《美国文学简史》课程介绍

1、美国文学简史课程介绍作为英语专业的学生，美国文学课是学习英语语言，欣赏英语文学作品，了解西方文化的一门必修课。与其他国家的文学不同，美国文学没有一个漫长的光荣传统。从其诞生至今仅有200多年的历史。然而在这短短的200多年里，美国文学却迅速发展成为与世界上其他伟大文学比肩而立的艺术，涌现出一大批享誉全球的著名作家。美国文学的迅速发展受到政治、经济、文化等各方面条件的影响。要想使学生能够透彻地理解各个作家的创作思想、主题、题材和风格，领会文学作品中深刻的社会意义及强大的感染力，必须要使他们对美国文学发生和发展的历史有个清楚的了解。此课程的目的和任务是把美国文学的发生和发展放到一个大的社会背景中去

2、探讨，使学生把握文学发展的规律，熟悉文学史上出现的重要流派、事件以及各个时期主要作家的代表作品，从而对美国文学能有一个宏观和系统的认识。美国文学简史教学大纲课程名称：美国文学 / American Literature课程编码：适用学科专业：英语专业学时与学分：72学时4学分教学目的：此课程旨在使学生对美国文学的发生和发展有一个大概的了解，使他们能够把握美国文学发展的规律，熟悉文学史上出现的重要流派、事件以及各个时期主要作家的代表作品，从而深化他们的认识，提高他们理解和欣赏文学作品的能力，使他们能够透彻地理解各个作家的创作思想、主题、题材和风格。使用教材：美国文学简史（常耀兴，南开大学出版社，

3、2003）学时安排：Introduction2学时Chapter 1 Colonial America 2学时Chapter 2 Edwards Franklin Crevecoeur 3学时Chapter 3 American Romanticism Irving Cooper 3学时Chapter 4 New England Transcendentalism: Emerson, Thoreau 4学时Chapter 5 Hawthorne Melville 2学时Chapter 6 Whitman Dickinson 2学时Chapter 7 Edgar Allan Poe2学时Chap

4、ter 8 The Age of Realism Howells James4学时Chapter 9 Local Colorism Mark Twain3学时Chapter 10 Naturalism Crane Norris Dreiser Robinson3学时Chapter 11 The 1920s Imagism Pound 2学时Chapter 12 T.S Eliot Stevens Williams2学时Chapter 13 Frost Sandburg Cummings Hart Crane Moore3学时Chapter 14 Fitzgerald Hemingway3学时C

5、hapter 15 The Southern Renaissance William Faulkner4学时Chapter 16 Andernson Stein Lewis Cather Wolfe4学时Chapter 17 The 1930s Dos Passos Steinbeck4学时Chapter 18 Porter Welty McCullers West The New Criticism4学时Chapter 19 American Drama 2学时Chapter 20 Postwar Poetry Poets of the 1940s2学时Chapter 21 The Conf

6、essional School The Beat Generation2学时Chapter 22 The New York School Meditative Poetry The Black 2学时Chapter 23 Postwar American Novel (I)4学时Chapter 24 Postwar American Novel (II) 4学时基本教学内容：IntroductionI. What is Literature?II. Why do we read literature?III. Why is literature important? IV. What are

7、we to learn from the book?We need to learn: 1. A brief account of the major authors and their masterworks.2. The major literary trends and currents of thought that have dominated the American literary scene at one time or another.V. The outline of American Literature.Chapter 1 Colonial Period I. His

8、torical Background1. The first permanent English settlement in North America at James town, Virginia in 1617.2. In 1629 the puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony.3. Independent War(1776-1783); the formation of a federative bourgeois democratic republic-the United States of America.II. Am

9、erican Puritanism1. Basic Puritan Beliefs2. Influence on American LiteratureIII. The literary Scene in colonial America1. Humble origins: diaries, histories, journals, letters, travel books, autobiographies/biographies, sermons2. Writers: Chapter 2 Edwards Franklin CrevecoeurI. Historical Background

10、1. The War of Independence2. The American Enlightenment 3. Great AwakeningII. Jonathan Edwards1. Life: 2. Works: 3. Assessment Jonathan Edwards was a good deal of a transcendentalist because of his ideas:III. Benjamin Franklin1. Life: 2. Works: Chapter 3 American Romanticism Irving CooperI. Historic

11、al Background1. Political: 2. Economic: 3. Both the change in political and the economic development brought about a sense of optimism and hope.4. Culturally:5. Foreign influence II. General Introduction to RomanticismIII. British Romanticism 1. It prevailed in England during the period (1798-1832).

12、 There are two schools of Romanticists:2. Their writings are filled with strong-willed heroes, terrible events, tragic situation, powerful conflicting passion and exotic events. Sometimes they resort to symbolic methods, and pay great attention to spiritual and emotional life of man. Nature often pe

13、rsonified, also plays an important role. The creative imagination occupied the center of romantic views of arts.IV. American Romanticism (The most important period in the history of American literature)1. Time: It stretches from the end of the 18th century throughout the outbreak of the Civil War2.

