《美国文学史及选读》考试题型及复习要点
美国文学史复习资料
美国文学史复习资料美国文学史复习（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内容：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 who challenged their way of life is opposing God's will and is not to be事的权利。
没有任何政治秩序和教会体制能够直接体现神本身的意旨。
6、英国最早移民到美国的诗人：Anne Bradstreet7、在殖民时期最好的清教徒诗人：the best of Puritan poets is Edward Tayor.学习指南：1、Could you give a description of American Puritans? 关于美国清教徒的描绘Like their brothers back in England, were idealists, believing that the church should be restored to the "purity" of the first-century church as established by Jesus Christ himself. To them religion was a matter of primary importance. They made it their chief business to see that man lived and thought and acted in a way which tended to the glory of God. They accepted the doctrine of predestination, original sin and total depravity, and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from God, all that John Calvin, the great French theologian who lived in Geneva had preached. It was thiskind of religious belief that they brought with them into the wildness. There they meaant to prove that were God's chosen people enjoying his blessings on this earth as in Heaven.2、Hard work, thrift, piety and sobriety were the Puritan values that dominated much of the earliest American writing.3、The work of two writers, Anne Bradstreet & Edward Taylor, rose to the level of real poetry.4、The earliest settlers included Dutch, Swedes, Germans, French, Spaniards Italian, and Portuguese.美国文学史复习2（reasoning and revolution) (2009-01-17 15:54:25)一、美国的性质：The war for Independence ended in the formation of a Federative bourgeois democratic republic - the United States of America. 联邦的资产阶级民主共和国--美利坚合众国。
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。
美国文学史及选读复习笔记（1-2册）
美国文学史及选读复习笔记（1-2册）History And Anthology of American Literature (V olumeⅠⅡ)美国文学史及选读1、2PartⅠThe Literature of Colonial America殖民主义时期的文学1. 17世纪早期English and European explorers开始登陆美洲。
在他们之前100多年Caribbean Islands, Mexico and other Parts of South America已被the Spanish占领。
2. 17th早期English settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts(弗吉尼亚和马萨诸塞)开始了美国历史3. 美国最早殖民者(earliest settlers)included Dutch ,Swedes ,Germans ,French ,Spaniards ,Italians and Portuguese (荷兰人，瑞典人，德国人，法国人，西班牙人，意大利人及葡萄牙人等)。
4. 美国早期文学主要为the narratives and journals of these settlements采用in diaries and in journals(日记和日志)，他们写关于the land with dense forests and deep-blue lakes and rich soil.5. 第一批美国永久居民：the first permanent English settlement in North America was established at Jamestown,Virginia in 1607(北美弗吉尼亚詹姆斯顿)。
6. 船长约翰?史密斯Captain John Smith他的作品(reports of exploration)17th 早期出版，被认为是美国第一部真正意义上的文学作品in the early 1600s,have been described as the first distinctly American literature written in English.他讲述了filled with themes, myths, images, scenes, character and events,吸引了朝圣者和清教徒前往lure the Pilgrims and the Puritans.7. 美国第一位作家：1608年Captain John Smith写了封信《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》“A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony”.8. 他的第二本书1612年《弗吉尼亚地图，附：一个乡村的描述》“A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country”.9. 他一共出版了八本书，其中有关于新英格兰的历史及描述。
吴伟仁《美国文学史及选读》(重排版)笔记和考研真题详解
20.1复习笔记 20.2考研真题与典型题详解
21.1复习笔记 21.2考研真题与典型题详解
22.1复习笔记 22.2考研真题与典型题详解
23.1复习笔记 23.2考研真题与典型题详解
24.1复习笔记 24.2考研真题与典型题详解
25.1复习笔记 25.2考研真题与典型题详解
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第26章埃 兹拉·庞德
目录分析
第1章约翰·史密斯
第2章威廉·布拉德 福德和约翰·温思罗
普
第3章约翰·科顿和 罗杰·威廉姆斯
第4章安妮·布雷兹 特里特和爱德华·泰 勒
1.1复习笔记 1.2考研真题与典型题详解
2.1复习笔记 2.2考研真题与典型题详解
3.1复习笔记 3.2考研真题与典型题详解
4.1复习笔记 4.2考研真题与典型题详解
11.1复习笔记 11.2考研真题与典型题详解
12.1复习笔记 12.2考研真题与典型题详解
13.1复习笔记 13.2考研真题与典型题详解
14.1复习笔记 14.2考研真题与典型题详解
15.1复习笔记 15.2考研真题与典型题详解
16.1复习笔记 16.2考研真题与典型题详解
17.1复习笔记 17.2考研真题与典型题详解
第5章本杰明·富兰 克林
第6章托马斯·佩恩
第7章托马斯·杰斐 逊
第8章菲利普·弗瑞 诺
5.1复习笔记 5.2考研真题与典型题详解
6.1复习笔记 6.2考研真题与典型题详解
7.1复习笔记 7.2考研真题与典型题详解
8.1复习笔记 8.2考研真题与典型题详解
第9章华盛
1
顿·欧文
第10章詹姆
2
27.1复习笔记 27.2考研真题与典型题详解
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。
西南大学《美国文学史及选读》复习思考题及答案
