美国文学史及选读考试整理
美国文学史及选读自考考点
The literature of colonial AmericaJohn Smith1）The 1st American writer2）作品“reports of exploration”have been de scribed as the 1st distinctly American literatur e written in English, attracted Pilgrims(朝圣者) &the Puritans.3）1608，写了封信“A true Relation of Such O ccurance&Accidents of Note as Hath Happen ed in Virginia Since the 1st planting of That c olony”4）1612，第二本书“A map of Virginia :with a Description of the Country”5）他一共出版了八本书，公司破产以后做了向导，he sought a post as guide to the pilgrims. 1624，“General History of Virginia”讲述How the Indian princess Pocahonats Saved him. 6）他早期记录和反映的思想慢慢演变成了美国历史的基本思想，这种思想推动了美国边疆的西移。
7）早期英格兰文学主要关于theological(神学), moral(道德), historical and political.The Puritans in New England embraced hards hips, together with the discipline of a harsh church.They had toughness, purpose and cha racter, they grappled strongly with challenges they set themselves.他们的基本价值观：hard w ork, thrift, piety and sobriety.（也是美国作品的主导思想）William Bradford & John Withrop1）William Bradford：“The History of Plymouth Plantation”（从1630年写起，关于一群清教徒从英国出发到Amsterdam最后到新大陆的过程）Cotton Mather评价：“a common blessing and father to them all.”2）John Withrop：“The History of New England”（1630，登上Arbella号去Massachusetts并keep a journal and to the rest of his life.1826年出版）3）Puritans-Puritans wanted to make pure their religious beliefs and practices.The Puritan was Would-be purifier.-Looked upon themselves as a choosen peolple.-Anyone who challenged their way of life wa s opposing God’s will and was not to be ac cepted.-They were zealous in defense of their own beliefs but often intolerant of the beliefs of others-Made laws about private morality as well as public behavior Nathaniel Hawthorne called them“stern and black browed Puritans”John Cotton & Roger Williams1）John Cotton：The patriarch(教父) of New England2）Roger Williams：“A key into the language of Ameriaca”&“A help to the language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New England”(美洲新英格兰部分土著居民语言指南)Anne Bradstreet & Edward Taylor1）Anne Bradstreet：One of the most interest ing of the early poet.(1630乘Arbella到Massa chusetts)“The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in Ameri ca”（在美洲诞生的第十个缪斯）2）Edward Taylor：The best of the Puritan Po ets(作品大部分关于宗教)The Literature of Reason And Revolution1.American Independence WarNoah Webster评价：American must be as ind ependent in literature as she is inpolitics, as famous for arts as for arms.（文化上的独立，艺术上的著名）②Thomas Jefferson：”Declaration of Independ ence(独立宣言)”2.Enlightenment 启蒙运动3文学上独立的代表作1785, Jefferson：“Notes on the State of Virginia.“1791, Bartram：“Travels”Benjamin Franklin 1706-17901）In the colonial period, the only good Ame rican author before the Revolutionary War. -Born in Boston曾创办“Pennsylvania Gazatte”, 1732-1758出版”Poor Richard’s Almanac coll ocation of proverbs”2）founded the Junto&Established America’s first circulating library& founded the Universit y of PennsylvaniaAided Jefferson in writting the Declaration of Independence.3）The 1st major writers.4）“Autobiography”,编辑了美国第一份殖民杂志“General magazine”朋友评价：His shadow lies heavier than any ot her man’s on this young nation.Thomas Paine 1739-18091）“Great Commoner of Mankind”(人类最平凡的人）&Pamphleteer(小册作家)2）1772, he wrote his 1st pamphlet“The case of the Officers of the Excise”1774, Franklin给他写推荐信“an ingenious wort hy young man”He is a political satirist of genius(政治讽刺的天才)3）1776.1.10 His famous pamphlet“Common Sense”appeared, 署名by an Englishman(书中大胆拥护独立宣言各主张，因此成了美国独立革命思想的代言人)4）1776-1783，“American Crisis”signed“Com mon Sense”在部队被广泛传阅鼓舞士气5）1791-1792，“Rights of Man”6）在法国因反对路易十六和恐怖统治入狱，1793-1 795，“The Age of Reason”a deistic treatise a dvocating a rationalistic view of religion.（注重宗教观念的理性）7）最后一部作品“Agrarian Justice”Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826美国历史上最为广泛影响的人物，同Franklin一样具人道主义精神1）1776，with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R Livingston, hedrafted the Declaration of Independence. 2）1800起担任两届美国总统，建立the Library of Congress，1819创建the university of Virginia 并担任第一任校长Philip Freneau1）The most outstanding writter of the Post-Revolutionary period. Double role as poet an d political journalist.2）1770，“The Power of Fancy”因出版有关讽刺英国人作品而被认可3）1776，“The House of Night”（the Gothic mood）F·L·帕蒂称它为“the 1st distinctly romant ic note heard in America”and“The Beauties of Santa Cruz”4）1781，“The British Prison Ship”5）1786，他的早期作品被收录在“The Poems of Philip Freneau Written Chiefly During the Lat e War”6）1788，“Miscellaneous Works”.1791，with Jefferson’s support“National Gaz ette”campaigned against the opinions of the“Gazette of the United States”7）教材作品“The Wild Honey Suckle”“The In dian Burying Ground”“To a Caty-Did”The Literature of Romanticism1）1828年Andrew Jackson as the 7th Presiden t of the United States标志Virginia王朝的结束1 861年开始Civil War.’[[[‘2）美国早期的主要文学形式，被长篇、短篇故事和诗歌所取代novels, short stories, and poems re placed sermons and manifestos as America’s principal literary forms.Washington Irving 1783-18591）He was the 1st great prose stylist of Amer ican romanticism familiar style.第一位浪漫主义散文文体作家，大众化风格2）He was the 1st great belletrist, writing alw ays for pleasure, and to produce pleasure.第一个不折不扣的纯文学作家，他写作只是为了快乐和创造快乐3）1819-1820，His“Sketch Book”appeared t he 1st modern short stories and the 1st great American juvenile literature to write good hi story and biography as literary entertainment.第一部《见闻札记》是现代文学史上的第一部短篇小说，也是美国第一部伟大的青少年文学读物，他把历史与传说当作娱乐形式来写。
