美国文学史
美国文学史——精选推荐

Abstract: America's history of literature began with the swarming in of immigrants with different background and cultures. After that, American literature had been greatly influenced by the European culture for a long period. It was not until America's independence, did Americans realized that they need national literature strongly, and American literature began to developed. The Civil War was a watershed in the history, after which American literature entered a period of full blooming. Romantics, which emphasized individualism and intuition and Tnscendentalism represented by Emerson came out into being. This was an exciting period in the history of American literature. Like the flowers of spring, there were suddenly many different kinds of writing at the same time. They have given depth and strength to American literature, and accelerated the forming of High Romantics. But due to the influence of Civil War, the American society was in a turbulent situation. The writings about local life, critical realism and unveiling the dark side of the society were increased. After The First World War, Americans were at a loss postwar, and the Modern American literature began. My piece of paper is written in chronological order as these periods developed in order to have a clear outline of its progress. Keywords: National Literature, Romanism, Transcendentalism, Local Color, Realism, Modern literature 摘要:从殖民地时期起,欧洲殖民者和清教徒翻开了美国⽂学史的第⼀页。
(完整版)美国文学史-知识点梳理

Part I The Literature of Colonial AmericaI.Historical IntroductionThe colonial period stretched roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th. The first permanent settlement in America was established by English in 1607. ( A group of people was sent by the English King James I to hunt for gold. They arrived at Virginia in 1607. They named the James River and build the James town.)II.The pre-revolutionary writing in the colonies was essentially of two kinds:1) Practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people "at home" what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration2) Highly theoretical, generally polemical, discussions of religious questions. III.The First American WriterThe first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. They wrote about their voyage to the new land, their lives in the new land, their dealings with Indians.Captain John Smith is the first American writer.A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608)A Map of Virginia: A Description of the Country (1612)General History of Virgini a (1624): the Indian princess PocahontasCaptain John Smith was one of the first early 17th-century British settlers in North America. He was one of the founders of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. His writings about North America became the source of information about the New World for later settlers.One of the things he wrote about that has become an American legend was his capture by the Indians and his rescue by the famous Indian Princess, Pocahontas. IV.Early New England LiteratureWilliam Bradford and John WinthropJohn Cotton and Roger WilliamsAnne Bradstreet and Edward TaylorV.Puritan Thoughts1. The origin of puritanIn the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th Century, the English King Henry VIII (At that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope's permission. Henry VIII wanted to divorce hiswife because she couldn't bear him a son. But the Pope didn't allow him to divorce, so he) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church ofEngland. But there was no radical difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans.2. Puritanism -- based on Calvinism(1) predestination: God's electPuritans believed they are predestined before they were born.Nothing or no good work can change their fate.They believed the success of one's business is the sign to show he is the God's elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics.(2) Origianl sin and total depravityMan is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude towards life.