美国文学2重点.doc

1.Father of American Literature: Irving Father of the American novel: Cooper Inventor of the American Short Story: PoeWashington Irving 华盛顿?欧文1.地位：Father of American literature1. the first American (true) literary writer2. the first American man of letters3. Americas first genuine internationally best-selling author 4. the first belletrist in American literature, writing for pleasure at a time when writing was practical and for useful purposes 注意Mark Twain also is called the Father of American Literature ， the true Father of American Literature。2In 1820, Irving published The Sketch Book under the pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon. 代表作The hit book made Irving the first American author to gain real fame in Europe.The stories (including “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”) appeared serially in 181920.3作品(1) A History of New York (2) The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (This gives him international recognition.) (3) The History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (4) A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (5) The Alhambra 4文学成就1. short story2. “Rip Van Winkle”3. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Poe first theorized on the structure and purpose of the short story.5“Rip Van Winkle”similar to a 3rd-century Chinese tale of Ranka (烂柯)retold in Lionel Giles in A Gallery of Chinese Immortalspart of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey CrayonRip Van Winkle: the protagonist主要人物a villager of Dutch descent lives in a nice village at the foot of New Yorks Catskill Mountains an amiable man whose home and farm suffer from his lazy neglect he is loved by all but his wife6The Legend of Sleepy Hollowthe longest tale in the collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. written while he was living in Birmingham, England. 人物：Ichabod Crane: a lean, lanky, and extremely superstitious schoolmasterAbraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt: the town rowdy (无赖, 流氓)Katrina Van Tassel: the sole child of a wealthy farmer题目：14. _ which contains stories like “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was a great success and won _ a measure of international fame on both sides of the Atlantic. ( ) 9. Diedrich Knickerbocker is the pseudonym of for his works which combines European legends with New England reality.A. Cooper B. Washington IrvingC. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. Philip Frenau 2.。Edgar Allan Poe埃德加?艾伦?坡1地位：Founder of detective story / novelOne of the founders of short story as a literary form representatives of Symbolism representatives of Aestheticism masters of American Renaissance2Published in 1827 his first pamphlet of Tamerlane and Other Poems3He died on Sunday October 7, 1849, at 5:00 in the morning His last words were: “Lord help my poor soul.”4Two factors greatly influenced his writing1. Empiricism经验主义2. Transcendentalism5风格：gothic: horrifyingromanticsymbolictraditional but not easy to read 6作品：Genres:1.short stories (1) ratiocinative (推理的) storiesa. The Murders in the Rue Morgue 毛格街谋杀案b. The Purloined Letter窃信案 (2)revenge + death + rebirth Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque 述异集The Fall of the House of Usher 鄂榭堡的倒塌The Masque of the Red Death 红死魔的面具 The Black Cat 黑猫The Gold-Bug金甲虫The Tell-Tale Heart泄密的心The Cask of Amontillado一桶白葡萄酒2.Poem1. Annabel Lee 2. To Helen 3. The Fall of the House of Usher 4. The Ravens3.Criticism7 Annabel Lee 安娜贝尔?李his last complete poemIt follows Poes favorite theme: the death of a beautiful woman, which Poe called “the most poetical topic in the world.”The Real Annabel Lee probably Poes wife, Virginia Clemm, whom he married when she was only 138致海伦15 lineswritten in honor of the mother of a childhood friendcelebrated the nurturing power of woman9The Fall of the House of Usher a short story in a collection of his fiction entitled Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840 人物：Roderick Usher, the brotherMadeline Usher, the sisterThe unnamed narrator主题：GothicMadnessFearIdentityFamilyFriendshipSanity-Insanity Allan Poe was one of the most famous writers of Gothic fiction.16. _ had long been a highly controversial figure in American Renaissance, whose poetic theories are best expressed in “The Philosophy of Composition” and “The Poetic Principle”.17. Write down the writers: The Fall of the House of Usher The Catcher in the RyeTamburlaineGullivers TravelsThe Importance of Being EarnestA Portraits of the Artist as a Young ManLolita3.Ralph Waldo Emerson拉尔夫?沃尔多?爱默生1地位：Father and the center of American Transcendentalismthe Sage of Concordadvocator of American intellectual independence2引言：“To be great is to be misunderstood”“The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet.”3writes his first important work Nature which describes how humans find God within nature: “In the woods is perpetual youth In the woods we return to reason and faith.”4American Transcendentalism （美国超验主义）定义：a philosophical & literary movement that flourished during the middle 19th Centurya philosophy associated with Kantthe leader in America: Emersonmain idea：one must transcend empiricism or what is experienced in order to ascertain the a prior principles of all knowledge.5三个核心信仰：(1) The universe is connected to the individual through nature(2) By contemplating nature, one can transcend the world and be united with the “Over-Soul” （超灵）(3) One must follow his own intuition and beliefs.6作品：1. Nature2. “The American Scholar”3. “Self-Reliance”4. The Conduct of Life (1860)his most mature workreveals a developed humanism and a full awareness of human limitations5. Poems (1847) and May-Day (1867): established his reputation as a major poet7Nature The Bible / manifesto of the American Transcendentalisman essay that the foundation of transcendentalism is put forth主题：a. the love of natureb. the uses of naturec. the idealist philosophy in relation to natured. evidences of spirit in the material universee. the potential expansion of human souls and works 注：In expressing his belief in the mystical “unity of nature”, Emerson develops his concept of the “Over- Soul” or “Universal Mind”.Question: What is Emersons view on nature？