英美文学第六章.docx
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英美文学第六章.docx
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英美文学第六章
PartSixTheAmericanLiteraturebetweenthetwoworldwars
(inthe1920sand1930s)
ChapterIHistoricalBackgroundofthe1920s
Thefirsthalfofthe19thcenturywasAmericanRenaissance,andthenthedecadeofthe1920s,withagreatnumberofgreatwritersproducingavoluminousamountofdistinguishedliteraryworks,canbetermedasthesecondrenaissanceinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.
Therearetwoimportantfactorsthatmakethe1920sdifferentfromtheperiodsbothprecedingandfollowingit:
theFirstWorldWar,andthesenseoflifebeingdislocatedandfragmentedwhichwasmorekeenlyfelt
XI.
inthefirstyearsofthe20thcentury.Thewarwasthebiggesteventthathadaprofoundimpactontheperiod.Thepeoplewentintothewarwithanunusualamountofenthusiasm,inspiredbytheidealofmakingtheworldsafefordemocracy.Itproved,also,tremendouslyprofitable;theUnitedStatesmadeagreatdealofmoneyinthewarandbecame,asawhole,alotricher,sothatthereappearedaneconomicboom,adeceptiverichness,whenthewarwasover.Therewasafeelingthattherewasmoneyeverywhere,andnoonecould-orbotheredto-foreseethecrashtobefallthecountryin1929.Peoplebecameawareofasuddenjumpintechnology.Allofasuddenautomobilesandradiosappearedwhichhelpedtowidenthehorizonofthepeopleandincreasetheirknowledge.Asocialrevolutionwasgoingon.Oldmoralcodeswerebreakingdown.Whereaswomenwerecovereddowntotheanklesonlyafewyearsearlier,forexample,girlsnowappearedonthesceneinshortskirts,wearingbobbedhair,smokinganddrinking,anddancingwildlyofthe“JazzAge”.
Afterthewartherewasatremendouslet-downbecausenothinghadchanged.Excitementandenthusiasmsubsidedtomakewayfordisillusionment.Itwasasifthepartywasoverandananti-climaxofdiscontentmentandrestlessnessanddisgustfollowed,aswellexpressedinDosPassos'U.S.A..Itwasalsoaneraofgreatcontemptforthelaw.TheProhibitionofalcoholoutragedpopulartaste;bootleggersmovedintoreaphugeprofitsfromillegalsales.Atthesametimetherewasageneralfeelingamongmanywhowerelivingthroughit,likeFitzgerald,thatthiswasasadperiod;thedreamhadfailed,andthecountrywasbuildingupeconomictroublesallalongandheadingdirecttowarddisaster.
Meanwhile,thelossoffaith,whichbegannoticeablywithDarwin'stheoriesofevolutionandwasintensifiedbythedevelopmentofmodernscience,continuedwithagreaterintensityintothiscentury.Bytheendofthefirstdecade,allforcesseemedtobepullingapart.Thereappearedarealitywithnomythicalcenter,withGodexpelledfromtheuniverse.Modernsciencedestroyedman'sabilitytobelieveunquestioningly.Withoutfaithmancouldnolongerkeephisfeelingandthoughtwhole;
hencethesenseoflifebeingfragmented.Andwithoutfaithmannolongerfeltsecureandhappyandhopefulinhisworld;hencethefeelingofgloomanddespair.Inshort,peoplefoundthemselveslivinginaspiritualwasteland,wherelifewasameaninglessaffairandmanfelthomelessandhauntedbyasenseofdoom.
Thus,the1920swasapeculiarperiodinwhichthepost-wareconomicboomandthesenseofspiritualdisorientationcombinedtoproduceapeculiarmoodoftheage.Thegreatnessoftheliteratureofthedecadeliesinthefactthatitmanagedtocapturethatmoodandkeepitonrecordforposterity.
ChapterIIILiteraryTrendbetweentheTwoWorldWars—AmericanModernism
Theword“modern”means“oftherecenttimes”,butwhenitisusedinliterature,itreferstotheliteratureafter1914orafterWorldWarI.inmoderntimes,agreatchangetookplaceintheworldliterature.Modernwriterscarriedoutmanyreformsintheme,form,etc.,andgainedimportantachievements.Consequently,thereappearedmanygreatwritersandtypicalworksofmodernisminAmericanliterature,suchasT.S.EliotandhisTheWasteLand,ErnestHemingwayandhisTheSunAlsoRises,WilliamFaulknerandhisTheSoundandtheFury.WorldWarIbrokethroughpeople'sconventionandmadepeople'smindsmoreactivethaneverbefore.Theygraduallyfreedthemselvesfromthetraditionalconceptsofcultureandmorality,andcreatedtheliteraryartofmodernism.
UnlikeRomanticismorNaturalism,modernismdoesnotrefertoanyspecificliterarygrouporwritingstyle.Instead,itincludesallthewritingsafterWorldWarI,whicharecharacterizedasastrongandconsciousbreakwithtraditionalformsandtechniquesofexpression.Imagism,theLostGeneration,theStreamofConsciousness^nameafew,areallincludedintheinclusivemodernism.
