美国文学史复习要点整理【手动】
(完整版)美国文学史-知识点梳理

Part I The Literature of Colonial AmericaI.Historical IntroductionThe colonial period stretched roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th. The first permanent settlement in America was established by English in 1607. ( A group of people was sent by the English King James I to hunt for gold. They arrived at Virginia in 1607. They named the James River and build the James town.)II.The pre-revolutionary writing in the colonies was essentially of two kinds:1) Practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people "at home" what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration2) Highly theoretical, generally polemical, discussions of religious questions. III.The First American WriterThe first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. They wrote about their voyage to the new land, their lives in the new land, their dealings with Indians.Captain John Smith is the first American writer.A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608)A Map of Virginia: A Description of the Country (1612)General History of Virgini a (1624): the Indian princess PocahontasCaptain John Smith was one of the first early 17th-century British settlers in North America. He was one of the founders of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. His writings about North America became the source of information about the New World for later settlers.One of the things he wrote about that has become an American legend was his capture by the Indians and his rescue by the famous Indian Princess, Pocahontas. IV.Early New England LiteratureWilliam Bradford and John WinthropJohn Cotton and Roger WilliamsAnne Bradstreet and Edward TaylorV.Puritan Thoughts1. The origin of puritanIn the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th Century, the English King Henry VIII (At that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope's permission. Henry VIII wanted to divorce hiswife because she couldn't bear him a son. But the Pope didn't allow him to divorce, so he) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church ofEngland. But there was no radical difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans.2. Puritanism -- based on Calvinism(1) predestination: God's electPuritans believed they are predestined before they were born.Nothing or no good work can change their fate.They believed the success of one's business is the sign to show he is the God's elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics.(2) Origianl sin and total depravityMan is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude towards life.(3) Limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)(4) theocracyThey combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one.The Puritans established American tradition -- intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment3. Influence on American Literature(1) Its optimismAmerican literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is based on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. After that, man have an illusion to restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believing that God must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise, to build the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strong sense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism. The optimistic Puritan has exerted a great influence on American literature.(2) Puritan's metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism.Part II The Literature of Reason And RevolutionI.Historical IntroductionWith the growth, especially of industry, there appeared the intense strain with England. The British government did not want colonial industries competing with those in England. The British wanted the colonies to remain politically and economically dependent on the mother country. They took a series of measures to insure this dependence. They prevented colonial economy by requiring Americans to ship raw materials abroad and to import finished goods at prices higher than the cost of making them in this country. Politically, the British government forced dependenceby ruling the colonies from overseas and by taxing the colonies without giving them representation in Parliament.However, by the mid-eighteenth century, freedom was won as much by the fiery rhetoric of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the eloquence of the Declaration of Independence as by the weapons of Washington. In the seventies of the 18th century, the English colonies in North America rose in arms against their mother country. The War for Independence lasted for 8 years (1776-1783) and ended in the formation of a federative bourgeois democratic republic -- the United States of America. II.American EnlightenmentIt was supported by all progressive forces of the country which opposed themselves to the old colonial order and religious obscurantism.It dealt a decisive blow upon the puritan traditions and brought to life secular education and literature. The spiritual life during that period was to a great degree moulded by it.The representatives set themselves the task of disseminating knowledge among the people and advocating revolutionary ideas.The writers injected an invigorating vein into the English language in America as they aimed at clarity and precision of their writings.At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to journalism. Writings of Europe were widely read in America. The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of Benjamin Franklin.III.Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)The AutobiographyPoor Richard’s AlmanacLifeBenjamin Franklin came from a Calvinist background.He was born into a poor candle-maker’s family. He had very little education. He learned in school only for two years, but he was a voracious reader.At 12, he was apprenticed to his elder half-brother, a printer.At 16, he began to publish essays under the pseudonym “Silence Do good” .At 17, he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune.He set himself up as an independent printer and publisher. In 1727 he founded the Junto club.Multiple identities:a printera leading authora politiciana scientista inventora diplomata civic activistFranklin’s Contributions to SocietyHe helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital.He founded an academy which led to the University of Pennsylvania.And he helped found the American Philosophical Society.Franklin’s Contributions to ScienceHe was also remembered for volunteer fire departments, effective street lighting, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and efficient heating devices.And for his lightning-rod, he was called “the new Prometheus who had stolen fire from heaven.”Franklin’s Contributions to the U.S.He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States:The Declaration of Independence,The Treaty of Alliance with France,The Treaty of Peace with England,The ConstitutionThe AutobiographyThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was probably the first of its kind in literature. It is the simple yet immensely fascinating record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity into which he was born, the faithful account of the colorful career of America’s first self-made man.The Autobiography is, first of all, a Puritan document. It is Puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement. The meticulous chart of 13 virtues he set for himself to cultivate to combat the tempting vices, the stupendous effort he made to improve his own person, the belief that God helps those who helps themselves and that every calling is a service to God – all these indicate that Franklin was intensely Puritan. Then, the book is also a convincing illustration of the Puritan ethic that, in order to get on in the world, one has to be industrious, frugal, and prudent.The Autobiography is also an eloquent elucidation of the fact that Franklin was spokesman for the new order of eighteenth-century enlightenment, and that he represented in America all its ideas, that man is basically good and free by nature, endowed by God with certain inalienable rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.A look at the style of The Autobiography will readily reveal that it is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness and concision. The plainness of its style, the homeliness of imagery, the simplicity of diction, syntax and expression are some of the salient features we cannot mistake. The lucidity of the narrative, the absence ofornaments in wording and of complex, involved structures in syntax, and the Puritan abhorrence of paradox are all graphically demonstrated in the whole of the book. Taken as a whole, it is safe to say that the book is an exemplary illustration of the American style of writing.IV.Thomas Paine (1737-1809)Common SenseAmerican CrisisV.Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)The Declaration of IndependenceVI.Philip Freneau (1752-1832)“Poet of the American Revolution”“Father of American Poetry”“Pioneer of the New Romanticism”“A gifted and versatile lyric poet”Works“The Wild Honey Suckle”“The Indian Burying Ground”“To a Caty-Did”Freneau as Father of American Poetry: His major themes are death, nature, transition, and the human in nature. All of these themes become important in 19th century writing.Life Experience►He was born in New York.►At 16, he entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He decided to do a postgraduate study in theology. But two years later he gave it up. While still an undergraduate, he wrote in collaboration with one of his friends (H. H. Brackenridge) a poem entitled “The Rising Glory of America”.►Later he attended the War of Independence, and he was captured by British army in 1780.►After being released, he published “The British Prison Ship” in 1781.►In the same year, he published “To the Memory of the Brave Americans”.►After war, he supported Jefferson, and contributed greatly to American government.►But after 50 years old, he lived in poverty. And at last he died in a blizzard.Main Works►“The Rising Glory of America” (1772) 《美洲光辉的兴起》►“The House of Night” (1779,1786) 《夜之屋》►“The British Prison Ship” (1781) 《英国囚船》►“To the Memory of the Brave Americans” (1781) 《纪念美国勇士》►“”The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786) 《野忍冬花》►“The Indian Burying Ground” (1788) 《印第安人墓地》野忍冬花(黄杲炘译)►美好的花呀,你长得:这么秀丽,却藏身在这僻静沉闷的地方——甜美的花儿开了却没人亲昵,招展的小小枝梢也没人观赏;没游来荡去的脚来把你踩碎,没东攀西摘的手来催你落泪。
美国文学史复习汉语版

美国文学史复习1(c o l o n i a l i s m) 第一部分? 殖民主义时期的文学一、时期综述1、清教徒采用的文学体裁:a、narratives 日记 b、journals 游记2、清教徒在美国的写作内容:1)their voyage to the new land2) Adapting themselves to unfamiliar climates and crops3) About dealing with Indians4) Guide to the new land, endless bounty, invitation to bold spirit3、清教徒的思想:1)puritan want to make up pure their religious beliefs and practices 净化信仰和行为方式2) Wish?to restore simplicity to church and the authority of the Bible to the theology. 重建教堂,提供简单服务,建立神圣地位3)look upon themselves as chosen people, and it follow logically that anyone who challenged their way of life is opposing God's will and is not to be accepted. 认为自己是上帝选民,对他们的生活有异议就是反对上帝4)puritan opposition to pleasure and the arts sometimes has been exaggerated. 反对对快乐和艺术的追求到了十分荒唐的地步 5)religious teaching tended to emphasize the image of a wrathful God.强调上帝严厉的一面,忽视上帝仁慈的一面。
美国文学史复习要点手动

