美國文學史完整復習版

1、romanticism: romanticism is not an organized system, but rather a particular attitude towards the reality of man, nature, and society. it marked the reaction in literature, philosophy, art, religion, and politics to the neoclassicism新古典主義 and formal orthodoxy正統(tǒng)學說，正教，信奉正教 of the past.transcendentalis

2、m超驗主義: a new england movement which flourished from c. 1835 to 1860. it had its roots in romanticism and in post-kantian idealism后康德觀念論 by which coleridge科爾里奇 was influenced. it had a considerable influence on american art and literature. basically religious, it emphasized the importance of the indi

3、vidual conscience, and the value of intuition直覺 in matters of moral guidance and inspiration.realism: realism is a literary movement or trend of the nineteenth century, especially in prose fiction散文故事. it is an action against romanticism, and it paves the way for modernism. opposed to romantic ficti

4、on, which present life as it should be, realistic fiction present an accurate imitation of life as it is. realism is based on the accurate, unromanticized observation of human experiences. it insists on precise description, authentic真正的，可靠的 action and dialogue, moral honesty, and a democratic openne

5、ss民主開放性 in subject matter and style.naturalism自然主義: naturalism is an extreme form of realism that developed in the second half of the eighteenth century. both movements try to portray real-life, but naturalism is based more on scientific studies. the naturalists import scientific determinism科學決定論 in

6、to literature, viewing people as part of the animal world, prey to natural forces and internal drives without control or full knowledge of them. the naturalists portray people and events precisely and objectively without idealizing them. they are generally helpless victims of their own emotions and

7、the world around them.imagism意象主義: it is a movement in u.s. and english poetry characterized by the use of concrete language and figures of speech, modern subject matter, metrical 韻律freedom, and avoidance of romantic or mystical themes, aiming at clarity of expression through the use of precise visu

8、al images. the imagist manifesto came out in 1912 and showed three imagist poetic principles. modernism現(xiàn)代主義: modernism is a cultural movement that generally includes the progressive art and architecture, design, literature, music, dance, painting and other visual arts which emerged in the beginning

9、of the 20th century, particularly in the years following world war i. it was a movement of artists and designers who rebelled against late 19th century academic and historicist tradition, and embraced the new economic, social and political aspects of the emerging modern world. modernism in literatur

10、e is not easily summarized, but the key elements are experimentation實驗, anti-realism反寫實主義, individualism個人主義 and a stress on the cerebral rather than emotive aspects強調(diào)理智而不是情感方面. the work of modernist writers is characterized by showing the disenchantment醒悟, dislocation錯位, and alienation疏離 of men in

11、the world, and by the emphasis on experimentation and formalism形式主義 and objectivism客觀主義 which are, in most cases, a reaction to the modern age.lost generation迷惘的一代: a name applied to the disillusioned intellectuals and aesthetes審美家 of the years following world war i, who rebelled against former idea

12、s and values but could replace them only with despair or cynical hedonism享樂主義. 1930s: the leading themes of the 1930s were economic and political. the wall street crash of 1929 set the tone for the writing of the decade. during the great depression經(jīng)濟大蕭條, life became a nightmare of unemployment, pove

13、rty, misery, and despair. there was widespread panic.1940s: in 1940s, the outbreak of world war ii saved the united states from its great panic and brought to a close a twenty-year boom period in america literary history which is incomparable in terms of production, quality and originality. as in th

14、e first half of the 20th century, fiction in the second half reflects the character of each decade. the late 1940s saw the aftermath of world war ii and the beginning of the cold war. black humor黑色幽默: black humor, a combination of humor with resentment怨恨, gloom憂郁, anger憤怒, and despair絕望. seeing all

15、that is unreasonable, hypocritical偽善, ugly丑陋, and even frenzied激怒, writers of black humor nurse a grievance against their society which, according to them, is full of institutionalized制度化，成慣性的 absurdity荒謬. yet they are cynical. they laugh a morbid不正常的 laugh when facing the hideous極度丑陋. in hopeless i

16、ndignation義憤 they take up freezing irony冷嘲熱諷 and burning satire as their weapons. their novels are often in the form of an anti-novel, devoid of completeness of plot 缺乏完整的故事情節(jié)and characterized by fragmentation and dislocation.用片段和錯位說明1950s: the 1950s saw the delayed impact of modernization and techn

17、ology in everyday life, left over from the 1920s - before the great depression. world war ii brought the united states out of the depression, and the 1950s provided most americans with time to enjoy long-awaited期待已久的 material prosperity. business, especially in the corporate world, seemed to offer t