ChapterIVTheComingoftheImage
Thenewagedemandedproperliteraryexpression.Between1912and1922therecameagreatpoetryboominwhichabout1000poetspublished.Indeed,toexpressthemodernspirit,thesenseoffragmentationanddislocationwastheaimofquiteafewmodernliterarymovements,ofwhichImagismwasone.ItcameasareactiontothetraditionalEnglishpoeticswithitsiambicpentameter.Butitservedtomeettheneedofexpressingthetemperoftheage.NobodyputforwardthepointmoreconvincinglythanthefirstImagisttheorist,theEnglishwriterT.E.Hulme.Hulmesuggeststhatmodernartdealswithexpressionandcommunicationofmomentaryphasesinthepoet'mind.Poetictechniques,hegoesontostate,shouldbecomesubtleenoughtorecordexactlythemomentaryimpressions.Thekeywordhereismomentary”.Themosteffectivemeanstoexpressthesemomentaryimpressionisthroughtheuseofonedominantimage.“Eachwordmustbeanimageseen.”Theimageisarepresentationofaphysicalobject,andthereaderismadetoreacttoit.Thesebecamethebasicprinciplesonwhichthemovementwaslaunched.
TheImagistpoemwastheinventionofasmallgroupofEnglishandAmericanpoetswhocametogetherinthefirstyearsofthiscenturytoworkoutsomenewwayofwritingpoetry.Themovementunderwentthreephasesinitsbriefandyetimmenselyimportanthistory.ThesecondphasewasundertheleadershipofEzraPound,whichturnedouttobethemostprolificandinfluentialphasebothintheshorthistoryofImagismbutalsointhehistoryofAmericanpoetry.Duringthisphase,somethinglikeanImagistmanifestocameoutin1912whichsetforththreeImagistpoeticprinciples:
1)Directtreatmentofthe“thing”,whethersubjectiveorobjective;2)Touseabsolutelynowordthatdoesnotcontributetothepresentation;and3)Asregardingrhythm,tocomposeinthesequenceofthemusicalphrase,notinthesequenceofametronome.
InthehistoryofAmericanpoetry,Imagismwasonlyatransientphaseofnolongerthanadecade.Itbeganin1908till1917.Nogreatpoetrycameoutofthemovement.Butthemovementwasimportantinanumberofwaysinthedevelopmentofmodernpoetry.Itwasarebellionagainstthetraditionalpoeticswhichfailedtoreflectthenewlifeofthenewcentury.Infact,itisnoexaggerationtostatethatthemovementwasatrainingschoolinwhichmanygreatpoetslearnedtheirfirstlessonsinthepoeticart.Almostallmajormodernpoetswereassociatedwithitandbenefitedfromitinasignificantway.ApartfromEzraPoundandWilliamCarlosWilliams,thereareWallaceStevens,T.S.Eliot,CarlSandburg,andMarianneMoore,tomentionjustafewAmericannames.Itsliterarytheoriesandpoeticformshavecontinuedtoexercisetheirinfluenceonmodernandcontemporarypoetry.ItisthismovementthathelpedtoopenthefirstpagesofmodernEnglishandAmericanpoetry.
Imagism,toagreatextent,isapoeticrevolution.EzraPoundwasitspioneerandleader.HismasterpieceTheCantoshasbeencalledPound's“intellectualdiarysince1915.”Containingatotalof117poems,itissocialhistory,anamalgamofheterogeneousculturesandlanguages,apoet'sattempttoimpose,throughart,orderandmeaninguponachaoticandmeaninglessworld.TheCantoscanbenotoriouslydifficultinsomesections,butdelightfullybeautifulinothers;itis,onthewhole,noteasilyapproachable.Fewhavemadeseriousstudyofthelongpoem;fewer,ifanyoneatall,havehadthecouragetodeclarethattheyhaveconqueredPound;andmanyseemtoagreethattheCantosisamonumentalfailure.
Amongthem,EliotwasfamousforhisTheWasteLandwhichrevealsthespiritualcrisisofpostwarEurope.Itreadslikethemanifestoofthe“LostGeneration”andestablishedEliot'spositionastheleadernotonlyofnewAmericanpoetry,butofawholegenerationofwriterslatertobeidentifiedas“WasteLandpainters”likeHemingwayandFaulkner.Inthispoem,thefisherKingsinsagainstGod,whothenpunisheshimbymakinghimsexuallyimpotent.ThedisabilityoftheKingisreflectedonhisland,sothathiskingdombecomesawasteland.HenceEliothadthistitle.Eliotwasoneofthefirsttosensethefutilityandfragmentofmodernlifeandseemodernsocietyatitsmostdisgusting.
ChapterVThreeProminentNovelists—Fitzgerald,HemingwayandFaulkner
TheLostGeneration:
FitzgeraldandHemingway
1.F.ScottFitzgerald(1896-1940)
A.HisLife
JustasMarkTwainandWilliamHowellsgrewupthinkingthatAmericawouldbecomethehopeoftheworldandbecameverybitteroldmenintheend,soFitzgeraldandHemingwayasyoungpeoplewereveryenthusiasticandexcitedaboutthisnewworldtheywerelivinginbutlivedtorealizeeventuallythatinsteadofsuccess,itwasalldisaster.ForFitzgerald,wholivedinthemidstofthe“roaringtwenties”andwaspartofitall—drivingfastcars,drinkinghardwhisky,andtakinganimmensedelightinit,Americawas“amoonthatneverrose”.Asmuchasenjoyedthe“roaring”ofthepost-warboomyears,heforesawitsdoomand
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