美国文学名词解释.doc

美国文学整理之静候佳音TermsPart 1: Colonial and Revolutionary PeriodSeparatistsIn the colonial period, the Puritans who gone to extreme were known as “Separatists”. Unlike the majority of Puritans, they saw no hope of reforming the Church of England from within. They felt that the influence of politics and the court had led to corruptions within the church. They wished to break free from the Church of England. Among them was the Plymouth plantation group. They wished to follow Calvins model, and to set up “particular” churches.Puritans/pilgrimsIt refers to the people who believed in Puritanism. In England they wanted to “purify” the Church of England and was prosecuted.They accept the doctrine and practice of predestination, original sin and total depravity and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from god.Pilgrim Fathers They were the people, mostly Puritans, who arrived in New England in 1620 in May Flower.In a broad sense, they represented the ancestors of the American people. American Puritanism(美国清教主义)It arose in the early 17th century. Puritanism is the practices and beliefs of puritans. The American puritans, like their English brothers, are idealist. They accept the doctrine and practice of predestination, original sin and total depravity and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from god.But due to the grim struggle for living in the new continent, they become more and more practical. Besides, the American Puritanism as a cultural heritage exerted great influence over American moral values, and this Puritan influence over American Romanticism was conspicuously noticeable. Original sin(原罪)Original sin, in Christian theology, the sin of Adam: by which humankind fell from divine grace. It is the central religious belief of the Puritans that people are sinful ever since their birth. The purpose of baptism(洗礼) is to wash away original sin and to restore the individual to an innocent state, although even after baptism a tendency to sin remains as a result of original sin.Theocracy (神权政体)It is a state system in which the state and church are combined into one, with the idea that God would govern through the church. It was the major form of government in colonial American.Literary JournalsA journal is an individuals day-by-day account of events. It provides valuable details that can be supplied only by a participant or an eyewitness. As a record of personal relations, a journal reveals much about the writers.While offering insights into the life of the writer, a journal is not necessarily a reliable record of facts. The writers impression may color the telling of events, particularly when he or she is a participant. Journals written for publication rather than private use are even less likely to be objective. The European encounters with and conquest of the Americas are recorded in the journals of the explorers.John Smith He was one of Englands most famous explorers by helping to lead the first successful English colony in American,Stories of his adventures, often embellished by his own pen, fascinated readers of his day and continue to provide details about early explorations of the Americans. The age of reason It refers to the literary period roughly from 1776 to 1823 in American literature.The Enlightenment is the dominant literary movement in this period.Reason is the key notion for writers of the Enlightenment like Franklin. Common SenseIt is a famous pamphlet by Thomas Paine, which appeared in 1776, and boldly advocates a “Declaration for Independence” and brings the separatist agitation to a crisis.American Enlightenment (美国启蒙运动)(The Enlightenment is a literary movement in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.)The American Enlightenment is the intellectual thriving period in America in the mid-to-late 18th century, especially as it relates to American Revolution on the one hand and the European Enlightenment on the other. Influenced by the scientific revolution of the 17th century and the humanist period during the Renaissance, the Enlightenment took scientific reasoning and applied it to human nature, society, and religion. Politically, the age is distinguished by an emphasis upon liberty, democracy, republicanism and religious tolerance culminating in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.The most important leaders of the American Enlightenment include Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Autobiography（自传）An autobiography is a persons account of his or her life.Generally written in the first person , with the author speaking as “I”. It presents life events as the writers views them, and offers insights into the beliefs and perceptions of the author. Benjamin Franklins Autobiography set the standard for what was then a new genre.Nonfiction It refers to any prose narrative that tells about things as they actually happen or that presents factual information about something. The purpose of this kind of writing is to give a presumably accurate accounting of a persons life. Autobiography, biology and essay are among the major forms of nonfiction. Almanac(历书)An almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers planting dates, tide tables, and tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc.Benjamin Franklins Poor Richards Almanac is a case in point. Poor Richards AlmanacIt is an important and interesting literary work by Franklin, an annual collection of proverbs. Franklins pragmatism and sense of humor are fully demonstrated in this work. Persuasion Persuasion is a writing meant to convince readers to think or act in a certain way. A persuasive writer appeals to emotions or reason, offers opinions, and urges actions. .Part 2: Literature