美國文學(xué)第一講

SelectedReadingsinAmericanLiteratureInstructor：HuangJiajiaLectureOneABriefIntroductiontoAmericanLiteratureI.AboutThisCourse:i.Teachingmaterial:SelectedReadingsinAmericanLiteraturebyTaojie,thesecondedition.(L1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,14,15,16,17,20,22,24,and26)Referencebook:ASurveyofAmericanLiteraturebyChangYaoxin;HistoryandAnthologyofAmericanLiterature(volumnIandII),byWuWeirenRequirements:Attendance.Presentation.Homework(discussion).Publicblog:our_literature@126.comOutlineoLiteraryGenres(文學(xué)體裁)oAmericanLiteraryMovements(美國文學(xué)運動)oSomeFamousWritersinAmericanLiterature(重要的美國作家)LiteraryGenres(文學(xué)體裁)oPoetryoShortStoryoNoveloDramaSomeSayings?Musicalthought. ThomasCarlyle?Thebestwordsinthebestorder. SamuelTaylorColeridge?Poetryisalanguagethattellsus,throughamoreorlessemotionalreactions,somethingthatcannotbesaid. EdwinArlingtonRobinsonDefinitionofPoetry^Poetryinitssimplestdefinitionisorganizedinunitscalledlines(assentences)andstanzas(asparagraphs).^Poetryemphasizesrhythm,patternsofsoundandimagery,andmanyotherpossiblewaysthatwordscansuggestmeaning.^Poetryhasatleastfourdimensions.Itinvolvesthereader’swholefaculties:hisintelligence,hissenses,hisemotionsandhisimagination,notmerelyhisunderstanding.Therefore,poetryisaliterarygenrethatcommunicateexperienceinthemostcondensedform.★TheComponentsofPoetry?Line—Poetryiswritteninsentencesjustasisprose,andthepunctuationindicatesallgrammaticalpauses.—Thelinesinapoemendintwoways:END一STOPPED（havingapauseattheendofeachline）andRUN一ON（withoutarhetoricalpausebetweenlines）.?Rhyme—Rhymeistherepetitionofsoundsintwoormorewordsorphrasesthatappearclosetoeachotherinapoem,whichareusuallylabeledwithlettersalphabetically,likeA,B,CorD.TheComponentsofPoetry^Stanza—ASTANZAisagroupoflinesofverseformingoneoftheunitsordivisionsofapoem.Rhythm—Rhythmiscommunicatedbythearrangementofstressedandunstressedsyllables.（節(jié)奏，韻律）—Meterisusedtorefertotheregularpatternofstressedandunstressedsyllables.（格律）—Afootusuallyconsistsofonestressedandoneortwounstressedsyllables,（音?步，韻腳）Whatisashortstory?Ashortstoryisacondensedfictionalnarrative,usuallyinprose.Shortstoriesconcernarelativelysmallnumberofcharactersinvolvedinasingleactionwithonetheme,andareaimedatexcitinginthereaderasingleemotionalresponse.Whatarethemajorelements??Themeisamoralorastatementabstractedfromthestory.Itisthemostimportantinaseriouspieceofartisticwork.Inasense,itdeterminesalltheotherelements.?Settingreferstotheparticulartimeandplacewithotherenvironmentalfactors.?Plotisachainoflogicalevents.Inotherwords,thereiscausalrelationshipbetweentheevents.Plotisusuallydividedintoseveralstages:exposition,conflict（complication/increaseoftension）,climax,anddenouement.Traditionalplotfeaturesactionandiscriticalindelineatingcharacters,butrecenttrendfocusesoncharacter'spsychologicalactivities.Whatarethemajorelements??Characterscanbeclassifiedintoflatcharactersandroundcharacters.Flatcharactersarestereotypicalanddonotchangeastheplotdevelops;roundcharactersarelikerealhumanbeings,havemultiaspects,andusuallychangeovertime.Intermsofrolesplayedinthestory,characterscanbecategorizedintoprotagonistorheroorheroineandantagonistorvillain（壞人）oradversaryforces（敵對力量），withminorones.?Atmosphereispartofsetting.Itisrathertheemotionaleffectintendedbyandcausedinthereader,suchasthefeelingofcoldness,dreary,oppressiveness,thesenseofhardnessormystery.Whatformaplotdiagram??exposition:thestartofthestory;thewaysthingsarebeforetheactionstarts.?risingaction:theseriesofconflictsandcrisisinthestorythatmoveorleadthestorytoclimax.?climax:theturningpointorthepointofthehighesttensionintheemotionoractionofthestory.?fallingaction:alltheactionswhichfollowtheclimax.denouement/resolution:theconclusionofthetyingtogetherofallthethreadsortheoutcomeoftheevents.Howtounderstandcharacters?DADIDescriptionofthecharacterActionofthecharacter?