美国文学史整理一、Colonial America 殖民时期1、New England:Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, RhodeIsland, and Connecticut.2、Doctrines of Puritanism清教American Puritanism stressed predestination命运神定, original sin 原罪, total depravity 彻底的堕落, and limited atonement 有限的赎罪from God’s grace.3、Writing style:fresh, simple and direct and with a touch of nobility;the rhetoric is plain and honest.4、Life style:hard work, thrift, piety, and sobriety.5、Main writer:①Thomas Paine 托马斯·潘恩work:Common Sense 1776 常识American Crisis 1776-1783 美国危机The Rights of Man人权The Age of Reason理性时代②Benjamin Franklin本杰明·富兰克林Poor Richard’s Almanac穷查理历书Autobiography 富兰克林自传<clarity, good sense, and simplicity of the English essayists Joseph Addison and Richard Steele>③Thomas Jefferson 托马斯·杰弗逊Declaration of Independence 1776独立宣言<simple and clear, powerful and graceful>二、American Romanticism early period 浪漫主义前期1、Characteristics:①A rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism.反对理性主义的客观性.②Feelings, intuitions and emotions were more important for romantics than reason and common sense.感受、直觉和情感重于理性和常识.③An emphasis on individualism; placing the individual against the group, against authority.强调个人主义,将个人与团体,反对权威.④Stress on the close relationship between man and nature.强调人与自然之间的密切关系.⑤Fascination with the wild, the irregular, the indefinite, the remote, the mysterious, and the strange疯狂的迷恋,不规则,不定,远程,神秘,奇怪⑥Cherishing a strong interest in the past, especially the medieval.对过去有强烈的兴趣,特别是中世纪.2、Features:New experience in the American Romanticism.A deep influence from the American Puritanism.The “newness” of the Americans as a nation.3、writers and works:①Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 亨利·瓦兹沃思·朗费罗A Psalm of Life 1838 人生礼赞Voices of the Night 1839 夜吟The Song of Hiawatha 1855 海华沙之歌The Courtship of Miles Standish 1858 迈尔斯·斯坦迪什的求婚Tales of a Wayside Inn 1863 路边客栈的故事②Washington Irving 华盛顿·欧文<Father of American Imaginative literature; Father of the American short story>A History of New York 1809 纽约外史The Sketch Book 1819-1820 见闻札记“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”睡谷的传说“Rip Van Winkle”瑞普·凡·温克尔The cognomen of Crane was not inapplicable to his p erson….. Bracebridge Hall 1822 布雷斯布里奇田庄Tales of a Traveller 1824 旅客谈③James Fennimore Cooper 詹姆斯·费尼莫尔·库柏<writing on such subjects as the Revolution, the frontier, the sea, and the wilderness>Leather-stocking Tales 皮袜子故事集The Pioneer 拓荒者The Prairie 大草原The Spy 间谍三、New England Transcendentalism 新英格兰超验主义1、Over-soul超灵~was an all-pervading power goodness, omnipresent and omnipotent.简答Individualism individual was the most importanta fresh view of nature symbolic of the Spirit or God.2、writers and works:①Ralph Waldo Emerson 艾默生Nature 1836 论自然<节选:Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into space, —all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God.>The American Scholar 1837 论美国学者Divinity School Address 1838 神学院演说Self-Reliance 1841 论自助Representative Men 1850 代表人物The Transcendentalist 超验主义者The Over-Soul 论超灵②Henry David Thoreau 梭罗<Lover of nature, environmentalist; Individualism , materialism andindustrial civilization>Walden; or Life in the Woods 1854 瓦尔登湖;或林中生活<节选 Our village life would stagnate if it were not for the unexplored forests and meadows which surround it. ……We can never have enough of Nature. >四、American Romanticism later period 浪漫主义后期我们可以把超验主义产生之前的那一段称为前期浪漫主义,而把19世纪30年代之后的文学称为后期浪漫主义.前期浪漫主义是以欧文等人将美国文学提高到欧洲水平为特征,后期浪漫主义则是以超验主义激励而起的“文艺复兴”文学兴起,并最终产生了独立的美国文学为标志.1、High Romantics in fiction2、①Nathaniel Hawthorne 霍桑Twice-Told Tales 1837 尽人皆知的故事Mosses from an Old Manse 1846 古屋青苔The Scarlet letter 1850 红字The House of Sever Gables 1851 有七个尖角阁的房子Blithedale Romance 1852 福谷传奇The Marble Faun 1860 玉石雕像Our Old House 1863 我们的故居< symbols and setting, ambiguity, supernatural elements. His style is soft, flowing, and almost feminine. His touch is light, but his observation is somber.>②Herman Melville 赫尔曼·麦尔维尔Moby-Dick 1851 白鲸 pp113-118Pierre 1852 皮埃尔Typee 1846泰比Omoo 1847奥穆Mardi 1849玛迪2、High Romantics in poetry①Edgar Allan Poe 艾伦·坡< the father of modern horror story and detective story. >Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque 1840 怪诞故事集“The Raven” 1845 乌鸦“Annabel Lee ” 1849 安娜贝尔·李②Walt Whitman 沃尔特·惠特曼Leaves of Grass 草叶集Features in Whitman’s poems:·Organic form :extremely long, not constrained by the number of beats in a line.·Thought rhythm: does not move in terms of beats, but in terms of thoughts.·Parallelism:The parallel lines say the same thing but use different words.·Cataloguing technique:long lists of images, sights, sounds, smells,taste, and touch.③Free verse 自由诗④Emily Dickinson 艾米丽·狄金森Theme:Religion & faith Beauty & truth Life & death Nature friendship love & marriageWork:I died for beautyFeatures:frequent use of dashes破折号, sporadic capitalization of nouns零星的名词, convoluted and ungrammatical phrasing措辞费解不合文法,off-rhymes压尾韵, broken meters, bold and unconventional and often startling metaphors大胆的隐喻, and aphoristic wit警句.五、The Age of Realism 美国现实主义文学·at the later part of the 19th century.·simply fidelity to actuality in its representation in literature.·based on the accurate of human experiences.·It insists on precise description, authentic action and dialogue, moral honesty, and a democratic openness in subject matter and style.·is inclusive of naturalism, regionalism and local color writing. feature:objective and realWriters and works:①Howells Their Wedding Journey 1872 结婚旅行②Henry James 亨利·詹姆斯The American 1877 一个美国人Daisy Miller 1878 黛西·密勒The Portrait of a Lady 1881 贵妇画像The Art of Fiction 1884 “小说的艺术”The Bostonians 1886 波士顿人The Tragic Muse 1890 悲惨的缪斯The Wings of Dove 1902 鸽翼The Ambassadors 1903 专使The Golden Bowl 1904 金碗六、Regionalism & Local Colorism乡土文学与地方色彩文学·presents a locale which is distinguished from the outside world. ·describes the exotic and the picturesque.·glorifies the past.·attempts to show things as they are.·stresses the influence of setting on character.·Dialect peculiarities are the defining characteristicWriters and works:①Mark Twain 马克·吐温“the Lincoln of literature”The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1876 汤姆·索亚历险记The Prince and the Pauper 1882 王子与贫儿Life on Mississippi 1883 密西西比河上The Gilded Age 1873, with Charles 镀金时代The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1885 哈克贝利·费恩历险记Feature:use Vernacular language. local colorStyle:unpretentious, colloquial, poetic.②Harriet Beecher Stowe 哈里特·比彻·斯托Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852 汤姆叔叔的小屋③Francis Bret Harte 弗朗西斯·布雷特·哈特The Lost Galleon 1867 沉船The Luck of Roaring Camp 1870 咆哮营里的幸运儿Mrs. Skaggs’s Husbands 1873 斯凯葛夫人的丈夫们An Heiress of Red Dog 1879 红狗的女继承人七、American Naturalism 美国自然主义文学美国文学自然主义者认为,人同时受制于are controlled自然环境与社会环境,因而遗传因素laws of heredity与社会环境environment是人的命运不可抵抗的决定力量.他们认为,在受制于不以人的意志为转移的非道德力量的世界中,宣扬道德的地位是毫无意义的.·more inclusive and less selective than realism. 比现实主义更具包容性,选择却更少·Determinism governs everything 决定论支配一切·It daringly opened up the seamy underside of society and such topics as divorce, sex, adultery, poverty, and crime.·It conceives of man as controlled by his instincts or his passions, or by his social and economic environment and circumstances.1、writers and works:①Stephen Crane 斯蒂芬·克莱恩The Red Badge of Courage 1895 红色英勇勋章< the first modern war novel >② Frank Norris 弗兰克·诺里斯McTeague 1899 麦克提格<the first full-bodied naturalistic American novel; a consciously naturalistic manifesto>③ Theodore Dressier 西奥多·德莱塞An American Tragedy 1925 美国悲剧Sister Carrie 1900 嘉莉妹妹Jennie Gerhardt 1911 珍妮姑娘The Financier 1912 金融家The Titan 1914 巨人The Stoic 1947 斯多葛The Genius 1915 天才④ Jack London 杰克·伦敦Martin Eden 1909 马丁·伊登The Son of the Wolf 1900 狼之子The Call of the Wild 1903 野性的呼唤The Sea Wolf 1904 海狼White Fang 1906 白獠牙“Love of Life” 1907 热爱生命⑤ Upton Sinclair 厄普顿·辛克莱The Jungle 屠场八、Modern American Poetry 美国现代诗歌feature:fragmentation分散,碎片stream-of-consciousness意识流的a break with the pastwriters and works:①Ezra Pound 庞德Des Imagists 意象派诗选 Cantos 诗章Cathay 华夏“Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”休·赛尔温·毛伯利② T. S. Eliot 托马斯·斯特尔那斯·艾略特The Waste Land 1922 荒原Family Reunion 1950 大团圆③ Robert Frost 罗伯特·弗罗斯特A Boy’s Will 1913 少年的心愿North of Boston 1914 波士顿以北After Apple Picking 1914 摘苹果之后Mountain Interval 1916 山间洼地New Hampshire 1923 新罕布什尔West-Running Brook 1928 西流的溪涧A Further Range 1936 又一片牧场A Witness Tress 1942 一株见证的树“Mending Wall”“修墙”“The Road Not Taken”“没有走过的路”④ Carl Sandburg 卡尔·桑德伯格In Reckless Ecstasy 肆无忌惮的狂想Cornhuskers 辗米机 The American Songbag 美国歌袋Smoke and Steel 烟与钢 The Prairie Years 草原的年代Good Morning, America 早上好,美国 The People, Yes 人民,好九、Modern American Fiction 美国现代小说1、The Lost Generation 迷惘的一代Writers and works:①Ernest Hemingway 海明威·He was famous for his novels and short stories written in his spare, laconic, yet intense prose with short sentences and very specific details.·Almost all his stories deal with the theme of courage in face of tragedy.·They reveal man's impotence and despairing courage to assert himself against overwhelming odds.·The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. 一座冰山在海面上移动是很壮观的,因为只有八分之一露出水面.The Old Man and the Sea 1952 老人与海The Sun Also Rises 1926 太阳照常升起A Farewell to Arms 1929 永别了,武器For Whom the Bell Tolls 1940 丧钟为谁而鸣In Our Time 1925 在我们的年代里The Torrents of Spring 1926 春潮Men without Women 1927 没有女人的男人Winner Take Nothing 1933 胜者无所得To Have and to Have Not 1937 贫与富Style:Hemingway’s style is noted for its simplicity. In diction, he focus on nouns and verbs and reduces the use of adjectives, especially complicated adjectives. In sentence structure, he uses coordinated clauses to avoid subordinated clauses that would imply vague judgments.②F. Scott Fitzgerald 弗朗西斯·斯科特·基·菲茨杰拉德The Great Gatsby 1925 了不起的盖茨比This Side of Paradise 1920 人间天堂Flappers and Philosophers 1920 新潮女郎与哲学家The Beautiful and the Damned 1922 美丽的和倒霉的Tales of the Jazz Age 1922 爵士乐时代的故事All the Sad Young Men 1926 所有悲伤的年轻人Tender is the Night 1934 夜色温柔The Last Tycoon 1941 最后一个巨头2、others① Sherwood Anderson 舍伍德·安德森Winesburg, Ohio 1919 小镇畸人Poor white 1920 穷白人Horses and Men 1923 马与人The Triumph of the Egg 1921 鸡蛋的胜利Death in the Woods 1933 林中之死Windy McPherson’s Son 1916 饶舌的麦克斐逊的儿子② Willa Cather 薇拉凯瑟The Song of the Lark 1915 云雀之歌My Antonia 1918 我的安东尼亚O Pioneers 1913 啊,拓荒者A Lost Lady 1923 失踪的女士The Professor’s House 1925 教授之家Death Comes for the Archbishop 1927 大主教之死Shadows on the Rock 1931 岩石上的阴影③ Sinclair Lewis 辛克来·刘易斯Babbitt 1922 巴比特④ John Steinbeck 约翰·斯坦贝克The Grapes of Wrath 1939 愤怒的葡萄The Moon is Down 1942 月亮下去了The Winter of Our Discontent 1961 我们不安的冬天The Pastures of Heaven 1932 天堂牧场In Dubious Battle 1936 胜负未决Of Mice and Man 1937 鼠与人⑤ John Dos Passos 约翰·多斯·帕索斯The Trilogy U. S. A 1937 美国三部曲The Adventures of a Young Man 1939 一个年轻人的冒险Three Soldiers 1921 三个士兵Manhattan Transfer 1925 曼哈顿中转站 1919 1932 一九一九The Big Money 1936 赚大钱Number One 1943 第一号The Grand Design 1949 伟大的计划District of Columbia 1952 哥伦比亚特区十、The Southern Renaissance 美国南方文学Southern Renaissance.1、Themes:Chevalier heritage.骑士遗产Agrarian virtue. 农业推崇Plantation aristocracy.种植园农场的贵族生活Lost cause. 失去的事业White supremacy. 白人至上的传统Purity of Southern womanhood. 南方女性的纯洁2、Writers and works①William Faulkner 威廉·福克纳The Yoknapatawpha Saga 约克纳帕塔法世系The Sound and the Fury 1929 喧嚣与骚动Absalom, Absalom 1936 押沙龙,押沙龙Intruder in the Dust 1948 尘土中的入侵者Sartoris 1929 沙托里斯 As I Lay Dying 1930 我弥留之际Sanctuary 1931 圣殿 Light in August 1932 八月之光The Hamlet 1940 村子 Go Down, Moses 1942 去吧,摩西The Town 1957 小镇“The Bear”“熊”Feature:·successfully advanced some modern literary techniques: Stream of consciousness. interior monologue 意识流·multiple point of view 多角度的·talk about the violence and evil in all human beings·His prose varies from colloquial, regional, to formal diction and cadences of American speech.② Thomas Wolfe 托马斯·沃尔夫Look Homeward, Angel 1929 novel 天使,望乡Of Time and the River 1935 novel 时间与河流From Death to Morning 1935 stories 从死亡至早晨The web and the Rock 1939 manuscript novel 蛛网与岩石You Can't Go Home Again 1940 manuscript novel 有家归不得The Hills Beyond 1941 远山③ Katherine Anne Porter 凯瑟琳·安·波特The Flowering Judas 开花的犹大树The Jilting of Granny Weatherall 被背弃的老祖母Pale Horse, Pale Rider 苍白的马,苍白的骑手Learning Tower and Other Stories 斜塔和其他故事Ship of Fools 傻瓜的船④ Eudora Welty 尤多拉·韦尔蒂Death of a Traveling Salesman 1936 旅行推销员之死Delta Wedding 1946 三角洲的婚礼⑤Carson McCullers 卡森·麦卡勒斯The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter 1940 心是孤独的猎手The Ballad of the Sad Café 1943/1951 伤心咖啡馆的民谣⑥ Mary Flannery O'Connor 弗兰纳里·奥康纳Wise Blood 1952A Good Man is Hard to Find 1955The Violent Bear Is Away 1960Everything That Rises Must Converge 1965⑦ William Styron 威廉·斯泰伦Sophie's Choice 苏菲的抉择Lie Down in Darkness 1951 躺在黑暗中The Confessions of Nat Turner 纳特·特纳的自白十一、Modern American Drama 现代美国戏剧1、Expressionism表现主义:An artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and eventsarouse in him. He accomplishes his aim through distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of formal elements.2、writers and works:① Eugene O'Neill 尤金·奥尼尔Bound East for Cardiff 1914东航卡迪夫Desire under the Elms 1924榆树下的欲望Beyond the Horizon 1920天边外The Emperor Jones 1920琼斯皇The Hairy Ape 1922毛猿All God’s Chillum Got Wings 1924 上帝的儿女都有翅膀The Great God Brown 1926大神布郞Strange Interlude 1928奇异的插曲Mourning Becomes Electra 1931悲悼The Iceman Cometh 1946送冰的人来了Long Day’s Journey into Night 1956 日长路远夜深沉② Elmer Rice 埃尔·莫莱斯Left Bank 1931左岸 Adding Machine 1923加算器Judgment Day 1934审判日 On Trial 1914审讯The Mongrel 1924混血儿 Street Scene 1929街景Dream Girl 1945梦幻姑娘③Susan GlaspellTrifles 1916 琐事 The Outside 1917外界Bernice 1919贝尔尼斯 Inheritors 1921继承人The Verge 1921界限 Alison’s House 1930艾里森的房子④ Clifford OdetsWaiting for Lefty 1935等待老左 Golden Boy 1937金孩子The Country Girl 1950乡村姑娘 Night Music 1940夜曲Awake and Sing 1935醒来唱歌 Clash by Night 1941夜间冲突The Flowering Peach 1954开花的桃树 The Big Knife 1948大刀⑤ Tennessee Williams 田纳西·威廉姆斯The Streetcar Named Desire 1947 欲望号街车The Glass Menagerie 玻璃动物园 Night of the Iguana 鬣蜥之夜Summer and Smoke 夏日烟云 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 热铁皮屋顶上的猫The Rose Tattoo 玫瑰文身 Suddenly Last Summer 去年夏天突然Sweet Bird of Youth 甜蜜的青春之鸟 Period of Adjustment 微妙的调整阶段⑥ Arthur Miller 米勒All My Sons 都是我儿子Death of a Salesman 1949推销员之死The Crucible 坩锅/炼狱 A View from the Bridge 凭桥远眺After the Fall 堕落之后 Incident at Vichy 维希事件The Archbishop’s Ceiling 大主教的天花板 The Price 代价The Creation of the World and Other Business 创世记和其他⑦ Edward Albee 爱德华·阿尔比The Zoo Story 1958动物园故事 The Sandbox 1961沙袋Three Tall Women 1994 三个高个女人 Tiny Alice 1964 小小爱丽丝A Delicate Balance 1966微妙的平衡 All Over 1971万事皆休Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf 1962 谁害怕弗吉尼亚沃尔夫Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung 1968毛主席语录⑧David MametAmerican Buffalo 美国野牛⑨ David Henry Hwang 黄哲伦M. Butterfly 蝴蝶君Broken Promises: Four Plays 没有兑现的诺言:四个剧本十二、African American Literature 美国黑人文学1、Early African American literature①Frederick Douglass 道格拉斯The Life and Time of Frederick of Douglass 1881 弗莱德里克道格拉斯的生平和时代②Booker T. WashingtonUp from Slavery 1901③W. E. B. DuBoisThe Souls of Black Folks: Essays and Sketches 1903 黑人的灵魂④Jean ToomerCane 1923拐杖2、Harlem Renaissance 哈莱姆文艺复兴 or The New Negro Movement① Countee Cullen 卡伦,C.Color 1925 One Way to Heaven a novel 1932Copper Sun 1927 The Black Christ 1929The Lost Zoo 1940 My Lives and How I Lost Them 1942②Zora Neale Hurston 佐拉·尼尔·赫斯顿Spunk胆量 Jonah's Gourd Vine 1934 约拿的葫芦藤Mules and Men 1935 骡子与人 Tell My Horse 1937 告诉我的马Mountain 1939 山人摩西 Dust Tracks on a Road 1942 风尘仆仆③ Langston Hughes 蓝斯顿·休斯“The Negro Speaks of River” 1920 “黑人说河”Shakespeare in Harlem 1947 哈莱姆的莎士比亚I Wonder as I Wander 1956 我漂泊,我思考The Weary Blues 1926疲倦的歌声 Dear Lovely Death 1931亲爱的的死神Mulatto 1936混血儿play The Best of Simple 1961辛普尔精选集3、African American literature in the 1940s and 1950s① Richard Wright 理查德·赖特12 Million Black Voices 1941 一千二百万黑人的声音Uncle Tom’s Children 1938; enlarged, 1940 汤姆叔叔的孩子们Native Son 1940土生子 The Color Curtain 1956有色的窗帘Black Boy 1945黑孩子 The Outsider 1953局外人Eight Man 1961八人行 White Man, Listen 1957白人,听着The Long Dream 1958漫长的梦 Land Today 1963如今的土地② Ralph Ellison 拉尔夫·艾里森Invisible Man 1952看不见的人Shadow and Act 1964 essay collection影子与行动Going to the Territory 1986 essay collection走向领地③ James Baldwin 詹姆斯·鲍德温Notes of a Native Son 土生子的笔记 nother Country 另一国度Nobody Knows My Name 没有人知道我的名字 Giovanni’s Room 乔万尼的房间The Amen Corner 阿门角 AJust Above My Head 就在我头顶上Go Tell it on the Mountains 向苍天呼吁Blues for Mister Charley 黑人怨4、Contemporary African American literature①Toni Morrison 托妮·莫里森The Bluest Eye 1970最蓝的眼睛 Sula 1973苏拉Song of Solomon 1977所罗门之歌 Tar Boy 1981柏油娃娃Beloved 1987宠儿 Jazz 1992爵士乐② Alex Palmer Haley 亚里克斯·哈里he Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965 马尔科姆·艾克斯自传Roots 1976 根 Hanning汉宁镇③ Alice Walker 艾丽斯·沃克Meridian 1976梅丽迪安 The Color Purple 1982紫色poem collections:Once 有一次 Revolutionary Petunias 革命的牵牛花In Love and Trouble 1973相爱与烦恼short story collection十三、Chinese American Literature 美国华裔文学1、the first stage:开创 end of 19C~20C 60s①Edith Maude Eaton 艾迪丝·伊顿Mrs. Spring Fragrance 1912 春香夫人——beginning②Louis Chu 雷庭招Eat a Bowl of Tea 吃一碗茶2、the second stage:转折 20C 70~80s①Frank Chin 赵健秀Chickencoop Chinaman 1972鸡笼里的华人The Year of Dragon 1974龙年The Chinaman Pacific & Frisco R. Co.铁路上的华工Donald Duck: a Novel唐纳鸭Gunga Din Highway 贡嘎丁公路Aiiieeeee An Anthology of Prose and Poetry 1974 哎呀美国亚裔作家文集②Maxine Hong Kingston 汤婷婷The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts1976女勇士China Man 1980中国佬Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book 1989孙行者:他的伪歌本3、the third stage、:繁荣20C 90s~now① Amy Tan 谭恩美The Joy Luck Club 1989 喜福会The Kichen God’s Wife 1991 灶神之妻The Hundred Secret Senses1995 百种神秘感The Bonesetter’s Daughter 2001 正骨师的女儿② Gish Jen 任碧莲Typical American 1991 典型的美国人Mona in the Promised Land 1996 莫娜在希望之乡Who’s Irish 1999 谁是爱尔兰人③David Henry Hwang 黄哲伦M. Butterfly 1988 蝴蝶君The House of Sleeping Beauties 睡美人之屋The Voyage 1992 航行Broken Promises: Four Plays 没有兑现的诺言:四个剧本十四、Confessionals 自白派1、罗伯特·洛威尔不一样的国度Land of Unlikeness、威利爵爷的城堡Lord Weary’s Castle、卡瓦纳家族的磨坊Mills of the Kavanaughs、献给联邦死难者For the Union Dead、大洋附近Near the Ocean、笔记1967-68 Notebook 1967-68 、海豚The Dolphin、陈旧的辉煌The Old Glory/.....2、安妮·塞克斯顿我生命的房间The Room of My Life去精神病院半途而归、生或死、变形记、死亡笔记...3、西尔维亚·普拉斯高烧103度、分割、死亡与商号、燃烧的女巫、边缘....4、约翰·贝里曼 John Berryman向布雷兹特里特夫人致意、77首梦歌、短诗集、贝里曼十四行诗集、他的玩具,他的梦,他的休息.....。
美国文学要点总结

美国文学史复习1(The Literature of Colonial)一、时期综述1、清教徒采用的文学体裁:a、narratives 日记b、journals 游记2、清教徒在美国的写作内容:1)their voyage to the new land2) Adapting themselves to unfamiliar climates and crops3) About dealing with Indians4) Guide to the new land, endless bounty, invitation to bold spirit3、清教徒的思想:1)puritan want to make up pure their religious beliefs and practices 净化信仰和行为方式2) Wish to restore simplicity to church and the authority of the Bible to the theology. 重建教堂,提供简单服务,建立神圣地位3)look upon themselves as chosen people, and it follow logically that anyone who challenged their way of life is opposing God's will and is not to be accepted. 认为自己是上帝选民,对他们的生活有异议就是反对上帝4)puritan opposition to pleasure and the arts sometimes has been exaggerated. 反对对快乐和艺术的追求到了十分荒唐的地步5)religious teaching tended to emphasize the image of a wrathful God.强调上帝严厉的一面,忽视上帝仁慈的一面。
美国文学史复习知识点

