英语专业期末、专八考试美国文学讲义

1、a short history of american literaturecontents:1. the colonial and revolutionary period (1620-1820)2. the romantic period (1820-1865)3. the age of realism (1865-1890)4. the age of naturalism (1890-1914)5. the period between the wars (1914-1945)6. the postwar era (1945- )required reading:a survey of

2、american literature by chang yaoxin 美国文学简史，常耀信，南开大学出版社，2003年第2版。supplementary readings:美国文学史及选读（上下册）吴伟仁，外研社，1990年第2版。美国文学选读（上下册）常耀信，南开大学出版社，1991年第2版。新编美国文学史刘海平，王守仁，上海外语教育出版社，2000年第1版。assessment:1. class attendance (15%)2. class participation (5%)3. homework (20%): time due: june 164. final exam (60%

3、)introduction to literature1. fiction: setting, character, point of view, plot, theme, language and stylenovel novelette short story 2. drama: dialogue, character, plot, theme comedy: play that aims to amuse and that ends happily tragedy: play with a sad ending tragicomedy: type of play with both tr

4、agic and comic elements 3. poetry: meter, rhythm, rhyme, figures of speech, structure, theme : tell stories and describe actions : a long narrative poem about the deeds of one or more great national heroes, or a nations past history; also called heroic poem : (1) a story told in a song, usu. in 4-li

5、ne stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed; (2) composed by common people during a long period of time and handed down from mouth to mouth; (3) an important form of the medieval folk literature; (4) simple, plain language : (1) as a popular literary form in the middle ages, its a narrative

6、poem or prose about the life and adventures of a noble hero. (2) the hero is the knight, setting out on a journey to accomplish some goalto protect the church and the poor, to rescue a maiden, to meet a challenge, or to obey a knightly command. (3) the content is usu. about romantic love, chivalry a

7、nd religion. (4) the language and style are simple and straightforward. : express the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker epigram: a short witty poem expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way elegy: poem or song expressing sorrow, esp. for the dead : a long poem expressing noble feeling,

8、often written to a person or thing, or celebrating some special event aubade: a love poem expressing complaint that dawn means the speaker must part from his lover : a type of poem containing 14 lines, each of 10 syllables, and with a formal pattern of rhymeschapter onethe colonial and revolutionary

9、 period (1620-1820). historical background: this period lasted for nearly two centuries from the arrival of the mayflower through the end of the 18th century.the 17th century: the establishment of the early american colonies1. in 1620, 102 englishmen in all, including 35 puritans and 67 non-puritans

10、, took the ship mayflower for north america. on november 21st, they settled at plymouth, massachusetts. the arrival of the mayflower marked the beginning of the english permanent settlements in north america.2. the english permanent settlements in north america began in the early 17th century. the f

11、irst settlement was founded in 1607 in virginia. the second settlement was established in massachusetts in 1620. following these two settlements, many other colonies were founded in north america. the 18th century: the american revolution the war of independence1. by the early 1760s, the 13 english

12、colonies in north america had developed a similar american pattern in politics, economy and cultural life , they wanted to be independent from britain.2. on july 4, 1776, the declaration of independence, drafted by thomas jefferson with the help of john adams and benjamin franklin, was adopted by th

13、e congress.3. the american revolution came to an end in 1781 with the failure of britain. the war of independence lasted for eight years (17761783). in 1789, george washington became the first american president. a new american nation was thus born. cultural background:puritanism: american puritanis

14、m was one of the most important enduring influences in american thought, american life and american literature. it refers to the practices and beliefs of puritans. the puritans thought that the church of england was too catholic and wanted to “purify” the church. they wanted simple forms of church c

15、eremony. people couldnt be saved by giving money to the church. they advocated working hard and living a moral life. they thought they were gods chosen people. the bible was the authority of their doctrine. the puritan style of writing is fresh, simple and direct; the rhetoric is plain and honest, w

16、ith a direct influence of the bible. all this has left a great influence on american writing. american puritanism has been a healthy legacy to the americans. the 17th-century literature: the early colonial writings1. in various forms: diaries, letters, histories, journals, travel books, religious an

17、d political writings, etc.2. in content these early writings served either god or colonial expansion or both. 3. in form, english literary traditions were faithfully imitated.4. major authors and their masterworks:(1). john smith (1580-1631) general history of virginia(1624) (2). william bradford (1

18、590-1657) of plymouth plantation (1651).(3). john winthrop (1588-1649) the history of new england (4). john cotton:(5). roger williams (1603-1683) (6). anne bradstreet (1612-1672) the tenth muse lately sprung up in america (1650)(7). edward taylor (1644-1729) the best of the puritan poets.two famous

