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1、A Guide to English-Speaking CountriesA Guide to English-Speaking Countries英语国家概况英语国家概况The United States of AmericaChapter 12 Literature英英语语国国家家概概况况1. main themel record of a quest / seekingl the continuous narrative of the pursuit of success and happinessthe lost continent of Atlantisthe golden “cit
2、iesof Cibola”Northwest Passage to the Orientdreams of successreligious freedomwestward movementfor happiness 2. principal forms of American literature novelshort storypoemdramaprincipal formsThe Colonial andRevolutionary PeriodsIThe Romantic PeriodIIThe Realistic Period IIIThe Naturalistic PeriodIVT
3、he Modern PeriodVCONTENTThe Contemporary PeriodVIThe Colonial and Revolutionary PeriodsI 1.2 Feature in the Revolutionary Period 1.3 Representative figures and works 1.1 Feature in the Colonial Period 1.1 The Colonial Period (1607-1775) Q1: Who were Q1: Who were the first the first Americans? How Am
4、ericans? How did they come to did they come to America?America?Q2: What is Q2: What is the influence the influence of pluralism on of pluralism on American American literature?literature? 1.1 The Colonial Period (1607-1775)(cont.)vCharacter of Writingsreligious, practical, or historical. vAmerican P
5、uritanismmajor topic stressespredestination (预言)original sin total depravity (堕落)limited atonement (赎罪) or the salvation (拯救) of a selected few who would receive Gods grace.Discussion: Compare the American Puritanism Discussion: Compare the American Puritanism with Chinese Confucianismwith Chinese C
6、onfucianism. .1.2 The Revolutionary Periodvrepresentative workThomas Jeffersons Declaration of Independence. vCharacter of Declaration of Independencerhetorical (带修辞色彩的) vigorrefined diction (措辞)polished style ardent longing for freedom Q: How was American literature Q: How was American literature f
7、orwarded in the Revolutionary forwarded in the Revolutionary Period?Period?1.3 Representative Figures 1.3.2 Benjamin Franklin 1.3.1 Jonathan Edwards 1.3.1 Jonathan Edwardsvreligious idealism vpowerful sermons (布道布道)preaching the puritan ideas and condemning peoples depravity. vbest-known work “Sinne
8、rs in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741).vinitiating the Great Awakening Movement to revive Puritanism.vAlmanacpublished continuously for almost a quarter of a century.vadages (格言格言) and sayings“A penny saved is a penny earned.” “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise
9、.” 1.3.1 Jonathan Edwards (cont.) 1.3.2 Benjamin Franklinvlevelheaded (头脑冷静的头脑冷静的) common sense va completely worldly man; a statesman, ambassador, scientist, essayist as well. vPoor Richards Almanacboth a literary achievement and a profitable business. 1.3.2 Benjamin Franklin (cont.)vAutobiographym
10、ost famous work. v“the faithful account of the colorful career of Americas first self-made man”rising from poverty and obscurity (身份低微身份低微) to wealth and fame. vAutobiographya record of spiritual growth in addition to self-examination and self-improvement. The Romantic Period (1790-1865)II 2.2 Write
11、rs of Fiction 2.3 Writers of Poetry 2.1 Feature 2.4 Questions the Age of RomanticismAmerican literature between the War of Independence and the Civil WarPre-Romanticism (1770s 1830s)Post-Romanticism (1830s 1875)flowering time before American Civil War (1830 1860)declining time after American Civil W
12、ar (1860 1875)2.1 FeaturevAmerican Renaissance.vCharacter of American writingsfree expression of emotions, attention to the psychic (精神的) states of their character. exalted (赞美) the individual and the common man.revealed unique characteristics of their own and grew on the native lands. vBest Represe
13、ntivesWashington Irving & James Fennimore Cooper Walt Whiteman & Emily Dickinson2.2 Writers of FictionJames Fennimore CooperEdgar Allan Poe Herman MelvilleRalph Waldo Emerson Washington IrvingNathaniel Hawthorne 2.2.12.2.22.2.32.2.42.2.62.2.52.2.1 Washington Irving (1783-1859) v“the father of Americ
14、an literature”the first to write using the local color and the details in his works.symbolism to the themes. v Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollowmost famous stories.2.2.2 James Fennimore Cooper (1789-1851) vtwo great figures of American mythology: the brave frontiersman and the bold Indi
