美国文学复习资料.doc

基本教材：美国文学选读（上、下册）, 李宜燮、常耀信, 南开大学出版社, 2009年6月推荐书目：1.美国文学简史(第二版), 常耀信, 南开大学出版社，20032.美国文学史及选读，Wu Weiren, History and Anthology of American Literature (FLTRP, 2nd ed.)严忠志zzyan98sina.coWhy should we study literature?What can we study?How do we study it ?What is the format of the final exam?Identify the authors of the following works. Identify the works from which the following parts are taken. Describe the following terms. Write a short essay (about 200 words) discussing one of the following writers in terms of the historical backgrounds, literary movements, major works and ideas about literature. Readings for American Literature1Autobiography (pp.21-26,Vol.1)The Authors Account of Himself (pp.58-61,Vol.1)Nature (pp.130-133,Vol.1)O Captain, My Captain (pp.330-332,Vol.1)Because I Could Not Stop for Death (pp.336-338,Vol.1)The Raven (pp.149-154,Vol.1)The Ambassadors (pp.469-485,Vol.1)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(pp.422-428,Vol.1)Sister Carrie (pp.576-587,Vol.1)In a Station of the Metro (p.110, Vol.2 )The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (pp.181-188, Vol.2)Anecdote of the Jar (p.76-77, Vol.2)The Road Not Taken (pp.53-54, Vol.2)Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening (pp.48-49, Vol.2)15. A Farewell to Arms (pp.271-277, Vol.2)16. The Grapes of Wrath (pp.329-333, Vol.2)17. Catch-22 (pp.708-719, Vol.2)18. Herzog (pp. 504-518, Vol.2)19. The Death of a Salesman (pp.454-464, Vol.2)20. Song of Solomon (pp.833-852, Vol.2)A General Survey of American LiteratureThis outline of American literature intends to cover the whole range of the literary history of the United States of America from the early Colonial Period through the 1970s, and offer a brief account of the major authors and their masterworks and of the major literary trends and currents of thought which dominated the American literary scene at one time or another and became the thematic or formal concern of some major authors in their literary endeavors.This is, then, what we intend to do in the series of brief lectures that follow. We offer a sketch, or a birds-eye view, or probably a stepping stone of sorts, and anyone who expects more will have to go further afield. The emphasis is chiefly placed on the nineteenth-century and the period between the two wars, with a brief overview of Black American literature, American drama, and the post-war scene respectively. As recent American literature is still being written, and critical evaluations are still being made, we propose to offer only a brief account of it in the present course.Chapter 1 Colonial PeriodIt is now a critical commonplace that American literature per se did not begin until the nineteenth century. Therefore we shall be brief about the Colonial Period, the period stretching roughly from the settlement of America in the early seventeenth century through the end of the eighteenth. The major topic here will be about American Puritanism, the one enduring influence in American literature, and the major figures to mention will be Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin who, between them, represent the heritage of American Puritanism.Jonathan Edwards *170358, American theologian and metaphysician, b. East Windsor (then in Windsor), Conn. He was a precocious child, early interested in things scientific, intellectual, and spiritual. After graduating from Yale at 17, he studied theology, preached (172223) in New York City, tutored (172426) at Yale, and in 1727 became the colleague of his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, in the ministry at Northampton, Mass. In 1729, on his grandfathers death, Edwards took sole charge of the congregation. The young minister was not long in gaining a wide following by his forceful preaching and powerful logic. These abilities were in the best Calvinist tradition and were enriched by his reading in philosophy, notably ，Edwardss favorite themes were predestination and the absolute dependence of humble man upon God and divine grace, which alone could save humanity. He rejected with fire the Arminian modification of these Calvinist doctrines. He exhorted his hearers with great effect and in 173435 held a religious revival in Northampton that in effect brought the Great Awakening to New England. Edwards was stern in demanding strict orthodoxy and fervent zeal from his congregation. He was unbending in a controversy over tests for church membership, and in 1750 his congregation dismissed him from Northampton. At Stockbridge, Mass., where he went to care for the Native American mission and to minister to a small white congregation, he completed his theological masterpiece, The Freedom of the Will (1754), which sets forth metaphysical and ethical arguments for determinism. In 1757 Edwards was called to be president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), but he died a few months later. Edwardss influence on American Christian thought was immense for a time, and he is often regarded as the last of the great New England Calvinists. However, his emphasis on personal religious experience and his use of the revival, leading to the Great Awakening, were partially responsible for the advent of evangelical revivalism, which was based on a belief contrary to Calvinist doctrinethat salvation was possible without predestined election. Calvinism: the Christian religious teachings of John Calvin, based on the idea that events on Earth are controlled by God and cannot be changed by humans.The term is used in several different senses. (1)It may indicate the teachings expressed by John Calvin himself; (2)it may be extended to include all that developed from his doctrine and practice in Protestant countries in social, political, and ethical, as well as theological, aspects of life and thought; or (3)it may be employed as the name of that system of doctrine