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1、American Literature,Mandy Zhang,The Outline of American Literature,I Colonial Period(16071765)II Revolutionary Period(17651800)III The Age of Romanticism(18001865)IV The Age of Realism(18651918)V American Modernism(19181945)VI Contemporary Literature(1945-),The Age of Romanticism,Section One:America
2、n Romanticism Section Two:New England Transcendentalism Section Three:Romantic Novelists Section Four:Romantic Poets Section Five:Edgar Allan Poe,American Romanticism,BackgroundsTermsDistinct Feature of American Romanticism Important Literary Figures of American Romanticism,Backgrounds,1 national in
3、fluences2 international influences,national influences,In politics:democracy and political equality lay the foundation of Romanticism;In economics:the spread of industrialism;the sudden influx of immigration and the pioneers pushing the frontier further west;In culture:the publication of Webster Dic
4、tionary marked the beginning of the American English;the appearance of many magazines and newspapers;,international influences,Romantic Movement in England and Europe proved to be a decisive influence;Many English and European master of poetry and prose made stimulating impact on American Romanticis
5、m.,Terms,Romance Emotionally heightened,symbolic American novels associated with the Romantic period.Romanticism,Romanticism,a movement of the 18th and 19th century.It is the predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules and over the sense of fact or the actual,a psychological desire to e
6、scape from unpleasant realities.,Detailed Information,Romanticism was a movement in literature,philosophy,music and art which developed in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.It emphasized individual values and aspirations above those of society as a reaction to the Industrial Revolutio
7、n.It looked to the Middle Ages and to direct contact with nature for inspiration.It gave impetus to the national liberation movement in 19th-century Europe.,Distinct Feature of American Romanticism,1 It was the expression of“a real new experience”and contained“an alien quality”for the simple reason
8、that“the spirit of the place”was radically new and alien.2 It tended to be didactic because of Puritan influence.3 It was both imitative and independent.,Important Literary Figures of American Romanticism,Washington Irving James Fenimore Cooper,Washington Irving(17831895)华盛顿.欧文,His life His career a
9、nd works His style His contribution to Am.Lit.,His Life(1),Born into a wealthy New York merchant familyBegan writing from a very early ageStudied law and led for a time the life of a gentleman lawyerLoved writing more and wrote his first book in 1809Went to England in 1815 to take care of family bus
10、iness but failedHad to write to support himself The Sketch Book won him international fame,His Life(2),Went as diplomatic attache to Spain in 1826 and gathered material for writingSecretary of U.S.Legation in London from 18291832Returned to Am.at about 50 after being away for 17 yearsLived a leisure
11、 life and wrote the rest of his life except 4 years as Minister to SpainDied in 1859 and unmarried all his life,His career and works,1st phase:18091832“English phase”2nd phase:18321859“minor phase”,1st phase:18091832“English phase”主要阶段或英国阶段,A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to th
12、e End of the Dutch Dynasty 纽约外史(1809)The Sketch Book 见闻札记(18191820)/The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon,Gent.:“Rip Wan Winkle”瑞普.凡.温克尔“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”睡谷的传说 marked the beginning of short story as a genre in Am.literature marked the beginning of American RomanticismThe History of the Life
13、and Voyages of Christopher Columbus 哥仑布传(1828)A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada 攻克格拉纳达(1829)The Alhambra 阿尔罕伯拉(1832),2nd phase:18321859“minor phase”次要阶段,Life of Goldsmith 歌德斯密传Life of Washington 华盛顿传The Crayon Miscellany:“A Tour on the Prairies”草原游记“Astoria”阿斯托里亚“Adventures of Captain Bonnevill
14、e”博纳维尔船长历险记,His Contribution to American Literature,He was the father of American literature He was the first romantic writer,first to get international fame;He made short story as a genre;His stories based on the legends of Europe and Spain gave his readers a glimpse of a world beyond their own sho
15、res His colorful legends of the Hudson River Valley helped awaken Am.to an appreciation of their nation and its native lit.,His style,imitative,but highly skillful;never shocking and a bit sentimental at times;“The style is the man”文如其人 avoided moralizing as much as possible;wrote to amuse and enter
16、tain;good at enveloping his stories in an atmosphere;his characters are vivid and true;his writing with great humor;,James Fenimore Cooper(17891851)詹姆斯.费尼莫.库柏,First author to write about Western MovementHis lifeHis worksHis styleHis contribution to Am.Lit.Analysis of Leatherstocking Tales,His life,B
17、orn into a rich land-holding family of New JerseyWent to Yale at 14 but was expelled in junior due to improper behaviorSpent 5 years at seaInherited fortune and settled down Began writing by accidentWrote thirty-odd novels(11 of sea)Best known and remembered by Leatherstocking Tales,His works,Social