Emersons nature:emblematic of the spiritual world a big symbol of the Spirit, or God, or the over-soul alive with Gods overwhelming presence exercises a healthy and restorative influence on human mind8“The American Scholar”美国学者regarded as the Declaration of Intellectual Independence -Oliver Wendell HolmesAmericas Literary Declaration of Independence15. Emersons leading role has made the _ of which he was spokesman central. It was one of many movements in the air at a point when sect and schisms, religious and philosophical tendencies, stirred New England life and spread abroad to the nation. 10. Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the greatest American litterateurs whose call for an independent American culture played a crucial part in the American intellectual history. The following works are all his except .A. Nature B. The PoetC. The American Scholar D. Walden 4.。Henry David Thoreau亨利?戴维?梭罗1地位：one of the most influential figures in American thought and literature one of the major figures of the New England Renaissancea supreme individualistsometimes cited as an individualist anarchist (个体至上的无政府主义者)“I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government” -Thoreau2One of his first memories: staying awake at night “looking through the stars to see if I could see God behind them.”3Major Works1. Walden; or, Life in the Woods, 瓦尔登，或林中生活, 18542. Civil Disobedience,18494Walden; or, Life in the Woods It details Thoreaus sojourn in the cabin near Walden Pond.one of the best-known non-fiction books written by an American.主题：Unity self-reliance solitude contemplation closeness to nature5Civil Disobedience 非暴力反抗；温和抵抗；论公民有不服从（政府）之权利originally titled “Resistance to Civil Government” one of the primary methods of nonviolent resistance. 主题：a. Citizens of good conscience should actively oppose unjust government policies through nonviolent resistance, such as refusal to pay taxes.b. Slavery is an evil institution that must be abolished. c. The Mexican War is an unjust conflict because it is being fought to acquire new territory in which to establish slavery. d. Talk means little unless action backs it up. Saying you are against an unjust government policy does nothing to eliminate that policy.e. Citizens must oppose efforts by groups that promote their own selfish interests at the expense of morality，ethics，individual rights6Love Your Life by Henry David ThoreauHowever mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. 不论你的生活如何卑贱，你要面对它生活，不要躲避它，更别用恶言咒骂它。它不像你那样坏。 题目：11.The author of “Civil Disobedience” is -Benjamin franklin Henry David Thoreau James Fenimore Cooper Frank Norris 5.。Nathaniel Hawthorne纳撒尼尔?霍桑1best-known work: The Scarlet Letter (1850) one of the first American writers to explore the hidden motivations of his characters.2Emerson described his life with the words “painful solitude.”3Hawthornes first novel, Fanshawe (1828)4Hawthornes second, expanded edition of Twice-told Tales (1837), was praised by Edgar Allan Poe. 5Hawthorne returned to writing and published The Scarlet Letter in mid-March 1850.One of the first mass-produced books in America6Influences on Hawthorne：1. Salem - early childhood, later work at the Custom House 2. Puritan family background 3. Belief in the existence of the devil 4. Belief in determinism7Major Themes：1. sin2. the Puritan guilt3. punishment4. atonement5. alienation8Famous short stories：“Young Goodman Brown”: 好小伙布朗,Mosses from an Old Manse “The Ministers Black Veil”: 教长的黑面纱,Twice-Told Tales9小说The Scarlet Letter红字, 1850The House of the Seven Gables 七角楼房,1851The Blithedale Romance福谷传奇,1852The Marble Faun玉石人像,186010Style：(1) the use of symbolsA black veil represents the wickedness of mankind.The letter A in The Scarlet Letter takes on different layers of symbolic meanings as the plot develops. (2) revelation of characters psychology (3) the use of supernatural mixed with the actual (4) his stories are parable 11The Scarlet Letter 1. 17th century 2.人物：(1) Hester Prynne (2) Arthur Dimmesdale (3) Roger Chillingworth (4) Pearl 3.Detailed Character Analysis of Hester At the trialproud。strong-willed。Sinless。Motherhood。youthful & beautiful。