Unit10西方文化导论

1、Get StartedText StudySupplementary ResourcesGet StartedGet Started1. A General Introduction2. Focus InGet StartedGet Started Modernism was born at the turn of the 20th century and swept many countries. Many social and psychological problems found expression in cultural and literary form, thus repres

2、enting the real mood and emotion of the ordinary people in the West who were torn by countless troubles arising out of the social, political and cultural contradictions and clashes. At this juncture, the emergence of a number of schools of social ideology in the late 19th century, such as Freuds the

3、ory of psycho-analysis, Bergsons theory of intuitionalism as well as the seemingly irrational ideas of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche helped define and clarify the spiritual needs of those intellectuals. These ideological varieties further emancipated peoples mind and gave them both courage and directio

4、n to tap the new area of human knowledge and ideology.Get Started In a way the change of the cultural and intellectual climate in this period had something to do with romanticism and cultural trend of the time. More radical modes of creation appeared, first in poetry and then spread to other forms o

5、f writing and art. They were more rebellious, more radical, more opposed to tradition and social reality and more concerned with their own forms of subjective representation. Such a changed approach moved eventually into modernism. Symbolism as an aesthetic movement opened the way for the eventual a

6、rrival of modernism, a grand and complicated cultural movement taking form at the beginning of the 20th century. It included literature and art and embraced many schools of ideological rebellion and alternative forms of artistic representation. It marked the inception of a really new era in terms of

7、 cultural and intellectual development. Get Startedl To understand the background and definition of modernisml To compare the different modernist trends of literaturel To get familiar with the major modernist figuresl To get to know the literary and cultural criticism of new eraText StudyText StudyI

8、. A General Account of ModernismII. Modernist Trend of LiteratureIII. Modernist Literature in Britain and Other English-speaking CountriesIV. Literary and Cultural Criticism of New EraText StudyMain Ideasl The early signs of Modernism (the middle of the 19th century in France) Baudelaire in poetry/M

9、anet in painting/Flaubert in prose fiction two schools of arts and letters: impressionism and symbolisml The definition of Modernism (by Morris Bib) i. two extremes: the reestablishment of religious faith on the one hand and the defence of individualist, anarchist culture on the other ii. one middle

10、 line: the vacillation between faith and bewilderment, belief and suspicionMain Ideasl a salient characteristic of Modernismindividual awarenessl The core of Modernist thought i. the sense of despair, bitterness and anxiety: the death of all modern idols: God, man, reason, science, progress and hist

11、ory age of anxiety: anxiety of meaninglessness (loss of a spiritual center, faith and values) ii. the maturation of the modernist movement: literary revolution by the “lost generation”: to rebel against the senseless slaughter of WWI and the traditional values artistic revolution by the Dada: to bre

12、ak with the values of the 19th century and its philosophical and personal materialism and its rationalism Text StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeaslModernist performances in literature and art features: represent both progressive and radical tendencies; insist upon the subjectivity expressi

13、ve means: expressionism, cubism, post-impressionism, futurism, etc. emblem: the adversary culture major figures among writers: T. S. Eliot, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf major figures among composers: Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern major figures of modern dance: Emile

14、 Jaques-Delcroze, Rudolf Laban, Loie Fuller Main IdeasText StudyMain Ideas Modernist Influence to bring about a variety of Modernist genres and groups: Bolshevik tendencies, International Style, avant-garde activity, etc. to revolt against the values of the Industrial Revolution and bourgeois conser

15、vative values to cause a series of cultural and artistic works different from traditional form of art to open a way of thinking and creation to human cultural and spiritual development, and move to the Postmodernist eraMain Ideasmajor figures among painters: Edouard Manetmajor figures among architec

16、ts: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusierl Text StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsRealpolitik (power policy) 实力政策实力政策: It refers to politics or diplomacy based primarily on power and on practical and materi

17、al factors and considerations, rather than ideological notions or moralistic or ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. Realpolitik is a theory of politics that focuses on considerations of power, not ideals, morals, or

18、 principles. Balancing power to keep the European pentarchy was the means for keeping the peace, and careful Realpolitikers tried to avoid arms races. The most famous German advocate of “Realpolitik” was Otto von Bismarck. Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsInt

19、erpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural Termsthe Lost Generation 迷惘的一代迷惘的一代: A term first used by Gertrude Stein to describe the post-World War I generation of American writers: men and women haunted by a sense of betrayal and emptiness brought about by the destructiveness

