美国文学现实主义文学-文档资料

1、Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).1Requirements: Class Attendance Preparatory work and after-class reading.2Part IVThe Literature of Realism美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学(1860-1914)Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).3Historical IntroductionLiterary Movement

2、s between the Civil War and the First World WarThe Establishment of American PoetryRise of the American NovelLiterature on the BlackPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).4Historical Overview The Civil War the development of railroads the spread of industrialism the frontierP

3、art IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).5The gilded age镀金时代镀金时代: seemingly prosperous society; an age of excess and extremes, of decline and progress, of poverty ad dazzling wealth, of gloom and buoyant hopePart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).6美国资本主义大

4、工业迅猛发展美国资本主义大工业迅猛发展,迫使原住民离乡背井迫使原住民离乡背井,这幅图画展示的就是这幅图画展示的就是“镀金时代镀金时代”的景象的景象Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).71. American Realism2. American Naturalism3. Local ColorismII Literary Movements between the Civil War and the First World WarPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实

5、主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).8Realism: a mode of writing that gives the impression of recording or “reflecting” faithfully an actual way of life. Modern criticism frequently insists that realism is not a direct or simple reproduction of reality but a system of conventions producing a lifelike illusion o

6、f some “real” world outside the text, by processes of selection, exclusion, description, and manners of addressing the reader. (Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms)Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).9u Emphasizes objectivity and offers an objective rather than an

7、idealistic view of human nature and human experience.u Realists seek truth that is verifiable by experience and have practical consequences. They expressed the concern for the world of experience, of the commonplace, and for the familiar and the low.u Realism is embedded in a mimetic theory of art.

8、Realists believe that literature imitates reality. Features of RealismPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).10Representatives of American RealismvMark Twain 马克吐温vWilliam Dean Howells 威廉迪恩豪威尔斯vHenry James 亨利詹姆斯1.American Realism Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主

9、义文学 (1860-1914).112.American NaturalismvNaturalism is a more deliberate kind of realism in novels, stories and plays, usually involving a view of human beings as passive victims of natural forces and social environment.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).12Features of Amer

10、ican NaturalismvA post-Darwinian movement ( the survival of the fittest )of the late 19th centuryvNaturalism applies the principles of scientific determination to fiction.vThe world is amoral; vMen and women have no free will; their lives are controlled by heredity and the environment vReligious “tr

11、uths” are illusoryvThe destiny of humanity is misery in life and oblivion in death. (pessimism and deterministic ideas)2.American NaturalismPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).132.1 The major writers of American NaturalismvStephen Crane 斯蒂芬斯蒂芬克莱恩克莱恩 vFrank Norris 弗兰克弗兰克诺里斯

12、诺里斯vJack London 杰克杰克伦敦伦敦vHenry Adams 亨利亨利亚当斯亚当斯vTheodore Dreiser西奥多西奥多德莱塞德莱塞2.American NaturalismPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).14Local ColorismvLocal colorism is dependent upon a specific geographical location. Local colorists give emphasis to the local details by ta

13、pping into its folklore, history, mannerism, custom, beliefs and speech. Dialects peculiarities are the defining characteristic of local color writings. They tend to idealize and glorify, but they never forgot to keep an eye on the truthful color of local life. Mark TwainPart IV The Literature of Re

14、alism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).15Walt WhitmanEmily DickinsonIII The Establishment of American PoetryPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).16I. ReputationvOne of the most original and inspiring American poets“ An American bard at last! One of the roughs, large, proud, aff

15、ectionate, eating, drinking, and breeding, his costume manly and free, his face sunburnt and bearded, his postures strong and erect”(from “Leaves of Grass” 1st edition)Walt Whitman 沃尔特沃尔特.惠特曼惠特曼 (1819-1892)Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).17II. Life Storyv Born on Long

16、Island (长岛), New York (his parents were v poor and semiliterate)v Began working as an office boy in a law firm, then for a v doctor (he had only five or six years of formal v schooling, but through private reading he became well v educated)v1836-1841 Worked as an elementary school teacher1842 Became

