英美文选总复习.doc

Unit 1 Benjamin Franklin -writer, scientist, political economistLiterary worksStyleSignificanceLiterary works Poor Richards Almanac -gives advice in maxims, that is proverbs with practical wisdom. Autobiography -most important work. It has lasting charm to those who are pursuing their American dream in America.Styleclear and even plainrather formal , but the organization is informal.full of his humor and satire.Significancethe first self-made man in Americaconsidered as the symbol of American dreamsymbol of America in the age of Enlightenmentbrought the colonial era to a close.a Jack of all tradesUnit2 Edgar Allan Poe -writer, poet and critic WorksCommentWorksTales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque 奇异怪诞故事集The Murders in the Rue Morgue 毛格街杀人案The Fall of the House of Usher厄舍古屋的倒塌The Masque of the Red Death 红色死亡的化妆舞会The Cask of Amontillado一桶酒的故事The Philosophy of Composition 创作哲学The Poetic Principle诗歌原理The Raven乌鸦CommentMaster of horror; the father of the detective story ;the first master of the short-story formadvocacy “art for arts sake”.New England TranscendentalismTranscendentalismRalph Waldo EmersonHenry David Thoreau.Transcendentalismstarted in the early 19th century and flourished in New Englandsummit of American Romanticism.the first American intellectual movement, represented a new way of intellectual thinking in Americaleaded by Emerson with his book NatureTranscendentalismMajor features - Spirit or Oversoul: the universe is composed of Nature and Soul. Spirit is everywhere. Individualism: the most important element in society, the divinity of individual. Nature: is a connecting link between God and man. It is a symbol of the Spirit.TranscendentalismInfluences-American: an ethical guide to life for a young nation ; stressed religious tolerance; helped to create the first American renaissanceAmerican culture: individualism; seclusion; morality; environmental protect; women movement; anti-slavery; American literature: Scarlet Letter; Moby Dick; Hackberry Finn; The Awakening; . Unit3 Ralph Waldo Emerson - essayist and poetSignificanceMain WorksInfluencesSignificancebrought back the influence of European Romanticism. founded a Transcendentalists Club and published a journalbecame the most eloquent spokesman of Transcendentalism.his aesthetics brought about a revolution in American literature. It marked the birth of true American poetry.called for an independent cultureMain WorksEssays:Nature 论自然 American Scholar论美国学者 3.Essays论文集4.Representative Men 人类代表 Poems:1. Poems诗集 2. May Day五月节 InfluencesNature , the Bible of Transcendentalism “The American Scholar”, regarded as “Declaration of Intellectual Independence” “Self-Reliance”, the importance of cultivating oneself. “ believe yourself ” is his main point of ethics. Unit 6 Henry David Thoreau -an essayist, philosopher and poetMain WorksPoints of viewEvaluationWaldenMain Works1. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”论公民的不服从2.Two very important works： Walden 沃尔登 A Week on the Concord and Merrimack River在康科德与梅里马克河上一周Points of view1. He did not like the way a materialistic America was developing.2. He hated the human injustices represented by the slavery system.3. Like Emerson, but more than him, Thoreau saw nature as a genuine restorative, healthy influence on mans spiritual well-being.4. He has faith in the inner virtue and inward, spiritual grace of man.5. He was very critical of modern civilization.6. He preferred a simplified life.Evaluationinfluenced by Emerson and was Emersons man of actionregarded as a prophet of individualism in American literatureHis first major influence is his thought of nonviolent struggle expressed in his “Civil Disobedience”second major influence is his call of “Back to Nature”.Waldendescribed the authors extremely simple lifeon self-culture and human perfectibilitycriticized the modern civilization and told people to leave the life of hurry and bustle and to sink themselves in natureSpiritual richness is real wealthUse metaphor, pun, allusionUnit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne -novelist and short story tellerSignificanceMain