美国文学名词解释整理版

ColonialPeriod:1.AmericanPuritanism（p16）ItisthepracticesandbeliefsofthePuritans.,whowerethefirstimmigrantsmovedtoAmericancontinentinthe17thcentury.Theywereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.Theywantedtopuritytheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices.TheyacceptedthedoctrineofpredestinationoriginalsinandtotaldepravityandlimitedatonementthroughaspecialinfusionofgracefromGod.Asacultureheritage,PuritanismdidhaveaprofoundinfluenceontheearlyAmericanmind.RomanticismPeriod:2.Romanticism(p32)theliteraturetermwasfirstappliedtothewritersofthe18thcenturyinEuropewhobrokeawayfromtheformalrulesofclassicalwriting.WhenitwasusedinAmericanliteratureitreferredtothewritersofthemiddleofthe19thcenturywhostimulated（刺激）thesentimentalemotionsoftheirreaders.Theywroteofthemysteriousoflife,love,birthanddeath.TheRomanticwritersexpressedthemselvesfreelyandwithoutrestraint.Theywroteallkindsofmaterials,poetry,essays,plays,fictions,history,worksoftravel,andbiography.3.AmericanRomantism(P34)①itisoneofthemostimportantperiodsinthehistoryofAmericanliteraturethatstretchesfromthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakofthecivilwar.ItstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving’sTheSketchBookandendedwithWaltWhitman’sLeavesofGrass.②beingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalled“theAmericanRenaissance”.③Americanromanticworksemphasizetheimaginativeandemotionalqualitiesofnatureliterature.Thestrongtendencytoeulogizetheindividualandcommonmanwastypicalofthisperiod.Mostimportantly,thewritingsofAmericanRomanticismaretypicallyAmerican.WorksconcentrateonuniquecharacteristicsoftheAmericanland.⑤RomanticistsincludesuchliteraryfiguresasWashingtonIrving,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,WilliamCullenBryant,HenryWordsworthLongfellow,NathanielHawthorne,EdgarAllanPoe,HermanMelville,WaltWhitmanandsomeothers.4.Gothictradition(哥特传统)GothicnovelorGothicromanceisastoryofterrorandsuspense,usuallysetinagloomyoldcastleormonasteryverypopularlateinthe18thcenturyandatthebeginningofthe19thcentury.Inanextendedsense,manynovelsdonothaveamedievalzedsetting,butshareacomparablysinister,grotesque,orclaustrophobicatmospherehavebeenclassedasGothic.ItcontributedtothenewemotionalclimateofRomanticism.5.Transcendentalism(先验说,超越论)(p47)ItisaphilosophicandliterarymovementthatflourishedinNewEngland,particularatConcord,asareactionagainstRationalismandCalvinism(理性主义and喀尔文主义).MainlyitstressedintuitiveunderstandingofGod,withoutthehelpofthechurch,andadvocatedindependenceofthemind,stresstheimportanceoftheOver-soul,theIndividualandNature.TherepresentativewritersareEmersonandThoreau.6.Streamofconsciousness（意识流）：Itisoneofthemodernliterarytechniques.Itisthestyleofwritingthatattemptstoimitatethenaturalflowofacharacter’sthoughts,feelings,reflections,memories,andmentalimagesasthecharacterexperiencesthem.Itwasfirstusedin1922bytheIrishnovelistJamesJoyce.Thosenovelsbrokethroughtheboundsoftimeandspace,anddepictedvividlyandskillfullytheunconsciousactivityofthemindfastchangingandflowingincessantly。HenryJamesisgenerallyregardedastheforerunnerofthe20thcenturyStreamofConsciousnessnovels.7.AmericanRenaissance:AmericanRenaissancesometimesisgiventoaflourishingofdistinctivelyAmericanliteratureintheperiodbeforetheCivilWar.ThisrenaissanceisrepresentedbytheworkofRalphWaldoEmerson,H.D.Thoreau,NathanielHawthorne,HermanMelville,andWaltWhitman.ItsmajorworksareHawthorne’sTheScarletLetter(《红字》),Melville’sMobyDick(《白鲸》),andWhitman’sLeavesofGrass(《草叶集》).TheAmericanRenaissancemayberegardedasadelayedmanifestationofRomanticism,especiallyinEuropean’sphilosophyofTranscendentalism.8.AmericanEnlightenment美国启蒙运动：Enlightenmentisaphilosophicalmovementofthe18thcenturythatemphasizedtheuseofreasontoscrutinizepreviouslyaccepteddoctrinesandtraditionsandthatbroughtaboutmanyhumanitarianreforms.TheAmericanEnlightenmentisatermsometimesemployedtodescribetheintellectualcultureoftheBritishNorthAmericancoloniesandtheearlyUnitedStates.Itiscommonlydatedfrom1750-1820.AmongtheleadingintellectualfiguresofthisperiodareThomasJeffersonandJamesMadison.9.FreeVerse自由体诗歌:Freeverseisaformofpoetrythatdoesnotuseconsistentmeterpatterns,rhyme,oranyothermusicalpattern.Itthustendstofollowtherhythmofnaturalspeech.FreeversewasoriginatedbyagroupofFrenchpoetsofthelate19thcentury.Theirpurposewastofreethemselvesfromtherestrictionsofformalmetricalpatternsandtorecreateinsteadthefreerhymesofnatureperiod.WaltWhitman‘sleavesofgrassisperhapsthemostnotableexample.RealismPeriod:10.TheGildedAge:itwascoinedbyMarkTwainandCharlesDudleyWarnerintheir1873book.TheGildedAge:ATaleofToday.InAmericanhistory,theGildedAgereferstosubstantialgrowthinpopulationintheUnitedStatesandextravagantdisplaysofwealthandexcessofAmerica’supper-classduringthepost-CivilWarandpost-Reconstructionera,inthelate19thcentury.11.PsychologicalRealism心里现实主义:PsychologicalRealismisagenrewhichplacesmorethantheusualamountofemphasisoninteriorcharacterization,andonthemotives,circumstancesandinternalactionwhichspringsfromanddevelopsexternalaction.Thepsychologicalrealismisnotcontenttostatewhathapp