accepted by the Reformed churches, i.e., the Protestant churches called Reformed in distinction from those professing Lutheran doctrines. Early Calvinism differed from Lutheranism in its rejection of consubstantiation (圣体同质) regarding the sacrament of the Lords Supper, in its rigid doctrine of predestination, in its notion of grace as irresistible, and in its theocratic view of the state. Luther believed in the political subordination of the church to the state; Calvinism produced the church-dominated societies of Geneva and Puritan New England. Calvinism, stressing the absolute sovereignty of Gods will, held that only those whom God specifically elects are saved, that this election is irresistible, and that individuals can do nothing to effect this salvation. Calvinism challenged Lutheranism throughout Europe, spread to Scotland, influenced the Puritans of England, and received its expression in the United States in the modified New England theology. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) *(audio) (videos)Scientist, and writer, b. Boston. The only American of the colonial period to earn a European reputation as a natural philosopher, he is best remembered in the United States as a patriot and diplomat.His writings are still widely known today, especially his autobiography (covering only his early years), which is generally considered one of the finest autobiographies in any language and has appeared in innumerable editions.He was a rare genius in human history. Everything seems to meet in this one man. He became almost everything: a printer, essayist, scientist, orator, states-man, philosopher, economist, ambassadorAutobiography (pp.21-26,Vol.1)puritan work ethicUnexamined life is not worth living.P.251. Among the 13 virtues, which is most difficult to follow today?2. Which one do you think is most interesting, and why?Chapter 2 American RomanticismThe Romantic Period that follows covers the first half of the nineteenth century. A rising America with its ideals of democracy and equality, its industrialization, its westward expansion, and a variety of such as Sir Walter Scott were among the important factors which made literary expansion and expression not only possible but also inevitable in the period immediately following the nations political independence.The history of the formation of the United States of America is, in a sense, a process in which the settlers moved continuously westward, pushing the frontier with them.Definition Characteristics American Romanticism (see Handout)Section 1 Early Romantic Period(1 video)Washington Irving * (17831859)The first important writer in American literature, Irving deserves credit for the part he played in inspiring the American romantic imagination. His fascinating The Sketch Book with two of his most famous stories, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” will be placed at the top of any reading list for a course on American literature. American author and diplomat, b. New York City. Irving was one of the first Americans to be recognized abroad as a man of letters, and he was a literary idol at home. Early Life and Work While he studied law, Irving amused himself by writing for periodicals such essays on New York society and the theater as the Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. (18023). From 1804 to 1806 his older brothers financed his tour of France and Italy. On his return he joined William Irving and J. K. Paulding in publishing Salmagundi; or, The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff & Others (18078), a series of humorous and satirical essays. Under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, he published A History of New York (1809), a satire that has been called the first great book of comic literature written by an American. Purporting to be a scholarly account of the Dutch occupation of the New World, the book is a burlesque of history books as well as a satire of politics in his own time. Later Life and Mature Work Irving went to England in 1815 to run the Liverpool branch of the family hardware business, but could not save it when the whole firm failed. Thereupon, with the encouragement of Walter Scott, Irving turned definitely to literature. The stories (including Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ), collected in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (London, 1820), appeared serially in New York in 181920; their enthusiastic reception made Irving the best-known figure in American literature both at home and abroad. Bracebridge Hall (1822), the next volume of essays, although inferior to the previous book, was well received. However, his Tales of a Traveller (1824), written after visits to Germany and France, was a failure. Irving became a diplomatic attach at the American embassy in Madrid in 1826. There he produced his biography of Columbus (1828), largely based on the work of the Spanish historian Navarrete; The Conquest of Granada (1829), a romantic narrative; and the soft, casually charming Spanish sketches of The Alhambra (1832). After a short period at the American legation in London, he returned to New York. In search of colorful material, he made a journey to the frontier and wrote about the American West in A Tour of the Prairies (1835). From records furnished by John Jacob Astor, he wrote Astoria (1836), with Pierre Irving, and The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, U.S.A. (1837). Irving subsequently established himself at his estate, Sunnyside, near Tarrytown, N.Y., until he was sent to Madrid as American minister to Spain (184246). Once more at Sunnyside, he wrote a biography of Goldsmith (1849) and the miscellaneous sketches called Wolferts Roost (1855) and labored at his biography of George Washington (5 vol., 185559), which he completed just before his death. Irving was master of a graceful