美国文学作品作者介绍

1、american romanticism hawthorne, melville and poe nathaniel hawthorne (1804-1864) i. general introduction influences on hawthorne: 1. salem- early childhood, later work at the custom house. 2. puritan family background - one of his forefathers was judge hathorne, who presided over the salem witchcraf

2、t trials, 1692. 3. transcendental doctrines in hawthorne: self-reliance, compensation and circle. main worksmain works young goodman brown ,1835 twice-told tales, 1837 mosses from an old manse, 1846 the scarlet letter, 1850 the house of seven gables , 1851 the blithedale romance, 1852 the marble fau

3、n , 1860 ii. iii. the research of hawthorne and his works a. reasons for hawthornes current popularity a. one of the most modern of writers, hawthorne is relevant in theme and attitude. b. hawthorne rounds off the puritan cycle in american writing - belief in the existence of an active evil (the dev

4、il) and in a sense of determinism (the concept of predestination). c. hawthornes use of psychological analysis (pre-freudian) is of interest today. d. in themes and style, hawthornes writings look ahead to henry james, william faulkner, and robert penn warren. major themes in hawthornes fictions a.

5、alienation b. initiation c. problem of guilt d. pride e. puritan new england f. allegory g. other themes: individual vs. society; self-fulfillment vs. accommodation; hypocrisy vs. integrity; love vs. hate exploitation vs. hurting; fate vs. free will major themes in hawthornes fictions a. alienation：

6、a character is in a state of isolation because of self-cause, or societal cause, or a combination of both. b. initiation：involves the attempts of an alienated character to get rid of his isolated condition. c. problem of guilt：a characters sense of guilt forced by the puritanical heritage or by soci

7、ety; also guilt vs. innocence. e. pride: hawthorne treats pride as evil. he illustrates the following aspects of pride in various characters: physical pride (robin), spiritual pride (goodman brown, ethan brand), and intellectual pride (rappaccini). f. puritan new england: used as a background and se

8、tting in many tales. g. allegory: hawthornes writing is allegorical, didactic and moralistic. h. other themes: individual vs. society; self-fulfillment vs. accommodation; hypocrisy vs. integrity; love vs. hate exploitation vs. hurting; fate vs. free will who is the protagonist of the scarlet letter?

9、 when the young woman the mother of this child stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom ; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into he

10、r dress. in a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors. on the breast of

11、 her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter a. -from chapter ii the market-place iv. the scarlet letter (1850) a. plot overview b. analysis of major characters hester prynne hester is the books protagonist and the

12、 wearer of the scarlet letter that gives the book its title. the letter, a patch of fabric in the shape of an “a,” signifies that hester is an “adulterer.” daughter lover daughter husband by degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion. whether from commiserati

13、on for a woman of so miserable a destiny; or from the morbid curiosity that gives a fictitious value even to common or worthless things , or by whatever other intangible circumstance was then, as now sufficient to bestow, on some persons, what others might seek in vain; or because hester really fill

14、ed a gap which must otherwise have remained vacant ; it is certain that she had ready and fairly requited employment for as many hours as she saw fit to occupy with her needle. vanity, it may be, chose to mortify itself, by putting on, for ceremonials of pomp and state, the garments that had been wr

15、ought by her sinful hands. her needlework was seen on the ruff of the governor; military men wore it on their scarfs, and the minister on his band ; it decked the babys little cap ; it was shut up to be mildewed and moulder away, in the coffins of the dead. but it is not recorded that, in a single i

16、nstance, her skill was called in aid to embroider the white veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride. -from chapter v hester at the needle and, as hester prynne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexitie

17、s, and besought her counsel, as one who had herself gone through a mighty trouble. women, more especially, in the continually recurring trials of wounded, wasted, wronged, misplaced, or erring and sinful passion,or with the dreary burden of a heart unyielded, because unvalued and unsought, came to h

18、esters cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy! hester comforted and counseled them as best she might. she assured them, too, of her firm belief, that, at some brighter period, when the world should have grown ripe for it, in heavens own time, a new truth would be revealed,

19、 in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness. -from chapter xxiv conclusion but there was a more real life for hester prynne here, in new england, than in that unknown region where pearl had found a home. here had been her sin; here, her sorro

20、w; and here was yet to be her penitence. she had returned, therefore, and resumed,of her own free will, for not the sternest magistrate of that iron period would have imposed it,resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale. never afterwards did it quit her bosom. but . . . the scarlet