of RomanticismNew England Renaissance During Romantic period in American literature, the major writers like Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville and most of the “fireside school” were from New England.Besides, New England has become the center of literary creation, with Transcendentalism as the most influential literary trend. Thus critics call this period of literary flourishment in New England the New England Renaissance. American Romanticism(美国浪漫主义)Romanticism refers to an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individuals expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions. The romantic period in American literature stretches from the end of the 18th century through the outbreak of the Civil war. Irving, Whitman and Thoreau are the representatives.New England poets (新英格兰诗人)The New England poets were representatives of imitation. They tried to imitate the forms and themes of there English brothers, such as Robert Burns and William Wordsworth. Washington Irving and William Cullen Bryant are some of its representatives. KnickerbockerIt is a fictitious person Washington Irving created, he was supposed to be the author of A History of New York, by Diedrich knickerbocker, a rollicking burlesque of a current serious history of the early Dutch settlers which became a classic of humor. Leatherstocking Tales皮裹腿故事集It is a serial consisting of five related novels by James Fenimore CooperThe Pioneers, The Last of Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, The Deerslayer.The protagonist of the novel, Natty Bumppo, is a frontier hero, a prototype for the Western cowboy.With the memorable main characters and a vast group of supporting characters, it becomes the greatest American novels about its past. Natty BumppoNatty Bumppo is the protagonist of the Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper, who goes by various names of Leatherstocking, Deerslayer, Pathfinder and Hawkeye. He is a frontier hero, a prototype for the Western cowboy.American Transcendentalism(美国超验主义)Transcendentalism is the summit of the Romantic Movement in the history of American literature in the 19th century, which flourished from about 1835 to 1860. Transcendentalists place emphasis on the importance of the Oversoul, the individual and nature. Specifically, they stressed intuitive understanding of God, without the help of the church, and advocated independence of the mind. The most important representatives are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher and poet, best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid 19th century. He expressed the philosophy of Transcendentalism in his 1836 essay, Nature. Besides, his The American Scholar was considered to be Americans “Intellectual Declaration of Independence”.Oversoul It is an all-pervading power for goodness from which all things come of which all things are a part. It is a key doctrine for Transcendentalists.Self-reliance Self-reliance is an essay written by American Transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson.It contains the most solid statement of one of his repeating themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas.These ideas are considered a reaction to a commercial identify. Emerson calls for a return to individual identity.Individualism(个人主义)Individualism is a moral, political, and social philosophy, which emphasizes individual liberty, the primary importance of the individual, and the “virtues of self-reliance”. It is thus directly opposed to collectivism, social psychology and sociology, which consider the individuals rapport to the society or community. It is often confused with “egoism”, but an individualist need not be an egoist.Walden It is one of the American classics written by Henry David Thoreau.It records his experiment in living at Walden pond, his sympathetic understanding of nature, his meditation on the meanings of life and his social criticism.Compared with Emersons Nature, it is more radical and social-minded. Calvinism (加尔文主义)Calvinism refers to the religious teachings of John Calvin and his followers. Calvin taught that only certain persons, the elect, were chosen by God to be saved, and these could be get only by Gods grace. It marked the work of Hawthorne and Melville.The Brook Farm It is one of the famous New England experiments in communal living, where some of the regions most remarkable people gathered. Hawthorne once lived there for a few months; the experience was reflected in his Blithedale Romance. Ambiguity Ambiguity means two or more simultaneous interpretation of a word, phrase, action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a work.Deliberate ambiguity can contribute to the effectiveness and richness of a work, for example, the open-ended conclusion of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown.However, unintentional ambiguity obscures meaning and can confuse readers. Symbolism Symbolism is a literary device with which the author deliberately makes concrete objects (the symbols) evolve into some abstractions, usually moralistic or philosophical.Hawthorne and Melville used this device frequently in their works. Pearl She is a character in The Scarlet Letter.She was the innocent daughter of Hester and the minister.She is more of a symbol than a character. To Hester, she was the fruit of human love and physical passion; to Dimmesdale, she was a reminder of his sin; to Chillingworth she was an unforgettable shame and the motivation to take his revenge. Allegorical novel/story It refers to a novel or story with an allegorical feature, that is, charactering name, an actual or symbolic journey and usually a “good vs. evil” theme.Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown and Melvilles Moby Dick are typical allegorical novels. Ishmael He is the narrator of the Moby Dick.He is a cool observer and judge of the whole incident.His thoughtful mind added a strong philosophical notion to the novel and his good knowledge in whaling made the novel an interesting book on whaling. Free verse (自由体诗歌)Free verse is a general term referring to the modern form of verse with no fixed foot, rhythm or rime schemes. It was first written and labeled by a group of French poets of the late 19th century. Free verse has been characteristic of the work of many American poets, including Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound and Carl Sandburg.“The Song of Myself”It is the best known poem in Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.It is a celebration of the individual as well as the common people. Single effect Edgar Allan Poe suggested that any literary work should have a single effect, that is a single theme, tone and atmosphere. Fireside Poets/Schoolroom poets (炉边诗人)William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and James Russell Lowell constituted a group sometimes called the Fireside Poets. They earned this nickname because they frequently used the hearth as an image of comfort and unity, a place where families gathered to learn and tell stories. They wrote familiar poems for the common reader and interpreted the aspirations of the age to their countrymen and brought honor to the nation by achieving international fame. Thanatopsis(关于死亡的感想) “Thanatopsis” is William Cullen Bryants best-known poem in the form of blank verse with the theme of death. It follows the tradition of the English “graveyard school” and the central image is the “mighty sepulcher”, which will bring contentment to the dead.The title of the poem means “view of death”Part 3: American Realism and NaturalismAmerican Realism（美国现实主义）The period ranging from 1865 to 1914 has been preferred to as the age of Realism.It was a literary doctrine that called for “reality and truth” in the depiction of ordinary life. It is, in literature, an approach that attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity. Three dominant figures are William Dean Howells, Mark Twain and Henry James.Darwinism(达尔文主义)It is a term that comes from Charles Darwins evolutionary theory. Darwinists think that those who survive in the world are the fittest and those who fail to adapt themselves to the environment will perish. Influenced by Darwinism, some American naturalist writers apply it as an explanation of human nature and social reality.Social Darwinism(社会达尔文主义)It was an application of Charles Darwins evolutionary theory to the field of social relation. Social Darwinist argued that social progress resulted from conflicts in which the fittest or best adapted individuals, or entire societies, would prevail.Psychological realism(心理现实主义)It is the realistic writing that probes deeply into the complexities of characters thoughts and motivation. Henry James novel The Ambassadors is considered to be a masterpiece of psychological realism.The international themeHenry James often wrote about the conflicts, both amusing and serious, between American and European manners and customs. This is widely known as the “international theme”. Local Colorism/ Regionalism (地方特色主义)Local Colorism is popular in the late 19th century, particularly among authors in the south of the U.S. This style relied heavily on using words, phrases, and slang that were native to the particular region in which the story took place. The term has come to mean any device which implies a specific focus, whether it is geographical or temporal. A well-know local colorism author was Mark Twain with his book The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.The Glided AgeIt refers to the period roughly from the Civil War to the beginning of the 20th century, an age of seeming wealth and prosperity.It comes from a novel, by Mark Twain and Warner, of the same title. Tall story/ Tall taleIt is a humorously exaggerated story of impossible feats. It flourished in the oral tradition of the American frontier in the 19th century.Mark Twain is famous for writing tall tale. American Naturalism(美国自然主义)Naturalism is a literary school that originated in France and came to American literature at the end of the 19th century. The naturalistic writers attempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness, presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were dominated by their environment and heredity. Besides, their works were usually in an ironic and pessimistic tone. Theodore Dreiser is a leading figure of this school with his masterpiece Sister Carrie.Determinism(宿命论)Determinism is the philosophical belief that events are shaped by forces beyond the control of human beings. Determinism, important to the literature at the end of the 19th century, assigns control especially to heredity and environment, without seeking their origins further than science can trace.Determinism usually leads to the tragic fate of the characters in novel.Caroline Meeber She is the heroine in Theodore Dreisers Sister Carrie. She is a pretty, small-town girl who drifts to Chicago with vague ambition in pursuit of a job and fortune. As a result, she is used by men and uses them in turn to become a successful actress.She is a case in point that shows Dreisers naturalistic ideas about human conditions. Trilogy of Desire It refers to Theodore Dreisers three novels: The Financer, The Titan and The Stoic. The trilogy is based on the life of Charles T. Yerkes, an American transportation magnate.In this trilogy Dreisers focus shifted from the pathos of the helpless protagonists