美国文学考试必备知识点

1、1.Roma ntic p eriod9.Sherwood An ders on2.Wash ington Irving10.Ste phen Crane3.Edgar Alla n Poe11.Theodore Dreiser4.Natha nial Hawthor ne12.III. Moder n p eriod5.Walt Whitman13.F. S. Fitzgerald6.Emily Dick inson14.Ern est Hemi ngway7.II. Realist p eriod15.William Faulk ner8.Mark TwainI. Tra nsce nde

2、n talismTranscenden talism refers to the religious and p hilos op hical doctri nes of Ralph WaldoEmerson and others in New England in the middle 1800 s, which emphasizedthe imp orta nee of in dividual insp irati on and in tuiti on, the Oversoul, and Nature. Other concepts that acco mpanied Transcend

3、en talism in clude the idea that n ature is enn obli ng and the idea that the in dividual is divine and, therefore, self-relia nt. New En gla ndTran sce nden talism is the p roduct of a comb in ati on of n ative America n Purita nism andEuro pean Roma nticism.2. NaturalismNaturalism, a more delibera

4、te kind of realism, usually invoIves a view of human beings as passive victims of natural forces and social environment. As a literary moveme nt, n aturalism was in itiated in France and it came to be led by Zola, who claimed at “scientifiC status for his studies of impoverished characters miserably

5、 subjected to hun ger, sexual obsessi on, and hereditary defects. Natural fiction asp ired to a sociological objectivity, offering detailed and fully researched investigations into unexplored corners of modern society. The most significant work of naturalism in English being Dreiser sSister Carrie.3

6、. American DreamThe American Dream is the faith held by many people in the United States ofAmerica that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve a better life for oneself, usually through financial prosperity. These were values held by many earlyEuropean settlers, and have been p

7、assed on to subsequent generations.4. The Lost GenerationThe term Lost Generation was coined by Gertrude Stein to refer to a group ofAmerican Literary notables who lived in Paris from the time period which saw the end ofWorld War I to the beginning of the Great Depression. Significant members includ

8、edErnest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald,Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson, T. S. Eliot, and Gertrude Stein herself. Hemingway likely popularized the term, quoting Stein (“You are all a lost generation”) as epigraph to his novel The Sun Also Rises. More generally,the term is being used for the young adul

9、ts of Europe and America duringWorld War I. They were“lost” because after the war many of them were disillusioned with the world in general and unwilling to more into a settled life5. ModernismModern writing is marked by a strong and conscious break with traditional forms and techniques of expressio

10、n; it believes that we create the world in the act of perceiving it.Modernism implies historical discontinuity, a sense of alienation, of loss, and of despair.It elevates the individual and his inner being over social man and prefers the unconscious to the self-conscious.6. Romanticism7. PuritanismT

11、he principles and practices of puritans were popularly known as Puritanism.s will for man in every act ofPuritanism acceptedthe doctrines of Calvinism: the sovereigntyof God; the supreme authority of the Bible; the irresistibility of Gods will.cradle to grave. These doctrines led the Puritans to exa

12、mine their souls to find whether they were of the elect and to search the Bible to determine God8. Hemingway Heroes / Code HeroHemingway Heroes” refer to some protagonistsin Hemingway sworks. Such a hero usually is an averageman of decidedly masculinetastes,sensitive and intelligent.And usually he i

13、s a man of action and of a few words. He is such an individualist, aloneeven when with other people, somewhat an outsider, keeping emotions under control, stoic and self-disciplined in a dreadful place where one can not get happiness.TheHemingway heroes stand for a whole generation. In a world which

14、 is essentially chaotic and meaningless, a Hemingway hero fights a solitary struggle against a force he does not even understand. The awareness that it must end in defeat, no matter how hard he strives, engendersa senseof despair.But Hemingway heroes possessa kind of “despairingcourage” as Bertrand

15、Russell terms. It is this courage that enables a man to behave like a man, to asserthis dignity in face of adversity.Surely Hemingway heroesdiffer, one from another, in their view of the world. The difference which comes gradually in view is an index to the subtle change whicHhemingway s outlook had

16、 undergone.ExpressionismExpressionism refers to a movement in Germany early in the 20th century, in which a number of painters sought to avoid the representation of external reality and, instead, to project a highly personal or subjective vision of the world. The main principle involved is that expr

17、essiondetermines form, and therefore imagery, punctuation, syntax, and so forth. In brief, any of the formal rules and elements of writing can be bent or disjointed to suit the purpose. Theatrically, expressionism was a reaction against realism in that it tends to show inner psychologicalrealities.

