美國文學史Chapter 8

1、Chapter 8 The Age of Realism Howells and JamesI. The Age of Realism (1865-1910)v1. BackgroundvA. With the American Civil War (1861-1865), the industrialized Hamiltonian North fought the agrarian Jeffersonian South, the factory defeated the farm, and the USA headed toward capitalism.vB. Commercializa

2、tion, industrialization, mechanization, urbanizationvC. the frontier was closing and a reevaluation of life beganvD. disillusionment and frustration were widely felt. “A Golden” turned out to be a Gilded one.vE. The Age of Realism had arrived.v2. The Definition of Literary RealismvA. As a literary m

3、ovement, realism came in the latter half of the 19th century as a reaction against “the lie” of Romanticism and sentimentalism.vB. It expressed the concern for the world of experience, of the commonplace, and for the familiar and the low. vWilliam Dean Howells: he must write what he observed and kne

4、wvHenry James: Life should be the main object of the novel.vMark Twain: writers should keep in their mind the soul, the life, and the speech of the people.vC. In matters of style, there was contrast between the genteel and graceful prose on the one hand, and the vernacular diction, rough and ready f

5、rontier humor on the other.D. The American authors lumped together as “realists” seem to have some features in common: a. “verisimilitude of detail derived from observation” b. an objective rather than an idealized view of nature andexperienceE. William Dean Howells, Henry James and Mark Twain as th

6、e representativesBroadly defined as the faithful representation of reality or verisimilitude, realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing. vAlthough strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation

7、of middle-class life.v A reaction against romanticism, an interest in scientific method, the systematizing of the study of documentary history, and the influence of rational philosophy all affected the rise of realism. vAccording to William Harmon and Hugh Holman, Where romanticists transcend the im

8、mediate to find the ideal, and naturalists plumb the actual or superficial to find the scientific laws that control its actions, realists center their attention to a remarkable degree on the immediate, the here and now, the specific action, and the verifiable consequence (A Handbook to Literature 42

9、8). Characteristics of RealismvRenders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the expense of a well-made plot vCharacter is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject. vCharact

10、ers appear in their real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past. vClass is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class. (See Ian Watt, The Ri

11、se of the Novel) vEvents will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances. vDiction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact. vObjectivity in presentation becomes increasingl

12、y important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses.v Interior or psychological realism a variant form. The realism of James and Twain was critically acclaimed in twentieth century; Howellsian realism fell into disfavor as part of early twentieth century rebellion

13、against the genteel tradition. (from Richard Chase, The American Novel and Its Tradition) vWilliam Dean Howells (1837-1920)v1. Literary StatusvDean of American literary Realism/ the father of American Realism. vNovelist, dramatist, poet, critic, journalist, editor (of Atlantic Monthly)vhe broke new

14、grounds which led to the achievements of Mark Twain and Henry James. vIn Howells view, writing should be simple, natural, and honest and should not delve into romantic exaggeration. vHis famous definition of the function of a writer indicates his limitations as a Realist writer : “Our novelists, the

15、refore, concern themselves with the more smiling aspects of lifeand seek the universal in the individual rather than the social interests. v2. Life and Careervthe son of a journalist, born at Martins Ferry, Ohio; adopted journalism as a profession, produced a popular Life of Lincoln, and from 1861 t

16、o 1865 was Consul at Venice; resuming journalism he became a contributor to the best American papers and magazines, and was for a number of years editor of the Atlantic Monthly and Harpers; as a well-known and popular novelist he is witty, graceful, and acuteWilliam Dean Howells (1837-1920)v3. His M

17、ajor Works:vNovels: vThe Rise of Silas Lapham (1885)vA Chance AcquaintancevA Modern Instance (1882)vThe Ministers ChargevAnnie KilburnvA Hazard of New Fortune (1890)The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885)vThe Rise of Silas Lapham is a novel written by William Dean Howells in 1885 about the materialistic ris

18、e of Silas Lapham from rags to riches, and his ensuing moral susceptibility. Silas earns a fortune in the paint business, but he lacks social standards, which he tries to attain through his daughters marriage to the aristocratic Corey family. Silass morality does not fail him. He loses his money but

19、 makes the right moral decision when his partner proposes the unethical selling of the mills to English settlers.Henry James (1843 1916) Psychological Realistv1. Literary Status: vTransitional Figure between realism and modernismvPioneer of the modern English NovelvPsychological novelistvInventor of

20、 the international themevColonizer of inner worldv2. Life and FamilyvHenry James, Sr., clergyman and philosophervWilliam James, psychologist and philosophervAlice James, diarist and writerHis lifevBorn in a wealthy cultured family in New York (1843)vUnusual upbringing.vHarvard Law School (1862).vSet

21、tle down in London (1876)vNever married.v3. His Literary Contributions: v his last 40 years in England - a British subject in 1915 vportraying the encounter of Americans with Europe and EuropeansHenry James - Psychological RealistvHis method of writing from the point of view of a character within a

22、tale allows him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception.vHis literary criticism insists that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. v His use of point of view, interior monologue and possibly unreliable narrators brought a new depth

23、and interest to narrative fiction. v Besides, he wrote books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. His theatrical work is thought to have profoundly influenced his later novels and tales.His masterpiecesvDaisy Miller (1879): a young and innocent American Daisy Miller,

24、finds her values in conflict with European sophistication.vThe Portrait of a Lady (1881): a young American woman finds that her upbringing has ill prepared her for the schemes of two American expatriates during her travels in Europe. vThe Bostonians (1886) is set in the era of the rising feminist mo

25、vement. What Maisie Knew (1897) depicts a preadolescent girl, who must choose between her parents and a motherly old governess. vThe Wings of the Dove (1902): an inheritance destroys the love of a young couple. vJames considered The Ambassadors (1903) his most perfect. vJamess most famous short stor

26、y is The Turn of the Screw, a ghost story in which the question of childhood corruption obsesses a governess. vEarly period (1865-1882): International theme (American innocence in face of European sophistication)major works: The American (1877) 美國人 Daisy Miller (1878)戴茜米勒 The Europeans (1878)歐洲人 The

27、 Portrait of a Lady (1881)貴婦的肖像Three Periods of James literary Career vMiddle period (1865-1895): experiments with different themes and forms (subtle studies of inter-personal relationship)major works: The Bostonians (1886) The Princess Casamassima （1886） The Tragic Muse （1890） major works: The Wing

28、s of the Dove (1902) The Ambassadors (1903)The Golden Bowl (1904)Late Period (1895-1916): a revival of the theme of innocence in a corrupted world and “the international theme”.Henry James and RealismvA strong advocate of realismvPsychological approach to his subject matter: Forerunner of the 20th-c

29、entury “stream-of consciousness” novels The founder of psychological realism (“historian of fine consciences”)Comparison between Henry James & Mark Twain Henry Jamesgenteelthe upper reaches of societypursued an Imaginative treatment of reality or psychological realism and focus on International themeMark Twaincynicthe lower strata of societyhis development of realism was partly through his localism in America fiction and through his colloquial style.Literary Features of JamesvThe cultural co