17、 editor of The New York Aurorav Make a sojourn in the SouthPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).18II. Life Storyvself-published the first edition of Leaves of GrassvDuring the Civil War a correspondent for The New York Times v and a volunteer nurse in army hospitalsvWith th

18、e money from the 6th edition he was able to buy his own house1892 died at Camden (A city of western New Jersey )He was poor all his life and never married.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).19III. His Major Contribution1. Centered on ideas of democracy, equality, and brot

19、herhood. Why? Whitmans life time saw the Civil War and witnessed both the apex (顶点) and the abolition of slavery. 2. Develop a type of poetry that was uniquely American, that both surpassed and broke the mold of its predecessors. (free verse)Why? In response to the rise of the United States as a com

20、mercial and political power in the world.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).20 Free verse is rhymed or unrhymed poetry free from conventional rules of meter; instead, it uses the cadences(抑扬顿挫) of natural speech. Whitman created a rhythm that corresponds to the vibrancy a

21、nd flow of his emotions and sensory perceptions. Whitman pioneered “free verse” and made it acceptable in American poetry. Poets famous for their works composed in free verse include Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, Amy Lowell and Carl Sandburg.Free Verse 自由诗自由诗Part IV The Literature of Realism

22、 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).21Leaves of Grass 草叶集草叶集（first in 1855）a poet who is a fervent advocate for equality and democracy, a poet celebrating the people in village and cities of America, a poet in love with a Nature embodying the Over-soul and a poet who expressed the pleasures of sex and the

23、 sensuality of the body. Whitman openly celebrates the “body electric”, the sexual organs, and the act of sex. He was the one of the first poets to write abut the masturbation, female eroticism, homosexuality and the anguish of sexual desire being repressed. Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文

24、学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).22自己之歌自己之歌 1我赞美自己，我歌唱自己，我赞美自己，我歌唱自己， 凡我接受者，你也将接受，凡我接受者，你也将接受， 因为属于我的每个原子，也属于你。因为属于我的每个原子，也属于你。我邀请灵魂一道逍遥，我邀请灵魂一道逍遥， 我逍遥自在地俯身下视，观察一片夏天的青草。我逍遥自在地俯身下视，观察一片夏天的青草。我的舌头，我血液中的每个原子，都来自这些泥土、我的舌头，我血液中的每个原子，都来自这些泥土、 这些空气，这些空气， 我在这里为父母所生，我的父母也在这里为父母所生，我在这里为父母所生，我的父母也在这里为父母所生，他们的父母也是如此，他们的父母

25、也是如此， 我我现在现在37岁，身体健壮，开始起步了，岁，身体健壮，开始起步了， 但愿永不停止，一直到死。但愿永不停止，一直到死。 Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).23V. Special Features of his Poems1. Topics: songs for himself, for the labour of the common American people, for natural creation, for the independence of the country, fo

26、r love and friendship, and for the memorizing of President Lincoln.2. Poetic structures: 2.1 Lines: often long 2.5 Composed like mosaics Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).24V. Special Features of his Poems4. LanguagevParallelism or a rhythm of thoughtvPhonetic recurrence

27、vStrong tendency to use oral English: Slang words, foreign words, technical words, sexual words, and learned words3. Catalogue techniqueTypical poems by Whitman make long, long lists of images, of sights, sounds, smells, taste and touchPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).2

28、5VI. Leaves of GrassGrass: section 6“A child said what is the grass?”v“I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven” ideal and hopev“Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones” equalityv“goes onward and outward, nothing collapses” developmentPart IV The Litera

29、ture of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).26VI. Leaves of Grass1. Americas first genuine epic poem. 2. The title implies rebirth, renewal or green life3. Nine editions with more than 400 poems all written in free verse form free flowing, simple and sometimes rather crude, conversational and casua

30、l4. extols the ideals of equality and democracy without rank and hierarchy. eg. He moves from himself to “you” and to others, to all humanity en masse about him; sing of the “en masse” and self as wellPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).275. Shows concern for scientific ac