(3) Limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)(4) theocracyThey combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one.The Puritans established American tradition -- intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment3. Influence on American Literature(1) Its optimismAmerican literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is based on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. After that, man have an illusion to restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believing that God must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise, to build the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strong sense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism. The optimistic Puritan has exerted a great influence on American literature.(2) Puritan's metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism.Part II The Literature of Reason And RevolutionI.Historical IntroductionWith the growth, especially of industry, there appeared the intense strain with England. The British government did not want colonial industries competing with those in England. The British wanted the colonies to remain politically and economically dependent on the mother country. They took a series of measures to insure this dependence. They prevented colonial economy by requiring Americans to ship raw materials abroad and to import finished goods at prices higher than the cost of making them in this country. Politically, the British government forced dependenceby ruling the colonies from overseas and by taxing the colonies without giving them representation in Parliament.However, by the mid-eighteenth century, freedom was won as much by the fiery rhetoric of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the eloquence of the Declaration of Independence as by the weapons of Washington. In the seventies of the 18th century, the English colonies in North America rose in arms against their mother country. The War for Independence lasted for 8 years (1776-1783) and ended in the formation of a federative bourgeois democratic republic -- the United States of America. II.American EnlightenmentIt was supported by all progressive forces of the country which opposed themselves to the old colonial order and religious obscurantism.It dealt a decisive blow upon the puritan traditions and brought to life secular education and literature. The spiritual life during that period was to a great degree moulded by it.The representatives set themselves the task of disseminating knowledge among the people and advocating revolutionary ideas.The writers injected an invigorating vein into the English language in America as they aimed at clarity and precision of their writings.At the initial period the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to journalism. Writings of Europe were widely read in America. The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of Benjamin Franklin.III.Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)The AutobiographyPoor Richard’s AlmanacLifeBenjamin Franklin came from a Calvinist background.He was born into a poor candle-maker’s family. He had very little education. He learned in school only for two years, but he was a voracious reader.At 12, he was apprenticed to his elder half-brother, a printer.At 16, he began to publish essays under the pseudonym “Silence Do good” .At 17, he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune.He set himself up as an independent printer and publisher. In 1727 he founded the Junto club.Multiple identities:a printera leading authora politiciana scientista inventora diplomata civic activistFranklin’s Contributions to SocietyHe helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital.He founded an academy which led to the University of Pennsylvania.And he helped found the American Philosophical Society.Franklin’s Contributions to ScienceHe was also remembered for volunteer fire departments, effective street lighting, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and efficient heating devices.And for his lightning-rod, he was called “the new Prometheus who had stolen fire from heaven.”Franklin’s Contributions to the U.S.He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States:The Declaration of Independence,The Treaty of Alliance with France,The Treaty of Peace with England,The ConstitutionThe AutobiographyThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was probably the first of its kind in literature. It is the simple yet immensely fascinating record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity into which he was born, the faithful account of the colorful career of America’s first self-made man.The Autobiography is, first of all, a Puritan document. It is Puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement. The meticulous chart of 13 virtues he set for himself to cultivate to combat the tempting vices, the stupendous effort he made to improve his own person, the belief that God helps those who helps themselves and that every calling is a service to God – all these indicate that Franklin was intensely Puritan. Then, the book is also a convincing illustration of the Puritan ethic that, in order to get on in the world, one has to be industrious, frugal, and prudent.The Autobiography is also an eloquent elucidation of the fact that Franklin was spokesman for the new order of eighteenth-century enlightenment, and that he represented in America all its ideas, that man is basically good and free by nature, endowed by God with certain inalienable rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.A look at the style of The Autobiography will readily reveal that it is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness and concision. The plainness of its style, the homeliness of imagery, the simplicity of diction, syntax and expression are some of the salient features we cannot mistake. The lucidity of the narrative, the absence ofornaments in wording and of complex, involved structures in syntax, and the Puritan abhorrence of paradox are all graphically demonstrated in the whole of the book. Taken as a whole, it is safe to say that the book is an exemplary illustration of the American style of writing.IV.Thomas Paine (1737-1809)Common SenseAmerican CrisisV.Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)The Declaration of IndependenceVI.Philip Freneau (1752-1832)“Poet of the American Revolution”“Father of American Poetry”“Pioneer of the New Romanticism”“A gifted and versatile lyric poet”Works“The Wild Honey Suckle”“The Indian Burying Ground”“To a Caty-Did”Freneau as Father of American Poetry: His major themes are death, nature, transition, and the human in nature. All of these themes become important in 19th century writing.Life Experience►He was born in New York.►At 16, he entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He decided to do a postgraduate study in theology. But two years later he gave it up. While still an undergraduate, he wrote in collaboration with one of his friends (H. H. Brackenridge) a poem entitled “The Rising Glory of America”.►Later he attended the War of Independence, and he was captured by British army in 1780.►After being released, he published “The British Prison Ship” in 1781.►In the same year, he published “To the Memory of the Brave Americans”.►After war, he supported Jefferson, and contributed greatly to American government.►But after 50 years old, he lived in poverty. And at last he died in a blizzard.Main Works►“The Rising Glory of America” (1772) 《美洲光辉的兴起》►“The House of Night” (1779,1786) 《夜之屋》►“The British Prison Ship” (1781) 《英国囚船》►“To the Memory of the Brave Americans” (1781) 《纪念美国勇士》►“”The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786) 《野忍冬花》►“The Indian Burying Ground” (1788) 《印第安人墓地》野忍冬花(黄杲炘译)►美好的花呀,你长得:这么秀丽,却藏身在这僻静沉闷的地方——甜美的花儿开了却没人亲昵,招展的小小枝梢也没人观赏;没游来荡去的脚来把你踩碎,没东攀西摘的手来催你落泪。
美国文学史作者的写作特点

1、Benjamin Franklin本杰明·富兰克林(1706-1790) he is the only good American author before the Revolutionary War and he is the only one inthe colonial period.写作特点:1.叙事清楚简洁 2.富有哲理和睿智 3.文字质朴幽默 4.易于读者接受。
Thomas Paine 托马斯·佩因(1737-1809)英国人民将他视为“最受爱戴”的“政论家”,他的书“被看作穷人的圣经”。
拿破仑称他为“共和国的火炬,一切传奇中最伟大的人物”。
写作特点:支持独立宣言,语言精炼,层次分明,结构严密,逻辑性强,抒情和说理有机结合Thomas Jefferson 托马斯·杰弗逊(1743-1826)主张:主张追求幸福,人人生而平等,包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利Freneau 菲利普·费瑞诺(1752-1832)Father of American Poetry" 美国诗歌之父,政治方面的新闻记者写作特点: the poems of Freneau fall mainly into two categories, one of description of nature, and one of expression of his political ideas.备注:菲利普·弗瑞诺作为一个自然诗人,在时间上介于布拉兹特里特和布莱恩特之间;作为一个哥特式作家,介于威格斯沃斯和爱伦·坡之间;作为一个原始主义者,介于莫顿和库珀之间。
Irving华盛顿.欧文(1783-1859)the father of American literaturethe first great belletrist 第一个纯文学作家,美国第一位浪漫主义散文文体作家,重振了没落的哥特式浪漫主义小说。
美国文学史总结

美国文学史总结从第二次世界大战后到新世纪,美国文学还有一个值得一提的发展现象——通俗文学(Popular Literature)日益受到重视,过去以低级杂志(pulps)为阵地的通俗小说有了平装本和精装本,进了图书馆和大学。
战后兴起的后现代主义思潮为研究通俗文学起了推波助澜的作用,学术界和思想界对于通俗文学观念的变化,刺激了通俗文学的进一步发展。