WorksPoints of ViewThemeStyleThe Scarlet Letter Significance1. He was a master of psychological insight.2. He was a very important moralist novelist in the 19th century.3. His original writing style profoundly influenced his contemporary writers and some other American writers after him.Main Works The Scarlet Letter 红字 Twice-Told Tales故事重述 Mosses from an Old Manse古宅青苔 The House of the Seven Gables带有七个尖角阁的房子 The Blithedale Romance福谷传奇 The Marble Faun玉石雕像Points of ViewHe disagrees with transcendentalism.He believes that evil educates.Whenever there is sin, there is punishment. Sin or evil can be passed down from generation to generation.Evil is at the core of human life. Hawthorne has a “black” vision of life and human beings.Theme1. New England regional past and American past2. Secret guilt and evil3. Alienation and solitude4. Original sin and its influence5. Complexity of human psychology; “interior of the heart”Style1. The use of symbolism2. Revelation of characters psychology3. The use of supernatural mixed with the actual4. Allegoryto teach or preach5. The use of ambiguity to keep the reader in the world of uncertaintyThe Scarlet Letter best-known novelSocial life of Puritan in New England in 17th centurySymbolism: A = Adultery angel ableabilityCharacters: Hester Prynne: truth, love and beauty Dimmesdale: a split personality, hypocrisy Chillingworth: wickedness, darkness, hatred, evil, defect in human personality Pearl: hopeUnit 5 Herman Melville -novelist and poet Reputation Main WorksReputationan adventure writerregarded as great as Whitman, and Faulknercreates the first American prose epic, Moby DickMoby Dick is recognized as one of the greatest American novelsMain Works1.Novels: Typee泰比 Omoo欧穆 Mardi玛地 Redburn雷得本 White Jacket白外衣 Moby Dick 白鲸 Melvilles masterpiece, a significant philosophical work on spiritual exploration Pierre The Confidence Man骗子的化妆表演 2. Collections of Poems:（了解） Battle Pieces战事集 Clarel克拉瑞尔 John Marr and Other Sailors约翰玛尔和其他水手 Timoleon梯摩里昂 The Backround of American Realism时间：19世纪后半页，尤指19世纪70，80年代失去希望的美国人去了西部，人们变得更实际的面对生活因为国家的发展，渐渐有人失去了浪漫的想象逐渐转向务实。因此，现实主义的时代来了。就像马克吐温的The Gilded Age 镀金时代所描述，美国社会表面繁荣，贫穷的阴暗面同样在发展.American RealismMark Twain（1835-1910） Life story / Works / Style Main works / ReputationHenry James（18431916) Life story / Woks / OthersLife StoryReal name : Samuel Langhorne Clemens 他是美国的幽默大师、小说家、作家，也是著名演说家。 He lived in a town named Hannibal along the Mississippi when he was a child. His life experience in the town was used in his famous novels.ContinueWhen he was 12,his father died and he left hometown and lived on all kinds of odd jobs .After marriage he moved to New England and gradually became a famous writer.His late life was a tragedy.(因患不治之症身亡）。Three stages of his thought and works 1. Active ,humor and lively 2. Full of acid(尖酸的，刻薄的） and critical words 3. A little disappointed and pessimistic (悲观的）Works A. Short story: “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” （第一部幽默短篇）“The Million Pound Note”“Running for Governor”B. NovelsThe Gilded Age（美国现实主义文学开山之作）The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Prince and the PauperLife on MississippiC. Social Critic- wrote lots of passages criticizing the racial discrimination .Writing Style Colloquial language, dialects(方言）Local color（乡土特色）Sentences: simple, brief, sometimes ungrammaticalHumorTall tales: highly exaggerated（夸张） storiesSocial criticism: satire on the ugly things in societyLocal Colorism乡土特色已经成为一种趋势，在19世纪60年代末和1870年代初美国文学占主导地位。它是美国现实主义文学的变化 它指的是在散文的设置，方言，习俗，服饰等方面有其自身的区域性代表特色 和思维方式。 Representatives: Mark Twain Harriet Beecher Stowe(斯托夫人） William Faulkner Willa Cather The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras CountyThis is a “tall tale” filled with the kind of exaggeration and comedy that characterize the frontier life.(幽默、夸张 、讽刺相结合）The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnTwain chose to use the colloquial style in this novel- a very important contribution to American literature.Features of the language used in the novel: mostly Anglo-Saxon in origin, short, concrete and direct in effect; sentence structure is mostly simple or compound; repetition of words; ungrammatical elements.Reputation他曾被W.D.Howells誉为：文学史上的林肯。