20世纪美国文学英文版

AmericanLiteraturePartVTwentieth-CenturyLiteratureSection1The1920sI.IntroductionThe1920sisafloweringperiodofAmericanliterature.Itisconsidered“thesecondrenaissance”ofAmericanliterature.Thenicknamesforthisperiod:(1)Roaring20s–comfort(2)DollarDecade–rich(3)JazzAge–JazzmusicII.Background1.FirstWorldWar–“awartoendallwars”(1)Economically:becamerichfromWWI.Economicboom:newinventions.Highly-consumingsociety.(2)Spiritually:dislocation,fragmentation.2.wide-spreadcontemptforlaw(lookingdownuponlaw)3.Freud’stheoryIII.FeaturesoftheliteratureWriters:threegroups(1)Participants(2)Expatriates(3)Bohemian(unconventionalwayoflife)–on-lookersTwoareas:(1)FailureofcommunicationofAmericans(2)FailureoftheAmericansocietyImagismI.BackgroundImagismwasinfluencedbyFrenchsymbolism,ancientChinesepoetryandJapaneseliterature“haiku”II.Development:threestages1.1908~1909:London,Hulme2.1912~1914:England-America,Pound3.1914~1917:AmyLowellIII.Whatisan“image”?AnimageisdefinedbyPoundasthatwhichpresentsanintellectualandemotionalcomplexinaninstantoftime,“avortexorclusteroffusedideas”“endowedwithenergy”.Theexactwordmustbringtheeffectoftheobjectbeforethereaderasithadpresenteditselftothepoet’smindatthetimeofwriting.IV.Principles1.Directtreatmentofthe“thing”,whethersubjectiveorobjective;2.Touseabsolutelynowordthatdoesnotcontributetothepresentation;3.Asregardingrhythm,tocomposeinthesequenceofthemusicalphrase,notinthesequenceofametronome.V.Significance1.Itwasarebellionagainstthetraditionalpoeticswhichfailedtoreflectthenewlifeofthenewcentury.2.ItofferedanewwayofwritingwhichwasvalidnotonlyfortheImagistpoetsbutformodernpoetryasawhole.3.Themovementwasatrainingschoolinwhichmanygreatpoetslearnedtheirfirstlessonsinthepoeticart.4.ItisthismovementthathelpedtoopenthefirstpagesofmodernEnglishandAmericanpoetry.VI.EzraPound1.life2.literarycareer3.works(1)Cathay(2)Cantos(3)HughSelwynMauberley4.pointofview(1)ConfidentinPound’sbeliefthattheartistwasmorallyandculturallythearbiterandthe“saviour”oftherace,hetookituponhimselftopurifytheartsandbecametheprimemoverofafewexperimentalmovements,theaimofwhichwastodumptheoldintothedustbinandbringforthsomethingnew.(2)Tohimlifewassordidpersonalcrushingoppression,andcultureproducednothingbut“intangiblebondage”.(3)PoundseesinChinesehistoryandthedoctrineofConfuciusasourceofstrengthandwisdomwithwhichtocounterpointWesterngloomandconfusion.(4)Hesawachaoticworldthatwantedsettingtorights,andahumanity,sufferingfromspiritualdeathandcosmicinjustice,thatneededsaving.HewasforthemostpartofhislifetryingtoofferConfucianphilosophyastheonefaithwhichcouldhelptosavetheWest.5.style:verydifficulttoreadPound’searlypoemsarefreshandlyrical.TheCantoscanbenotoriouslydifficultinsomesections,butdelightfullybeautifulinothers.Fewhavemadeseriousstudyofthelongpoem;fewer,ifanyoneatall,havehadthecouragetodeclarethattheyhaveconqueredPound;andmanyseemtoagreethattheCantosisamonumentalfailure6.ContributionHehashelped,throughtheoryandpractice,tochartoutthecourseofmodernpoetry.7.TheCantos–“theintellectualdiarysince1915”Features:(1)Language:intricateandobscure(2)Theme:complexsubjectmatters(3)Form:nofixedframework,nocentraltheme,noattentiontopoeticrulesⅦ.ThomasStearnsEliotHislife(1888----1965)Hisworks:PoemsTheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock《普鲁弗洛克的情歌》TheWasteLand(epic)《荒原》HollowMan《空心人》AshyWednesday《圣灰星期三》FourQuarters《四个四重奏》艾略特的诗歌创作以《荒原》和伴以英国天主教为标志可以分为早、中、晚三个时期。早期：主要包括《普鲁弗洛克及其他》和ThePoems（1920）《诗集》两个本子。中期：TheWaste《荒原》TheHollowMan《空心人》后期：Gerontion《小老头》、AshyWednesday《圣灰星期三》SweeneyAmongtheNightingales《夜莺中的斯威尼》TheHippopotamus《河马》FourQuarters《四个四重奏》Mr.Eliot’sSundayMorningService《艾略特先生的星期日早礼拜》FourQuarters《四个四重奏》它是诗人登峰造极之作，在诗中诗人对诗歌语言进行了严肃的思考，思考的结果从该诗本身的语言特色就可以看出来：普通正规而又十分精确。此时艾略特担心语言会因使用不当而退化，进而影响到我们思想情感的品质。它最初是四首独立的诗：BurntNorton,1935《烧毁的诺顿》、EastCoker,1940《东库克》、TheDrySalvages,1941《干燥的塞尔维吉斯》LittleGidding,1943《小吉丁》Hisworks:PlaysMurderintheCathedral《大教堂谋杀案》TheCocktailParty《鸡尾酒会》TheConfidentialClerk《自信的书记员》Hisworks:CriticalessaysTheSacredWoodEssaysonStyleandOrderElizabethanEssaysTheUseofPoetryandTheUseofCriticismsAfterStrangeGodsTheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrockItdepictsatimidmiddle-agedmangoingtoproposemarriagetoaladybuthesitatingallthewaythere.Ittakestheformofsoliloquy,likeinteriormonologuelikethatofBrowning’s.Prufrockistheimageofaineffectual,sorrowful,tragictwentieth-centuryWesternman,possiblythemodernintellectualwhoisdividedbetweenpassionandtimidity,betweendesireandimpotence.Heistragicflawistimidity;his“curse”ishisidealism.Knowingeverything,butabletodonothing,helivesinanareaoflifeanddeath;andcaughtbetweenthetwoworlds,hebelongstoneither.Hecraveslovebuthasnocouragetodeclarehimself.Hedespairsoflife.Hediscoversitsemptinessandyethasfoundnothingtoreplaceit.TheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrockThusthepoemdevelopsathemeafrustrationandemotionalconflict.Thetitleofthepoemisironicinthatthe“LoveSong”isinfactabouttheabsenceoflove.Prufrock:thenameisofafurnituredealerinSt.Louis.Hisinitial“J”soundstonyandclassy,givingoneasenseoftheupperclasstowhichhebelongs.TheWasteLandItisthemasterpieceofEl