不但许多传统的通俗小说保持强劲的发展势头,而且诞生了许多新型通俗小说。
这些传统型和创新型的小说,很多都进入了《纽约时报》的“畅销书排行榜”(New York Times Best Sellers)。
每一本畅销小说诞生后,都会被改编成电影、电视剧;原创电影、电视剧在走红后也很快派生出同名畅销小说。
畅销小说和火爆的影视剧交相辉映,构成战后美国通俗文学的繁荣景象。
50年代,历史西部小说(Historical Western)占据了通俗文学的主导地位,随后现代犯罪小说(Modern Crime Fiction)迅速崛起,在60年代末和70年代初压倒了其他一切通俗小说。
70、80年代是美国通俗小说大发展时期,诞生了诸如甜蜜野蛮小说(Sweet-Savage Romance)、高科技惊险小说(High-Technical Thriller)之类的新型通俗小说。
此外,传统的女性言情小说(Women's Fiction)、科幻小说(Science Fiction)和恐怖小说(Horror Fiction)也出现有力回潮。
90年代,社会暴露小说(Social Expose Fiction)逐渐成为美国通俗文学领域的主导力量,如此格局一直维持到世纪末。
像马里奥·普佐(Mario Puzo)的《教父》(The Godfather)、斯蒂芬·金(Stephen King)的系列恐怖小说、迈克尔·克莱顿(Michael Crichton)的《侏罗纪公园》(Jurassic Park)和《失落的世界》(The Lost World)、玛格丽特·杜鲁门(Margaret Truman)的“谋杀案”系列政治暴露小说等,都是我国读者较为熟悉的美国通俗文学作品。
美国文学史及选读

History And Anthology of American Literature (VolumeⅠ)美国文学史及选读1PartⅠThe 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 andother 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 ,Freunch ,Spaniards ,Italians and Portugueses(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 atJamestown,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 theCountry”.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。
美国文学史

美国文学史一.知识点1.清教主义代表人物:Edwards Franklin2.富兰克林的作品:《Poor Richard’s Almanac》《Autobiography》3.富兰克林自传中的十三个美德:Temperance(节制)silence (少言)order(秩序)frugality (节俭)Industry(勤勉)sincerity (真诚)resolution(决心)justice (公正)moderation (中庸)cleanliness(整洁)chastity(镇定) tranquility(节欲)humility(谦逊)This work is a puritan document. It is puritan because it is a record of self-examination and self-improvement.4.富兰克林作品中的谚语:lost time is never found again. A penny saved is a penny earned. God help them that help themselves. Fish and visitors stink in three days. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.5.美国浪漫主义代表人物:Irving Cooper6.Irving was the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame.His works are《The Sketch Book》《Rip Van Winkle》《The Legend of Sleepy Hollow》7. Cooper’s claim to greatness in American literature lies in the fact that he created a myth about the formative period of the American nation. “Leatherstocking tales” is a series of five novels described the frontier life of American settlers, that is, 《The Pioneers》《The Last of the Mohicans》《The Prairie》《The pathfinder》《The Deerslayer》8. Emerson 的代表作《Nature》. “The American Scholar” has been regarded as the American’s declaration of intellectual independence.9.Thoreau的代表作《Walden》10.美国黑色浪漫主义代表人物:Hawthorne Melville Allan Poe11.Whitman的作品《Leaves of Grass》《Song of Myself》. 用来赞扬林肯的诗歌“When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”“Captain, My Captain”12.Dickinson的诗歌“My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close”“Wild Nights”. Dickinson was original. She sees nature as both gaily benevolent and cruel. On the ethical level she emphasizes free will and human responsibility. Like Emerson, she holds that beauty, goodness, truth are the ultimately one. She is good at catching the charm of something but dropping the thing itself. 13. Allan Poe: Father of modern short story;Father of detective story;Father of psychoanalytic criticism;Father of mental analytic theory.14. Local Colorism的代表人物:Mark Twain15.Naturalism 时期:Crane的作品:《Maggie:A Girl of the Street》《The Red Badge of Courage》Dreiser的作品:《Sister Carrie》Jack London;O’Henry16. Imagism 的代表人物:Pound他的作品“In a Station of the Metro”(has been regarded asa classic specimen of imagist poetry) “Cantos”(has been called his intellectual diary since1915).17. Eliot 的作品《The Waste Land》18. Robert Frost的作品“Mending Wall”这里的名言是good fences make good neighbors. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”“The Road not Taken”19. Fitzgerald的作品《This Side of Paradise》《Tender is the Night》《The Last Tycoon》《The GreatGatsby》(代表作)二.