专八人文常识辅导材料(美国文学)

American Literature: A Concise HistoryI. Review1. Who wrote The American? (2008)A. Herman MelvilleB. Nathaniel HawthorneC. Henry JamesD. Theodore Dreiser2. Death of a Salesman was written by____. (2007)A. Arthur MillerB. Ernest HemingwayC. Ralph EllisonD. James Baldwin3. The novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is written by___. (2006)A. Scott FitzgeraldB. William FaulknerC. Eugene O’NeilD. Ernest Hemingway4. William Sydney Porter, known as O’Henry, is most famous for_____. (2005)A. his poemsB. his playsC. his short storiesD. his novelsII. Historical Periods1. Colonial Period: 17th~18th (faith → reason)2. Romantic Period: end of 18th to the Civil War ★3. The Age of Realism: 1865-1890 ★4. The Age of Naturalism: 1890-19005. Modern Period: 1912-1945 ★6. Postwar Realism: 1950s-1960s7. Postmodernism: 1960s-1980sIII. Key Figures1. Benjamin Franklin2. James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving; Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson/Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville (R. W. Emerson, H.D. Thoreau)3. O’Henry, Henry James, Mark Twain4. Stephan Crane, Theodore Dreiser, Jack London5. Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, R.L. Frost/Ernest Hemingway, F.S. Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, John Steinbeck/Eugene O’Neil l, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller6. Jerome Salinger7. NabokovMark Twain: ①Trend: realism (local colorism) ②Genre: fiction ③Masterpiece: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ④Distinctive Style: vernacular language ⑤Other Important WorksIV. Sample1. American literature produced only one female poet during the 19th century. She was __________.A. Anne BradstreetB. Jane AustenC. Katherine Anne PorterD. Emily Dickinson2. The first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature was a sharp social critic, whose name was __________.A. T.S. EliotB. Sinclair LewisC. Ernest HemingwayD. William Faulkner3. Which of the following is NOT included in Dreiser’strilogy of desire concerning the ruthlessness ofcapitalists?A. The GeniusB. The FinancierC. The TitanD. The Stoic4. With Howells, James, and Mark Twain active on the scene, __________ became the major trend in the seventies and eighties of the nineteenth century.A. sentimentalismB. romanticismC. realismD. naturalism5. From 1732 to 1758, Franklin wrote and published his famous __________, an annual collection of proverbs.A. AutobiographyB. Poor Richard’s AlmanacC. Common SenseD. The General Magazine6. ―The American Renaissance‖ is the period of ______ in the history of American literature.A. local colorismB. RomanticismC. TranscendentalismD. Colonism7. _________ is Mark Twain’s master work, the one book from which as Hemingway noted, ―All modern American literature comes‖.A. The Gilded AgeB. Life on the MississippiC. The Adventures of Tom SawyerD. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn8. _______ is the only American playwright awarded Nobel Prize of Literature.A. Arthur MillerB. Eugene O’NeillC. Tennessee WilliamsD. Sinclair Lewis9. Which of the following does NOT be long to ―Beat Generation‖?A. Jack KerouacB. F. S. FitzgeraldC. Allen GinsbergD. William Burroughs10. __________ is identified as the father of modern American poetry, who also plays an important role in transmitting Chinese culture to the English-speaking world.A. T. S. EliotB. Robert FrostC. Ezra PoundD. Walt WhitmanI. Colonial Period: 17th~18thThe influence of Puritanism on writing:fresh, simple and plaintraceable to the direct influence of the Biblefrequent reference to the technique of symbolismAnne BradstreetThe Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in AmericaMichael WigglesworthThe Day of DoomEdward Taylor: a metaphysical poetBenjamin Franklin: the spokesman of the American Enlightenment (Age of Reason/Great Awakening); created the image of the Yankeepseudonym: Silence DogoodPoor Richard’s AlmanacAutobiographyThomas Paine (his style: plain)Common Sense—the first pamphlet urging immediate independence from Britain; his most famous pamphlet; the greatest of the Revolutionary pamphletsPhilip FreneauThe first American-born poet; Poet of the American RevolutionTheme: nationalismThe beginning of American RomanticismII. Romantic Period: 1) Early RomanticsNew England Poets (Fireside/Schoolroom Poets):Henry Wadsworth LongfellowThe song of Hiawatha—the first American epic in blank verse about the American IndiansThe first American poet to be honored by having his bust placed in the Poets’ Corner of Westminster AbbeyWilliam Cullen Bryant: the American WordsworthThanatopsis (pondering on death)—his greatest poemNovelist:James Fenimore Cooper: the first successful American novelist32 novels3 kinds:about the revolutionary past—The Spyabout the sea—The pilot★about the frontier—The Leatherstocking Tales (The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer; protagonist: Natty Bumppo-- ―the essential American soul‖ by D. H. Lawrence)Story Writer and Prose Stylist:Washington IrvingThe Sketch Book won him international fame―Rip Van Winkle‖ & ―The Legend of Sleepy Hollow‖―Crayon‖ styleIntroduced the familiar essay to AmericaII. Romantic Period: 2) TranscendentalistsNew England Transcendentalism=American RenaissanceFeatures:It stressed the power of intuition.It placed spirit