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1、American Literature 2013,Lecture 2 Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790),Benjamin Franklin:,The main points: I. Background of Revolutionary Age II. Benjamin Franklins life and works III. His works IV. Franklins criticism,I. American Revolution (1765- 1800),In 1775, the Independent War broke out. In 1776, de
2、claring Independence.,The first 13 colonies,An Age of Reason and Enlightenment,- Enlightenment is a form of rationalism, which produced new types of men, including scientists, political philosophers, religious rationalists. E.g. Newtonian ideas - the general symbol of world outlook in Enlightenment
3、thinking, which promulgate a humanist epistemology. - Know then Thy-self, presume not God to scan; the proper study of Mankind is man. (Alexander Pope Essay on Man),- The New World (the first 13 colonies) demonstrated the theological certainties of Newton and the evidence of an omnipresent God in th
4、e natural world, liberalized the strict Puritan doctrines and led to the Great Awakening. - New ideas: Man can be perfected through education. All men are created equal. God began life but men must use reason to understand their world.,Deism: a benevolent God who is manifest in nature and who can be
5、 best served by people doing good to fellow men. (a natural religion). - A new image of God (different from Puritanism). God is revealed in nature, not in the Bible.,Deism by Thomas Jefferson: The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man. 1.That there is only one god, and
6、he is all-perfect. 2.That there is a future state of rewards and punishments. 3.That to love God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself is the sum of religion. These are the great points on which he Christ endeavored to reform the religion of the Jews. (The rights of religions became consist
7、ent with the rights of government and rights of individual.) (An antidote to Puritan tenets).,Unitarianism （上帝一位论）: 1.The fatherhood of God. 2.The brotherhood of man. 3.The leadership of Jesus. 4.Salvation by character. 5.Progress of mankind onward and upward forever. (Summarized by Jefferson) (Tong
8、ming, 2008:44),Thinkers of the Enlightment,Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826): We hold these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
9、 Happiness.,Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) : Thomas Paine (1737-1809) : Religion should hold its own only when it was made consistent with reason. (The Rights of Man ,1791-92) His works: Common Sense ,1776 The Crisis,1776-83 John Locke (1632-1704) : Men being by nature free, equal, and independen
10、t, no one can be put out of this estate and subjected to the political power of another without his consent, and that government should be based upon the consent of the governed.,Literary overview: American drama began to emerge. The Revolution produced a few plays on war as a subject. Most novels i
11、n the period were either frivolous or heavily didactic.,I. Franklins Life and works,Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) A polymath: An author An inventor A civic activist A politician A diplomat,Inventions,Lightning rod,Bifocal glasses,Franklin stove,Glass armonica,Glass harmonica,1. An exemplary self-mad
12、e man,- Franklin exemplifies the Age of Enlightenment (a typical example). Franklins image is an archetypal American success that has since become part of American popular culture. - He marked a historical shift in emphasis from Providence to the individual, from afterlife to this life.,2. His philo
13、sophy:,He believed in: - Human accomplishment and progress. - An individual, with industry and thrift, will improve himself and his community. ( Pragmatic individualism) - The perfect moral man, the soul is immortal, crime will be punished by virtue. - God is the supreme Servant of Man and that the
14、most acceptable of God was doing Good to Man. - Happiness depended on an economic success.( a typical American in Marxism sense.),3. His works,Poor Richards Almanac, 1733, with the pseudonym Richard Saunders Father Abrahams Sermon, 1758, also known as The Way to Wealth. The Autobiography, published
15、after his death,II. Poor Richards Almanac, Publication Franklin began publishing Poor Richards Almanac on December 28, 1732, and going on for 25 years, bringing much economic success and popularity. (10,000 copies a year),Poor Richard Almanac from 1732 to 1757,The portrayal of the humorous Poor Rich
16、ard as a character and axioms of wisdom printed on the margins of the pages for more than 20 years. Poor Richard - a convincing character testifying to Franklins talents in story telling.,Some famous lines of Poor Richards Almanac,1. Life: Eat to live, and not live to eat. 2. Success: No man was glorious, who was not laborious. 3. Time: An egg today is better than a hen tomorrow. 4. Marriage: You cannot pluck roses without fear of horns, nor enjoy a fair wife without