14、Features of American Romanticism3. Two phases: V. Washington Irving1. Life 2. works 3. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent 1819-1820 见闻札记4. The style of Washington Irving5. The evaluation of IrvingVI James Fenimore Cooper  1. Life 2. works3. “Leatherstocking Tales”4. The features of C

15、ooper  Chapter 4 New England Transcendentalism Emerson ThoreauI. Historical Background 1. The Mexican-American War (1846-1848)2. The westward expansion II. New England Transcendentalism1. General introduction to Transcendentalism2. The factors that influenced New England Transcendentalism3

16、. Major Concepts 4. Significance: New England Transcendentalism is the summit of American Romanticism.5. Representatives: Emerson, ThoreauIII. Ralph Waldo Emerson1. Life 2. Works 3. Emersons aesthetics4. Limitations IV. Henry David Thoreau1. Life 2. Works 3. Walden4. Evaluation Chapter 5 Hawthorne M

17、elvilleI. Nathanial Hawthorne1. Life 2. Works 1. Short story collections: 2. Novels: 3. The Blackness in Hawthorne4. Hawthornes aesthetics5. The style of Hawthorne6. Scarlet Letter (A: Adultery to Able to Angel)7. Hawthornes influence on Melville, Howells, Faulkner and some Gothic novelists. II. Her

18、man Melville1. Life 2. Works 3. Melvilles views of life 4. Moby Dick5. Melvilles style Chapter 6 Whitman DickinsonI Walt Whitman 1. Life 2. Works 3. Influences on Whitman 4. Major themes in his poems:5. His style II Emily Dickinson 1. Life2. Works 3. Characteristics Chapter 7 Edgar Allan PoeI. liter

19、ary PositionII. Life (1809 1849, a short and tragic life)III. Comments on PoeIV. WorksV. Poems1. Theory2. Famous Poems: The Raven, Annabel Lee, To HelenVI. Short Story1. Theory2. Features3. Sample: The Fall of the House of UsherChapter 8 The Age of Realism Howells JamesI. Historical Background1. The

20、 Civil War (1860 1865). 2. Industrialization. 3. Closing Frontier. II. Realism1. Time: the latter half of the 19th century, esp. 1870s, 1880s2. Features3. Representative writers: William Dean Howells, Henry James and Mark TwainIII. William Dean Howells 1. Life (1837-1920)2. Literary-aesthetic Ideas3

21、. Works4. Features of His WorksIV. Henry James1. Life (1843-1916)2. Major Works3. Literary Career: three stages4. Evaluation Chapter 9 Local Colorism Mark TwainI. Local Colorism1. Definition2. Local coloristsII. Mark Twain1. Life (1835 1910)2. Major works3. Evaluation4. The Adventures of Huckleberry

22、 FinnChapter 10 American Naturalism Crane Norris Dreiser RobinsonI. Naturalism1. Background2. Features3. Representatives: Stephen Crane, Norris and Theodore DreiserII. Stephen Crane 1. life (1871-1900)2. WorksIII. Frank Norris and McTeagueIV. Theodore Dreiser1. life (1871-1945)2. Works3. Sister Carr

23、ie4. EvaluationV. Other Authors of the Period1. Edwin Arlington Robinson(1860 1935)2. Jack London (1876 1916)3. O. Henry(1862 1910)Chapter 11 The 1920s Imagism PoundI. Historical BackgroundII. The Major Writers III. Imagism1. Introduction. 2. Major Features of ImagismIV. Ezra Pound (1885 1972)1. Lif

24、e2.  Works3. AnalysisChapter 12 T. S. Eliot Stevens WilliamsT. S. Elliot I. Life (1888 1965)II. Works1. Poems2. Sample poem: The Waste Land3. Verse dramas4. Literary CriticismIII. Point of ViewIV. StyleChapter 13 Frost Sandburg Cummings Hart Crane MooreI. Introduction1. The Historical

25、 Background.2. The Overview of Literature.II. Robert Frost1. Life2. Literary Works3. The Main Features of His Works4. His Contributions.III. Carl Sandburgthe greatest prairie poet1. Life:2. His main works: 3. His contributionsChapter 14 Fitzgerald HemingwayI. Introduction1. The Historical Background

26、.2. The Overview of Literature.II. F. Scott Fitzgerald1. Life2. Literary Works3. A brief introduction to his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby4. The Jazz Age III. Ernest Hemingway 1. Life:2. His main works: 3. Hemingways themes -grace under pressure4. Hemingways hero-code hero5. Hemingways styleChapter

27、15 The Southern Renaissance William FaulknerI. Introduction1. The Historical Backgroundof The Southern Renaissance.2. The Southern Renaissance features3. Southern Myths II. William Faulkner1. Life2. Literary career: three stages3. Point of view4.Themes5. Features of his worksChapter 16 Andernson Stein Lewis Cather WolfeI. Sherwood Anderson1. Life2. Liter