19、 movements of the 18th century:1. the great awakeningits a series of religious revivals that swept over the american colonies in the middle of the 18th century. the major thinker was jonathan edwards. its main purpose was to make people go back to god and especially arouse their belief in puritanism

20、 with the development of science and society. ( 18世纪40年代，美国历史上出现了一次称为“大觉醒”的宗教运动，宗旨之一是要在科学技术不断进步，物质生活不断变化的时候，重新唤起人们的宗教热情，特别是对清教主义的信仰。)2. the 18th-century american enlightenmentthe 18th-century american enlightenment was a movement marked by an emphasis on rationality rather than tradition, scientific

21、 inquiry instead of unquestioning religious dogma, and representative government in place of monarchy. enlightenment thinkers and writers were devoted to the ideals of justice, liberty, and equality as the natural rights of man. americas great enlightenment writersbenjamin franklin, thomas paine, an

22、d thomas jeffersonalso played major roles in the american revolution. the 18th-century literature:1. jonathan edwards (1703-1758) the freedom of the will (1754) the great doctrine of original sin defended (1758) 2. benjamin franklin (1706-1790) autobiography poor richards almanac 3. hector st. john

23、de crvecoeur (1735-1813) letters from an american farmer (1782) 4. thomas paine (1737-1809) common sense (1776) american crisis (1776-1783) 5. thomas jefferson (1743-1826) the declaration of independence 6. philip freneau (1752-1832) the rising glory of america the wild honey-suckle (1786) the india

24、n burying ground (1787)benjamin franklin (1706-1790)his life: he was born in 1706 into a poor candle-makers family. he was the 15th child . he went to work at age ten and had very little formal education when he was young. but he was very clever and hard-working. he read widely, taught himself langu

25、ages and practiced writing. he helped thomas jefferson write the declaration of independence in 1776. in whatever field he happened to appear, he achieved a success. writer, printer, scientist, statesman, political economist, and diplomat, he was the most famous and respected figure of his time. he

26、was the first great self-made man in america.his works: 1. autobiography 自传 2. poor richards almanac 穷理查历书autobiographywritten to advise his son, it covers only the early years. it is a record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty into which he was born. its also the faithful ac

27、count of the colorful career of americas first self-made man. through telling a success story of self-reliance, this book celebrates the fulfillment of the american dream.(america is a land of opportunities where everyone could make a fortune provided he worked hard.) franklin was 65 when he first w

28、rote this book. it consists of four parts. the most famous section describes his scientific list of self-improvement. benjamin franklin listed thirteen virtues that he felt were an important guide for living and self-improvement.franklins 13 virtues are as follows:temperance: eat not to dullness; dr

29、ink not to elevation.silence: speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.order: let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time resolution: resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.frugality: make

30、 no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.industry: lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.sincerity: use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.justice: wrong none by doing injur

31、ies, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.moderation: avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think hey deserve.cleanness: tolerate no uncleanness in body, cloths, or habitation.tranquility: be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.chastity: rarely

32、use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or anothers peace or reputation.humility: imitate jesus and socrates.poor richards almanac poor richards almanac was published yearly from 1733 to 1758 under the pen name richard saunders. it was a guide t

33、o both weather forecasts and wise maxims. the almanac was a best seller for a pamphlet published in the american colonies, and it sold as many as 10,000 issues a year. there are many interesting and helpful sayings in it.“lost time is never found again.”“a penny saved is a penny earned.”“god help th

34、em that help themselves.”“early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”thomas paine (1737-1809) the political pamphlet: the passion of revolutionary literature is found in pamphlets, the most popular form of political literature of the day. many pamphlets were published du

35、ring the revolution. american soldiers read them aloud in their camps; british loyalists threw them into fires because they are threatened by them. since thomas paines pamphlet common sense (1776)常识boldly advocated a “declaration for independence”, he became the spokesman of the american revolution.

