美国文学考试试题详解及笔记整理

1. Whats Washington Irvings main contribution to American Literature?华盛顿欧文对美国文学的主要贡献Washington Irvings contribution to American literature is unique in more way than one. He did a number of things which have been regarded as the first of their kind in America. He was the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame:when he returned home in 1832, he was acclaimed as(被誉为) the one American author whom people in Europe knew about, and the Americans took as a sign that American literature was emerging as an independent entity（形成一个独立的实体）. To say that he was father of American literature is not much exaggeration（夸大）. The short story as a genre（风格） in American literature probably began with Irvings the sketch book（见闻札记 ）, a collection of essays, sketches（草图）, and tales, of which the most famous and frequently anthologized are “Rip Van Winkle”and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. The book touched the American imagination and foreshadowed（预示） the coming of Hawthorne霍桑, Melville,梅尔维尔,and Poe爱伦坡, in whose hands the short story attained a degree of perfection as literary tradition. It also marked the beginning of Amercian Romanticism.2. What is Nathaniel Hawthornes writing style?纳撒尼尔霍桑的写作风格Hawthornes vocabulary was wide and well-controlled. Writing is at the formal level. He chose his words with a sharp sense of precise meaning and a keen ear for pleasant sound. His style is also noteworthy for his frequent use of images. Metaphors and similes abound, most of them stirringly fresh and effective, he makes skillful use of colors as a means for conveying mood. His style is soft, flowing and almost feminine. His language is smooth, clear, beautiful in sound and meaning. He also frequently uses symbols and settings to reveal the psychology of the characters. 3. Make a brief comment on symbolism in the novel Moby Dick.(Herman Melville赫尔曼麦尔维尔)对白鲸记中的象征主义做出一个简短的评论There is symbolism in the book. The Voyage itself is a metaphor for search and discovery, the search for the ultimate truth of experience. The Pequod is the ship of the American soul, and the endeavor of its crew represents the maniacal fanaticism of our white mental consciousness. By far the most conspicuous symbol in the book is, of course, Moby Dick. The white whale is capable of many interpretations. It is a symbol of evil to some, readers of goodness to others, and of both to still others. He is paradoxically benign and malevolent, nourishing and destructive, massive, brutal, monolithic, but at the same time protean, erotically beautiful, infinitely variable. Its whiteness is a paradoxical color, too, signifying as it does death and corruption as well as purity, innocence, and youth. It represents the final mystery of the universe which man will do well to desist from pursuing. As Ahab and his crew do not leave it alone, it is only natural that they get drowned.4. Give a brief introduction about Uncle Toms Cabin.对汤姆叔叔的小屋做出一个简短的介绍The book opens with a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because of debts. Even though he and his wife, Emily Shelby, believe that they have a benevolent relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to raise the needed funds by selling two of themUncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelbys maid Elizato a slave trader. Emily Shelby hates the idea of doing this because she had promised her maid that her child would never be sold; Emilys son, George Shelby, hates to see Tom go because he sees the man as his friend and mentor.When Eliza overhears Mr. and Mrs. Shelby discussing plans to sell Tom and Harry, Eliza determines to run away with her son. The novel states that Eliza made this decision because she fears losing her only surviving child (she had already miscarried two children). Eliza departs that night, leaving a note of apology to her mistress.While all of this is happening, Uncle Tom is sold and placed on a riverboat, which sets sail down the Mississippi River. While on board, Tom meets and befriends a young white girl named Eva. When Eva falls into the river, Tom saves her. In gratitude, Evas father, Augustine St. Clare, buys Tom from the slave trader and takes him with the family to their home in New Orleans. During this time, Tom and Eva begin to relate to one another because of