PuritanismFeatures of Puritanism1. Purification of the church2. Calvinism (John Calvin, 1509-1564, French protestant reformer)(1). Emphasis of Predestination “预定论”(2). Total depravity (Original Sin) 彻底的堕落(因原罪而起)(3). Limited atonement 有限的赎罪Anne Bradstreet (1612 — 1672)First famous poet in North America, known as the “Tenth Muse”最早写出真正有价值的英文诗歌的女诗人Major works:the first collection of poems in North America.The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America (1650)《最近在美洲出现的第十位缪斯》Contemplations《沉思录》Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790 )Statesman, essayist, orator, philosopher, ambassador, scientist, inventor, publisher“master of each and mastered by none”—Herman MelvilleOne of the Founding Fathers of AmericaSymbol of America in the Age of EnlightenmentThe only American to sign the four documents that created the United States:the Declaration of Independencethe treaty of alliance with Francethe treaty of peace with Englandthe constitutionThe symbol of American Dream, a self-made manHis Major WorksPoor Richard’s Almanac (1732)《格言历书》poems and essaysa good many adages and common sense witticismsAutobiography (1868)— the simple yet immensely fascinating record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity—the faithful account of the colorful career of American’s first self-made man.— a Puritan document (self-examination and self-improvement; illustration of Puritan ethics ) — a story of the fulfillment of American dream.Thirteen virtues from The Autobiography1. Temperance节制. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.2. Silence沉默. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.3. Order秩序. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.4. Resolution决心. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.5. Frugality节俭. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing.6. Industry勤奋. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessaryactions.7. Sincerity诚实. Use no harmful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speakaccordingly.8. Justice公正. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.9. Moderation适度. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.10. Cleanliness清洁. Tolerate no uncleanlinessin body, clothes, or habitation.11. Tranquility宁静. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.12. Chastity贞洁. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or theinjury of our own or another’s peace or reputation.13. Humility谦虚. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.The Style of Puritan Writing1. Protestant - against ornateness; reverence for the Bible. The Puritans chose the Bible as the guidebook to their Promised Land.2. Puritan writing reflected the character and scope of the reading public, which was literate and well-grounded in religion.American RomanticismTime Range:From the end of the 18th century through the outbreak of the Civil War.Historical Background:National independence, democracyRising materialism and business: leisure and wealthReligious dogma, rationalismFeatures:American Romanticism was both imitative and independent.Imitative: English and European Romanticists, about home, family, nature, children and idealized love, etc.Independent: Emerson and Whitman, on major problems of American life, like the westward expansion and democracy and equality, etc.1. Romantic Subject Matter(1). The quest for beauty: non-didactic, "pure beauty." (Allan Poe)(2). The use of the far-away and non-normal - antique and fanciful (Hawthorn, Poe)(3). Escapism - from American problems (Irving).(4). Interest in external nature - for itself, for beauty(Emerson, Thoreau)2. Romantic Attitudes :(1). Appeals to imagination:remoteness of settings in time and space. improbable plots.(2). Stress on emotion rather than reason; optimism,(3). Authorial subjectivity: in form and meaning.3. Major Themes:a.Primitivism and the cult of the “noble savage”(Hiawatha 《海华沙》);b.The celebration of natural beauty and the simple life (Cooper, Emerson, Thoreau);mon man, uncorrupted by civilization (Whittier, Cooper);d.Interest in the picturesque past (Irving, Hawthorne);e.Interest in the remote places (Melville); medievalism (Longfellow);Representitive Writers and WorksWashington Irving’s The Sketch Book 《见闻札记》marks the beginning of American Romanticism.Whitman’s (慧特曼) Leaves of Grass 《草叶集》) is the last masterpiece of American Romanticism.James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales 《皮裹腿故事集》depicts as a pioneer,effectively approximates the American national experience of adventure into the West.Washington Irving(1783-1859)Father of the American short stories;the first great American writer;the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame.Masterpiece:The Sketch Book (1820)marks the beginning of American Romanticism.Rip Van Winkle (《瑞普·凡·温克尔》)The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (《睡谷的传说》)James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)One of the first authors to write about the American Westward movement.The creation of a myth about the formative period of the American nation.The introduction of the “Western” tradition into American literature.Masterpiece:Leatherstocking Tales 《皮裹腿故事集》(a collection of tales)The Pioneer, 1823; 《拓荒者》The Last of the Mohicans, 1826;《最后的莫西干人》The Prairie, 1827; 《大草原》The Pathfinder, 1840; 《探路人》The Deerslayer, 1841.《杀鹿者》TranscendentalismFeatures:1.Oversoul2.Individualism3.NatureThe Transcendentalists:The Big Three:1.Ralph Waldo Emerson;2.Henry David Thoreau;3.Margaret FullerThree sources:1.A thoughtful revolt against Puritanism (total depravity, the original sin etc.).2.German philosophers of the 18th century.3.The effect of oriental thought on the Western world.Ralph Waldo EmersonMajor Works:1.Nature:Emerson’s best know workThe bible of New England transcendentalism2.“Divinity School Address”attacks organized Christianityargues for “moral sentiment” --- essence of all religionsurges the listeners to be the true teacher: offering first-hand revelations3.“The American Scholar”:America’s declaration of Intellectual Independenceasserts nature as a teacher that instructs man to see his connection with the worldmaintains creation is continuous and each age must have its own booksdeclares self-trust and independent thinking a necessity for the new scholar.Henry David ThoreauMajor Works:1.WaldenA book on self-culture and human perfectibilitycarrying out an experimentrecording in great detail a spiritually rewarding yet simple lifereflecting on nature’s restorative influenceA book that inspired modern nature preservation2.Civil DisobedienceNathaniel Hawthorne(1804-1864)Major Works:(1). Fanshawe《范肖》(2). The Token were reprinted in Twice-told Tales. 《重述一遍的故事》(3). Twice-Told Tales, 1837; 《重述一遍的故事》(4). Mosses from an Old Manse, 1846; 《古屋青苔》,including “Young Goodman Brown”《年轻的古德曼·布朗》, “Rappaccini’s Daughter”《拉帕西尼的女儿》, “The Artist of the Beautiful”, “The Birthmark”, and “Roger Malvin’s Burial”.(5). Books for children:Grandfather’s Chair(1841);Famous Old People(1841),Liberty Tree(1841),Biographical Stories for Children(1842)(6). The Scarlet Letter, 1850; 《红字》(7). The Snow-Image and Other Twice-Told Tales (1851)(8). The House of Seven Gables , 1851; 《七个尖角阁的房子》(9). The Blithedale Romance, 1852; 《福谷传奇》(10). The Marble Faun , 1860; 《玉石雕像》(11). The Centenary Edition of the Works of Hawthorne, 18 vols. ed. W. Charvat et al., 1962-1987. Masterpieces:The Scarlet Letter (1850), written after Hawthorn’s dismissal from his post owing to a change of administrations, proved to be his greatest work, and indeed summed up in classic terms the Puritan dilemma that had so long occupied his imagination.Other Important books:The House of the Seven Gables (1851); is another great romance, concerned with the decadence of Puritanism, a novel based upon colonial America and filled with mysticism.The Blithedale Romance, (1852) in which he tuned to the contemporary scene and his Brook Farm experiences;The Scarlet Letter (1850)人物:1.Wife: Hester Prynne2.丈夫改名后: Roger Chillingworth3.Priest: Arthur DimmesdaleWalt Whitman (1819-1891)Whitman’s (慧特曼) Leaves of Grass 《草叶集》) is the last masterpiece of American Romanticism.Free verse1. without a fixed, traditional rhyme scheme2. It is sometimes referred to as “open form” verse, or by the French term vers libre.Whitman’s statusWhitman stands as one of two giants of American poetry in 19th C.found new subjects for typical American type of poetry.rejected conventional themes, traditional rhymeHe influenced Harlem Renaissance writers as Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson.Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot (Modernist poets) were also influenced by Whitman.Major Works:1.Leaves of Grass2.Song of Myself3.Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking4.When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d 纪念林肯Edgar Allan Poe1. Position(1). Poet, short-story writer and critic.(2). Unique position in the history of American literature:a. ancestor of the detective story (influencing Conan Doyle)b. forefather of psychological novels (psychological analysis)c. the first important American critic and father of psychoanalytic criticismd. (be regarded as) one of the first aesthetes in literary historyHowever, Poe may be the most controversial and most misunderstood literary figure in the history of American literature.2. Masterpieces:The Raven (1844)—one of his most enduring worksTo HelenHerman Melville:major theme: aliennationMasterpiece:Moby Dick 《白鲸》人物:1.Ishmael2.船长: Ahab3.白鲸: Moby Dick4.船: PequodA common Theme: one of“Rejection and quest”1.19世纪中期2.Cooper, Hawthorne, MelvilleEmily Dickinson (1830-1886)1.Pioneer of Imagism2.Calvinist family诗歌特点:1.Love: “With a Flower”, “Proof”2.Nature: “A Service of Song”, “Summer Shower”3.Death and immortality: “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”4.Miscellaneous: “Tell all the Truth but tell It Slant”Her techniques originality:1.Capitalizations and dashes2.Metaphors3.symbolismDickinson’s status1. Her unconventionality influenced modern poets like Adrienne Rich, Richard Wilbur, and William Stafford.Along with Walt Whitman, Dickinson is considered a true genius of American poetry of the 19th C. Works1.Because I could not …2.Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-3.With A Flower4.Proof5.A Service of Song6.This is my letterAmerican RealismTime Range:1865 – 1910Background:1. Aftermath of the Civil Wara.Social Problems: deterioration of moral values; extremes of wealth and poverty; majoritystruggled for survivalb.Question on the Transcendentalists’ assumptions2. A great interest in the realities of life3. The close of the frontierFeatures:1. Anti-romantic, anti-sentimental ; truthful description of life真实性2. Typical character and plot under typical setting人物情节与背景的典型性、代表性3. Objective rather than idealized view of human nature and experience客观性4. Concern for social and psychological problems关注社会与个人心理问题Realistic Techniques(1). Settings thoroughly familiar to the writer(2). Plots emphasizing the norm of daily experience(3). Ordinary characters, studied in depth(4). Complete authorial objectivity(5). Responsible morality; a world truly reportedRepresentative Writers and Works:1. William Dean Howells is the the champion of literary realism in America. His The Rise of SilasLapham, is about critical of the rise of materialism in American life2. Henry James is the forefather of psychological analysis and stream of consciousness.His famous work is The Portrait of a Lady.3. Mark Twain represents social life through portraits of local places which he knew best.His famous word is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.William Dean Howells (1837 — 1920)1.middle class2.smiling aspectcking of psychological depthMajor Works1.The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885)《塞拉斯·拉帕姆的发迹》Protagonist: Silas Lapham, a self-made man , a upstart2. A Modern Instance (1881)《现代婚姻》3.Indian Summer (1886)《晚秋之暧》4.Annie Kilburn (1888)《安妮·吉尔伯恩》5.A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890)《时来运转》6.A Chance AcquaintanceHenry James(1843 — 1916)1.upper class2.Harvard3.Novelist, critic, playwright, essayist4.Forefather of psychological analysis and stream of consciousness5.International theme: American innocence in face of European sophisticationMajor Works:1.The American (1877)《美国人》2.Daisy Miller (1879)《苔瑟·密勒》3.The Portrait of a Lady (1881)《贵妇人的画像》4.The Bostonians (1886)《波士顿人》5.The Princess Casamassima (1886)《卡萨玛西玛公主》6.What Maisie Knew (1897)《梅吉的见闻》7.The Turn of the Screw 《拧螺丝》Three great novels8.The Wings of the Dove (1902)《鸽翼》9.The Ambassadors (1903)《专使》10.The Golden Bowl (1904)《金碗》Local Colorism (1860s -- 1900) 乡土文学Features1.Emphasis of elements which characterize a local culture, such as speech, customs, and morespeculiar to one particular place.2.Emphasis of physical setting and those distinctive qualities of landscape which condition humanthought and behavior.3.dialect4.frame storyMark Twain(1835 — 1910)1.lower class2.social critic, local colorist3.colloquial speech4.southwestern humor5. stories peculiar to Mississippi and WestMajor Works1. 《卡拉韦拉斯县驰名的跳蛙》The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County 第一个成功文学作品2.《镀金时代》(The Gilded Age, 1873)3.《汤姆·索耶历险记》(The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876)4.《王子与贫儿》(The Prince and the Pauper, 1881)5.《密西西比河上》(Life on the Mississippi, 1883)6.《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》(The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1886)7. 《傻瓜威尔逊》Pud’nhead Wilson (1893)8. 《圣女贞德》Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc (1896)Following the Equator (1897)《赤道旅行记》9.《败坏了赫德莱堡的人》The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (1900)10.《傻子国外旅行记》Innocents Abroad (1869)11.《神秘的来客》The Mysterious Stranger (1906)12.《人是怎么一回事》What Is Man (1906)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)人物:1.Huckleberry Finn: Main character of the book, who runs away from his adopted family to be freeof society and civilization.2.Tom Sawyer: Huck's best friend who freely spins lies and loves adventure.3.Widow Douglas: Adopts Huck to try and civilize him.4.Miss Watson: Sister of the Widow Douglas. She tries to teach Huck religion and how to spell.5.Jim: Miss Watson's slave. He runs away and journeys down the Mississippi River with Huck.6.Pap: Huck's drunkard father.7.The King and the Duke: two swindlersComparison of the three “giants”1. ThemeHowells – middle classJames – upper classTwain – lower class2. ToneHowells – smiling/genteel realismJames – psychological realismTwain – local colourism and colloquialismAmerican NaturalismTime Range:1890 -- 1920Background:1. Emergence of “Modern America” : financial giants vs. industria l proletariat2. New ideas about man and man’s place in the universe: in a cold, indifferent andGodless world, man is insignificant without freedom of will.3. Younger generation of writers thought Howellsian realism was too restrained andgenteel to tell the truth of the harsher realities of American life.Definition:a critical term applied to the method of literary composition that aims at a detached, scientific objectivity in the treatment of natural man. It is thus more inclusive and less selective than realism, and holds to the philosophy of determinism. It conceives of man as controlled by his instincts or his passions, or by his social and economic environment and circumstances. Since in this view man has no free will, the naturalistic writer does not attempt to make moral judgments, and as a determinist he tends toward pessimism. (The Oxford Companion to American lit.)Features:1. Humans are controlled by some deterministic forces, both internal (heredity) and external (environment)2. The universe is indifferent and hostile.3. The literary naturalists have a major difference from the realists.They described the violent, sensational, sordid, unpleasant, and ugly aspects of life instead of the averageInstead of reflecting the middle-class life, they would rather write about the life of failure, poverty and even crime.4. general tone: hopelessness, despair, gloom, pessimismRepresentative Writers and Works1. as a response to a darkening social outlook: the harsh futility of life in nature, on the farm, or inthe city (Stephen Crane) Maggie: A Girl of the Street (1893)2. Theodore Dreiser Sister Carrie is a spiritual tragedy.3. the political implications of economic forces (Frank Norris) McTeagueStephen Crane (1871-1900)1.Pioneer in the field of Modern poetry : One of the two precursors of Imagist, the other beingEmily DicksonMajor Works:1. Maggie: A Girl of the Street (1893) 《街头女郎梅季》a.A masterpiece of Am. naturalism, the first naturalistic novel in American Literature.b.Tragic lifec.died in riverd.Pete seduces and abandons Maggie2.The Red Badge of Courage (1895)《红色英勇勋章3.The Open Boat《海上扁舟》(1897)4.The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky《新娘来到黄天镇》5.The Blue Hotel《蓝色旅馆》6.An Experiment in Misery7.Collection: The Black Riders and Other Lines《黑衣骑士及其他》(1895)8.Long poem: War Is Kind《战争是仁慈的》(1899)9.A Man Said to the Universe (book)10. A Man Adrift on a Slim Spar”(book)Frank Norris(1870-1902)Major Works:1. McTeague (1899) 《麦克提格》“the first full-bodied naturalistic American novel” / full l ength2.“The Epic of the Wheat”: a trilogy 《小麦史诗》3.The Octopus (1901)《章鱼》the best, about the production of the wheat, the octopus—the railroad4.The Pit (1903)《陷阱》the distribution and consumption of the wheat on the market5.The Wolf《野狼》Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)Major Works:1.Sister Carrie (1900) 《嘉莉妹妹》a.第一部小说b.先遭拒绝, 后出版2.The Trilogy of Desire”《欲望三部曲》:a.The Financier (1912) 《金融家》b.The Titan (1914) 《巨头》c.The Stoic,《禁欲者》(1945, unfinished)3.The 'Genius' (1915) 《天才》4.An American Tragedy (1925) 《美国悲剧》, 自传5.Dawn 《曙光》(1931)6.The Bulwark 《堡垒》(1946)Sister Carrie (1900)人物:1.Caroline Meeber, known as Carrie2.Charlie Drouet3.George HurstwoodThe 1920sAmerican ModernismTime Range:1910s – 1945Historical Background:1. The Influence of the WWI:A stronger image of America in international arena;The economic boom-a deceptive affluence;The development of a new type of industrial economy;2. Intolerance in American society: the discrimination against minorities.3. The loss of faith—the death of God.Intellectually, Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, MarxSpiritually, sense of disillusionment & fragmentationDefinition:1. The attempt to create something new in the space of modern crisis and change.2.Discontentment and a deliberate & radical break with traditional ways of expression in Western arts & lit.3.Innovative experimentation in subjects, forms, concepts & stylesFeatures:Fragmentation and open-endedness in structureAlienation as the chief characteristicInterests in the psychological depths of characters (method of stream-of-consciousness)Gender, race, class as accepted registers-- efforts to represent postwar world as incoherent, futile, fragmented, and meaningless, man as misplaced, lost and alienated, to resist traditional totalized views of realityRepresentitive Writers and Works1.T. S Eliot is the most dominant literary figure between the two world wars.The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock2.Ezra Pound is the leader of the Imagist movement, mentor of many literary talents, tried for treasonIndebtedness to Chinese culture.In a Station of the Metro.Imagism 意象主义(1912—1914, with Ezra Pound as the leader)1.Rejected the effusive nature of Romantic and Victorian poetry2.Focused on directness of idea and economy of language3.Contemporary with and in harsh contrast to Georgian poetry4.Contemporaries: Ezra Pound, T.S. EliotRepresentatives: Pound, Hulme, Amy Lowell, H.D., Richard Aldington, William Carlos WilliamsFeatures of the Imagist Poetry:1.To use the language of common speech2.To create new rhythms – a new cadence means a new idea3.To allow absolute freedom in the choice of subject4.To present an image5.To produce poetry that is hard and clear, never blurred or indefinite6.Concentration is the very essence of PoetryEzra Pound (1885—1972) 庞德Major Works:1.In a Station of the Metro2.Indebtedness to Chinese culturea.Hugh Selwyn Mauberley《休·西尔文·毛伯莱》b.Cantos (1915-1945)《诗章》3.1908 A Lume Spento《灯火熄灭之时》4.1909 Personae《人物》5.1910 The Spirit of Romance《罗曼斯精神》6.1915 Cathay《中国》7.1919 Homage to Sextus Propertivs《向塞克斯图斯·普罗佩提乌斯致敬》8.1920 Hugh Selwyn Mauberley《休·赛尔温·毛伯利》9.1945 The Pisan Cantos《比萨诗章》10.1954 Letters of Ezra Pound,1907—1941《埃兹拉·庞德书信集》11.1973 Literary Essays《文学论文集》SelectedProse 1909—1965《文选》Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965)1.fragmentation2.modern man alienationMajor Works:1.The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1911)《普鲁弗洛克的情歌》2.The Waste Land (1922) 《荒原》3.Hollow Man (1925) 《空心人》4.Ash Wenesday (1930)《圣尘星期三》5.Four Quartets (1943)《四个四重奏》F.Scott Fitzgerald (1896—1940) 菲茨杰拉德1.The spokesman of the “Roaring twenties” and The Jazz Age2.StylistMajor Works:1.This Side of Paradise (1920) 《人间天堂》2.The Beautiful and Damned (1922)《美人与丑鬼》The first attempt at writing The Great Gatsby.3. The Great Gatsby (1925) 《了不起的盖茨比》a.F’s best, written in Paris, a masterpiece of the 1920sb.criticism on the Jazz Age4. Tender Is the Night (1934) 《夜色温柔》F’s second important novel, condemning the wasted energy of misguided youth.5. The Last Tycoon (1941)《最后一个巨头》unfinished6. Two short story collections:a.Flappers and Philosophers (1920) 《少女与哲学家》b.Tales of the Jazz Age (1922) 《爵士时代的故事》Give its name to the decade (1919-1929) –the Jazz Age (the “Roaring Twenties”, “The Flapper Period”)7.The Crack-Up (1945), essays collected by Edmund Wilson 《崩溃》The Great Gatsby (1925) 《了不起的盖茨比》人物:1.Tom Buchanan2.Daisy3.Gatsby4.Wilson5.Nick CarrawayErnest Hemingway (1899—1961) 海明威1.colloquial style2.iceberg theoryMajor Works:1. The Sun Also Rises (1926)《太阳照样升起》paints the image of a whole generation—the lost generation, spiritual crisis2. A Farewell to Arms (1929) 《永别了,武器》based on his war experience in Italy, a love tragedy in the War, the lovers called “modernRomeo and Juliet”, firmly established H’s reputation3. For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) 《丧钟为谁而鸣》(《战地钟声》)Based on his experience as a journalist in Spain during its civil war, anti-Fascism4. The Old Man and the Sea (1952) 《老人与海》One of his best, winning the Nobel Prize5. Short story collections:a.Men without Women (1927)《没有女人的男人》b.Winner Take Nothing (1933) 《胜者无所得》6. Play:The Fifth Column (1940) 《第五纵队》The Old Man and the Sea (1952) 《老人与海》人物:1.Santiago2.marlinThe Lost Generation 迷惘的一代Writing Features:ing of age during the War, having something to do with it2.Disillusioned and antagonistic against war3.Unhappy about American culture4.Expatiates in Paris5.grace under pressure6.death7.war,violent, meaningless, chaotic, purposeless slaugterWilliam Faulkner(1897-1962)福克纳1.Southern Literature and Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha saga2.Fictional world3.Family community4.Style:a.stream of consciousness and interior monologueb.disorder of timec.freshMajor Works:1.The Sound and The Fury (1929) 《喧嚣与骚动》2.As I Lay Dying (1930) 《我弥留之际》3.Sanctuary (1931) 《圣殿》4.Light in August (1932) 《八月之光》5.Absalom, Absalom (1936)《押沙龙!押沙龙!》6.Go Down, Moses (1942) 《去吧,摩西》7.Trilogy of the Snopes familyThe Hamlet (1940) 《村子》The Town (1957) 《小镇》The Mansion (1959)《大宅》8. Short Story collection:The Unvanquished, 《没有被征服的人》(1938)9. A Rose for EmilyJohn Dos Passos (1896—1970) 约翰·多斯·帕索斯U. S. A. Trilogy 《美国》三部曲a. The 42nd Parallel (1930)《北纬四十二度》“machine” dominates and impedes the free growth of individuals b. 1919 (1932)《一九一九》A record of W W I, depersonalizing machinec. The Big Money (1936)《赚大钱》The booming twentiesJohn Steinbeck (1902-1968) 约翰•斯坦贝克The Grapes of Wrath (1939)《愤怒的葡萄》被称作”Uncle Tom’s Cabin” of the 1930sEugene O’Neill (1888-1953) 尤金·奥尼尔1.“Founder of the American drama,” and “the American Shakespeare” in the history of Americandrama.2.receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1936).Major Works:1.Bound East for Cardiff (1916)《东航卡迪夫》his first play, marking the beginning of O’s long and successful dramatic career and ushered in the modern era of the American theatre2.Beyond Horizon (1920) 《天边外》his first play of success, established his reputation, Pulitzer Prize3.The Emperor Jones (1920) 《琼斯王》4.The Hairy Ape (1922) 《毛猿》Ralph (Waldo) Ellison (1914-1994)Invisible Man--An archetypal existential story of modern times.(注:可编辑下载,若有不当之处,请指正,谢谢!)。
美国文学史复习资料(DOC)

