美國現(xiàn)實主義.American Realism.（課堂PPT）

1、1American Realism (1860-1914)I. The Definition of Realism & Historical BackgroundII. American Realism III. Mark TwainIV. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)2RomanticismImaginationfictionalRealismReality truev. s3Realism In literature, faithful representation of life. Realism carries the convic

2、tion of true reports of phenomena observable by others. It may be contrasted with ROMANTICISM, IMPRESSIONISM, and EXPRESSIONISM, which are less true to external phenomena, although each carries its own kind of truth. Realism is a slippery (difficult to understand) term, sometimes used too loosely to

3、 be of value except as an indicator of a readers reaction.4 The term realism refers, sometimes, confusingly, both to a literary method based on detailed accuracy of description and to a more general attitude that rejects idealization, escapism, and other extravagant qualities of romance in favor of

4、recognizing soberly the actual problems of life. 5 It is anti-romantic, and anti-sentimental. To put it another way, realism is applied by literary critics in two diverse ways: (1) to designate a recurrent mode of, in various eras and literary forms, of representing human life and experience in lite

5、rature, and (2) to identify a movement in the writing of novels during the nineteenth century. 6 As a mode of writing, it gives the impression of recording or reflecting faithfully an actual way of life, of representing life as it really is. Realistic fiction is written to give the effect that it re

6、presents life and the social world as it seems to the common reader, evoking the sense that its characters might in fact exist, and such things might well happen. It is characterized by verisimilitude (逼真逼真) of details derived from observation. 7 They offer an objective rather than an idealistic vie

7、w of human nature and human experience, an objective account of real life. They are detached observers of life. The narrators in their work stand back to report what they have observed. The realistic writers are usually ethical writers and their language is largely ironic. 8 Modern criticism frequen

8、tly insists that realism is not a direct or simple reproduction of reality (a “slice of life”) but a system of conventions producing a lifelike illusion of some “real” world outside the text, by processes of selection, exclusion, description, and manners of addressing the reader. 9 In its methods an

9、d attitudes, realism may be found as an element in many kinds of writing prior to the 19th century; but as a dominant literary trend it is associated chiefly with the 19th century novel of middle-or-lower-class life, in which the problems of ordinary people in unremarkable circumstances are rendered

10、 with close attention to the details of physical setting and to the complexities of social life. 10I. The Rise of Realism: Historical Background“The industrial North had triumphed over the agrarian South, and from that victory came a society based on mass labor and mass consumption.”“an age of extre

11、mes”-“of decline and progress, of poverty and dazzling wealth, of gloom and buoyant hope”111213C. Immigrant BoomingC. Immigrant BoomingThe new intercontinental rail system, inaugurated in 1869, and the transcontinental telegraph, which began operating in 1861, gave industry access to materials, mark

12、ets, and communications. The constant influx of immigrants provided a seemingly endless supply of inexpensive labor as well.D. Social ProblemsD. Social ProblemsProblems of urbanization and industrialization appeared: poor and overcrowded housing, unsanitary conditions, low pay (called wage slavery),

13、 difficult working conditions, and inadequate restraints on business.14 American Realism 1. American Realism The American Civil War brought the Romantic Period in American literature to its end, and realism, as a literary movement, came in the latter half of the nineteenth century and became a major

14、 trend in the 1870s and 1880s.16The three major realistic writers Mark TwainWilliam Dean HowellsHenry James17II. American Realism (1860-1914)Broadly defined as the faithful representation of reality or verisimilitude, realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing. Although str

15、ictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life.A. A. RealismRealismB. American RealismB. American RealismIn American literature, the term realism encompasses the period of time from the Civil War to the

16、turn of the century during which William Dean Howells, Rebecca Harding Davis, Henry James, Mark Twain, and others wrote fiction devoted to accurate representation and an exploration of American lives in various contexts. 18C. The Characteristics of American RealismC. The Characteristics of American

17、RealismAmerican realists renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. b. American realists selectively present the reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the expense of a well-made plot.c. Character is more important than action and plot; his/her complex ethical choices are ofte

18、n the subject. Characters appear in their real complexity of temperament and motive. They are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, and to their own past. 19d. Class is important. The novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of middle class. (cha

19、racters from all social levels are examined in depth).e. Events are usually plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances. f. Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone being comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact. g. Objectivi

