofacombinationofforeigninfluencesandnativeAmericanPuritantradition.ItbeganwiththeintroductionofidealisticphilosophyfromGermanyandFrance,whichservesastheforeigninfluence.ForthePuritanism,ifwegobacktoJonathanEdwardsandBenjaminFranklin,wecanseethatAmericanTranscendentalismwastheheritageofAmericanPuritanism.TheEdwardiannotionofinwardcommunicationofthesoulwithGodanddivinesymbolismofnaturecanallbeseeninEmersonianTranscendentalism.AndTranscendentalist’semphasisontheindividualwasdirectlytraceabletothePuritanprincipleofself-improvementasbestexemplifiedbythesuccessstoryofAmerica’sfirstself-mademan,BenjaminFranklin.ThereexisttheresemblancebetweenEmerson’sbeliefandthatofFranklin.Thus,thereisgoodreasontostatethatNewEnglandTranscendentalismwasRomanticismonthePuritansoil.

NewEnglandTranscendentalismwasimportanttoAmericanliterature.ItinspiredawholenewgenerationoffamousauthorssuchasEmerson,Thoreau,Hawthorne,Melville,WhitmanandDickinson.

Chapter

ProminentFiguresofThisPeriod

PhilosophersandEssayists:

1.RalphWaldoEmerson（1803-1882）

A.Life

Emersonlivedinpovertyinhischildhood.HewasbornintothefamilyofapastorinBostononMay25,1803.HehadstudiedinHarvard.Leavingthejobasminister,hewenttoEuropeandmadefriendswithColeridge,Wordsworth,bringingbackwithhimtheinfluenceofEuropeanRomanticism.HeformedaninformalTranscendentalists’club.HebecamethemosteloquentspokesmanofNewEnglandTranscendentalism.HetraveledfarandwideintheUnitedStatesandspreadhisTranscendentalistdoctrine.

B.HisLiteraryAchievementsandContributions

Onemajorelementofhisphilosophyishisfirmbeliefinthetranscendenceofthe“Oversoul”.Hisemphasisonthespiritrunsthroughallhiswriting.HestatedinhisNature（whichisgenerallyregardedastheBibleofNewEnglandTranscendentalism,）thatphilosophicalconsidered,theuniverseiscomposedofNatureandtheSoul.Heemphasizestheneedforidealism,foridealismseestheworldinGod.Heregardsnatureasthepurestmoralinfluenceonman.So,heseesspiritpervadingeverywhere,notonlyinthesoulofman,butbehindnature,throughoutnature.

Inthisconnection,Emerson’semotionalexperiencesareexemplaryinmorewaysthanone.Aloneinthewoodsoneday,forinstance,heexperiencedamomentof“ecstasy”whichherecordsthusinhisNature:

“Standingonthebareground,myheadbathedbytheblitheairandupliftedintoinfinitespace,allmeanegotismvanishes.Ibecomeatransparenteyeball;Iamnothing;Iseeall;thecurrentsoftheUniverseBeingcirculatethroughme;IampartorparticleofGod.”

（Onequestionforstudy:

Howdoyouunderstandthephilosophicalideasintheabovewords?

）

Anotherimportantthesisinhisbeliefandwritingisthatindividualisthemostimportantofall.Accordingtohim,ifamandependsuponhimself,cultivateshimselfandbringsoutthedivineinhimself,hecanhopetobecomebetterandevenperfect.Andmenshouldandcouldbeself-reliant.Eachmanshouldfeeltheworldashis,andtheworldexistsforhimalone.“Trustthyself!

”“MakeThyself!

”hesaid.Furthermore,hebelievedtheregenerationoftheindividualwoulddefinitelyleadtotheregenerationofsociety.Hencehisfamousremark,“Iaskfortheindividuals,notthenation.”

ToEmerson’stranscendentaleyes,thephysicalworldisvitalisticandevolutionary.NatureistheemblematicofGodandthesymbolofspirit,soithasamoralinfluenceonmanandhischaracter.AnaturalimplicationofEmerson’sviewonnatureisthattheworldaroundissymbolic.Aflowingriverindicatestheceaselessmotionoftheuniverse.Theseasonscorrespondtothelifespanofman.Theant,thelittledrudge,withasmallbodyandamightyheart,isthesublimeimageofmanhimself.

ThismodeofperceptionhadasignificanteffectonEmerson’saesthetics,thebasisofwhichiscontainedinhisNature,“ThePoet”,“TheAmericanScholar”,andsomeotheressays.Emerson’spoetisnoordinaryperson.Heisacompleteman,aneternalman,onewhosebirthistheprincipaleventinhistory.Heshouldbeabletoseeintothedeepsofinfinitetime,comprehendthepathofthingsandthedivineunityoftheUniversebyintuition,andcommunicatethefeelingsofcontactwithnaturetohisfellowmen.Thepoetryandtrueartshouldennoble.Itshouldserveasamoralpurificationandapassagetowardorganicunityandhigherreality.Emersonbeholdsthatformisimportantwhenfusedwellwithcontent.Astotheme,EmersoncalleduponAmericanauthorstocelebrateAmericawhichwastohimalongpoeminitself,tocelebratethelifeoftoday.Emerson’saestheticsbroughtaboutarevolutioninAmericanliteratureingeneralandinAmericanpoetryinparticular.ItmarksthebirthoftrueAmericanpoetryandtrueAmericanpoetssuchWaltWhitmanandEmilyDickison.

Emerson’sinfluenceonAmericanliteratureandcultureisgreat.HiscallforanindependentcultureinbothNatureandTheAmericanScholarplayedaveryimportantpartintheintellectualhistoryofthenation.WhatEmersonwastryingtosaywasactuallythattheAmericansshouldwriteabouthereandnowinsteadofimitatingandimportingfromotherlands.HecalledonAmericanwriterstowriteaboutAmericainawaypeculiarlyAmerican.Everythinghere,commonandlowastheymaybe,isworthwritingabout,forwearegreatinourownway.So,wecansaythatEmersonembodiedanewnation’sdesireandstruggletoassertitsownidentityinitsformativeperiod.

2.HenryDavidThoreau（1817-1862）

A.Life

AnotherrenownedNewEnglandTranscendentalistwasThoreau,afriendofEmerson’s.HisfatherwasasuccessfulstorekeeperandmakerofpencilsinConcord,Massachusetts.Hismotherwasanaspiringwoman,determinedtosendhersontocollege.Soshedid.ThoreauwenttoHarvard.HemadefriendswithEmerson.In1845,somethinghappenedthatprovedtobeimportantbothtohimselfandtoAmericanliterature.WiththepermissionofEmerson,hewenttobuildacabinonWaldenPondandmovedtolivethereinaverysimplemannerfortwoyears.TheideawastomoveawayfromtherushandbustleofAmericansociallifewhichwastoomaterialistic-oriented.ThereonthePond,hetriedtobeself-sufficientineverything.Hespendsixweeksayearplantingbeans,writingandenjoyingnaturemostofthetimefortherestoftheyear.Movingback,hewroteabouthisexperienceinthefamousbook,Walden.

B.HisLiteraryAchievementsandContributions

Thoreau’smasterpiece,Walden,isagreatTranscendentalistwork.Hetookgreatinterestinthenaturalworld.LikeEmerson,heregardednatureasasymbolofspirit.Hetriedtoseek