the deep Christian faith they both share.During Elizas escape, she meets up with her husband George Harris, who had run away previously. They decide to attempt to reach Canada. However, they are now being tracked by a slave hunter named Tom Loker. Eventually Loker and his men trap Eliza and her family, causing George to shoot Loker. Worried that Loker may die, Eliza convinces George to bring the slave hunter to a nearby Quaker settlement for medical treatment.While all of this is happening, Uncle Tom is sold and placed on a riverboat, which sets sail down the Mississippi River. While on board, Tom meets and befriends a young white girl named Eva. When Eva falls into the river, Tom saves her. In gratitude, Evas father, Augustine St. Clare, buys Tom from the slave trader and takes him with the family to their home in New Orleans. During this time, Tom and Eva begin to relate to one another because of the deep Christian faith they both share.During Elizas escape, she meets up with her husband George Harris, who had run away previously. They decide to attempt to reach Canada. However, they are now being tracked by a slave hunter named Tom Loker. Eventually Loker and his men trap Eliza and her family, causing George to shoot Loker. Worried that Loker may die, Eliza convinces George to bring the slave hunter to a nearby Quaker settlement for medical treatment.Back in New Orleans, St. Clare debates slavery with his Northern cousin Ophelia who, while opposing slavery, is prejudiced against black people. St. Clare, however, believes he is not biased, even though he is a slave owner. In an attempt to show Ophelia that her views on blacks are wrong, St. Clare purchases Topsy, a young black slave. St. Clare then asks Ophelia to educate her.After Tom has lived with the St. Clares for two years, Eva grows very ill. Before she dies she experiences a vision of heaven, which she shares with the people around her. As a result of her death and vision, the other characters resolve to change their lives, with Ophelia promising to throw off her personal prejudices against blacks, Topsy saying she will better herself, and St. Clare pledging to free Uncle Tom.Before St. Clare can follow through on his pledge, however, he dies after being stabbed while entering a New Orleans tavern. His wife reneges on her late husbands vow and sells Tom at auction to a vicious plantation owner named Simon Legree. Legree (a transplanted northerner) takes Tom to rural Louisiana, where Tom meets Legrees other slaves, including Emmeline (whom Legree purchased at the same time).Legree begins to hate Tom when Tom refuses Legrees order to whip his fellow slave. Legree beats Tom viciously, and resolves to crush his new slaves faith in God. Despite Legrees cruelty, however, Tom refuses to stop reading his Bible and comforting the other slaves as best he can. While at the plantation, Tom meets Cassy, another of Legrees slaves. Cassy was previously separated from her son and daughter when they were sold; unable to endure the pain of seeing another child sold, she killed her third child.At this point Tom Loker returns to the story. Loker has changed as the result of being healed by the Quakers. George, Eliza, and Harry have also obtained their freedom after crossing into Canada. In Louisiana, Uncle Tom almost succumbs to hopelessness, as his faith in God is tested by the hardships of the plantation. However, he has two visions, one of Jesus and one of Eva, which renew his resolve to remain a faithful Christian, even unto death. He encourages Cassy to escape, which she does, taking Emmeline with her. When Tom refuses to tell Legree where Cassy and Emmeline have gone, Legree orders his overseers to kill Tom. As Tom is dying, he forgives the overseers who savagely beat him. Humbled by the character of the man they have killed, both men become Christians. Very shortly before Toms death, George Shelby (Arthur Shelbys son) arrives to buy Toms freedom, but finds he is too late.On their boat ride to freedom, Cassy and Emmeline meet George Harris sister and accompany her to Canada. Once there, Cassy discovers that Eliza is her long-lost daughter who was sold as a child. Now that their family is together again, they travel to France and eventually Liberia, the African nation created for former American slaves. There