20、ty in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses. 20D.D. Regional and Local Color Writings: Regional and Local Color Writings: the Early Stage of Literary Realismthe Early Stage of Literary RealismA. They are instances of re

21、alism insofar as they depict contemporary life, use the speech of the common people, and avoid, in general, fantastic plotlines.B. There are also often a romantic flavor in regional and local color writings as they receive influences from Washington Irving and the frontier tradition of tall tales.21

22、A. A regional work relies on the cultural, social and historical settings. If the setting is removed, the work is destroyed. B. Local color writings are just as dependent upon a specific geographical location, but they give more emphasis to the local details by tapping into its folklore, history, cu

23、stoms, beliefs and speech. Dialect peculiarities are the defining characteristic of local color writing. 22E.E. Representative WritersRepresentative Writersa. Henry James (18431916), Daisy Miller (1878), The Ambassadors (1903), The Wings of the Dove (1902) and The Art of Fictionb. William Dean Howel

24、ls (18371920), The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) and Criticism and Fictionc. Mark Twain (18351910), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Life on the Mississippi (1883)23III. Mark Twain (1835-1910)24 A. Mark Twains Life- born in Hannibal, Missouri- apprenticed

25、 to a printer- a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi- fought in the Civil War -went to the silver fields of Nevada- joined the staff of Territorial Enterprise- began his career as a frontier humorist25B. Mark Twains Main WorksInnocents Abroad (1869);Roughing it (1872);The Gilded Age (1873);The Advent

26、ures of Tom Sawyer (1876);The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884);Life on the Mississippi (1883) .26C. Characteristics of Mark Twaina. His works sum up the tradition of Western humor and frontier realism. b. He writes about his people and his own life. c. His greatest achievement on literature is

27、his use of the dialect and his portrayal of the locale. 27D. The differences between Howells, James and Mark Twain In thematic terms, James wrote mostly of the upper reaches of American society, and Howells concerned himself chiefly with middle class life, whereas Mark Twain dealt largely with the l

28、ower strata of society.Technically, Howells wrote in the vein of genteel realism, James pursued an “imaginative” treatment of reality or psychological realism, but Mark Twains contribution to the development of realism and to American literature as a whole was partly through his theories of localism

29、 in American fiction, and partly through his colloquial style.28IV. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)A. Plot SummaryMark Twains classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an esca

30、ping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious. 29B. Main Charactersa. Huckleberry Finn: Main character of the book. He is an illegitimate child who runs away from his adopted fami

31、ly to be free of society and civilization. b. Jim: Miss Watsons slave. He runs away and journeys down the Mississippi River with Huck. Together, they have many adventures, and Jim becomes a father figure for Huck. 30d. Widow Douglas: Adopts Huck to try and civilize him. e. Miss Watson: Sister of the

32、 Widow Douglas. She tries to teach Huck religion and how to spell. f. Pap: Hucks drunkard father. He kidnaps Huck because he wants his money, but Huck escapes. c. Tom Sawyer: Hucks best friend who freely spins lies and loves adventure. 31The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she wou

33、ld sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldnt stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me

34、up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back. (Chapter I) Paragraph Analyses道格拉斯寡婦認我做干兒子，說要教我做人的規(guī)矩；可是只要想想這寡婦道格拉斯寡婦認我做干兒子，說要教我做人的規(guī)矩；可是只要想想這寡婦為人處世多古板、多正經(jīng)，就能明白一天到晚呆在她屋里真是活受罪；所為人處世多古板、多正經(jīng)，就能明白一天到晚呆在她屋里真是活受罪；所以到了我

35、再也受不了的時候，我就溜啦。我又穿上原來的破衣爛衫，重新以到了我再也受不了的時候，我就溜啦。我又穿上原來的破衣爛衫，重新躲到我那只大木桶里，真是自在逍遙，可湯姆躲到我那只大木桶里，真是自在逍遙，可湯姆索亞找到我，說他要成立一索亞找到我，說他要成立一個強盜幫，如果我肯回到寡婦那兒做一個受人尊敬的人，我可以加入這個個強盜幫，如果我肯回到寡婦那兒做一個受人尊敬的人，我可以加入這個幫、于是我就回去了。幫、于是我就回去了。32Well, you see, it uz dis way. Ole missus-dats Miss Watson-she pecks on me all de time, en

