美国文学史复习整理.docx

美国文学史复习整理.docx

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美国文学史复习整理

AmericanliteratureHistory

1607---1775ColonialPeriod

1775---1865theEarlyNationalPeriod

1828---1865RomanticPeriodinAmerican

1865---1914RealisticPeriod

1914---1939ModernLiterature

1939---ContemporaryPeriod

Chapter1ColonialAmerica（1607---1775）

ThefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinNorthAmericawasestablishedatJamestown,Virginiain1607.Itenduredstarvation,brutality,andmisrule.However,theliteratureoftheperiodpaintsAmericainglowingcolorsasthelandofrichesandopportunity.AmongthemembersofthesmallbandofJamestownsettlerswasCaptainJohnSmith,anEnglishsoldieroffortune.Hisreportsofexploration,publishedintheearly1600s,havebeendescribedasthefirstdistinctAmericanliteraturewritteninEnglish.

Mayflower,1620,broughtthePilgrimsfromEnglandtoNewEngland.ChristopherJones

Plymouth

Beforelanding,anagreementforthetemporarygovernmentofthecolonybythewillofthemajoritywasdrawnupinthefamousMayflowerCompact.

Harvard,thefirstcollegeinthecolonies,wasfoundednearBostonin1636inordertotrainnewPuritanministers.ThefirstprintingpressinAmericawasstartedtherein1638,andAmerica’sfirstnewspaper,TheBostonNewsletter,appearedin1704.

Theydidnotdrawlinesofdistinctionbetweenthesecularandreligiousspheres:

Alloflifewasanexpressionofthedivinewill----abeliefthatlaterresurfacesinTranscendentalism.

CaptainJohnSmith

WilliamBradford

JohnWinthrop

CottonMather

AnneBradstreet

EdwardTaylor

AmericanPuritanism

•Theystressedpredestination,originalsin,totaldepravity,andlimitedatonementfromGod’sgrace.

•TheywenttoAmericatoprovethattheywereGod’schosenpeoplewhowouldenjoyGod’sblessingsonearthandinHeaven.

•Finally,theybuiltawayoflifethatstressedhardwork,thrift,piety,andsobriety.

•Bothdoctrinaireandanopportunist.

LiteraryInfluence:

•AmericanLiteratureisbasedonamyth------theBiblicalmythoftheGardenofEden.

•TheAmericanPuritan’smetaphoricalmadeofperception----symbolism.

Chapter2Edwards·Franklin·Crevecoeur

•JonathanEdwardsandBenjaminFranklinsharedthe18thcenturybetweenthem.

•TheyembodiedPuritannaïveidealismandcrudematerialism.

•Deism

•Theywerenotinterestedintheologybutinmansownnature.

JonathanEdward（1703-1758）

Edwardsembodiedthespiritofrevivalism（GreatAwakening）

Hehas2goals:

a.toevoketheoriginalsenseofreligiouscommitment.

b.b.speakaboutthedifferencebetweenheadthinkingandheartfeeling

Majorworks:

TheFreedomoftheWill（1754）

TheGreatDoctrineofOriginalSinDefended（1758）

TheNatureofTrueVirtue（1765）

Comments:

Edwardswas,probably,atoncethefirstmodernAmericanandthecountry’slastmedievalman.EdwardswasobviouslygrapplinginallhisintellectuallifewiththeknottyproblemofreconcilingPuritanideaswiththenewrationalismofLockeandNewton.Edwardsrepresentstheelementofpiety,thereligiouspassion,theaspectofemotionandecstasy,oftheNewEnglandtradition,atraditionthathedidhisbestbutfailedtorevitalize复活.和discovered,beneaththedogmasoftheoldtheology,adynamicworldfilledwiththepresenceofGod.

EdwardsextendstypologybeyondthestrictlimitsoftheBible,anticipatedthenaturesymbolismofthenineteenth-centuryTranscendentalism.

BenjaminFranklin（1706-1790）

Lifestory:

•Bornin1706intoapoorcandle-maker’sfamilyinBoston.

•At17heranawaytoPhiladelphiatomakehisownfortune.Hisentranceontothecitymarkedthebeginningofalongsuccessstoryofanarchetypalkind.

•HehelpedfoundthePennsylvaniaHospital,anacademywhichledtotheUniversityofPennsylvania,andtheAmericanPhilosophicalSociety.

•DuringtheWarofIndependence,hewasmadeadelegatetotheContinentalCongressandamemberofthecommitteetowritetheDeclarationofIndependence.

•HewastheonlyAmericantosignthefourdocumentsthatcreatedtheUnitedStatesincludingtheDeclarationofIndependence.

•Hewasregardedasthefatherofthecountry.

LiteraryAchievement

•Almanacautobiography（‘PoorRichard’sAlmanac’,‘Autobiography’）

HisStyle

•Clear,plain,formal（theorganizationofhismaterialisinformal）

MajorWorks:

1）PoorRichard’sAlmanac

2）TheAutobiographyofBenjaminFranklin

•Ontheartofself-improvement

•Thefirstofitskindinliterature-------Anaccountofapoorboy’srisetowealthandfameandthefulfillmentoftheAmericandream

•APuritandocument------aself-examinationandself-improvement.ThebookisaconvincingillustrationofthePuritanethicthat,inordertogetonintheword,onehastobeindustrious,frugal,andprudent.