… —，Dialogueofthecharacter?InteractionwithothercharacterWhatarethefivetypesofconflict?personvs.selfpersonvs.personpersonvs.naturepersonvs.societypersonvs.higherpowerNovelasaLiteraryGenreDefinition*Anovelcanbedefinedasahighlystylizedproseaccountoffictionalrealityintheformofstorywithprofundityforthepurposeofchangingthereader’smindbytheaidofthereader’sactiveinvolvementwhileprovidingentertainmentandsuperiortruthoflife.DefinitionofNovel*Novel,longworkofwrittenfiction.°Mostnovelsinvolvemanycharactersandtellacomplexstorybyplacingthecharactersinanumberofdifferentsituations.^Becausenovelsarelong一generally200pagesormore一novelistscantellmorerichlydetailedtalesthancanauthorsofbrieferliteraryformssuchastheshortstory.★Elementsofthenovel?,storycharacterprotagonist,antagonistroundcharacter,flatcharacterplot:phasesofaplot:exposition,conflict（complication）,climax,denouementthemesettingTechniquesMajortechniques:?narrativepointofview（敘事觀點/視點/視角）1） first-personpointofview（第一人稱視角）2） third-personpointofview（第三人稱視角）Omniscientpointofview（全知視角）Third-personlimitedpointofview（第三人稱有限視角）?Style（wordchoice,arrangementofsentences,paragraphs,etc.）?SymbolismMinortechniques:?imagery?irony.DramaasaLiteraryGenre?Dramaisatypeofliteratureusuallywrittentobeperformed.?Comedy:—Itisdominatedbyalighttonethatencourageslaughter（oratleastamusementorentertainment）,andendshappily,oftenwiththeunitingofapairofyounglovers.?Tragedy—Itisdominatedbyaserioustone,concernskingsandprinces,dealswithprofoundissues,andusuallyconcludeswiththedeathoftheleadingcharacter.MajorElementsofDrama?TheancientGreekphilosopherAristotle—laidthefoundationsforthecriticalstudyofdrama,and-dividedtheelementsofdramaintoplot,character,thought,language,andspectacle（場景）.-consideredplot一thebasicstoryandhowitistold一themostimportantofthese,andthisisindeedtypicallythecase.?Almostalldramasusealloftheseelementstosomeextent,tellingastorybymeansoftheinteractionsofcharacters,whoexpresstheirthoughtsthroughlanguagewithinaparticularvisualsetting.CharacteristicsofDrama?Olderplays,suchasthosewrittenbytheGreeksorShakespeare,consistalmostentirelyofthewordsspokenbythesecharacters（thedialogue）.?Morerecentplaysusuallycontainnon-spokenmaterial（thestagedirections）that-tellstheactorswhentoenterorleavetheperformancespace,-givessuggestionsabouthowtospeaktheirdialogue（theirlines）,and-describestheircostumesortheirphysicalsurroundingsonstage（thesetting）.AmericanLiteraryMovements（美國文學(xué)運動）oRomanticism（浪漫主義）oRealism（現(xiàn)實主義）oNaturalism（自然主義）oModernism（現(xiàn)代主義）oPostmodernism（后現(xiàn)代主義）RomanticismAsaliterarytrendormovement,itoccurredanddevelopedinEuropeandAmericaattheturnofthe18thand19thcenturiesunderthehistoricalbackgroundoftheIndustrialRevolution（around1760）andtheFrenchRevolution（1789-1799）.?Romanticismwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.Romanticsstressedindividualandcreativefunctionofimagination.Itplacedindividualattheverycenterofalllifeandallexperienceandatthecenterofart.★MajorCharacteristics°Theystressedthecloserelationshipbetweenmanandnature.°Theyemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup,againstauthority.°Theyaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andwantedeachpersontobefreetodevelopandexpresshisowninnerthoughts.°Theycherishedstronginterestinthepast.°Theywereattractedbythewild,theirregular,theindefinite,theremote,themysteriousandthestrange.KeyFigures?EarlyStage:~WadsworthLongfellow-WashingtonIrvingTranscendentalism（超驗主義）-RalphEmerson-HenryThoreau°HighRomantics—WaltWhitman—EmilyDickinson—AdgarAllanPoe—NathanielHawthorneRealismSocialBackgroundThreefundamentalissuesintheperiodof1865-1900:?conflictbetweentheagrarianidealofJeffersonandtheindustrialidealofHamilton?conflictbetweentheplantationgentilityoftheSouthandthecommercialgentilityoftheNorth?conflictbetweenaculturallymatureEastandarawandexpandingWestRealisminAmericanLiterature?Asaliterarymovement,realismisaperiodconceptanditreferstotheapproachofrealistfictionoccurredinthe19thcentury.?Theriseofrealismcameasaprotestagainstthefalsenessandsentimentalityseeninromanticliterature.Therealistsweredeterminedtocreateanewkindofliteraturethatwascompletelyandtotallyrealistic.?