南開大學(xué) 外國語學(xué)院 美國文學(xué)課件 The-Age-of-Realism

TheAgeofRealism

現(xiàn)實(shí)主義文學(xué)時期

Theyear1865isconsideredasanimportantyearintheshiftfromRomanticism（浪漫主義）toRealism（現(xiàn)實(shí)主義）inAmericanliterature．Realismhadalwaysexistedinliterature，butyetnotuntilthelatenineteenthcenturydidrealismdominateinAmericanLiterature．TheAmericansocietyaftertheCivilWar(1861—1865)providedrichsoilfortheriseanddevelopmentofRealism．TheCivilWarwasaturningpointinAmericanhistory．ItbroughtAmerica’sgreatchangefromanagrarian（農(nóng)業(yè)的）toanindustrialsociety．Theprincipalissueofthewarwastheconflictbetweenindustryandcapitalist

dermocracy（民主）intheNorthandagriculture

andslaveryintheSouth．Thewarendedwiththeoverwhelmingtriumphofindustrialismover

agrarianism.TheWarbroughtmanygreatchangestoeveryaspectofAmericanpeople.TheCivilWardestroyedtheromanticconceptof

war.Intheeyesofromanticists，warswerealwaysglorious,grand，andnobleencounters，somethingheroic.However,theamazingnumberofdeadsoldiersmadeithardforpeopletohaveanoblevisionofmankindanymore.Therefore,MarkTwainoncedescribedmanas“theonlyanimalwhoindulgedinoneafteranotheroftheatrocity（兇惡，殘暴）ofwar．”Thisstatementisarepresentativeattitudeofthepost-CivilWarwritersinAmerica．Tothem，thereisnothingromanticaboutwar．Moreover,theCivilWaralsochangedAmericanpeople’s

viewsonvalues,moralityandreligion．BeforetheCivilWar，thepuritanethic（清教的價值觀）wasthedominantmoralityinAmerica．Puritansbelievedintheprinciplesofeviland“salvation”.Theyconsideredperseverance（堅(jiān)持不懈），stark（全然的）simplicity，andstrenuous（艱苦，繁重的）goodworksasvirtue，andregardedidleness，drunkennessandsexualimmoralityasdepravity（墮落）.However，materialismhadshakenthereligiousconvictionofthePuritans.Stimulatedbymaterialism，peoplewereeagertopursuemoneyandenjoyedthepleasuresoflife．TheybecamedubiousabouthumannatureandGod’sbenevolence（仁慈）.TheCivilWarmarkedadeterioration（惡化）ofAmericanmoralvalues．AnotherimportanteffectoftheCivilWarwasAmericanindustrializationandurbanization（城市化）withitsaccompanyingsocialdiseases．Withthewar,therewasanexplosivegrowthofbusinessandindustry．Thisgrowthissymbolicallyshownintherapiddevelopmentoftherailroad．The35,000milesofrailroadtrackof1865increasedtoabout2,000,000milesbytheendofthecentury．Theimprovementsinindustrialtechnologyandtransportationprovidedtheincentive（刺激）andcapacityforlarge-scaleagriculture，manufacturing，andmining．Withthedevelopmentofindustry，moreandmorefactoriesappeared，andurbanizationwasrequiredandfacilitatedbyindustrialization．Nevertheless,industrializationandtheurbanizationwereaccompaniedbytheincalculablesufferingsofthelaboringpeople．Beingattractedbyhigherpay,manyfarmersflocked（蜂擁至）totheindustrializedcities．Therefore,inthecitiestherewereanoversupplyoflabor，whichkeptwagesdownandallowedtheindustrialiststoofferworkersadverse（惡劣）workingconditions．Wealthwasmorethaneverinthepossessionofthefew----bankersandindustrialists----withthepoorpoorerand

therichricher．ItwasthebeginningofwhatMarkTwaincalled“TheGildedAge（鍍金時代）”，anageofextremes（充滿極端和對立的時代）ofdeclineandprogress，ofpovertyanddazzlingwealth，ofgloomandbuoyant（持續(xù)上漲的）hope．Thepost-CivilWaryearswereaperiodofgreatplunder（掠奪）andexploitation，ofgreedymaterialismandpoliticalcorruption．Alltheaccompanyingsocialdiseases，especiallyslum（貧民窟）conditions，childlabor，poverty，crime，andlaborstrikesbecamereflectedinAmericanliterature.