20、of the war. The term is commonly applied to Hart Crane, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and others. Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsDada or Dadaism 达达主义达达主义: A cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 191

21、6 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literaturepoetry, art manifestoes, art theorytheatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. Its purpose was to ridicule what its partic

22、ipants considered to be the meaninglessness of the modern world. In addition to being anti-war, Dada was also anti-bourgeois and anarchist in nature. Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsInterpretation of Cultural TermsInternational Style 国际风格国际风格: A major archit

23、ectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modernist architecture. The term had its origin from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson written to record the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture held at the Museum of Modern Art in

24、New York City in 1932 which identified, categorized and expanded upon characteristics common to Modernism across the world. As a result, the focus was more on the stylistic aspects of Modernism. Hitchcocks and Johnsons aims were to define a style of the time, which would encapsulate this modern arch

25、itecture. They identified three different principles: the Text StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsInterpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural Termsexpression of volume rather than mass, balance rather than preconceived symmetry and the expulsion of applied ornament.Interpr

26、etation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural Termsavant-garde activity 先锋派运动先锋派运动: Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm. The notion of the existence of the avant-garde is considered by s

27、ome to be a hallmark of modernism, as distinct from postmodernism. Many artists have aligned themselves with the avant-garde movement and still continue to do so, tracing a history from Dada through the situationists to postmodern artists such as the language poets around 1981. Interpretation of Cul

28、tural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsInterpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyComprehension ExercisesFill in the blanks.Comprehension Exercises1. The early signs of Modernism emerged in the middle of the 19th century. In the arts and letters, two schools originating in France had pa

29、rticular impact. They were and symbolism.2. The broadly acceptable definition of Modernism was given by Morris Bib, who stated that Modernism should contain and one middle line.3. The artists who rebelled against the senseless slaughter of the WWI and raised the literary revolution in the 1920s were

30、 called .impressionismtwo extremesthe “lost generation”_Text StudyComprehension ExercisesComprehension Exercises4. In the visual arts the roots of Modernism are often traced back to painter , who broke away in the 1860s from inherited notions of perspective, modeling, and subject matter.5. The secon

31、d stage of Modernism is , a period with more reflection on and positive attitude towards the past.Edouard ManetPostmodernist era_Fill in the blanks. Modernism, in its broadest sense, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes both a set of cultural tendencies an

32、d an array of associated cultural schools, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The term encompasses the activities and output of those who felt the “traditional” forms of art, architecture, literature, r

33、eligious faith, social conventions and daily life were becoming outdated in the new conditions of economic, social and political developments under the influence of industrialization and colonization.Text StudyThink and DiscussSay something you know about Modernism, including its performance and fea

34、tures.Think and DiscussText StudyThink and Discuss Modernism despite its complexity and multiplicity in terms of ideological tendencies and representation modes, could be regarded basically to be irrational, that is, in opposition to rational tradition of the Western culture and civilization. Histor

35、y has repeatedly proved that any radical drive or trend could not last long and so did modernism which, with all its justifications, only survived a few decades since its beginning and had to decline and finally disappeared as a movement though some of its ideas and forms or techniques still maintai

36、ned. The reason is simple no one could not reject allThink and DiscussText StudyThink and Discussthe inheritances his ancestors have passed on to him no matter whether these inheritances are valuable enough for him to benefit from. In that sense people after modernism, particularly the cultural peop

37、le or intellectuals, have to take a lesson from Modernist Movement, that they should be cautious about the way to handle cultural heritage and need to try to make use of the positive elements from tradition.Think and Discussdeath, dusk, autumn, fallen leaves, tolls at grave, burned-out candles, etc.

38、representativestone of worksthemesBaudelaire, RimbaudVerlaine, MoreasMallarme, ValeryText StudyMain IdeasMain Ideascharacterized by pain, frustration and sorrowdeny rational knowledge and logical thinking;ignore reality and use intuitional power;express idealistic beauties in abstract imageMajor Sch

39、ools of ModernismSymbolismideas Ernest Hulme, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliotrepresentativesimage being the essence of intuitional language;catch images in life by intuitional powerideasImagismMarinetti, DAnnunziorepresentativesText StudyMain IdeasMain Ideasdeny the importance of past cultural heritage;eulog

40、ize modern urban life and the machine-age civilization;advert formalism;use mathematical symbols to create “future art”FuturismideasModernist Techniques of Expressioni. preference for the symbolicii. fascination with the absurdiii. disillusionment with the traditional (anti-fiction, anti-drama)iv. r

