英美文学名词解释

1.Oedipus complex(恋母情结)

In psychoanalysis, a subconscious sexual desire in a child, especially a male child, for the parent of the opposite sex, usually accompanied by hostility to the parent of the same sex.

2.stream-of-consciousness（意识流）

It presents unspoken materials directly from the psyche of the characters, or makes the characters tell their own inner thoughts in monologues the realm of life with which stream-of-consciousness novel is concerned is mental and spiritual experience, such as sensations, memories, imaginations, conceptions, intuitions, feelings and the process of association .

3.Modernism (现代主义)

4.Narration(记叙)

The narrator is different than expected. Not first person- no “I”. So it must be third person, but third-person narrators are supposed to be reliable; they give us the truth; they don’t tend to talk about moocows and hairy faces in childish ways; they don’t tend to evolve as the protagonist grows and develops adding literary sophistication each chapter.

5.Transcendentalism(超验主义)

The transcendentalism stressed the importance of intuition and subjective experience in communication with God. They rejected religious dogma and texts in favor of mysticism and scientific naturalism.

6.Image (意象)

The words that trigger our imagination to recall or to recombine memory of mental pictures. The imagists used precise, clearly presented images in their work. They also used common, everyday speech and aimed for conciseness, concrete imagery ,and the creation of new rhythrns.

7.The Southern Renaissance(南方文艺复兴)

In the 20th cent. , southern lit. became not only distinguished but very diverse, yet it has often laid stress on regionalism.The Southern Renaissance is featured in its unique feeling of guilt, failure and poverty as well.

●Southern Myths

● a. Chevalier heritage(骑士精神的传承)

● b. Agrarian virtue（土地的价值）

● c. Plantation aristocracy （种植园主）

● d. Lost cause （注定要失败的势力）

● e. White supremacy （白人至上）

● f. Purity of womanhood （女人的纯洁）

8.Gothic Fiction（哥特主义）

Prominent features of gothic fiction include terror (both psychological and physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, dilapidated houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, decay, madness (especially mad women), secrets, hereditary curses, persecuted maidens, very old servants, dusty chambers, locked rooms, claustrophobic conditions

9.The Iceberg Theory（冰山理论）

The Iceberg Theory is a writing theory stated by American writer Ernest Hemingway as follows: "If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action.” This statement throws light on the symbolic implications of art.