18、ONeills plays are some of the best examples.The Imagist Movement(Imagism)Led by Ezra Pound and flourished from 1909 to 1917, the movement advanced modernism in arts which concentrated on reforming the medium of poetry as opposed to Romanticism, especiallyTennyson s wordiness and high-flown languagei

19、n poetry.The three principles followed by the Imagists were: (1) Direct treatment (2) Economy of Expression (3) Rhythm symbolismSymbolism originates in Francein the middle 19th century. The poetry collection TheFlowers of Evil by the French poet Charles Baudelaire is a representative work of this ge

20、nre. Symbolism tries to express the dreamy mysterious inner world of the writer.Stream-of-consciousnessStream-of-consciousnessbegins in the 1920s in Britain. It is a psychologicalterm indicating “the flux of conscious and subconscious thoughts and impressions moving in the mind at any given time ind

21、ependently of the persons will”. In late 19th century, the literary device of “interior monologue” was originated in France as an application of modern psychologicalknowledge to literary creation. In the 20th century, under the influence of Freuds theory of psychological analysis, a number of writer

22、s adopted thestream of consciousnes”s method of novel writing. The striking feature of these novelists is their giving precedenceto the depiction of the characters mental and emotional reactions to external events, rather than the events themselves.(to be continued)Free verse:a form of poetry withou

23、t rhyme, meter, regular line length, and regular stanzaic structure. It depends on natural speech for rhythm. Robert Frost compared it toplaying tennis with the net down.” Though much simpler and lessrestrictive than conventional poetry and blank verse, free verse does no mea“n formlessness”. T. S.E

24、liot once said that “no verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job.”Though its origin is unknown, it was attempted by such early poets as Surrey, Milton,Blake, and Macpherson. It was Whitman who did the greatest contribution to the development and popularity of free verse. Whitman favored

25、the simplicity and freedom of expression.According to him, “ The art of art, the glory of expressionand the sunshine of light of letters is simplicity. Noting is better than simplici”ty.Jazz age:Jazzis a form of dance music that is derived from early Afro-American folk music, ragtime, and Negro blue

26、s. It is marked with exciting rhythm, pronounced syncopation, and constant improvisation. The musical instruments used are mainly drums, trumpets, and saxophones. Major composers of Jazz music include Irvin Berlin and W. C. Handy.The term Jazz Age was specifically employed by Fitzgerald to denote th

27、e 1920s, which was characterizedby the loss of traditional moral standards,indulgence in romantic yearnings, and great social excitement. According to Malcolm Cowley, the Jazz Age wasa legend of glitter, of recklessness, and of talent in such profusion that it was sown broadcast like wild oats”. F.

28、Scott Fitzgeralds Tales of the Jazz Age, like Mark Twain s The Gilded Age, was an epoch-making work.Black humor:a term frequently used in modern literary criticism. It is sometimes called black comedy or tragic farce. It is humor or laughter resulting from great pain, despair, horror and the absurdi

29、ty of human existence.Black humor is a common quality of modern anti-novels and anti-dramas. Examples are Franz Kafkas stories likeMetamorphosis”, “The Castle” and“The Trial”, Joseph Heller s novel Catch-22 and Albee s The Zoo Story. Other writers who did much contribution to the popularity of black

30、 humor were Beckett, Camus, Ionesco, Vonnegut, Pynchon and so on.Autobiography: a story a writer writes about his or her own life experiences.It is narrated from the first-person point of view. The term was probably first used by Southey. But the first important autobiography was Confessions written