and unobtrusively sophisticated prose style. A gentle but effective satirist, he was the creator of a few widely loved essays and tales that have made his name endure.The Authors Account of Himselfp.59fain: 1.happily; gladly: - I would fain improve every opportunity to wonder and worship, as a sunflower welcomes the light (Henry David Thoreau).2. (Archaic) preferably; rather.emolument uncountable and countable(formal) money or another form of payment for work you have donepropensity: (plural propensities,countable usually singular（formal) a natural tendency to behave in a particular waypropensity to do something-the male propensity to fightpropensity for-He seems to have a propensity for breaking things.wistful: thinking sadly about something you would like to have but cannot have, especially something that you used to have in the past-a wistful smile- Simons face grew wistful as he thought about his happy student days.wistfully wistfulness clime: (countable usually plural literary) a place that has a particular type of climate-sunnier climes- Lamb seems a natural choice in the winter clime.waft: if a smell, smoke, or a light wind wafts somewhere, or if something wafts it somewhere, it moves gently through the airwaft up/through/over etc-Cooking smells wafted up from downstairs.p.60verdure uncountable, literary, green grass, plants etcmolder: the American spelling of moulder, also moulder away intransitive to decay gradually-old papers moldering away in the attic* Comment on the literary qualities of the description. picturesque languagep.61saunter: to walk in a slow relaxed way, especially so that you look confident or proudsee also strollsaunter along/around/in etc-He came sauntering down the road with his hands in his pockets.- Shouldnt you be in class? Mr Harris asked the girls who were sauntering down the corridor.saunter noun singularpicturesque:1.a picturesque place is pretty and interesting in an old-fashioned way-a quiet fishing village with a picturesque harbour2.picturesque language uses unusual, interesting, or sometimes rude words to describe something-a picturesque account of his trip to New Yorkdisposed:1.be/feel/seem etc disposed to do something,(formal) to want or be willing to do something-Jon disagreed, but did not feel disposed to argue.2.be disposed to something,(formal) to have a tendency towards something-a man disposed to depressionnook: (literary) a small quiet place which is sheltered by a rock, a big tree etc-a shady nookJames Fenimore Cooper *(video:莫希干人)17891851, American novelist, b. Burlington, N.J. He was the first important American writer to draw on the subjects and landscape of his native land in order to create a vivid myth of frontier life. Coopers literary career, which covers a period of 30 years and includes more than 50 publications, began in 1820 with the appearance of Precaution. Imitative of the English novel of manners, this book failed to gain an audience; but his next work, The Spy (1821), a patriotic story of the American Revolution, was an immediate success. With The Pioneers (1823), the first of the famous Leatherstocking Tales, and The Pilot (1823), an adventure of the high seas, Coopers reputation as the first major American novelist was established. In 1826 Cooper went to France, nominally as American consul at Lyons. He spent several years abroad, publishing such novels as The Red Rover (1827), The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish (1829), and The Water-Witch (1830), romances of American life on land and sea. In Notions of the Americans (1828) he defended his country to European critics; but upon his return home, repelled by what he saw as the abuses of American democracy, Cooper became the staunch social critic of American society. Such works as The American Democrat (1838) and the fictional Homeward Bound and its sequel, Home as Found (both 1838), express the conservative, aristocratic social views that made him quite unpopular; his later life was filled with many quarrels and lawsuits over his works. His most important novels are called the Leatherstocking Tales, which in order of the narrative are The Deerslayer (1841), The Last of the Mohicans (1826), The Pathfinder (1840),The Pioneers (1823), The Prairie(1827)Cooper skillfully dramatized the clash between the frontier wilderness and the encroaching civilization. James Fenimore Coopers Leatherstocking Tales offers some fictional version of the American national experience of adventure into the wilderness of the American West. The importance of the frontier and the wilderness in American literature is for the first time well-illustrated in Coopers Leatherstocking Tales and was to remain a major concern for many later authors. Named for their chief character, the forthright frontiersman Natty Bumppo, nicknamed Leatherstocking, the Leatherstocking Tales are notable for their descriptive power, their mastery of native background, and their romanticized portrayal of the Native American. Coopers later works include the novels Afloat and Ashore and its sequel, Miles Wallingford (both 1844), and the Littlepage trilogySatanstoe (1845), The Chainbearer (1845), and The Redskins (1846)a study of the conflict between the landholding and the propertyless classes in New York state, in which Cooper shows himself a traditional defender of the rights of property. Cooper has been criticized for his extravagant plots, his conventional characters, and his stilted dialogue. Nevertheless, he remains the first great American novelist, a vital and original writer of romances of the wilderness and of the sea, and a harshly astute critic of the growing and stumbling American democracy.Section 2 Summit of Romanticism American TranscendentalismWe are now entering the formative period of indigenous American literature. Calling for the creation of a native literature rather than always