美国文学史-知识点梳理

PartITheLiteratureofColonialAmericaI．HistoricalIntroductionThecolonialperiodstretchedroughlyfromthesettlementofAmericaintheearly17thcenturythroughtheendofthe18th.ThefirstpermanentsettlementinAmericawasestablishedbyEnglishin1607.(AgroupofpeoplewassentbytheEnglishKingJamesItohuntforgold.TheyarrivedatVirginiain1607.TheynamedtheJamesRiverandbuildtheJamestown.)II．Thepre-revolutionarywritinginthecolonieswasessentiallyoftwokinds:1)Practicalmatter-of-factaccountsoffarming,hunting,travel,etc.designedtoinformpeopleathomewhatlifewaslikeinthenewworld,and,often,toinducetheirimmigration2)Highlytheoretical,generallypolemical,discussionsofreligiousquestions.III．TheFirstAmericanWriterThefirstwritingsthatwecallAmericanwerethenarrativesandjournalsofthesesettlements.Theywroteabouttheirvoyagetothenewland,theirlivesinthenewland,theirdealingswithIndians.CaptainJohnSmithisthefirstAmericanwriter.ATrueRelationofsuchOccurrencesandAccidentsofNoteasHathHappenedinVirginiaSincetheFirstPlantingofThatColony(1608)AMapofVirginia:ADescriptionoftheCountry(1612)GeneralHistoryofVirginia(1624):theIndianprincessPocahontasCaptainJohnSmithwasoneofthefirstearly17th-centuryBritishsettlersinNorthAmerica.HewasoneofthefoundersofthecolonyofJamestown,Virginia.HiswritingsaboutNorthAmericabecamethesourceofinformationabouttheNewWorldforlatersettlers.OneofthethingshewroteaboutthathasbecomeanAmericanlegendwashiscapturebytheIndiansandhisrescuebythefamousIndianPrincess,Pocahontas.IV．EarlyNewEnglandLiteratureWilliamBradfordandJohnWinthropJohnCottonandRogerWilliamsAnneBradstreetandEdwardTaylorV．PuritanThoughts1.TheoriginofpuritanInthemediaevalEurope,therewaswidespreadreligiousrevolution.Inthe16thCentury,theEnglishKingHenryVIII(Atthattime,theCatholicswerenotallowedtodivorceunlesstheyhavethePope'spermission.HenryVIIIwantedtodivorcehiswifebecauseshecouldn'tbearhimason.ButthePopedidn'tallowhimtodivorce,sohe)brokeawayfromtheRomanCatholicChurch&establishedtheChurchofEngland.ButtherewasnoradicaldifferencebetweenthedoctrinesoftheChurchofEnglandandtheCatholicChurch.AgroupofpeoplethoughttheChurchofEnglandwastooCatholicandwantedtopurifythechurch.ThencamethenamePuritans.2.Puritanism--basedonCalvinism(1)predestination:God'selectPuritansbelievedtheyarepredestinedbeforetheywereborn.Nothingornogoodworkcanchangetheirfate.Theybelievedthesuccessofone'sbusinessisthesigntoshowheistheGod'select.SothePuritansworksveryhard,spendverylittleandinvestmoreforthefuturebusiness.Theylivedaveryfrugallife.Thisistheirethics.(2)OrigianlsinandtotaldepravityManisbornsinful.Thisdeterminessomepuritanspessimisticattitudetowardslife.(3)Limitedatonement(thesalvationofaselectedfew)(4)theocracyTheycombinedstatewithreligion.Theirgovernmentisatleastnotaliberalone.ThePuritansestablishedAmericantradition--intolerantmoralism.Theystrictlypunisheddrunks,adultery&heretics.Puritanschangedgraduallyduetotheseverityoffrontierenvironment3.InfluenceonAmericanLiterature(1)ItsoptimismAmericanliteraturewasfromtheoutsetconditionedbythePuritanheritage.ItcanbesaidAmericanliteratureisbasedontheBiblicalmythoftheGardenofEden.Afterthat,manhaveanillusiontorestoretheparadise.Thepuritans,afterarrivingatAmerica,believingthatGodmusthavesentthemtothisnewlandtorestorethelostparadise,tobuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.Firedwithsuchastrongsenseofmission,theytreatedlifewithatremendousamountofoptimism.TheoptimisticPuritanhasexertedagreatinfluenceonAmericanliterature.(2)Puritan'smetaphoricalmodeofperceptionchangedgraduallyintoaliterarysymbolism.PartIITheLiteratureofReasonAndRevolutionI．HistoricalIntroductionWiththegrowth,especiallyofindustry,thereappearedtheintensestrainwithEngland.TheBritishgovernmentdidnotwantcolonialindustriescompetingwiththoseinEngland.TheBritishwantedthecoloniestoremainpoliticallyandeconomicallydependentonthemothercountry.Theytookaseriesofmeasurestoinsurethisdependence.TheypreventedcolonialeconomybyrequiringAmericanstoshiprawmaterialsabroadandtoimportfinishedgoodsatpriceshigherthanthecostofmakingtheminthiscountry.Politically,theBritishgovernmentforceddependencebyrulingthecoloniesfromoverseasandbytaxingthecolonieswithoutgivingthemrepresentationinParliament.However,bythemid-eighteenthcentury,freedomwaswonasmuchbythefieryrhetoricofThomasPaine'sCommonSenseandtheeloquenceoftheDeclarationofIndependenceasbytheweaponsofWashington.Intheseventiesofthe18thcentury,theEnglishcoloniesinNorthAmericaroseinarmsagainsttheirmothercountry.TheWarforIndependencelastedfor8years(1776-1783)andendedintheformationofafederativebourgeoisdemocraticrepublic--theUnitedStatesofAmerica.II．AmericanEnlightenmentItwassupportedbyallprogressiveforcesofthecountrywhichopposedthemselvestotheoldcolonialorderandreligiousobscurantism.Itdealtadecisiveblowuponthepuritantraditionsandbroughttolifeseculareducationandliterature.Thespirituallifeduringthatperiodwastoagreatdegreemouldedbyit.Therepresentativessetthemselvesthetaskofdisseminatingknowledgeamongthepeopleandadvocatingrevolutionaryideas.ThewritersinjectedaninvigoratingveinintotheEnglishlanguageinAmericaastheya