名词解释1. American puritanism: Puritanism is the practices and beliefs of puritans. The puritans areoriginally members of a division of the protestant church who wanted to purify their religious beliefs and practices. They accepted the doctrine of predestination, original sin, total depravity and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from god. It had become, to some extent, so much a sense of mind, so much a part of national cultural background, rather than a set of tenets.2. Transcendentalism: it was a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture and philosophythat emerged in newEngland in the early middle 19th century. Transcendentalists spoke for cultural rejuvenation and against the materialism in American society. It place emphasis on spirit, or the over soul as the most important thing in the world. It stressed the importance of the individual and offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the spirit or god.Prominent transcendentalists included Edwards and Thoreau.3. Local Colorism: Mark Twain was the representative of local colorism. It as a trend becamedominant in American literature in the late 1860s and early 1870s, it is defined by Hamlin Garland as having such quality of texture and background that it could not have been written in any other place or by anyone else than a native, as local colorists tried to immortalize the distinctive natural, social and linguistic features. It is characteristic of vernacular language and satirical humor. Generally speaking, the writings of local colorists are concerned with the life of a small, well-defined region or province. The characteristic setting is the isolated small town.4. Imagism: the 1920s saw a vigorous literary activity in America. In poetry there appeared astrong reaction against Victorian poetry. Imagists placed primary reliance on the use of precise, sharp images as a means of poetic expression and stressed precision in the choice of words, freedom in the choice of subject matter and form, and the use of oral language. Most of the imagist poets wrote in free verse, using such devices as assonance and alliteration rather than formal metrical schemes to give structure to their poetry. Its representative was Pound.5. Modernsim: American modernism was the phenomenon of international modernismtransplanted in the American context. The modernists have a more complex view of reality.They believe that reality is experienced from different perspectives and at different levels.Modernism is pluralistic in styles and inclusive of diverse responses to the human condition in the modern world.6. The Lost Generation: it is a term used to characterize a general feeling of disillusionment ofAmerican literary notables who lived in Europe, most notably Paris, after the First World War.Figures identified with the lost generation included authors and artists such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Pound and SherwoodAnderson.三.解答题1.超验主义三大特点。
美国文学史及选读
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 andPortuguese (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 atJamestown,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 Descriptionof 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。
大学课程《美国文学史》期末试卷及参考答案
大学课程《美国文学史》期末试卷1.Darwinism2.Lost generation3.Imagism4.Free VerseⅡ. Matching (本大题共10小题,每小题1分,共10分) 1. John Steinbeck 2. T.S. Eliot 3. Carl Sandburg 4. F. Scott Fitzgerald 5. Harriet Beecher Stowe 6. O ’ Henry 7. Thomas Paine 8. Ernest Hemingway 9. Ralph Waldo Emerson 10. Nathaniel Hawthorne a. A Farewell to Arms b. Common Sense c. Uncle Tom’s Cabind. The Cop and the Antheme. The Grapes of Wrathf. Fogg. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock h. Naturei. The Great Gatsby j. The Scarlet Letter.Ⅲ. Multiple choice.(本大题共 35 小题,每小题 1 分,共 35 分)1.In the early nineteenth century American moral values were essentially Puritan. Nothi ng has left a deeper imprint on the character of the people as a whole than did_______. A.Puritanism B Romanticism C Rationalism D Sentimentalism2. Franklin wrote and published his famous__________, an annul collection of proverbs.A. The AutobiographyB. Poor Richard‘s AlmanackC. Common SenseD. The Genera l Magazine3. In American literature, the eighteenth century was the age of the Enlightenment. _______was the dominant spirit.A. Humanism B Rationalism C Revolution D Evolution 4.