18、 and Historical novels:Sea novelsBorder novels:Leatherstocking TalesOther works,Social&Historical novel,The Spy 间谍(1821)Satanstoe 萨坦斯托(1845)The Chainbearer 持锁链者The Red Skins 红色人(1846)The Water Witch 水巫(1830)The Two Admirals 两位海军上将(1842)Lionel Lincoln 莱那尔.林肯(1825)The Bravo 亡命徒(1831)The Headsman 头人(18
19、33)The Ways of the Hour 世风(1850),Sea novel,The Pilot 领航者The Red Rover 红色的海盗（1827）Afloat and Ashore 海上与岸上(1844)Jack Tier 杰克.梯耶尔(1848)The Sea Lions 海狮(1849),Other works,Notions of American 美国人的思想Homeward Bound 返乡路上(1838)Home as Found 故乡风貌(1838)The Crater 火山口(1847)The Oak Openings 橡树林间空地(1848),His styl
20、e,His writing is powerful yet clumsy.He is good at inventing plots.His style is dreadful,his characterization wooden and lacking in probability,and his language,his use of dialect,is not authentic.,His contribution to Am.Lit.,He was the first writer of sea novels.He was the first excellent writer of
21、 border novels.He was the first writer of series novels.He was the first romantic writer with rationalism.He was the first writer in Am.appreciated by many writers of different nationalities and different generations.He was a mythic writer and created a myth about the formative period of the Am.nati
22、on.,Analysis of Leatherstocking Tales,1)It contains five ones:2)Coopers ambivalence:3)The Ending 4)Who are the pioneers?,Coopers ambivalence,He realized his ambivalence-nature and civilization,freedom and law-in“The Pioneers”,The Ending,Of the 5 tales:three ended in Nattys departure for the wilderne
23、ss-The Pioneers-The Pathfinder-The Deerslayer two ended in his staying with an Indian tribe-The Last of the Mohicans-The Prairie,Who are the pioneers?,-maybe Natty Bumppo,-maybe Judge Temple,-maybe both.,Leatherstocking Tales,The Pioneers（1823）The Last of the Mohicans(1826)The Prairie(1827)The Pathf
24、inder(1840)The Deerslayer(1841),Another way of making up the collections,The Deerslayer-youthThe Last of the Mohicans-middle-age maturity The Pathfinder-in the late 30s and fall in love The Pioneers-old The Prairie-dying,New England Transcendentalism,Transcendentalism 超验主义Factors influence its comin
25、g Features of New England Transcendentalism Literary representatives of New England Transcendentalism-,Transcendentalism,A broad,philosophical movement in New England during the Romantic era(peaking between 1835 and 1845).It stressed the role of divinity in nature and the individual s intuition,and
26、exalted feeling over reason.,More information,The phase of New England Transcendentalism is the summit of American Romanticism.It was,in essence,romanticism on Puritan soil.It was started by a group of people who were members of an informal club,i.e.the Transcendental Club in New England in the 1830
27、s.They expressed their views,published the journal,The Dial.Transcendentalism has been defined philosophically as the recognition in man of the capacity of knowing truth intuitively,or of attaining knowledge transcending the reach of the senses.Other concepts that accompanied Transcendentalism inclu
28、de the idea that nature is ennobling and the idea that the individual is divine and,therefore,self-reliant.The representative writers of Transcendentalism are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau,Factors influence its coming,foreign influences:1)introduction of idealistic philosophy from Germ
29、any and France;2)Oriental mysticism such as Hinduism and philosophy of the Chinese Confucius and Mencius;native influence:American Puritan tradition,Features of New England Transcendentalism,1 The Transcendentalists placed emphasis on spirit,or the Oversoul,as the most important thing in the univers
30、e.2 The Transcendentalists stressed the importance of the individual.3 The Transcendentalists offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the Spirit or God.,Literary representatives of New England Transcendentalism,Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882)拉尔夫.瓦尔多.爱默生 Henry David Thoreau(1817-1862)亨利.大卫
31、.梭罗,Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882)拉尔夫.瓦尔多.爱默生,His LifeHis WorksHis Influence on American literatureComment on him,Comments on him,A founder of the Transcendental movement.Moreover,Emerson was not only the shaper of a distinctly American philosophy embracing optimism,individuality,and mysticism,but o
32、ne of the most influential figures of the nineteenth century.“The American Scholar”,an address delivered before Harvards Phi Beta Kappa Society,attacked American dependence on European thought and urged the creation of a new literary heritage.,His life,Descendant of New England clergymenExperienced“
33、genteel poverty”as a child Went to Harvard,reconsider Calvinist belief,embraced UnitarianismBecame a Unitarian minister to the Second church of BostonLeft his job to Europe and brought back European RomanticismFormed Transcendentalist Club and its journal“the Dial”,became spokesman of New England Tr