（0171）《美国文学史及选读》复习思考题I. Write out the authors’ names of the following works. (15)1. Poor Richard’s Almanac2. The Wasteland3. The Pioneers4. The Leaves of Grass5. Go Tell it on the Mountain6. For Whom the Bell Tolls?7. Catch 22 8. Of Mice and Men9. The Sound and the Fury 10.Huck Finn11. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 12. The Old Man and the Sea13. Mending Walls 14. Beloved15. Invisible Man 16. Beyond the Horizons17. Of Mice and Men 18. The Raven19. The Great Gatsby 20. The Streetcar Named Desire21. Rip van Winkle 22. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening 23. The Scarlet Letter 24. Moby Dick25. Desire Under the Elms 26. The Gilded Age27. The Sound and Fury 28. The Road Not Taken29. The Death of a Salesman 30. The Pathfinder31. Walden 32. Daisy Miller33. Song of Myself 34. The Call of the Wild35. Martin Eden 36. Long Day’s Journey into NightII. Define the following literary terms. (20)1. Beat Generation2. Protagonist3. Biography4. Novel5. Anti-hero6. Free Verse7. Drama 8. Jazz Age9. Biography 10. Blank Verse11. Black Humor 12. Head Rhyme13. Surprise ending 14. Transcendentalism15. Imagery 16. Stream of Consciousness17. Lost Generation 18. Short storyIII. Give brief answers to the following questions. (15)1.Who is the father of American literature?2.Who is the father of American poetry?3.What is Poe’s theory concerning poetry?4.What is Poe’s theory concerning the short story?5.What are the major characteristics of Twain’s writing style?6.What are the major characteristics of Irving’s writing style?7.What is “black humor?8.What is the Harlem Renaissance?9.What is the New England Renaissance?10.What are the major characteristics of colonial American literature?11.What is the Lost Generation?12.What are Benjamin Franklin’s contributions to American culture?13.Why is colonial American literature neither American nor literary?14.What is the Jazz Age?15.What is American transcendentalism?16.What is imagism?17.What is O. Henry Ending?18.What is free verse?IV. Read the following poem and try to understand and explain it.(20)FogTHE FOG comesOn little cat feet.It sits lookingOver harbor and cityOn silent haunchesAnd then moves onIn a Station of the Metro(Ezra Pound)The Apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.(Consult your book)The Road Not Taken(By Robert Frost)TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, Though as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads 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. (Consult your book)Dreams(by Langston Hughes)Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow.(Consult your book)（0171）《美国文学史及选读》复习思考题答案I. Write out the authors’ names of the following works. (15)Benjamin Franklin T. S. EliotJames Cooper Walt WhitmanJames Baldwell Ernest HemingwayJoseph Heller John SteinbeckWilliam Faulkner Mark TwainWashington Irving Ernest HemingwayRobert Frost Toni MorrisonRalph Ellison Eugene O’NeillJohn Steinbeck Allan PoeF. Scott Fitzgerald Tennessee WilliamsWashington Irving Robert FrostNathaniel Hawthorne Herman MelvilleEugene O’Neill Mark TwainWilliam Faulkner Robert FrostArthur Miller James CooperH. D. Thoreau Henry JamesWhitman Jack LondonJack London O’NeillII. Define the following literary terms. (20)Beat generation:The term was coined by Jack Kerouac in 1948 to refer to a group of disillusioned writers following World War Two. Later, this literary and cultural movement continued into the 1960s. The Beat Generation must not be confused with the Lost Generation of writers. Spokesmen and representatives of the Beat Generation were Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and others. They revolted against an America that was materialistic, belligerent and frustrating. Social, intellectual and sexual freedom was advocated. Traditional culture and normal social behavior were attacked and violated. Many of them were drug addicts wearing long hair and dirty clothes. They were fond of slangs and jazz. Masterpieces created by writers of this group include Kerouac’s On the Road and Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems, which were regarded as pocket Bibles of that generation. Other prominent Beats include William S. Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, and Neal Cassady. The Beat Generation, had greatly influenced the countercultural movements of the 1960s and the adolescents and adults in other countries. In England, the “angry young men” made an echo and imitated the American “beatnik.”Protagonist: the principal character in a play or story; the central character who serves as a focus for the work’s themes and incidents and as the principal rationale for its development; and one who is opposed to the antagonist. In the beginning of ancient Greek drama, there were only a chorus and one actor—the leader of the chorus. Thespis invented the first actor. Then Aeschylus and Sophocles added the second and third actors to the tragedy respectively. The three actors