18、he good life (usually in the suburbs), with its real and symbolic marks of success - house, car, television, and home appliances. harlem renaissance哈姆來文藝復興: in the early 1900s, particularly in the 1920s, african-american literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in harle

19、m, a section of new york city. this african-american cultural movement became known as “the new negro movement” and later as the “harlem renaissance”. more than a literary movement, the harlem renaissance exalted贊美 the unique culture of african-americans and redefined重新定義 african-american expression

20、. african-americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage文化遺產(chǎn). the main factors contributing to the development of the harlem renaissance were african-american urban migration, trends toward experimentation throughout the country, and the rise of radical african-american intellectuals. the har

21、lem renaissance transformed african-american identity and history, but it also transformed american culture in general. never before had so many americans read the thoughts of african-americans and embraced the african-american communitys productions, expressions, and style. psychological realism心理現(xiàn)

22、實主義: reality lies in the impressions made by life on the spectator, and not in any facts of which the spectator is aware. realism is there therefore merely the obligation that the artist assumes to represent life as he sees it, which may not be the same as life as it “really” is.what is the hemingwa

23、y “code hero”: the “hemingway code” of manhood男子氣概 does not involve mere physical strength力量, sexual potency性能力, or ability to accumulate (or spend) wealth積富. according to this code, a man is defined by will, pride, and endurance: the edurance to accept pain, even losswhen the loss cannot be avoided

24、; the pride of knowing that one has done ones best, with the courage to act truly according to ones own nature; and the will to face defeat or victory without whining哀號 on one hand or boasting炫耀 on the other.writers & workswashington irving.the legend of sleepy hollow 沉睡谷傳奇 rip van winkle 瑞普-凡-溫克爾(t

25、hese narratives are regarded as the first american short stories)the history of new york from the beginning of the world to the end of the dutch dynasty(a satire on self-important local history and contemporary politics.)bracebridge tales of a travellerjames fenimore cooper(the first american noveli

26、st)the last of the mohicans leatherstocking tales(chiefly about conflict man against man, and man against environment, but both are significantly american in setting.)ralph waldo emerson.self-reliance 自力更生 the american scholar 美國學者(declaration of intellectual independence) nature 論自然(the manifesto o

27、f american transcendentalism)henry david thoreau.walden瓦爾登湖henry wadsworth longfellow my lost youthwalt whitman.song of myself 自我之歌 i hear america singing 我聽到美國在唱歌 leaves of grass 草葉集(the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that america has yet contributed.” )emily dickinson(wrote about the l

28、ife of her time in her completely original way).i heard a fly buzz-when i died我在死時聽到蒼蠅的嗡嗡聲edgar allen poe(from the very outset he was not appreciated in his own country, but he was well received in europe, in england, in spain, and especially in france where he first acquired greatness) (best known

29、for his tales of mystery and the macabre, poe was a poet and also one of the earliest american practitioners of the short story) .the raven the fall of the house of usher(explores terrors of the soul whilst revisiting classic gothic ideas of aristocratic貴族 decay, death and madness)nathaniel hawthorn

30、e.the scarlet letter 紅字(reveal a blackness of vision of which emerson was not capable) twice-told tales the blithedale romanceherman melville.moby dick 白鯨莫比迪克(to be one of the greatest novels ever written in english.)mark twain(is noted for his humour).the adventures of huckleberry finn (his masterp

31、iece) the adventures of tom sawyerhenry james.paste portrait of a lady the american daisy miller the bostonians the princess casamassima the tragic muse the turn of the screw the beast in the jungle the wings of the dove the ambassadors the golden bowlstephen crane.the red badge of courage 紅色英勇勛章the

32、odore dreiser sister carrieezra pound.in a station of the metro 地鐵車站 a pact 合約 the cantos the seafarer and cathay hugh selwyn mauberlyrobert frost the road not taken after apple-pickingt. s. eliot(in poetry, t.s.eliot is probably the most important american poet ofthe 20th century)(the model poet of

33、 our time, the most cited poet and incarnation of literary correctness in the english-speaking world).the waste landernest hemingway.the old man and the sea the sun also risesf. scott fitzgerald.the great gatsby 了不起的蓋茨比william faulkner.a rose for emily the sound and the fury as i lay dyingjohn stein

34、beck.the grapes of wrathsaul bellow.seize the dayj. d. salinger.the catcher in the rye 麥田的守望者joseph heller.catch-22 第22條軍規(guī)ralph ellison.invisible manlangston hughes the negro speakers of rivers dreamsjames baldwin going to meet the mantoni morrison beloved名言名句：ralph waldo emerson.from “self-reliance

