美国文学史知识点梳理.docx
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美国文学史知识点梳理.docx
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美国文学史知识点梳理
PartITheLiteratureofColonialAmerica
I.HistoricalIntroduction
ThecolonialperiodstretchedroughlyfromthesettlementofAmericaintheearly17thcenturythroughtheendofthe18th.ThefirstpermanentsettlementinAmericawasestablishedbyEnglishin1607.(AgroupofpeoplewassentbytheEnglishKingJamesItohuntforgold.TheyarrivedatVirginiain1607.TheynamedtheJamesRiverandbuildtheJamestown.)
II.Thepre-revolutionarywritinginthecolonieswasessentiallyoftwokinds:
1)Practicalmatter-of-factaccountsoffarming,hunting,travel,etc.designedtoinformpeople"athome"whatlifewaslikeinthenewworld,and,often,toinducetheirimmigration
2)Highlytheoretical,generallypolemical,discussionsofreligiousquestions.
III.TheFirstAmericanWriter
ThefirstwritingsthatwecallAmericanwerethenarrativesandjournalsofthesesettlements.Theywroteabouttheirvoyagetothenewland,theirlivesinthenewland,theirdealingswithIndians.
CaptainJohnSmithisthefirstAmericanwriter.
ATrueRelationofsuchOccurrencesandAccidentsofNoteasHathHappenedinVirginiaSincetheFirstPlantingofThatColony(1608)
AMapofVirginia:
ADescriptionoftheCountry(1612)
GeneralHistoryofVirginia(1624):
theIndianprincessPocahontas
CaptainJohnSmithwasoneofthefirstearly17th-centuryBritishsettlersinNorthAmerica.HewasoneofthefoundersofthecolonyofJamestown,Virginia.HiswritingsaboutNorthAmericabecamethesourceofinformationabouttheNewWorldforlatersettlers.
OneofthethingshewroteaboutthathasbecomeanAmericanlegendwashiscapturebytheIndiansandhisrescuebythefamousIndianPrincess,Pocahontas.
IV.EarlyNewEnglandLiterature
WilliamBradfordandJohnWinthrop
JohnCottonandRogerWilliams
AnneBradstreetandEdwardTaylor
V.PuritanThoughts
1.Theoriginofpuritan
InthemediaevalEurope,therewaswidespreadreligiousrevolution.Inthe16thCentury,theEnglishKingHenryVIII(Atthattime,theCatholicswerenotallowedtodivorceunlesstheyhavethePope'spermission.HenryVIIIwantedtodivorcehiswifebecauseshecouldn'tbearhimason.ButthePopedidn'tallowhimtodivorce,sohe)brokeawayfromtheRomanCatholicChurch&establishedtheChurchofEngland.ButtherewasnoradicaldifferencebetweenthedoctrinesoftheChurchofEnglandandtheCatholicChurch.AgroupofpeoplethoughttheChurchofEnglandwastooCatholicandwantedtopurifythechurch.ThencamethenamePuritans.
2.Puritanism--basedonCalvinism
(1)predestination:
God'select
Puritansbelievedtheyarepredestinedbeforetheywereborn.
Nothingornogoodworkcanchangetheirfate.
Theybelievedthesuccessofone'sbusinessisthesigntoshowheistheGod'select.SothePuritansworksveryhard,spendverylittleandinvestmoreforthefuturebusiness.Theylivedaveryfrugallife.Thisistheirethics.
(2)Origianlsinandtotaldepravity
Manisbornsinful.Thisdeterminessomepuritanspessimisticattitudetowardslife.
(3)Limitedatonement(thesalvationofaselectedfew)
(4)theocracy
Theycombinedstatewithreligion.Theirgovernmentisatleastnotaliberalone.
ThePuritansestablishedAmericantradition--intolerantmoralism.Theystrictlypunisheddrunks,adultery&heretics.
Puritanschangedgraduallyduetotheseverityoffrontierenvironment
3.InfluenceonAmericanLiterature
(1)Itsoptimism
AmericanliteraturewasfromtheoutsetconditionedbythePuritanheritage.ItcanbesaidAmericanliteratureisbasedontheBiblicalmythoftheGardenofEden.Afterthat,manhaveanillusiontorestoretheparadise.Thepuritans,afterarrivingatAmerica,believingthatGodmusthavesentthemtothisnewlandtorestorethelostparadise,tobuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.Firedwithsuchastrongsenseofmission,theytreatedlifewithatremendousamountofoptimism.TheoptimisticPuritanhasexertedagreatinfluenceonAmericanliterature.
(2)Puritan'smetaphoricalmodeofperceptionchangedgraduallyintoaliterarysymbolism.
PartIITheLiteratureofReasonAndRevolution
I.HistoricalIntroduction
Withthegrowth,especiallyofindustry,thereappearedtheintensestrainwithEngland.TheBritishgovernmentdidnotwantcolonialindustriescompetingwiththoseinEngland.TheBritishwantedthecoloniestoremainpoliticallyandeconomicallydependentonthemothercountry.Theytookaseriesofmeasurestoinsurethisdependence.TheypreventedcolonialeconomybyrequiringAmericanstoshiprawmaterialsabroadandtoimportfinishedgoodsatpriceshigherthanthecostofmakingtheminthiscountry.Politically,theBritishgovernmentforceddependencebyrulingthecoloniesfromoverseasandbytaxingthecolonieswithoutgivingthemrepresentationinParliament.
