美国文学教案1复习资料.docx

美国文学教案1复习资料.docx

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美国文学教案1复习资料

ColonialPeriod

I.HistoricalBackground:

ThefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinNorthAmericawasestablishedatJamestown,Virginiain1607.Thefirstsettlersadvocatedhighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheycarriedwiththemtoAmericaacodeofvaluesandaphilosophyoflife-----Puritanism.

II.Thought,Culture:

AmericanPuritanismwasoneofthemostenduringinfluencesonAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.Tosomeextent,ithasbecomeastateofmind.PuritanismisthereligiousbeliefsofPuritans.Theyintendedto“purify”theChurchofEngland,sotheycametoAmericaforthesakeofreligiousfreedom,andtheywishedtoescapereligiouspersecution.Theirwayoflifewasbasedonthedoctrines.PuritanvaluesdominatedliteratureincolonialAmerica,andgreatlyinfluencedthewholeAmericanliterature.

III.Literature:

Americanliteraturegrewoutofhumbleorigins.Theymostlyhadcloserelationshipwithreligion.ThereweresuchnotedPuritanwhowassaidthefirstAmericanwriter,becausehefirstdescribedNewEnglandasapromisingvirginland.HiswritingsaboutNorthAmericabecamethesourceofinformation,whicharousedtheattentionofmanypeopleinEnglandandEurope,anddrewthemovertothisNewWorld.

AnneBradstreet.TheTenthMuseLatelySprungUpinAmerica

EdwardTaylor.ThesetwofigureswerethefaithfuldiscipleoftheGod.

RevolutionaryPeriod

I.HistoricalBackground:

Fromthemiddleofthe18thcenturytothebeginningofthe19thcentury,NorthAmericahadexperiencedgreatturbulenceandsocialchange.Themixtureandalternationbetweentheoldandnew,wasthecharacteristicofthisperiod.TheideasoftheEnlightenmentdealtaheavyblowtoPuritanism.

II.LiteraryFigures:

1.BenjaminFranklin.

Hisideaswereexpressedthroughhistwofamousliteraryworks,PoorRichard’sAlmanacandAutobiography.

（1）PoorRichard’sAlmanac----anannualcollectionofproverbs.

（2）Autobiography----itisahow-to-do-goodbook,andsetsautobiographyasaliterarygenreinAmericanliterature.

Style:

2.ThomasPaine.

amostimportantrevolutionaryactivistandpoliticalwriterduringthewarofIndependence.CommonSenseTheAmericanCrisisTheRightsofMan

3.ThomasJefferson.

themaindrafterof“TheDeclarationofIndependence.”

thethirdpresidentoftheUnitedStates.

P.37

4.PhilipFreneau.

thefirstimportantAmericanpoet,called“FatherofAmericanpoetry.”atransitionalfigurefromtheEnlightenmenttotheRomanticperiod.

Hispoemsarefeaturedwithlyricbeauty+heartfeltpathos

P.45TheWildHoneySuckle

P.46TheIndianBuryingGround

Lecture2

Teachingaim:

tohaveanunderstandingofthehistoricalbackgroundofromanticperiodanditsinfluenceonliterature;tocomprehendtheessenceofromanticism.

Teachingprocedure:

1.Review;2.historicalbackground;3.stagesofthedevelopmentofliterature;4.majorwritersandtheirrepresentativeworks.

RomanticismPeriod

WearenowdealingwithoneofthemostimportantperiodsinthehistoryofAmericanliterature,theRomanticPeriod,whichstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturythroughtheoutbreakoftheCivilWar（1861）.

I.StimulatingFactors:

ThisperiodsawarisingAmericawhichdeclareditspolitical,economicandculturalindependence.Suchasceneofprosperitycriedforliteraryexpression.TheotherincentivewastheinfluenceofEurope.

II.Features:

Althoughforeigninfluenceswerestrong,AmericanRomanticismpresenteddistinctfeaturesofitsown.

monfeatures，P55

2.“newness.”Itexpresses“arealnewexperience.”

3.form,P.57.

4.content,P.58.a.natureb.psychicstates

WashingtonIrving（1783-1859）

“thefatherofAmericanliterature.”

I.TheSketchBook:

Itisthefirstcollectionofshortstories.ItalsomarkedthebeginningofAmericanRomanticism.

IntheseriesoftalesinTheSketchBook,themostfamousandfrequentlyanthologizedareRipVanWinkleandTheLegendofSleepyHollow.

RipVanWinkle

TheLegendofSleepyHollow

Thepurposeofthisstoryisforfunandpleasure,withalightsatiricalnotiononpedantrismasrepresentedbytheprotagonist----Crane.

II.Conclusion:

Content:

Irving’sstoriescarryastrongromanticsensibility,withaspecialinterestinremoteness,theGothicandsupernaturalelements.

Style:

humorous,familiarandgraceful.

JamesFenimoreCooper（1789-1851）

●thefirstfrontiernovelist.thefirstwriterofseaadventures.

CoopercreatedamythabouttheformativeperiodoftheAmericannation.TheworkthatestablishedhisfameinAmericanliteraturewasLeatherstockingTales.ItofferssomefictionalversionoftheAmericannationalexperienceofadventureintotheWest.TheimportanceofthefrontierandthewildernessinAmericanliteraturewasforthefirsttimewellillustratedinLeatherstockingTales.

