理性和革命时期美国文学

1、.,Part II The Literature of Reason and Revolution,Historical Introduction Important writers Declaration of Independence,.,Historical Introduction,Two historical events 1. The American War for Independence 1775-1783 2. Enlightenment Theology dominated the Puritan phase of American writing. Politics w

2、as now the great subject to command the attention of the best minds.,.,I. The American War for Independence 1775-1783,1. The writers held vitally important places in the movement for American independence. Freedom was won as much by their fiery and inspiring speeches and writings as by the weapons o

3、f Washington and Lafayette (In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general 少将 in the Continental Army under George Washington). The 13 original American states were persuaded to become a single nation by the arguments of statesmen and men of letters.,.,George Washington deism（自然神教派)

4、; French philosophy (Rousseau, Voltaire),.,II. Enlightenment,(3) Basic principles: stressing education; stressing Reason (Order) (The age has been called the Age of Reason); employing Reason to reconsider the traditions and social realities; concerns for civil rights, such as equality and social jus

5、tice; the idea of progress.,.,II. Enlightenment,2. At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to journalism. All the leaders of the revolution were influenced by the Enlightenment; 3. Representatives: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, etc. The

6、 representatives of the Enlightenment set themselves the task of disseminating knowledge among the people and advocating revolutionary ideas. They also actively participated in the War for Independence.,.,II. Enlightenment,4. The new nation was set on the basic ideas and principles of the Enlightenm

7、ent. 5. Influence of the Enlightenment (1) American Enlightenment dealt a decisive blow upon the Puritan traditions and brought to life secular education and literature. (2) The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of Benjamin Franklin.,.,III. Literatu

8、re,1. Call for Americas independence in literature As soon as America became politically and economically independent, the call for its independence in literature started to emerge. In 1783, Noah Webster declared, “America must be as independent as she is in politics, as famous for the arts as for a

9、rms”. Yet throughout the century American literature was largely patterned on the writing of 18th century Englishmen.,.,Noah Webster 拷贝的) and dependent, the heroic and revolutionary ambitions of the age had created great political pamphleteering (小册子) and state papers. Essayists and journalists had

10、shaped the nations beliefs with reason dressed in clear and forceful prose.,.,III. Literature,3. Representative works Thomas Jefferson: Declaration of Independence Thomas Paine: The American Crisis; Rights of Man; The Federalist Benjamin Franklin: Poor Richards Almanac; The Autobiography,.,Benjamin

11、Franklin (1706-1790),A patriot, diplomat, author, printer, scientist, and inventor in the eighteenth century; one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.,.,Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790),He was a jack of all trades; Born in a poor candle makers family in Boston and had no regular education; Bec

12、ame an apprentice to a printer when he was 12; An editor of a newspaper and published lots of essays when he was 16; He went to Philadelphia when he was 17 and became a successful printer and publisher; Found the Junto, a club for informal discussion of scientific, economic and political ideas;,.,I.

13、 Life,Established Americas first circulating library; Founded the college University of Pennsylvania; Retired when he was 42.,.,I. Life,(1) a businessman; (2) A scientist with lots of inventions and a famous experiment (kite, electricity, thunderstorm); first applied the terms “positive” and “negati

14、ve” to electrical charges (电荷). (3) a statesman As a representative of the Colonies, he tried in vain to counsel the British toward policies that would let America grow and flourish in association with England. He conducted the difficult negotiations with France that brought financial and military s

15、upport for America in the war.,.,I. Life,Declaration of Independence The Treaty of Alliance with France The Treaty of Peace with England The Constitution (4) a writer (5) an embodiment of the “American Dream”,.,II. Literary career,As an author he had power of expression. His works are well-known for

16、 their simplicity, subtle humor and being sarcastic. 1. Representative works (1) Poor Richards Almanac Modeled on farmers annual calendar; kept publishing for many years; includes many classical sayings, such as: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” “A plowman on his legs is higher than a gentleman on

17、 his knees.”,.,Poor Richards Almanac,.,II. Literary career,(2) The Autobiography Written when he was 65; An introduction of his life to his own son; Including four parts written in different times; The first success story of self-made Americans.,.,II. Literary career,In The Autobiography we will be

18、able to notice: 1) influence of Puritanism, such as self-examination and self-improvement (timetable, thirteen virtues, life style) 2) spirits of the Enlightenment (mans nature is good, rights of liberty, virtues including “order”),.,II. Literary career,Style: simple, clear in order, direct, concise

19、 and humorous (“Nothing should be expressed in two words that can as well be expressed in one.”) (influence of Puritanism ); First of its kind in literature and set the autobiography as a genre; Popular, still well-read today.,.,II. Literary career,2. Influence His values and style influenced lots o

20、f Americans. One of his fellow Americans said, “His shadow lies heavier than any other mans on this young nation.”,.,Thomas Paine (1737-1809),Revolutionary War patriot and pamphleteer, born in Thetford, England. Paine emigrated in 1774 to Pennsylvania, where he gravitated (被吸引;趋倾向) toward those who

21、supported colonial independence.,.,I. Life and career,Paines pamphlet Common Sense appeared in January 1776 and caused an immediate sensation. In it, Paine both supported American independence and attacked the corruption of the British hereditary (世袭的) monarchy.,.,I. Life and career,He fought in the

22、 Revolutionary War and continued to publish, including his 1776 essay The American Crisis.,.,I. Life and career,.,II. Major works,1.The Case of the Officers of the Excise (1772) - his first pamphlet, a petition to Parliament for a living wage for the excise collectors 2. Common Sense (1776) - signed

