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AConciseHistoryofAmericanLiterature

Chapter1ColonialPeriod

JonathanEdwards

life

works

TheFreedomoftheWill

TheGreatDoctrineofOriginalSinDefended

TheNatureofTrueVirtue

ideas–pioneeroftranscendentalism

Thespiritofrevivalism

Regenerationofman

God’spresence

Puritanidealism

BenjaminFranklin

works

PoorRichard’sAlmanac

Autobiography

contribution

HehelpedfoundthePennsylvaniaHospitalandtheAmericanPhilosophicalSociety.

Hewascalled“thenewPrometheuswhohadstolenfire(electricityinthiscase)fromheaven”.

Everythingseemstomeetinthisoneman–“Jackofalltrades”.HermanMelvillethusdescribedhim“masterofeachandmasteredbynone”.

Chapter2AmericanRomanticism

Section1EarlyRomanticPeriod

WashingtonIrving

severalnamesattachedtoIrving

firstAmericanwriter

themessengersentfromthenewworldtotheoldworld

fatherofAmericanliterature

works

AHistoryofNewYorkfromtheBeginningoftheWorldtotheEndoftheDutchDynasty

TheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.(Hewonameasureofinternationalrecognitionwiththepublicationofthis.)

TheHistoryoftheLifeandVoyagesofChristopherColumbus

AChronicleoftheConquestofGranada

TheAlhambra

Literarycareer:twoparts

1809~1832

SubjectsareeitherEnglishorEuropean

Conservativelovefortheantique

1832~1859:backtoUS

style–beautiful

gentility,urbanity,pleasantness

avoidingmoralizing–amusingandentertaining

envelopingstoriesinanatmosphere

vividandtruecharacters

humour–smilingwhilereading

musicallanguage

JamesFenimoreCooper

works

Precaution(1820,hisfirstnovel,imitatingAusten’sPrideandPrejudice)

TheSpy(hissecondnovelandgreatsuccess)

LeatherstockingTales(hismasterpiece,aseriesoffivenovels)

TheDeerslayer,TheLastoftheMohicans,ThePathfinder,ThePioneer,ThePrairie

pointofview

thethemeofwildernessvs.civilization,freedomvs.law,ordervs.change,aristocratvs.democrat,naturalrightsvs.legalrights

style

highlyimaginative

goodatinventingtales

goodatlandscapedescription

conservative

characterizationwoodenandlackinginprobability

languageanduseofdialectnotauthentic

literaryachievements

HecreatedamythabouttheformativeperiodoftheAmericannation.IfthehistoryoftheUnitedStatesis,inasense,theprocessoftheAmericansettlersexploringandpushingtheAmericanfrontierforeverwestward,thenCooper’sLeatherstockingTaleseffectivelyapproximatestheAmericannationalexperienceofadventureintotheWest.HeturnedthewestandfrontierasauseablepastandhehelpedtointroducewesterntraditiontoAmericanliterature.

Section2SummitofRomanticism–AmericanTranscendentalism

Appearance

1836,“Nature”byEmerson

Features

spirit/oversoul

importanceofindividualism

nature–symbolofspirit/God

garmentoftheoversoul

focusinintuition(irrationalismandsubconsciousness)

Influence

Itservedasanethicalguidetolifeforayoungnationandbroughtabouttheideathathumancanbeperfectedbynature.Itstressedreligioustolerance,calledtothrowoffshacklesofcustomsandtraditionsandgoforwardtothedevelopmentofanewanddistinctlyAmericanculture.

Itadvocatedidealismthatwasgreatneededinarapidlyexpandedeconomywhereopportunityoftenbecameopportunism,andthedesireto“geton”obscuredthemoralnecessityforrisingtospiritualheight.

IthelpedtocreatethefirstAmericanrenaissance–oneofthemostprolificperiodinAmericanliterature.

RalphWaldoEmerson

works

Orientalism.

Majorthemesinhispoems(almosteverything):

equalityofthingsandbeings

divinityofeverything

immanenceofGod

democracy

evolutionofcosmos

multiplicityofnature

self-reliantspirit

death,beautyofdeath

expansionofAmerica

brotherhoodandsocialsolidarity(unityofnationsintheworld)

pursuitofloveandhappiness

style:“freeverse”

nofixedrhymeorscheme

parallelism,arhythmofthought

phoneticrecurrence

thehabitofusingsnapshots

theuseofacertainpronoun“I”

alooserandmoreopen-endedsyntacticstructure

useofconventionalimage

strongtendencytouseoralEnglish

vocabulary–powerful,colourful,rarelyusedwordsofforeignorigins,someevenwrong

sentences–cataloguetechnique:longlistofnames,longpoemlines

influence

HisbestworkhasbecomepartofthecommonpropertyofWesternculture.

HetookoverWhitman’svisionofthepoet-prophetandpoet-teacherandrecastitinamoresophisticatedandEuropeanizedmood.