31、hievements. ( atom, dynamo, oil)6. Describes sexual love.The famous “twenty-ninth bather” can be found in the eleventh section of “Song of Myself”. In this section a woman watches twenty-eight young men bathing in the ocean. She fantasizes about joining them unseen, and describes their semi-nude bod

32、ies in some detail. (like Emersons “transparent eyeball”)The lavish eroticism (色情) reinforces this idea: sexual contact allows two people to become one yet not one-it offers a moment of transcendence.Leaves of GrassPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).28Emily Dickinson 艾米莉艾

33、米莉.迪金森迪金森 (1830-1886)I. ReputationvA poet of genuinely philosophical and tragic dimensions.vA romantic poet vA reclusevShares the same reputation with Poe and Whitman as Americas most innovative poetPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).29II. Life Storyv Born in Amherst, Mas

34、sachusetts ( a well-to-do family)v Went to Washington D.C. for a short time v Went to Philadelphia for a visit, enamored with a married v clergyman, Charles Wadsworthv Died of Brights disease (布赖特氏病，肾小球肾炎) at v Amherst.vdid not travel much and did not marry vbe acquainted with the works of Emerson,

35、Thoreau and Hawthornevstudied the Bible Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).30She wrote 1775 poems, but she had only seven poems published during her lifetime.v“Because I could not stop for Death” “因为我不能停下来等待死神”v“A Bird came down the Walk” “一只小鸟沿小径走来”v“I died for Beauty bu

36、t was scarce” “我为美而死- 但几乎不”v“I heard a Fly buzz when I died” “我听到了苍蝇的嗡嗡声-在我死时” III. Her Major WorksPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).31IV. Her Theory of Poetry1. She regarded the poet as a seer (先知，预言家）.2. Poetry had an impact on ones life.3. She stressed indirection. He

37、r poems are obscure, cryptic(隐密的）,indirect and paradoxical.4. Her poems demonstrate inconsistency.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).32V. Subjects of Her Poems1. “Her subjects were love, death, nature, religion, immortality, pain, beauty.” (McMichael)vDeath: an inevitable

38、 conclusion of life personified as a monarch, a lord, or a kind but irresistible lovervBeauty:perceived in the wholeness and harmonious relationships of nature2. The range of her poetry suggests the power of her creativity and imagination.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914

39、).33VI. Her Poetic Style1. Influence of Christian tradition1.1 the Biblical language and allusions1.2 illuminated hidden recesses in the human soul1.3 used the meter of hymnsvfour-line stanzas, ABCB rhyme schemesvalternations in iambic meter between tetrameter (four feet) and trimeter (three feet)vp

40、lace her own long, rhythmic dashes designed to interrupt the meter and indicate short pausesPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).34VI. Her Poetic Style2. New England perspective:2.1 Puritan introspection (into the hidden areas of the soul)2.2 Brevity and intensity4. Wit4.1

41、Use of the Persona “I” 4.2 Use of Paradox and Irony5. Unorthodox syntax and punctuationvNot inflect the third person singular form of the verbvCapitalization and dashes often used willfullyPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).351. a lyric2. richest personifications 3. Death

42、: a gentleman, a courtly suitor, a fraudulent seducer a statement of Dickinsons own ambivalent reactions to death and immortalityIs death a release from a lifetime of work and suffering?Is death the gateway to a lasting peace in paradise?Is death simply a cold, mindless annihilation?4. theme: deathB

43、ecause I could not stop for DeathPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).36Stanza 1:Line 1: a lady, the persona of the poet is too busy and too contented to stop for the gentlemans callLine 2: Through his kindness and consideration, she is compelled at last to go with him.Line

44、 3: The scene is set in the carriage Mood: intimacyLine 4: as a true gentleman, he has a chaperone “Immortality”Because I could not stop for DeathPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).37Stanza 2: Mood: peacefulnessLine1: indicates the peacefulness and pleasantness surroundin