they meet Cassys long-lost son. George Shelby returns to the Kentucky farm and frees all his slaves. George tells them to remember Toms sacrifice and his belief in the true meaning of Christianity.Brief IntroductionThis book is about the early nineteenth century, Kentuckys farmer Shelbys failed business, was forced to sell slaves to repay debts with Tom and little Harry. George Harris, his wife Eliza and his son Harry were fleeing to Northern Canada, twists and turns, and finally safely met each other and lived a truly free peoples lives. Honest, sincere Uncle Tom got a new owner St Clare and his daughter Evas love, but unfortunately Eva was ill and died, and Mr. Clare was killed when he was going to give free to Uncle Tom. Uncle Tom died from abusing and beating by the devil incarnate of the farmer Legree.5. According to Henry Jamess viewpoint, whats the conflict between the American personalities and European personalities?根据亨利詹姆斯的观点，在美国现实主义和欧洲现实主义之间有什么冲突？ He saw that Europeans were often regarded as over-refined过度细致的, degenerate堕落的, and artificial虚伪的 by Americans, and that Americans were considered native土著的, vulgar粗俗的, and ignorant无知的 by many Europeans. The misunderstanding caused personality conflicts性格冲突, and even where the two races found each other agreeable 令人愉快的 and the national difference provided an opportunity for contrast of character相反的性格. The typical American in a James novel is fresh, enthusiastic and perhaps as cultured as he might be, but eager to learn and basically “good” in spite of his disregard忽视 of the outworn conventions陈腐的约定 and social graces社交礼仪 of Europe. The European, on the other hand, is highly cultivated, urban, sometimes boring, but always correct.6. Whats the difference between Henry James realism and Mark Twains realism?亨利詹姆斯的现实主义和马克吐温的现实主义有什么不同？In thematic terms(在主题上), James wrote mostly of the upper reaches of American society, whereas Mark Twain dealt largely with the lower strata(阶层) of society. Technically(在技术上), James pursued the Psychological realism, but Twains contribution to the development of realism was partly through local colorism(地方色彩) and colloquial(口语的) style. James believed that reality lies in the impressions(印象) made by life on the spectator(旁观者), and not in any facts of which the spectator is unaware. He shifted the ground of realistic art from the outer to the inner world. Mark Twain preferred to represent social life through portraits of local places that he knew best.7. What are the characteristics of O.Henrys writing?欧亨利的写作特点是什么？His stories are usually short. The plots are exceedingly clever and interesting, humor abounds, and the end is always surprising. Often there are two endings: first an unexpected ending, then another, which is quite a different one and a still better surprise. Many of his stories contain a great deal of slang and colloquial expressions that make them hard to be understood by people outside of America. Such forms of speech are used to give what is called local color, to make the stories fit in with the characters and scenes described. His own speech, both spoken and written, was always chaste and clear.8.Give a brief introduction about The Great Gatsby.对伟大的盖茨比做出一个简要的介绍(F.Scott Fitzgerald弗朗西斯斯科特菲茨杰拉德 )The Great Gatsbyis a1925 novelwritten by American authorF. Scott Fitzgeraldthat follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperousLong Islandin the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaireJay Gatsbyand his quixotic passion andobsessionfor the beautiful former debutanteDaisy Buchanan. Considered to be Fitzgeraldsmagnum opus,The Great Gatsbyexplores themes ofdecadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of theJazz Ageor theRoaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding theAmerican Dream.The Great Gatsby is the single most profound commentary in American fiction on American Dream. The novel deals symbolically with the frustration and despair resulting from the failure of the American dream. It is a story of an idealist who tries to recapture his lost love but in vain and is finally destroyed by the influence of the wealthy people around him. Gatsby is the true heir to the American dream. He fails to understand that he cannot recapture the past (his fresh new love for Daisy) no matter how much money he makes. Daisy