21、letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the worlds scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence, too. - from the final chapter dimmesdale dimmesdale is a young man who achieved fame in england as a theologian and then

22、 emigrated to america. he is an intelligent and emotional man, and his sermons are thus masterpieces of eloquence and persuasiveness. his commitments to his congregation（会众）（会众） are in constant conflict with his feelings of sinfulness and need to confess. roger chillingworth as his name suggests, ro

23、ger chillingworth is a man deficient in human warmth. his twisted, stooped, deformed shoulders mirror his distorted soul. pearl hesters illegitimate daughter pearl is a young girl with a moody, mischievous spirit and an ability to perceive things that others do not. a young clergyman, who had come f

24、rom one of the great english universities, bringing all the learning of the age into our wild forest-land. his eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession. he was a person of very striking aspect, with a white, lofty, and impending brow, large, bro

25、wn, melancholy eyes, and a mouth which, unless when he forcibly compressed it, was apt to be tremulous, expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint. notwithstanding his high native gifts and scholar-like attainments, there was an air about this young minister,an apprehensi

26、ve, a startled, a half- frightened look, as of a being who felt himself quite astray and at a loss in the pathway of human existence, and could only be at ease in some seclusion of his own. -from chapter iii the recognition people of new england !” cried he, with a voice that rose over them, high, s

27、olemn, and majestic, yet had always a tremor through it, and sometimes a shriek, struggling up out of a fathomless depth of remorse and woe,ye, that have loved me !ye, that have deemed me holy 1 behold me here, the one sinner of the world ! at last ! at last ! i stand upon the spot where, seven year

28、s since, i should have stood ; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength wherewith i have crept hitherward, sustains me, at this dreadful moment, from grovelling down upon my face ! lo, the scarlet letter which hester wears ! ye have all shuddered at it ! wherever her walk hath

29、 been, wherever, so miserably burdened, she may have hoped to find repose, it hath cast a lurid gleam of awe and horrible repugnance round about her. but there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered ! -from chapter xxiii the revelation of the scarlet le

30、tter “mother,” said pearl, “was that the same minister that kissed me by the brook?” “hold thy peace, dear little pearl!” whispered her mother. “we must not always talk in the market- place of what happens to us in the forest.” - from chapter xxii a. themes original sin to toil to procreate two “lab

31、ors” that seem to define the human condition knowledge of what it means to be human hester: boldness; contemplation dimmesdale: conscience; empathy an examination of the forces sin: adultery the puritans view sin as a threat to the community and an obstacle on the path to heaven. hester and dimmesda

32、les experience shows that a state of sinfulness can lead to personal growth, sympathy and understanding of others. sin vs. virtue the embodiment of evil the causes of evil both emotions depend on “a high degree of intimacy and heart- knowledge; each renders one individual dependentupon another.” hes

33、ters unwillingness to leave the town and to remove the scarlet letter her desire to determine her own identity running away or removing the letter: an acknowledge of societys power over her the scarlet letter: a symbol of her own experience and identity b. motifs the town: civilization the surroundi

34、ng forest: wilderness a rule-bound space a space of natural rather than human authority opposing behavioral systems night day concealment visibility the themes of inner vs. socially assigned identity and of outer appearance vs. internal states chillingworth: cold and inhuman prynne: the same ending

35、rhyme with “sin” dimmesdale: “dimness” (weakness, indeterminacy, lack of insight, and lack of will, all of which characterize the young minister) pearl: a biblical allegorical devicethe “pearl of great price” that is salvation. adultery: a symbol of shame able: a powerful symbol of identity angel, a

36、rising america: indeterminate a sort of living version of her mothers scarlet letter; the physical consequence of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression sin the vital spirit and passion that engendered that sin d. features setting themes technique puritan new england evil confesses publicly

37、 just before he dies) hesters unforgiving husband, chillingworth, continually seeks a means for vengeance agianst dimmesdale. the use of supernatural mixed with actualthe use of supernatural mixed with actual the response of pearl to the symbol of sin on her mothers breast is mysterious. the appeara

38、nce of the symbol “a” in the sky. his stories are parable-to teach a lesson the scarlet letter is not a praise of a hester prynne sinning, but a hymn on the moral growth of the woman when sinned against. use of ambiguity to keep the reader in the world of uncertainty- multiply point of view in the c

39、onclusion people offer different views concerning the sign of the letter ”a” on dead ministers chest. homeworkhomework hawthorne is at his best when dealing with sin, the supernatural, and new england past. how did hawthorne deal with these in the scarlet letter? the way in which hawthorne wrote the

