美国文学专业知识

AmericanLiteratureAmericanliteratureTheLiteratureofColonialPeriodTheLiteratureofReasonandRevolutionTheliteratureofRomanticismTheLiteratureofRealismTheLiteratureofThe20thcenturyTheLiteratureofColonialPeriod

HistoricalbackgroundThefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinNorthAmericaatJamestown,Virginiain1607.In1630thepuritansestablishedtheMassachusettsBayColony.IndependentWar(1776-1783);thefoundationofaFederativebourgeoisdemocraticrepublic—theUnitedStatesofAmerica.

Puritanism:AmericanPuritansPuritanswanttomakeuppuretheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices.PuritanswishtorestoresimplicitytochurchservicesandtheauthorityoftheBibletotheology.Puritanslookuponthemselvesasachosenpeople,anditfollowlogicallythatanyonewhochallengedtheirwayoflifeisopposingGod’swillandisnottobeaccepted.Puritanoppositiontopleasureandtheartssometimeshasbeenexaggerated.ReligiousteachingtendedtoemphasizetheimageofawrathfulGod.

Typesofwriting:

histories,travelaccounts,diaries,biographies,letters,autobiographies,sermons,andpoems.Majorwriters:CaptainJohnSmith（约翰·史密斯）

thefirstAmericanwriterADescriptionofNewEngland《新英格兰叙事》(1616)GeneralHistoryofVirginia《弗吉尼亚通史》（1642）PocahontasWilliamBradford(1590-1657)OneofthegreatestofcolonialAmerican,whollyconsecratedtoamissioninwhichheregardedhimselfasaninstrumentofGod.Attheageof18,heaccompaniedthegrouptoHollandtoescapepersecution.13yearslaterhewasoneofthosewho,onDecember11,tookontheMayflowerandenteredPlymouthBay.From1622untilhisdeath,Bradfordwasreelectedthirtytimedasgovernor.Masterpiece:OfPlymouthPlantationAnneBradstreet(安妮·布拉德斯特里特)(1612-1672)

thefirstAmericanwomanpoet

aPuritanpoet,oncecalled“TenthMuse”mostfamouspoems—“Contemplations”《沉思录》TheLiteratureofReasonandRevolution“TheAgeofReason”“AmericanEnlightenment”HistoricalBackground

PoliticsdominatedtherevolutionaryphaseofAmericanwriting.ThecrisisinAmericanlifecarriedbytheRevolutionmadeartistsself-consciousaboutAmericansubjects.ThespirituallifeinthecoloniesduringthatperiodwasmoldedbythebourgeoisEnlightenment.2.BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790):TheAutobiographyPoorRichard’sAlmanackworksBenjaminFranklinAmericanpolitician,scientist,inventor,andeducator.Hewasatypicalexampleoftheso-calledAmericanDream.Hehelpeddraftthe“DeclarationofIndependence”.

HeconductedthedifficultnegotiationwithFrancethatbroughtfinancialandmilitarysupportforAmericainthewar.HefoundedthecollegethatwastobecometheUniversityofPennsylvania.3.ThomasPaine(1737-1809):

Painewas“GreatCommonerofMankind”.HewasbornEngland.

Attheageof37,FranklinmethiminLondonandrecognizedhispeculiartalentsintheirAmericanperspective.HewrotemanypoliticalpamphletsduringtheRevolutionaryperiod.CommonSense

TheAmericanCrisis

TheRightsofMan

TheAgeofReason

PhilipFreneau(1752-1832)“PoetoftheAmericanRevolution”“FatherofAmericanPoetry”“PioneeroftheNewRomanticism”“Agiftedandversatilelyricpoet”“TheRisingGloryofAmerica”(1772)“TheHouseofNight”(1779,1786)“TheBritishPrisonShip”(1781)“TotheMemoryoftheBraveAmericans”(1781)“TheWildHoneySuckle”(1786)“TheIndianBuryingGround”(1788)“TheDyingIndian:TomoChequi”worksTheliteratureofRomanticism(1820s-1860s)HistoricalBackground

ThisisaperiodofrapidgrowthandrapidexpansionThisisaperiodofthediscussionofsocialissuesThisisaperiodofthepursuitofnewbelief

Thisisaperiodofthedevelopmentofeducation

Thisisaperiodofforeigninfluences

Characteristicsofromanticism

Americanromanticismwasinessencetheexpressionof“arealnewexperienceandcontained“analienquality”forthesimplereasonthat“thespiritoftheplace”wasradicallynewandalien.