15、an. vauthor of the “Leather Stocking Tales”a series of five novelsThe Pioneers (1823)The Last of the Mohicans (1826)The Prairie (1827)The Pathfinder (1840)The Deerslayer (1841)vfrontiersman heroNatty Bumppo representing the ideal American. 2.2.3 Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) vchief spokesman of Ne
16、w England Transcendentalismsummit of American Romanticism. defined as “the recognition in man of the capacity of knowing truth intuitively, or of attaining knowledge transcending the reach of the senses”.vHis essays have a casual style. The bestNature and Essays 2.2.4 Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
17、 va descendant of Puritan immigrants.va pioneer in psychological description. vwrote as a moralist; tried to find out how men reacted in their mind when they found they had done something wrong; exposed the evils of the society by describing the psychological activities of human beings.vmost famous
18、novelThe Scarlet Lettervother works The House of Seven Gables (1851)The Blithedale Romance (1852) The Marble Faun (1860) 2.2.5 Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) va lonely writer both in life and literature history. vliterary output: poetry, short stories, and reviews for literary works. vstrange theme and
19、 style make him an outsider of the main current of American literature.vforeigners acclaimed him as geniusvmasterpiecesThe Raven (1845)The Fall of the House of Usher (1839)2.2.6 Herman Melville (1819-1891) vfameestablished on Moby Dick.vacknowledged as one of the worlds great masterpieces. vthemetoo
20、 far advanced for his contemporariespresenting a bleak view of the world: the universe is Godless and purposeless; human life is also meaningless and futile. 2.3 Writers of Poets Emily DickinsonWalt Whitman2.3.12.3.22.3.1 Walt Whitman (1819-1892) vpoemsThe Leaves of Grassvcombined the ideal of democ
21、ratic common man and that of the rugged individualvpoetic stylefree versepoetry without a fixed beat (拍子) or regular rhyme scheme. v his poetry ironically ignored by the general public due to his unconventional style. 2.3.2 Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) vdifferent from Whitman vthe poetessturned to th
22、e outer world and embraced society, democracy and nation;vcast her eyes inward to explore the inner feelings of the individual. shy and sensitive nature, she avoided visitors and led a quite reclusive (隐居的) life. 2.3.2 Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) (cont.)vshort poems vthe real worldinvisible in the c
23、oncise lines, neither are there people. vnature dwell in her world, and metaphysical (形而形而上学的上学的) thinking like death and immortality occupies her mind.vmost famous poems My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close (1896)Because I could Not Stop for Death (1890)A Narrow Fellow in the Grass (1891)vconstruc
24、ting a wonderful worldsmall but intense, fresh, individual and original. 2.4 QuestionsQ1: What are the characteristics of Q1: What are the characteristics of American writing during the Romantic American writing during the Romantic period?period?Q2:Q2: How much do you like Nathaniel How much do you
25、like Nathaniel Hawthornes workHawthornes workThe Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter, , and how do you interpret the letter and how do you interpret the letter “A”?“A”? The Realistic Period (1790-1865)III 3.2 Representative Figures 3.1 Feature 3.1 Featureva reaction against Romanticism.vstressingtruthf
26、ul treatment of material.vthe writings are concerned with the world of experience, the commonplace, the familiar and the low.vdominant figuresMark TwainWilliam Dean HowellsHenry James 3.2 Representative FiguresHenry JamesWilliam Dean HowellsMark Twain3.2.13.2.23.2.32.2.62.2.53.2.1 Mark Twain (1835-1
27、910) vgrew up in the Mississippi River frontier town of Hannibal, Missouri. vTwains style based on vigorous, realistic, colloquial American speecha new appreciation of their national voice. vfirst major author coming from the interior of the country; capturing its distinctive, humorous slang and ico
28、noclasm.MasterpiecevThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnvHucks inner struggle between his sense of guilt in helping Jim to escape and profound conviction that Jim is a human being. vThrough escape, he gets to know Jim better and accepts Jim as both a human being and a loyal friend. 3.2.1 Mark Twain (1