35、”whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.for nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure. from “self-reliance”1) a great man is coming to eat at my house. i do not wish to please him; i wish that he should wish to please me

36、.2) whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.3) for nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasurefrom the american scholar1) books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst. what is the right use? what is the

37、one end, which all means go to effect? they are for nothing but to inspire.2) man is not a farmer, or a professor, or an engineer, but he is all. man is priest, and scholar, and statesman, and producer, and soldier. but, unfortunately, this original unit, this fountain of power, has been so distribu

38、ted to multitudes, has been so minutely subdivided and peddled out, that it is spilled into drops and cannot be gathered. the state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk, and strut about so many walking monstersa good finger, a neck, a stomach, an elbow, but

39、never a man.from “nature”there is nothing so wonderful in any particular landscape, as the necessity of being beautiful under which every landscape lies. nature cannot be surprised in undress. beauty breaks in everywhere.emersons idea of nature is very complex, but in simple words it is the romantic

40、 view of nature as a source of inspiration and authority superior to either historical events or human institutions (eg the church). it is comparable to the ideas of wordsworth and coleridge, the british poets. henry david thoreau. from “walden”1) “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. wh

41、at is called resignation is confirmed desperation. ”2) to be awake is to be alive. 3) “i have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning, when nobody calls.4) i learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavou

42、rs to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. edgar allen poe.from “the fall of the house of usher”“during the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, i had been pas

43、sing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy house of usher.”the narrator implies there has been marriage between relatives:i had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that th

44、e stem of the usher race, all time-honoured as it was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain.failure to adapt the usher family has become obs

45、olete because it failed to throw off the vestiges of outmoded tradition, a failing reflected by the mansion itself, a symbol of the family. “its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity. the discoloration of ages had been great. minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hangin

46、g in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves.from the very beginning, the narrator realizes that he is entering a world of mystery when he crosses the tarn bridge. what was iti paused to thinkwhat was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the house of usher ? it was a mystery all insoluble.

47、strange phenomenathe narrator describes the mansion as having a “pestilent and mystic” vapour enveloping it. he also says roderick usher “was enchained by certain superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted.”nathaniel hawthorne.from ”the scarlet letter”the door of the jail

48、being flung open from within there appeared, in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into .sunshine, the grim and gristly presence of the town-beadle (chapter ii, the market-place) herman melville.from “moby dick”call me ishmael.”mark twain.from “the adventures of huckleberry finn”who did n

49、ot want to be sivilizedstephen crane.from “the red badge of courage”“he had, of course, dreamed of battles all his lifeof vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire.”a river, amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the armys feet; and at night, when the str

50、eam had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of hostile camp-fires set in the low brows of distant hills.t. s. eliot.from “the waste land”“what are the roots that clutch, what branches growout of this stony rubbish? son of man,you cannot say, or guess, for

51、you know onlya heap of broken images, where the sun beats,and the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, and the dry stone no sound of water.”the waste land is often read as a representation of the disillusionment of the post-war generation. ernest hemingway.from “the old man and the sea

52、”“man can be destroyed but not defeated.”saul bellow.from “seize the day”when it came to concealing his troubles, tommy wilhelm was not less capable than the next fellow. so at least he thought.this expenditure of energy ironically helps lead to his downfall. wilhelm is so consumed by feelings of in

53、adequacy that he becomes totally inadequate - a failure with women, jobs, machines, and the commodities market, where he loses all his money. seize the day sums up the fear of failure that plagues many americans. joseph heller.from “catch-22”much of hellers prose in catch-22 is circular and repetiti

54、ve, exemplifying in its form the structure of a catch-22. heller revels in paradox. this atmosphere of apparent logical irrationality pervades the whole book.“the texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likable. in three days no one could stand him, and the case against clevinger was open

55、and shut. the only thing missing was something to charge him with”.yossarian is presented as having decided upon and relishing the immoral choice to such questions. which solidly casts yossarian as an anti-hero to the reader. yossarian throbbed with a mighty sense of accomplishment each time he gaze

56、d at the officers club building and reflected that none of the work that had gone into it was his,but suppose everybody on our side felt that way,then id certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. wouldnt i?im afraid.“thats nothing to be ashamed of, major major counseled him kindly. were all afraid.“im not ashamed, yossarian said. im just afraid.jonathan edwards, william cullen bryant and benjamin franklin are usually considered representatives of the american enlightenment. franklins autobiogr