美國文學(xué)簡答題(自己整理歸納的).doc

1. American Transcendentalism New England Transcendentalism was, in essence, romantic idealism on Puritan soil. It was a system of thought that originated from three sources. First William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) was an American Unitarian clergyman. His Unitarianism represented a thoughtful revolt against orthodox Puritanism. Unitarianism believed God as one being, rejecting the doctrine of trinity, stressing the tolerance of difference in religious opinion, and giving each congregation the free control of its own affairs and its independent authority. It laid the foundation for the central doctrines of transcendentalism. Secondly, the idealistic philosophy from France and Germany exerted enormous impact on American intellectuals. Thirdly, oriental mysticism as revealed in Hindu and Chinese classics reached America in English translations. As a result, New England Transcendentalism blended native American tradition with foreign influences.2. American Realism Realism is the theory of writing in which familiar aspects of contemporary life and everyday scenes are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact manner. This is the theory that authors try to use and guide them in their writing. It stresses truthful treatment of material. It is anti-romantic, anti-sentimental, and without abstract interest in nature, death, etc. Mark Twain laughed at people who were caught up in the world of illusions, who were not mature enough to see real situations. This is one example of the truthful treatment of material. 3. American RomanticismRomanticism was a rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism. It was a movement of conscious rebellion against being too objective. The romantic spirit was one of subjectivity of inward feelings that one could trust ones subjective responses. Romantics placed a high premium upon the creative function of imagination, and saw art as a formulation of intuitive and imaginative perceptions that tend to speak a nobler truth than that of fact.4. Why are naturalists inevitably pessimistic in their view?Please discuss the above question in relation to the basic principles of literary naturalism.A. They accept the negative implication of Darwins theory of evolution, and believe that society is a jungle where survival struggles go on.B. They believe that mans instinct, the environment and other social and economic forces play an overwhelming role and mans fate is determined by such forces beyond his control.5. Some of Hemingways heroes are regarded as the Hemingway code heroes. Whatever the differences in experience and age，they all have something incommon Which Hemingway ValuesWhat are the characteristics of the Hemingway Code hero?6. What are the major features of New England Transcendentalism? 7. What are the similarities and differences between Whitman and Dickinsons poetry?1) Dickinsons poems are usually based on her own experiences, her sorrows and joys. But within her little lyrics Dickinson addresses those issues that concern the whole human beings, which include religion, death, immortality, love, and nature. (theme)2) Her masterpiece -I heard a Fly buzz-when I died, she looked at death from the point of view of both the living and the dying. She even imagined her own death, the loss of her own body, and the journey of her soul to the unknown.3) The style of Dickinson:A: A particular stress pattern: dash“-”B: Capital letters as a means of emphasis;C: Language: brief, direct, and plain;D: Poem: short, always on single image or symbol (e.g. I like to see it lap the miles-describe a train in the personification of the literary device) E: Her poems tend to be personal and meditative (e.g. “Because I could not stop for Death”).8. Reality reflected in realistic writingsRealism came as a reaction against the lie of romanticism and sentimentalism. The battle between idealists and realists provided the major issue of American literary history after the Civil war (1861-1865). Literature began to pay less attention to general ideas and more to the immediate facts of life. As a way of writing, realism has been applied in almost every literature throughout history. But as a literary movement, realism is a period concept and it refers to the approach of realist fiction occurred at the latter part of the 19th century. In part, the rise of realism came as a protest against the falseness and sentimentality seen in romantic literature. The realists were determined to create a new kind of literature that was completely and totally realistic. Major Features1 Realism is the theory of writing in which familiar aspects of contemporary life and everyday scenes are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact manner. This is the theory that authors try to use in their writing. It stresses truthful treatment of material. It is anti-romantic, anti-sentimental, and without abstract interest in nature, death, etc.2 In realist fiction characters from all social levels are examined in depth. The realist writers hold on to characters and keep examining how these people relate to each other. 3 Open ending is also a good example of the truthful treatment of material. 4 Realism focuses on commonness of the lives of the common people who are customarily ignored by the arts. Realists are interested in commonplace, the everyday, the average, the trivial, and the representative. 5 Realism emphasizes objectivity and offers an objective rather than an idealistic view of human nature and human experience. The realist writers are detached observers of life. They are like scientists, making an investigation. Realism presents moral visions. The author has a purpose for presenting an objective account of real life in order to express his moral sense. Realists are ethical writers, interested in the problems of the individual conscience in conflict with social institutions. Many of their works show the American businessman in the conflict over whether he should accept a bribe, give a bribe, participate in unfair business practices, etc. Generally, these writers show how the individual conscience wins when he opposes social conventions and social practices and they are always interested in focusing on the dilemma. This indicates their disbelief in romantic individualism.10. The difference between Realism and NaturalismThe literary naturalists have a major difference from the realists. The naturalists also describe real life, the way things really are. They do not escape into a world of imagination, but they dismiss the realists as far too genteel. The naturalists look at a different spot to find real life. They do not look at the average, but at the violent, sensational, sordid, unpleasant and ugly aspects of life. Instead of going to a middle-class neighborhood and write about middle-class life, the naturalists would go to the slums and write about the life of poverty and crime. This fits their theory that they have adopted by applying Darwinian techniques to the behavior of human. They think that the true reality is not found in the smiling aspects of middle-class life. The true reality is found when forces of Nature are most dominant in stopping human desires, in keeping humans from accomplishing their dreams. They write about war, about prostitution, about criminals which form the aspects of life that are not too pleasant to consider. What distinguishes realist from naturalist texts is restraint, not action itself. After all, naturalist characters act out of a similar set of motives and desires, and they differ from their realist counterparts only in being unable to resist the conditions that press upon them. Realists present their character as a unified self, subjectively whole and self-consistent, but naturalists see this self as no more than an illusion. Characters in naturalist texts are portrayed as more or less combinations of innate traits and socialized habits. 11. The influence of TranscendentalismTranscendentalism can be best understood as a late and localized manifestation of romantic movement in literature and philosophy. The triumph of intuition over five senses, the elevation of the individual over society, the critical attitude toward formalized religion, the rejection of any kind of restraint or bondage to custom, the new and thrilling delight in nature - all these were characteristics of transcendentalism. As formulated by Emerson, transcendentalism became a loud and clear call to action, urging young people to cast off their enslavement to the past, to follow God within, and to live every moment of life with great effort, to regard nature as the great objective lesson proving Gods presence everywhere in His creation. Transcendentalism was also an ethical and moral guide to life for a young nation of America. It preached the positive life and appealed to the best side of human nature. Therefore, it stressed the tolerance of difference in religious opinion and the free control of its own affairs by each congregation, and called to throw off shackles of custom and tradition, and to go forward to the development of a new and distinctly American culture. Transcendentalism is important t