29、835-1910) (cont.)Other Famous NovelsvThe Adventure of Tom Sawyer (1876)vThe Prince and the Pauper (1882)vLife on the Mississippi (1883)vThe Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (1900)vThe Mysterious Stranger (1916) 3.2.1 Mark Twain (1835-1910) (cont.)Contributionvmaking colloquial speech an accepted, respe
30、ctable literary medium in literature.v influence of his stylesweeping across the American literary world.far-reachingmaking Some 20th-century writers acknowledge their indebtedness (受惠) to Mark Twain3.2.1 Mark Twain (1835-1910) (cont.)vbridges the 19th and 20th centuries and connects America and Eur
31、ope. v “the international theme” the meeting of America and Europe. Europeansmore cultured, more concerned with art, and more aware of the subtleties of social situationsAmericansmorality and innocence 3.2.2 Henry James (1843-1916)Major WorksvThe American (1877)vDaisy Miller (1878)vThe Wings of the
32、Dove (1902)vThe Golden Bowl (1904)vThe Portrait of A Lady (1881) 3.2.2 Henry James (1843-1916) (cont.)vrealismphotographic pictures of externals but includes a central concern with “motives” and psychological conflicts. vprolific writer drama, poetry and novels in addition to criticism, travelogues
33、(旅行见闻旅行见闻) and autobiography. vmasterpieceThe Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) 3.2.3 William Dean Howells (1837-1920) The Naturalistic Period (1900-1914) IV 4.2 Representative Figure 4.1 Feature 4.1 Feature vApply principles of scientific determinism to fiction and drama. Viewing human beings as animals
34、in the natural world responding to environmental forces and internal stresses and drives.Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)vAmerican valuesmaterialistichuman individual is obsessed with a never-ending, yet meaningless search for satisfaction of his desires.MoneySexembracing social Darwinism “the survival
35、of the fittest”4.2 Representative FigureMasterpiecevSister Carrie (1900) vCarriea country girl looking for a better life in Chicago. Drouet took her home as mistress. Hurstwood, Drouets friend, deserted family and forced her to run away with him. Carrie became a famous actress; Hurstwood committed s
36、uicide. vDreisers naturalistic pursuitexpounding the purposelessness of life attacking the conventional moral standards.4.2 Representative Figure (cont.)Other WorksTrilogy (三部曲三部曲) of desireThe Financer (1912)The Titan (1914)The Stoic (1945)v masterpieceThe American Tragedy (1925)4.2 Representative
37、Figure (cont.) The Modern Period (1914-1939) V5.2 Modern Poetry 5.1 Lost Generation 5. 1 Lost GenerationvAmerican writers caught in WWI and cut off from the old values; unable to come to terms with the new era. 5.1.1Ernest Hemingway5.2.2Q: What is the Lost Generation?Q: What is the Lost Generation?F
38、. Scott Fitzgerald 5.1.15.1.1 F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)vThe Great Gatsbya masterpiece in American literature. vGatsby discovers the devastating cost of success in terms of personal fulfillment and love. vGatsbys life pattern: first, a dreamThen, disenchantment (觉醒)Finally, a sense of failure a
39、nd despairvend of the American Dream5.1.2 Earnest Hemingway (1899-1961)vNobel Prize winnerv major worksA Farewell To Arms (1928)For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)The Old Man and the Sea (1952)5.1.2 Earnest Hemingway (1899-1961) (cont.)vHemingways worldchaotic and meaninglessman fighting a solitary strug
40、gle against a force he does not understand. vHero possessing a “despairing courage”. the courage enables a man to behave like a man, to assert his dignity in face of adversity (灾祸). vwriting style colloquialismconcrete, specific wordscasual and conversationalshort, simple sentences5.1.2 Earnest Hemi
41、ngway (1899-1961)(cont.)5.2 Modern PoetryvEzra Pound (1885-1972) a link between US and Britainv Imagismv“image”something that “presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” vThe Cantos he wrote and published until his death. Representative Figure The Contemporary Period (193
42、9- )Black Writers6.1Jewish Writers6.2The Beat Movement6.3Literature of Modern South6.4Womens Voices6.5Drama6.6VI6.1 Black WritersvRichard WrightNative Son (1940)v Ralph EllisonInvisible Man (1952) vJames BaldwinGo Tell It on the Mountain (1954)readers conscious of an oppressed race groaning and stru
43、ggling for salvationLangston Hughes (1902-1967)vpoet laureate, literary figure of Harlem Renaissance. vembraced African-American jazz rhythms and incorporated blues, spirituals, colloquial speech, and folkways in his poetry. vmost beloved poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” suggesting that, like the g
