美國文學(xué)課件 考研文學(xué) 師大

BenjaminFranklin

TheAmericanEnlightenmentHao

Guilian,Ph.D.YunnanNormalUniversitySpring,2011HistoricalBackground-1Americahasalwaysbeenalandofbeginnings.AfterEuropeans"discovered"Americainthefifteenthcentury,themysteriousNewWorldbecameformanypeopleagenuinehopeofanewlife,andescapefrompovertyandpersecution,achancetostartagain.Wecansaythat,asanation,Americabeginswiththathope.When,however,doesAmericanliteraturebegin?HistoricalBackground-2AmericanliteraturebeginswithAmericanexperiences.TheNewWorldprovideagreatvarietyofexperiences,andtheseexperiencesdemandedawidevarietyofexpressionsbyaevenwidervarietyofearlyAmericanwriters.ThesewritersincludedJohnSmith,whospentonlyabouttwo-and-one-halfyearsontheAmericancontinent.TheyincludedJonathanEdwardsandWilliamByrd,whothoughtofthemselvesasBritishsubjects,neversuspectingarevolutionthatwouldcreateaUnitedStatesofAmericawithaliteratureofitsown.AmericanIndians,explorers,Pilgrims,Puritanministers,frontierwives,plantationowners---theyareallthecreatorsofthefirstAmericanliterature.Puritanism-1ThePuritansweredevoutChristianswhowantedtopurifytheirlivesandtheirchurchofwhattheysawasthecorruptionsofEnglishsocietyanditsstatereligion,theChurchofEngland.TheycalledthemselvesSaintsorSeparatists,buttheyarenowgenerallycalledPuritans--anamethatbecameasignoftheirseparateness.WritingwasanimportantpartofPuritanlife;itwasoftenanextensionofreligion.Theywrotetoinstructothersortotestifytheirexperienceofdivinegrace;theywrotespiritualautobiographies.Puritanism-2Puritanwriting,inotherwords,waspractical.Thewritersweredeeplyinvolvedwiththeirspiritualselvesandattemptstoimprovethem.Theywrotenofiction,nordidtheyevenapproveofreadingfiction,andtheywrotenoplays.Theirwritingsconsistedlargelyofjournals,sermons,hymns,histories,andpoems.TheypreferredtowriteinwhattheycalledPlainStyle,whichwasmeantsimplytocommunicateideasasclearlyaspossible.WritingwasnotawayofshowingoffclevernessorlearningbutawayofservingGodandthecommunity.