西南大学网络教育0171美国文学史及选读期末考试复习题及参考答案
0171美国文学史及选读1、艾伦坡（Edgar Allan Poe）的小说表现出怎样的艺术特征？答：作品主题爱伦·坡的恐怖小说带有浪漫主义的特色。
纵观爱伦·坡的恐怖小说创作，其故事主题大都“揭示了人类意识及潜意识中的阴暗面”，这一点显然迥异于同时代的其他浪漫主义作家。
爱伦·坡以恐怖小说这样一种特殊的文学形式深入刻画与呈现了非现实状态下人的精神状态和心理特征，试图“以非现实、非理性的表达方式来揭示现代人的精神因顿”。
他借助想象奇特、恐怖怪异的故事情节，通过夸张、隐喻和象征等修辞手段表现人性的危机，激起读者浓厚阅读兴趣的同时，震撼心灵，发人深省。
爱伦·坡的创作原则是其“效果说”理论，他选择“死亡”作为其文学创作的主题是由他的这个创作原则决定的。
坡认为，无论是创作诗歌还是小说，作家必须讲究效果的统一，必须时刻想到预定的结局，要使每一个情节变得必不可少。
他在《评霍桑的“故事重述”》中曾经这样阐述自己的创作原则：“聪明的艺术家不是将自己的思想纳入他的情节，而是事先精心策划，想出某种独特的、与众不同的效果，然后再杜撰出这样一些情节——他把这些情节联结起来，而他所做的一切都将最大限度地有利于实现在预先构思的效果”。
使“每一事件，每一描写细节，甚至一字一句都收到一定的统一效果，一个预想的效果，印象主义的效果”。
他强调作品对读者所能唤起的情绪和产生的效果。
在“创作的哲学”中，他认为，故事的首要目的是要在情感上扣住读者的心弦，产生最激动人心的效果。
死亡主题是通过谨严紧凑的结构和作品的简洁而表现的。
爱伦坡的作品形式精美，技巧圆熟。
爱伦坡在《评霍桑的“故事重述”》里，强调了作品的简洁和统一效果。
在写作中，他还平萍理留情节和结构的高度简洁，小说中通常只有两个，最多三个人物，也没有离题的枝节和无关的装饰品。
在他看来，一位技巧高明的文学家在写作之前，必须成竹在胸，深思熟虑，为实现预期效果而选择和组织情节，并且不应该有一个词的意向直接或间接与预先的构思无关。
吴伟仁《美国文学史及选读》章节题库(含考研真题)(理性时代和革命时期文学)【圣才出品】
第二章理性时代和革命时期文学填空题1. In Philadelphia, ______ edited the Pennsylvania Magazine, and contributed to the Pennsylvania Journal.【答案】Thomas Paine2. On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine’s famous pamphlet ______ appeared.【答案】Common Sense【解析】1776年美国独立的风潮开始，托马斯·潘恩支持美国独立，反对英国的殖民专政，撰写了他的成名小册子《常识》，为美国从英国殖民中独立出来辩论，批评英国国王残暴无能，认为独立后的美国应该建立共和国。
3. Except Common Sense, Paine’s the other two famous works were______ and ______.【答案】The Rights of Man，The Age of Reason【解析】潘恩著名的作品包括，《常识》、《人的权利》、《理性的时代》。
4. Thomas Paine’s second most important work ______ was an impassioned plea against hereditary monarchy.【答案】The Rights of Man【解析】1791年3月，托马斯·潘恩在伦敦出版《人权论》，激烈抨击埃德蒙·伯克（Edmund Burke，1729-1797）的《法国革命感言录》（Reflections on the Revolution in France）（1790）。
《人权论》的可贵之处还在于，它冲破了当时笼罩于整个西方思想界对英国君主立宪政体的迷信，深入骨髓地批判了这一政体，给当时还处于摸索状态的法国革命指明了共和主义的崭新方向。
美国文学史及选读试卷
Multiple Choice (1’×15=1515=15’’) 1.______was the first colony in American history. A. Massachusetts B. New Jersey C. Virginia D.Georgia 2. ______ was the only good American author before the Revolutionary War. One of his fellow Americans said, ’s on “His shadow lies heavier than any other manthis young nation.”ArrayA. John Smith B. Benjamin Franklin C. Thomas Jefferson D.Thomas Paine 3. Romantics put emphasis on the following EXCEPT ______. A. common sense B. imagination C. intuition D. individualism 4. The Raven was written in 1844 by ________ A. Philip Freneau B. Edgar Allan Poe C. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow D. Emily Dickinson 5. The ship ______ carried about one hundred Pilgrims and took 66 days to beat its way across the Atlantic. In December of 1620, it put the Pilgrims ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts. A. Sunflower B. Armada C. Mayflower D. Titanic 6. Melville’s novel ______ is a tremendous chronicle of a whaling voyage inpursuit of a seemingly supernatural white whale. A. Typee B. Omoo C. White Jacket D. Moby Dick 7. As a philosophical and literary movement, ______ flourished in New England from the 1830s to the Civil War. A.Modernism B.Rationalism C.Sentimentalism D.Transcendentalism 8. The theme of original sin is fully reflected in _________. A. The Scarlet Letter B. Sister Carrie C. The Great Gatsby D. The Old Man and Sea 9. In all his novels Theodore Dreiser sets himself to project the ______ American values. For examplSister Carrie, there is not one character whose status is not determined economically. A. Puritan B. materialistic C. psychological D. religious 10. Realism was a reaction against______ or a move away from the bias towards romance and self-creafictions, and paved the way to Modernism. A. Rationalism B. Romanticism C. Neoclassicism D. Enlightenment 11. ________ was a poet in American modern period who was deeply influence by eastern culture. A. T. S Eliot B. Robert Frost C. Ezra Pound D. Walt Whitman 12. Which of the following statements about Emily Dickinson is NOT true? A. After 1862 she became a total recluse, not leaving her house nor seeing close friends. B. She once felt a deep affection for Charles Wadsworth, a married aged minister, but it proved to be a frus love affair for Dickinson. C. She wrote about death, immortality, nature, success and failure. D. During her lifetime, all her poems are published. 13. The realistic period is referred to as “the Gilded Age ” by _______. A. Mark Twain B. Henry James C. Emily Dickinson D. Theodore Dreiser 14. Which of the following works is NOT by Ernest Hemingway? A. The Old Man and Sea B. A Farewell to Arms C. Sound and Fury D. For Whom the Bell Tolls 15. Which one is NOT the characteristic of modernism? A. Modernism in literature is characterized by experimentation, a nti-realism, anti-realism, anti-realism, individualism individualism individualism and a stress and a stress on the cerebral rather than emotive aspects. B. Modernism is greatly influenced by the two world wars. C. C. The The The work work work of of of Marx, Marx, Marx, and and and Freud, Freud, Freud, had had had mounted mounted mounted an an an assault assault assault against against against orthodox orthodox orthodox religious religious religious faith faith faith that that that lasted lasted lasted into into into the the twentieth century. D. Modernists believe that human nature is kind. I. Match the Column A with Column B (1’×10=1010=10’’) Column A Column B ( ) 1. Dimmesdale a. Robert Frost ( ) 2. Ahab b. Mark Twain ( ) 3. Drouet c. The Scarlet Letter ( ) 4. Pulitzer Prizer d. Thomas Jefferson ( ) 5. Reclusive poet e. Moby Dick ( ) 6. humorist and satirist f. Ernest Heminway ( ) 7. The Decalration of Indepenence g. Henry David Thoreau ( ) 8. transcendentalist h. Emily Dickinson ( ) 9. The Great Gatsby i. Sister Carrie ( ) 10. The Lost Generation j. F. Scott Fitzgerald II. Define the following words within one phrase (2(2’’×5=105=10’’) 1. free verse 2. Ralph Waldo Emerson 3. Mark Twain 4. Benjamin Franklin 5. Ezra Pound III. Simple questions (5’×4=204=20’’) 1. What are Puritan thoughts? 