附:作者及作品(第一、二册)一、殖民主义时期The Literature of Colonial America1.船长约翰•史密斯Captain John Smith 《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》“A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony”《弗吉尼亚地图,附:一个乡村的描述》“A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country”《弗吉尼亚通史》“General History of Virginia”2.威廉•布拉德福德William Bradford 《普利茅斯开发历史》“The History of Plymouth Plantation”3.约翰•温思罗普John Winthrop《新英格兰历史》“The History of New England”4.罗杰•威廉姆斯Roger Williams《开启美国语言的钥匙》”A Key into the Language of America”或叫《美洲新英格兰部分土著居民语言指南》Or “ A Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New England ”5.安妮•布莱德斯特Anne Bradstreet 《在美洲诞生的第十个谬斯》”The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America”二、理性和革命时期文学The Literature of Reason and Revolution1。
本杰明•富兰克林Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)※《自传》“The Autobiography ”《穷人理查德的年鉴》“Poor Richard’s Almanac”2。
美国文学复习提纲

第一部分殖民时期一、时期综述(关于清教的应该都是重点)1、清教徒采用的文学体裁:A、narratives 日记B、journals 游记2、清教徒在美国的写作内容:①their voyage to the new land ②adapting themselves to unfamiliar climates and crops③about dealing with Indians ④guide to the new land, endless bounty,invitation to bold spirit★3、清教徒的想法:①Puritans want to make up pure their religious beliefs and practices.净化信仰和行为方式②wish to restore simplicity to church services and the authority of the Bible to theology.重建教堂,提供简单服务,建立神圣地位③look upon themselves as a chosen people,and it follow logically that anyone who challenged their way of life is opposing God’s will and is not to be accepted。
认为自己是上帝选民,对他们的生活有异议就是反对上帝。
④Puritan opposition to pleasure and the arts sometimes has been exaggerated.反对对快乐和艺术的追求到了十分荒唐的地步。
⑤religious teaching tended to emphasize the image of a wrathful God。
强调上帝严厉的一面,忽视上帝仁慈的一面.4、典型的清教徒:John Cotton and Roger Williams他们的不同:John Cotton was much more concerned with authority than with democracy。
美国文学史复习要点手动

美国文学史复习要点手动1.早期美国文学(17世纪-18世纪)-早期美国文学的发展受到清教徒移民和殖民地环境的影响。
-早期作品主题包括宗教信仰、苦难和恐惧。
-著名作家有威廉·布拉德福和乔纳森·爱德华兹。
2.启蒙时期文学(18世纪)-美国启蒙时期的文学受到欧洲启蒙思想的影响。
-作品主题包括理性、自由和平等。
-著名作家有本杰明·富兰克林和汤玛斯·潘恩。
3.罗曼主义时期文学(19世纪早期)-罗曼主义时期美国文学反对启蒙时期的理性主义。
-作品主题包括个人感情、自然和超自然。
-著名作家有华盛顿·欧文和爱默生。
4.特拉华文学(19世纪中期)-特拉华文学是19世纪中期美国文学的重要流派。
-作品主题包括农民和工人的生活以及美国西部探险精神。
-著名作家有赫尔曼·梅尔维尔和华尔特·惠特曼。
5.现实主义和自然主义时期文学(19世纪末-20世纪初)-现实主义和自然主义时期的文学关注社会问题和个人命运。
-作品主题包括工业化、城市化和阶级冲突。
-著名作家有马克·吐温和斯蒂芬·克莱恩。
6.现代主义时期文学(20世纪初-中期)-现代主义时期的文学反对传统形式和价值观。
-作品表现迷失、不安和心理困惑。
-著名作家有欧内斯特·海明威和F·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德。
7.后现代主义时期文学(20世纪中期-现在)-后现代主义时期的文学拒绝一切形式的正统和稳定性。
-作品表现多样化的语言和视觉实验。
-著名作家有托尼·莫里森和大卫·福斯特·华莱士。
(完整word版)美国文学史-知识点梳理(word文档良心出品)

Part I The Literature of Colonial AmericaI.Historical IntroductionThe colonial period stretched roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th. The first permanent settlement in America was established by English in 1607. ( A group of people was sent by the English King James I to hunt for gold. They arrived at Virginia in 1607. They named the James River and build the James town.)II.The pre-revolutionary writing in the colonies was essentially of two kinds:1) Practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people "at home" what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration2) Highly theoretical, generally polemical, discussions of religious questions. III.The First American WriterThe first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. They wrote about their voyage to the new land, their lives in the new land, their dealings with Indians.Captain John Smith is the first American writer.A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608)A Map of Virginia: A Description of the Country (1612)General History of Virgini a (1624): the Indian princess PocahontasCaptain John Smith was one of the first early 17th-century British settlers in North America. He was one of the founders of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. His writings about North America became the source of information about the New World for later settlers.One of the things he wrote about that has become an American legend was his capture by the Indians and his rescue by the famous Indian Princess, Pocahontas. IV.Early New England LiteratureWilliam Bradford and John WinthropJohn Cotton and Roger WilliamsAnne Bradstreet and Edward TaylorV.Puritan Thoughts1. The origin of puritanIn the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th Century, the English King Henry VIII (At that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope's permission. Henry VIII wanted to divorce hiswife because she couldn't bear him a son. But the Pope didn't allow him to divorce, so he) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church ofEngland. But there was no radical difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans.2. Puritanism -- based on Calvinism(1) predestination: God's electPuritans believed they are predestined before they were born.Nothing or no good work can change their fate.They believed the success of one's business is the sign to show he is the God's elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics.(2) Origianl sin and total depravityMan is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude towards life.(3) Limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)(4) theocracyThey combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one.The Puritans established American tradition -- intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment3. Influence on American Literature(1) Its optimismAmerican literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is based on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. After that, man have an illusion to restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believing that God must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise, to build the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strong sense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism. The optimistic Puritan has exerted a great influence on American literature.(2) Puritan's metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism.Part II The Literature of Reason And RevolutionI.Historical IntroductionWith the growth, especially of industry, there appeared the intense strain with England. The British government did not want colonial industries competing with those in England. The British wanted the colonies to remain politically and economically dependent on the mother country. They took a series of measures to insure this dependence. They prevented colonial economy by requiring Americans to ship raw materials abroad and to import finished goods at prices higher than the cost of making them in this country. Politically, the British government forced dependenceby ruling the colonies from overseas and by taxing the colonies without giving them representation in Parliament.However, by the mid-eighteenth century, freedom was won as much by the fiery rhetoric of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the eloquence of the Declaration of Independence as by the weapons of Washington. In the seventies of the 18th century, the English colonies in North America rose in arms against their mother country. The War for Independence lasted for 8 years (1776-1783) and ended in the formation of a federative bourgeois democratic republic -- the United States of America. II.American EnlightenmentIt was supported by all progressive forces of the country which opposed themselves to the old colonial order and religious obscurantism.It dealt a decisive blow upon the puritan traditions and brought to life secular education and literature. The spiritual life during that period was to a great degree moulded by it.The representatives set themselves the task of disseminating knowledge among the people and advocating revolutionary ideas.The writers injected an invigorating vein into the English language in America as they aimed at clarity and precision of their writings.At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to journalism. Writings of Europe were widely read in America. The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of Benjamin Franklin.III.Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)The AutobiographyPoor Richard’s AlmanacLifeBenjamin Franklin came from a Calvinist background.He was born into a poor candle-maker’s family. He had very little education. He learned in school only for two years, but he was a voracious reader.At 12, he was apprenticed to his elder half-brother, a printer.At 16, he began to publish essays under the pseudonym “Silence Do good” .At 17, he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune.He set himself up as an independent printer and publisher. In 1727 he founded the Junto club.Multiple identities:a printera leading authora politiciana scientista inventora diplomata civic activistFranklin’s Contributions to SocietyHe helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital.He founded an academy which led to the University of Pennsylvania.And he helped found the American Philosophical Society.Franklin’s Contributions to ScienceHe was also remembered for volunteer fire departments, effective street lighting, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and efficient heating devices.And for his lightning-rod, he was called “the new Prometheus who had stolen fire from heaven.”Franklin’s Contributions to the U.S.He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States:The Declaration of Independence,The Treaty of Alliance with France,The Treaty of Peace with England,The ConstitutionThe AutobiographyThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was probably the first of its kind in literature. It is the simple yet immensely fascinating record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity into which he was born, the faithful account of the colorful career of America’s first self-made man.The Autobiography is, first of all, a Puritan document. It is Puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement. The meticulous chart of 13 virtues he set for himself to cultivate to combat the tempting vices, the stupendous effort he made to improve his own person, the belief that God helps those who helps themselves and that every calling is a service to God – all these indicate that Franklin was intensely Puritan. Then, the book is also a convincing illustration of the Puritan ethic that, in order to get on in the world, one has to be industrious, frugal, and prudent.The Autobiography is also an eloquent elucidation of the fact that Franklin was spokesman for the new order of eighteenth-century enlightenment, and that he represented in America all its ideas, that man is basically good and free by nature, endowed by God with certain inalienable rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.A look at the style of The Autobiography will readily reveal that it is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness and concision. The plainness of its style, the homeliness of imagery, the simplicity of diction, syntax and expression are some of the salient features we cannot mistake. The lucidity of the narrative, the absence ofornaments in wording and of complex, involved structures in syntax, and the Puritan abhorrence of paradox are all graphically demonstrated in the whole of the book. Taken as a whole, it is safe to say that the book is an exemplary illustration of the American style of writing.IV.Thomas Paine (1737-1809)Common SenseAmerican CrisisV.Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)The Declaration of IndependenceVI.Philip Freneau (1752-1832)“Poet of the American Revolution”“Father of American Poetry”“Pioneer of the New Romanticism”“A gifted and versatile lyric poet”Works“The Wild Honey Suckle”“The Indian Burying Ground”“To a Caty-Did”Freneau as Father of American Poetry: His major themes are death, nature, transition, and the human in nature. All of these themes become important in 19th century writing.Life Experience►He was born in New York.►At 16, he entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He decided to do a postgraduate study in theology. But two years later he gave it up. While still an undergraduate, he wrote in collaboration with one of his friends (H. H. Brackenridge) a poem entitled “The Rising Glory of America”.►Later he attended the War of Independence, and he was captured by British army in 1780.►After being released, he published “The British Prison Ship” in 1781.►In the same year, he published “To the Memory of the Brave Americans”.►After war, he supported Jefferson, and contributed greatly to American government.►But after 50 years old, he lived in poverty. And at last he died in a blizzard.Main Works►“The Rising Glory of America” (1772) 《美洲光辉的兴起》►“The House of Night” (1779,1786) 《夜之屋》►“The British Prison Ship” (1781) 《英国囚船》►“To the Memory of the Brave Americans” (1781) 《纪念美国勇士》►“”The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786) 《野忍冬花》►“The Indian Burying Ground” (1788) 《印第安人墓地》野忍冬花(黄杲炘译)►美好的花呀,你长得:这么秀丽,却藏身在这僻静沉闷的地方——甜美的花儿开了却没人亲昵,招展的小小枝梢也没人观赏;没游来荡去的脚来把你踩碎,没东攀西摘的手来催你落泪。
美国文学史

美国文学史一.知识点1.清教主义代表人物:Edwards Franklin2.富兰克林的作品:《Poor Richard’s Almanac》《Autobiography》3.富兰克林自传中的十三个美德:Temperance(节制)silence (少言)order(秩序)frugality (节俭)Industry(勤勉)sincerity (真诚)resolution(决心)justice (公正)moderation (中庸)cleanliness(整洁)chastity(镇定) tranquility(节欲)humility(谦逊)This work is a puritan document. It is puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement.4.富兰克林作品中的谚语:lost time is never found again. A penny saved is a penny earned. God help them that help themselves. Fish and visitors stink in three days. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.5.美国浪漫主义代表人物:Irving Cooper6.Irving was the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame.His works are《The Sketch Book》《Rip Van Winkle》《The Legend of Sleepy Hollow》7. Cooper’s claim to greatness in American literature lies in the fact that he created a myth about the formative period of the American nation. “Leatherstocking tales” is a series of five novels described the frontier life of American settlers, that is, 《The Pioneers》《The Last of the Mohicans》《The Prairie》《The pathfinder》《The Deerslayer》8. Emerson 的代表作《Nature》. “The American Scholar” has been regarded as the American’s declaration of intellectual independence.9.Thoreau的代表作《Walden》10.美国黑色浪漫主义代表人物:Hawthorne Melville Allan Poe11.Whitman的作品《Leaves of Grass》《Song of Myself》. 用来赞扬林肯的诗歌“When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”“Captain, My Captain”12.Dickinson的诗歌“My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close”“Wild Nights”. Dickinson was original. She sees nature as both gaily benevolent and cruel. On the ethical level she emphasizes free will and human responsibility. Like Emerson, she holds that beauty, goodness, truth are the ultimately one. She is good at catching the charm of something but dropping the thing itself. 13. Allan Poe: Father of modern short story;Father of detective story;Father of psychoanalytic criticism;Father of mental analytic theory.14. Local Colorism的代表人物:Mark Twain15.Naturalism 时期:Crane的作品:《Maggie:A Girl of the Street》《The Red Badge of Courage》Dreiser的作品:《Sister Carrie》Jack London;O’Henry16. Imagism 的代表人物:Pound他的作品“In a Station of the Metro”(has been regarded asa classic specimen of imagist poetry) “Cantos”(has been called his intellectual diary since1915).17. Eliot 的作品《The Waste Land》18. Robert Frost的作品“Mending Wall”这里的名言是good fences make good neighbors. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”“The Road not Taken”19. Fitzgerald的作品《This Side of Paradise》《Tender is the Night》《The Last Tycoon》《The GreatGatsby》(代表作)二.名词解释1. American puritanism: Puritanism is the practices and beliefs of puritans. The puritans areoriginally members of a division of the protestant church who wanted to purify their religious beliefs and practices. They accepted the doctrine of predestination, original sin, total depravity and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from god. It had become, to some extent, so much a sense of mind, so much a part of national cultural background, rather than a set of tenets.2. Transcendentalism: it was a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture and philosophythat emerged in newEngland in the early middle 19th century. Transcendentalists spoke for cultural rejuvenation and against the materialism in American society. It place emphasis on spirit, or the over soul as the most important thing in the world. It stressed the importance of the individual and offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the spirit or god.Prominent transcendentalists included Edwards and Thoreau.3. Local Colorism: Mark Twain was the representative of local colorism. It as a trend becamedominant in American literature in the late 1860s and early 1870s, it is defined by Hamlin Garland as having such quality of texture and background that it could not have been written in any other place or by anyone else than a native, as local colorists tried to immortalize the distinctive natural, social and linguistic features. It is characteristic of vernacular language and satirical humor. Generally speaking, the writings of local colorists are concerned with the life of a small, well-defined region or province. The characteristic setting is the isolated small town.4. Imagism: the 1920s saw a vigorous literary activity in America. In poetry there appeared astrong reaction against Victorian poetry. Imagists placed primary reliance on the use of precise, sharp images as a means of poetic expression and stressed precision in the choice of words, freedom in the choice of subject matter and form, and the use of oral language. Most of the imagist poets wrote in free verse, using such devices as assonance and alliteration rather than formal metrical schemes to give structure to their poetry. Its representative was Pound.5. Modernsim: American modernism was the phenomenon of international modernismtransplanted in the American context. The modernists have a more complex view of reality.They believe that reality is experienced from different perspectives and at different levels.Modernism is pluralistic in styles and inclusive of diverse responses to the human condition in the modern world.6. The Lost Generation: it is a term used to characterize a general feeling of disillusionment ofAmerican literary notables who lived in Europe, most notably Paris, after the First World War.Figures identified with the lost generation included authors and artists such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Pound and SherwoodAnderson.三.解答题1.超验主义三大特点。
美国文学史复习资料

