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1、 Lecture 1American Romanticism As a movement, romanticism came to America in the 19th century. The Romantic period in American literary history is one of the most important periods in the history of American literature, which stretched from the end of the 18th century through the outbreak of the Civ
2、il War.Features of American romanticism: both imitative and independent:1) Derivative: American romantic writing was in some degree modeled on English and European works and shared the general characteristics of European Romanticism. 2) Independent: distinct characteristics of their own:Firstly, in
3、essence the expression of a real new experience;Secondly, Puritan influence over American romantics was conspicuously noticeable. One of its manifestations is the fact that American romantic writers tended more to moralize than their European brothers, and many American writings tended to edify (教诲)
4、 more than they entertained.Writers achievementHe (1783-1859) was one of the Founders of American literature and generally regarded as the father of American literature, and the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame.The plot Rip Van Winkle, a good-natured and hen
5、-pecked man who has motherly wife and a little son. He lives in a village surrounding by many mystical mountains. He does everything except take care of his own farm and family. He helps everyone except his wife and his own child. His wife is a shrew, a virago when he helps others do something, whic
6、h made her so angry that often complained to him, and he always put down his head and had no words. In fact, he is so upset about this that he just wanted to run away. One day, he climbs the mountain with a new gun and followed by his loyal dog. He stays near the top of the mountain where he meets a
7、 group of odd-looking people playing at nine-pins. Out of curiosity, and being a thirsty soul drinks their wine and falls asleep. He wakes up to find an old gun and his dog was missing. He feels daze so much and doesnt know what had happened. Back in his village, he finds everything has changed. He
8、knows nobody and nobody knows him. He cant understand how his wife vanished when he slept for a while and just had a dream. Finally, someone realizes him and he discovers that he has slept for twenty years. His wife has died, and his son has married, so Rip and his son live together. At last, Rip is
9、 respected by others as an old man, and he is glad that he doesnt need to do things and become a “free” man.CharactersRip Van Winkle He is an idle ambitionless person. He is always attended to anybodys business but himself. His wife makes him into the continuous trouble. Rip has to search comfort by
10、 wandering with the dog, talking with the idle philosophers in the village, but he cant really get comfort from them. The “despaired” Rip Van Winkle drinks and falls asleep. The drink is further escape from his woes, and makes his life goes on even in his death like sleep. He awakes again haunted by
11、 thoughts of his wifes anger. He is burdened once again with the thought of having his responsibilities. Back in his village, he is amazed at the tremendous changes that have taken place in what he thinks is just one night. He has no idea what he should do.Rip, the hero of the fiction, is the first
12、typical image of dropouts. He escapes to the mountains to find comfort and quiet, but on the other hand, he escapes the reality and responsibility and people around Rip, the nostalgic old men and the idle young people, are images of dropouts. Rip, is regarded as a symbol for the American people. Bef
13、ore revolution, the American people were also trying to live a peaceful life and the rule of the British government made it impossible. The America suffered the oppression for a long time after revolution independent from the yoke of British colonial rule.Dame Van WinkleShe is described as a shrew,
14、a virago, a termagant. She does not leave him in peace. She keeps “continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he is bringing on his family”. Dame Van Winkle symbols the puritan thoughts, which consider idleness and laziness as evil thing. Dame regards as a sym
15、bol for the English government.Theme The story is depicted mostly for Rips 20-year sleep set against the background of the unavoidable changing America. Rip went to sleep before the war of Independence and woke up after it. The change that had occurred in the 20-years be slept was to him not always
16、for the better. After revolution, no one was gonging to tell or force Rip to do anything. Just like at that time the American people is free to choose now, but they have no idea of what to choose. They are groping in the dark for the way ahead, but they independent from the yoke of British colonial rule. In the story Irving skillfully presents to us paralleled juxtapositions of two totally different worlds before and after Rip