2. What is Transcedentalism and list some representative figures? 3. Explain the symbolic meanings of “A ” in The Scarlet Letter. 4. Illustrate the three principles of Imagist Poetry. IV . Interpreting the following texts (45’) Text 1 When a girl leaves her home at eighteen, she does one of two things. Either she falls into s hands hands and and and becomes becomes becomes better, better, better, or or or she she she rapidly rapidly rapidly assumes assumes assumes the the the cosmopolitan cosmopolitan cosmopolitan standard standard standard of of of virtue virtue virtue and and and becomes becomes worse. worse. Of Of Of an an an intermediate intermediate intermediate balance, balance, balance, under under under the the the circumstances, circumstances, circumstances, there there there is is is no no no possibility. possibility. possibility. The The The city city city has has has its its cunning wiles, no less than the infinitely smaller and more human tempter. There are large forces w allure allure with with with all all all the the the soulfulness soulfulness soulfulness of of of expression expression expression possible possible possible in in in the the the most most most cultured cultured cultured human. human. human. The The The gleam gleam gleam of of of a a thousand thousand lights lights lights is is is often often often as as as effective effective effective as as as the the the persuasive persuasive persuasive light light light in in in a a a wooing wooing wooing and and and fascinating fascinating fascinating eye. eye. eye. Half Half Half the the undoing of the unsophisticated and natural mind is accomplished by forces wholly superhuman. A bl of sound, a roar of life, a vast array of human hives, appeal to the astonished senses in equivocal Without a counsellor at hand to whisper cautious interpretations, what falsehoods may not these thi breathe breathe into into into the the the unguarded unguarded unguarded ear! ear! ear! Unrecognised Unrecognised Unrecognised for for for what what what they they they are, are, are, their their their beauty, beauty, beauty, like like like music, music, music, too too too often often relaxes, then weakens, then perverts the simpler human perceptions. Questions 1. Please use one phrase to summarize the above paragraph (2’) 2. What are the two possibilities for a girl of eighteen leaving her home?(2’) 3. Please find out the figures of speech (2’) 4. What are the attractive forces mentioned in a big city? (4’) 5. How are naturalist views are reflected in this paragraph? Illustrate your points with examples (5’) Text 2 Because I could not stop for Death –He kindly stopped for me -- The Carriage held but just Ourselves -- And Immortality. We slowly drove -- He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility –We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess -- in the Ring -- We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain -- We passed the Setting Sun –…Since then -- 'tis Centuries -- and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity –Questions: 1.Identify the poet and the title of this poem? (2’) 2.Explain the underlined words (4’) “the School”, “the fields of Gazing Grain”, “the Setting Sun”? (3’) 3.What are the implications of 4.How do you understand “Since then -- 'tis Centuries -- and yet / Feels shorter than the Day” ? (3’) 5.What are the speaker’s opinions about death? (3’) Text 3 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Questions: ’) 1.Please examine the poetic form (rhyme and meter) (2’) 2.Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take? (33.How do you understand the word “sigh”? (4’) 4.What might the two roads stand for in the speaker’s mind? (4’) ’) 5.What is the theme of this poem? (2V.Interpreting the following texts (45’) Text 1 ’) 1. Please use one phrase to summarize the above paragraph (2’) 2. What are the two possibilities for a girl of eighteen leaving her home?(2’) 3. Please find out the figures of speech (2’) 4. What are the attractive forces mentioned in a big city? (4’) 5. How are naturalist views are reflected in this paragraph? Illustrate your points with examples (5Text 2 1. Identify the poet and the title of this poem? (2’) ’) 2. Explain the underlined words (4“the School”, “the fields of Gazing Grain”, “the Setting Sun”? (3’) 3. What are the implications of “Since then -- 'tis Centuries -- and yet / Feels shorter than the Day” ? (3’) 4. How do you understand 5. What are the speaker’s opinions about death? (3’) Text 3 ’) V.Please examine the poetic form (rhyme and meter) (2VI. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take? (3’) VII. How do you understand the word “sigh ”? (4’) VIII. What might the two roads stand for in the speaker ’s mind? (4’) IX. What is the theme of this poem? (2’) 参考答案参考答案I. Multiple Choice (1’×15=1515=15’’) 1. _C___ 2._B__ 3.