一、殖民主义时期 The Literature of Colonial America1.船长约翰•史密斯 Captain John Smith《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》“A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony”《弗吉尼亚地图,附:一个乡村的描述》“A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country”《弗吉尼亚通史》“General History of Virginia”2.威廉•布拉德福德 William Bradford 《普利茅斯开发历史》“The History of Plymouth Plantation”3.约翰•温思罗普 John Winthrop《新英格兰历史》“The History of New England”4.罗杰•威廉姆斯 Roger Williams《开启美国语言的钥匙》”A Key into the Language of America”或叫《美洲新英格兰部分土著居民语言指南》Or “ A Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New England ”5.安妮•布莱德斯特 Anne Bradstreet 《在美洲诞生的第十个谬斯》”The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in Americ a”二、理性和革命时期文学 The Literature of Reason and Revolution1。
本杰明•富兰克林 Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)※《自传》“ The Autobiography ”《穷人理查德的年鉴》“Poor Richard’s Almanac”2。
美国文学史-知识点梳理

PartITheLiteratureofColonialAmericaI.HistoricalIntroductionThecolonialperiodstretchedroughlyfromthesettlementofAmericaintheearly17thcenturyt hroughtheendofthe18th.ThefirstpermanentsettlementinAmericawasestablishedbyEnglishin16 07.(AgroupofpeoplewassentbytheEnglishKingJamesItohuntforgold.TheyarrivedatVirginiain1 607.TheynamedtheJames RiverandbuildtheJamestown.)II.Thepre-revolutionarywritinginthecolonieswasessentiallyoftwokinds:1)Practicalmatter-of-factaccountsoffarming,hunting,travel,etc.designedtoinformpeo ple"athome"whatlifewaslikeinthenewworld,and,often,toinducetheirimmigrationIII.TheFirstAmericanWriter.irstPlantingofThatColony(1608)GeneralHistoryofVirginiIV.V.e'spermission.HenryVIIIwantedtodivorcehiswifebecauseshecouldn'tbearhimason.ButthePope didn'tallowhimtodivorce,sohe)brokeawayfromtheRomanCatholicChurch&establishedtheChurch ofEngland.ButtherewasnoradicaldifferencebetweenthedoctrinesoftheChurchofEnglandandthe CatholicChurch.AgroupofpeoplethoughttheChurchofEnglandwastooCatholicandwantedtopurify thechurch.ThencamethenamePuritans.2.Puritanism--basedonCalvinism(1)predestination:God'selectPuritansbelievedtheyarepredestinedbeforetheywereborn.Nothingornogoodworkcanchangetheirfate.Theybelievedthesuccessofone'sbusinessisthesigntoshowheistheGod'select.SothePurita nsworksveryhard,spendverylittleandinvestmoreforthefuturebusiness.Theylivedaveryfrugal life.Thisistheirethics.(2)OrigianlsinandtotaldepravityManisbornsinful.Thisdeterminessomepuritanspessimisticattitudetowardslife.(3)Limitedatonement(thesalvationofaselectedfew)(4)theocracyTheycombinedstatewithreligion.Theirgovernmentisatleastnotaliberalone.ThePuritansestablishedAmericantradition--intolerantmoralism.Theystrictlypunishedd runks,adultery&heretics.Puritanschangedgraduallyduetotheseverityoffrontierenvironment3.InfluenceonAmericanLiterature(1)ItsoptimismI.HistoricalIntroductionII.AmericanEnlightenmentItwassupportedbyallprogressiveforcesofthecountrywhichopposedthemselvestotheoldcol onialorderandreligiousobscurantism.Itdealtadecisiveblowuponthepuritantraditionsandbroughttolifeseculareducationandli terature.Thespirituallifeduringthatperiodwastoagreatdegreemouldedbyit.Therepresentativessetthemselvesthetaskofdisseminatingknowledgeamongthepeopleandad vocatingrevolutionaryideas.ThewritersinjectedaninvigoratingveinintotheEnglishlanguageinAmericaastheyaimedatc larityandprecisionoftheirwritings.AttheinitialperiodthespreadoftheideasoftheEnlightenmentwaslargelyduetojournalism. WritingsofEuropewerewidelyreadinAmerica.ThesecularidealsoftheAmericanEnlightenmentwer eexemplifiedinthelifeandcareerofBenjaminFranklin.III.BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)TheAutobiographyPoorRichard’sAlmanacLifeBenjaminFranklincamefromaCalvinistbackground.Hewasbornintoapoorcandle-maker’sfamily.Hehadverylittleeducation.Helearnedinschoo lonlyfortwoyears,buthewasavoraciousreader.At12,hewasapprenticedtohiselderhalf-brother,aprinter.At16,hebegantopublishessaysunderthepseudonym“SilenceDogood”.At17,heranawaytoPhiladelphiatomakehisownfortune.Multipleidentities:aprinteraleadingauthorapoliticianascientistainventoradiplomatacivicactivistFranTheConstitutionTheAutobiographyTheAutobiographyofBenjaminFranklin wasprobablythefirstofitskindinliterature.Itisth esimpleyetimmenselyfascinatingrecordofamanrisingtowealthandfamefromastateofpovertyand obscurityintowhichhewasborn,thefaithfulaccountofthecolorfulcareerofAmerica’sfirstsel f-mademan.TheAutobiography is,firstofall,aPuritandocument.ItisPuritanbecauseitisarecordofsel f-examinationandself-improvement.Themeticulouschartof13virtueshesetforhimselftocultiv atetocombatthetemptingvices,thestupendousefforthemadetoimprovehisownperson,thebelieft hatGodhelpsthosewhohelpsthemselvesandthateverycallingisaservicetoGod–alltheseindicatethatFranklinwasintenselyPuritan.Then,thebookisalsoaconvincingillustrationofthePurita nethicthat,inordertogetonintheworld,onehastobeindustrious,frugal,andprudent.TheAutobiography isalsoaneloquentelucidationofthefactthatFranklinwasspokesmanforth eneworderofeighteenth-centuryenlightenment,andthatherepresentedinAmericaallitsideas,t hatmanisbasicallygoodandfreebynature,endowedbyGodwithcertaininalienablerightsoflibert yandthepursuitofhappiness.Alookatthestyleof TheAutobiography willreadilyrevealthatitisthepatternofPuritansimp licity,directnessandconcision.Theplainnessofitsstyle,thehomelinessofimagery,thesimpli cityofdiction,syntaxandexpressionaresomeofthesalientfeatureswecannotmistake.Thelucidi tyofthenarrative,theabsenceofornamentsinwordingandofcomplex,involvedstructuresinsynta x,andthePuritanabhorrenceofparadoxareallgraphicallydemonstratedinthewholeofthebook.Taing.IV.ThomasPaine(1737-1809)CommonSenseAmericanCrisisV.ThomasJefferson(1743-1826)TheDeclarationofIndependenceVI.PhilipFreneau(1752-1832)“PoetoftheAmericanRevolution”“FatherofAmericanPoetry”“PioneeroftheNewRomanticism”►►►LaterheattendedtheWarofIndependence,andhewascapturedbyBritisharmyin1780.►Afterbeingreleased,hepublished“TheBritishPrisonShip”in1781.►Inthesameyear,hepublished“TotheMemoryoftheBraveAmericans”.►Afterwar,hesupportedJefferson,andcontributedgreatlytoAmericangovernment.►Butafter50yearsold,helivedinpoverty.Andatlasthediedinablizzard.MainWorks►“TheRisingGloryofAmerica”(1772)《美洲光辉的兴起》►“TheHouseofNight”(1779,1786)《夜之屋》►“TheBritishPrisonShip”(1781)《英国囚船》►“TotheMemoryoftheBraveAmericans”(1781)《纪念美国勇士》►“”TheWildHoneySuckle”(1786)《野忍冬花》►“TheIndianBuryingGround”(1788)《印第安人墓地》野忍冬花(黄杲炘译)►美好的花呀,你长得:这么秀丽,却藏身在这僻静沉闷的地方——甜美的花儿开了却没人亲昵,招展的小小枝梢也没人观赏;没游来荡去的脚来把你踩碎,没东攀西摘的手来催你落泪。
美国文学史复习

美国文学史复习(一)Colonialism(殖民主义)一、Puritan thoughts:1. to make their religious beliefs and practices pure,2. to restore simplicity,3. to live a hard and disciplined life4. to oppose pleasure and arts.二、Puritan values:hard work, thrift, piety, sobriety (they dominated much of the earliest American writing.)(二)Romanticism一、文学特征:1. Environment:①shaped by their New World environment 美洲大陆新环境②array of ideas inherited from the romantic traditions of Europe 欧洲早期浪漫主义思潮2.美国文学的特点:①pluralistic多元化②manifestations varied 表现形式多样③individualistic个人主义④conflicting 矛盾3. Romanticism的特点:①moral enthusiasm注重道德②faith in the value of individualism and intuitive perception强调个人主义价值观和直觉感受③the presumption that the natural world was a source of corruption.认为自然是美的源头,人类社会是腐败之源。
4. Transcendentalism:(超验主义)①As a moral philosophy, it was neither logical nor systematized.It exalted feeling over reason, individual expression over the restraints of law and custom.不讲逻辑,不讲系统只强调超越理性的感受,超越法律和世俗束缚的个人表达。
(完整word版)美国文学史-知识点梳理

Part I The Literature of Colonial AmericaI.Historical IntroductionThe colonial period stretched roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th. The first permanent settlement in America was established by English in 1607. ( A group of people was sent by the English King James I to hunt for gold. They arrived at Virginia in 1607. They named the James River and build the James town.)II.The pre-revolutionary writing in the colonies was essentially of two kinds:1) Practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people "at home" what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration2) Highly theoretical, generally polemical, discussions of religious questions. III.The First American WriterThe first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. They wrote about their voyage to the new land, their lives in the new land, their dealings with Indians.Captain John Smith is the first American writer.A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608)A Map of Virginia: A Description of the Country (1612)General History of Virgini a (1624): the Indian princess PocahontasCaptain John Smith was one of the first early 17th-century British settlers in North America. He was one of the founders of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. His writings about North America became the source of information about the New World for later settlers.One of the things he wrote about that has become an American legend was his capture by the Indians and his rescue by the famous Indian Princess, Pocahontas. IV.Early New England LiteratureWilliam Bradford and John WinthropJohn Cotton and Roger WilliamsAnne Bradstreet and Edward TaylorV.Puritan Thoughts1. The origin of puritanIn the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th Century, the English King Henry VIII (At that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope's permission. Henry VIII wanted to divorce hiswife because she couldn't bear him a son. But the Pope didn't allow him to divorce, so he) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church ofEngland. But there was no radical difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans.2. Puritanism -- based on Calvinism(1) predestination: God's electPuritans believed they are predestined before they were born.Nothing or no good work can change their fate.They believed the success of one's business is the sign to show he is the God's elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics.(2) Origianl sin and total depravityMan is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude towards life.(3) Limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)(4) theocracyThey combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one.The Puritans established American tradition -- intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment3. Influence on American Literature(1) Its optimismAmerican literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is based on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. After that, man have an illusion to restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believing that God must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise, to build the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strong sense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism. The optimistic Puritan has exerted a great influence on American literature.(2) Puritan's metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism.Part II The Literature of Reason And RevolutionI.Historical IntroductionWith the growth, especially of industry, there appeared the intense strain with England. The British government did not want colonial industries competing with those in England. The British wanted the colonies to remain politically and economically dependent on the mother country. They took a series of measures to insure this dependence. They prevented colonial economy by requiring Americans to ship raw materials abroad and to import finished goods at prices higher than the cost of making them in this country. Politically, the British government forced dependenceby ruling the colonies from overseas and by taxing the colonies without giving them representation in Parliament.However, by the mid-eighteenth century, freedom was won as much by the fiery rhetoric of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the eloquence of the Declaration of Independence as by the weapons of Washington. In the seventies of the 18th century, the English colonies in North America rose in arms against their mother country. The War for Independence lasted for 8 years (1776-1783) and ended in the formation of a federative bourgeois democratic republic -- the United States of America. II.American EnlightenmentIt was supported by all progressive forces of the country which opposed themselves to the old colonial order and religious obscurantism.It dealt a decisive blow upon the puritan traditions and brought to life secular education and literature. The spiritual life during that period was to a great degree moulded by it.The representatives set themselves the task of disseminating knowledge among the people and advocating revolutionary ideas.The writers injected an invigorating vein into the English language in America as they aimed at clarity and precision of their writings.At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to journalism. Writings of Europe were widely read in America. The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of Benjamin Franklin.III.Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)The AutobiographyPoor Richard’s AlmanacLifeBenjamin Franklin came from a Calvinist background.He was born into a poor candle-maker’s family. He had very little education. He learned in school only for two years, but he was a voracious reader.At 12, he was apprenticed to his elder half-brother, a printer.At 16, he began to publish essays under the pseudonym “Silence Do good” .At 17, he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune.He set himself up as an independent printer and publisher. In 1727 he founded the Junto club.Multiple identities:a printera leading authora politiciana scientista inventora diplomata civic activistFranklin’s Contributions to SocietyHe helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital.He founded an academy which led to the University of Pennsylvania.And he helped found the American Philosophical Society.Franklin’s Contributions to ScienceHe was also remembered for volunteer fire departments, effective street lighting, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and efficient heating devices.And for his lightning-rod, he was called “the new Prometheus who had stolen fire from heaven.”Franklin’s Contributions to the U.S.He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States:The Declaration of Independence,The Treaty of Alliance with France,The Treaty of Peace with England,The ConstitutionThe AutobiographyThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was probably the first of its kind in literature. It is the simple yet immensely fascinating record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity into which he was born, the faithful account of the colorful career of America’s first self-made man.The Autobiography is, first of all, a Puritan document. It is Puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement. The meticulous chart of 13 virtues he set for himself to cultivate to combat the tempting vices, the stupendous effort he made to improve his own person, the belief that God helps those who helps themselves and that every calling is a service to God – all these indicate that Franklin was intensely Puritan. Then, the book is also a convincing illustration of the Puritan ethic that, in order to get on in the world, one has to be industrious, frugal, and prudent.The Autobiography is also an eloquent elucidation of the fact that Franklin was spokesman for the new order of eighteenth-century enlightenment, and that he represented in America all its ideas, that man is basically good and free by nature, endowed by God with certain inalienable rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.A look at the style of The Autobiography will readily reveal that it is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness and concision. The plainness of its style, the homeliness of imagery, the simplicity of diction, syntax and expression are some of the salient features we cannot mistake. The lucidity of the narrative, the absence ofornaments in wording and of complex, involved structures in syntax, and the Puritan abhorrence of paradox are all graphically demonstrated in the whole of the book. Taken as a whole, it is safe to say that the book is an exemplary illustration of the American style of writing.IV.Thomas Paine (1737-1809)Common SenseAmerican CrisisV.Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)The Declaration of IndependenceVI.Philip Freneau (1752-1832)“Poet of the American Revolution”“Father of American Poetry”“Pioneer of the New Romanticism”“A gifted and versatile lyric poet”Works“The Wild Honey Suckle”“The Indian Burying Ground”“To a Caty-Did”Freneau as Father of American Poetry: His major themes are death, nature, transition, and the human in nature. All of these themes become important in 19th century writing.Life Experience►He was born in New York.►At 16, he entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He decided to do a postgraduate study in theology. But two years later he gave it up. While still an undergraduate, he wrote in collaboration with one of his friends (H. H. Brackenridge) a poem entitled “The Rising Glory of America”.►Later he attended the War of Independence, and he was captured by British army in 1780.►After being released, he published “The British Prison Ship” in 1781.►In the same year, he published “To the Memory of the Brave Americans”.►After war, he supported Jefferson, and contributed greatly to American government.►But after 50 years old, he lived in poverty. And at last he died in a blizzard.Main Works►“The Rising Glory of America” (1772) 《美洲光辉的兴起》►“The House of Night” (1779,1786) 《夜之屋》►“The British Prison Ship” (1781) 《英国囚船》►“To the Memory of the Brave Americans” (1781) 《纪念美国勇士》►“”The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786) 《野忍冬花》►“The Indian Burying Ground” (1788) 《印第安人墓地》野忍冬花(黄杲炘译)►美好的花呀,你长得:这么秀丽,却藏身在这僻静沉闷的地方——甜美的花儿开了却没人亲昵,招展的小小枝梢也没人观赏;没游来荡去的脚来把你踩碎,没东攀西摘的手来催你落泪。
美国文学复习整理

美国文学复习整理(分时期)reasoning and revolution代表作家:1、Benjamin Franklin 本杰明·富兰克林1706-17901)"Poor Richard's Almanac" 穷人查理德的年鉴annual collection of proverbs 流行谚语集It soon became the most popular book of its kind, largely because of Franklin's shr ewd humor, and first spread his reputation2) Founded the Junto, a club for informal discussion of scientific, economic and poli tical ideas. 建立了一个秘密俱乐部,讨论的主题是政治、经济和科学等时事方面的问题3)established America's first circulating library, founded the college--University of Pe nnsylvania. 建立了美国第一个可租借的图书馆,还创办了一所大学——就是现在的宾夕法尼亚大学。
4)first applied the terms "positive" and "negative" to electrical charges.5)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 c onducted the difficulty negotiations with France that brought financial and military s upport for America in the war. 作为殖民地的代表,他不断建议英国改变政策,使美国可以和英国一起发展、繁荣。
美国文学重点整理