were names Protagonist, Deuteragonist and Tritagonist. In discussions of modern literature, the protagonist is sometimes referred to as the hero or anti-hero.Biography:an account of a person’s life written by somebody else, or biographical writing as aform of literature.Novel: Generally speaking, it is an imaginative prose narrative of extended length dealing with fictional characters and events. The constituent elements of a novel include plot, character, conflict, and setting. But there can be exceptions. Some novels are short. Some novels are not fictional. Some novels are in verse. And some novels do not even tell a story. There have been many debates over the appropriate length of a novel. No established length for a novel has been agreed upon. It is generally held, however, that a full-length novel is longer than a novella or short novel, and a short novel is longer than a shot story. A novel should be long enough so as to appear in print in an independent volume. The great length of a novel makes it possible for the characters and themes in it to be developed more fully and subtly.Antihero: a main character in a story, novel, play or film who behaves in a completely different way from what people expect a hero to do. A non-hero is without the qualities and features of a traditional or old-fashioned hero. He is doomed to fail. Antiheroes of early days were Don Quixote, Macbeth, Rip Van Winkle, and Tristram Shandy. Examples of antiheroes in modern literature include Leopold Bloom, Jim Dixon, Jimmy Porter, Herzog, and Yassarian.Free verse:a form of poetry without rhyme, meter, regular line length, and regular stanzaic structure. It depends on natural speech for rhythm. Robert Frost compared it to “playing tennis with the net down.” Though much simpler and less restrictive than conventional poetry and blank verse, free verse does no mean “formlessness.” T. S. Eliot once said that “no verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job.” Though its origin is unknown, it was attempted by such early poets as Surrey, Milton, Blake, and Macpherson. It was Whitman who did the greatest contribution to the development and popularity of free verse. Whitman favored the simplicity and freedom of expression. According to him, “The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of light of letters is simplicity. Not ing is better than simplicity.”Drama: a form of literature written for actors to perform. A drama is divided into acts. An act can be subdivided into scenes. The constituent elements of a drama include dialogue, plot, characters, setting, stage direction, and others. A drama can be as long as three parts called trilogy, or as short as one act only. Greek drama originated in religious ceremonial in honor of Dionysus. Medieval drama developed out of rites celebrating the life events of Jesus Christ. Dramatists of great importance in literary history include Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Shaw. In America, thefirs important dramatist was Eugene O’Neill who wrote the first serious plays. Before O’Neill, America had theatre. Starting from O’Neill, it began to have drama.Jazz age: Jazz is a form of dance music that is derived from early Afro-American folk music, ragtime, and Negro blues. It is marked with exciting rhythm, pronounced syncopation, and constant improvisation. The musical instruments used are mainly drums, trumpets, and saxophones. Major composers of Jazz music include Irvin Berlin and W. C. Handy. The term Jazz Age was specifically employed by Fitzgerald to denote the 1920s, which was characterized by the loss of traditional moral standards, indulgence in romantic yearnings, and great social excitement. According to Malcolm Cowley, the Jazz Age was “a legend of glitter, of recklessness, and of talent in such profusion that it was sown broadcast like wild oats.” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tales of the Jazz Age, like Mark Twain’s The Gilded Age, was an epoch-making work.Autobiography: a story a writer writes about his or her own life experiences. It is narrated from the first-person point of view. The term was probably first used by Southey. But the first important autobiography was Confessions written by Augustine of Hippo. Other examples include Franklin’s Autobiography, Adams’s The Education of Henry Adams, John Stuart Mill’s Autobiography, Carlyle’s Reminiscences, Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, and so on. Sometimes, an autobiography can be fictionalized. An example of this kind is Rousseau’s Confessions. Some novels and long poems are used for autobiography. Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and Wordsworth’s The Prelude fall in this category. Dickens’s David Copperfield, Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers and O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night have strong autobiographical elements in them.Blank verse: poetry that does not rhyme but has iambic pentameter lines. Though not originated in England or America, it has been the most important and most widely used English verse form. Blank verse is popular because it is closest to the rhythm of daily English speech. Thus most English poems which are dramatic, reflective or narrative are in the form of blank verse. This verse was probably first used in England by Surrey who translated Aeneid, by Sackville and Norton who composed Gorboduc. It was developed and perfected by Marlowe, Shakespeare and Milton. In the 18th century, most poets favored heroic couplets. But Young and Thomson were able to write in the tradition of blank verse. The 19th century saw a renewed interest in this poetic form. Masters of blank verse included Wordsworth, Coleridge and Bryant. The fact that blank verse isstill practiced by writers like T.S. Eliot, Yeats, Frost and Stevens shows how influential and favorable it really is.Black humor:a term frequently used in modern literary criticism. It is sometimes called ‘black comedy’ or ‘tragic farce.’ It is humor or laughter resulting from great pain, despair, horror and the absurdity of human existence. Black humor is a common quality of modern anti-novels and anti-dramas. Examples are Franz Kafka’s stories like “Metamorphosis”, “The Castle” and “The Tria l”, Joseph Heller’s novel Catch-22and Albee’s The Zoo Story. Other writers who did much contribution to the popularity of black humor were Beckett, Camus, Ionesco, V onnegut, Pynchon and so on.Head rhyme: the use in verse or prose of several words close together which all begin with the same letter. It is done for special musical effect comparable to the effects of end rhyme. In most cases, alliteration is the repetition of identical initial consonant sounds. Examples are Pope’s “For fools rush in where an gels fear to tread,” Poe’s “The weary, wayworn wanderer bore,” and Coleridge’s “Five miles meandering with a mazy motion.” Alliteration of initial vowels is quite limited in number. An example of vowel alliteration is “It is impossible to enjoy idling thor oughly unless one has plenty of work to do.”Surprise Ending:Also called “O. Henry ending,” it is a completely unexpected turn or revelation of events at the conclusion of a story or play. An example is “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. Another instanc e is O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi.”III. Give brief answers to the following questions. (15)19.Who is the father of American literature? (Consult your book)20.Who is the father of American poetry? (Consult your book)21.What is Poe’s theory concerning p oetry? (Consult your book)22.What is Poe’s theory concerning the short story? (Consult your book)23.What are the major characteristics of Twain’s writing style? (Consult your book)24.What are the major characteristics of Irving’s writing style? (Consult your book)25.What is “black humor? (Consult your book)26.What is the Harlem Renaissance? (Consult your book)27.What is the New England Renaissance? (Consult your book)28.What are the major characteristics of colonial American literature? (See your book)29.What is the Lost Generation? (Consult your book)30.What are Benjamin Franklin’s contributions to American culture? (See your book)31.Why is colonial American literature neither American nor literary? (See your book)32.What is the Jazz Age? (Consult your book)33.What is American transcendentalism? (Consult your book)34.What is imagism? (Consult your book)35.What is O. Henry Ending? (Consult your book)36.What is free verse? (Consult your book)IV. Read the following poem and try to understand and explain it.(20)FogTHE FOG comesOn little cat feet.It sits lookingOver harbor and cityOn silent haunchesAnd then moves on(An imagist poem by Carl Sandburg; depicting the fog and its movement; free verse written in the tradition of Whiman.)In a Station of the Metro(Ezra Pound)The Apparition of these faces in the crowd;Petals on a wet, black bough.( a poem of the Imagist school, written by Ezra Pound.)The Road Not Taken(By Robert Frost)TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,Though as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere 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.(A poem by Robert Frost. It is about the difficulty of making a choice.)Dreams(by Langston Hughes)Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow.(Consult your book)。
