美国文学选读 (上)

美国文学选读HistoryandAnthologyofAmericanLiterature•TheLit.ofColonialAmerica•TheLit.ofReasonandRevolution•TheLit.ofRomanticism•TheLit.ofRealism•Twentieth-CenturyLiteratureTheLiteratureofColonialAmericaTheLiteratureofColonialAmerica•Agecharacter&LiteraryCharacteristicsinthisperiod•ThefirstwriterofAmerica•Themainthoughtinthisperiod•Mainwriters&theirliteratureTheLiteratureofColonialAmericaAgecharacter&LiteraryCharacteristicsinthisperiod•ThefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinNorthAmericawasestablishedatJamestown,Virginiain1607.AmongthemembersofthesmallbandofJamestownsettlerswasCaptainJohnSmith,anEnglishsoldieroffortune.Hisreportsofexploration,publishedintheearly1600s,havebeendescribedasthefirstdistinctlyAmericanliteraturewritteninEnglish.•LiteraryCharacteristicsThefirstwritingsthatwecallAmericanwerethenarrativesandjournalsofthesesettlements.TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaTheFirstAmericanWriter&hisTheFirstAmericanWriter–CaptainJohnSmithMainWritingofJohnATrueRelationofSuchOccurrencesandAccidentsofNoteasHathHappenedinVirginiaSincetheFirstPlantingofThatColonyAMapofVirginia:withaDescriptionoftheCounty(1612)ThebookwasaguidetothecountryandaninvitationtotheboldspiritsneededtoenlargeandstrengthentheEnglishplantationsinthenewland.GeneralHistoryofVirginia(1624)ContainshismostfamoustaleofhowtheIndianprincessPocahontassavedhimfromthewrathofherfatherPowhatanbylayingherheaduponSmith’whentheIndianswereabout“tobeatouthisbrains”.AMapofVirginiaTheLiteratureofColonialAmericaPuritanThoughtsOvertheyeasthePuritansbuiltawayoflifethatwasinharmonywiththeirsomberreligion,onethatstressedhardwork,thrift,pietyandsobriety.•Puritanswantedtomakepuretheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices;•PuritanswishedtorestoresimplicitytochurchservicesandtheauthorityoftheBibletotheology.•PuritansincludedpeoplefromthehumblesttotheloftiestranksofEnglishsociety,botheducatedanuneducated,poorandrich.•Puritansoppositiontopleasureandtheartssometimeshasbeenexaggerated,butitistruethattheirlivesweredisciplinedandhard.Puritanstendedtosuspectjoyandlaughterassymptomsofsin.•PuritanreligiousteachingtendedtoemphasizetheimageofawrathfulGodandtoforgetHismercy.TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaMainswriter&TheirliteratureApairofgovernorwriterWilliamBradford–TheHistoryofPlymouthPlantationTheNewEnglandcoloniesmournedhim,inwordswrittenlaterbyCottonMather,asacommonblessingandfathertothemall.Thesimplicityandearnestnessofthebook,withitsdirectreporting,makeitreadableandmoving.JohnWinthrop-TheHistoryofNewEnglandWinthrop'sisnotableforitscandidsimplicityandhonesty.(WilliamBradfordStatueInPlymouth,Massachusetts)TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaMainswriter&TheirliteratureJohnCottonThefirstmajorintellectualspokesmanoftheMassachusettsBayColony,SometimescalledthePatriarchofNewEngland.RogerWilliamsAKeyintotheLanguageofAmericaWithWilliamsbeginsthehistoryofreligioustolerationinAmerica,andwithhim,too,thehistoryoftheseparationofchurchandstate.ApairofpreacherwriterJohnCottonTheLiteratureofColonialAmericaRogerWilliamsMainswriter&TheirliteratureAnneBradstreetTheTenthMuseLatelySprungUpinAmericaSomeofAnneBradstreet'spoeticventureswereoverambitious,butshewrotewellwhenshedealtwiththesimpleeventsofherdailylife.Thenoteofpiety,gentlysounded,wasinherwork.EdwardTaylorEdwardTaylorwastheBestofthePuritanpoets,Heisthemostaccomplishedpoeticcraftsmanoftheearlyyears.ApairofPoetAnneBradstreetandEdwardTaylor,rosetothelevelofrealpoetry.TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaAnneBradstreetMainswriter&TheirliteratureMakeabriefcommentonthefollowingpoemIheardthemerrygrasshopperthesing,Theblack-cladcricketbearasecondpart;TheykeptonetuneandplayedonthesamestringSeemingtogloryintheirlittleart.Shallcreaturesabjectthustheirvoicesraise,AndintheirkindresoundtheirMarker’spraise,WhilstI,asmute,canwarbleforthnohigherlays?TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaTheLit.ofReasonandRevolution•HistoricalBackground&LiteraryCharacteristicsinthisperiod•TheEnlightenmentMovement•FourMainWriters&TheirliteraturesinThisPeriodTheLit.ofReasonandRevolutionHistoricalBackground&LiteraryCharacteristicsinthisperiod•FreedomwaswonasmuchbythefieryrhetoricofThomasPaine’sCommonSenseandtheeloquenceoftheDeclarationofIndependenceasbytheweaponsofWashingtonorLafayette.•TheWarforIndependencelastedforeightyears(1776-1783)andendedintheformationofaFederativebourgeoisdemocraticrepublic–theUnitesofAmerica.•In1783,theyeartheUnitedStatesachieveditsindependence,ThebeginningsofliteraryindependencewereevidentinsuchcelebrationsoftheAmericansceneasJefferson’sNotesontheStateofVirginia(1785),andBartram’sTravels(1791).PhilipFreneau,themostimportantpoetoftheperiod,FranklinshapedhiswritingaftertheSpectatorPapers(1711-1721)oftheEnglishessayistsAddisonandSteele;etc…LiteraryCharacteristics:PamphletHistoricalBackgroundTheLit.ofReasonandRevolutionEnlightenmentMovement•TwoTasksofEnlightenmentMovement-Disseminatingknowledgeamongthepeople-Advocatingrevolutionary•AmericanEnlightenmentdealtadecisiveblowuponthepuritantraditionsandbroughttolifeseculareducationandliterature.•ThewritersoftheEnlightenmentinjectedaninvigoratingveinintot