34、anscendentalism“preach”in the lecture-room instead of at the pulpitTraveled around and spread his transcendentalism,His works,Nature The Poet The American Scholar or-Americas Declaration of Intellectual Independence Representative Men English Traits The Conduct of Life Essays,Nature,“Nature”has been
35、 called“the Manifesto of American Transcendentalism”and is generally regarded as the Bible of New England Transcendentalism;1)Man is divine;The spiritual and immanent God is operative in the soul of man;2)The individual,not the crowd,is the most important of all.“the infinitude of man”人类发展无限论3)The p
36、hysical world is vitalistic and evolutionary.Nature was emblematic of God.In a word,“Nature is the symbol of spirit”.,The Poet,His aesthetics brought about a revolution in American literature in general and in American poetry in particular;it marked the birth of true American poetry and true America
37、n poets such as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.,Essays,Essays:First Series Essays:Second Series Many of his famous essays are included in Essays,which convey the best of his philosophical discussions,such as“The American Scholar”,“Self-Reliance”,“The over-soul”.,Influence on American literature,1)
38、His call for an independent culture in both“Nature”and“The American Scholar”played a very important part in the intellectual history of the nation.2)He called on American writers to write about America in a way peculiarly American.3)His importance in the intellectual history of America lies in the f
39、act that he embodied a new nations desire and struggle to assert its own identity in its formative period.,Henry David Thoreau(18171862)亨利.大卫.梭罗,His lifeHis worksComments on ThoreauAppreciation of WaldenQuestion for discussion,His life,Unsuccessful family backgroundMother determined to send him to H
40、arvardDidnt like universityHelped his father to make pencils and ran a private schoolMade friends with Emerson,used his library,and embraced his ideasWent to live on Walden PondMoved back to Concord 2 years later and wrote his experience in Walden,His works,“Civil Disobedience”or“A Plea for John Bro
41、wn”A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers-Failure at his time;It also led to the failure of Walden.Walden/Life in the Woods The Maine Woods Letters to Various Person,John Brown,John Brown(18001895)约翰.布朗:Abolitionist leader 废奴运动领袖 Operator of the Underground Railroad,Walden,Walden is now consider
42、ed one of the best-selling books in the history of American literature,and its critical reputation continues to grow as much as its popular acceptance.In addition,Walden has long been a staple of the American literature curriculum at universities in the U.S,Walden,1 It is a great Transcendentalist w
43、ork that came out of the period under discussion.2 It is a faithful record of his reflections.He saw nature as a genuine restorative healthy influence on mans spiritual well-being,and regarded it as a symbol of the spirit.3 It can be many things and can be read on more than one level.It is a book on
44、 self-culture and human perfectibility.It is full of ideas expressed to jostle his neighbors out to their smug complacency.4 Regeneration became one of its major thematic concerns and decided its structural framework.The whole book is within the frame of a single year,and progresses through summer a
45、nd autumn to winter,and finally to a climax in the renascence of spring.5 It exhibits his calm trust in the future and his ardent belief in a new generation of men.The book concludes on a clear note of optimism and hope.,Comments on Thoreau,He was by no means an escapist or a recluse,but was intense
46、ly involved in the life of his day.2)He had many virtues but he did not do justice to his own talent,i.e.he wasted his life.(Emersons speech at his funeral)3)He spoke ahead of his time.His influence goes beyond America.His statue was placed in the“Hall of Fame”in New York in 1969.,Question for discu
47、ssion,Why did he move onto Walden Pond on July 4,the Independence Day?-It illustrates his desire to be independent and find truth for himself.,Romantic Novelists,Nathaniel Hawthorne(18041864)纳撒尼尔.霍桑 Herman Melville(18191891)赫尔曼.梅尔维尔,Nathaniel Hawthorne,affected by Puritanism and enlightened by Trans
48、cendentalismpioneer of psychological novel wrote about the dark side of society and human natureusing symbolism,Nathaniel Hawthorne,His lifeHis workHawthornes points of view and subjectHawthornes art Appreciation of The Scarlet LetterHawthornes influence,His life(1),1 Born in Salem,Mass.in 1804;2 We
49、nt to Bowdoin College,being friends of Longfellow and Franklin Pierce in 1821;3 Lived in solitude and seclusion from 1825 to 1837;(read widely,acquainted with local history,and practice writing:1st tale in 1830;Twice-Told Tales in 1837)4 Worked as the Custom Officer in Boston for a while;later surve
50、y of the port of Salem;,His life(2),5 Gathered his materials by observing and listening to others and wrote his immortal works:Mosses from an Old Manse in 1846;The Scarlet Letter in 1850;The House of the Seven Gables in 1851;The Blithedale Romance in 1852;The Marble Faun in 1860.6 Consul in Liverpoo
