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1、1. American Romanticism(美国浪漫主义)Romanticism refers to an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individuals expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of
2、 classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions. The romantic period in American literature stretches from the end of the 18th century through the outbreak of the Civil war. Irving, Whitman and Thoreau are the representatives.Background(1) Political background and economi
3、c development(2) Romantic movement in European countriesDerivative foreign influencefeatures(1) American romanticism was in essence the expression of “a real new experience and contained “an alien quality” for the simple reason that “the spirit of the place” was radically new and alien.(2) There is
4、American Puritanism as a cultural heritage to consider. American romantic authors tended more to moralize. Many American romantic writings intended to edify more than they entertained.(3) The “newness” of Americans as a nation is in connection with American Romanticism.(4) As a logical result of the
5、 foreign and native factors at work, American romanticism was both imitative and independent.浪漫主义两大主题：爱和大自然的力量 The social and cultural background of Romanticism： -The young Republic was flourishing into a politically, economically and culturally independent country. -The Romantic writings revealed u
6、nique characteristics of their own in their works and they grew on the native lands. -The desire for an escape from society and a return to nature became a permanent convention of American literature. -The American Puritanism as a cultural heritage exerted great influences over American moral values
7、. Romantics frequently shared certain general characteristics: moral enthusiasm, faith in value of individualism and intuitive perception, and a presumption that the natural world was a source of goodness and mans societies as a source of corruption.2. Transcendentalism (超验主义、先验主义) : It was a group
8、of new ideas in literature, religion, culture and philosophy that emerged in New England in the middle 19th century. It began as a protest against the general state of culture and society. Among transcendentalists core beliefs was an ideal spiritual state that “transcends” the physical and empirical
9、(以观察或实验为依据的) and is only realized through the individuals intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions. Prominent transcendentalists included Ralph Waldo Emerson（爱默生）, Henry David Thoreau（梭罗） , Walt Whitman（惠特曼）, etc. It is a kind of philosophy that stresses belief in transc
10、endental things and the importance of spiritual rather than material existence. （相信超凡的事物，认为精神存在比物质存在更重要).American Transcendentalism(美国超验主义)Transcendentalism is the summit of the Romantic Movement in the history of American literature in the 19th century, which flourished from about 1835 to 1860. Tra
11、nscendentalists place emphasis on the importance of the Oversoul, the individual and nature. Specifically, they stressed intuitive understanding of God, without the help of the church, and advocated independence of the mind. The most important representatives are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David
12、Thoreau.Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher and poet, best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid 19th century. He expressed the philosophy of Transcendentalism in his 1836 essay, Nature. Besides, his The American Scholar was conside
13、red to be Americans “Intellectual Declaration of Independence”.Oversoul It is an all-pervading power for goodness from which all things come of which all things are a part. It is a key doctrine for Transcendentalists.Self-reliance Self-reliance is an essay written by American Transcendentalist philo
14、sopher Ralph Waldo Emerson.It contains the most solid statement of one of his repeating themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas.These ideas are considered a reaction to a commercial identify. Emerson calls for a re
15、turn to individual identity.Individualism(个人主义)Individualism is a moral, political, and social philosophy, which emphasizes individual liberty, the primary importance of the individual, and the “virtues of self-reliance”. It is thus directly opposed to collectivism, social psychology and sociology,
16、which consider the individuals rapport to the society or community. It is often confused with “egoism”, but an individualist need not be an egoist.Walden It is one of the American classics written by Henry David Thoreau.It records his experiment in living at Walden pond, his sympathetic understanding of nature, his meditation on the meanings of life and his social criticism.Compared with Emersons Nature, it is more radical and soci