美国文学重点整理O u t l i n e o f A m e r i c a n L i t e r a t u r e1.T h e L i t e r a t u r e o f C o l o n i a lA m e r i c a殖民地时期美国文学 (17t h c e n t u r y)2.T h e L i t e r a t u r e o f R e a s o n a n d R e v o l u t i o n理性和革命时期文学(18t h C)3.T h e L i t e r a t u r e o f R o m a n t i c i s m 浪漫主义文学(19t h C)4.T h e L i t e r a t u r e o f R e a l i s m理性主义文学(19t h C)5.T w e n t i e t h-c e n t u r y L i t e r a t u r e 现代主义文学(20t h C)O u t l i n e o f E n g l i s h L i t e r a t u r e1.m e d i a e v a l l i t e r a t u r e中世纪文学(约5世纪—1485)2.R e n a i s s a n c e l i t e r a t u r e文艺复兴时期文学(15世纪后期—17世纪初)3.17t h C e n t u r y L i t e r a t u r e17世纪文学4.L i t e r a t u r e E n l i g h t e n m e n t p e r i o d启蒙时期文学(17世纪后期—18世纪中期)5.R o m a n t i c l i t e r a t u r e p e r i o d浪漫主义时期文学1798-1832)6.R e a l i s m p e r i o d现实主义时期文学 (19世纪30年代-1918)7.M o d e r n L i t e r a t u r e p e r i o d现代主义文学时期(1918-1945)8.C o n t e m p o r a r y L i t e r a t u r e当代文学(1945—今)P a r t I.T h e L i t e r a t u r e o f C o l o n i a l A m e r i c a殖民地时期美国文学1.E a r l y i n t h e17t h C.,t h e E n g l i s h s e t t l e m e n t s i n V i r g i n i a a n d M a s s a c h u s e t t s b e g a n t h e m a i n s t r e a m o f A m e r i c a n n a t i o n a l h i s t o r y.2.I n1607,t h e f i r s t p e r m a n e n t E n g l i s h s e t t l e m e n t i n N o r t h A m e r i c aw a s e s t a b l i s h e d a t J a m e s t o w n, V i r g i n i a. T h i s y e a r i s o f t e n c o n s i d e r e da s t h eb e g i n n i n g o f A m e r ic a n h i s t o r y.3.C a p t a i n J o h n S m i t h---f i r s t A m e r i c a n w r i t e r,p u b l i s h e d8w o r k s i na l l.H i s r e p o r t s o f e x p l o r a t i o n h a v e b e e n d e s c r i b e d a s t h e f i r s td i s t i n c t l y A me r i c a n l i t e r a t u r e t o b e w r i t t e n i n E n g l i s h.h i sd e s c r i p t i o n o f A m e r i c a w e r e f i l l e d w i t h t h e m e s,m y t h s,i m a g e s,s c e n e s,c h a r a c t e r s a nde v e n t s t h a t w e r e af o u n d a t i o n f o r t h e n a t i o n’s l i t e r a t u r e.4.P u r i t a n w r i t e r s:t w o P o e t s:A n n eB r a d s t r e e t(T h e T e n t h M u s e L a t e l y S p r u n g u p i n A m e r i c a--《美国新崛起的第十位缪斯女神》)H e r w o r k s e r v e s a s a d o c u m e n t o f t h e s t r u g g l e s o f a P u r i t a n w i f e a g a i n s t t h e h a r d s h i p s o f N e w E n g l i s h c o l o n i a l l i f eE d w a r d T a y l o r①R e g a r d e d a s t h e b e s t o f t h e P u r i t a n p o e t s.②R e l i g i o u s t h e m e s.③B a s e d d i r e c t l y o n t h e P s a l m s(圣诗).P u r i t a n v a l u e s(e n d u r i n g持久的 i n f l u e n c e)s t r e s s e d h a r d w o r k,t h r i f t, p i e t y,s o b r i e t y(节制)T h e y r e g a r d e d t h e m s e l v e s a s c h o s e n p e o p l e o f G o d.T h e y e m b r a c e dh a r d s h i p s,i n d u s t r y a n d f r u g a l i t y(节俭).T h e y f a v o r e d a d i s c i p l i n e d,h a r d,s o m b e r,a s c e t i c(禁欲的)a n d h a r s h l i f e.T h e y o p p o s e d反对 a r t s a n d p l e a s u r e.T h e y s u s p e c t j o y a n d l a u g h t e r a s s y m p t o m s o f s i n.(c a n’t s m i l e i n t h e c h u r c h)P a r t I I.T h e L i t e r a t u r e o f R e a s o n a n d R e v o l u t i o n(18t h C)R e a s o n----- A m e r i c a n E n l i g h t e n m e n t1) P h i l o s o p h i c a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l m o v e m e n t.2)A d v o c a t e d r e a s o n(理性)o r r a t i o n a l i t y,t h e s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d,e q u a l i t y a n d h u m a n b e i n g s'a b i l i t y t o p e rf e c t t h e m s e l v e s a n d t h e i rs o c i e t y.3. A g r e e d o n f a i t h i n h u m a n r a t i o n a l i t y a n d e x i s t e n c e o f d i s c o v e r a b l ea n d u n i v e r s a l l y v a l i d(有效的)p r i n c i p l e s g o v e r n i n g h u m a nb e i n g s,n a t u r ea n d s o c i e t y.4. O p p o s e d i n t o l e r a n c e, r e s t r a i n t, s p i r i t u a l a u t h o r i t y a n d r e v e a l e d r e l i g i o nB e n j a m i n F r a n k l i n(1706-1790)—T h e e p i t o m e(集中体现)o f t h e A m e r i c a n E n l i g h t e n m e n tM a i n W o r k s:P o o r R i c h a r d’s A l m a n a c《穷理查德年鉴》/《格言历书》 A c o l l e c t i o n o f p r o v e r b sA u t o b i o g r a p h y《自传》W i t h i t h e s e t t h e f o r m f o r a u t o b i o g r a p h y a s a g e n r e.建立了传记文学传统(A n i n s p i r i n g a c c o u n t o f a p o o r b o y’s r i s e t o a h i g h p o s i t i o n.I t i s a h o w-t o-d o-i t b o o k,o n e o n t h e a r t o f s e l f-i m p r o v e m e n t./S i g n i f i c a n c e:I t p r e s e n t s a p r o t o t y p e(原型)o f A m e r i c a n s u c c e s s w h i c h i n s p i r e d g e n e r a t i o n s o f A m e r i c a n s.I t i s a n e m b o d i m e n t体现 o f P u r i t a n i s m a n d e n l i g h t e n i n g s p i r i t.)S t y l e:h e d e v e l o p e d a n u t i l i t a r i a n(实利主义的 )a n d d i d a c t i c s t y l e.H i s s t y l e i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y s i m p l i c i t y,f r a n k n e s s,w i t,c l a r i t y, l o g i c a n d o r d e r.T h o m a s P a i n e托马斯佩恩(1737-1809)——F o u n d i n g F a t h e r o f U S AO f a l l t h e w r i t e r s o f t h e A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n,h e w a s t h e l e a s t A m e r i c a n i n b a c k g r o u n d,i n s p i r i t a n d i n p u r p o s e.M a i n w o r k s:C o m m o n S e n s e《常识》T h e A m e r i c a n C r i s i s《美国危机》T h e r i g h t s o f m a n《人的权利》T h e A g e o f R e a s o n《理性时代》 D o w n f a l l o f D e s p o t i s m《专制体制的崩溃》“T h e m o s t b r i l l i a n t p a m p h l e t w r i t t e n i n A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n,a n d o n e o f t h e m o s t b r i l l i a n t p a m p h l e t s e v e r w r i t t e n i n t h e E n g l i s h l a n g u a g e.”————C o m m o n S e n s e“T h e s e a r e t h e t i m e s t h a t t r y m e n's s o u l s."T h i s s i m p l e q u o t a t i o n n o t o n l y d e s c r i b e s t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f t h e A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n,b u t a l s o t h e l i f e o f P a i n e h i m s e l f.“I l o v e t h e m a n t h a t c a n s m i l e i n t r o u b l e,t h a t c a n g a t h e r s t r e n g t h f r o m d i s t r e s s,a n d g r o w b r a v e b y r e f l e c t i o n.”T h o m a s J e f f e r s o n托马斯·杰斐逊(1743-1826)s y m b o l o f A m e r i c a n d e m o c r a c y.P o l i t i c a l l y, h e i s c o n s i d e r e d t h e f a t h e r o f t h e d e m o c r a t i c s p i r i t i n h i s c o u n t r y.T h e D e c l a r a t i o n o f I n d e p e n d e n c e《独立宣言》:T h e e s s a y,a d o p t e d J u l y4, 1776,n o t o n l y a n n o u n c e d t h e b i r t h o f a n e w n a t i o n,b u t a l s o s e t f o r t h a p h i l o s o p h y o f h u m a n f r e e d o m w h i c h s e r v e d a s u n i m p o r t a n t f o r c e i n t h e w e s t e r n w o r l d.I t i s a s t a t e m e n t o f A m e r i c a n p r i n c i p l e s a n d a r e v i e w o f t h e C a u s e s o f t h e q u a r r e l w i t h B r i t a i n, p r e s e n t e d t h e A m e r i c a n v i e w t o t h e w o r l d w i t h c l a s s i c d i g n i t y.I t i n s t i l l e d(逐步灌输)a m o n g t h e c o m m o n p e o p l e a s e n s e o f t h e i r o w n i m p o r t a n c e a n d i n s p i r e d s t r u g g l e f o r p e r s o n a l f r e e d o m,s e l f g o v e r n m e n t a n d a d i g n i f i e d p l a c e i n s o c i e t y.P h i l i p F r e n e a u(佛瑞诺)(1752-1832)f a t h e r o f A m e r i c a n P o e t r y &l e a d e r o f18t h c e n t u r y n a t u r a l i s m‘P o e t o f t h e A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n’T h e f i r s t A m e r i c a n-b o r n p o e t.H i s p o e m s p r e s e n t e d R o m a n t i c s p i r i t s b u t h i s f o r m w a s m a i n l y i n f l u e n c e d b y C l a s s i c i s m. M a i n W o r k s:T w o t h e m e s:n a t u r e a n d t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n m e n a n d n a t u r e&t h e A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n.T h e R i s i n g G l o r y o f A m e r i c a《蒸蒸日上的美洲》(1772) T h e B r i t i s h P r i s o n S h i p《英国囚船》 (1781)T o t h e M e m o r y o f t h e B r a v e A m e r i c a n s《纪念美国勇士》--同类诗中最佳T h e I n d i a n B u r y i n g G r o u n d《印第安人墓地》 (1788)T h e W i l d H o n e y S u c k l e《野生的金银花》 (1786)Q u e s t i o n s:W h a t’s t h e p o e t’s t o n e i n t h e p o e m,o p t i m i s t i c o r p e s s i m i s t i c?W h a t a r e t h e t h e m e s? W h a t c a n w e l e a r n f r o m t h e p o e m?S t a n z a1T h e f i r s t s t a n z a o f t h e p o e m t r e a t s t h e a d v a n t a g e s a s w e l l a s d i s a d v a n t a g e s o f t h e f l o w e r’s m o d e s t r e t i r e m e n t(隐居)—i t i s d e s i g n e d w i t h b e a u t y(f i r s t2l i n e s)a n d w e l l p r o t e c t e d(t h e l a s t2l i n e s) i n s o l i t u d e;w h e r e a s i t s b e a u t y m i g h t b e a d m i r e d b y f e w(t h e3r d &4t h l i n e s).S t a n z a2T h e s e c o n d s t a n z a s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e h o n e y s u c k l e b e a r s a s p e c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h n a t u r e w h i c h h a s a d v i s e d i t t o k e e p a w a y f r o m“v u l g a r e y e”,i t h a s s e n t t h e s o f t w a t e r s f l o w i n g g e n t l y b y.H o w e v e r,i n s p i t e o f a l l t h e n a t u r e’s k i n d n e s s,t h e f l o w e r c a n n o te s c a p e i t s d o o m(d e s t i n y).T h e b e s t t i m e of i t s l i f e i s f a d i n g,f o r d e a t h i s w a i t i n g.Q u e s t i o n s f o r D i s c u s s i o n:.F r e n e a u w a s e x t r e m e l y s e n s i t i v e t o t h e b e a u t i e s o f n a t u r e.I n t h i s p o e m h e e x p r e s s e s a k e e n a w a r e n e s s o f t h e l o v e l i n e s s a n d t r a n s i e n c e(短暂)o f n a t u r e.W h a t i m p r e s s i o n o f t h e f l o w e r i s g i v e n i n t h e f i r s t t w o s t a n z a s p a r t i c u l a r l y t h r o u g h t h e p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n o f n a t u r e?S t a n z a3T h e t h i r d s t a n z a r e v e a l s t h e i n d i f f e r e n c e o f n a t u r e---t h e “u n p i t y i n g f r o s t s” a r e a s m u c h a p a r t o f n a t u r e a s t h e“s o f t w a t e r s”. T h u s,t h e n o t i o n t h a t n a t u r e h a s p r o v i d e d a“g u a r d i a n s h a d e” f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e h o n e y s u c k l e i s a s e n t i m e n t a l f a n c y.W h y d o e s t h e p o e t f e e l g r i e f悲痛 a b o u t t h e f l o w e r’s d o o m? T o w h a t d o e s h e c o m p a r e i t s c h a r m s?S t a n z a4I n t h e f o u r t h s t a n z a,t h e p o e t s e e s h i s f a t e m i r r o r e d i n t h a t o f t h e f l o w e r. H u m a n b e i n g s, a s a n y o t h e r c r e a t u r e s o r f l o w e r s, a r e a p a r t o f n a t u r e.T h e y o r i g i n a t e d f r o m n a t u r e a n d w i l l s u r e l y r e t u r n t o n a t u r e s o m e d a y,t h u s t h e i r r e d u c t i o n t o n a t u r e i n t h ed a y a he a d w i l l c o n s t i t u t e n o r e a l l o s s.1.W h a t c o n c l u s i o n d o e s t h e p o e t d r a w i n t h e l a s t s t a n z a?2.D o y o u t h i n k F r e n e a u i s c o m p a r i n g t h e l i f e o f a f l o w e r w i t h t h e l i f e o f m a n?E x p l a i n y o u r r e a s o n i n g.W h a t m e a n i n g i s s u g g e s t e d b y t h e p h r a s e“b u t a n h o u r”?C o m m e n t o n“T h e W i l d H o n e y S u c k l e”:I t i s a d e i s t i c(自然神论的)c e l e b r a t i o n o f n a t u r e, r o m a n t i c u s e o f s i m p l e n a t u r e i m a g e r y, i n s p i r e d b y t h e m e s o f d e a t h a n d t r a n s i e n c e(短暂).M u c h o f t h e b e a u t y o f t h e p o e m l i e s i n t h e s o u n d s o f t h e w o r d s a n d t h e e f f e c t s c r e a t e d t h r o u g h c h a n g e s i n r h y t h m(a b a b c c).F l o w e r v s H u m a n B e i n g& D u r a t i o n持久 v s L i f eS h o w u s h o w t o l i v e a n u s e f u l l i f e. I n a r e v o l u t i o n,o n e s h o u l d n o t d o n o t h i n g f o r h i s c o u n t r y f o r f e a r o f b e i n g h u r t,h a r m e d a n d d e s t r o y e d.D i f f e r e n t c o m m e n t s o n t h e p o e m:(1)T h e p o e m i s a b o u t l i f e.T h e f i r s t s t a n z a d e s c r i b e s a b a b y i n t h e w o m b.U n t o u c h e d,u n s e e n,a n d p r o t e c t e d.T h e s e c o n d t a l k s a b o u t c h i l d h o o d,b e i n g p r o t e c t e d i n s h a d e a n d f r o m v u l g a r i t y.T h e t h i r d i s a b o u t a g i n g t o t h e p r i m e o f l i f e“n o r w e r e t h o s e f l o w e r sm o r e g a y,T h e f l o w e r s t h a t d i d i n E d e n b l o o m.” F r e n e a u i n c l u d e s f o r e s h a d o w i n g o f t h e i m p e n d i n g(临近)d e c a y.T h e f l o w e r d i e s i n t h e f o u r t h s t a n z a a n d l e a v e s n o t r a c e. I t’s a l m o s ta s i f i t w a s n e v e r t h e r e.A l t h o u g h t h e h o n e y s u c k l e h a s g o n e t h r o u g ht h e s e c h a n g e s,i t's l i f e w a s s h o r t.B a s i c a l l y,F r e n e a u t e l l s u s t h a t o u r l i v e s a r e a l s o f r a i l a n d s h o r ta n d a r e a l l e q u a l i n d e a t h.(2)I m a g e r y意象P h i l i p F r e n e a u e m p l o y s a l a n g u a g e f u l l o f i m a g e r y.E s p e c i a l l y p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n s c o n s t i t u t e a m a i n p a r t o f“T h e W i l d H o n e yS u c k l e”.M o r e o v e r,t h e f l o w e r i t s e l f i s p e r s o n i f i e d.T h e n a r r a t o rt a l k s t o t h e f l o w e r a s i f i t w e r e a h u m a n b e i n g. H e e x p r e s s e s t h a tt h e“l i t t l e b r a n c h e s g r e e t” (l i n e4),h o p e s t h a t t h e r e w i l l b e n o “t e a r” (6) o f t h e f l o w e r a n d a d v i c e s i t t o“s h u n t h e v u l g a r e y e” (8).T h e“r o v i n g f o o t”a n d t h e“b u s y h a n d”(5f)a r e m e t a p h o r s o f t h ed e s t r u c t i o n o f n a t u r e b y m e n. N a t u r e i t s e l f i s p e r s o n i f i e d a s“N a t u r e’s s e l f” (7)w h i c h a r r a y e d t h e f l o w e r s“a n d p l a n t e d h e r e t h e g u a r d i a ns h a d e a n d s e n t s o f t w a t e r s m u r m u r i n g b y”(9f).T h e w a t e r s a r ep e r s o n i f i e d a s w e l l,b e i n g s m o o t h a n d p r o d u c i n g s o u n d s l i k e s i l e n tt a l k i n g.总结:这是一首脍炙人口的小诗,诗人以敏锐的观察力,浅俗的词汇,优美的韵律和清晰的意象,细腻生动地描述了盛开于北美大地不为人们注意的野金银花。
重点参考美国文学史期末复习