________ usually was regarded as the first American writer.A.William BradfordB. Anne BradstreetC.Emily DickinsonD. Captain John Smith 5..Which is not Irving‘s works in the following.A. The Sketch BookB. Tales of a Traveller C .A History of New York D To A Waterfowl 6. Choose Freneau‘s poem from the following.A. The RavenB. To a WaterfowlC. To HellenD. The wild Honey Suckle7. In 1817, the stately poem called Thanatopsis introduced the best poet___to appear in America up to that time.A. Edward TaylorB. Philip FreneauC. William Cullen BryantD. Edgar Allan Poe pared with his contemporaries, _________was no doubt the best in exploring the wildness and frontier in fiction.A. Washington IrvingB. James Fenimore CooperC. William Cullen Bryant D Philip Freaneau9. Washington Irving‘s ‘Rip Van Winkle‘ is famous for_________. A.Rip‘s escape into a mysterious valleyB.The story‘s German legendary source materialC. Rip‘s seeking for happinessD. Rip‘s 20-years sleep 10. Choose Poe‘s work from the followingA. The Day of DoomB.The Last of the MohicansC. The Indian Burying Ground D The Fall of the House of Usher 11.Choose Irving‘s work from the following .A. The Sketch BookB. ThanatopsisC. The SpyD.The British Prison Ship 12._______ is the most commonly used in English poetry, in which an unstressed syllabl e comes first followed by a stressed.A. the trochaic footB. an anapestic footC. a quatrainD. a iambic foot 13. The Indian Burying Ground by___________ is the earliest poem which romanticizes the Indian as a child of nature.A. Washington IrvingB. Adgar Alan PoeC.Philip FreneauD.Nathaniel Hawthorne 14._______ is a poetic device used to increase the musical quality and link the lines and stanzas of a poem.A. meterB. repetitionC. rhymeD.foot15.Poetry is aimed at conveying and enriching human experience which is formed throu gh sense impressions. _____ is the representation of sense experience through language. A . meter B. image C. theme D. assonance16. In American literature, the 18th century was the age of Enlightenment. ______ was the dominant.院系: 专业班级: 姓名: 学号:装 订 线A. humanismB. rationalismC. romanticismD. evolution17. The short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is taken from Irving’s work named ______.A. The Leatherstocking TalesB. The Sketch BookC. The AutobiographyD. The History of New York18. Which of the following is not the characteristic of American Romanticism?A. RationalismB. inner selfC. personal feelingsD. individualism19.The short story “Rip Van Winkle” reveals the ____ attitude of its author.A. optimisticB. pessimisticC. conservativeD. ironic20. Transcendentalist doctrines found their greatest literary advocates in___and ThoreauA. JeffersonB. EmersonC. FreneauD. Mark Twain21. Which is r egarded as the “Declaration of Intellectual Independence”?A. The American ScholarB. English TraitsC. OversoulD. Self-reliance22. ______ is the father of American Literature.A. Benjamin FranklinB. Philip FreneauC. PaineD. Washington Irving23. _____ was the most leading spirit of the Transcendental Club.A. ThoreauB. EmersonC. HawthorneD. Whitman24. Most of the poems in Whitman’s Leaves of Grass sing of the “en-mass” and the ____ as well.A. natureB. self-relianceC. selfD. life25. For Melville, as well as for the reader and ____, the narrator, Moby Dick is still a mystery, an ultimate mystery of the universe.A. AhabB. StubbC. IshmaelD. Starbuck26. The poem is written in free verse in 52 cantos with the theme of the universality and equality in value of all people and all things.a.Cantosb. The Ravenc. Song of Myselfd. Chicago27. The novel is about how a group of people on a whaling ship kill a great whale but themselves are killed by the whale, with the conflict between man and his fate.a.The Octopusb. Moby-Dickc. The Rise of Silas Laphamd. Leaves of Grass28. An English ship brought 102 people from Plymouth, England on September 16, 1620 and arrived in the present Provincetown harbor on November 21 in the same year. This ship was named ____________.a. The Pilgrimsb. Mayflowerc. Americad. Titanic29._______was the greatest woman poet in American literature and she wrote about 1,700 short lyric poems in her life time.a. Pearl S. Buckb. Harriet Bicher Stowec. Emily Dickensond. Walter Whitman30. ._________ is father of the detective story and of psychoanalytic criticism.a. Washington Irvingb. Ralph Waldo Emersonc. Walt Whitmand. Edgar Allan Poe31. In American literature, the eighteen century was the age of the Enlightenment. ——was the dominant spirit.A. HumanismB. RationalismC. RevolutionD. Evolution 32.——Which statement about Franklin is not true?A. He instructed his countrymen as a printer.B. He was a scientist.C. He was a master of diplomacy.D. He was a Puritan.33.Who is regarded as the first American prose epic.A. NatureB. The Scarlet LetterC. WaldenD. Moby-Dick34.The Romanic Period of American literature started with the publication of Washington Irving's ——and ended with Whiteman's Leaves of Grass.A. The Sketch BookB. Tales of a TravelerC. The AlhambraD.A history of New York35.The period before the American Civil War is generally referred to asA. the Naturalist PeriodB. the Modern PeriodC. the Romantic PeriodD. the Realistic PeriodIV. Identification of Fragments(本大题共有7个诗歌或小说选段,请选5个选段并回答其后的问题,答题时请先注明选段, 再回答问题。