__A__ 4.__B__ 5.__C___ 6.__D_ 7.__D__ 8._A__ 9.__B__ 10.__B___ 11._C__ 12.__D__ 13._A_ 14._C __ 15._D__ II. Match the Column A with Column B (1’×10=1010=10’’) 1.( c ) 2.( e ) 3.( i ) 4.( a ) 5.( h ) 6.( b ) 7.( d ) 8.( g ) 9.(j ) 10.( f ) III. Define the following words within one phrase (2’×5=105=10’’) (Any related information can be given marks) 1. poetry without a fived beat or regular rhyme scheme, produced by Walt Whitman 2. 2. is is is the the the representative representative of of transcedentalists, transcedentalists, who who believes believes in in individualism individualism and and self-reliance self-reliance and and brings brings transcedentalism to New England 3．is a humorist and satirist, who uses broad humor and biting social satire 4．is one of Thoreau’s masterpieces, which is the result of the author ’s two years of living near Walden lake. 5. 5. is is is regarded regarded regarded as as as the the the classical classical classical poem poem poem of of of imagist imagist imagist poetry poetry poetry by by by Ezra Ezra Ezra Pound, Pound, Pound, conveying conveying conveying the the the theme theme theme of of of the the the speaker speaker speaker’’s sudden pleasure of finding some beautiful faces in the subway IV . Simple Questions (5’×4=204=20’’) (Answers should be to the points. 1 score for time, 2 scores for features anscore for representative figures when defining the literary terms) a) Puritan thoughts: to make pure their religious beliefs and practices, to restore simplicity, to live a harddisciplined life and oppose pleasure and arts. b) Transcendentalism is the climax of American Romanticism. First, the Transcendentalist placed emphasis on spirit, or the oversoul, as the most important thing in the universe. Secondly, Transcendentalists stressed the importance of the individual. Thirdly, the Transcendentalists offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the spirit. 3. a. The letter ’s meaning shifts as time passes. Originally intended to mark Hester as an adulterer, the “A ” eventually comes to stand for “Able ” or “Angel Angel””. b. Besides Hester, Dimmesdale also ironed the letter A on his body, which provoked his self-consciousness and showed his repent for what he did. c. Pearl, their baby, wore a green letter a in a piece of seaweed while playing on the beach. This green letter A symbolizes vitality or new life, and also suggests her inheritance from her mother. 4. a. direct treatment of the “thing thing””（no fuss, frill, or ornament ）, b. exclusion of superfluous words （precision and economy of expression ）, c. the rhythm of the musical phrase rather than the sequence of a metronome （free verse form and music ）. V . Interpreting the following texts (45’) Text 1 1. The attraction of big city (2’) 2. One is to fall into the saving hands and becomes better; secondly, she may admit the ’) moral value of big city and becomes worse. (2’) 3. Simile, metaphor and synecdoche (24. The gleam of lights, a blare of sound, a roar of life, and a vast array of human hives (4’) 5. Naturalist attempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness, presenting characters of low social economic classes who were dominated by their environment and heredity. In this novel, the major fem character Carrie Meeber is deeply influenced by the present environment and heredity, which leads to result of her dynamic character.(5’) (the features of naturalism 3 scores, examples 2 scores) Text 2 ”(2(2’’) 1. Emily Dickinson and “Because I Could not Stop for Death2. He: death; civility: politeness; Recess: break Surmised: guessed (4’) 3. They represent three stages of life. The school is the childhood and young age; the fields of gazing grain ’s life. (3’) to the mature period and the setting sun the old age, that is the end of one’) 4. Because this day is towards death, immortal and eternal (35. Death is immortality (3’) Text 3 ’) 1. It is written in iambic tetrameter and rhymed abaab.(22. Similarities: both of the roads are beautiful (fair) Differences: one is quiet and grassy, less-traveled; the other is trodden by many people and flat ’) He took the less-travelled road (3is a tricky word. Because sigh can be interpreted into nostalgic relief or regret. If it is 3. The word “sigh”is a tricky word. Because sigh can be interpreted into nostalgic relief or regret. If it i relief sigh, then the difference means the speaker feels glad with the road he took. If it is the regret sig the difference would not be good, and the speaker would be sighing in regret. Hence, sigh is ambigous’) for the speaker is not showing whether his choice is right or wrong. (44. The real road; the life road and the road in career (4’) 5.Choice is inevitable but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it. This is altheme of the poem. (2’) 。
美国文学史及选读
• 13.The National Day for Americans is ……？
• July 4th 1775 • June 4th 1775 • July 4th 1776 • June 4th 1776
• July 4th 1776
▪ 14.An important document was announced on that day. It is ……？
▪ 11.How did “ Thanksgiving Day” come into being?
▪ To memorize the helps given by Indianans.
The Last of the Mohicans
▪ 12.New England were ……？
▪ In the Southeast. Northwest. Northeast. Southwest.
• 16.The spirit highlighted in the Declaration of Independence is ?