H i s t o r y A n d A n t h o l o g y o f A m e r i c a n L i t e r a t u r e(V o l u m eⅠⅡ)美国文学史及选读1、2PartⅠThe Literature of Colonial America殖民主义时期的文学1.17世纪早期English and European explorers开始登陆美洲。
在他们之前100多年Caribbean Islands, Mexicoand other Parts of South America已被the Spanish占领。
2.17th早期English settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts(弗吉尼亚和马萨诸塞)开始了美国历史3.美国最早殖民者(earliest settlers)included Dutch ,Swedes ,Germans ,French ,Spaniards ,Italians and Portuguese(荷兰人,瑞典人,德国人,法国人,西班牙人,意大利人及葡萄牙人等)。
4.美国早期文学主要为the narratives and journals of these settlements采用in diaries and in journals(日记和日志),他们写关于the land with dense forests and deep-blue lakes and rich soil.5.第一批美国永久居民:the first permanent English settlement in North America was established atJamestown,Virginia in 1607(北美弗吉尼亚詹姆斯顿)。
6.船长约翰·史密斯Captain John Smith他的作品(reports of exploration)17th早期出版,被认为是美国第一部真正意义上的文学作品in the early 1600s,have been described as the first distinctly American literature written in English.他讲述了filled with themes, myths, images, scenes, character and events,吸引了朝圣者和清教徒前往lure the Pilgrims and the Puritans.7.美国第一位作家:1608年Captain John Smith写了封信《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》“A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony”.8.他的第二本书1612年《弗吉尼亚地图,附:一个乡村的描述》“A Map of Virginia: with a Description of theCountry”.9.他一共出版了八本书,其中有关于新英格兰的历史及描述。
美国文学史与选读(上册)复习笔记

美国文学史及选读复习笔记整理by Daisy Part one. The literature of colonial AmericaI. Introduction of American literature1. Definition of American LiteratureLiterature produced in American English by American citizens2. Basic Qualities of American Writers1) IndependentA. no close hold; free from its controlB. an independent actionC. free-lance writer 自由作家D. their independence and their right to make up their own minds2) IndividualisticA. their own efforts for successB. the initiative; not give in easilyC. free from political prejudice and ideological conformityD. their literary career; successful through their individual effortsE. the rights of individuals; their own rights and interestF. a means of self-expression; a way of expressing their personal views about life andsociety, of advocating liberty, democracy and independent action of the individual.G. a devotion to self-realization, to protection of environment and to suspicion of amass society and power3) CriticalA. not satisfied with the contemporary societyB. question the prevailing valuesC. discern flaws in societyD. criticize American societyE. a literary tradition in America4) InnovativeA. the least restraints and bondage to the pastB. the new ideas, new attitudes, and new cultural facesC. experiments in writingD. different from others as much as possible; a new trend almost every ten yearsE. Ameri ca’s changing values5) HumorousA. a strictly national characteristic; part of their life, their character, and their styleB. the ludicrous and mirthfulC. enrich American literature with humor of all kindsII. Native American Literature1. Background1) A rich store of oral literature2) Different literary taste2. Three stages of development1) Traditional Indian LiteratureA. the category of oral literatureB. a regularity of metric patternC. an organic part of everyday lifeD. functional2) Transitional Indian LiteratureA. translations of the great Indian orators; memoirs of the Indian experienceB. related by Indians to white audiences.3) Modern Indian LiteratureA. novels, short stories, and poetryB. more good Indian poets than fiction writersC. both their rich heritage and their tragic loss of identityIII. Literature of Colonial Settlements1. Background1) Neither American nor really literaturenot American: the work mainly of immigrants from Englandnot literature: an interesting mixture of travel accounts and religious writings2) The austere 简朴的Pilgrims to reform the Church of England2. Puritanism1) The New England settlements:A. religious controversyB. an urge for religious freedom and determinationC. fleeing from religious and political oppression and persecutionD. human thirst for greater economic opportunity, for land, and for adventure2) Puritans -to “purify” the religious practice in the church3) Their own religious and moral principlesAmerican Puritanism — one of the enduring influences in American thoughtand American literature.4) Predestination, original sin, total depravity, and limited atonement 补偿fromGod’s grace5) Their way of life — hard work, thrift, piety, and sobriety3. Literature (In the colonial period, much of the literature was produced by Puritanwriters.)1) A literary expression of the Puritan idealismThe Puritan optimism — enormous impact on American literature2) A literature of discoveryThe potentialities of the New World; The harsh reality.3) The types of writing produced in the colonial settlements histories, travelaccounts, biographies, diaries, letters, autobiographies, sermons and poems4) The purpose of writingto record their experiences and to express their views and feelings5) Writers in this period includeWilliam Bradford(1590-1657),John Winthrop(1588-1631),Ann Bradstreet(1612-1672), one of the most interesting of the early poetsEdward T aylor(1642-1729). the best of the Puritan poets.A and E: They can be called servants of God. Their writings served either Godor colonial expansion.Some other colonial writers wrote for civil and religious freedom, and somewrote for America shaking off the fetters of the savage British colonial rule.4. Characteristics1) utilitarian功利主义的, polemical好争论的, or didactic说教的2) teach some kind of lesson3) served either God or colonial expansion or both4) a practical consideration of the sort impression— each writer wanted to make upon a selected group of readers5) symbolism as a technique6) plainness7) fresh, simple, direct, and with a touch of nobility8) as much a product of continuities as an indigenous creation补充American PuritanismAmerican Puritanism is one of the most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American literature.The term “puritan” was first applied to those Protestant reformers who rejected QueenElizabeth’s religious settlements of 1560 because they were determined to “purify” their religion.Puritan BeliefsTwo covenants:1. the agreement made between God and Adam“original sin”(原罪)2. the agreement made between God and Abraham“grace”(恩典)The Puritans believed that they were descendents of Abraham: they were the “elect group” redeemed by the suffering of Jesus Christ and chosen to receive God’s “grace”.1. Origin of PuritanIn the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th C, the English King Henry VIII, at that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope’s permission. Henry VIII wanted to divor ce his wife because she couldn’t bear him a son. But the Pope didn’t allow him to divorce because his wife is the Pope’s niece. Henry VIII became very dissatisfied with the Pope, so he broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church of England. But there was no radical彻底地difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans… Of cours e they had different religious belief from that of the Catholic Church.2. Puritanism---based on Calvinism•1)predestination: God’s electPuritans believed they are predestined before they were born.Nothing or no good work can change their fate.They b elieved the success of one’s business is the sign to show he is the God’s elect.So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for thefuture business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics.•2)original sin and total depravityMan is born sinful. This determines some puritans’ pessimistic attitude toward life. •3)limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)•4)theocracyThey combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one. The Puritans established Am tradition---intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment.Puritanism & ConfucianismConfucianism (修身齐家治国平天下) )3. Influence on Am literature•1)its optimismAmerican literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage.It can be said American literature is bases on the Biblical myth of the Gardenof Eden.(Adam and Eve used to live a carefree life in the Garden of Eden. luredby the snake, they ate the Forbidden Fruit in the apple tree. A peice of applechoked in Adam’s throat , then came Adam’s apple. After knowing the truth,God became very angry and drove them all out of the Garden of Eden. Thesnake used to walk like man but after that the God force him to crawl. Thenman was forced to suffer the labor to keep the whole family and Woman wasforced to suffer the agony of baby bearing.) After that, man have an illusionto restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believeing thatGod must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise , tobuild the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strongsense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism.The optimistic Puritans has exerted a great influence on American literature, •2)Puritan’s metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism问题American colonial literature is neither real literature nor Americanwhy?1.Diaries,histories,journals,letters,etc. personal literature in various forms2.Colonial Literature is mainly English literature tradition imitated & transplanted.Part two. The Literature of Reason and RevolutionⅠ.Background1. The American War for Independence 1775-1783The formation of a Federative bourgeois democratic republic: the United States ofAmerica2. EnlightenmentA) The spiritual life in the colonies during the period was to a great degree moldedby the bourgeois Enlightenment.(PS. The Age of Enlightenment, or simply The Enlightenment, is a term used todescribe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life, centered upon theeighteenth century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source andlegitimacy for authority.)(1) Originated in Europe in the 17th century; Center of Enlightenment: France(2) Sources: Newton’s theory;deism(自然神教派); French philosophy (Rousseau, Voltaire)(3) Basic principles:Stressing education; stressing Reason (Order) (The age has been called theAge of Reason.); employing Reason to reconsider the traditions and socialrealities; concerns for civil rights, such as equality and social justice; the ideaof progress.(4)Representatives:孟德斯鸠(Montesquieu, 1689—1755) Spirit Law division of power 三权分立伏尔泰(Voltaire,1694-1778) Philosophical(哲学通信)、思想:naturalfreedom and equality人生而自由平等狄德罗(Diderot, 1713-1784)让·雅各·卢梭(Jean-Jacques Rousseau,1712—1778) Social Contrac t康德(Kant, 1724-1804)霍布斯(Hobbs, 1588-1679)洛克(John Locke, 1632-1704)B) At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely dueto journalism. All the leaders of the revolution were influenced by the Enlightenment;Representatives: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, etc.The 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.C) The new nation was set on the basic ideas and principles of the Enlightenment.Influence of the Enlightenment(1) American Enlightenment dealt a decisive blow upon the Puritan traditionsand brought to life secular education and literature.(2) The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the lifeand career of Benjamin Franklin.Ⅱ. LiteratureLiterature in the period of American Revolution was predominately public utilitarian 1. Call for America’s independence in literatureIn 1783, Noah Webster declared, “America must be as independent as she is in politics, as famous for the arts as for arms”.Yet throughout the century American literature was largely patterned on the writing of 18th century Englishmen.2. Literary achievements: great political pamphleteering and state papersEssayists and journalists had shaped the nation’s beliefs with reason dressed in clear and forceful prose.3. Representative worksThomas Jefferson: Declaration of IndependenceThomas Paine: The American Crisis; Rights of Man; The FederalistBenjamin Franklin: Poor Richard’s Almanac;The AutobiographyBenjamin Franklin (1706-1790)---a jack of all tradesA patriot, diplomat, author, printer, scientist, and inventor in the eighteenth century; One of the Founding Fathers of the United States.An embodiment of the “American Dream”1. His lifeBorn in a poor candle maker’s family in Boston and had no regular education; Became 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;Established America’s first circulating library;Founded the college — University of Pennsylvania;Retired when he was 42.【successful in business, renowned in science, national affairs (politics)writer (literature): power of expression, simplicity, a subtle humor, sarcastic】2. Representative worksAs an author he had power of expression.His works are well-known for their simplicity, subtle humor and being sarcastic.(1)Poor Richard’s AlmanacModeled 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 gentlem an on his knees.”“God help them that help themselves.”“Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”(2) The Autobiographywritten 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.In The Autobiography we will be able to notice:1) Puritanism’s influence, such as self-examination and self-improvement(timetable, thirteen virtues, life style)2) Enlighte nment spirits (man’s nature is good, rights of liberty, virtues include“order”)3. His style: simple, clear in order, direct, concise and humorous(“Nothing should be expressed in two words that can as well be expressed in one.”) (Puritanism’s influence);First of its kind in literature and set the autobiography as a genre;Popular, still well-read today4. His influence------His values and style influenced lots of AmericansHe was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the treaty of peace with England, and the constitution.“His shadow lies heavier than any other man’s on this young nation.”“The new Promethe us who had stolen fire [electricity in this case] from heaven”—Kant(康德) He was a printer, postmaster, almanac maker, essayist, scientist, orator, statesman, philosopher, political economist, ambassador“Jack of all trades, master of each and mastered by none—the type and genius of hisland”—Herman Melville Thomas Paine (1737-1809)---Great Commoner of Mankind Revolutionary War patriot and pamphleteer,Born in Thetford, England. Paine immigrated in 1774 to Pennsylvania, where he gravitated toward those who supported colonial independence.1. Paine's 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. He fought in the Revolutionary War and continued to publish, including his 1776 essay The American Crisis.2. 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 simply “By an Englishman”, to urge the colonies to declare independence;Pain became forthwith the most articulate spokesman of the American Revolution.(3). The American Crisis (1776-1783)---Paine’s chief contribution was a series of 16 pamphlets (1776-1783) entitled The American Crisis and signed “Common Sense” which dealt directly with the military engagements to inspire the Continental Army.(4). The Rights of Man (1791 - 92)--- an answer to Burke’s Recent Reflections on the French Revolution, which not only championed Rousseau’s doctrines of freedom, but also suggested the overthrow of the British monarchy. Paine was indicted for treason and was forced to seek refuge in France.(5). The Age of Reason (1795)---a deistic treatise advocating a rationalistic view of religion.(6). Analysis of The American Crisis(1776–1783)---a series of pamphlets published in London from 1776–1783 during the American Revolution. It decried British actions and Loyalists, offering support to the Patriot cause.Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)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.2. He was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), 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.3. As a political philosopher, Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and knew many intellectual leaders in Britain and France.4. He is a humanist looked to merit and ability alone, not to privilege.5. Jefferson served as the wartime Governor of Virginia (1779–1781), first United States Secretary of State (1789–1793) and second Vice President (1797–1801).6. A polymath (学识渊博的人), Jefferson achieved distinction as, among other things, a horticulturist, statesman, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist (古生物学者), author, inventor and founder of the University of Virginia.Philip Morin Freneau (1752-1832)---the most outstanding writer of the post-Revolutionary period He 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.1. His political and satirical poems have value mainly 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”.2. His poems areStrongly lyrical; with clear imagery; neoclassical in form, and romantic in spirit.3. He is a deistic (自然神论的) optimist.(PS. 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 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.)4. “The Wild Honey Suckle”“The Wild Honey Suckle”(1786) , is considered an early seed to the later Transcendentalist (超验主义的) movement taken up by William Cullen Bryant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.In this poem the poet expressed a keen awareness of the loveliness and transience of nature. He not only meditated on Mortality but also celebrated nature.The poem implies that life and death are inevitable law of nature.“The Wild Honey Suck le”is Philip Freneau's most widely read natural lyric with the theme of transience.The central image is a native wild flower, which makes a drastic difference from elite flower images typical of traditional English poems.The poem showed strong feelings for the natural beauty, which was the characteristic of romantic poets.The poem was written in regular 6-line tetrameter stanzas, rhyming: ababcc. The structure of the poem is regular, so it has the neoclassic quality of proportion (比例;均衡) and balance.The line“ the space is but an hour“ contains a hyperbole stressing the transience of life. The tone of the poem is both sentimental and optimistic.Part three. The literature of romanticismⅠ.General Introduction1. What is Romanticism?(English Romanticism, as a historical phase of literature, is generally said to have begun in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads and to have ended in 1832 with Sir Walter Scott’s death and the passage of the first Reform Bill in the Parliament. It appeared in England in the 18th century; a reaction against the prevailing neoclassical spirit and rationalism during the Age of Reason.)2. General features of RomanticismA. Stressing emotion rather than reasonB. Stressing freedom and individualityC. Idealism rather than materialismD. Writing about nature, medieval legends and with supernatural elementsⅡ.Historical Introduction of American Romanticism:(1)Time: from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil War(2)Reasons (Why Romanticism emerged?)A. Fast development of the new nation (flood of immigrants; pioneers pushing thefrontier further west; industrialization; economic boom; a promising new land with prevailed optimistic moods)B. Development of journalism (Some influential periodicals appeared, such as TheNorth American Review, The New York Mirror, The American Quarterly Review, The New England Magazine, The Southern Review, The Southern Literary Messenger, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s Magazine and Knicker bockers. They need more literary productions.)C. Foreign influence (Review history of English literature.)(From the 18th centuryclassicismTo sentimentalism to Pre-Romanticism to Romanticism which can be divided into passive group and active group) (most influential British writers to American Romanticists-Walter Scott)(3)Features of American RomanticismA. ImitativeB. Independenta. peculiar American experience (landscape, pioneering to the West, Indiancivilization, new nation's democracy and dreams)b. Puritan heritage (more moralizing, edifying more than mere entertainment)(careful about love and sex. example: Scarlet Letter)(4)Two periods and representativesAmerican romanticism can be divided into the early period and the late period.A. 1770s to 1830s - Early periodRepresentatives: Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper and New England poetsTwo famous poets: William Cullen Bryant (first distinctive American lyric poet;writing about nature, religion and life; famous poems -"Thanatopsis" and "To a Waterfowl") and Henry WadsworthLongfellow (balancing Romantic spirits with classical andChristian taste; famous poem - "A Psalm of Life")B. 1830s to 1860s - Late periodFlowering of American literatureRepresentatives: Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, Poe etc.(5) SignificanceCreative period of a Native American culture and literatureⅢ. Transcendentalism超验主义1. American Romanticism entered a new phase around the middle 1830s andculminated around the 1840s in what has come to be known as “New England Transcendentalism” or “American Renaissance” (1836-1855). In 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson published a book entitled Nature, which says that “The Universe is composed of Nature and the Soul” and that “Spirit is present everywhere.”Nature has been called “The Manifesto of American Transcendentalism” and its voice pushed American Romanticism into the phase of New England Transcendentalism. With the publication of Nature and of Emerson’s “The American Scholar” in 1837, American literature began to enter its formative period of an indigenous national literature, with liberal and nationalistic, among others, as its most distinct features.2.Transcendentalism, as Emerson defined in his essay “The Transcendentalist,” is“idealism as appears in 1842” when some New Englanders formed themselves into an informal club, which came to be called , and met to discuss matters of interest to the life of the nation as a whole. It appeared in America as a kind of reaction against the materialistic-oriented life of the time, and was, in actuality, Romantic idealism.3. Major Features of New England TranscendentalismNew England Transcendentalism represented a new way of looking at the world, man, and nature. Its major features can be summarized as follows:(1) The Transcendentalists placed emphasis on spirit, or the oversoul, as the mostimportant thing in the universe. The Oversoul was an all-pervading power for goodness, omnipresent and omnipotent, from which all things came and of which all were a part. It existed in nature and man alike and constituted the chiefelement of the universe.This kind of view of the universe represented a new way of looking at the world and was a reaction to the eighteenth-century Newtonian concept of the universe as consisting of matter and a reaction against the popular tendency to get ahead in world affairs to the neglect of spiritual welfare.(2) The Transcendentalists stressed the importance of the individual. To them, the individual was the most important element of society. As the regeneration of society could only come about through the regeneration of the individual, his perfection, his self-culture, and self-improvement should become the first concern of his life.A). the ideal type of man was the self-reliant individual whom Emerson never stopped talking about in his life. So people could depend on themselves for spiritual perfection.B). this new notion of the individual and his importance represented a new way of looking at man. It was a reaction against the Calvinist concept that man is totally depraved, sinful, and can not be saved except through the grace of God. It was also a reaction against the process of dehumanization that came in the wake of developing capitalism.C). the industrialization of New England was turning men into nonhuman. People were losing their individuality and were becoming uniform. By asserting the importance of the individual, the Transcendentalists emphasized the significance of men regaining their lost personality.(3) The Transcendentalists saw nature as symbolic of the Spirit or God. Naturewas, to them, not purely matter. It was alive, filled with God’s overwhelming presence. It was the garment of the Oversoul. They believed that things in nature tended to be symbolic, and the physical world was a symbol of the spiritual.A). this is in turn added to the tradition of literary symbolism in Americanliterature. New England Transcendentalism was important to American literature.It inspired a whole new generation of famous authors such as Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman and Dickinson.4. The Influence of Transcendentalism(1) It served as an ethical guide to life for a young nation and brought about theidea that human can be perfected by nature. It stressed religious tolerance, called to throw off shackles of customs and traditions and go forward to the development of a new and distinctly American culture.(2) It advocated idealism that was greatly needed in a rapidly expanded economywhere opportunity often became opportunism, and the desire to “get on”obscured the moral necessity for rising to spiritual height.(3) It helped to create the first American Renaissance – one of the most prolificperiod.5. Major WritersNew England Transcendentalist Prose writers:Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)Novelists of American Renaissance:Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)Herman Melville (1819-1891)Poets of American Renaissance:Walt Whitman (1819-1892)Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)THE BIG THREE:Ralph Waldo EmersonHenry David ThoreauMargaret FullerWriters of the Early periodWashington Irving (1783-1859)American author, short story writer, essayist, poet, travel book writer, biographer, and columnist. Irving has been called the father of the American short story. He is best known for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, in which the schoolmaster Ichabold Crane meets with a headless horseman, and “Rip Van Winkle”, about a man who falls asleep for 20 years.1. Several names attached to Irving(1) First writer of American imaginative literature(2) The beginning of short story as a genre(3) The messenger先驱sent from the new world to the old world。
(完整版)美国文学史-知识点梳理

