Chapter-3---American-Romanticism------Irving--Cooper解读.ppt

1、Chapter 3 : American Romanticism Washington Irving James Fenimore Cooper,2010-03-15,Romanticism,Simply speaking, Romanticism is a literary movement flourished as a cultural force throughout the 19th C and it can be divided into the early period and the late period. Also it remains powerful in contem

2、porary literature and art. Romanticism is a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Industrial Revolution. It was partly a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of

3、the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature, and was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature.,Romanticism, a term that is associated with imagination and boundlessness, as contrasted with classicism, which is commonly associated w

4、ith reason and restriction. A romantic attitude may be detected in literature of any period, but as an historical movement it arose in the 18th and 19th centuries, in reaction to more rational literary, philosophic, artistic, religious, and economic standards. The most clearly defined romantic liter

5、ary movement in the U. S. was Transcendentalism.,Reasons on the rise of American Romanticism,Internal causes: American burgeoned into a political, economic and cultural independence. Democracy and political equality became the ideals of the new nation. Radical changes came about in the political lif

6、e of the country. Parties began to squabble and scramble for power, and new system was in the making. The spread of industrialism, the sudden influx of immigration, and the pioneers pushing the frontier further west, all these produced something of an economic boom and, with it, a tremendous sense o

7、f optimism and hope among the people.,Ever-increasing magazines played an important role in facilitating literary expansion in the country. External causes: Foreign influences added incentive to the growth of romanticism in America. The influence of Sir Walter Scott was particularly powerful and end

8、uring.,British Romanticism,It prevailed in England during the period (1798-1832). There are two schools of Romanticists: a. passive or escapist. These writers protested against capitalist development by turning to the feudal past, turning to nature for protection. (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey) b.

9、 active. They held out an ideal of a future society free from oppression and exploitation. (Byron, Shelly, Keats) 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

10、pay great attention to spiritual and emotional life of man. Nature often personified, also plays an important role. The creative imagination occupied the center of romantic views of arts.,American Romanticism (The most important period in the history of American literature),1.Time: It stretches from

11、 the end of the 18th century throughout the outbreak of the Civil War, with two phrases: a. 1770s to 1830s, Early period Representatives: Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper b.1830s to 1860s, Late period summit of American literature Representatives: Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitm

12、an, Dickinson, Poe etc. 2. Features of American Romanticism a. Imitative: Some of the American Romantic writings were modeled on English and European works. The Romantic Movement proved to be a decisive influence. Without it, the rise of Romanticism would have been impossible. Romanticism writers su

13、ch as Scott, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Byron all made a stimulating impact on American literature.,b. Independent: From the very beginning, American Romanticism exhibited distinct features of its own. It originated from a mixture of factors which were altogether American rather than anything else. Amer

14、ican Romanticism was in essence the expression of a real new experience and contained “an alien quality”. E.g., the American national experience of pioneering into the west is a rich fund of material for American writers. It is these Romanticism writers that created an indigenous American literature

15、. c. Puritan influence over American Romanticism was clearly noticeable. E.g., the author tended more to moralize than writers in England.,Characteristics of American Romanticism,Sentimentalism, primitivism and the cult of the noble savage Political liberalism The celebration of natural beauty and t

16、he simple life Introspection The idealization of the common man, uncorrupted by civilization Interest in the picturesque past and remote places Antiquarianism好古癖 Individualism Morbid melancholy Historical romance,Washington Irving (1783-1859 ),1. Life,a. born into a wealthy New York merchant family.

17、 b. learned law but more interested in writing c. In 1809, his first book A History of New York, written under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, was a great success and won him wide popularity. d. In 1815, he went to England to take care of his family business there, and when it failed, had to wri

18、te to support himself. e. With the publication of The Sketch Book, he won a measure of international recognition. f. In 1826, as an American diplomatic attach, he was sent to Spain, where he gathered material for his writing. g. From 1829 to 1832, he was secretary of the U.S Legation in London. h. T

19、hen when he was fifty, he returned to America and bought “Sunnyside”, his famous home. There he spent the rest of his life, living a life of leisure and comfort, except for a period of four years (1842-1846), when he was Minister to Spain.,2. works a. A History of New York from the Beginning of the

20、World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty 1809 纽约外史 b. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent 1819-1820 见闻札记 “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” & “Rip Van Winkle” c. Life of George Washington 1855-1859 华盛顿传,3. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent 1819-1820 见闻札记 a. The Sketch Book is a collection of ess

21、ays, sketches and tales. b. In The Sketch Book, the most famous and frequently anthologized are “Rip Van Winkle” 瑞普凡温克 “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 睡谷的传说 c. The short story as a genre in American literature began with The Sketch Book. d. The book touched the American imagination and foreshadowed th

22、e coming of Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe. e. It also marked the beginning of American Romanticism.,4. The style of Washington Irving,a. Irving wrote to amuse and entertain. b. He is good at enveloping his stories in an atmosphere. c. His characters are vivid and true so that they tend to linger in t

23、he mind of the reader. d. The humor is such that reading him, it is difficult not to smile. e. His language is finished and musical.,5. The evaluation of Irving,a. “Father of American literature” b. “Father of the American short story” c. The first American writer of imaginative literature to gain i

24、nternational fame.,James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851),1.life,a. born in a rich family of New Jersey b. At 14, attended Yale but expelled c. spent five years at sea d. inherited his fathers vast fortune, then lived a comfortable life. e. began to write novels because one day he was disgusted by one no

25、vel and challenged by his wife.,2. works,a. The Spy 间谍 b. “Leatherstocking Tales” 皮袜子故事集,3. “Leatherstocking Tales”,a. It is a series of five novels about the frontier life: The Pioneer拓荒者,The Last of Mohicans 最后的莫希干人,The Prairie大草原,The Pathfinder探路者,The Deerslayer杀鹿者 b. Its central character: Natty Bumppo (several names for same character: Hawk-eye, the Pathfinder, the Deerslayer, Leatherstocking). He is a typical frontier man: honest, simple, innocent, generous and represents brotherhood of man, nature and freedom c. Its historical importance lies in the fact that it