美国文学现实主义阶段著名作家与作品 The Literature of Realism课件

1、Chapter The Literature of Realism2022/9/81The Background of American RealismThe fifty years between the end of the Civil War to the outbreak of the First World WarChanges in every aspect of American lifeIndustrialization and the urbanization,“The Gilded Age”Tired of sentimental feelings of Romantici

2、smInterest in reality of life2022/9/82William Dean Howells: “ I confess I do not care to judge any work of the imagination without first applying this test to it. We must ask ourselves before anything else. Is it true? true to the motives, the impulses, the principles that shape the life of actual m

3、en and women?” 2022/9/83The Characteristic of American RealismInterpretation of the actualities of any aspect of life, free from subjective prejudice, idealism, or romantic color.2022/9/841. Historical Background:“The Gilded Age”. In the period between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of W

4、orld War I, the country developed rapidly in various fields. By the 1870s the New England Renaissance had waned. A host of new writers appeared. They sought to portray American life as it really was. Local color fiction reached its peak of popularity in the 1880s. Naturalism dominated American liter

5、ature of the first decade of 20th century. 2022/9/852. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) : the poet of American democracy 3. Emily Dickinson (18301886):2022/9/864. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)Family Background: raised in a strongly religious atmosphere Her father Lyman Beecher, was a distinguished clerg

6、yman;Two brothers (Henry Ward and Edward): celebrated preachers;Older sister (Catherine): an educator 2022/9/87Cincinnati Suspension Bridge over Ohio River2022/9/810“The Mothers Struggle” : A Scene from Uncle Toms Cabin2022/9/811Mrs. Stowes Life:Born: June 14, 1811 - Litchfield, Connecticut In 1832:

7、 Moved to Cincinnati, Father: president of Lane Theological Seminary In 1836: married Calvin Ellis Stowe, a seminary professor at Lane;In 1830s, and 1840s, wrote stories for magazines;By 1850, she was the mother of seven children;In 1850, moved to Brunswick, MaineDied: July 1, 1896 - Hartford, Conne

8、cticut2022/9/8125. O. Henry (18621910)Real name: William Sidney Porter A prolific writer, He wrote most often of New York city, where he spent his later years. His name for the city was “Baghdad on the Subway.”Born in North Carolina, without much schooling and virtually orphaned.He followed several

9、occupations: a bookkeeper, a drugstore clerk and a Texas Ranger.A central figure in the peak period of the American magazine short story.Died in drunkenness.2022/9/816Characteristics of O. Henrys Works: His work is full of humor; his stories are amusing; Drawing directly from his experience with man

10、y odd jobs, he combined realism with a world of his own, reflecting a fatalistic view of life; T His work is typically American, and he gives us a good idea of various types of people in the United States; The theme of his stories is often based on some self-sacrificing member of a family who is und

11、ergoing hardship to help a close relative. He also addresses questions of loneliness, of desolate people, of grotesque underlings.”2022/9/817O. Henry: Chief WorksCabbages and Kings (1904); The Four Million (1906); The Trimmed Lamp (1907); Heart of the West (1907); The Voice of the City (1908); Roads

12、 of Destiny (1909)2022/9/8186. Henry James (1843-1916)Life: born in New York; the son of the theological writer Henry James, Sr. and the brother of the pragmatist philosopher William James.A realistic writer;The most expert stylist of his time;The first American to achieve a blend of detailed observ

13、ation and polished style; An admirer of European manners.2022/9/819Jack London: StyleForceful, and colorful;Subjectivity and enthusiasmHis characterizations were often stiff and his dialogue stereotyped.2022/9/823Theme of Jack Londons Worksprimitive violence, Anglo-Saxon supremacy, biological evolution, class warfare, and mechanistic determinism. 2022/9/8249. Theodore Dreiser (18711945)Dreiser sets forth his naturalistic concept of American society. Dreiser has been acclaimed for this sincere and p