36、 the booklet was warmly received in the colonies both as a justification for their cause of independence and as an encouragement to the painfully fighting people. his chief contribution was a series of 16 pamphlets (1776-1783) entitled american crisis.thomas jefferson (1743-1826)thomas jefferson was

37、 a founding father of the us, the author of the draft of the declaration of independence, and the third president of the united states of america. we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that amo

38、ng these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or t

39、o abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.chapter 2 the romantic period (1820-1865). historical background:after the american revolution, ameri

40、ca was gradually developing into a politically, economically and culturally independent country. (1) historically, the romantic period was the time of westward expansion. the western boundary of america had reached to the pacific by 1860, and the number of its states had increased from the original

41、13 at the time of its independence to 21 by the middle of the 19th century. (2) economically, the whole nation was experiencing an industrial transformation, which affected the rural as well as the urban life.(3) politically, democracy and equality became the ideals of the new nation, and the two pa

42、rty system came into being. with the founding of the american independent government, the nation felt an urge to have its own literary expression, to make known its new experience that other nations did not have: the early puritan settlement, the fight with the indians, the frontiersmens life, and t

43、he wild west. then came the making of american literature in the romantic period.ii. cultural background the american romanticism1. the romantic movement, which originated in germany but quickly spread to england, france, and reached america around the year 1820.2. the romantic period, one of the mo

44、st important periods in the history of american literature, stretches from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of the civil war (1861-1865). 3. during this period a national literature developed and took shape with novels, short stories and poems as its principal literary forms. it started w

45、ith the publication of washington irvings the sketch book of geoffrey crayon (1819-1820) 见闻札记and ended with walt whitmans leaves of grass (1855). 草叶集4. it was characterized by the idealization of nature, freedom of thought and expression and heavy reliance on the imagination and subjectivity. it rea

46、cted against reason, rules, authority and industrialism, and it searched for freedom in personal, political, and artistic life. it stresses individual over society and tends to see the individual as the very center of all life and all experience.5. being a period of the great flowering of american l

47、iterature, it is also called “the american renaissance”.iii. the romantic literature:two phases:1. the beginning and development of american romanticism: washington irving (1783-1859): the sketch book of geoffrey crayon james fenimore cooper (1789-1851): the leatherstocking tales2. the summit of ame

48、rican romanticism: new england transcendentalism ralph waldo emerson (1803-1882) : nature 论自然 henry david thoreau (1817-1862) : walden 瓦尔登湖phase 1: the beginning and development of american romanticism:washington irving (1783-1859)1. his life:named after his parents hero, george washington; born int

49、o a wealthy new york merchant family; grew up as the youngest of 11 children; had a love for books at a young age. his favorite books were adventure stories: robinson crusoe. irving would always make his parents worry when he went looking for adventure himself, he would travel around the city consta

50、ntly getting into danger or trouble.2. his importance: 1. father of american literature 2. father of american short stories 3. the first american writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame3. masterpiece:the sketch book of geoffrey crayon (1819-1820) 见闻札记: a collection of short stori

51、esthe two most famous tales in this collection are as follows:“rip van winkle” 里普凡温克尔 “the legend of sleepy hollow” 睡谷的传说4. rip van winkle 里普凡温克尔(1) the central character: rip van winkle, a simple, good-natured and hen-pecked man(2) plot summary: page 48 on changs book(3). analysis of this story: pa

52、ge 48-49 on changs book5. the legend of sleepy hollow 睡谷的传说plot summary this story takes place in the dutch settlement of tarry town, new york. it is about a vain and cowardly school teacher (ichabod crane), who falls in love with the beautiful eighteen-year-old katrina vantassel, the daughter of a

53、farmer. katrina has but another suitor-the strong, handsome brom bones, who brags about the number of fights he has fought, and runs around on strong horses with his gang, causing much trouble in the town. when crane was invited to a party at the van tassels house, he rode there, on a spirited horse

54、 called gunpowder, that he borrowed from his friend. when he got to the van tassels house, everyone there sat down to dinner. after the lovely feast of dutch food such as cakes, pies, fruits, and meat, the music began. everyone danced about. ichabod crane danced with katrina. brom bones sat in a cor

55、ner glaring at the dancing couple. then everyone sat down to listen to stories. the tales were fascinating! they were stories about ghosts . the favorite tale was about the headless horseman, a ghost who lost his head during the american revolutionary war and went out of the graveyard at night and s

56、earched for his head. after the party, ichabod crane heads home through the graveyard. on his way, the headless horseman chases him. he chases him to the bridge, where the horsemans head is thrown at ichabod. the next morning, gunpowder appeared at his masters house without ichabod crane. the town i

57、ssued a search for ichabod, but instead of finding him, they found gunpowders saddle. when they looked near the bridge, they found ichabod cranes hat, and a few yards away they found a smashed pumpkin.(1). compare irvings descriptions of the two characters physical appearance (crane in paragraph 8, brom bones in paragraph 26).(2). constructed from german tales but set in america, it is a classic t