(0171)《美国文学史及选读》复习思考题答案
（0171）《美国文学史及选读》复习思考题答案I. Write out the authors’ names of the following works. (15)Benjamin Franklin T. S. EliotJames Cooper Walt WhitmanJames Baldwell Ernest HemingwayJoseph Heller John SteinbeckWilliam Faulkner Mark TwainWashington Irving Ernest HemingwayRobert Frost Toni MorrisonRalph Ellison Eugene O’NeillJohn Steinbeck Allan PoeF. Scott Fitzgerald Tennessee WilliamsWashington Irving Robert FrostNathaniel Hawthorne Herman MelvilleEugen e O’Neill Mark TwainWilliam Faulkner Robert FrostArthur Miller James CooperH. D. Thoreau Henry JamesWhitman Jack LondonJack London O’NeillII. Define the following literary terms. (20)Beat generation:The term was coined by Jack Kerouac in 1948 to refer to a group of disillusioned writers following World War Two. Later, this literary and cultural movement continued into the 1960s. The Beat Generation must not be confused with the Lost Generation of writers. Spokesmen and representatives of the Beat Generation were Jack Kerouac, AllenGinsberg and others. They revolted against an America that was materialistic, belligerent and frustrating. Social, intellectual and sexual freedom was advocated. Traditional culture and normal social behavior were attacked and violated. Many of them were drug addicts wearing long hair and dirty clothes. They were fond of slangs and jazz. Masterpieces created by writers of this group include Kerouac‟s On the Road and Ginsberg‟s Howl and Other Poems, which were regarded as pocket Bibles of that generation. Other prominent Beats include William S. Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, and Neal Cassady. The Beat Generation, had greatly influenced the countercultural movements of the 1960s and the adolescents and adults in other countries. In England, the “angry young men” made an echo and imitated the American “beatnik.”Protagonist: the principal character in a play or story; the central character who serves as a focus fo r the work‟s themes and incidents and as the principal rationale for its development; and one who is opposed to the antagonist. In the beginning of ancient Greek drama, there were only a chorus and one actor—the leader of the chorus. Thespis invented the first actor. Then Aeschylus and Sophocles added the second and third actors to the tragedy respectively. The three actors were names Protagonist, Deuteragonist and Tritagonist. In discussions of modern literature, the protagonist is sometimes referred to as the hero or anti-hero.Biography:an account of a person‟s life written by somebody else, or biographical writing as a form of literature.Novel: Generally speaking, it is an imaginative prose narrative of extended length dealing with fictional characters and events. The constituent elements of a novel include plot, character, conflict, and setting. But there can be exceptions. Some novels are short. Some novels are not fictional. Some novels are in verse. And some novels do not even tell a story. There have been many debates over the appropriate length of a novel. No established length for a novel has been agreed upon. It is generally held, however, that a full-length novel is longer than a novella or short novel, and a short novel is longer than a shot story. A novel should be long enough so as to appear in print in an independent volume. The great length of a novel makes it possible for the characters and themes in it to be developed more fully and subtly.Antihero: a main character in a story, novel, play or film who behaves in a completely different way from what people expect a hero to do. A non-hero is without the qualities and features of atraditional or old-fashioned hero. He is doomed to fail. Antiheroes of early days were Don Quixote, Macbeth, Rip V an Winkle, and Tristram Shandy. Examples of antiheroes in modern literature include Leopold Bloom, Jim Dixon, Jimmy Porter, Herzog, and Y assarian.Free verse:a form of poetry without rhyme, meter, regular line length, and regular stanzaic structure. It depends on natural speech for rhythm. Robert Frost compared it to “playing tennis with the net down.” Though much simpler and less restrictive than conventional poetry and blank verse, free verse does no mean “formlessness.” T. S. Eliot once said that “no verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job.” Though its origin is unknown, it was attempted by such early poets as Surrey, Milton, Blake, and Macpherson. It was Whitman who did the greatest contribution to the development and popularity of free verse. Whitman favored the simplicity and freedom of expression. According to him, “The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of light of letters is simplicity. Noting is better than simplic ity.”Drama: a form of literature written for actors to perform. A drama is divided into acts. An act can be subdivided into scenes. The constituent elements of a drama include dialogue, plot, characters, setting, stage direction, and others. A drama can be as long as three parts called trilogy, or as short as one act only. Greek drama originated in religious ceremonial in honor of Dionysus. Medieval drama developed out of rites celebrating the life events of Jesus Christ. Dramatists of great importance in literary history include Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Shaw. In America, the firs important dramatist was Eugene O‟Neill who wrote the first serious plays. Before O‟Neill, America had theatre. Starting from O‟Neill, it began to have drama.Jazz age: Jazz is a form of dance music that is derived from early Afro-American folk music, ragtime, and Negro blues. It is marked with exciting rhythm, pronounced syncopation, and constant improvisation. The musical instruments used are mainly drums, trumpets, and saxophones. Major composers of Jazz music include Irvin Berlin and W. C. Handy. The term Jazz Age was specifically employed by Fitzgerald to denote the 1920s, which was characterized by the loss of traditional moral standards, indulgence in romantic yearnings, and great social excitement. According to Malco lm Cowley, the Jazz Age was “a legend of glitter, of recklessness, and of talent in such profusion that it was sown broadcast like wild oats.” F. Scott Fitzgerald‟s Tales of the Jazz Age, like Mark Twain‟s The Gilded Age, was an epoch-making work.Autobiography: a story a writer writes about his or her own life experiences. It is narrated fromthe first-person point of view. The term was probably first used by Southey. But the first important autobiography was Confessions written by Augustine of Hippo. Othe r examples include Franklin‟s Autobiography, Adams‟s The Education of Henry Adams, John Stuart Mill‟s Autobiography, Carlyle‟s Reminiscences, Henry David Thoreau‟s Walden, and so on. Sometimes, an autobiography can be fictionalized. An example of this kind is Rousseau‟s Confessions. Some novels and long poems are used for autobiography. Joyce‟s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Whitman‟s “Song of Myself” and Wordsworth‟s The Prelude fall in this category. Dickens‟s David Copperfield, Lawrence‟s Sons and Lovers and O‟Neill‟s Long Day’s Journey into Night have strong autobiographical elements in them.Blank verse: poetry that does not rhyme but has iambic pentameter lines. Though not originated in England or America, it has been the most important and most widely used English verse form. Blank verse is popular because it is closest to the rhythm of daily English speech. Thus most English poems which are dramatic, reflective or narrative are in the form of blank verse. This verse was probably first used in England by Surrey who translated Aeneid, by Sackville and Norton who composed Gorboduc. It was developed and perfected by Marlowe, Shakespeare and Milton. In the 18th century, most poets favored heroic couplets. But Y oung and Thomson were able to write in the tradition of blank verse. The 19th century saw a renewed interest in this poetic form. Masters of blank verse included Wordsworth, Coleridge and Bryant. The fact that blank verse is still practiced by writers like T.S. Eliot, Y eats, Frost and Stevens shows how influential and favorable it really is.Black humor:a term frequently used in modern literary criticism. It is sometimes called …black comedy‟ or …tragic farce.