refuses to leave the security of her established position for Gatsbys adoration and precarious wealth.F. Scott Fitzgeralds greatness lies in the fact that he found intuitively in his personal experience the embodiment of that of the nation and created a myth out of American life. Gatsbys life follows a clear pattern: There is, at first, a dream, then disenchantment, and finally a sense of failure and despair. In this, Gatsbys personal experience approximates the whole of the American experience up to the first few decades of this century. America had been “a fresh, green breast of the new world,” had “pandered to the last and greatest of all human dreams” and promised something like “the orgiastic future” for humanity. Now the virgin forests have vanished and made way for a modern civilization, the only fitting symbol of which is the “valley of ashes,” the living hell. Here modern men live in sterility and meaninglessness and futility as best illustrated by Gatsbys essentially pointless parties. The crowds hardly know their host; many come and go without invitation. The music, the laughter, and the faces, all blurred as one confused mass, signify the purposelessness and loneliness of the partygoers beneath their masks of relaxation and joviality. The shallowness of Daisy whose voice is “full of money”, the restless wickedness of Tom, the representative of the egocentric, careless rich, and Gatsby who is, on the one hand, charmingly innocent enough to believe that the past can be recovered and resurrected, but is on the other hand, both corrupt and corrupting, tragically convinced of the power of money, however it was made the behavior of these and other people like the Wilsons all clearly denote the vanishing of the great expectation which the first settlement of the American continent had inspired. The hope is gone; despair and doom have set in. Thus Gatsbys personal life has assumed a magnitude as a “cultural-historical allegory” for the nation. Here, then, lies the greatest intellectual achievement that F. Scott Fitzgerald ever achieved.This novel is narrated by Nick, is a young bachelor who returns to the Midwest before setting to the New York City. Daisy, the heroine, is Nicks second cousin once removed and Nick knows of her husband, Tom. With the development of the novel, Nick knows that his next-door neighbor, who always hosting lavish parties of hundreds of peoples, is the wealthy Gatsby. Jordon Baker, takes interests in Nick, reveals that Gatsby had fallen in love with Daisy in 1917 as Army Lieutenant stationed near Daisys hometown. But Gatsby had no money to married Daisy, so Daisy married to the wealthy Tom, after that Gatsby is aiming to be a millionaire. With few years of illegal traffic and smuggling, he accumulates a great amount of wealth. He would like Nick to arrange a meeting with Daisy, Nick agrees. And invite Gatsby and Daisy to his house, so they begin a love affair again. But actually, Daisy only treats this relationship as an exciting game. Daisy invites Gatsby and Nick to her mansion, where Tom finds that Gatsby loves Daisy. Tom knows Daisys superficial nature very well and by taking away Daisys financial security, with that Daisy is now beyond his reach. With the situation between them, Daisy runs out of the hotel and Gatsby follows her into his car, where she insists on driving because it will calm her nerves. But it fells that Daisy knocks down and kills Myrtle, Toms mistress. Gatsby absolve Daisy from her guilty to protect her. After that Tom talks into Myrtles husband to shoot Gatsby dead. So the magic bubble of love and dreams broke up. Despite Nicks efforts, only Gatsbys father, an woman and Nick attends his funeral. Discussed with Tom and Daisy, Nick returns to his hometown, reflecting on Gatsbys dreams and cyclical nature of the past. The Raven. 乌鸦(爱伦坡著) ?乌鸦?从前一个阴郁的子夜，我独自沉思，慵懒疲竭，?沉思许多古怪而离奇、早已被人遗忘的传闻?当我开始打盹，几乎入睡，突然传来一阵轻擂，?仿佛有人在轻轻叩击，轻轻叩击我的房门。?“有人来了，”我轻声嘟喃，“正在叩击我的房门?唯此而已，别无他般。”?哦，我清楚地记得那是在萧瑟的十二月；?每一团奄奄一息的余烬都形成阴影伏在地板。?我当时真盼望翌日；因为我已经枉费心机?想用书来消除悲哀消除因失去丽诺尔的悲叹?因那被天使叫作丽诺尔的少女，她美丽娇艳?在这儿却默默无闻，直至永远。?那柔软、暗淡、飒飒飘动的每一块紫色窗布?使我心中充满前所未有的恐怖我毛骨惊然；?为平息我心儿停跳我站起身反复叨念?“这是有人想进屋，在叩我的房门。?更深夜半有人想进屋，在叩我的房门；?唯此而已，别无他般。”?很快我的心变得坚强；不再犹疑，不再彷徨，?“先生，”我说，“或夫人，我求你多多包涵；?刚才我正睡意昏昏，而你来敲门又那么轻，?你来敲门又那么轻，轻轻叩击我的房门，?我差点以为没听见你”说着我拉开门扇；?唯有黑夜，别无他般。?凝视着夜色幽幽，我站在