• We hold these truths 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 Happiness
▪ 21.The full name of MIT ? ▪ Massachusetts Institute of Technology
美国文学史概述及选读复习资料
美国文学史American Literature in the colonical and Revolutionary:Franklin(本杰明.富兰克林)Freneau 菲利普·费瑞诺Benjamin Franklin(本杰明.富兰克林)1)"Poor Richard's Almanac" 穷人查理德的年鉴(以笔名Richard Sunders)2)“annual collection of proverbs “流行谚语集 (It soon became the mostpopular book of its kind, largely because of Franklin's shrewd humor, and first spread his reputation)3)The Way to Wealth (Father Abraham’s Sermon)致富之道(as the “perface to PoorRichard Improved)4)The Autobiography自传 (18世纪美国唯一流传至今的自传)5)Founded the Junto, a club for informal discussion of scientific, economic andpolitical ideas. 建立了一个秘密俱乐部，讨论的主题是政治、经济和科学等时事方面的问题.6)established America's first circulating library, founded thecollege--University of Pennsylvania. 建立了美国第一个可租借的图书馆，还创办了一所大学——就是现在的宾夕法尼亚大学.7)first applied the terms "positive" and "negative" to electrical charges.8)Writer,printer,publisher,scientist,philanthropist,and diplomat,he was themost famous and respected private figure of his time.The Rising Glory of America蒸蒸日上的美洲；The British Prison Ship英国囚船；To the Memory of the Brave Americans纪念美国勇士-----同类诗中最佳；The Wild Honeysuckle野生的金银花；The Indian Burying Ground印第安人殡葬地(1)poet and political journalist 诗人和政治方面的新闻记者(2)perhaps the most outstanding writer of the post-revolutionary period.(3)has been called the "Father of American Poetry" 美国诗歌之父(4)Imaginative and melancholy treatment of nature and human life,and sharp satire against the British tyranny19th Century American LiteratureWashington Irving(华盛顿.欧文)1．James Fenimore Cooper(詹姆斯.芬尼莫.库珀)2．Nathaniel Hawthorne(纳萨尼尔.霍桑)3．Edgar Allan Poe （埃德加.阿伦.坡）4．Henry Daived Thoreau(亨利.戴维.梭罗)5．Herman Melville(赫尔曼.麦尔维尔)6．Walt Whiteman(沃尔特.惠特曼)The Rise of American RomanticismOne of the most important periods in the history of American literature, stretches from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil War(1861-65).It started with the publication of Washington Irving's e The h Sketch Book(1820) and ended with Whitman's s Leaves f of Grass(1855)..Romanticism的特点：frequently shared certain general characteristics, moralenthusiam, faith in the value of individualism andintuitive perception, and a presumption that he naturalworld was a source of corruption.浪漫主义之间大多是相通的，都注重道德，强调个人主义价值观和直觉感受，并且认为自然是美的源头，人类社会是腐败之源。
美国文学史及选读期末复习
美国文学史及选读期末复习.美国文学史复习1（colonialism)第一部分殖民主义时期的文学一、时期综述1、清教徒采用的文学体裁：a、narratives 日记b、journals 游记2、清教徒在美国的写作容：1）their voyage to the new land2) Adapting themselves to unfamiliar climates and crops3) About dealing with Indians4) Guide to the new land, endless bounty, invitation to bold spirit3、清教徒的思想：1）puritan want to make up pure their religious beliefs and practices 净化信仰和行为方式2) Wish to restore simplicity to church and the authority of the Bible to the theology. 重建教堂，提供简单服务，建立神圣地位3）look upon themselves as chosen people, and it follow logically that anyone whochallenged their way of life is opposing God's will and is not to be accepted. 认为自己是上帝选民，对他们的生活有异议就是反对上帝4）puritan opposition to pleasure and the arts sometimes has been exaggerated. 反对对快乐和艺术的追求到了十分荒唐的地步5）religious teaching tended to emphasize the image of a wrathful God.强调上帝严厉的一面，忽视上帝仁慈的一面。
美国文学史及选读期末复习题
1.Captain John Smith became the first American writer。
2.The puritans looked upon themselves asa chosen people。
is an annual collection of proverbs written by Benjamin Franklin。
4.Thomas Paine’s famousboldly advo cated a “Declaration for Independence”.5.Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence with John Adams，Benjamin Franklin，Roger Sherman，and Robert Livingston。
has been called the “Father of American Poetry”。
7.In Washington Irving'sappeared the first modern short stories and the first great American juvenile literature。
8.Cooper’s enduring fame rests on hisWilliam Cullen Bryant’s wok.is considered “father of American detective stories and American gothic stories”。
10.Emerson believed above all inand self-reliance.11.12.Moby Dick is a tremendous chronicle of a whaling voyage in pursuit of a seemingly supernatural white whale。
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Washington IrvingBracebridge Hall布雷斯布里奇田庄(1822)The Legend of Sleepy HollowTales of a Traveller旅客谈(1824)Christopher Columbus (1828)c. writing characteristics(1) humorous: the function of his writing is to amuse,to entertain instead of teaching or instruction(2) vivid and true character portrayal(3) finished (refined) and musical language, thusregarded as “the Amn. Goldsmith”d. analysis on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow(选自thesketch book见闻札记)1. the story:setting,character, plot2. theme:conflicts and praiseconflict betw. Ichabod and Bromconflict betw. the village and the outside world James Fenimore CooperThe Spy (1821): a historical novelThe Pilot (1824): a sea novelLeatherstocking Tales皮裹腿故事集(1823-1841):frontier novelsThe Last Mohicans(1826) (Colonial War betw.Britain and France)e. writing features:strong points: we can see a variety of incidents andtensions, complicated plot and structure and abeautiful description of nature.Weak points: characterization is weak. There isunsatisfactory description of characters (esp. female).He is not free from syntactical awkwardness,heavy-handed attempt at humor. “Where Irvingexcels Cooper is weak.”Dialect is not authentic. Edgar Allan PoeThe Fall of the House UsherFeature:i. brevity (15 pages)ii. Single effectiii. originality in themeTo HelenIt was inspired by the beauty of the mother of aschoolmate of Poe in Richmond, Virginia.The poem is famous for a number of things:1. its rhyme scheme: ababb2. its varied line lengths3. its metaphor of a travel on the sea4. its oft-quoted lines:"To the glory that was Greece,/And the grandeur thatwas Rome."theme: praise the ideal love and beauty and ancientGreek and Roman civilizationsThe Raven乌鸦theme: the lament over the death of a beautifulwomantone: melancholyTranscendentalism (essayists, poets, novelists)Their journal is “The Dial”.Definition: Transcendentalism is idealism. (Emerson)b. features(1) stress on Oversoul, that is spirit.