美國文學(xué)選讀-Lecture 9

American

Modernism（1914-1945）Historical

Background1.

two

world

wars

World

War

I

in

particular

deepened

doubt

anddisillusionment.2.

the

works

of

Marx

and

Freud3.

modern

European

arts4.

expatriate

movementThemesidentityalienation

(class,

gender,

race)challenging:

traditional

moral

and

valdoubting:

conventionSkillspsychological

realismfrom

what’s

the

story

is

toldhow

is

the

story

is

toldwhat’s

the

reality

itself

likewhat’s

the

reality

in

one’s

mind

likeperspectivismhighly

subjectiveThe

Schools

of

American

Modernism

1.

Modern

poetry:

experiments

in

form(Imagism)

2.

Fiction

writing:

modern

realism

(the

LoGeneration)3.

Harlem

Renaissance

(African

Americans)

4.

The

20th

century

American

drama

(ModernDrama)5.

Southern

writers

(Southern

RenaissanceF.

Scott

FitzgeraldF.

Scott

Fitzgerald（1896-1940）

Fitzgerald

was

born

in

St.

Paul,

Minnesota

onSeptember

24,

1896.

Born

of

middle-class

parents,

he

attended

privatschools.

In

1913,

he

studied

in

Princeton

Univers

But

due

to

illness

and

neglect

of

academic

study,left

the

university

in

1917

without

graduation

anjoined

the

army.

While

stationed

in

Montgomery,

Alabama,

he

met

anfell

in

love

with

Zelda

Sayre,

the

daughter

of

a

lojudge.

And

they

got

married

in

1920.

Zelda

has

been

regarded

as

the

prototype

of

a

serierich,

beautiful

women

who

figure

so

prominently

inhis

fiction.

The

young

couple

frequently

went

abroad

and

livedextravagantly

a

luxurious

life.

And

to

keep

earninenough

money,

Fitzgerald

wrote

short

stories

andnovels

at

a

rapid

speed.

The

1930s

brought

relentless

declined

for

him

withseries

of

misfortunes:

his

wealth

fell,

his

healthand

what’s

more,

Zelda

had

suffered

from

someserious

mental

breakdowns

which

confined

her

in

asanitarium

for

the

rest

of

her

life.

Alcoholism,

loneliness

and

despair

combined

to

ruFitzgerald.

He

died

in

1940

of

a

heart

attack.Fitzgerald

and

ZeldaHemingway

and

FitzgeraldWorksNovels:This

Side

of

Paradise

(1920)《人間天堂》The

Beautiful

and

Damned

(1922)《漂亮的與倒霉的The

Great

Gatsby

(1925)《了不起的蓋茨比》Tender

Is

the

Night

(1934)《夜色溫柔》The

Last

Tycoon

(posthumously,1941)《最后的大亨Short

Story

Collections:Flappers

and

Philosophers

(1920)《時髦女與哲學(xué)Tales

of

the

Jazz

Age

(1922)《爵士樂時代的故事》All

the

Sad

Young

Men

(1926)《所有痛苦的年輕人》Fitzgerald

and

the

Jazz

AgeThe

Jazz

Age

It

refers

to

the

1920s,

a

time

marked

by

carelessneshedonism

and

excitement

in

the

life

of

the

youth

inAmerica.

These

young

people

are

physically

rich

andspiritually

poor.

They

hold

the

faith

“Do

what

youand

pursue

for

wealth,

pleasure

and

love.

Fitzgerald

is

regarded

as

the

spokesman

for

the

termany

of

his

literary

works

depict

it.

The

Jazz

Age

is

brought

vividly

to

life

in

The

GreatGatsby.

Fitzgerald’s

fictional

world

is

the

best

embodimthe

spirit

of

the

Jazz

Age,

in

which

he

shows

aparticular

interest

in

the

upper-class

society,

ethe

upper-class

young

people.

Young

men

and

women

in

the

1920s

had

a

sense

ofreckless

confidence

not

only

about

money

but

aboutlife

in

general.

Plunging

into

their

personal

adventures,

they

toothat

did

not

impress

them

as

being

risks,

and

theymoney

extravagantly

and

enjoyed

themselves

to

theheart’s

content.Fitzgerald

and

the

American

DreamAmerican

Dream

It

refers

to

the

dream

of

material

success,

in

whicone,

regardless

of

status,

acquires

wealth

and

gaisuccess

by

working

hard

and

good

luck.

In

literatuthe

theme

of

American

Dream

recurs.

In

The

Great

Gatsby,

Gatsby

comes

from

the

west

tothe

east

with

the

dream

of

material

success.

By

somillegal

means

he

fulfilled

his

dream

but

ended

upbeing

killed.

The

novel

tells

the

disillusionmentAmerican

Dream

rather

than

its

success.

Fitzgerald’s

fictions

often

deal

with

the

bankruthe

American

Dream,

which

is

emphasized

by

thedisillusionment

of

the

protagonists’

personal

drdue

to

the

clashes

between

their

romantic

vision

oand

the

sordid

reality.

Fitzgerald’s

own

life

was

a

mirror

of

the

1920s.

Hwas

the

victim

of

his

“American

Dream”.

He

wasfascinated

with

material

wealth

on

one

hand

by

wrihard

to

accumulate

wealth

to

live

an

extravagant

lon

the

other

hand

he

was

fully

aware

of

the

underlyspiritual

disorientation

and

moral

decay.

Finallylife,

alcoholism,

loneliness

and

despair

combinedruin

him.

So

his

dream

backfires

him.Fitzgerald

puts

his

life-style

and

experiehis

novelsThe

Jazz

Agerepresents

an

ageThe

American

Dream(The

disillusionment

of

American

Dream)birth

ofpursuit

of The

American

Dreamdisillusionment

ofThe

Great

GatsbyPlotNick

Carraway:

narrator

(outsider

&

particGatsby Daisy

(pursuit)richer

(hold

parties) win

DaisyDaisy

kills

her

husband’s

mistressshoulder

this shot

by

her

husband