31、 by Augustine of Hippo. Other examples include Franklin s Autobiography, Adams s The Education of Henry Adams,John Stuart Mill s Autobiography, Carlyle s Reminiscences, Henry David ThoreausWalden, and so on.Surprise Ending:Also called “ O. Henry ending,” it is a completely unexpected turn or revelat

32、ion of events at the conclusion of a story or play. An example “is The Necklace” by Guy deMaupassant. Another instance is O. Henrys story “ The Gift of the Magi.”Blank verse:poetry that does not rhyme but has iambic pentameter lines. Though not originated inEngland or America, it has been the most i

33、mportant and most widely used English verse form. Blank verse is popular because it is closest to the rhythm of daily English speech.Thus most English poems which are dramatic, reflective or narrative are in the form ofbla nk verse.This verse was p robably first used i n En gla nd by Surrey who tran

34、 slatedAeneid, by Sackville and Norton who composed Gorboduc. It was developed andp erfected by Marlowe, Shakes peare and Milt on. I n the 18th cen tury, most p oets favoredheroic coupi ets. But Young and Thoms on were able to write in the traditi on of bla nkverse. The 19th century saw a renewed in

35、terest in this poetic form. Masters of blankverse in cluded Wordsworth, Coleridge and Brya nt. The fact that bla nk verse is stillp racticed by writers like T.S. Eliot, Yeats, Frost and Steve ns shows how in flue ntial andfavorable it really is.Characteristics of Realism2.1 Realism aims at the descr

36、iption of the actualities of the life and free fromsubjective p rejudice, idealism or roma ntic color.2.2 Realism focuses on com monn ess of the com mon people. The emp hasis is onordinary people, sett ings and eve nts.2.3Life is p rese nted as it is.2.4Use real characters, real in cide nts, real la

37、 nguage and local dialects.2.5In matters of style, dictio n and sentence structure tend toward a p lain style.3.Re prese ntative writersWilliam Howells .Mark Twai n .He nry JamesMajor features of Naturalism1. At the core of n aturalism is determi nism2.A n in dividual s course in life is wholly dete

38、rm ined by some comb in ati on of an imalin sti net, heredity, and en vir onment. Huma ns lack freedom of their own will. All of theiractions are con trolled, determ ined.3.The uni verse is cold, godless, in differe nt and hostile to huma n desires. Life becomes a struggle for survival.Two of the na

39、turalis s recurrent concerns are: social systems that destroy and dehuma ni ze, and in dividual exp erie nee of loss and failure.4.Naturalism is a harsher and extreme form of realism. The naturalists have a major differe nee from the realists.Themes ofHawtho rne s writ ing1. Explore the relati on sh

40、i p betwee n the p ast and the p rese nt2. Explore the hidde n motivati ons of his characters.3. Exam ine the effect of hidde n sin and secret guilt4. Moral or immoral, right or wrong is the questi on Hawthor ne always talks about in his works.1.5.Style1. His style was soft, flowi ng and almost femi

41、 nine.2. La nguage: smooth, clear, beautiful in sound and mea ning3. He also frequently usessymbols and settings to reveal the psychology of the characters.App reciati on of The Scarlet Letter1. Main CharacterHester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale 3. Character An alysisHester: brave,

42、strong-minded, warm-hearted, intelligent, sacrificing, decisiveDimmesdale: timid, selfish, irres pon sible, cowardlyweak-mi ndedChilli ngworth: cold-blooded, dehuma ni zedTheme of The Scarlet LetterTo esca pe the bon dage of religi on either on p eoples sp irit or on people s n atural desire4. Abund

43、ant use of symbolsA -adultery an gel ableP rison the p lace that dep rived people of sp iritual freedomForest-the n atureRose n ear the p riseHester and her loveCap sth controlling one s beautyWalt Whitma n(1819-1892)Leaves Of Grass“ Song of myse”An alysis of the artistic features241. form: free ver

44、seOral and powerful lg: Although free verse, he wrote with repeatedand parallel senten cesto stre ngthe n the feeli ngs. He exp resswhat he wan ted to exp ress freely, smoothly, and heatedly. His po ems are likewaves of the sea that rushed to the beach viole ntly, one after ano ther.2.4.2 the first