Theabovepolitical，socialandmoralchangeshaveinfluencedAmericanwritersinboththemeandtechnique．AftertheCivilWar，thereappearedanewgenerationofwriterswhoweredissatisfiedwiththeoptimisticideasoftheRomanticistsandshowedagreatinterestintherealitiesoflife.TheserealistwriterssoughttoportrayAmericanlifeasitreallywas.Theyinsistthattheordinaryandthelocalwereassuitableforartisticportrayalasthemagnificentandtheremote.Theytriedtheirbesttocreateanewkindofliteraturethatwascompletelyrealistic．

RealismfirstappearedintheUnitedStatesinliteraturewithlocal,anamalgam（混合物）ofromanticplotsandrealisticdescriptionofthingsimmediatelyobservable：thedialects，customs，sights，andsoundsofreginalAmerica.Wecanseethisinthetrue-to-lifedescriptionsofBretHarte，WilliamDeanHowells,HamlinGarland，andMarkTwain．BretHarteisthefirstAmericanwriteroflocalcolortoachievewidepopularity．Hepresentsstoriesaboutwesternminingtowninvolvingcolorfulgamblers，outlaws，andscandalous（丑惡可恥的）womenThereaftereditorseversensitivetopublictaste（大眾的閱讀興趣）demandedsuchworks，andwritersincludingHarte,HarrietBeecherStowe，andMarkTwainprovidedregionalstoriesandtalesofthelivesofAmerica’sWesterners，Southerners，andEasterns．Local-colorfictionsreacheditspeakofpopularityinthe1880s，butbytheturnofthecenturyithasbeguntodeclineasitslimitedresorceswereexhaustedandasitsmostpopularwritersgrewtediouslyrepetitiousorturnedtootherliterarymodes.RealismisadirectcontrasttoRomanticism．Asamovement，AmericanRealismstartedduringtheCivilWarperiodandevolvedinthesecondhalfofthe19thcentury．AmericanRealismhasrealistically-flawed

（有缺陷的）heroesinsteadoftheidealizedcharactersinRomanticism．ThewritersoftheRealismtriedtorepresentlifewiththeirwritings．Theirsettingsoftenincludefactoriesandslums，andtheircharactersare

ordinarypeoplesuchaspoorworkers，businessmen，vagrants（流浪者），swindlers，（詐騙者）andevenprostitutes．Therealiststendtobehighlyselectiveintheirchoiceofmaterial，focusinguponwhatseemsrealtomiddle-classreaders。Thesubjectsofrealisticfictionthustendtobecontemporary，ordinary，andmiddle-class．“Truthful”treatmentofsuchsubjectsusuallyconsistsofafaithfulimitationofsurfacedetailswiththegoalofcreatingtheillusionofreality．Creatingsuchanillusionrequirescertainartisticchoices．Charactershavetobeordinary，averagecontemporarypeople．Plotshavetobeunobtrusive（尊重事實(shí)的，自然的）madeupofthetrivialincidentsofeverydaylife，as“natural”aspossibleintheirdevelopment，capturingthewandering，indeterminatenatureofordinaryexperienceratherthancontriving（致力于）thetensionsandclimaxesoftraditionalplots．….certainartisticchoices:

Thelanguagehastobeequallynaturaloratleastgivetheimpressionofbeingso；notonlyarecharactersmadetospeakintheintonationsofeverydaylifebuttheauthorhimselforherselfstrivestomakethelanguageasinvisibleaspossible，aneutral（不偏不倚的）