However,bythemid-eighteenthcentury,freedomwaswonasmuchbythefieryrhetoricofThomasPaine'sCommonSenseandtheeloquenceoftheDeclarationofIndependenceasbytheweaponsofWashington.Intheseventiesofthe18thcentury,theEnglishcoloniesinNorthAmericaroseinarmsagainsttheirmothercountry.TheWarforIndependencelastedfor8years(1776-1783)andendedintheformationofafederativebourgeoisdemocraticrepublic--theUnitedStatesofAmerica.
II.AmericanEnlightenment
Itwassupportedbyallprogressiveforcesofthecountrywhichopposedthemselvestotheoldcolonialorderandreligiousobscurantism.
Itdealtadecisiveblowuponthepuritantraditionsandbroughttolifeseculareducationandliterature.Thespirituallifeduringthatperiodwastoagreatdegreemouldedbyit.
Therepresentativessetthemselvesthetaskofdisseminatingknowledgeamongthepeopleandadvocatingrevolutionaryideas.
ThewritersinjectedaninvigoratingveinintotheEnglishlanguageinAmericaastheyaimedatclarityandprecisionoftheirwritings.
AttheinitialperiodthespreadoftheideasoftheEnlightenmentwaslargelyduetojournalism.WritingsofEuropewerewidelyreadinAmerica.ThesecularidealsoftheAmericanEnlightenmentwereexemplifiedinthelifeandcareerofBenjaminFranklin.
III.BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)
TheAutobiography
PoorRichard’sAlmanac
Life
BenjaminFranklincamefromaCalvinistbackground.
Hewasbornintoapoorcandle-maker’sfamily.Hehadverylittleeducation.Helearnedinschoolonlyfortwoyears,buthewasavoraciousreader.
At12,hewasapprenticedtohiselderhalf-brother,aprinter.
At16,hebegantopublishessaysunderthepseudonym“SilenceDogood”.
At17,heranawaytoPhiladelphiatomakehisownfortune.
Hesethimselfupasanindependentprinterandpublisher.In1727hefoundedtheJuntoclub.
Multipleidentities:
aprinter
aleadingauthor
apolitician
ascientist
ainventor
adiplomat
acivicactivist
Franklin’sContributionstoSociety
HehelpedfoundthePennsylvaniaHospital.
HefoundedanacademywhichledtotheUniversityofPennsylvania.
AndhehelpedfoundtheAmericanPhilosophicalSociety.
Franklin’sContributionstoScience
Hewasalsorememberedforvolunteerfiredepartments,effectivestreetlighting,theFranklinstove,bifocalglassesandefficientheatingdevices.
Andforhislightning-rod,hewascalled“thenewPrometheuswhohadstolenfirefromheaven.”
Franklin’sContributionstotheU.S.
HewastheonlyAmericantosignthefourdocumentsthatcreatedtheUnitedStates:
TheDeclarationofIndependence,
TheTreatyofAlliancewithFrance,
TheTreatyofPeacewithEngland,
TheConstitution
TheAutobiography
TheAutobiographyofBenjaminFranklinwasprobablythefirstofitskindinliterature.Itisthesimpleyetimmenselyfascinatingrecordofamanrisingtowealthandfamefromastateofpovertyandobscurityintowhichhewasborn,thefaithfulaccountofthecolorfulcareerofAmerica’sfirstself-mademan.
TheAutobiographyis,firstofall,aPuritandocument.ItisPuritanbecauseitisarecordofself-examinationandself-improvement.Themeticulouschartof13virtueshesetforhimselftocultivatetocombatthetemptingvices,thestupendousefforthemadetoimprovehisownperson,thebeliefthatGodhelpsthosewhohelpsthemselvesandthateverycallingisaservicetoGod–alltheseindicatethatFranklinwasintenselyPuritan.Then,thebookisalsoaconvincingillustrationofthePuritanethicthat,inordertogetonintheworld,onehastobeindustrious,frugal,andprudent.
TheAutobiographyisalsoaneloquentelucidationofthefactthatFranklinwasspokesmanfortheneworderofeighteenth-centuryenlightenment,andthatherepresentedinAmericaallitsideas,thatmanisbasicallygoodandfreebynature,endowedbyGodwithcertaininalienablerightsoflibertyandthepursuitofhappiness.
AlookatthestyleofTheAutobiographywillreadilyrevealthatitisthepatternofPuritansimplicity,directnessandconcision.Theplainnessofitsstyle,thehomelinessofimagery,thesimplicityofdiction,syntaxandexpressionaresomeofthesalientfeatureswecannotmistake.Thelucidityofthenarrative,theabsenceofornamentsinwordingandofcomplex,involvedstructuresinsyntax,andthePuritanabhorrenceofparadoxareallgraphicallydemonstratedinthewholeofthebook.Takenasawhole,itissafetosaythatthebookisanexemplaryillustrationoftheAmericanstyleofwriting.
IV.ThomasPaine(1737-1809)
CommonSense
AmericanCrisis
V.ThomasJefferson(1743-1826)
TheDeclarationofIndependence
VI.PhilipFreneau(1752-1832)
“PoetoftheAmericanRevolution”
“FatherofAmericanPoetry”
“PioneeroftheNewRomanticism”
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