Americanromanticismculminatedaroundthe1840s,andithascometobeknownas“NewEnglandTranscendentalism”or“AmericanRenaissance”（1836--1855）.TheleadingfigureinthisperiodwasRalphWaldoEmerson.

RalphWaldoEmerson（1803--1882）

.Transcendentalism:

Hisliterarywork“Nature”cameoutin1836.Thisbookwasamanifestoof“transcendentalism”,andmadeatremendousimpactontheintellectuallifeofAmerica.

Itcomprisesthreemajorfeatures:

Itputsemphasisonspirit,orthe“Oversoul”

Itstressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.

TranscendentalistsconsiderthatNaturewasnotpurelymatter.

．LiteraryWorks:

Nature----“manifestoofNewEnglandTranscendentalism”

TheAmericanScholar“OurintellectualDeclarationofIndependence.”

TheDivinitySchoolAddress

Self-Reliance

HenryDavidThoreau（1817-1862）

Thoreauwasafaithfuldisciple,astrictfollowerofEmerson.

WaldenrecordshisexperimentinlivingatWaldenPond,relateshisunderstandingofnature,hismeditationonthemeaningoflifeanduttershissocialcriticism.Waldenofferspeoplevariouslayersofinterpretations.

Lecture3

Teachingaim:

tohaveanunderstandingoftheuniquecontributionmadebyNewEnglandpoetstoAmericanRenaissance;Hawthorne’slifeexperience.

Teachingprocedure:

1.Review;2.majorwritersandtheirrepresentativeworks.

Thestrengththatalsocontributedtothe“NewEnglandRenaissance”wasagroupofpoets.ThesepoetswerelaterknowninAmericanliteraryhistoryasthe“NewEnglandpoets.”TheseincludeWilliamCullenBryant&HenryWadsworthLongfellow.

WilliamCullenBryant（1794-1878）

*forerunnerofAmericanromanticpoetry.Representativeworks:

ToaWaterfowl---ItwellrepresentsthepeakofBryant’spoeticcreation.Simpleasitis,thispoemwasratedas“themostperfectbriefpoeminthelanguage.”Itisalyricpoemwithstrongspiritualintent.

Thanatopsis----Bryant’sbestknownpoemwiththethemeofdeath.ItfollowsthetraditionoftheEnglish“graveyardschool.”Thispoemwaswritteninblankverse.

HenryWadsworthLongfellow（1807-1882）

LongfellowwasthemostinfluentialAmericanpoetofhistory.

Hisimportantcollectionsofpoetryinclude:

VoicesoftheNightBalladsandOtherPoemsPoemsonSlavery

Hispoems:

APsalmofLife----themostfamouspoeminVoicesoftheNight.SeetextbookP.253-255.

TheSlave’sDreamMyLostYouthTheSongofHiawatha

Lecture4

Teachingaim:

tohaveanunderstandingoftheuniquecontributionmadebyHawthorneandMelvilletoAmericanliterature.

Teachingprocedure:

1.Review;2.lifeexperiencedofHawthorne;3.TheScarletLetter.4.Melville.

NathanielHawthorne（1804-1864）

WiththepublicationofTheScarletLetterin1850,NathanielHawthornebecamefamousasthegreatestwriterintheUnitedStates.Andhisreputationasamajorwriterhasbeenontheincreaseeversince.

I.LifeExperience:

NathanielHawthornewasbornonthefourthofJuly,1804,inSalem,Massachusetts.附页。

SalemWitchcraftTrialin1692.

In1821,HawthornewenttoBowdoinCollege,wherehehadHenryWadsworthLongfellowasaclassmate.HealsodevelopedafriendshipwithFranklinPiercewhowastobecomethe14thpresidentoftheUnitedStates.From1825to1837,Hawthornelivedinsolitudeandseclusion.

II.LiteraryCreation:

Twice-ToldTales（1837）

MossesfromanOldManse（1846）TheHouseoftheSevenGables（1851）

TheBlithedaleRomance（1852）TheMarbleFaun（1860）

III.TheScarletLetter:

1.plot:

seetextbookP.200-204.

2.Explanation:

ThewayinwhichHawthornewroteTheScarletLettersuggeststhatAmericanRomanticismadapteditselftoAmericanPuritanmoralism.Theloadofdidacticismisobvious.WhatHawthornewaspredominantlyconcernedwithwasthemoral,emotional,andpsychologicaleffectofthesinonthepeopleingeneral.

1）HesterPrynnefirst.InthestrongcharacterofHesterPrynne,weseethetensionbetweensocietyandsolitudewhichliesnearthecenterofallHawthorne’sart.TheScarletLetterisnotapraiseofaHestersinning,butahymnonthemoralgrowthofthewomansinnedagainst.

Thescarletletterinmeaningundergoes,whichsymbolizeshermoraldevelopment.Atfirst,itisatokenofshame----“Adultery;”butthen,hergenuinesympathyandhelpchangesitinto“Able.”Later,inthestory,theletter“A”appearsinthesky,signifying“Angel.”

2）Dimmesdaleistotallydifferent.Hebanisheshimselffromsociety.WhileHesterisabletoreconstructherlifeandwinamoralvictory,Dimmesdaleundergoesthetragicexperienceofphysicalandspiritualtorture.Hawthorneputsthesetwocharacterstogether,becauseheintendstoillustratethat,thebestpolicyforamanistobetrue,honest,andeverreadytoshowone’sworsttotheoutsideworld.

3）TherealvillainofthestoryisRogerChillingworth.Thescholar,theembodimentofpureandintellect,commits“theU