美国文学Unit17(1)Imagism+EzraPound

SelectedReadingsinAmericanLiteratureUnit17TheSchoolsofAmericanModernism:1)Modernpoetry:experimentsinform(Imagism)2)ProseWriting:modernrealism(theLostGeneration)3)NovelsofSocialAwareness4)TheHarlemRenaissance5)TheFugitivesandNewCriticism6)The20thCenturyAmericanDramaModernpoetry:experimentsinformImagism(1900-1910s)I.Imagism:1)ItisaMovementinU.S.andEnglishpoetrycharacterizedbytheuseofconcretelanguageandfiguresofspeech,modernsubjectmatter,metricalfreedom,andavoidanceofromanticormysticalthemes,aimingatclarityofexpressionthroughtheuseofprecisevisualimages.2.ItgrewoutoftheSymbolistMovementin1912andwasinitiallyledbyEzraPound,AmyLowell,andothers.3.TheImagistmanifestocameoutin1912showedthreeImagistpoeticprinciples:directtreatmentofthe“thing”（nofuss,frill,orornament）,exclusionofsuperfluouswords（precisionandeconomyofexpression）,therhythmofthemusicalphraseratherthanthesequenceofametronome节拍器（freeverseformandmusic）.II.TheMajorRepresentativesoftheModernPoetry:EzraPound(1885-1972)T.S.Eliot(1888-1965)WallaceStevens(1879-1955)WilliamCarlosWilliams(1883-1963)RobertFrost(1874-1963)E.E.Cummings(1894-1963)HistoricalBackground:WWIwasthebiggesteventofthetime.Peoplewentintoitwithextremeenthusiasm,inspiredbytheidealofmakingtheworldsafefordemocracy.Therewasatremendousdisillusionmentbecausenothinghadchanged.Therewasapopularcontemptforthelaw.AlossoffaithbeganwithDarwin’stheoriesofevolution.Imagism:itssourcesGreekmythsProvencalpoetryJapanesepoetryChinesepoetry,especiallytheideographicandpictographicnatureofChineselanguageImagism:itsrepresentativesT.E.Hulme:AutumnF.S.Flint:TheSwanRichardAldingtonHildaDoolittle:OreadAmyLowell:WindandSilverWilliamCarlosWilliams:TheRedWheelbarrowEzraPound:InaStationoftheMetroPound'sDefinition(1913)1.Directtreatmentofthe'thing'whethersubjectiveorobjective2.Touseabsolutelynowordthatdidnotcontributetothepresentation3.Asregardingrhythm:tocomposeinsequenceofthemusicalphrase,notinsequenceofametronome(1915)1.Tousethelanguageofcommonspeech,butalwaystheexactword-notthealmostexactone2.Tocreatenewrhythms.Freeversewasencouragedbutnotrequired.3.Absolutefreedominthechoiceofsubject一.EzraPound(1885-1972)EzraPound(1885—1972)Cantos(1948),atotalof117poemsCathay（anarchaicorliterarynameforChina）,acollectionofChinesetranslations,basedonthemanuscriptsofErnestFennellosaPoundwasthefatherofmodernpoetry.1.HisLife:1)BorninIdahoin1885andraisedinPennsylvania,EzraPoundspentmostofhislifeinEuropeandbecameoneofthe20thcentury'smostinfluential--andcontroversial–poetsintheEnglishlanguage.2）Poundwasundoubtedlyagenius.Beforehegraduatedfromuniversity,hehadmastered9languagesaswellasEnglishgrammarandliterature.AftercollegeinPennsylvaniaandabriefstintasateacher,in1908PoundtravelledtoVeniceandthentoLondon,whereherefinedhisaestheticsensibilitiesandeditedtheanthologyDesImagistes(1914).3）PoundchampionedthelikesofT.S.Eliot,WilliamCarlosWilliamsandJamesJoyceand,influencedbyChineseandJapanesepoetry,advocatedfreemeterandamoreeconomicaluseofwordsandimagesinpoeticexpression,leadingtheImagistMovementofpoetry.4)HemovedtoParisin1920andgotacquaintedwithGertrudeSteinandhercircleoffriends(whichincludedErnestHemingwayandPabloPicasso),thensettledinItalyin1924.5)EnamoredwithBenitoMussolini,Poundmadeanti-AmericanradiobroadcastsduringWorldWarII.Hewasarrestedasatraitorin1945andinitiallyconfinedinPisa.HewasthensenttotheU.S.,wherehewasdeemedmentallyunfittostandtrialfortreason.6）Poundwasconfinedfor12yearsinahospital(actuallyprison)forthecriminallyinsaneinWashington.DuringthistimehetranslatedworksofancientGreekandancientChineseliterature.Whileinprison,hewasawardedaprestigiouspoetryprizein1949forhislastCantos.4)In1958hereturnedtoItaly,wherehecontinuedtowriteandmaketranslationsuntilhediedin1972.艾茲拉·庞德（1885-1972）,意象派运动主要发起人。第一次世界大战后，迁居巴黎。二次大战期间他公开支持法西斯主义，战争结束后，他被美军逮捕，押回本土等候受审。后因医生证明他精神失常，再加上海明威和弗罗斯特等名人的奔走说项，他只被关入一家精神病院。1958年，庞德结束了12年的精神病院监禁，重返意大利居住，直至去世。Pound'spoetryisbestknownforitsclear,visualimages,freshrhythms,andmuscular,intelligent,unusuallines2.Hisworks:主要作品有《面具》（1909）、《反击》（1912）、《献祭》（1916）、《休·西尔文·毛伯莱》（1920）和《诗章》（1917-1959）等。1，Poundwrote70booksandover1500articlesinhislife.2，HismajorworkofpoetryisTheCantos,alongpoemwhichhewroteinsectionsbetween1915and1945.3.Hismasterpiece:TheCantos1)Inthispoem,hetracestheriseandfallofeasternandwesternempires,thedestructioncausedbygreedandmaterialism.2)HedeploresthecorruptionofAmericaaftertheheroictimeofJefferson,3)Thelastpart,producedfromhisownsuffering,isthemostmoving.4.Hispoeticfeatures:EzraPoundisoftenconsideredasthepoetwhoismostresponsiblefordefiningandpromotingamodernistaestheticinpoetry.HiscriticaltheorieshavegreatinfluenceonmanyimportantAmericanandBritishpoets.Throughoutthe1920s,hewasmuchinvolvedinmostofthemajorartisticmovements.HewastheleaderoftheImagistschoolinpoetry.Hebelievedthatgoodpoetrywasbasedonimagesratherthanideas.Asanimagisthimself,headvocatedandfollowedtheimagistcredo,writingsuccinctverseofdryclarityandhardoutlineinwhichanexactvisualimagemadeatotalpoetic