TheAmericanEnlightenment-1The18th-centuryAmericanEnlightenmentwasamovementmarkedbyanemphasisonrationalityratherthantradition,scientificinquiryinsteadofunquestioningreligiousdogma,andrepresentativegovernmentinplaceofmonarchy.Enlightenmentthinkersandwritersweredevotedtotheidealsofjustice,liberty,andequalityasthenaturalrightsofman.Duringthe1770snooneinAmericacouldclaimtobeaprofessionalnovelist,poet,orplaywright.YetagreatnumberofAmericansexpressedthemselvesonthesubjectsofliberty,government,law,reason,andindividualandnationalfreedom.TheAmericanEnlightenment-2Gradually,negativeproteststurnedintomorepositiveexpressions.Besidespetitioningagainst"taxationwithoutrepresentation,''moreandmoreAmericansstartedcallingformoreself-government.TheDeclarationofIndependence--theculminationofthewritingofthisperiod--carriesthevoicenotofanindividualbutofawholepeople.Itismorethanwritingoftheperiod;itdefinedthemeaningoftheRevolution.BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)ThereareseveralreasonstorememberBenjaminFranklin.Oneimportantreasonbeingthathehasbeennicknamed,"TheFirstAmerican."HehelpedwriteandthensignedTheDeclarationofIndependence.HealsohelpedwritethedocumentthatwouldhelpmakethelawsofAmerica,TheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates.Franklinwasanexcellentdiplomatandpolitician.HestartedthefirstcirculatinglibraryinAmerica,foundedacollegethatlaterbecametheUniversityofPennsylvania,madesomepopularfurniture,andstudiedthelawsofelectricity-thefamousnightkiteflyingexperiment.Hedidhundredsofotherthingsforwhichwerememberhimtoday.Anotherimportantreasonforrememberinghimisthatheachievedtheseaccomplishmentsonlyaftergreatperseverance."Godhelpsthemthathelpthemselves."Thiswashislifephilosophy.Byclevernessandhardworkhechangedhimselffromthepoorlyeducatedsonofacandle-makerintoaworld-renownedscientist,diplomat,philosopher,andwriter.ThefinalreasonforrememberingBenjaminFranklin,ofcourse,ishiswriting.Heperfectedthesmooth,clear,shortsentencesofthePuritanplainstyle.TodayheisrememberedmainlyforhisAutobiography(Paris1791;America1818).Theautobiographyencourageshardworkandemphasizestheimportanceofachievement.AutobiographyTheAutobiographyofBenjaminFranklinisthetraditionalnamefortheunfinishedrecordofhisownlifewrittenbyBenjaminFranklinfrom1771to1790;however,FranklinhimselfappearstohavecalledtheworkhisMemoirs.Thisworkhasbecomeoneofthemostfamousandinfluentialexamplesofautobiographyeverwritten.Franklin'saccountofhislifeisdividedintofourparts,reflectingthedifferentperiodsatwhichhewrotethem.Thereareactualbreaksinthenarrativebetweenthefirstthreeparts,butPartThree'snarrativecontinuesintoPartFourwithoutanauthorialbreak(onlyaneditorialone).PartoneTheopeningpartoftheAutobiographyaddressessomethemesthatwillcomeuplateroninthebook,namely,self-bettermentandreligion.Franklin'stoneatthebeginningofthebookishumbleandindicativeofabeliefinutilitarianism(功利主義，實(shí)利主義).Heclaimstowriteonlysothathisownlifemaybeanexampleforhissonofhowonecanlivewellandhowonecangetthroughhardships.Franklin'sbook,astoryofself-betterment,iswrittensoastobeamodelforthebettermentofothers.Thisgeneralmotiveforwriting,aswellasFranklin'smentionofcorrectingsomeerrorswerehetorelivehislife,bothindicateFranklin'sconstantinterestinself-improvement.ThisisperhapsthelargestthemeintheAutobiography.ThirteenVirtuesFranklinsoughttocultivatehischaracterbyaplanofthirteenvirtues,whichhedevelopedatage20(in1726)andcontinuedtopracticeinsomeformfortherestofhislife.Hisautobiographylistshisthirteenvirtuesas:"TEMPERANCE.Eatnottodullness;drinknottoelevation.""SILENCE.Speaknotbutwhatmaybenefitothersoryourself;avoidtriflingconversation.""ORDER.Letallyourthingshavetheirplaces;leteachpartofyourbusinesshaveitstime."

"RESOLUTION.Resolvetoperformwhatyouought;performwithoutfailwhatyouresolve.""FRUGALITY.Makenoexpensebuttodogoodtoothersoryourself;i.e.,wastenothing.""INDUSTRY.Losenotime;bealwaysemploy'dinsomethinguseful;cutoffallunnecessaryactions.""SINCERITY.Usenohurtfuldeceit;thinkinnocentlyandjustly,and,ifyouspeak,speakaccordingly.""JUSTICE.Wrongnonebydoinginjuries,oromittingthebenefitsthatareyourduty.""MODERATION.Avoidextremes;forbearresentinginjuriessomuchasyouthinktheydeserve.""CLEANLINESS.Toleratenouncleanlinessinbody,clothes,orhabitation.""TRANQUILLITY.Benotdisturbedattrifles,orataccidentscommonorunavoidable.""CHASTITY.Rarelyusevenerybutforhealthoroffspring,nevertodullness,weakness,ortheinjuryofyourownoranother'speaceorreputation.""HUMILITY.ImitateJesusandSocrates."Reactionstothework

Franklin'sAutobiographyhasreceivedwidespreadpraise,bothforitshistoricalvalueasarecordofanimportantearlyAmericanandforitsliterarystyle.ItisoftenconsideredthefirstAmericanbooktobetakenseriouslybyEuropeansasliterature.WilliamDeanHowellsin1905assertedthat"Franklin'sisoneofthegreatestautobiographiesinliterature,andtowersoverotherautobiographiesasFranklintoweredoverothermen."However,Mark