‘Realistliteratureisbasedontheaccurate,un-romanticizedobservationofhumanexperiences.MajorFeatures?Realismisthetheoryofwritinginwhichfamiliaraspectsofcontemporarylifeandeverydayscenesarerepresentedinastraightforwardormatter-of-factmanner.?Itinsistsonprecisedescription,authenticactionanddialogue,moralhonesty,andademocraticopennessinsubjectmatterandstyle.?Openendingisalsoagoodexampleofthetruthfultreatmentofmaterial.Realismfocusesoncommonnessofthelivesofthecommonpeoplewhoarecustomarilyignoredbythearts.Realismemphasizesobjectivityandoffersanobjectiveratherthananidealisticviewofhumannatureandhumanexperience.MajorRealistsNaturalismBackground―—... .一一一CharlesDarwin（1809—1882）anEnglishnaturalistandauthor.OriginofSpecies（物種起源）（1859）?^DarwinismThestruggleforexistence（生存競爭）Survivalofthefittest（適者生存）Naturalselection（物競天擇）Naturalism^Naturalismisacriticaltermappliedtothemethodofliterarycompositionthataimsatadetached（超然的），scientificobjectivityinthetreatmentofnaturalman.?Itconceivesofmanascontrolledbyhisinstinctsorhispassions,orbyhissocialandeconomicenvironmentandcircumstances.Themovementisanoutgrowthof19th-centuryscientificthought,followingingeneralthebiologicaldeterminismofDarwin’stheory,ortheeconomicdeterminismofMarx.MajorFeatures?Naturalismappliestheprinciplesofscientificdeterminismtofiction.Itviewshumanbeingsasanimalsinthenaturalworldrespondingtoenvironmentalforcesandinternalstressesanddrives,overnonofwhichtheyhavecontrolandnonofwhichtheyfullyunderstand.?Humansarecontrolledbylawsofheredityandenvironmentandtheylackfreedomoftheirownwill.Brutishimpulsesdictatehumanbehavior.Alloftheiractionsarecontrolled.?Theuniverseiscold,godless,indifferentandhostiletohumandesires.Lifebecomesastruggleforsurvival.Thestruggleoftheindividualtoadapttoenvironment,thefightforthespouseandtheDarwinianideaofthesurvivalofthefittestbecomenaturalconcernsofnaturalistfictionanddrama.TheDifferenceBetweentheNaturalistsandtheRealistsBothnaturalistsandrealistsdescribereallife.?Thenaturalistslookatadifferentspottofindreallife.Theydonotlookattheaverage,butattheviolent,sensational,sordid（骯臟的）,unpleasantanduglyaspectsoflife.^Insteadofgoingtoamiddle-classneighborhoodandwriteaboutmiddle-classlife,thenaturalistswouldgototheslumsandwriteaboutthelifeofpovertyandcrime.TheDifferenceBetweentheNaturalistsandtheRealistsTheythinkthatthetruerealityisnotfoundinthesmilingaspectsofmiddle-classlife.ThetruerealityisfoundwhenforcesofNaturearemostdominantinstoppinghumandesires,inkeepinghumansfromaccomplishingtheirdreams.Theywriteaboutwar,aboutprostitution,aboutcriminalswhichformtheaspectsoflifethatarenottoopleasanttoconsider.KeyFigures^StephenCraneTheodoreDreiser?prankNorris?JackLondon?JohnSteinbeckSherwoodAndersonFaulknerModernism?arevolutionarymovementencompassingallofthecreativearts:architecture,dance,literature,music,paintingandsculpture（雕塑）.?Asaliterarymovement,modernismgainedprominenceduringandafterWWI,andflourishedinEuropeandAmericathroughoutthe1920sand1930s.^Modernauthorssoughttobreakawayfromtraditionsandconventionsthroughexperimentationwithnewliteraryforms,devicesandstyles.Theyincorporatedthenewpsychoanalytictheories（FreudandJung）intotheirworksandpaidparticularattentiontolanguage.Theirworksreflectedthepervasive（普遍的）senseofloss,disillusionmentanddespairinthewakeoftheWWI.LostGeneration?itisatermappliedtoGroupofU.S.disillusionedintellectualsandartistsoftheyearsfollowingtheFirstWorldWar.Theywhorebelledagainstforme