HehasbeencomparedtoamountaininAmericanliteraryhistory.

ContemporaryAmericanpoetry,whateverschoolorform,bearswitnesstohisgreatinfluence.

EmilyDickenson

works

MyLifeClosedTwicebeforeItsClose

BecauseICan’tStopforDeath

IHeardaFlyBuzz–WhenIdied

Mine–bytheRightoftheWhiteElection

WildNights–WildNights

themes:basedonherownexperiences/joys/sorrows

religion–doubtandbeliefaboutreligioussubjects

deathandimmortality

love–sufferingandfrustrationcausedbylove

physicalaspectofdesire

nature–kindandcruel

freewillandhumanresponsibility

style

poemswithouttitles

severeeconomyofexpression

directness,brevity

musicaldevicetocreatecadence(rhythm)

capitalletters–emphasis

shortpoems,mainlytwostanzas

rhetorictechniques:personification–makesomeofabstractideasvivid

Comparison:Whitmanvs.Dickinson

Similarities:

Thematically,theybothextolled,intheirdifferentways,anemergentAmerica,itsexpansion,itsindividualismanditsAmericanness,theirpoetrybeingpartof“AmericanRenaissance”.

Technically,theybothaddedtotheliteraryindependenceofthenewnationbybreakingfreeoftheconventionoftheiambicpentameterandexhibitingafreedominformunknownbefore:theywerepioneersinAmericanpoetry.

differences:

Whitmanseemstokeephiseyeonsocietyatlarge;Dickinsonexplorestheinnerlifeoftheindividual.

WhereasWhitmanis“national”inhisoutlook,Dickinsonis“regional”.

Dickinsonhasthe“cataloguetechnique”(direct,simplestyle)whichWhitmandoesn’thave.

EdgarAllenPoe

Works

shortstories

ratiocinativestories

MsFoundinaBottle

TheMurdersintheRueMorgue

ThePurloinedLetter

Revenge,deathandrebirth

TheFalloftheHouseofUsher

Ligeia

TheMasqueoftheRedDeath

Literarytheory

ThePhilosophyofComposition

ThePoeticPrinciple

ReviewofHawthorne’sTwice-toldTales

Themes

death–predominantthemeinPoe’swriting

“Poeisnotinterestedinanythingalive.EverythinginPoe’swritingsisdead.”

disintegration(separation)oflife

horror

negativethoughtsofscience

Aestheticideas

Theshortstoriesshouldbeofbrevity,totality,singleeffect,compressionandfinality.

Thepoemsshouldbeshort,andtheaimshouldbebeauty,thetonemelancholy.Poemsshouldnotbeofmoralizing.Hecallsforpurepoetryandstressesrhythm.

Style–traditional,butnoteasytoread

Reputation:“thejingleman”(Emerson)

Hisinfluences

Chapter3TheAgeofRealism

ThreeGiantsinRealisticPeriod

WilliamDeanHowells–“DeanofAmericanRealism”

Works

TheRiseofSilasLapham

AChanceAcquaintance

AModernInstance

FeaturesofHisWorks

Optimistictone

Moraldevelopment/ethics

Lackingofpsychologicaldepth

HenryJames

Literarycareer:threestages

1865~1882:internationaltheme

TheAmerican

DaisyMiller

ThePortraitofaLady

1882~1895:inter-personalrelationshipsandsomeplays

DaisyMiller(play)

1895~1900:novellasandtalesdealingwithchildhoodandadolescence,thenbacktointernationaltheme

TheTurnoftheScrew

WhenMaisieKnew

TheAmbassadors

TheWingsoftheDove

TheGoldenBowl

Aestheticideas

Theaimofnovel:representlife

Common,evenuglysideoflife

Socialfunctionofart

Avoidingomniscientpointofview

Pointofview

Psychologicalanalysis,forefatherofstreamofconsciousness

Psychologicalrealism

Highly-refinedlanguage

Style–“stylist”

Language:highly-refined,polished,insightful,accurate

Vocabulary:large

Construction:complicated,intricate

MarkTwain(seenextsection)

LocalColorism

1860s,1870s~1890s

Appearance

unevendevelopmentineconomyinAmerica

culture:flourishingoffrontierliterature,humourists

magazinesappearedtoletwriterpublishtheirworks

MarkTwain–Mississippi

works

TheGildedAge

“thetwoadvantages”

LifeontheMississippi

AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourt

TheManThatCorruptedHardleybug

style

colloquiallanguage,vernacularlanguage,dialects

localcolour

syntacticfeature:sentencesaresimple,brief,sometimesungrammatical

humour

talltales(highlyexaggerated)

socialcriticism(satireonthedifferentuglythingsinsociety)

Comparisonofthethree“giants”ofAmericanRealism

Theme

Howells–middleclass

James–upperclass

Twain–lowerclass

Technique

Howells–smiling/genteelreali