(完整版)美国文学史-知识点梳理Part I The Literature of Colonial AmericaI.Historical IntroductionThe colonial period stretched roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th. The first permanent settlement in America was established by English in 1607. ( A group of people was sent by the English King James I to hunt for gold. They arrived at Virginia in 1607. They named the James River and build the James town.)II.The pre-revolutionary writing in the colonies was essentially of two kinds:1) Practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people "at home" what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration2) Highly theoretical, generally polemical, discussions of religious questions. III.The First American WriterThe first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. They wrote about their voyage to the new land, their lives in the new land, their dealings with Indians.Captain John Smith is the first American writer.A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608)A Map of Virginia: A Description of the Country (1612)General History of Virgini a (1624): the Indian princess PocahontasCaptain John Smith was one of the first early 17th-century British settlers in North America. He was one of the founders ofthe colony of Jamestown, Virginia. His writings about North America became the source of information about the New World for later settlers.One of the things he wrote about that has become an American legend was his capture by the Indians and his rescue by the famous Indian Princess, Pocahontas. IV.Early New England LiteratureWilliam Bradford and John WinthropJohn Cotton and Roger WilliamsAnne Bradstreet and Edward TaylorV.Puritan Thoughts1. The origin of puritanIn the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th Century, the English King Henry VIII (At that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope's permission. Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife because she couldn't bear him a son. But the Pope didn't allow him to divorce, so he) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church ofEngland. But there was no radical difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans.2. Puritanism -- based on Calvinism(1) predestination: God's electPuritans believed they are predestined before they were born.Nothing or no good work can change their fate.They believed the success of one's business is the sign to show he is the God's elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived avery frugal life. This is their ethics.(2) Origianl sin and total depravityMan is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude towards life.(3) Limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)(4) theocracyThey combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one.The Puritans established American tradition -- intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment3. Influence on American Literature(1) Its optimismAmerican literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is based on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. After that, man have an illusion to restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believing that God must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise, to build the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strong sense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism. The optimistic Puritan has exerted a great influence on American literature.(2) Puritan's metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism.Part II The Literature of Reason And RevolutionI.Historical IntroductionWith the growth, especially of industry, there appeared the intense strain with England. The British government did not wantcolonial industries competing with those in England. The British wanted the colonies to remain politically and economically dependent on the mother country. They took a series of measures to insure this dependence. They prevented colonial economy by requiring Americans to ship raw materials abroad and to import finished goods at prices higher than the cost of making them in this country. Politically, the British government forced dependenceby ruling the colonies from overseas and by taxing the colonies without giving them representation in Parliament.However, by the mid-eighteenth century, freedom was won as much by the fiery rhetoric of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the eloquence of the Declaration of Independence as by the weapons of Washington. In the seventies of the 18th century, the English colonies in North America rose in arms against their mother country. The War for Independence lasted for 8 years (1776-1783) and ended in the formation of a federative bourgeois democratic republic -- the United States of America. II.American EnlightenmentIt was supported by all progressive forces of the country which opposed themselves to the old colonial order and religious obscurantism.It dealt a decisive blow upon the puritan traditions and brought to life secular education and literature. The spiritual life during that period was to a great degree moulded by it.The representatives set themselves the task of disseminating knowledge among the people and advocating revolutionary ideas.The writers injected an invigorating vein into the English language in America as they aimed at clarity and precision oftheir writings.At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to journalism. Writings of Europe were widely read in America. The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of Benjamin Franklin.III.Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)The AutobiographyPoor Richard’s AlmanacLifeBenjamin Franklin came from a Calvinist background.He was born into a poor candle-maker’s family. He had very little education. He learned in school only for two years, but he was a voracious reader.At 12, he was apprenticed to his elder half-brother, a printer.At 16, he began to publish essays under the pseudonym “Silence Do good” .At 17, he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune.He set himself up as an independent printer and publisher. In 1727 he founded the Junto club.Multiple identities:a printera leading authora politiciana scientista inventora diplomata civic activistFranklin’s Contributions to SocietyHe helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital.He founded an academy which led to the University of Pennsylvania.And he helped found the American Philosophical Society.Franklin’s Contributions to ScienceHe was also remembered for volunteer fire departments, effective street lighting, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and efficient heating devices.And for his lightning-rod, he was called “the new Prometheus who had stolen fire from heaven.”Franklin’s Contributions to the U.S.He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States:The Declaration of Independence,The Treaty of Alliance with France,The Treaty of Peace with England,The ConstitutionThe AutobiographyThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was probably the first of its kind in literature. It is the simple yet immensely fascinating record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity into which he was born, the faithful account of the colorful career of America’s first self-made man.The Autobiography is, first of all, a Puritan document. It is Puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement. The meticulous chart of 13 virtues he set for himself to cultivate to combat the tempting vices, the stupendous effort he made to improve his own person, the belief that God helps those who helps themselves and that every calling is a service to God – all these indicate that Franklin was intensely Puritan. Then, the book is also a convincing illustration of thePuritan ethic that, in order to get on in the world, one has to be industrious, frugal, and prudent.The Autobiography is also an eloquent elucidation of the fact that Franklin was spokesman for the new order of eighteenth-century enlightenment, and that he represented in America all its ideas, that man is basically good and free by nature, endowed by God with certain inalienable rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.A look at the style of The Autobiography will readily reveal that it is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness and concision. The plainness of its style, the homeliness of imagery, the simplicity of diction, syntax and expression are some of the salient features we cannot mistake. The lucidity of the narrative, the absence ofornaments in wording and of complex, involved structures in syntax, and the Puritan abhorrence of paradox are all graphically demonstrated in the whole of the book. Taken as a whole, it is safe to say that the book is an exemplary illustration of the American style of writing.IV.Thomas Paine (1737-1809)Common SenseAmerican CrisisV.Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)The Declaration of IndependenceVI.Philip Freneau (1752-1832)“Poet of the American Revolution”“Father of American Poetry”“Pioneer of the New Romanticism”“A gifted and versatile lyric poet”Works“The Wild Honey Suckle”“The Indian Burying Ground”“To a Caty-Did”Freneau as Father of American Poetry: His major themes are death, nature, transition, and the human in nature. All of these themes become important in 19th century writing.Life ExperienceHe was born in New York.At 16, he entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He decided to do a postgraduate study in theology. But two years later he gave it up. While still an undergraduate, he wrote in collaboration with one of his friends (H. H. Brackenridge) a poem entitled “The Rising Glory of America”.Later he attended the War of Independence, and he was captured by British army in 1780.After being released, he published “The British Prison Ship” in 1781.In the same year, he published “T o the Memory of the Brave Americans”.After war, he supported Jefferson, and contributed greatly to American government.But after 50 years old, he lived in poverty. And at last he died in a blizzard.Main Works“The Rising Glory of America” (1772) 《美洲光辉的兴起》“The House of Night” (1779,1786) 《夜之屋》“The British Prison Ship” (1781) 《英国囚船》“To the Memory of the Brave Americans” (1781) 《纪念美国勇士》?“”The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786) 《野忍冬花》“The Indian Burying Ground” (1788) 《印第安人墓地》野忍冬花(黄杲炘译)美好的花呀,你长得:这么秀丽,却藏身在这僻静沉闷的地方——甜美的花儿开了却没人亲昵,招展的小小枝梢也没人观赏;没游来荡去的脚来把你踩碎,没东攀西摘的手来催你落泪。
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美国文学史整理一、Colonial America 殖民时期1、New England:Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, andConnecticut.2、Doctrines of Puritanism清教American Puritanism stressed predestination(命运神定), original sin(原罪), total depravity (彻底的堕落), and limited atonement (有限的赎罪)from God’s grace.3、Writing style:fresh, simple and direct and with a touch of nobility;the rhetoric is plain andhonest.4、Life style:hard work, thrift, piety, and sobriety.5、Main writer:①Thomas Paine 托马斯·潘恩work:Common Sense (1776) 《常识》American Crisis (1776-1783)《美国危机》The Rights of Man《人权》The Age of Reason《理性时代》②Benjamin Franklin(本杰明·富兰克林)Poor Richard’s Almanac《穷查理历书》Autobiography 《富兰克林自传》<clarity, good sense, and simplicity of the English essayists Joseph Addison and Richard Steele>③Thomas Jefferson 托马斯·杰弗逊Declaration of Independence (1776)《独立宣言》<simple and clear, powerful and graceful>二、American Romanticism (early period) 浪漫主义前期1、Characteristics:①A rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism.反对理性主义的客观性。
②Feelings, intuitions and emotions were more important for romantics than reason and common sense.感受、直觉和情感重于理性和常识。
③An emphasis on individualism; placing the individual against the group, against authority.强调个人主义,将个人与团体,反对权威。
④Stress on the close relationship between man and nature.强调人与自然之间的密切关系。
⑤Fascination with the wild, the irregular, the indefinite, the remote, the mysterious, and the strange疯狂的迷恋,不规则,不定,远程,神秘,奇怪⑥Cherishing a strong interest in the past, especially the medieval.对过去有强烈的兴趣,特别是中世纪。
2、Features:New experience in the American Romanticism.A deep influence from the American Puritanism.The “newness” of the Americans as a nation.3、writers and works:①Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 亨利·瓦兹沃思·朗费罗A Psalm of Life (1838) 《人生礼赞》V oices of the Night (1839) 《夜吟》The Song of Hiawatha (1855) 《海华沙之歌》The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858) 《迈尔斯·斯坦迪什的求婚》Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863) 《路边客栈的故事》②Washington Irving 华盛顿·欧文<Father of American Imaginative literature;Father of the American short story>A History of New York (1809) 《纽约外史》The Sketch Book (1819-1820) 《见闻札记》“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”《睡谷的传说》“Rip Van Winkle”《瑞普·凡·温克尔》(The cognomen o f Crane was not inapplicable to his person…..)Bracebridge Hall (1822) 《布雷斯布里奇田庄》Tales of a Traveller (1824) 《旅客谈》③James Fennimore Cooper 詹姆斯·费尼莫尔·库柏<writing on such subjects as the Revolution, the frontier, the sea, and the wilderness>Leather-stocking Tales 《皮袜子故事集》The Pioneer 《拓荒者》The Prairie 《大草原》The Spy 《间谍》三、New England Transcendentalism (新英格兰超验主义)1、Over-soul(超灵)~was an all-pervading power goodness, omnipresent and omnipotent.(简答)Individualism individual was the most importanta fresh view of nature symbolic of the Spirit or God.2、writers and works:①Ralph Waldo Emerson 艾默生Nature (1836)《论自然》<节选:Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into space, — all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God.>The American Scholar (1837) 《论美国学者》Divinity School Address (1838) 《神学院演说》Self-Reliance (1841) 《论自助》Representative Men (1850)《代表人物》The Transcendentalist 《超验主义者》The Over-Soul 《论超灵》②Henry David Thoreau 梭罗<Lover of nature, environmentalist; Individualism , materialism and industrial civilization> Walden; or Life in the Woods (1854)《瓦尔登湖;或林中生活》<节选Our village life would stagnate if it were not for the unexplored forests and meadows which surround it. ……We can never have enough of Nature. >四、American Romanticism (later period) 浪漫主义后期我们可以把超验主义产生之前的那一段称为前期浪漫主义,而把19世纪30年代之后的文学称为后期浪漫主义。
前期浪漫主义是以欧文等人将美国文学提高到欧洲水平为特征,后期浪漫主义则是以超验主义激励而起的“文艺复兴”文学兴起,并最终产生了独立的美国文学为标志。
1、High Romantics in fiction2、①Nathaniel Hawthorne 霍桑Twice-Told Tales (1837)《尽人皆知的故事》Mosses from an Old Manse (1846) 《古屋青苔》The Scarlet letter (1850) 《红字》The House of Sever Gables (1851) 《有七个尖角阁的房子》Blithedale Romance (1852)《福谷传奇》The Marble Faun (1860) 《玉石雕像》Our Old House (1863) 《我们的故居》< symbols and setting, ambiguity, supernatural elements. His style is soft, flowing, and almost feminine. His touch is light, but his observation is somber.>②Herman Melville 赫尔曼·麦尔维尔Moby-Dick (1851) 《白鲸》(pp113-118)Pierre (1852) 《皮埃尔》Typee (1846)《泰比》Omoo (1847)《奥穆》Mardi (1849)《玛迪》2、High Romantics in poetry①Edgar Allan Poe 艾伦·坡< the father of modern horror story and detective story. >Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (1840) 《怪诞故事集》“The Raven”(1845) 《乌鸦》“Annabel Lee ”(1849) 《安娜贝尔·李》②Walt Whitman 沃尔特·惠特曼Leaves of Grass 《草叶集》Features in Whitman’s poems:·Organic form :extremely long, not constrained by the number of beats in a line.·Thought rhythm:does not move in terms of beats, but in terms of thoughts.·Parallelism:The parallel lines say the same thing but use different words.·Cataloguing technique:long lists of images, sights, sounds, smells, taste, and touch.③Free verse (自由诗)④Emily Dickinson 艾米丽·狄金森Theme:Religion & faith Beauty & truth Life & death Nature friendship love & marriage Work:I died for beautyFeatures:frequent use of dashes(破折号), sporadic capitalization of nouns (零星的名词), convoluted and ungrammatical phrasing(措辞费解不合文法),off-rhymes(压尾韵), broken meters, bold and unconventional and often startling metaphors(大胆的隐喻), and aphoristic wit(警句).五、The Age of Realism 美国现实主义文学·at the later part of the 19th century.·simply fidelity to actuality in its representation in literature.·based on the accurate of human experiences.·It insists on precise description, authentic action and dialogue, moral honesty, and a democratic openness in subject matter and style.·is inclusive of naturalism, regionalism and local color writing.feature:objective and realWriters and works:①Howells Their Wedding Journey (1872) 《结婚旅行》②Henry James 亨利·詹姆斯The American (1877) 《一个美国人》Daisy Miller (1878) 《黛西·密勒》The Portrait of a Lady (1881) 《贵妇画像》The Art of Fiction (1884) “小说的艺术”The Bostonians (1886) 《波士顿人》The Tragic Muse (1890) 《悲惨的缪斯》The Wings of Dove (1902) 《鸽翼》The Ambassadors (1903) 《专使》The Golden Bowl (1904) 《金碗》六、Regionalism & Local Colorism(乡土文学与地方色彩文学)·presents a locale which is distinguished from the outside world.·describes the exotic and the picturesque.·glorifies the past.·attempts to show things as they are.·stresses the influence of setting on character.·Dialect peculiarities are the defining characteristicWriters and works:①Mark Twain 马克·吐温“the Lincoln of literature”The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) 《汤姆·索亚历险记》The Prince and the Pauper (1882) 《王子与贫儿》Life on Mississippi (1883) 《密西西比河上》The Gilded Age (1873, with Charles D.Warner) 《镀金时代》The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) 《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》Feature:use Vernacular language. local colorStyle:unpretentious, colloquial, poetic.②Harriet Beecher Stowe 哈里特·比彻·斯托Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)《汤姆叔叔的小屋》③Francis Bret Harte 弗朗西斯·布雷特·哈特The Lost Galleon (1867) 《沉船》The Luck of Roaring Camp (1870) 《咆哮营里的幸运儿》Mrs. Skaggs’s Husbands (1873) 《斯凯葛夫人的丈夫们》An Heiress of Red Dog (1879) 《红狗的女继承人》七、American Naturalism 美国自然主义文学美国文学自然主义者认为,人同时受制于(are controlled)自然环境与社会环境,因而遗传因素(laws of heredity)与社会环境(environment)是人的命运不可抵抗的决定力量。