ThereisAmericanPuritanismasaculturalheritagetoconsider.Americanromanticauthorstendedmoretomoralize.ManyAmericanromanticwritingsintendedtoedifymorethantheyentertained.The“newness”ofAmericansasanationisinconnectionwithAmericanRomanticism.Asalogicalresultoftheforeignandnativefactorsatwork,AmericanromanticismwasbothimitativeandindependentWhatdoes

“transcendentalism”mean?

ThewordTranscendentalism,meaningthatknowledgecanbeobtainedthroughmentalprocessapartfromexperiences,wasaKantianterm,denoting,asEmersonputit,“whateverbelongstotheclassofintuitivethought.”Emersonalsosaid,Transcendentalismmeansidealism.Importance:thesummitofAmericanRomanticism.Representatives:AgroupofNewEnglanders,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreauandMargaretFuller,about30people,mostlyteachersandclergymen,formedaTranscendentalistClubandmetregularlytodiscussmattersofinterestandpublishedajournal,TheDial（《日晷》）toexpresstheiropinions.NewEnglandTranscendentalismWashingtonIrving(1783-1859)thefirstAmericanwriterstoearnaninternationalreputationFatheroftheAmericanliteratureHisTheSketchBookmarkedthebeginningofAmericanromanticismMajorWorksAHistoryofNewYorkTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.(Thisgiveshiminternationalrecognition.)TheHistoryoftheLifeandVoyagesofChristopherColumbus

RipVanWinkleJamesFenimoreCooper(1789-1851)America’sfirstsuccessfulpopularnovelist;thefirstborderwriterCreatedamythaobuttheformativeperiodofAmericannationHelpedintroducethe“western”traditionintoAmericanliteratureMasterpiece:TheLeatherstockingTalesThePioneers(1823),TheLastofMohicans(1826),ThePrairie(1827),ThePathfinder(1840),The

Deerslayer(1841)MajorworksTheLiteratureofRealism

(1865-1918)Historicalbackground1TheCivilWar(1861-1865)adeterioration(恶化)ofAmericanmoralvalues2Increasingindustrializationandmechanizationextremesofwealthandpoverty3Thefrontierwasabouttoclose.peoplebegantofeelasenseofsufferingandunhappiness4InfluencedbyEuropeanliterature

truthfuldescriptionoflifetypicalcharacterundertypicalcircumstanceobjectiveratherthanidealized,closeobservationandinvestigationoflife——“Realisticwritersarelikescientists.”open-ending：Lifeiscomplexandcannotbefullyunderstood.Itleavesmuchroomforreaderstothinkbythemselves.concernedwithsocialandpsychologicalproblems,revealingthefrustrationsofcharactersinanenvironmentofsordidnessanddepravityTheCharacteristicsofAmericanRealismMarkTwain(1835-1910)MarkTwain’sMainWorksInnocentsAbroad(1869);Roughingit(1872);TheGildedAge(1873);TheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876);TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn(1884);LifeontheMississippi(1883).StephenCrane(1871-1900)

斯蒂芬·克莱恩Maggie:

AGirloftheStreets街头女郎梅姬TheRedBadgeofCourage红色英勇勋章TheBlackRiders(hisfirstbookofpoems)FrankNorris(1870-1902)

FatherofAmericanNaturalismWorksMcTeague(1899)Atrilogy(三部曲)：comprisingofTheOctopus(1901)

ThePit(1903)

TheWolf(neverwritten)The20thcenturyAmericanLiterature(after1914)---Now

HistoricalBackground

TheTwoWorldWarseconomicalprosperityTheU.S.Amadealotofmoney,andthereappearedaneconomicboom.thetechnologicalrevolutionhadbroughtaboutgreatchangesinthelifeoftheAmericanpeople.Afterthewar,theU.S.AhadbecomethemostpowerfulindustrializednationintheworldImagism

apoeticmovementofEnglandandtheUnitedStates,flourishedfrom1909-1917.Itscredo,expressedinSomeImagistPoets,includedtheuseofthelanguageofcommonspeech,projectmatter,theevocationofimagesinhard,clearpoetry,andconcentration.EzraPoundPoundandEliotbecametheearlyleadersinrestoringtopoetrytheuseofliteraryreferenceasanimaginativeinstrumentmajorworks：poetry----“TheCantos”TheLostGenerationWhatarethemaincharacteristics?