海明威曾经写下: “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn Its the best book weve had There was nothing before. 威廉福克纳称马克吐温为“第一位真正的美国作家，我们都是继承他而来”。海伦凯勒曾言：“我喜欢马克吐温谁会不喜欢他呢？即使是上帝，亦会钟爱他，赋予其智慧，并于其心灵里绘画出一道爱与信仰的彩虹。Henry James（life story） He is a novelist, critic Born in a wealthy and cultured familyAttended Harvard Law School but read literary works thereToured in Europe and met many famous writerWanted to be a critic in New York but could not endure the prevailing materialismIn 1876, left for England and became an English citizen in 1915WorksThe AmericanDaisy MillerThe Portrait of a Lady(被普遍认为是他的名作）The BostoniansThe Turn of the ScrewThe Wings of the DoveThe AmbassadorsThe Golden BowlHis literary criticism:“The Art of Fiction”Others“The international theme”国际主题是詹姆斯的一个重要写作方向，代表作:The American Scene美国所见他创造的“Psychological Realism”，成为20世纪的“意识流”的先行者。 ComparisonwriterscharacterstechniquesHenry JamesUpper classPsychological Realism（心理现实主义）Mark TwainLower classLocal color and colloquialismUnit 7 19th-Century American Poets 1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (18071882) 2.Edgar Allan Poe (18091849) 3. Walt Whitman (18191892) 4.Emily Dickinson(18301886) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) 1. Life story Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a New England poet. He was born in Portland in Maine on February 27 in 1807. His father was a well-to-do lawyer. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1826, Longfellow traveled for three years in France, Germany, Italy, and England to learn modern languages. When he returned home, he took up the career as a college professor of foreign languages at Bowdoin and Harvard. He received honorary degrees from the Oxford and Cambridge Universities when he was in Europe from 1868 to 1869. At the same time, Queen Victoria gave him a private audience. His seventy-fifth birthday was celebrated nationally in America. He died in Cambridge, the village outside Boston on March 24, 1882.2.worksVoices of the Night 1839Ballads and Other Poems 1842Evangeline 1847The Song of Hiawatha It is the first American epic in blank verse about the American Indians. -I Shot an Arrow-A Psalm of Life3. Style1) He wrote about American subjects, but always in European style.2) He had a melancholy vision of life, but his poems have a manly, affirmative note.3) Many critics complain that his writing is too sentimental and romantic.4) The gentleness, sweetness, and purity were the very qualities that made his poetry popular during his lifetime.4. Significance1) He was the first American poet to write narrative poems. And he helped create a national myth in his historical narratives and patriotic poems.2) He was the first American poet to be honored by having his bust placed in the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey. This indicates that his poetry has been highly appreciated in Britain.3) Being a highly learned and cultivated man, he represent Victorian culture in America.4) He was the leading figure of the Boston Brahmin Poets (the patrician, well-educated poets in New England).5) He was one of the classroom poets whose portraits were put up in the classroom to be honored by the students.6) He exercised a great influence in bringing European culture to the U.S., and likewise did much to popularize American folk themes abroad. Poems by PoeSONNET- TO SCIENCE TO HELEN 1. Life story Walt Whitman (1819-1892), was an outstanding American poet in the 19th century. He was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills farming community on Long Island, New York in a poor family. The family moved to Brooklyn in 1823. He received very little education. After doing odds jobs, he began his literary career. After 1880 he began to gain his recognition as a poet. He was poor all his life and never married. He died at Camden on March 26, 1892.2. Literary worksWhitman devoted himself to complete his only collection of poems:Leaves of GrassThe collection ran nine editions in 1855, 1856, 1860, 1867, 1871,1876, 1881, 1889, 1891-92, containing 12 poems in the first edition and more than 400 poems in the last.Leaves of GrassIt is significant that the poet entitled his book “Leaves of Grass”. He once said that:“Where there is earth, where there is water, there is grass.”Grass, the most common thing with the greatest vitality, is an image of the poet himself, a symbol of the then rising American nation and an embodiment of Whitmans ideals about democracy and freedom.Some famous poems in the Collection:“Song of Myself”“When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd”Ones Self I SingO Captain! My Captain! 