passionate & spirited The major changes after the trial (1) sinner(2) mother(3) lover(4) ex-wife(5) member of the community(1) as a sinner penitent (penit?nt悔罪的) no woman any more social outcast strongera thinker (2) as a lover faithful selfless (3) as an ex-wife a woman who keeps her words never harbors any malice (恶意) towards Chillingworth whom she considers responsible for her defamation (4) as a mother loving and selfless dressing Pearl with the brightest colors suffering from the impishness of her daughter 4.The letter Athe most important symbola variety of meaningsoriginally standing for the sin of adulterydifferent meanings for each character5.Themessin, rejection, and redemption (补偿) the nature of evilrevenge self-respect good from evil hypocrisy and cowardice the rational vs. the supernatural 题目： use ofTrue and False6.The House of the Seven Gables deals with the effects of a curse, and though the tale itself is fiction, the germ of the story sprang from the authors family history. The author is Henry David Thoreau. ambiguity to keep the reader in the world of uncertainty multiple point of view 6.。Herman Melville赫尔曼?梅尔维尔1masterpiece: Moby Dick,白鲸2His first book, Typee, was based on his time spent among the supposedly cannibalistic (食人的) but hospitable tribe of the Taipis in the Marquesas Islands of the South Pacific. 3 Point of view (1) He never seems able to say an affirmative yes to life: His is the attitude of “Everlasting Nay” (negative attitude towards life).(2) One of his major themes is alienation (疏离, far away from each other)4 Style (1) the effect of ambiguity (歧义) through employing the technique of multiple view of his narratives.(2) periodic chapters(3) rich rhythmical prose(4) poetic power(5) symbolic & metaphorical (含有大量隐喻的)(6) non-narrative chapters of factual background5Major Works Typee,泰皮, (1846)most popular book during his lifetime Omoo,欧穆, (1847) Mardi,玛蒂, (1849) Redburn,雷德本, (1849) White-Jacket,白夹克, (1850) Moby-Dick,白鲸, (1851)his masterpiece & most important work Billy Budd,比利?巴德, (posthumous, 1924) 6Moby-Dick,白鲸regarded as the first American prose epic presented in the form of novelnow often referred to as “The Great American Novel” The Main Characters：1. Ishmael i?mei?l 2. Captain Ahabeih?b 3. Moby Dick 4. Queequeg 5. Starbuck 题目：17. Greatly influenced by Hawthornes black vision regarding the evil of human beings, _Melville_ produced the first American prose epic - _Moby-Dick_ which appears to be a whaling tale or sea adventure. 写作者Billy Budd Herman Melville的代表作 Moby-Dick,白鲸1. Read the novel, English or Chinese version. 2. Find more symbols in the novel. 3. Write a short article on the theme of the novel. The symbols in Moby-Dick：Major symbols:(1) the voyage(2) the whale (3) the Pequod (4) Queequegs Coffin(5) Rachel(1) the voyage the one of the mind in quest of the truth and knowledge of universe(2) the whale an Undefinable Figure a Symbol of Unparalleled Greatness as a Part of Ahab(3) The Pequod a symbol of doom named after a Native American tribe that did not long survive the arrival of white men.memorializing an extinction(4) Queequegs Coffin alternately symbolizes life and death. Queequeg has it built when he is seriously ill. But when he recovers, it becomes an emblem of his will to live. (5) Rachel one of the patriarch Jacobs wives the name of the boat that rescues Ishmael at books end.The Themes: MAN GOD NATURE the quest for knowledge the limits of Knowledge the quest for death the unconquerable nature the destructive nature the deceptiveness of Fate7.Walt Whitman沃尔特?惠特曼1American national poetAmericas Bard of DemocracyThe American poet of Common peopleRepresentative of everymanThe greatest poet in the 19th century USA.2作品Leaves of Grass3Influences on Whitman a. Enlightenmentb. Idealismc. Transcendentalismd. evolution idease. western frontier spiritsf. Jeffersons individualismg. American Civil Warh. Orientalism4重点Style & Languagea. the poetic “I” b. free versec. parallelism d. phonetic recurrencee. colorful wordsf. vivid images5Free verse重点also known as “open form” verse, is the verse without regular meter line length rhyme(scheme) stanza formdepending on natural speech rhythms related to the actual cadence (n. 节奏,韵律 ) of the poet expressing himself. 6 Characteristics rhyme or scheme: not fixed parallelism, a rhythm of thought phonetic recurrence(重复，反复) the habit of using snapshots7Major themesHe extols (赞颂) the ideals of equality And democracycelebrates the dignity，the self-reliant spirit ，the joy of the common man8引言“Nothing can happen more beautiful than death.”“To die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.”9Song of Myself the longest poem with 1336 linesone of the best-known poems in the book“Song of Myself” is saturated with the pride of the persona himself ，the vehemence of the audacity of freedomthe persona, that is, the “I” in the poem, should not be limited to or confused with the person of the historical Walt Whitman:Walt Whitman every American every human being8.。Emily Dickinson埃米莉?迪金森1. Preview “I heard a Fly buzz” and “Because I could not stop for death”.2. What is the symbolic meaning of the fly?3. How does she feel when dying?4. What is the theme of the poem?5. What do the carriage and drive symbolize? Who is “He”? What is he like?6. What is the theme of the poem?7. What are the features of Emilys poem?1Within her little lyrics Dickinson addresses those issues that concerned the whole human beings, which include religiondeathimmortalityloveNature2Themes A few universal themes occupied the poet: love, nature, doubt and faith, suffering, death, immortality.these John Donne has called the great granite(坚韧的) obsessions(困扰、迷念) of humankind. 3 Style Regular meter Common meter Short meter (4.3.4.3)4The Characteristics of Her Verse 1. Highly compressed, compact, shy of (缺少) being exposed. 2. Her style is elliptical (含蓄的) 3. Her lyrics are her highly subjective. One-fifth of them b