Black American Literature

BlackAmericanLiteratureCharacteristicsandthemes1.Characteristics：•Thirstforknowledge；•Lookforwardtothefuture；•Self-improvement；•Defendthedignity.2.themes•Pursuitforfreedom,democracyandequality;•Ignorance•AboutAfrican-Americanculture,racism,religion,slavery,asenseofhomeandmore.History(一)EarlyAfricanAmericanliterature•Beganintheearly19thcentury•MainGenres:Elegy,folksongs,secularsongs,poetry•Mainwriters:1)poet:•PhillisWheatley菲利斯·惠特利:PoemsonVariousSubjects,ReligiousandMoral《昭紊教和道德诗歌集》•JupiterHammon朱比特·汗蒙：AnEveningThought:SalvationbyChristwithPenitentialCries《静夜思——救星基督》2)novelist:WilliamWellsBrown威廉·威尔斯·布朗:ThePresident’sDaughter：consideredtobethefirstnovelwrittenbyanAfricanAmerican(二)Mid-19thcenturytothe20thcenturyThemainfeatures:1)Mid-19thcenturytoMid-20thcentury:•exploretheirownlifeexperience;•openthesecretofslavery;•requirefortheliberation;•obtainafreelife.2)IntheMid-20century:•discoverthewayofdevelopmentoftheNegroes•disseminateblacklivingconditions1.Slavenarratives奴隶叙事(Mid-19th)1)Characteristics:ThemainworkswerewrittenbyfugitiveslavesabouttheirlivesintheSouth.Theseworksmostlyintheformofseparatebooksorpamphlets.2)Forms:•talesofreligiousredemption赎罪•talestoinspiretheabolitioniststruggle:isthemostfamousform.twoofthebest-knownworks:FrederickDouglass'sautobiographyandIncidentsintheLifeofaSlaveGirlbyHarrietJacobs•talesofprogress3)controversyoverslavery•Theabolitionistview:UncleTom'sCabin(1852)writtenbyHarrietBeecherStowe斯托夫人•Thesupportview:southernwriterswrotemanyAnti-Tomnovels2.Post-slaveryera后奴隶制时代Time：AftertheendofslaveryandtheAmericanCivilWarFeaturesofworks:nonfiction纪实worksabouttheconditionofAfricanAmericansinthecountry.Writers:1)W.E.B.DuBois杜波依斯:Occupation：academic，scholar，activist，journalist，sociologist社会学者Majorworksessay:TheSoulsofBlackFolk《黑人的灵魂》ItwasaboutraceandbasedonhispersonalexperiencestodescribehowAfricanAmericanslivedinAmericansocietybiography:John•BrownView:•againstthecapitulationistline投降主义路线intheblackliberationmovement;•requiredblackstoenjoyallcivilrightsandsocialwelfare;•blacksshouldworktogethertobattleprejudice偏见andinequity不公正.2)BookerT.Washington布克·华盛顿:Occupation：•Educator•Author•AfricanAmericanCivilRightsLeaderView:•representedmanyoppositeviewsfromDuBois•adoptedamoreconfrontational对抗性attitudetowardendingracialstrife•BlacksshouldfirstliftthemselvesupandprovethemselvesbeforeaskingforanendtoracismMajorworksUpFromSlavery(1901);《超越奴役》TheFutureoftheAmericanNegro(1899);《黑人在美国的未来》TuskegeeandItsPeople(1905);《塔斯基吉及其人民》MyLargerEducation(1911)《我的大教育》3)CharlesW.Chesnutt查尔斯·契斯纳特Majorachievement:•shortstorywriterandessayist•“ThefounderofAfricanAmericanrealismliterature”View:•didn’tcompletelysurrendertothewhitesociety;•didn’tbeautifytherealityandracerelations;•exposedandreflectedallkindsofoppressionandracialdiscriminationwiththecriticalspiritofrealism.3.HarlemRenaissance哈莱姆文艺复兴Briefintroduction:•Itisaliterarymovementlaunchedbytheblackwriterswhogatheredattheblackneighborhood—Harlemfrom1920to1940;•ThechiefleaderwasLangstonHughes;•markedaturningpointforAfricanAmericanliterature.Majorwriters1)LangstonHughes兰斯顿·休斯:Occupation：poet，columnistdramatist，essayistlyricist，novelistHeiswellknownforhispoetryAchievements:•ninevolumesofpoetry;•eightbooksofshortstories;•twonovels;•anumberofplays;•children'sbooksandtranslationsMostfamouspoems:•TheNegroSpeaksofRivers《黑人谈河流》:Itwascollectedinthecollectionofpoetry,TheWearyBlues《萎靡的布鲁斯》•AsIGrewOlder《我长大的时候》:HecalledtheNegroestobreakthroughthewallofapartheidtorealizetheirdreamsbytheirownefforts.TheNegroSpeaksofRiversI'veknownrivers:I'veknownriversancientastheworldandolderthantheflowofhumanbloodinhumanveins.Mysoulhasgrowndeepliketherivers.IbathedintheEuphrateswhendawnswereyoung.IbuiltmyhutneartheCongoanditlulledmetosleep.IlookedupontheNileandraisedthepyramidsaboveit.IheardthesingingoftheMississippiwhenAbeLincolnwentdowntoNewOrleans,andI'veseenitsmuddybosomturnedallgoldeninthesunset.I'veknownrivers:Ancient,duskyrivers.Mysoulhasgrowndeepliketherivers.黑人谈河流我了解河流：我了解像世界一样的古老的河流，比人类血管中流动的血液更古老的河流。我的灵魂变得像河流一般的深邃。晨曦中我在幼发拉底河沐浴，在刚果河畔我盖了一间茅舍，河水潺潺催我入眠。我瞰望尼罗河，在河畔建造了金字塔。当林肯去新奥尔良时，我听到密西西比河的歌声，我瞧见它那浑浊的胸膛在夕阳下闪耀的金光。我了解河流：古老的黝黑的河流。我的灵魂变得像河流一般深邃。2)ZoraNealeHurston佐拉·尼尔·赫斯顿Occupation：Folklorist民俗学者Anthropologist人类学家novelistshortstorywriterNotablework：TheirEyesWereWatchingGod《他们眼望上苍》TheirEyesWereWatchingGod《他们眼望上苍》•Itwasthefirstblackliteraryworkthatshowedthefemaleconsciousnessofblackwomen；•madethecoveredfemaleself-confidenceandself-reliancebecomethefocusofinterestonceagain；•changedthesexpatterns4.CivilRightMovementera民权运动时代Time：duringthe1940s,'50sand'60swhenthelargemigrationhappened.Themes:•endsegregation隔离andracism种族歧视•createanewsenseofBlacknationalismFamousleader:MartinLutherKingWriters:1)JamesBaldwin詹姆斯·鲍德温:•Themes:relationshipbetweenfatherandson;raceandsexuality•Majorworks:GoTellItontheMountain《向苍天呼吁》AnotherCountry《另一个国家》TheFireNextTime《下一次将是烈火》2)RichardWright理查德·赖特•TherepresentativeoftheblackProtestLiterature抗议文学•Themes:economicconstraints;mentaldepression;psychologicalfearoftheblacks•M