(2) stress the importance of individual.(3) fresh conception of nature.c. significance(1) inspired a whole generation of writers such asWhitman, Melville and Dickinson.(2) dresses man’s subjective initiative as opposed tomaterialism.(3) liberated people from Calvin’s original sind. limitation(1) shallow: cut off from real life or reality; initiatedby the rich, they were limited in a certain circle. So,in some degree, they have been cut off from sociallife and can’t understand the sufferings of thecommon people.(2) inward contradiction: gain knowledge byintuition, shows its idealistic aspect.R.W. Emerson (Ralph Waldo)Nature(1836): the Bible of NewEngland transcendentalismThe American Scholar(1837): "America's Declaration of IntellectualThe Divinity School Address神学院致辞(1838)Essays (1841/1847)Representative Men (1850)English Traits (1856)Poems (1847)d. significance(1) He embodied a new nation’s desireand struggle to assert its own identity inits formative period.(2) his stress on individualismLimitation:self-centered, individualHis ideas influence a lot of writers suchas Dikinson, Hawthorne and Whitman.Henry David ThoreauA Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers康考德和梅里马克河上的一周(1849)Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854)Civil Disobedience不服从论(1849, an address)c. Waldenmain ideas:(1)on self-cultivation and human perfectibility,elevated from Puritan original sin, believe in innervirtue and inwardly grace(2) criticism on civilization and capitalism(3) only truth and knowledge can’t be taken away,trust in future and in manStyle: pithy (colloquial sayings), vivid description, symbols and imagesNathaniel HawthorneTwice-Told Tales (1837): a collection of short storiesMosses from an Old Manse古屋青苔(1846): anothercollection of short storiesThe House of the Seven Gables七个尖角的阁楼(1851): on the effect of a curseThe Scarlet Letter (1850): masterpieceIt ’s not a love story, trying to show the moral,emotional and psychological effects of sin on hischaracters.“A”: Adultery-Able-Angel“A” on chest: sinner, confessed, d ied, shows anhonest manMoral: man should be true and honest and ready toshow one’s worst to the world（批评与自我批评）Herman MelvilleTypee (《泰比》1846)Omoo (《奥穆》1847)Mardi (《马尔迪》1847)这三部作品描写塔希提群岛和马吉萨斯群岛以及他在岛上的奇遇。
Redburn (《莱德勃恩》1849)：描写了他的第一次航海经验以及在利物浦港贫民窟的见闻。
White Jacket(《白外套》1850)：根据他在美国海军军舰上服役时期的生活体验写成。
Pierre (《皮埃尔》1852)Israel Potter(《伊斯莱尔·波特》1855): historicalnovelPiazza Tales (《广场故事》1856): a collection of shortstoryMoby Dick (《白鲸》1851): masterpiece(1) a whaling book: an encyclopedia ofwhaling/description of a whaler’s life(2) a tragedy about man fighting against universe(hostile)Man in this universe lives a meaninglessand futile life, meaningless because futile.Man can observe and even manipulate in a prudentway, but he cannot influence and overcome nature atits source.(3) alienation异化:between man and manbetween man and society (ship)between man and natureAhab is the best representative.To him the world exists for his sake. His selfhoodmust be asserted at the expense of all else: lives maybe sacrificed, and nature may have to be vanquishedin order that he may do what he wills.Richard Chase says: the idea Melville conveys in it is"death---spiritual, emotional, physical".(5) theme: quest(6) symbolismthe voyage: a metaphor for "search and discovery,the search for the ultimate truth of experience".the Pequod皮阔德: the ship of the American soulthe endeavor of the crews: "the maniacal fanaticismof our white mental consciousness"Moby Dick: (many interpretations) the symbol ofnatureW. C. Bryantthe analysis on To a Waterfowl致水鸟It is the "most perfect brief poem in the language".(Matthew Arnold)It is a poem of nature in quatrains rhyming in abab.theme: from a bird and its flight to an ordinaryperson and his course of life, this poem conveys thateverything in nature is under the beneficence andprotection of the Power.Henry Wadsworth LongfellowTheme: idealized love, children, family and friendshipA Psalm of LifeThe poem is divided into 9 stanzas, each composedof two iambic tetrameter lines and two trochaictrimeter lines rhyming abab.The first two stanzas refute the pessimism that life isbut a dream, affirming the contrary that life is real.The following stanzas urge the reader to act in thepresent and to leave "footprints" as great people didin order to inspire the followers.The last stanza ends with a resounding note whileadmonishing people to learn to wait as well as tolabor.Realism（the 19th-century literary movement that reacted to romanticism by insisting on a faithful, objective presentation of the details of everyday life.）features:☐i.objective description (concern for the commonplace/the low)☐ii. criticism of society and reality, exposing and criticizing the society; the writers’ dissatisfaction; nolonger eulogize human glority☐iii. verisimilitude逼真性(true to details)☐iv. influenced by bourgeois’ 中产阶级democratic ideas (not overthrow but reform, changes)☐v. reformative: to reform the society, not to change completely☐features: Naturalism（A post-Darwinian movement of the late 19th century that tried to apply the"laws" of scientific determinism to fiction.）is atheory which applied scientific concepts andmethods to such problems as plot development andcharacterisation.☐Comparison between Realism and Naturalism:☐Realism.