36、treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn sell me down to Orleans. But I noticed dey wuz a nigger trader roun de place considable lately, en I begin to git oneasy. Well, one night I creeps to de do pooty late, en de do warnt quite shet, en I hear old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sel

37、l me down to Orleans, but she didn want to, but she could git eight hundd dollars for me, en it uz sich a big stack o money she couldn resis. (Chapter VIII)“好吧，聽我說，事情是這樣的。老小姐好吧，聽我說，事情是這樣的。老小姐就是說華珍小姐就是說華珍小姐她從早到晚挑她從早到晚挑剔我剔我對我可兇啦對我可兇啦不過她老說，她不會把我賣到下游奧爾良那里去。不不過她老說，她不會把我賣到下游奧爾良那里去。不過我注意到，最近過我注意到，最近 有一個黑奴販

38、子，老在這里走動，我就心神不定。啊，有一個黑奴販子，老在這里走動，我就心神不定。啊，一天晚上，我偷偷到了門口，那是很一天晚上，我偷偷到了門口，那是很 晚了，門沒有關(guān)緊，我聽到老小姐告晚了，門沒有關(guān)緊，我聽到老小姐告訴寡斧婦，說她要把我賣到下游奧爾良去。說她本不愿意賣，不過賣了能訴寡斧婦，說她要把我賣到下游奧爾良去。說她本不愿意賣，不過賣了能得八百塊大洋，這么大的一個數(shù)目，她不能不動心。得八百塊大洋，這么大的一個數(shù)目，她不能不動心。 33And at last, when it hit me all of a sudden that here was the plain hand of Prov

39、idence slapping me in the face and letting me know my wickedness was being watched all time from up there in heaven, whilst I was stealing a poor old womans nigger that hadnt ever done me no harm, and now was showing me theres One thats always on the lookout, and aint a-going to allow no such misera

40、ble doings to go only just so fur and no further. I most dropped in my tracks I was so scared. 到后來，我突然之間猛然醒悟了，認識到這明明是上帝的手在打我的耳光，到后來，我突然之間猛然醒悟了，認識到這明明是上帝的手在打我的耳光，讓我明白，我的種種邪惡始終逃不開在天上的眼睛。一個可憐的老婦人平生讓我明白，我的種種邪惡始終逃不開在天上的眼睛。一個可憐的老婦人平生從沒有損害過我一根毫毛，我卻把她的黑奴拐跑，為了這個，上帝正指引著從沒有損害過我一根毫毛，我卻把她的黑奴拐跑，為了這個，上帝正指引著我，讓我明白什

41、么都逃不過我，讓我明白什么都逃不過“他他”那高懸的明鏡，那高懸的明鏡，“他他”決不允許這類不幸決不允許這類不幸的事再發(fā)展下去，只能到此為止。一想到這些，我差點就跌倒在地，委實嚇的事再發(fā)展下去，只能到此為止。一想到這些，我差點就跌倒在地，委實嚇得不得了啦。得不得了啦。34Well, I tried the best I could do to kinder soften it up somehow for myself by saying I was brung up wicked, and so I warnt so much to blame; but something inside of

42、 me kept saying, “There was the Sunday School, you could a gone (could have gone) to it; and if youd a done it theyd a learnt you there that people that acts as Id been acting about that nigger goes to everlasting fire.” (Chapter XXXI)于是，我就想方設(shè)法地試圖為自己開脫。我對自個兒說：我從小就在于是，我就想方設(shè)法地試圖為自己開脫。我對自個兒說：我從小就在邪惡的環(huán)境

43、中長大，因此不能過于怪罪我啊。不過，在我的心里，還邪惡的環(huán)境中長大，因此不能過于怪罪我啊。不過，在我的心里，還有另外一個聲音在不停地說，有另外一個聲音在不停地說，“還有主日學(xué)校哩。你本該到那兒去。還有主日學(xué)校哩。你本該到那兒去。要是你早去的話，他們會在那兒教導(dǎo)你的嘛，教導(dǎo)你說，誰要像我那要是你早去的話，他們會在那兒教導(dǎo)你的嘛，教導(dǎo)你說，誰要像我那樣為了黑奴所干的這一切，是要下地獄受到永恒的烈火的煎熬的。樣為了黑奴所干的這一切，是要下地獄受到永恒的烈火的煎熬的。35It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a- trembling, because Id got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: All right, then, Ill GO to hell-and tore it up