45、person n arrator: direct and symp athetic to the reader243. topic: sex.To use his own expression,“he saw the world as a vision of lov”. He believes thatlife is the source of p oems, love and en thusiasm are the motives of creati on.III. Comme nts on the writer3.1. Subject: son of time, feels the puI

46、se of the time. As a romanticist and tran sce nden talist, he broke the conven tio nal p oetic materials, no myth ,no roma nee, no story of ki ng and lords. He sings for self, com mon peop le, America, city life, n ature, etc.3.2. Form: (Free verse) po etry without fixed beat or regular rhyme. Whitm

47、a n is the first great America n poet to use this form of p oetry, he also used it more skillfully tha n any other p oet.(1) On es Self I Sing1. What is the sig ni fica nee of singing about on es self?It is an exaltati on of the in dividual sp irit, which is typi cal of America n people.2. What is t

48、he differe nee betwee n p hysiology and p hysiog nomy?P hysiology is a scie nee that deals with the functions and life p rocess of huma n beings, whereas p hysiog nomy refers to an art of judgi ng character from con tours of face itself or the app eara nee of a person.3. What does Whitman mea n by t

49、he term of the Modern Man?He means that a man should be free from any p rejudice and p ride, totally differe nt from the traditi onal one, that is full of bias.(3) O Ca pta in! My Cap ta in!1. Why is the word Ca ptain cap italized throughout the p oem?In this p oem the word “ Cap tain sp ecially ref

50、ers to Abraham Lincoln, p reside nt of theUn ited States.2. What overall meta phor does the poet employ in this po em?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the sp eaker rema ins so sad?They welcome the ship retu rning from its hard trip, whereas the sp eaker is

51、 sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.Mark Twai n马克吐温The Celebrated Jumping Frog of CalaverasCount 卡拉维拉斯县有名的跳蛙(1865):a short storyThe Innocents Abroad国外的无辜者(1869)Rough ing It 苦行记(1872): on his exp erie nee in the western AmericaThe Gilded Age (1873): his first novel, collaborated w

52、ith Charles Dudley WarnerThe Adve ntures of Tom Sawyer (1876)The Adventures of Huckleberry FinrP合克贝利费恩历险记(1884): masterpieceLife on the Mississi ppi (1883)A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court误闯亚瑟王宫(1889)The Man That Corrupted Hadleybur败坏了哈德莱堡的人(1900)The Mysterious Stra nger (1916)e. The Adve n

53、tures of Tom Sawyer1. It is a boys book which sets 20 years before Civil War.2. themes:1)picaresque以流浪汉和无赖为题材的(adventure story)2) moral growth of Tom3. tech niq ues: verisimilitude, humor, colloquial styleMark Twai n s Style in Generalthe true father of America n literatureFreque nt use of sarcasm,

54、sla ng and regi onal dialects.4.5.1. Subject Matter: came directly from America n peop les life along the Mississi ppiRiver, less in flue need by foreig n cultures4.5.2. Genuine America n style:a) Lan guage: easy, in formal, humorous and un affected free from affectati on; sin cere, wildb) He inten

55、ti on ally deviatesfrom classicalge nteel and tends to use local dialects, colloquial Ian guage,eve n Black En glish, sla ng, cli pped structures and un grammatical senten cesMajor work : Huckleberry Fi nn哈克贝利费恩历险记show esca pe to freedomTheodore Dreiser (1871-1945德莱赛Naturalism is a theory in literat

56、ure emp hasiz in gthe role of heredity and en vir onmentupon huma n life and character devel opment roughly betwee n I890a nd early 1900 s.There is no clear-cut chrono logical divisio n betwee n the America n n aturalists and theAmerica n realists.对比 RealismNaturalismemp hasis on the ordinaryemp has

57、is also on the extraordi narya mirrora lensthe observerthe scie ntistmoral or rati onalthe accide ntal and p hysiologicalMajor Writ ing Features6.3.1 As a n aturalistic writer, Dreiser stressed determi nism in his no vels.-His characters cat assert their will against natural and economic forces.Dreiser held that people are not en tirel