44、reat rivers of the world, African culture will endure and deepen.6.1 Black Writers (cont.)6.2 Jewish writers vJewish writers not only focus upon Jewish characters and social questions, but also bring a distinctively Jewish sense of humor to their novels.vYiddishlanguage used by European Jews preserv
45、e Jewish culture, isolated but intact (完好的), until the early 20th century. Saul Bellow (1915-2005)vWon Nobel Prize in 1976vFamous works Dangling Man (1944) The Victim (1947) The Adventures of Augie March (1954) Henderson the Rain King (1959) Herzog (1964) Mr. Sammlers Planet (1970) Humboldts Gift (1
46、975)6.2 Jewish writers (cont.) Saul Bellow (1915-2005)6.2 Jewish writers (cont.) 6.3 The Beat Movementv“beat” representing a non-conformist, rebellious attitude toward conventional values concerning sex, religion and the American way of life, an attitude resulting from the feeling of depression and
47、exhaustion and the need to escape into an unconventional, communal mode of life. vcentral Beat writersWilliam Burroughs Allen Ginsberg Jack KerouacBeat Writers Worksvexpress emotion “raw”, rather than “cooked” through memory and translation into art. vrepresentative worksJack Kerouac On the Road (19
48、57), William BurroughsNaked Lunch (1959) Allen GinsbergHowl (1956) 6.3 The Beat Movement (cont.)Beat Writers Works6.3 The Beat Movement (cont.)6.4 Literature of Modern South vWilliam FaulknerNobel Prize winning novelist vMajor works The Sound and the Fury (1929)As I Lay Dying (1930)Light in August (
49、1932)Absalom, Absalom! (1936)Go Down, Moses (1942)vstories set in a small southern county, exploration of basic human nature and basic patterns of human behavior make them enduring works in world literature. 6.5 Womens Voices vFeminist movement during the 1960s and 1970s affected AmericanAmerican cu
50、lture and womens relationship with the opposite sex. Tony Morrison (1931- )vNobel Prize for Literature in 1993.vexplored the experience of black women in a racist culture. vfamous novelsThe Bluest Eye (1970) & Beloved (1987)the latter is about Margaret Garner, a slave escaping with her children; whe
51、n recaptured, attempted to kill her children rather than return them to life of slavery. 6.5 Womens Voices (cont.) Alice Walker (1944- ) vspoke for the womens movement, for the anti-nuclear movement. vconcern of her workssexual and racial realities within black communities;unavoidable connections be
52、tween family and society.6.5 Womens Voices (cont.) Alice Walkers MasterpiecevFictionweaving back and forth through time and individual perspectives. vCharactersseek redemption, forgiveness and peace. vreceived the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for The Color Purple. 6.5 Womens Voices (cont.) Amy Tan (1952-
53、) vChinese-American writervportrays the lives of Chinese American daughters and their Chinese immigrant mothers. vcharacters conflicting emotions being native-born Americans of Chinese ancestry. vNovelsThe Joy Luck Club (1989) The Kitchen Gods Wife (1991) focus on the relationships between mothers a
54、nd daughters.6.5 Womens Voices (cont.) 6.6 Dramavrise of American drama in 20th century. vWith the opening of theatres, drama turned up as an influential literary form in American literature.vthree representative playwrights. Eugene ONeill (1888-1953) v greatest playwright, won Nobel Prize in 1936.v
55、dramaserious literature and wrote tragedies consistently. vwrote 45 playshighly experimental in form and style; combining literary theories of symbolism, naturalism and expressionism. vgreat influence on later American playwrights.6.6 Drama (cont.)Eugene ONeills Famous PlaysvBeyond the Horizon (1920
56、)vThe Hairy Ape (1922)vDesire Under the Elms (1924) vThe Iceman Cometh (1946) climax of his careerv Long Days Journey into Night (1956) vsensitive artist. felt “the discordant (不调和的), broken, faithless rhythm” of his time; probing into the root of human desires and frustrations; pessimistic plays, l
57、eaving the characters without illusion and hope. 6.6 Drama (cont.)Eugene ONeills Famous Plays6.6 Drama (cont.)Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)va dramatist, wrote novel, poetry, prose and short stories. vrepresentative works The Glass Menagerie (1945)A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)for which was awarded