41、epresentation of inwardnessText StudyMain IdeasMain Ideasdramatists: Eugene ONeil, Bertolt Brecht, Johan August Stindberg,novelist: Kafka Metamorphosi The Trial and The Castlerepresentativessocial crisis and mans alienation are the central concernExpress-ionismideasText StudyInterpretation of Cultur

42、al Termscubism 立体主义立体主义: A 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. The first branch of cubism, known as Analytic Cubism, was both r

43、adical and influential as a short but highly significant art movement between 1907 and 1911 in France. In its second phase, Synthetic Cubism, the movement spread and remained vital until around 1919, when the Surrealist movement gained popularity.Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretat

44、ion of Cultural TermsInterpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural Termssurrealism 超现实主义超现实主义: A cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members. Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unex

45、pected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader Andr Breton was explicit in his assertion that surrealism was above all a revolutionary m

46、ovement. Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsInterpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural Termsthe stream of consciousness 意识流意识流: a modernist literary school emphasizing psychological representation, featured by interior monologue and as

47、sociative (and at times dissociative) leaps in syntax and punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow, tracing a characters fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings. Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural Termsexistentialism 存在主义存在主义: A term applied to the

48、work of a number of philosophers since the 19th century who, despite large differences in their positions, generally focused on the condition of human existence, and an individuals emotions, actions, responsibilities, and thoughts, or the meaning or purpose of life. Existential philosophers often fo

49、cused more on what they believed was subjective, such as beliefs and religion, or human states, feelings, and emotions, such as freedom, pain, guilt, and regret, as opposed to analyzing objective knowledge, language, or science. The early 19th century philosopher Sren Kierkegaard is regarded as the

50、father of existentialism. Interpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyInterpretation of Cultural TermsInterpretation of Cultural TermsText StudyComprehension ExercisesMatch the following schools of modernism with their representatives. Schools(1) symbolism (2) futurism (3) imagism (4) expressionismRep

51、resentativesa. Ezra Pound b. Baudelaire c. Eugene ONeilld. Marinetti Comprehension ExercisesText StudyThink and DiscussTell the major schools of modernism and their common techniques of expression. The major schools of modernism are: symbolism, futurism, imagism, expressionism, etc.Although they hav

52、e diversities in their representative methods, the common techniques of expression they share are: preference for the symbolic; fascination with the absurd; disillusionment with the traditional (anti-fiction, anti-drama); representation of inwardness.Think and DiscussMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMa

53、in IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMa

54、in IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasEarly Modernist Events and FiguresEzra PoundMain IdeasText StudyMain Ideasanguish and depression of social turmoilHugh Sel

55、wyn MauberleyWorks EventsFiguresThemes of Worksinitiation of imagismHulmepost-war Anglo-American modernismD.H. LawrenceThe Rainbow,Women in Lovesickness of modern civilization, human psyche, psychological alienation, intellectual declineMain IdeasText StudyMain Ideasdark side of modern western socie

56、ty, spiritual emptiness and rootlessness of modern existenceT. S. EliotPrufrock and Other, Observations,The Waste LandMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasIrish Writerscreativity, selfhood, the individuals relationship to nature, time and historyWritersWorksThemes or Methods of WritingW.B.YeatsThe Wild Swa

57、ns at Coole,Michael Robartes and the Dancer,The Tower,The Winding Stairpartly realistic partly symbolic, individual awareness of humanDubliners,A Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManUlyssesthe stream of consciousnessMain IdeasText StudyMain Ideaspolyglot idiom of puns and portmanteau words, abundan

58、t songs and stories of both history and present timeJames JoyceFinnegans WakeMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasFeminist Writingthe use of stream of consciousness,a new view and treatment of subjectivity, time and history,to create a certainty about the need to modify traditional forms of fictionWritersW

59、orksFeatures of the WorksVirginia WoolfTo the Lighthouse,The Waves,Between the ActsworksLord of the Flies, The Inheritors, Pincher Martin, Free Fall, etc.Animal Farm,Nineteen Eighty-fourworksWilliam GoldingGeorge OrwellMain IdeasText StudyMain IdeasModernist Writing after the WWIIKingsley Amis Lucky

60、 Jim,Angus Wilsons No Laughing Matter,Alan Sillitoes Saturday Night and Sunday Morningsubject of worksupward social mobility The Angry Young MenrepresentativenovelsWritersThe Bloody Chamber and Other Storiesbe occupied with myth, magic, and fable, to counter the “patriarchal discourse”Angela CarterM