☐i. objective☐ii. creation of types☐iii. influenced by British Rom. works with hope☐Naturalism☐i. scientific accuracy☐ii. collect material from their lives☐iii.against this, hopeless/gloomy picture of thesocietyWalt WhitmanLeaves of Grass《草叶集》,(1) themes☐i. unity of all man and of man within universe☐ii. equality of all man☐iii. cycle of life and death☐iv. enthusiastic idea toward Westward Expansion☐v. brotherhoodd. Song of Myself自我之歌☐(1) influence of Transcendentalism: praise of individualism☐(2) cycle of life and death☐(3) ideal of democracy: equality between different races and brotherhoodEmily DickinsonA Bird came down the walkI died for Beauty---but was ScarceI Heard a Fly buzz---when I died---Because I could not stop for Death-H.B. StoweUncle Tom's Cabin (1851): masterpiecesignificance:☐ 1.intensified and strengthened abolitionist sentiment;☐ 2. gave a better balanced, more specific picture of plantation life;☐ 3. praised the merits of slaves and showed great sympathy for themHenry James☐The American(1877): begins with international theme☐Daisy Miller(1878): brings the author first international fame☐The Wings of the Dove (1902)☐The Ambassadors (1903)☐The Golden Bowl (1904)☐The Portrait of A Lady贵妇画像:masterpiece☐It tells about the fate of one of those splendid Jamesian American girls, Isabel Archer, arriving inEurope, full of hope, and with a will to live a freeand noble life, only to fail prey to the sinister designsof two vulgar and unscrupulous expatriates, MadamMerle and Gilbert OsmondInternational theme国际主题:☐the meeting of America and Europe; American innocence in contact and contrast with Europeandecadence and the moral and psychologicalcomplications arising therefrom; for the American itwas a process of progression from inexperience toexperience, from innocence to knowledge andmaturity. Those American heroes or heroins whoconfronting European sophistication, eithertriumphed over it or were overwhelmed.Mark Twain☐The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Count卡拉维拉斯县有名的跳蛙(1865):a short story ☐The Innocents Abroad国外的无辜者(1869): letters on his travelling in Europe and Near East☐Roughing It苦行记(1872): on his experience in the western America☐The Gilded Age (1873): his first novel, collaborated with Charles Dudley Warner☐The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)☐The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn哈克贝利·费恩历险记(1884): masterpiece☐Life on the Mississippi (1883)☐ A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court误闯亚瑟王宫(1889)☐The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg败坏了哈德莱堡的人(1900)☐The Mysterious Stranger (1916)e. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer☐ 1. It is "a boy's book" which sets 20 years before Civil War.☐ 2. themes:☐1)picaresque以流浪汉和无赖为题材的(adventure story)☐2) moral growth of Tom☐ 3. techniques: verisimilitude, humor, colloquial style Deadpan（铁面幽默）: oral humor/the teller has a strict face but the listeners are laughing.Language: dialects as forms of artJack London☐The People of the Abyss深渊居民(1903): about London's slum☐The Iron Heel铁蹄(1908): the first proletarian criterion novel which envisages the development offascism☐The Call of the Wild野性的呼唤(1903): the most widely read book☐The Sea Wolf 海狼(1904)☐These two novels reflect the ideas of the law of survival and the will to power☐Martin Eden马丁伊登(1909): a reflection of the contradiction between these competeing beliefsc. Martin Eden--theme:the failure of American Dream.After he realized his dream of getting into the upper class, he also realized the emptiness of it and committed suicide.☐"This is a book that missed fire with a majority of the critics. Written as an indictment of individualism, itwas accepted as an indictment of socialism; writtento show that man cannot live for himself alone, itwas accepted as a demonstration that success madefor death. Had Martin Eden been a socialist he wouldnot have died."☐Consciously London meant the novel to show that only a belief in the people, only the devotion of one'slife to a cause greater than onself, could give life anyreal meaning.T. Dreisser西奥多·德莱塞☐Sister Carrie 嘉莉妹妹(1900): the first novel, masterwork☐Jannie Gerhardt (1911)☐The Fanancier (1912)☐The Titan (1914)☐The Stoic (1947)☐The Genius (1915)☐An American Tragedy美国悲剧(1925)☐Dreiser Looks at Russia (1928)c. Sister Carrie☐theme:the emptiness of Ameircan Dream☐i. jungle law☐Famous actress bank manager(the unfit is bound to die) <——☐Country girl (able to follow her instinct) commit suicide☐ii. chance and luck☐iii. criticism of American values: money and sex —the standards to see if a person is successful ☐iv. concern for the poorJazz Age:the Jazz Age lasted from 1919-1929, the decade enjoyed economic prosperity. The war and economic boom encouraged a breaking with the tradition (Puritanism). People upheld the value of money-making and pleasure-seeking.Ezra Pound埃兹拉·庞德Imagism意象派⏹Pound became the most important figure. Imagistpoetry reached the peak of literature for three thingsappeared:⏹i. a manifesto⏹ii. three principles⏹iii. a lot of writings⏹Pound said, an image is "that which presents anintellectual and emotional complex in an instant oftime."In a Station of the Metro在地铁车站⏹ 1. This is the much-quoted masterpiece of Pound anda representative of the Imagist poetry.⏹ 2. In form, the poem is similar to the Japanese haiku,a two-line couplet with rhymes. Pound's poemreminds the Chinese of two lines by a Tang poet, BaiJuyi. When describing the sad yet beautiful face ofYang Huifei, a Tang emperess, the poet wrote,⏹The beautiful face, lonesome with tears;⏹ A pear branch, radiant with rain.