美国文学教案(复习资料)

ColonialPeriodI.HistoricalBackground:ThefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinNorthAmericawasestablishedatJamestown,Virginiain1607.Thefirstsettlersadvocatedhighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheycarriedwiththemtoAmericaacodeofvaluesandaphilosophyoflife-----Puritanism.II.Thought,Culture:AmericanPuritanismwasoneofthemostenduringinfluencesonAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.Tosomeextent,ithasbecomeastateofmind.PuritanismisthereligiousbeliefsofPuritans.Theyintendedto¡°purify¡±theChurchofEngland,sotheycametoAmericaforthesakeofreligiousfreedom,andtheywishedtoescapereligiouspersecution.Theirwayoflifewasbasedonthedoctrines.PuritanvaluesdominatedliteratureincolonialAmerica,andgreatlyinfluencedthewholeAmericanliterature.III.Literature:Americanliteraturegrewoutofhumbleorigins.Theymostlyhadcloserelationshipwithreligion.ThereweresuchnotedPuritanwhowassaidthefirstAmericanwriter,becausehefirstdescribedNewEnglandasapromisingvirginland.HiswritingsaboutNorthAmericabecamethesourceofinformation,whicharousedtheattentionofmanypeopleinEnglandandEurope,anddrewthemovertothisNewWorld.AnneBradstreet.TheTenthMuseLatelySprungUpinAmericaEdwardTaylor.ThesetwofigureswerethefaithfuldiscipleoftheGod.RevolutionaryPeriodI.HistoricalBackground:Fromthemiddleofthe18thcenturytothebeginningofthe19thcentury,NorthAmericahadexperiencedgreatturbulenceandsocialchange.Themixtureandalternationbetweentheoldandnew,wasthecharacteristicofthisperiod.TheideasoftheEnlightenmentdealtaheavyblowtoPuritanism.II.LiteraryFigures:1.BenjaminFranklin.Hisideaswereexpressedthroughhistwofamousliteraryworks,PoorRichard¡¯sAlmanacandAutobiography.(1)PoorRichard¡¯sAlmanac----anannualcollectionofproverbs.(2)Autobiography----itisahow-to-do-goodbook,andsetsautobiographyasaliterarygenreinAmericanliterature.Style:2.ThomasPaine.amostimportantrevolutionaryactivistandpoliticalwriterduringthewarofIndependence.CommonSenseTheAmericanCrisisTheRightsofMan3.ThomasJefferson.themaindrafterof¡°TheDeclarationofIndependence.¡±thethirdpresidentoftheUnitedStates.P.374.PhilipFreneau.thefirstimportantAmericanpoet,called¡°FatherofAmericanpoetry.¡±atransitionalfigurefromtheEnlightenmenttotheRomanticperiod.Hispoemsarefeaturedwithlyricbeauty+heartfeltpathosP.45TheWildHoneySuckleP.46TheIndianBuryingGroundLecture2Teachingaim:tohaveanunderstandingofthehistoricalbackgroundofromanticperiodanditsinfluenceonliterature;tocomprehendtheessenceofromanticism.Teachingprocedure:1.Review;2.historicalbackground;3.stagesofthedevelopmentofliterature;4.majorwritersandtheirrepresentativeworks.RomanticismPeriodWearenowdealingwithoneofthemostimportantperiodsinthehistoryofAmericanliterature,theRomanticPeriod,whichstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturythroughtheoutbreakoftheCivilWar(1861).I.StimulatingFactors:ThisperiodsawarisingAmericawhichdeclareditspolitical,economicandculturalindependence.Suchasceneofprosperitycriedforliteraryexpression.TheotherincentivewastheinfluenceofEurope.II.Features:Althoughforeigninfluenceswerestrong,AmericanRomanticismpresenteddistinctfeaturesofitsown.1.commonfeatures£¬P552.¡°newness.¡±Itexpresses¡°arealnewexperience.¡±3.form,P.57.4.content,P.58.a.natureb.psychicstatesWashingtonIrving(1783-1859)¡°thefatherofAmericanliterature.¡±I.TheSketchBook:Itisthefirstcollectionofshortstories.ItalsomarkedthebeginningofAmericanRomanticism.IntheseriesoftalesinTheSketchBook,themostfamousandfrequentlyanthologizedareRipVanWinkleandTheLegendofSleepyHollow.RipVanWinkleTheLegendofSleepyHollowThepurposeofthisstoryisforfunandpleasure,withalightsatiricalnotiononpedantrismasrepresentedbytheprotagonist----Crane.II.Conclusion:Content:Irving¡¯sstoriescarryastrongromanticsensibility,withaspecialinterestinremoteness,theGothicandsupernaturalelements.Style:humorous,familiarandgraceful.JamesFenimoreCooper(1789-1851)?thefirstfrontiernovelist.thefirstwriterofseaadventures.CoopercreatedamythabouttheformativeperiodoftheAmericannation.TheworkthatestablishedhisfameinAmericanliteraturewasLeatherstockingTales.ItofferssomefictionalversionoftheAmericannationalexperienceofadventureintotheWest.TheimportanceofthefrontierandthewildernessinAmericanliteraturewasforthefirsttimewellillustratedinLeatherstockingTales.Americanromanticismculminatedaroundthe1840s,andithascometobeknownas¡°NewEnglandTranscendentalism¡±or¡°AmericanRenaissance¡±(1836--1855).TheleadingfigureinthisperiodwasRalphWaldoEmerson.RalphWaldoEmerson(1803--1882)I.Transcendentalism:Hisliterarywork¡°Nature¡±cameoutin1836.Thisbookwasamanifestoof¡°transcendentalism¡±,andmadeatremendousimpactontheintellectuallifeofAmerica.Itcomprisesthreemajorfeatures:¢ÙItputsemphasisonspirit,orthe¡°Oversoul¡±¢ÚItstressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.¢ÛTranscendentalistsconsiderthatNaturewasnotpurelymatter.II£®LiteraryWorks:Nature----¡°manifestoofNewEnglandTranscendentalism¡±TheAmericanScholar¡°OurintellectualDeclarationofIndependence.¡±TheDivinitySchoolAddressSelf-RelianceHenryDavidThoreau(1817-1862)Thoreauwasafaithfuldisciple,astrictfollowerofEmerson.WaldenrecordshisexperimentinlivingatWaldenPond,relateshisunde