45、g an appointment with a boy friendLine2-3: She is completely captivated by him She needs neither labor nor leisure.Line 4: In his “Civility” he has taken care of everything.Because I could not stop for DeathPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).38Stanza 3: They are near the

46、edge of the town.Three images:Children: “strove”; youthGazing Grain: maturitySetting Sun: a dying lady is setting; ageThe three images are fused into one:va mortal experience: the three states of youth, maturity and age, vthe cycle of day from morning to evening, va suggestion of seasonal progressio

47、n from spring through ripening to decline.Because I could not stop for DeathPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).39Stanza 4: the lady is getting closer to deathThe Dews: “quivering and chill” the traditional associations of the coldness of deathGossamer（轻而软的精细材料): associate

48、d with spiritsTippet: something might be seen around the shoulders of a deceased woman.Because I could not stop for DeathPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).40Stanza 5: they have arrived at a country cemetery.The house: the house of death, a fresh graveStanza 6: The lady i

49、s alone now; She had, therefore, apparently been tricked, seduced, and then abandoned.Because I could not stop for DeathPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).41The Novel of the West: Mark TwainAmerican Realists: Henry JamesAmerican Naturalists: Jack London Theodore DreiserIV

50、 Rise of the American NovelPart IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).42Local colorismI. Background1) Westward expansion was still going on. The United States had not solidified itself into a cohesive cultural whole. Marked differences existed between different parts of the count

51、ry. They tried to assert their unique identity and understanding and recognition by showing their local character.2) The frontier humorists had prepared the literary ground for local colorism. (tall tales)3) Magazines appeared to let writers publish their works.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实

52、主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).43Local colorismTall talesThe tall tale is a fundamental element of American folk literature. The tall tales origins are seen in the bragging contests that often occurred when the rough men of the American frontier gathered. In those days, people didnt have TV, computers or

53、electric lights to read by, so they told stories for entertainment.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).44Elements of tall talesThe main character is bigger than life and has super-human abilitiesThe story has many exaggerations in it.The main character has a problem or pro

54、blems to solve.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).45The story includes lots of action.The plot of the story is funny and impossible.In the end, the main character solves a problem, overcomes an obstacle and/or defeats the “bad guy”.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义

55、文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).46Local colorism2. DefinitionLocal colorism is a unique variation of American literary realism. Generally, the works by local colorists are concerned with the life of a small region or province. This kind of fiction depicts the characters from a specific setting or of an area,

56、 which are marked by its customs, dialects, landscape, or other peculiarities that have escaped standardizing cultural influence. Tasks of local colorists: to write or present local characters of their regions in truthful depiction distinguished from others, usually a very small part of the world.Pa

57、rt IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).47Local colorism3. Development Local colorism as a trend first made its presence felt in the late 1860s and early seventies. Francis Bret Bartes(弗朗西弗朗西斯斯布莱特布莱特哈特哈特) The Luck of Roaring Camp(咆哮营的幸运儿咆哮营的幸运儿)in 1868 marked a significant devel

58、opment in the history of local color fiction. The period from the 1880s to the 1890s was a spectacular growth of regional literature.Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).48Local colorism3) At the turn of the 20th century, local colorism ceased to be a dominate fashion.Part

59、IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实主义文学 (1860-1914).49Mark Twain (1835-1910) Full name: Samuel Langhorne Clemens 塞缪塞缪尔尔.郎荷恩郎荷恩. 克莱门斯克莱门斯 Pseudonym “Mark Twain”: the way of a boatman taking soundings, meaning “two fathoms” (12 feet) or “safe water” Part IV The Literature of Realism 美国现实主义文学美国现实

60、主义文学 (1860-1914).50The Novel of the West: Mark Twain(1835-1910)I. ReputationvA humorous public speakervEssentially an affirmative writer (in his later years, from an optimist and humorist to a determinist)vA local coloristv“The Lincoln of our literature” (W.D. Howells)Part IV The Literature of Reali