58、 Pulitzer Prize.Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) Suddenly Last Summer (1958)6.6 Drama (cont.)Tennessee Williams Writing Featuresvwrote of isolated and lonely people of American society.vgood at creating pathetic (悲惨的悲惨的) womantypical one Laura, heroine in The Glass Menagerie. a fragile girl lives in ill
59、usion, which is smashed to pieces by a male intrudersymbol of reality. 6.6 Drama (cont.)Arthur Miller (1915-2005) v “social dramatist”concerns the conflicts of the individual within society and presents a social critique of the inhuman capitalist system.vDeath of a Salesman (1947)modern tragedy;pres
60、entation and disclosure of the cruelty and bloodiness of capitalism. vother important playsAll My Sons (1947) The Crucible (1953) A View from the Bridge (1955)6.6 Drama (cont.)Arthur Miller MasterpieceDeath of a Salesman6.6 Drama (cont.)Arthur Miller MasterpieceDeath of a Salesmanvmodern tragedyvpre
61、sentation and disclosure of the cruelty and bloodiness of capitalism.vmiserable life and tragic death of Willy firm conviction in American dream.vDisillusioned, he killed himself to get $ 20,000 life insurance money. 6.6 Drama (cont.)Willythe salesmannot ambitious dream & harsh realityTo establish h
62、is own business, to pay off the loan for the house, to have successful children and live happily with his family. The company he served for 30 years dismissed him for his getting old. Two sons turned out to be losers in the society; Onea thief; the othera braggart. 6.6 Drama (cont.).Read the followi
63、ng statement and decide whether they are ture(T) or false (F).v1.Walt Whitman introduced great innovations to American literature ,and devised a poetic style , free verse . v2.Emily Dickinsons poems are usually long , exploring the inner life of the individual .v3.Stephen Crane is famous for his wri
64、tings about the meeting of America and Europe .v4.Ezra Pound leads the School of Imagism , which advocates a clear , highly visual presentation .v5.Jack Kerouacs On the Road is a representative work of the Beat Writers.v6.Alice Walker was passionate about the civil rights movements and the womens mo
65、vement of 1960s , and The Color Purple is her masterpiece .v7.Americasmostrenownedplaywrightis7.AmericasmostrenownedplaywrightisTennessee Williams , and his plays are highly experimental in form and style .v8.Arthur Miller is concerned with the conflicts of the individual within society , and Death
66、of a Salesman is his masterpiece .Choose the best answer to complete each of the following statements.v1.Of the following writer, -are from the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods .vA. Benjamin Franklin and Edgar Allan Poe vB. Edgar Allan Poe and Jonathan EdwardsvC. Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edw
67、ards vD. Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irvingv 2. - is regarded as the “father of American literature”vA. James Fenimore Cooper vB. Ralph Waldo EmersonvC. Thomas Jefferson vD. Washington Irvingv 3. Of the following , - is considered Herman Melvilles masterpiece vA. The Last of the Mohicans vB. The
68、Legend of Sleepy HollowvC. Mody Dick vD. Daisy Millerv4. Of the following ,-is NOT characteristic of Mark Twains works v A. colloquial speech B. a sense of humor v C. a realistic view D. an idealistic viewv5. Of the following writer, - is NOT included in the group pf naturalists vA. Stephen Crane B.
69、 Frank Norris vC. Theodore Dreiser D. Herman Melvillev 6. F. Scott Fitzgeralds finest novel is - ,and its theme is about -v A. The Great Gatsby , the American Dream vB. Tender Is the Night , lovevC. Tales of the Jazz Age , the loss of oneself vD. The Beautiful and Damned , the evil of human naturev7
70、. Of the following writer, - is NOT a Nobel Prize winnervA. Alice Walker B. Ernest Hemingway vC. William Faulkner D. Eugene ONeillv 8. -is the first African American winner of the Noble Prize for Literature vA. Ralph Ellison B. Ernest Hemingway vC. William Faulkner D. James Baldwinv.Give brief answe
71、rs to the following questions.v1.What is the essence of American Puritanism ?v2. What is the Lost Generation ?v3. What is the Beat Movement ?v.State your understanding of the following questions.v1.What are the characteristic of the American writing during the Romantic Period ?v2.Why is Eugene ONeill regarded as the greatest American playwright ?英英语语国国家家概概况况
