美国文学名词解释

名词解析1AmericanRomanticism浪漫主义TheRomanticPeriodstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.ItisaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature.1.ItstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving'sTheSketchBook（1819）andendedwithWhitman'sLeavesofGrass（1855）;2.Itwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense;3.Thewritersemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup.Theyaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andcherishedstronginterestinthepast,thewild,theremote,themysteriousandthestrange.4.thewritersstressedtheelementof“Amerianness”intheirworks;5.BeingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalledtheAmericanRenaissance;2AmericanTranscendentalismAsaphilosophicalandliterarymovement,AmericanTranscendentalism(alsoknownas“AmericanRenaissance”)flourishedinNewEnglandfromthe1830stotheCivilWar.ItisthehightideofAmericanromanticismanditsdoctrinesfoundtheirgreatestliteraryadvocatesinEmersonandThoreau.TranscendentalistsspokefortheculturalrejuvenationandagainstthematerialismofAmericansociety.Transcendentalism超验主义(+H.D.Thoreau;NathanielHawthorne;)ThemajorfeaturesofTranscendentalism:①TheTranscendentalistsplacedemphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.思想超灵宇宙②TheTranscendentalistsstressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.Tothem,theindividualisthemostimportantelementofSociety.个体+社会③TheTranscendentalistsofferedafreshperceptionofnatureassymbolicoftheSpiritorGod.Naturewasnotpurelymatter.Itwasalive,filledwithGod’soverwhelmingpresence.自然+上帝3StreamofConsciousness意识流or“interiormonologue”,内心独白isoneofthemodernliterarytechniques.Itisthestyleofwritingthatattemptstoimitatethenaturalflowofacharacter’sthoughts,feelings,reflections,memories,andmentalimagesasthecharacterexperiencesthem.Itwasfirstusedin1922bytheIrishnovelistJamesJoyce.4RealismAsaliterarymovement,theAgeofRealismcameintoexistenceafterRomanticismwiththeCivilWarItwasareactionagainst“thelie”ofRomanticismandsentimentalism,andpavedthewaytoModernism.Thisliteraryinterestintheso-called“reality”oflifestartedanewperiodintheAmericanliterarywritingknownasTheAgeofRealism.PsychologicalRealismItistherealisticwritingthatprobesdeeplyintothecomplexitiesofcharacters’thoughtsandmotivations.AndHenryJamesisconsideredthefounderofpsychologicalrealism.Hebelievedthatrealityliesintheimpressionsmadebylifeonthespectator,andnotinanyfactsofwhichthespectatorisunaware.Suchrealismisthereforemerelytheobligationthattheartistassumestorepresentlifeasheseesit.ThethreedominantfiguresoftheperiodareWilliamDeanHowells豪威尔斯,MarkTwain,andHenryJames.MarkTwainandHowellsseemedtohavepaidmoreattentiontothe“life”oftheAmericans,andHenryJameshadapparentlylaidgreateremphasisonthe“innerworld”ofman.5PuritanismwasareligiousreformmovementthatarosewithintheChurchofEnglandinthelatesixteenthcentury.Undersiegefromchurchandcrown,itsentanoffshootinthethirdandfourthdecadesoftheseventeenthcenturytothenorthernEnglishcoloniesintheNewWorld--amigrationthatlaidthefoundationforthereligious,intellectual,andsocialorderofNewEngland.Puritanism,however,wasnotonlyahistoricallyspecificphenomenoncoincidentwiththefoundingofNewEngland;itwasalsoawayofbeingintheworld--astyleofresponsetolivedexperience--thathasreverberatedthroughAmericanlifeeversince.6AmericanNaturalismAsaliterarymovement,naturalismgrewoutofthe19thcenturyrealism,theevolutionarytheoryinhis“TheOriginofSpecies”----“thefittest,thesurvival”inbiologicalsphereThreemajorconceptsofliterarynaturalism:1)Humansarecontrolledbylawsofheredityandenvironment.2)Theuniverseiscold,godless,indifferentandhostiletohumandesires.3)Thenaturaliststhinkthatthetruerealityisnotfoundinthesmilingaspectsofmiddleclasslife,butinthedominantforcesofNatureinstoppinghumandesires,inkeepinghumansfromaccomplishingtheirdreams.Theyofferedvividpicturesofthelivesofthedown-troddenandtheabnormal7CodeHeroGeneralFeatures:1.Hehasgreatphysicalpotentialandcourage.2.The“codeheroes”havestrongwillpower.3.Thirdly,anotherimportantfeatureofthe“codeheroesistheirloyalty.4.Fourthly,thecodeheroes”maintaingreatdignityinallsituations.5.Fifthly,the“codeheroes”areendowedwithcertainspecializedskills,suchasfishing,bullfighting,andhunting,etc6,the“codeheroes”arealwaysputinsometouch-andgosituations,whattheheroesmustalwaysfaceuptoistheirownpersonalfearofdeathandthethreatofdestruction,anditisthisobstacle,death,thattheyhavetoovercome.8LocalcolorismInliterature,localcolorfictionreferstofictionorpoetrythatfocusesonspecificfeatures–includingcharacters,dialects,customs,history,andlandscape–ofaparticularregion.Localcolorismasatrendfirstmadeitspresencefeltinthelate1860sandearly1870s.Itdidnotceasetobeadominantfashionuntiltheturnofthe20thcentury.Itformedanimportantpartoftherealisticmovement.Localcolorismfoundsitsownpositioninnationalliteraturebyitsownlocalism;atthesametime,nationalliteratureimprovesitsownstatusbylocalcolorism.ItiswithlocalcolorismAmericanliteraturecomestomatureandcancompetewithEuropeanone，afterthat，AmericanLiteraturebecomes