•Aneloquentelucidation说明ofthefactthatFranklinwasthespokesmanofAmericanenlightenment,andherepresentedinAmericaallitsideas.

•ThebookcelebratesthefulfillmentoftheAmericandream.

HectorSt.JohndeCrevecoeur

Work:

LettersfromanAmericanFarmer（1775）

ThefirsteightofthetwelvelettersrevealtheprideofamanbeinganAmerican.Itisevidentthat,toCrevecoeur,theAmericanisanewmanactingonprinciples:

Heisself-sufficient,self-reliant,andessentiallyself-made.CrevecoeursawandspokeofthehopeofanewGardenofEdenmaterializinginAmerica.

Crevecoeuralsosawandspokeoftheillusorynatureofthatdream.Startingfromtheninthletter,hebegantospeakwithavoiceofadefinitelydisillusionedman.ThereinthesameNewWorld,hebecameawareoftheexistenceofslavery,avarice,violence,famineanddisease,andallotherformsoftheAtlantic.

Chapter3AmericanRomanticism·Irving·Cooper

AmericanRomanticism

1.CharacteristicsofRomanticism:

vRomanticismwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.（subjectivity）

vForromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.

vTheyemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup,againstauthority.

vTheaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andwantedtobefreetodevelopandexpresshisowninnerthoughts.

vTypicalliteraryformsofromanticismincludeballad,lyric,sentimentalcomedy,problemnovel,historicalnovel,gothicromance,metricalromance,sonnet.

2.DistinctivefeaturesofAmericanRomanticism

•theendofthe18th\centurythroughtheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.

•stronglyinfluencedbyEuropeanculture

•Americanromanticstendedtomoralize

3.Maincontents:

theexoticlandscape,thefrontierlife,thewestwardexpansion,themythofaNewGardenEdeninAmerica（thenativematerials）NewEnglandPoems

•Itproducedafeelingof“Newness”whichinspiredtheromanticimagination..

4.Representatives:

•NewEnglandPoets:

WilliamCullenBryant;HenryWadsworthLongfellow;

•Writers:

JamesFenimaoreCooper,WashingtonIrving

ElementsofRomanticism

•Frontier:

vastexpanse,freedom,nogeographiclimitations.

•Optimism:

greaterthaninEuropebecauseofthepresenceoffrontier.

•Experimentation:

inscience,ininstitutions.

•Minglingofraces:

immigrantsinlargenumbersarrivetotheUS.

•Growthofindustrialization:

polarizationofnorthandsouth;northbecomesindustrialized,southremainsagricultural

RomanticSubjectMatter

•1.     Thequestforbeauty:

non-didactic,“purebeauty”

•2.     Theuseofthefar-awayandnon-normal----antiqueandfanciful:

•a. Inhistoricalperspective:

antiquarianism;antiquingorartificiallyaging;interestinthepast.

•b. Characterizationandmood:

grotesque,Gothicism,senseofterror,fear;useoftheoddandqueer.

•3.     Escapism----fromAmericanproblems

•4.     Interestinexternalnature:

foritself,forbeauty

•a.  Natureassourcefortheknowledgeofprimitive.

•b.  Natureasrefuge.

•c.  NatureasrevelationofGodtotheindividual.

RomanticAttitude

•Appealstoimagination;useofthe“willingsuspensionofdisbelief.”

•Stressonemotionratherthanreason;optimism,geniality.

•Subjectivity:

informandmeaning.

RomanticTechniques

•1.  Remotenessofsettingsintimeandspace.

•2.  Improbableplots.

•3.  Inadequateorunlikelycharacterization.

•4.  Authorialsubjectivity.

•5.  Socially“harmfulmorality”,aworldof“lies”

•6.  Organicprincipleinwriting:

formrisesoutofcontent,non-formal.

•7.  Experimentationinnewforms:

pickingupandusingobsoletepatterns.

•8.  Cultivationoftheindividualized,subjectiveformofwriting.

WashingtonIrving（1783-1859）

1.Masterpieces:

“TheSketchBookofGeoffreyGrayon”（1819-1820）

“BracebridgeHall”

“TalesofaTraveller”

“TheHistoryoftheLifeandVoyagesofChristopherColumbus”

TheSketchBook（1819）,containstwomostenduringstories“RipVanWinkle”and“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”.Inboththesestories,Irvingaimsatcreatingapastinwhichhistoryandmythblendintoeachother,providingforarapidlychangingAmericansocietykindofhistoricaltraditionsoapparentinEnglandandsoapparentlyabsentinthenewnation.TheplotsofbothstoriesarebasedonoldGermanfolktales.However,Irvingfillsthemwiththe“localcolor”ofNewYork’sHudsonRiverValley.In“TheLegend”,IrvingtellsofaConnecticutschoolmasterplyinghistradenearTarrytown,NewYork,amongtheDutchfamiliesthere.Aferventbelieverinwitchcraftandthespiritworld,IchabodCraneisalsooneofthefeweducatedmeninthecommunity,andassuchisanotablefigureinthearea.

Inall,TheSketchBookcontainsthirty-twostories.ThemajorityareonEuropeansubjects,mostlyEnglish.LikemanyimportantAmericanwritersafterhim,Irvingfoundthattherich,oldercultureoftheOldWorldgavehimalot