first and matter second.It took nature as symbolic of spirit or God.It emphasized the significance of the individual.It envisioned religion as an emotional communication between an individual soul and the universal ―Oversoul‖.It held that commerce was degrading.The Transcendental Club & their journal The DialEssayists:Ralph Waldo EmersonTranscendentalism’s most seminal forceThe Lyceum MovementNature—―the manifesto of American transcendentalism‖The American Scholar—―America’s Declaration of Intellectual Independence‖Henry David ThoreauHis first major influence: nonviolent struggle as expressed in his ―Civil Disobedience‖His second major influence: call of ―Back to Nature‖Walden—a classic of American prose; reads like a diary of a nature loverSymbolismII. Romantic Period: 3) High RomanticsEdgar Allan PoeLiterary theories:1) A theory of PoetryThe most important purpose of poetry is the creation of beauty (English as a medium of pure musical and rhythmic beauty).The tone of its highest manifestation is one of sadness.The death of a beautiful woman is the most potential topic.death –predominant theme in Poe’s writing―Poe is not interested in anything alive. Everything in Poe’s writings is dead.‖2) About His FictionThe mental world of the people should be illuminated.The principle of concentration and thematic totality should be stressed.Truth rather than beauty is often the aim of the tale.Literary achievements:The Raven—his most famous narrative poemDetective stories, ratiocinative stories & science fictionThe Murders in the Rue MorgueThe Fall of the House of UsherThe Masque of the Red DeathWalt WhitmanLeaves of Grass (9 editions)—America’s first genuine epic poemStyle: free verseThe envelope structure, catalogue technique, thought rhythmRepresents a turning point in the history of American poetryEmily DickinsonFor the whole 19th century she was the only woman poet who enjoys high academic esteem today.PoemsThemes:religion – doubt and belief about religious subjectsdeath and immortalitylove – suffering and frustration caused by lovephysical aspect of desirenature – kind and cruelfree will and human responsibilityNathaniel Hawthorne—the first American romancer; the first major novelist in English to wed morality to artHis novels were perhaps the deepest and most psychological in the 19th century.The Scarlet LetterHester Prynne, Pearl, Chillingworth, DimmesdalePoint of view: Evil is at the core of human life. Wherever there is sin, there is punishment. Sin or evil can be passed from generation to generation.Herman Meiville—an adventure writer, known as ―a man who lived with cannibals‖Moby Dick—the first American prose epic; the greatest American novel by some criticsA symbol to represent cruel, brutal, malicious powers of natureThe technique of multiple viewsStyle: highly symbolic and metaphoricalIII. The Age of RealismFeatures:truthful description of lifetypical character under typical circumstanceobjective rather than idealized, close observation and investigation of life―Realistic writers are like scientists.‖open-ending:Life is complex and cannot be fully understood. It leaves much room for readers to think by themselves.William Dean HowellsProductive except the genre of poetryThe Rise of Silas LaphamWilliam Sydney Porter (O. Henry)The surprise ending is his specialty, e.g. ―The Cop and the Anthem‖.Sherwood Anderson: Winesburg, Ohio★Henry James: novels of mannersDeveloped the international novelDaisy Miller established his reputation at home and abroad (theme: American innocence vs. European sophistication) The Ambassadors: his most ―perfect‖ work of art, claimed by himself3 influential subjects: children, new women and artistsTheory of fiction in his The Art of FictionChief criterion: showing rather than tellinghonor s: the first of the ―modern psychological novelists‖A ―realist of the inner life‖A bridge of American and European culturesLocal ColorismThe late 1860s to early 1870sTo write or present local characters of their regions in truthful depiction distinguished from others, usually a very small part of the world.Hamlin Garland’s ―Under the Lion’s Paw‖Harriet Beech er Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin—the greatest of all anti-slavery literatureMark Twain (Samuel Clemens)—―the Lincoln of our literature‖; the true father of American literatureOne famous essay: ―To the Person Sitting in Darkness‖His greatest achievement: The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnOther works: His penname was made famous by ―The Notorious Jumping Frog of the Calaverus County‖;The Gilded Age: a satire against corruptionThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Life on the Mississippicolloquial language, vernacular language, dialectslocal coloursyntactic feature: sentences are simple, brief, sometimes ungrammaticalhumourtall tales (highly exaggerated)social criticism (satire on the different ugly things in society)III. The Age of Realism: ComparisonThemeHowells – middle classJames – upper classTwain – lower classTechniqueHowells –genteel realismJames – psychological realismTwain – local colorism and colloquialismIV. The Age of NaturalismRealism vs. Naturalism:Though naturalists also describe real life, they present harsher reality, usually the violent, sensational, unpleasant, and ugly aspects of life.Their writing style and technique were more