‟ It is humor or laughter resulting from great pain, despair, horror and the absurdity of human existence. Black humor is a common quality of modern anti-novels and anti-dramas. Examples are Franz Kafka‟s stories like “Metamorphosis”, “The Castle” and “The Trial”, Joseph Heller‟s novel Catch-22and Albee‟s The Zoo Story. Other writers who did much contribution to the popularity of black humor were Beckett, Camus, Ionesco, V onnegut, Pynchon and so on.Head rhyme: the use in verse or prose of several words close together which all begin with the same letter. It is done for special musical effect comparable to the effects of end rhyme. In mostcases, alliteration is the repetition of identical initial consonant sounds. Examples are Pope‟s “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” Poe‟s “The weary, wayworn wanderer bore,” and Coleridge‟s“Five miles meandering with a mazy motion.” Alliteration of initial vowels is quite limited in number. An example of vowel alliteration is “It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.”Surprise Ending:Also called “O. Henry ending,” it is a completely unexpected turn or revelation of events at the conclusion of a story or play. An example is “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. Another instance is O. Henry‟s story “The Gift of the Magi.”III. Give brief answers to the following questions. (15)1.Who is the father of American literature? (Consult your book)2.Who is the father of American poetry? (Consult your book)3.What is Poe‟s theory concerning poetry? (Consult your book)4.What is Poe‟s theory concerning the short story? (Consult your book)5.What are the major characteristics of Twain‟s writing style? (Consult your book)6.What are the major characteristics of Irving‟s writing style? (Consult your book)7.What is “black humor? (Consult your book)8.What is the Harlem Renaissance? (Consult your book)9.What is the New England Renaissance? (Consult your book)10.What are the major characteristics of colonial American literature? (See your book)11.What is the Lost Generation? (Consult your book)12.What are Benjamin Franklin‟s contributions to A merican culture? (See your book)13.Why is colonial American literature neither American nor literary? (See your book)14.What is the Jazz Age? (Consult your book)15.What is American transcendentalism? (Consult your book)16.What is imagism? (Consult your book)17.What is O. Henry Ending? (Consult your book)18.What is free verse? (Consult your book)IV. Read the following poem and try to understand and explain it.(20)FogTHE FOG comesOn little cat feet.It sits lookingOver harbor and cityOn silent haunchesAnd then moves on(An imagist poem by Carl Sandburg; depicting the fog and its movement; free verse written in the tradition of Whiman.)In a Station of the Metro(Ezra Pound)The Apparition of these faces in the crowd;Petals on a wet, black bough.( a poem of the Imagist school, written by Ezra Pound.)The Road Not T aken(By Robert Frost)TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,Though as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Y et knowing how way leads to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere 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.(A poem by Robert Frost. It is about the difficulty of making a choice.)Dreams(by Langston Hughes)Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow.(Consult your book)。
美国文学选读复习
History And Anthology of American Literature (VolumeⅠⅡ)美国文学史及选读1、2PartⅠThe Literature of Colonial America殖民主义时期的文学(at the beginning of 17th century)Part Ⅱ The Literature of Reason And Revolution理性和革命时期文学(by the mid-18th century)1．Thomas Jefferson: Declaration of Independence 独立宣言(1776年18世纪中后期)（仔细阅读知道意思）Benjamin Franklin: The AutobiographyThomas Paine: The American Crisis*一、Benjamin Franklin 本杰明·富兰克林1706-1790Symbol of America in the Age of Enlightenment殖民地时期作家。
独立战争前惟一的杰出的美国作家in the colonial period, the only good American author before the Revolutionary War.1．其还是美国第一位主要作家the first major writer非凡表达能力，简洁明了，有点幽默，还是一位讽刺天才as an author he had power of expression, simplicity, a subtle humor. He was also sarcastic.2．他最好作品收录在《自传》“Autobiography”。
“对这个年青的国家来说，他的损失比其它任何人的都要大“his shadow lies heavier than any other man’s on this young nation.二、Thomas Jefferson托马斯·杰弗逊（1743-1826）1．美国历史上最为广泛影响人物his thought and personality have influenced his countryman more deeply and remained more effectively alive.同富兰克林一样具人道主义精神vigorous humanitarian sympathies.启蒙运动的产物a product of the Enlightenment.2．1776年同约翰·亚当斯、本杰明·富兰克林、罗杰·谢尔曼、罗伯特·R·利文斯顿一起起草《独立宣言》with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R Livingston, he drafted the Declaration of Independence.3．1790-1793任华盛顿内阁中第一任国务卿，as the first American secretary of state. 1800起担任两届美国总统。