美国文学史_作者 作品
美国文学史_作者作品Part 1. Colonial America(1607-1800)John Smith(158-1631)约翰斯密斯 The General History of Virginia弗吉尼亚通史, A Description of New England新英格兰概览William Bradford(1590-1657)威廉布Of Plymouth Plantation普利茅斯拓荒记莱德福John Winthrop(1588-1649)约翰温斯A Model of Christian Charity基督徒慈善的典范洛普Anne Bradstreet(1612-1672) “Contemplations”, “Upon the Burning of Our House”,” To My Dear and LovingHusband”, In Reference to Her Children”,” The Flesh and The Spirit” As WearyPilgrim”Edward Taylor(1642-1729)爱德华泰“Huswifery”, “Upon a Spider Catching a Fly”勒Roger Williams(1603-1683)罗杰威廉The Bloody Tenet of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience斯John Woolman(1720-1772) “Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negroes”, A Plea for the Poor” Thomas Paine(1737-1809) The Case of the Officers of Excise税务员问题;Common Sense常识;AmericanCrisis美国危机;Rights of Man人的权利:Downfall of Despotism专制体制的崩溃;The Age of Reason理性时代Philip Freneau(1752-1832) The Rising Glory of America;The British Prison Ship英国囚船;To the Memoryof 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; The Dying Indian: Tomo Chequi Charles Brockden Brown(1771-1810) Wieland; Edgar Huntly; Ormond; Arthur MervynJonathan Edwards(1703-1758)爱德华The Freedom of the Will《意志的自由》 The Great Doctrine of Original Sin 兹 defended《原罪说辩》 The Nature of True Virtue真美德的性质; Images orShadows of Divine Things《神灵的形影》;” Personal Narrative”; “Sinners in theHands of an Angry God”愤怒的上帝手中之罪人Benjamin Franklin(1706-1790) Poor Richard?s Almanac穷查理历书;The Way to Wealth致富之道;TheAutobiography 自传Hector St.John de Crevecour Letters form an American Farmer来自美国农夫的信(1735-1813)克里夫古尔Part 2. American Romanticism(1800-1860)Washington Irving华盛顿?欧文A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch 1783-1859 Danasty;纽约外史 ;The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent见闻札记;The History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus哥伦布传;AChronicle of the Conquest of Granada格拉纳达征服编年史; The Alhambra 阿尔罕布拉; Life of Goldsmith戈尔德斯密传; Life of Washington华盛顿传; “RipVan Winkle”; “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”;”The Authors Account ofHimself”James Fennimore Cooper詹姆斯?费The Spy间谍;The Pilot领航者; Leatherstocking Tales皮裹腿故事集:The 尼莫尔?库珀1789-1851 Pioneer拓荒者;The Last of the Mohicans最后的莫希干人;The Prairie大草原;The Pathfinder探路者;The Deerslayer杀鹿者Part 3.New England Transcendentalism(1836-1855)Ralf Waldo Emerson拉尔夫?沃尔Essays散文集:Nature(1836) -----the Manifesto( Bible) of the New England 多?爱默生1803-1882 Transcendentalism;” The American Scholar-----America?s Declaration of Intellectual Independence; “The Poet”; Representative Men代表人物;EnglishTraits英国人的特征;Henry David Thoreau亨利?大卫?梭Walden, or Life in the Woods; 瓦尔登湖“ Civil Disobedience”; “A Plea for 罗1817-1862 John Brown”; A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers;1Amos Bronson Alcott(1799-1888)Margaret Fuller(1810-1850) :《1843年的湖光夏日》(Summer on the Lakes in 1843)(1844)和《论文学与艺术》(Papers on Literature and Art)(1846)。
美国文学史
美国文学史美国文学作为世界文学中的一支重要力量,具有独特的发展历程和风格。
从殖民地时期开始,美国文学就逐渐形成了自己的特色,逐步走向独立和多元化。
本文将从不同时期和流派的角度,对美国文学史进行探讨。
殖民地文学时期在殖民地时期,北美洲最早由英国、荷兰和法国等欧洲国家殖民,形成了各具特色的殖民地文学。
早期殖民者主要是宗教领袖和移民,他们的文学作品大多与宗教和生活有关。
其中,《普利茅斯纪事》是北美最早的历史文学作品之一,记录了普利茅斯殖民地的建立和发展历程。
独立战争与浪漫主义美国独立战争的胜利为美国文学的繁荣奠定了基础。
浪漫主义在19世纪初发展起来,强调个人主义、自然和民族主义,代表作品有爱默生的《自然》和露易丝·梅·奥尔科特的《小女亨丽特》等。
这一时期的作品多表现出对自由、民主和原生态的向往,具有强烈的思想性和感情色彩。
现实主义和自然主义19世纪中后期,美国文学逐渐发展出现实主义和自然主义两大流派。
现实主义作品关注于社会生活和人性,代表作品有马克·吐温的《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》和亨利·詹姆斯的《彭伯顿夫人》等。
自然主义则更加强调环境和遗传的影响,代表作品有杰克·伦敦的《野性的呼唤》和斯蒂芬·克莱恩的《红字》等。
这一时期的作品在探讨社会问题和人性方面展现出了深度和广度。
现代主义和后现代主义20世纪初,现代主义在美国兴起,表现出对传统文学形式和观念的挑战。
代表作家有欧内斯特·海明威、弗吉尼亚·吴尔芙和威廉·福克纳等,他们的作品多以流畅的叙述和复杂的心理描写为特点。
后现代主义则更加强调对现实的怀疑和对语言的实验,代表作家有托马斯·品钦和唐·德里罗斯等,他们的作品反映出了当代社会的多样性和碎裂性。
结语美国文学历经多个阶段和流派的发展,呈现出了多样的表现形式和思想内涵。
从殖民地时期到现代,美国文学逐渐形成了独具特色的风格和传统。
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1620年11月9日,五月花号登陆北美大陆。
普利茅斯殖民地,后并入马塞诸萨州,第一任总督威廉·布拉福德(1590-1657)哈佛学院文学史是关于文学发生、发展、嬗变的历史叙事,文学史以文学创作实践为基础。
不过,文学史不是单纯的文学叙事,还常常是国家叙事。