23、 simply “By an Englishman”, to urge the colonies to declare independence; Pain became forthwith the most articulate (表达清楚有力的) spokesman of the American Revolution.,.,II. Major works,3. The American Crisis (1776-1783) -Paines chief contribution was a series of 16 pamphlets (1776-1783) entitled The Am

24、erican Crisis and signed “Common Sense” which dealt directly with the military engagements to inspire the Continental Army.,.,II. Major works,4. The Rights of Man (1791 - 92) - an answer to Burkes Recent Reflections on the French Revolution, which not only championed Rousseaus doctrines of freedom,

25、but also suggested the overthrow of the British monarchy. Paine was indicted for treason and was forced to seek refuge in France.,.,II. Major works,5. The Age of Reason (1795) -a deistic treatise advocating a rationalistic view of religion. 6. Analysis of The American Crisis (17761783) -a series of

26、pamphlets published in London from 17761783 during the American Revolution. It decried British actions and loyalists, offering support to the patriotic cause.,.,The American Crisis,The first of the pamphlets was released during a time when the Revolution still looked an unsteady prospect; the openin

27、g sentence was adopted as the watchword (标语,口号,格言) of the movement to Trenton.,.,The American Crisis,The famous opening lines are: These are the times that try mens souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it

28、now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. The pamphlet attempted to bolster morale and resistance among patriots, as well as shame neutrals and loyalists toward the cause.,.,Thomas Jefferson (1743 1826),Born: 13 April 1743 Birthplace: Shadwell, Virginia Died: 4 July 1826 (natural causes) B

29、est Known As: Author of The Declaration of Independence,.,I. Life and career,1. His mind ranged curiously over many fields of knowledge-law, philosophy, government, architecture, education, religion, science, agriculture, mechanics-and whatever he touched, he enriched in some measure.,.,I. Life and

30、career,2. He was the third president of the United States (18011809), the principal author of The Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. High points of his presidency include the Loui

31、siana Purchase from Napoleon and the exploration of the west by Lewis and Clark (18041806).,.,I. Life and career,3. As a political philosopher, Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and knew many intellectual leaders in Britain and France. He idealized the independent yeoman farmer as an exemplar

32、 of republican virtues, distrusted cities and financiers, and favored states rights and a strictly limited federal government. Jefferson supported the separation of church and state and was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1779, 1786).,.,I. Life and career,He was the eponym（

33、名祖;命名来源）of Jeffersonian democracy and the co-founder and leader of the Democratic-Republican Party, which dominated American politics for a quarter-century and was the precursor of the modern-day Democratic Party. Jefferson served as the wartime Governor of Virginia (17791781), first United States S

34、ecretary of State (17891793) and second Vice President (17971801).,.,I. Life and career,4. A polymath (学识渊博的人), Jefferson achieved distinction as, among other things, a horticulturist (园艺学家), statesman, architect, archaeologist (考古学家), paleontologist (古生物学者), author, inventor and founder of the Univ

35、ersity of Virginia.,.,II. The Declaration of Independence,The Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them

36、 and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.,.,II. The Declaration of Independence,The document, formally entitled The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, explained the justifications for separation from the British crown, and was an expansion of

37、 Richard Henry Lees Resolution (passed by Congress on July 2), which first proclaimed independence. An engrossed (正式写成的) copy of the Declaration was signed by most of the delegates on August 2 and is now on display in the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. .,.,II. The D

38、eclaration of Independence,The Declaration is considered to be the founding document of the United States of America, where July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day and the nations birthday. John Hancock, as the elected President of Congress, was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independen

39、ce on July 4. It was not until the following month on August 2 that the remaining 55 other delegates began to sign the document.,.,II. The Declaration of Independence,The following statements have become world-famous since then: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal

40、, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.,.,II. The Declaration of Independence,我们认为下面这些真理是不言而喻的：造物者创造了平等的个人，并赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，其中包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。,.,II. The Declaration of Independence,That to secure these

41、 rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such

42、principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.,.,II. The Declaration of Independence,为了保障这些权利，人们才在他们之间建立政府，而政府之正当权力，则来自被统治者的同意。任何形式的政府，只要破坏上述目的，人民就有权利改变或废除它，并建立新政府；新政府赖以奠基的原则，得以组织权力的方式，都要最大可能地增进民众的安全和幸福。,.,Philip Freneau (17

43、52 - 1832),Philip Morin Freneau (1752-1832) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. Remembered as the poet of the American Revolution and the father of American poetry, he was a transitional figure in American literature.,.,I. Life and career,His political and satirical poems have value main

44、ly for historians, but his place as the earliest important American lyric poet is secured by such poems as “The Wild Honeysuckle,” “The Indian Burying Ground,” and “Eutaw Springs.”,.,I. Life and career,Freneau was perhaps the most outstanding writer of the post-Revolutionary period. 1. His poems are

45、 : strongly lyrical; with clear imagery; neoclassical in form, and romantic in spirit. 2. Philip Morin Freneau was a deistic (自然神论的) optimist.,.,Deism,cf. Deism (自然神论, 自然神教派) is a religious philosophy and movement that derives the existence and nature of God from reason and personal experience. This

46、 is in contrast to fideism (哲信仰主义, 一种认为知识取决于信仰的学说) which is found in many forms of Christianity. Islam, Judaism and Catholic teachings hold that religion relies on revelation in sacred scriptures or the testimony of other people as well as reasoning.,.,Deism,Deists typically reject supernatural even

47、ts (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God does not interfere with human life and the laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelation and holy books, most deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources.,.,Deism,Deism became p

48、rominent in Great Britain, France, and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries, mostly among those raised as Christians who found they could not believe in either a triune (三位一体的) God, the divinity of Jesus, miracles, or the inerrancy (无误; 绝对正确) of scriptures, but who did believe in one God. Initially it