3. Theme“Whitman was a catalog of American and European thought.” he was influenced by many American and European thoughts: enlightenment, idealism, transcendentalism, evolution ideas, western frontier spirits, Jeffersons individualism, the Civil War unionism, and orientalism (Chinese and Indian philosophies).1) equality2) Divinity（神性） individualism3) Democracy4) Expansion of America5) Brotherhood and social solidarity6) Pursuit of love and happiness7) Multiplicity of nature The themes of Whitman are well revealed in his short poem “Ones Self I Sing”.4. Style1) Free verse: poetry without fixed rhyme or regular rhyme scheme2) Parallelism3) Phonetic recurrence “同字起句法”4) The use of a certain pronoun “I”5) Catalogue technique: long list of names6) Powerful, colorful vocabulary and vivid images7) Long sentence 8) Original and revolutionary styleEmily Dickinson (1830-1886) 1. Life Story Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), was an original poet in America. She was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts in a well-to-do family. She received education in Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. After 1872, she scarcely ever left her own house and yard. She kept in touch with her friends through letters, short poems, and small gifts. She never married, and died in 1886.2. Literary Works&3. ThemeShe wrote altogether 1775 poems, of which only seven appeared in print in her lifetime. Dickinson was “rediscovered” in the twentieth century.Some famous poems by Dickinson:To Make A PrairieSuccess Is Counted SweetestIm NobodyThe major themes in Dickinsons poems are mainly based on her own experiences:1) Religion2) Death and immortality3) Lovesufferings and frustration caused by love4) Nature5) Beauty4. Style1) Poems without titles2) Use of capital letters and dashes3) Plainest words and brevity（简洁）4) Short poems, mainly two stanzas5) Fresh and strange images6) Bold and unconventional (非传统的）and often startling metaphors5. Significance1) Dickinson became, with Stephen Crane, the forerunner of the Imagist movement.2) Dickinson shares the same reputation with Poe and Whitman as Americas most innovative poet.20-Century American Poets1.Ezra Pound (1885 1972)2.WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS1883-1963 3.Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)4.Robert Frost (1874 1963)5.Langston Hughes(1902-1967）6.Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982)Ezra Pound (1885 1972)1.?Life：(1)He was?born in Idaho, and raised in Pennsylvania.(2) He entered University of Penn., and studied Romance languages(3)?He traveled in Eu. and led the Imagist movement.(4)?He broke with Amy Lowell and lived in Italy.(5) He supported Mussolini in the second world war and after the war he was jailed because of betraying his motherland(6)?With the help of T. S. Eliot and some other famous writers, he was released and lived in hospital.Imagist movementThe Imagist movement included English and American poets in the early twentieth century who wrote free verse and were devoted to “clarity of expression through the use of precise visual images.” Image, or imagery in criticism is variable in meaning. Its applications range all the way from the “mental pictures” which, it is sometimes claimed, are experienced by the reader of a poem, to the totality of the components which make up a poem. Pounds definition of the image was “that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” C. Day Lewis stated that an image “is a picture made out of words,” an