American-Puritanism-美国文学史

AmericanPuritanism:PuritanismisthepracticesandbeliefsofthePuritans.ThePuritanswereoriginallymembersofadivisionoftheProtestantChurch.ThefirstsettlerswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthem.Theywereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.Astheworditselfhints,Puritanswantedtopuritytheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices.Theyacceptedthedoctrineofpredestination,originalsinandtotaldepravity,andlimitedatonementthroughaspecialinfusionofgraceformGod.Asacultureheritage,PuritanismdidhaveaprofoundinfluenceontheearlyAmericanmind.AmericanPuritanismalsohadaenduringinfluenceonAmericanliterature.6.AmericanRealism:InAmericanliterature,theCivilWarbroughttheRomanticPeriodtoanend.TheAgeofRealismcameintoexistence.Itcameasareactionagainstthelieofromanticismandsentimentalism.Realismturnedfromanemphasisonthestrangetowardafaithfulrenderingoftheordinary,asliceoflifeasitisreallylived.Itexpressestheconcernforcommonplaceandthelow,anditoffersanobjectiveratherthananidealisticviewofhumannatureandhumanexperience.8AmericanTranscendentalism:TranscendentaliststerrorasfromtheromanticliteratureofEurope.TheyspokeforculturalrejuvenationandagainstthematerialismofAmericagogopirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheUniverse.Theystressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.Tothem,theindividualwasthemostimportantelementofsociety.TheyofferedafreshperceptionofnatureassymbolicoftheSpiritorGod.Naturewas,tothem,alive,filledwithGod’soverwhelmingpresence.Transcendentalismisbasedonthebeliefthatthemostfundamentaltruthsaboutlifeanddeathcanbereachedonlybygoingbeyondtheworldofthesenses.Emerson’sNaturehasbeencalledthe“ManifestoofAmericanTranscendentalism”andhisTheAmericanScholarhasbeenrightlyregardedasAmerica’s“DeclarationofIntellectualIndependence”.Blackhumor,inliterature,drama,andfilm,grotesqueormorbidhumorusedtoexpresstheabsurdity,insensitivity,paradox,andcrueltyofthemodernworld.Ordinarycharactersorsituationsareusuallyexaggeratedfarbeyondthelimitsofnormalsatireorirony.Blackhumorusesdevicesoftenassociatedwithtragedyandissometimesequatedwithtragicfarce.Forexample,StanleyKubrick'sfilmDr.Strangelove;or,HowILearnedtoStopWorryingandLovetheBomb(1963)isaterrifyingcomictreatmentofthecircumstancessurroundingthedroppingofanatombomb,whileJulesFeiffer'scomedyLittleMurders(1965)isadelineationofthehorrorsofmodernurbanlife,focusingparticularlyonrandomassassinations.ThenovelsofsuchwritersasKurtVonnegut,ThomasPynchon,JohnBarth,JosephHeller,andPhilipRothcontainelementsofblackhumor.6.TheLostGeneration:It’susedtodescribethepeopleofthepostwaryears.ItdescribestheAmericanswhoremainedinParisasacolonyof“expatriates”orexiles.ItdescribesthewriterslikeHemingwaywholivedinsemipoverty.ItdescribestheAmericanswhoreturnedtotheirnativelandwithanintenseawarenessoflivinginanunfamiliarchangingworld.AfterWorldWarI,theyoungdisappointedAmericanwriters,suchasHemingway,Pound,CummingsFitzgerald,choseParisastheirplaceofexile.TheycamefromtheEastortheMiddleWestoftheU.S.A,andmostofthemhadbeenshockedorwoundedinthewar.AnAmericanwomanwriternamedGertrudeStein,whohadlivedinParissince1903,welcomedtheseyoungwriterstoherapartmentwhichwasalreadyfamousasaliterarysalon.Shecalledthem“thelostgeneration”,becausetheyhadcutthemselvesofffromtheirpastinAmericaninordertocreatenewtypesofwritingwhichhadneverbeentriedbefore.“TheLostGeneration”isalsopaintedinthewriters’writings.TheyoungEnglishandAmericanexpatriates,menandwomen,werecaughtinthewarandcutofffromtheoldvaluesandyetunabletocometotermswiththenewerawhencivilizationhadgonemad.Theywanderedpointlesslyandrestlessly,enjoyingthingslikefishing,swimming,bullfightandbeautiesofnature,buttheywereawareallthewhilethattheworldiscrazyandmeaninglessandfutile.Theirwholelifeisundercutanddefeated.CharacteristicsofRomanticism:a.Romanticismwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.(subjectivity)b.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.c.Theyemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup,againstauthority.d.Theaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andwantedtobefreetodevelopandexpresshisowninnerthoughts.e.Typicalliteraryformsofromanticismincludeballad,lyric,sentimentalcomedy,problemnovel,historicalnovel,gothicromance,metricalromance,sonnet.Representatives:•NewEnglandPoets:WilliamCullenBryant;HenryWadsworthLongfellow;•Writers:JamesFenimaoreCooper,WashingtonIrving“TheSketchBookofGeoffreyGrayon”9.Naturalism自然主义1.NaturalismisaliterarytrendprevailinginEurope,especiallyinFranceandGermany,inthesecondhalfofthe19thcentury.2.Naturalismtheory:literaturemustbe“truetolife”andexactlyreproducereallife,includingallitsdetailswithoutanyselection.3.Naturistwritersusu.writeaboutthelivesofthepoorandoppressed,orthe“slumlife贫民窟生活”,butbygivingallthedetailswithoutdiscrimination,theycanonlyrepresenttheexternalappearanceinsteadoftheinneressenceofreallife.4.Naturalism,inreality,wasadevelopmentofrealism.5.EmileZola(1840-1902),theFrenchnovelistandthemasterofmodernnaturalism.GeorgeGissing(1857-1903)-themostsignifica