Lecture 1-Colonial Period and Puritanism

ANINTRODUCTIONTOTHEHISTORYOFAMERICANLITERATURE2WORDSONTHESTUDYOFAMERICANLITERATUREI.PreliminaryknowledgeforthestudyofAmericanliterature1.BasicknowledgeofAmericanliteraryworks;2.Basicknowledgeofworldliteraryclassics,particularlythoseofancientGreece;3.BasicknowledgeofancientGreekandRomanmythology;4.BasicknowledgeofAmericanhistoryandpolitics;5.BasicknowledgeoftheChristianBible3II.EssentialprerequisitesforthestudyofAmericanliterature1.Interestinliterature;2.Alargevocabulary;3.Goodhabitsofstudy;WORDSONTHESTUDYOFAMERICANLITERATURE4III.WhatistobestudiedinAmericanliterature1.HistoryofAmericanliterature;2.Majorwritersandtheirmajorworks;3.Historical(economic,politicalandideological)backgroundforthecreationofthemajorwriters;4.Literarycreativethoughtandartisticfeaturesofthemajorwriters;5.Centralthoughtandsocialsignificanceandwritingtechniquesofaspecificliterarywork;6.GeneralliterarytheoriesandschoolsWORDSONTHESTUDYOFAMERICANLITERATURE5IV.Myrequirements1.Previewingwithoutexception;2.Regularattendance(exceptionpermittedonlywithconvincingreasons);3.Classparticipation(Beactive)andoralpresentation;4.Note-taking(manythingsoutofthetextbookaretobetoucheduponinclass,andsomeofthemaretobeincludedinthefinalexam);5.Don’texpectme(oranybodyelse)todiscusseverythingaboutawriteroraliteraryworkasateacherofintensivereadingdoes;don’texpectmetowriteeverythingIsayontheblackboard.ThisisnotatallthepropermethodofstudyingliteratureWORDSONTHESTUDYOFAMERICANLITERATUREREFERENCEBOOKSMarcusCunliffe,TheLiteratureoftheUnitedStatesRobertSpiller,TheCycleofAmericanLiteratureRodW.HortonandHerbertW.Edward,BackgroundsofAmericanLiteraryThoughtRubinstein,Annette.AmericanLiterature,RootandFlowering（《美国文学的源和流》）REFERENCEBOOKS常耀信，《美国文学简史》常耀信，《美国文学选读》刘海平、王守仁等主编，《新编美国文学史》史志康主编，《美国文学背景概观》童明，《美国文学史》吴伟仁，《美国文学简史及作品选读》BRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATUREPartOne:TheColonialPeriod(1607-1750)Themajortopic:AmericanPuritanismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:AnneBradstreet(1612-1672)EdwardTaylor(ca.1642-1729)JonathanEdwards(1703—1758)BRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATUREPartTwo:EnlightenmentandRevolutionaryperiod(1750-1815)Themajortopic:AmericanEnlightenmentThemajorfigurestodiscuss:BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)ThomasPaine(1737-1809)ThomasJefferson(1743—1826)BRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATUREPartThree:TheRomanticPeriod(1815-1865)Section1:AmericanRomanticismThemajortopic:AmericanRomanticismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:WashingtonIrving(1783—1859)TheSketchBook:RipVanWinkleTheLegendofSleepyHollowJamesFenimoreCooper(1789—1851)LeatherstockingTalesBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATURENathanielHawthorne(1804—1864)TheScarletLetter(1850)HermanMelville(1819—1891)MobyDick(1851)WaltWhitman(1819—1892)LeavesofGrass(1855)EmilyDickinson(1830—1886):poemsEdgarAllanPoe(1809—1849):poemsandshortstoriesBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATURESection2:NewEnglandTranscendentalism/AmericanRenaissance(1836—1855)Themajortopic:NewEnglandTranscendentalismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:RalphWaldoEmerson(1803—1882)Nature(1836):“theManifestoofAmericanTranscendentalism”TheAmericanScholar(1837):America’s“DeclarationofIntellectualIndependence”HenryDavidThoreau(1817—1862)andhisWaldenBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATUREPartFour:AmericanRealism(1865-1914)Themajortopic:AmericanRealismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:WilliamDeanHowells(1837—1920):theAtlanticMonthlyMarkTwain（localcolorism）(1835—1910)TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnHenryJames:ThePortraitofaLadyBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATUREPartFive:LiteraryNaturalismThemajortopic:LiteraryNaturalismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:StephenCrane(1871—1900):Maggie:AGirloftheStreetsFrankNorris(1870—1902):McTeagueO.Henry:shortstoriesTheodoreDreiser(1871—1945):SisterCarrieJackLondon(1876—1916):TheCalloftheWildBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATUREPartSix:ModernPeriod(1914-1945)Section1:The1920sThemajorfigurestodiscuss:T.S.Eliot:TheWastelandWilliamFaulkner:theYoknapatawphaseriesLostGeneration:ErnestHemingway(1898—1961):TheOldManandtheSeaF.ScottFitzgerald(1896—1940):TheGreatGatsbyBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATURESection2:ImagismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:EzraPound(1885—1972)WilliamCarlosWilliams(1883—1963)WallaceSevens(1879—1955)E.E.Cummings(1894—1962)CarlSandburg(1878—1967)T.S.Eliot(1888—1965):TheWasteLandRobertFrost(1874—1963)HartCrane(1899—1932)BRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATURESection3:1930s’TheNewCriticismThemajorfigurestodiscuss:JohnSteinbeck(1902—1968):TheGrapesofWrathKatherineAnnePorter(1890—1980):ShipofFoolsEudoraWelty(1909—):DeathofaTravelingSalesmanCarsonMcCullers(1917—1967):TheBalladoftheSadCaféBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATURESection4:TheHarlemRenaissance/BlackAmericanliteratureThemajorfigurestodiscuss:LangstonHughes(1912—1967)RichardWright(1908-1960)andhisNativeSonRalphEllison(1914—1994)JamesBoldwin(1924—1987)ToniMorrison(1931—)andherTheBelovedAliceWalker(1943—)withherTheColorPurpleBRIEFOUTLINEOFAMERICANLITERATURESection5:ModernAmericanDramaThemajorfigurestodiscuss:EugeneO’Neill(1888—1953):LongDaysJourneyintoNightCliffordOdets(1906—