introduction to American lit..ppt,1

AmericanLiteratureSpring2010PeizhiYaoAmericanLiteraturemainlyreferstoliteratureproducedinAmericanEnglishbypeoplelivingintheU.S..ItalsoincludesliteratureproducedinothercountriesbyAmericanexpatriatesandinotherlanguagesbyminoritiesinthecountrysuchasAmericanIndianliteratureandtheJewishliteratureintheYiddishlanguage.HowtodefineAmericanLiterature.AbranchofEnglishliterature.TypicalAmericanauthors.Literarytext.CultureSometendenciesinthestudyofAmericanLiteratureWhatdowedointhiscourse?ThestudentwillreadandanalyzerelationshipsamongAmericanliterature,history,andculture.WhatYouNeedtoKnowBeforeBeginningauthor'sNAME(e.g.,Irving,Washington)author'sDATES(e.g.,1783-1859)author'sNATIONALITY(e.g.,American)typeofwork(e.g.,Shortstories,Travelliterature,Humorousworks,Biographies,Historicalworks,Folklore,Journalism,Letters,Essays)DescribecontributionsofdifferentculturestothedevelopmentofAmericanliteratureNativeAmericansSpanishEnglish/Irish/ScottishFrenchAfricanJewishDifferentiateamongarchetypalcharactersinAmericanliteratureTheFrontiersmanTheNativeSidekickTheTravelerTheHeroTheScapegoatTheImmigrantThePowerlessDescribethemajorthemesinAmericanLiteratureTheWildernessTheCityvs.TheCountryTheRepublicTheDream/UtopiaThePilgrimageTheWesternMovementDescribehowtheuseofcontextandlanguageconveysanauthor’spointofviewHistorical/CulturalContext:Whatelsewashappeningthenthatwouldaffecttheauthor’sinterestsandbeliefs?Tone:Whatistheauthor’sattitude?Howcanwetell?Diction:Howdoestheauthor’schoiceofwordscontrolandaffectthepiece?HowtodiscoverHISTORICALandCULTURALCONTEXTHISTORYwars/conflicts?Whateffectdidtheyhave?ChangesinPoliticalsystem?Advancesinscienceortechnology?CULTUREChangeinmoral/religiousbeliefs?Changesinrelationshipswithinsociety?Changesinformsorsubjectsofart,music,orlit.?TheOutlineofAmericanLiteratureIColonialPeriod(1607—1765)IIRevolutionaryPeriod(1765—1800)IIITheAgeofRomanticism(1800—1865)IVTheAgeofRealism(1865—1918)VAmericanModernism(1918—1945)VIContemporaryLiterature(1945--)ReferenceBooksAgeneralencyclopedia,likeWorldBook,willprobablyhaveanarticleaboutyourauthor.Toming,AHistoryofAmericanLiterature.Beijing:YilinPress,2002.DingboWu,AnOutlineofAmericanLiterature.Shanghai:ShanghaiEducationPublishingHouse,1998.AmericanLiteratureEarlyAmericanLiterature:ColonialPeriodTheLiteratureoftheNewWorld.DiscoverersofAmericaChristopherColumbus(1451-1506)onAugust3,1492---setsailfromSpainonOctober12,1492---reachedalandhethoughttobethepassagetotheOrientorthelanddescribedbyMarcoPolo.AmerigoVespucci(1451-1497)NorthandSouthAmericawasnamedafterhim.anItalianmerchant,explorerandcartographerIntohisforties,around1495,hebecamethedirectorofashipcompanythatsuppliedshipsforlongvoyages.1501---hesailedtoBraizil,arrivingatanewlandhethoughttobeacontinent1503---MundusNovus(TheNewWorld)wasinprintMartinWaldseemuller1507---AGermangeographer,waspreparinganeweditionoftheworld’smap.HemarkedthenewterritoryasAmerica,thefourthpartoftheworld,followingEurope,AfricaandAsia,namingafteritsexplorer.Significanceofthetwodiscoverers.diverseinculturalandhistoricalsituationsCulturalpluralismisdeeprootedintheoriginsofAmerica.discoveryorexplorationhasbecomepartofAmericanspirit.NativeAmericanOralTraditionNativeAmericansrefertothepeopleswhowereinNorthAmericabeforeEuropeansettlement,orAmericanIndianswecallthemtoday.NativeAmericans(beforethecontactwithEuropeans)weremorethantenmillion,spokemorethan350languagesandhadavarietyofcultures.Theyalsodevelopedgenresystemssuchasspeech,chantandsongs.NativeAmericanOralTraditionOriginStorieswhichdramatizetribalinterpretationsofhowtheearthoriginatedandhowpeopleestablishedrelationshipswithcosmosandwithplantsandanimals..Earth-DiverStory.EmergencyStory.ThoughtWomanStoryNativeAmericanOralTraditionTricksterTalesarehumorousstoriesfeaturingtrickstercharacters(peopleintheformofanimals)HistoricalNarrativesconcernedwithtribalrecordsofhistoricaleventsorlegendaryfigures.ColonialPeriod(1607-1775)ChapterOnePuritanismAreligiousmovementinthelate16thcenturyItsentanoffshootinthethirdandfourthdecadesofthe17thcenturytothenorthernEnglishcoloniesintheNewWorldItlaidthefoundationforthereligious,intellectualandsocialorderoftheNewWorldAmericanPuritanism（清教主义）⑴Puritans=Calvinistsa:JohnCalvin,atheologian,Puritansbelievedmostdoctrinespreachedbyhim,sotheywerealsocalledCalvinistsb:Puritanswantedto“purifythechurch”toitsoriginalstate,becausetheythoughtthechurchwascorruptedandhadtoomanyritualsc:TobeaPuritan:takingreligionasthemostimportantthing;livingforglorifyingGodPuritanisminAmericaDoctrines:-Predestination(Goddecreedwhowasdamnedandwhowassavedbeforethebeginningoftheworld-Originalsinandtotaldepravity(humanbeingsarebasicallyevil.)-Limitedatonement(ortheSalvationofaselectedfew)PuritanBeliefsTwoCovenants.ThefirstcovenantwasmadebetweenGodandAdam..ThesecondcovenantwasmadebetweenAbrahamandGod.Godpromisedtosavehischildrenunconditionally.Theexperienceofsavinggraceisanagonizingprocessofthesoul.Puritanvalues(creeds):Hardwork,thrift,piety,sobriety,simpletastes.Puritansaremorepr