⏹ 3. The poem is a representative of Imagist poems inthat the image of petals on a wet, black bough bestrepresents the picture of those lovely faces in thecrowd and that the image is dominant in thepoem---the image itself is the poem.T.S. Eliotpoetry:⏹Prufrock and Other Observations (1917)⏹Poems (1920)⏹The Waste Land (1922)⏹The Hollow Men (1925)⏹Ash Wednesday (1930)⏹Four Quartets (1943)plays:⏹Sweeney Agonistes (1932)⏹Murder in the Cathedral (1935)⏹The Cocktail Party (1950)⏹The Confidential Clerk (1954)critical essays:⏹The Sacred Wood (1920)⏹For Lancelot Andrews (1928)⏹The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism (1933)⏹After Strange Gods (1934)⏹On Poetry and Poets (1957)c. The Waste Land荒原⏹ 5 parts: The Burial of Dead, The Game of Chess, TheFire Sermon, Death by Water, What the ThunderSaid⏹chief characteristics⏹ 1. quotations and allusions暗示⏹ 2. objective correlative⏹ 3. juxtaposition并列: mingle brand image withcommon image⏹ 4. use of antiquity古风The Love Song⏹"Prufrock" is not the image of one unlucky modernman; instead, he represents many other modernwesterners who are "divided between passion andtimidity, between desire and impotence".4. theme⏹This poem reflects the decadent modern civilizationand the nightmarish inferno in which modernWesterners are living in.5. techiniques⏹1) irony⏹2) striking images⏹3) the form of dramatic monologue⏹The poem is written in irregular lines, with but a fewrhymes.Robert Frostb. Characteristics⏹ 1. not in the main stream of modern poetry, but withconventional form and plain language. That’s whyhe’s the most popular poet in the 20th century.⏹ 2. a kind of a regionalist----New England, but notlocal colorism. He used New England as a metaphorfor the whole world and universe.⏹ 3. a plain poet using symbols from everyday countrylife. Simple symbols but express deep meanings.The Road Not Taken⏹ 1. The poem was written in very regular lines withiambic pentametre and rhyme scheme of abaab.⏹ 2. The symbolic meaning of the two divergent roadsis rather clear. They represent any importantdecisions in one's life.⏹ 3. details:Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening⏹ 1. It is a lyric poem with iambic tetrametre andinterlocking enclosed rhyme.⏹ 2. It represents a moment of relaxation from theonerous journey of life, an almost aestheticenjoyment and appreciation of natural beauty whichis wholesome and retorative against the chaoticexistence of modern man.The Lost Generation⏹ 1. term: It is a term in frequent use after WWI inreference to the young men who survived physicallybut were afterwards spiritually and morally adrift. Sothe lost generation refers to disillusioned writers whowrote after WWI. Many of them went to the battle.After the war, they rebelled against former ideals andvalues and can’t find new ones to replace.⏹ 2. It first coined by Gertrude Stein. In Paris, sheopens the door to American expatriates. She oncesaid to Hemingway, “You’re all a lost generation.”⏹ 3. It was used as preface to The Sun Also Rises. Thenit became popular. Fitzgerald once said they are “ageneration grown up to find all gods died, all warsfought, all faith in men shaken”.Ernest Hemingway⏹ 1.Hemingway theme/hero/situation. Theme: “graceunder pressure”2.nihilism: negative attitude towards the world. There is only one thing man is certain---death⏹ 3. devotion to truth. He believes the writer's job is totell truth.c. style⏹ 1.iceberg principle. The meaning here is that thewriter should say only one eighth, in such a way thatthe remaining seven eighths be discerned andprovided by the reader.⏹ nguage: short, common, fundamental words,simple sentence, structure.The effect of the language:clearness, cleanness and great care.⏹ 3.dialogue: plays a very important part in hiswritings. Hemingway’s dialogue can show setting,development of plot, characters, even theme.⏹ 4.cinematic way: he uses showing instead of telling.He likes to describes actions (kiss, withdraw hand)vividly instead of mental description.⏹ 5.symbolism⏹ e of stream of consciousnessd. A Farewell to Arms⏹ 1. If we say The Sun Also Rises tells why they lost,this novel describes how they lost. Thus it can beread as a footnote to the former.⏹ 2. the double meanings of the title⏹ 3. the hero Henry: Hemingway's hero⏹ 4. theme: war and love. It shows a world of completeunreason and reflects the mood of the post-wargeneration.F. Scott Fitzgeraldb. The Great Gatsby⏹Theme:⏹ 1. about reality and atmosphere of 1920s⏹ 2. failure of American Dreamc. attitude towards the rich: paradoxical⏹He is charmed by the rich.⏹He is critical of the rich who are corruptedthemselves and meanwhile corrupting others.d. attitude towards the Jazz Age: insider and outsider John Steinbeckb. The Grapes of Wrath愤怒的葡萄1. significance⏹1) it’s a great social document in 1930s.⏹2) A protest novel. In the novel, the author attacksthe decadence, wickedness and cruelty of banks andland owners and the current social system as awhole.⏹3) themes: unity and faithunity: Steinbeck believes that strength lies in the unity of people and he also stresses on individualism.faith: The Great Depression was the most miserable period in the 20th century. Even though people suffered a lot, they still held on their hope and will live on.2. characters:⏹Ma Joad (the mother): embodiment of the theme. Sheasked Rose to save the stranger.⏹1) she realized unity would bring people strength.⏹2) the faith in future⏹Tom: shows the change from I (individualism) to we(unity)⏹Jim Casy: a preacher he developed himself from alabor to an organizer and set up the guiding principleand after his death, Tom took over his role. Theinitial of his name: J.C.---Jesus ChristWilliam FaulknerSound and Fury: divided into 4 parts⏹ 1. themes:⏹a) downfall of the South. The south was indeterioration. It’s going from bad to worse. Thepresent and the past form a contrast from Benjy’seyes. He’s an idiot so his reactions were distinctivefeeling. He felt strongly the loss of love. Thedownfall of Mr. Campson was not only a personalone but also a universal one---the society was indisorder.⏹b) conflict between the old/young generationsA Rose For Emily。