美国文学名词解释

AmericanDream美国梦1.TheAmericanDreamisthefaithheldbymanyintheUnitedStatedofAmericathatthroughhardwork,courage,anddeterminationonecanachieveabetterlifeforoneself,usuallythroughfinancialprosperity.2.ThesewerevaluesheldbymanyearlyEuropeansettlers,andhavebeenpassedontosubsequentgenerations.3.NowadaystheAmericanDreamhasledtoanemphasisonmaterialwealthasameasureofsuccessand/orhappiness.Gothictradition哥特传统1.GothicnovelorGothicromanceisastoryofterrorandsuspense,usuallysetinagloomyoldcastleormonastery.2.Inanextendedsense,manynovelsthatdonothaveamedievalizedsetting,butwhichshareacomparablysinister,grotesqueorclaustrophobicatmospherehavebeenclassedasGothic.3.ItcontributedtothenewemotionalclimateofRomanticism.Historicalnovel历史小说1.Anovelinwhichtheactiontakesplaceduringaspecifichistoricalperiodwellbeforethetimeofwriting(oftenoneortwogenerationsbefore,sometimesseveralcenturies),andinwhichsomeattemptismadetodepictaccuratelythecustomsandmentalityoftheperiod.2.Thecentralcharacter-realorimagined-isusuallysubjecttodividedloyaltieswithinalargerhistoricconflictofwhichreadersknowtheoutcome.3.ThepioneersofthisgenrewereWalterScottandJamesFenimoreCooper.AmericanRenaissance美国文艺复兴1.AmericanrenaissancethenamesometimesisgiventoaflourishingofdistinctivelyAmericanliteratureintheperiodofbeforetheCivilWar.2.ThisrenaissanceisrepresentedbytheworkofRalphWaldoEmerson,H.D.Thoreau,NathanielHawthorne,HermanMelville,andWaltWhitman.3.ItsmajorworksareHawthorne’sTheScarletLetter(1850),Melville’sMoby-Dick(1851),andWhitman’sLeavesofGrass(1855).4.TheAmericanRenaissancemayberegardedasadelayedmanifestationofRomanticism,especiallyinEmerson’sphilosophyofTranscendentalism.LocalColorism地方特色主义1.LocalColorismisatypeofwritingthatwaspopularinthelate19thcentury,particularlyamongauthorsintheSouthoftheU.S..2.Thisstylereliedheavilyonusingwords,phrases,andslangthatwerenativetotheparticularregioninwhichthestorytookplace.3.Thetermhascometomeananydevicewhichimpliesaspecificfocus,whetheritbegeographicalortemporal.4.Awell-knownlocalcolorismauthorwasMarkTwainwithhisbooksTomSawyerandTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.Naturalism自然主义1.Naturalismisaliterarymovementrelatedtoandsometimesdescribedasanextremeformofrealismbutwhichmaybemoreappropriatelyconsideredasaparalleltophilosophicnaturalism.2.Asamoredeliberatekindofrealismnaturalism,usuallyinvolvesaviewofhumanbeingsaspassivevictimsofnaturalforcesandsocialenvironment.Innaturalismamoredocumentary-likeapproachisinevidence,withagreatstressonhowenvironmentandheredityshapepeople.3.Asaliterarymovement,naturalismwasinitiatedinFrance.4.Naturistfictionaspiredtoasociologicalobjectivity,offeringdetailedandfullyresearchedinvestigationsintounexploredconcernsofmodernsociety.5.NaturalismisprincipallyassociatedwiththeFrenchnovelistEmileZola,butiscarriedoninAmericanfictionbywriterssuchasTheodoreDreiserandStephenCrane.JazzAge爵士乐时代1.TheJazzAgedescribestheperiodofthe1920sand1930s,theyearsbetweenWorldWarIandWorldWarII,particularlyinNorthAmerica;withtheriseoftheGreatDepression,thevaluesofthisagesawmuchdecline.2.PerhapsthemostrepresentativeliteraryworkoftheageisAmericanwriterF.ScottFitzgerald’sTheGreatGatsby,highlightingwhatsomedescribeasthedecadenceandhedonism,aswellasthegrowthofindividualism.3.Fitzgeraldislargelycreditedwithcoiningtheterm“TheJazzAge”.DramaticMonologue戏剧性独白1.Dramaticmonologueisakindofpoeminwhichasinglefictionalorhistoricalcharacterotherthanthepoetspeakstoasilent“audience”ofoneormorepersons.2.Suchpoemsrevealnotthepoet’sownthoughtsbutthemindoftheimpersonatedcharacter.3.Thepoetcreatesacharacterwhodoesthetalkingandwho,throughspeech,revealssomethingabouthisorherlifeandfeelings.4.Eliot’sLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrockisadramaticmonologue.PrufrockisacharactercreatedbyEliot,andhespeaksdirectlytous.Hetellsushisthoughtsinleapsandbounds,jumpingfromoneimagetoanother,justasahumanminddoes.Aswelistentohismonologueandmaketheconnectionsthatarenotspelledout,wecometounderstandtheessenceoftheman,theprivateselfthatPrufrockhidesfromacquaintances.LostGeneration迷惘的一代1.ThetermLostGenerationwascoinedbyGertrudeSteintorefertoagroupofAmericanliterarynotableswholivedinParisfromthetimeperiodwhichsawtheendofWorldWarItothebeginningoftheGreatDepression.2.SignificantmembersincludedErnestHemingway,F.ScottFitzgerald,EzraPound,SherwoodAnderson,T.S.Eliot,andGertrudeSteinherself.3.Hemingwaylikelypopularizedtheterm,quotingStein(“Youareallalostgeneration”)asepigraphtohisnovel,TheSunAlsoRises.4.Moregenerally,thetermisbeingusedfortheyoungadultsofEuropeandAmericaduringWorldWarI.Theywere“lost”becauseafterthewarmanyofthemweredisillusionedwiththeworldingeneralandunwillingtomoveintoasettledlife.PsychologicalRealism心理现实主义1Itistherealisticwritingthatprobesintocomplexitiesofcharacters’thoughtsandmotivation.2HeryJames’novelTheAmbassadorsisconsideredtobeamasterpieceofpsychologicalrealism.3AndHeryJamesisconsideredthefounderofpsychologicalrealism.Hebelievedthatrealityliesintheimpressionsmadebylifeonthespectator,andnotinanyfactsofwhichthespectatorisunaware.4Suchrealismisthereforemerelytheobligationthat