innovative.Stephan Crane--pessimismMaggie, A Girl of the Streets—the first naturalistic novel written by an AmericanThe Red Badge of Courage—his most famous book about the American Civil WarStyle: realistic, naturalistic, and impressionisticFrank Norris--optimismMcTeague—the first full-bodied naturalistic American novelThe Octopus—his most impressive prose epicTheodore Dreiser–―the wheelhouse of American naturalism‖Sister Carrie: a slave to her heredity and to her environmentAn American Tragedy: his masterpieceStyle: journalistic method of reiteration, word-pictures, sharp contrast, stubborn honestyJack LondonThe Son of the Wolf—first collection of the storiesThe Call of the Wild—an all-time best sellerHis fiction has the unusual and intriguing power of ancient myth.The originator of a new type of writing: rough realismV. Modern Period: 1)PoetrySub-branches:Imagism, symbolism, impressionism, futurism, constructivism, surrealism, etcFeatures:Modernism dramatized discontinuity.Modernists had a sense of fragmentation.It has a strong and conscious break with tradition. (stream of consciousness)V. Modern Period 1) PoetryEzra Pound—the father of modern American poetryCantos—his major work of poetryCathay—a volume of Chinese translationsStyle: clarity, precision and a direct conversational diction, economy of verseImagismT. S. Eliot—a poet, a playwright, and a literary criticHe declared himself a ―classicist in literature, royalist in politics, and Anglo-Catholic in religion‖The Waste Land—a central poem of modernism; reads like a manifesto of the ―Lost Generation‖Five segmentsOrganizing principle: the myth of death and rebirthNew England Poets:E. A. Robinson won Pulitzer for three times.Robert Lee Frost—the most popular American poet from 1914 to his deathHe won Pulitzer for four times.Pastoral poetryV. Modern Period 2) FictionLost Generation:The term was first used by Gertrude Stein.Ernest Hemingway—a Nobel Prize Winner (1954)The Sun also RisesA Farewell to Arms: established his reputation as a great American writerFor Whom the Bell TollsThe Old Man and the SeaTelegraphic styleIceberg theory of writing―the code hero‖Francis Scott FitzgeraldThis Side of Paradise—his first novel; the first American novel depicting the casual dissipations of ―flaming youth‖The Great Gatsby—his best novel which deals with the frustration and despair resulting from the failure of the American dream★Sinclair Lewis—the first American writer to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1930)Main Street satirizes the smug provincial complacency of the middle classBabbitt—his masterpieceThe word ―babbittry‖ means energetic shallowness and self-satisfactionSatiric monologueJohn Steinbeck—the foremost writer of the Great DepressionThe Grapes of Wrath—his masterpiece, won a Pulitzer PrizeA combination of naturalist and symbolist techniqueV. Modern Period: 3) DramaEugene O’Neill—the founder of modern American drama3 Pulitzer Prizes & the Nobel PrizeIntroduced trends of realism, naturalism and expressionismBeyond the HorizonLong Day’s Journey into NightTennessee WilliamsThe Glass MenagerieA Streetcar Named Desire—won him his first Pulitzer PrizeColloquial southern speechArthur MillerDeath of a Salesman—his masterpiece; an American myth and a contemporary tragedyVI. Postwar RealismJohn Cheever—short fictionJohn Updike—the most realistic of all the postwar realists; ―Olinger‖ storiesJames Thurber—the greatest American literary humorist of the 20th centuryJerome Salinger—a representative of alienated young Americans; generation gapThe Catcher in the Rye—a modern Huck FinnVII. Post-modernism: FictionModernism vs. post-modernismUnlike modernism, which suggested a historic period, post-modernism described a sensibility, a feeling for innovation.Controllable vs. uncontrollable;Order vs. disorderRealistic vs. nihilisticThe fundamental rule: the absurd and the arbitraryStyle: fragmented, discontinuous, ironic, and full of black humorVladimir Nabokov: LolitaBeat GenerationWomen WritersBlack LiteratureSouthern Literature1. Beat GenerationThe term is associated with the first half of the 1950s.★Jack Kerouac—the founder of the Beat Generation who first used the term; On the Road★Allen Ginsberg—the poet laureate of the Beat Generation; HowlLawrence Ferlinghetti opened the City Lights Bookstore, the headquarters of the Beats.William BurroughsWomen Writers: 1) Before the 20th CAnne Bradstreet—the first lady of colonial literature in AmericaEmily Dickinson—America’s greatest woman poetMargaret Fuller—Women in the Nineteenth Century: America’s first landmark feminist treatiseWomen Writers: 2) Of the 20th CKatherine Anne PorterJoyce Carol OatesSylvia PlathJoanna RussAlice Walker: a black woman writerBlack LiteratureLangston Hughes—the ―Poet Laureate of Harlem‖/ ―O. Henry of Harlem‖Richard Wright—protest fiction, Native SonJames Baldwin—race & homosexuality: two themesRalph Ellison—Invisible Man★Toni Morrison (female)—Beloved, Nobel Prize (1993) (the second American woman writer to enjoy the honor) (the first American woman writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature: Pearl Buck)Southern LiteratureThe South is known as the Bible Belt.★William Faulkner—the foremost southern writer of the 20th C; Nobel Prize (1950)The Sound and the Fury—Stream of ConsciousnessYoknapatawpha CountyWilliam Styron—Sophie’s Choice。