一方面文学史勾勒出一个国家文学发展的轨迹,总结其文学成就,另一方面也描绘反应国家、民族的整体形象,强化或者反抗一定的意识形态。
文学史写的是过去,关心的却是现在。
写历史总是后人为了自己的需要而去重构过去。
美国在政治上获得独立之后,也试图获得文学上的独立。
当时欧洲人,包括当时的很多美国人,都认为美国根本不存在文学史。
绝大多数美国文人对自己的文学创作都没有信心。
认为美国花去七年时间获得政治上的独立,但是要花掉至少几百年时间才能真正获得文学上的独立。
1888年到1890年间出现的十一卷本《美国文库》也在应证这种信心的缺乏,美国文学只不过是英国文学的一个分支,入选的作品大多是受英国文学影响的新英格兰地区的作家,如欧文,库柏,朗费罗,洛威尔等,而那些具有强烈本土特色的作家不是被剔除,便是轻描淡写。
由特伦特(William Trent)1917年出版的四卷本《剑桥美国文学史》是历史上第一部多人共同编纂的文学史,篇幅之大足见美国文学形成的规模与水平。
尽管书中收入了更多的作家,但是仍然强调把美国文学独立的主张看成是“国民骄傲的诱惑”,强调英美两地虽远隔重洋,却同出一源,使用同样的语言,信仰同样的宗教,都是斯宾塞,莎士比亚,弥尔顿等文学大师熏陶下创作出来的。
但此时,美国文学自主意识有了进一步的觉醒。
批评家范·布鲁克斯(Van Wyck Brooks)在1918年严肃的指出,美国文学的历史在一般人的眼中只是个“没有生命,缺乏价值的过去”,他呼吁人们去发现,甚至去创造一个有意义的美国文学传统。
从1920年开始,美国和加拿大语言和文学界最高学术团体“现代语言协会”开始承认确实有美国文学这么回事。
1928年出版了福斯特(Norman Foerster)主编的论文集《重新解释美国文学》,提出滋生早期美国文学的文化既不源起于殖民地本土,也不属于欧洲,而是一个相当发达的文化经“移植”到北美新土壤后产生出的一个新文化。
该书强调了西部拓疆运动在美国文学发展中的作用。
第二次世界大战以后,斯皮勒(Robert E. Spiller)主编两卷本《美利坚合众国文学史》(1948)不但权威性地叙述了美国文学的发展脉络,而且确定了经典作家的名录和书目,而且真正“帮助建立起一门新的学术研究领域”。
此外有多次美国文学史的编纂,如埃利奥特(Emory Elliott)主编的《哥伦比亚美国文学史》(1988)。
迄今为止,规模最大的修订应属哈佛大学柏柯维奇(Sacvan Bercovitch)主编的新版《剑桥美国文学史》,恢弘巨著,共八卷。
20世纪美国文学史的多产反映了美国文学创作的繁荣,也是美国文学独立,成熟的文化心态的自我变现。
总结:文学史的不断修订,是文学创作繁荣的变现,同时,也是一个国家民族独立的自我表述,文学史不单纯是文学发生发展的历史,也是民族国家的叙事。
文学史编纂的不断发展,促使一些人专门进行文学史的理论研究,这些人有的是文学史家,有的是文学批评家,斯皮勒曾经指出:“每一代人至少要编写一部美国文学史,因为,每一代人都理应用自己的观点去阐释过去。
”任何一部文学史,都包含一部文学史观。
文学史,是在文学和历史两个不同的领域中周旋。
文学中的大部分作品是通过文字虚构生活,开展想象,较少受到时间和空间的制约。
历史则需要凭借史料,在具体的时间和空间范围内或间歇中穿针引线。
文学和历史,更应该强调哪一方?一直有争论。
1917年第一部《剑桥美国文学史》强调文学作品对生活的写照,“序言”称这部文学史“与其说是一部纯文学的历史,还不如说是对文学作品所反映的美国人民的生活的一种概述”。
1952年,韦勒克在现代语言协会发表《现代语言与文学研究的目的、方法和材料》报告中指出,“对于文学史我们只能两者取其一:要么把它看成是历史的一个分支,尤其看作文化历史,把文学作品当作是历史文献和历史见证;要么把文学史看作是艺术史,把文学作品当作艺术丰碑来开展研究。
”但他同时认为两者并非一定要相互排斥,一个好的文学史家必定是一个好的文学评论家。
《美利坚合众国文学史》的主编斯皮勒1963年发表在现代语言协会上的论文《现代语言与文学的研究目的和方法》则反对上述折衷观点,他认为文学史是一个独立的领域,文学史必须明显具有文学性,“文学史研究的是文学,因而它只能用文学的而不是其他的语言来写作。
”60年代中后期,欧美文学批评领域发生巨大变化。
结构主义,读者反映理论,新精神分析,女性主义,新历史主义,解构主义,后殖民主义等理论从新的视角审视文学,在文学批评的观念和方法上引起一场革命,也给文学史论的发展带来理论上的不断突破,使人们对文学史实的客观性,权威性,文学传统的构建,弱势文学的地位,跨学科研究等问题有不断新的认识。
后现代和文化批评理论的发展对文学史的编写和研究影响极大。
以前的观点,认为文学史是文学和历史的有机结合,既有对文学作品艺术性的鉴赏,又有作品之外种种关系的剖析,这种观点已经过时。
在文学和历史之间,更倾向于历史研究,美国的文学史家更不愿在作品的文学艺术性上多花时间,而把重心转移到文化历史研究。
现代语言协会1981年发表的权威性的《现代语言与文学研究入门》报告中更把“文学史”这个提法改成“历史研究”(Historical Scholarship)。
改动这个学名是为了表明当代文学史家从事的领域要比斯皮勒为“文学史”所标明的领域要宽,与其他历史研究的对象的界限应该更加模糊。
在这里,文学显然被挤在了后座。
到了1992年这一改动的强度更大,认为1981年的学名的变更仍然过于突出文学,而新的历史研究应该把以往被贬为背景材料的社会和文化资料做直接研究对象,因为在福柯之后,“一切都是文本,都是平等的”。
文学史显然已被重新定义,现在人更关心的是文化而不是“艺术”,“文学艺术”只是作为文化的一个例证而存在才有意义。
在后现代理论的影响下,多人合作编纂的文学史要求观点一致,线性发展的传统文学史写作模式受到挑战。
针对以斯皮勒编写的《美利坚合众国文学史》为代表的传统编写原则,埃利奥特的《哥伦比亚美国文学史》的前言中指出:“历史学家不是真理的昭示者,而是故事的讲述者。
”这部文学史揭示“美国的文学史不是一个故事,而是很多个不同的故事。
”他又说,“在两次世界大战结束之际,许多学者对美国的民族属性有着统一的看法,而这种统一性在今天已经不复存在。
由于这个缘故,我们尽可能把那些使当今世界变得生气勃勃的各种各样的观点呈献在读者面前。
”柏科维奇在新版《剑桥美国文学史》中则对包括《哥伦比亚美国文学史》在内的所有以往美国文学史的编写模式提出了挑战,该书扩大或重新界定了文学史的疆域。
该书序言认为它的权威并不来自于统一而在于区别,它存在于“各个不同但却相关的知识群体的作用之中”,在于这部书集结了各个研究领域的专家权威在不同但又相关的问题上发表各自的看法。
因此这部历史“不是一部美国文学的历史而是多部美国历史的组合”。
它的明显特征“即是各种相对观点的共存,更是多种文本和超文本用互相修正、并不对抗的方式发生关联”。
序言还认为美国文学的多样性、复杂性要求采用一种“多重声音描绘的策略”,“角度的多样性与所利用的文学和历史材料的巨大丰富性相对应”。
总结:随着西方文艺思潮中文化和历史转向的出现,后现代主义、解构主义的去中心性,促使人们关注文化的多样性,于是少数民族裔文学走进了文学史家的视野。
文学研究的疆域也在不断扩大,以前作为背景的历史和文化走入了前台,成为直接的研究对象。
美国文学的源起与发展(起始——1860)美国文学的起点有的定为1429年葡萄牙航海家哥伦布首次置足美洲大陆,有的定为1607年首批英国移民船横跨大西洋到达今弗吉尼亚一带,并在那里建立永久性殖民点。
自哥伦布发现美洲之后,关于“美国”的文字开始频繁出现在“旧大陆”(欧洲大陆)的各种出版物中,而史密斯于1616年在英国出版的《关于弗吉尼亚的真实叙述》,一般被认为是美国文学的真正开端。
但是,如果这里的“美国”是个政治实体概念,那么,美国文学的开端似乎得定在1776年美利坚合众国之时,而这样一来,1607年至1775年之间在这片大陆上产生的英语文学作品,似乎只能被称为(英属)殖民地文学了;如果将“美国”看成地理概念,那么,在英国和其他欧洲殖民者在这片土地上产生文学作品前,“美国”文学已经有了数千年历史——原地北美印第安人,用各个部落的印第安语创作出辉煌的印第安传统文学。
但是八十年代中期以前的文学史,对此一般只字不提。
随着近一二十年的各种社会和文学理论的影响下,人们对“美国”及“美国文学”这样的概念中包含的丰富庞杂的成分,开始日益加深。
“弱势话语”(minority discourse)、“弱势文学”(minority literatures)这样的文字屡见不鲜。
既然关于美国历史的叙述大多从这块大陆的本土居民印第安人开始,既然“非裔美国文学”、“亚裔美国文学”、“西裔美国文学”“拉美裔美国文学”等均是公认的美国文学的重要组成部分,把具有数千年历史的印第安传统文学也包括到美国文学的大概念中,实属必然。
口头文学本身的内在缺陷,以及欧洲殖民者的到来,对这一文学品种构成了严重的挑战。
随着殖民的开拓,移民人数的剧增,英语文学在殖民地出现,印第安人的范围不断缩小,印第安文化遭到重创,印第安传统文学不仅丧失了在北美大陆的“主流文学”地位,在以书面文化为特征的社会历史条件下,连它本身的发展和存在都成了问题。
外来的欧洲文化凭借其优势,确立了自己的“主流文学”的地位。
印第安文学发生断裂,口头文学受到严重挫败,而书面文学的发展也是到18世纪末才开始,而且用的是别人的语言——英语。
虽然作为口头文学的印第安传统文学在当今几乎失传,能使用印第安部落语言的印第安人也寥寥无几,但这一传统所产生的作品题材和主题,人物形象,叙述结构,文学意象,甚至包括创作方式,依然构成了当代美国印第安文学的一大特色,并在一定程度上得以保存发扬。
印第安文学的传统并没有消失,在当今已经书面化了的印第安文学中,依然可见口头文学的许多特征,而自二十世纪六十年代的“印第安文艺复兴”以来,美国印第安文学更为蓬勃发展,日益成为美国文学的一个重要组成部分。
印第安文学也为印第安人带来了一定的发言权,有机会参与同殖民文学和文化的对话。
殖民地英语文学主要是关于拓展殖民地的叙史文学和其他散文诗歌组成,并以表现出强烈的清教思想影响为特征。
了解清教思想对了解清教在美国民族意识形成中的意义很很大帮助。