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2０17年英语双学位《美国文学史及选读》期末考试题型及复习要点期末考试题型及分值：1.作家、作品配对题(10*1分=10分)2．作品选读题（填空题、简答题５*5分= ２5分）3.文学术语、文学人物解释题（4*5分=20分）4. 论述题（３*15分= 45分)●认真阅读教材的中文版的《序言》●熟悉教材中以下复习要点中各位作家的选文Ｂenjamin Franklin:•Reｍember ＢｅｎｊaｍｉｎFranklin aｓinｖeｎｔｏr，stａtｅsmａn and writ ｅr．•Ｒｅmｅmbｅr him aｓ‘faｔher of the United Ｓtatｅs’.•Ｗrｉting featureｓＴhe Auｔobiogrａｐｈy: Ｉt ｉｓthｅpａtteｒn of Ｐuritan simplｉcｉｔｙ,directｎｅsｓ, and cｏｎｃision．The naｒｒａtｉｖe is lucｉd，the strｕcｔureｉs simpｌe，the ｉmagｅrｙｉs homｅly.•本杰明·富兰克林:•本杰明·富兰克林是发明家、政治家和作家。
•他是“美国之父”。
•写作特点自传:这是清教徒的简单、直接和简洁的方式。
叙事清晰,结构简单,意象朴实。
Edgar AllaｎPoe●Ｒemｅmbｅr Poe as fａthｅr of modｅｒn shｏrt sｔory aｎd fatheｒof detecｔive stoｒy.●Ｒeｍembｅr hｉsｉmpoｒtant works．●Rｅmember ｈｉs criticａｌworks：Tｈe Pｏetic PrinｃiplｅandＴhｅPhilｏsopｈｙｏf Compositiｏｎ.●Be able tｏlｉst someｏf ｈis faｍous short storｉeｓaｎd someｏf hｉsｆamｏus ｐoems such as Ｔhe Rａven，AｎnabｅlＬｅｅ,To Helen．•Teｌl the ｓｔory The Caｓk ｏf Amontillado inｙｏurｏwn wｏrdｓ.Wｈaｔis the themｅof thｉs short storｙ?Be famiｌiar with ｈiｓpoeｍＴo Heleｎ．埃德加爱伦坡Ｐoe是现代短篇小说之父和侦探小说之父。
他的重要著作。
他的批评作品:诗歌原则和写作哲学。
能够列出一些他著名的短篇小说和一些著名的诗歌，如《乌鸦》、《Aｎnabel Ｌee》、《海伦》等。
•讲述一桶白葡萄酒用你自己的话。
这个短篇小说的主题是什么？对海伦熟悉他的诗。
Ｒａlph Ｗaｌdo EmｅrｓonＫｎow somｅｔｈｉnｇaｂoｕt ｔｒanscｅｎｄenｔaliｓm. RememｂeｒEmersoｎas tｈｅleａｄer of thiｓphiｌoｓopｈｙ：Tｒanｓceｎｄeｎtaｌi ｓｍrefers ｔoａkind of ａtｔｉtude that beｌieｖes in tｈｅrecogniｔioｎin man ｏf the caｐacｉty oｆknｏwiｎｇｔruth intｕｉtiｖelｙ,oｒｏf atｔainｉng knｏwledge tｒansceｎding the ｒｅacｈoｆthｅｓｅnses.Major cｏnc ｅpts1) Poweｒof intuition.2)Ｓpirｉｔfｉrst，mａtter secｏｎd．3)Naｔureａs ｓｙｍｂolic of spiｒit or Ｇoｄ．4）Iｎdivｉｄual as tｈe most imｐoｒtant ｅlement in society/sｅlf-ｒeliant5) Ｒeligion aｓａｎemotional coｍｍunｉcation betｗeen aｎinｄividualｓoｕl aｎd ｔhｅunivｅrｓal “oveｒｓｏｕl”6) Cｏｍｍerｃｅas ｄeｇrａdｉnｇ/pａy less ａtteｎtｉｏn to theｍatｅrｉaｌｗoｒlｄThe “ｏｖer-soul” as callｅd by Eｍerｓｏｎwaｓanａll-ｐerｖadiｎgｕnitａry spiritual power of goodｎess，omｎipreseｎt and ｏmnipｏｔent,ｆrｏm ｗhic ｈall thiｎgs came and of wｈich eｖerｙoｎe wａs a ｐａrt．Gｅnerally,ｔh ｅoｖｅr－soｕl rｅferrｅd tｏｓｐiｒit of Ｇｏd ａs ｔhe mosｔｉmｐortａｎt thing in the uｎiveｒse．Emerson’s Ｎatｕｒe isｃalleｄ‘maｎiｆeｓto ｏf transcendeｎtａlｉｓm’.Ｔhe AｍeriｃaｎSｃｈolar(１８37)iｓrｅｇａrdedａs “America’s Second Deｃlａratiｏn ｏfＩｎｄependeｎcｅ/Ｄeclaraｔion of Ｉnｔellｅｃｔual （Culｔurａl) Indepｅｎdence”Bｅｆamilｉaｒｗitｈｔｈe esｓａｙ‘Ｓeｌf-rｅｌｉaｎｃe’.拉尔夫瓦尔多爱默生¡知道一些关于超验主义。
记得爱默生作为这一哲学的领袖：超验主义指的是一种态度，相信人的直觉认识真理的能力的识别,或实现知识超越感官。
主要概念 ¡1)直觉的力量。
2)¡精神第一,物质二。
¡3）自然象征精神或上帝。
¡4)个体在社会／自立的最重要的元素¡5）宗教作为一种情感交流个人灵魂和宇宙的“超灵”6)商务¡降级/较少关注物质世界¡“结束”艾默生称作是一种无孔不入的整体精神力量的善良的灵魂,无所不在，无所不能,这一切来的都是一部分。
一般来说，过度的灵魂提到上帝的灵魂是宇宙中最重要的东西。
¡爱默生的自然是被称为“超验主义”宣言。
¡美国学者（1837)被誉为“美国的第二次申报知识/独立宣言（文化）独立”¡熟悉文章“自力更生”。
ＨenrｙＤaｖid Tｈoreau⏹Reｍemｂer Thｏｒeau’ masterpiecｅ.⏹Tell the mａｉn conｔeｎts of Ｗaｌｄeｎin yｏur own ｗords.⏹亨利戴维梭罗⏹记得梭罗的杰作。
⏹告诉瓦尔登湖的主要内容用自己的话。
Nａthaniｅl Ｈawtｈorｎe⏹Ｉntrｏｄｕce TheＳcarlet Lｅtterｉn yｏｕｒoｗｎｗｏrds.⏹Ｔhe infｌｕｅncｅof PurｉtａnisｍoｎTｈe Scａrlet Ｌetter．⏹Aｎalyze ｔｈe maiｎcｈaｒactｅrs.⏹Tell the symｂolｉc mｅａniｎgs of the ｌｅtteｒ‘A’.⏹List Hawthｏrne’ｓmajｏｒworｋs．⏹纳撒尼尔霍桑⏹介绍红字用你自己的话。
⏹清教对红字的影响。
⏹分析主要人物。
⏹告诉字母Ａ的象征意义”。
⏹霍桑主要作品列表。
ＨeｒmａｎMelｖille⏹Be abｌeｔo list Melvillｅ’s ｍａjｏrｗｏrks.⏹Ｂe able ｔo rｅtell the story of MobｙDick in yｏur oｗn wｏｒｄs.⏹Ｂe aｂle to ａｎalyze the ｃharaｃteｒCapｔain Ahaｂ.⏹Bｅable to ｔｅｌｌthe symbolic ｍeanｉngs of Mｏby Dｉck，the ship Ｐeqｕod aｎd ｔｈe ｃofｆiｎ: ｔhe Ｗｈite Wｈale ｃan be reａd as an aｌｌegorical repｒeseｎtａtion of aｎuｎknowabｌｅGod ｏｒｔｈe ｍyｓtｅｒious ｆorcｅoｆnaｔｕｒe; the Peｑuoｄｉｓ a symｂol ｏｆdｏom/ｄeatｈ;Queeｑueg'ｓｃoffin altｅrnatelｙsymｂoliｚes life and death.⏹Ｔhe ｉnfluenｃe of PuｒitanｉsmｏｎMｏｂy Dｉcｋ.⏹赫尔曼梅尔维尔⏹可以列出Melvｉｌle的主要作品。
⏹能用自己的话复述Moby Dick的故事。
⏹能够分析人物Ａhab船长。
⏹能够告诉Moby Dick的象征意义,船」和棺材：白鲸可以解读为一个不可知的上帝或大自然的神秘力量的一种象征；」是厄运和死亡的象征；Queeqｕeg的灵柩交替象征着生命和死亡。
⏹清教思想对Mｏby Dick的影响。
Walt Whiｔman•Rｅmember Whitｍａn’s mｏｓt iｍportant woｒk.•Ｗhat iｓfreｅｖersｅ?Ａkind of ｐoｅtry ｔhａt does nｏt conｆoｒm to ａｎy rｅｇｕlａｒmetｒe: ｔhe lｅngth of iｔs lｉｎes is iｒｒeｇuｌar，ａs is iｔs usｅof rhｙme—if any．Iｎstead of rｅｇulaｒｍetrical ｐattｅrn ｉt usｅs ｍｏre fleｘible cadｅnｃｅｓｏr rhyｔhmic grouｐingｓ,ｓometｉmes suppｏrtｅd by anaphｏra and otheｒｄeviｃes of repetition．Ｎow tｈe ｍｏsｔｗidely prａcticｅｄｖerse form ｉn Eｎgliｓh, it has pｒecedents ｉn ｔranslａｔｉoｎs of ｔhe ｂｉbｌiｃａl Psaｌms anｄiｎｓome pｏems of Ｂlake and Gｏethe，ｂutｅstａbliｓhed itselｆoｎly ｉn theｌate 19thａnd eaｒly 2０ｔh ceｎｔuries with WaltＷhitman.•Be ｆaｍiｌiaｒwith the pｏem ＯＣａｐtain，MyＣaptainａnd know ｉts mａin idea.•沃尔特怀特曼••记住怀特曼最重要的工作。
•自由诗是什么?一种不符合任何格律的诗：它的线条长度不规则,如用韵。
而不是常规的格律采用更灵活的节奏或韵律的分组,以照应和重复其他设备有时支持。
现在是英语中使用最广的诗歌形式，它在圣经圣歌和布莱克和歌德的一些诗歌中有先例，但只有在第十九世纪末和第二十世纪，沃尔特·惠特曼才建立起自己。