40、 scarlet letter suggests that american romanticism adapted itself to american puritan moralism. how did hawthorne achieve this in the novel? analyze the main characters in the novel: hester, dimmesdale, and chillingworth. hawthorne manages to achieve the effect of ambiguity through employing the tec

41、hnique of multiple view in his narrative. what are the multiple views reveals in this novel? a. reading assignment: emily dickinson “because i could not stop for death” “i heard a fly buzzwhen i died” “a narrow fellow in the grass” “i died for beautybut was scarce” b. presentation: herman melville a

42、nd moby dick edgar allan poe and the fall of the house of usher moby dick herman melville received recognition until the 1920s “he has a very high and noble nature” melvilles major works 1) typee 泰皮 2) omoo 欧穆 3) mardi 玛地 4) redburn 雷得本 5) white jacket 白外衣 from his adventures among the people of the

43、 south pacific islands an account of his voyage to england his life on a united states man-of-war melvilles major works 6) pierre 皮埃尔皮埃尔 7) billy budd 比利比利巴德巴德(a sign that he had resolved his quarrel with god) clarel 克拉莱尔克拉莱尔( a poem) melvilles major works moby-dick 白鲸白鲸，莫比莫比狄克狄克 an encyclopedia of

44、everything history, philosophy, religion, the whaling industry a shakespearean tragedy of man fighting against fates excerpt 1. come, ahabs compliments to ye; come and see if ye can swerve me. swerve me? ye cannot swerve me, else ye swerve yourselves! man has ye there. swerve me? the path to my fixe

45、d purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents beds, unerringly i rush! naughts an obstacle, naughts an angle to the iron way! 2. all that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of thi

46、ngs; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms（信仰魔鬼） of life and thought; all evil, to crazy ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in moby dick. he piled upon the whales white hump the sum of all the general rage a

47、nd hate felt by his whole race from adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot hearts shell upon it. 3. towards thee i roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last i grapple with thee; from hells heart i stab at thee; for hates sake i spit my last breat

48、h at thee. sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! thus, i give up the spear! symbols in moby dick the pequod moby dick ahab queequegs coffin the pequod a symbol o

49、f doom named after a native american tribe in massachusetts did not long survive the arrival of white men (extincted) is painted gloomy black and covered in whale teeth and bones the mementos of violent death like a primitive coffin moby dick various symbolic meanings to the pequods crew a concept o

50、nto which they can display their anxiety about dangerous and frightening jobs to ahab a manifestation of all that is wrong with the world it is his destiny to get rid of this symbolic evil moby dick is hidden all the time mirrors its environment unknown and unknowable truths only the surface of the

51、ocean is available for human observation and interpretation the depths conceal unknown truths a metaphor for the human relationship with the christian god: god is unknown and cannot be pinned down inscrutable（不可（不可 理解的）理解的）, mysterious queequegs coffin queequegs coffin alternately symbolizes life an

52、d death. queequeg has it built when he is seriously ill, but when he recovers, it becomes a chest to hold his belongings and an emblem of his will to live. he perpetuates the knowledge tattooed on his body by carving it onto the coffins lid. the coffin further comes to symbolize life when it replace

53、s the pequods life buoy. when the pequod sinks, the coffin becomes ishmaels buoy, saving not only his life but the life of the narrative that he will pass on. writing style (1) his works are symbolic and metaphorical. voyage- search and discovery, the search for the ultimate truth of experience. the

54、 pequod -the ship of the american soul moby dick-a symbol of its whiteness- paradoxical color evil goodness both death and corruption purity, innocence, and youth writing style (2)he manages to achieve the effect of ambiguity through employing the technique of multiple view of his narratives. moby d

55、ick is portrayed for the reader from different angles. the author is unwillingness to commit himself, and the reader is thrown upon himself for judgment. writing style (3) he tends to write periodic chapters . the last paragraph of chapter one pulling all things into one sentence is a good illustrat

56、ion in point. themes of moby dick themes the sense of futility and meaninglessness alienation loneliness and suicidal individualism rejection and quest themes of moby dick 1)melvilles bleak view (negative attitude): the sense of futility and meaninglessness of the world. his attitude to life is “eve

57、rlasting nay” man in this universe lives a meaningless and futile life, meaningless because futile. man cannot overcome nature. once he attempts to seek power over it he is doomed. themes of moby dick the adventure of killing moby dick is meaningless. ahab tries to control it, which leads to his doo

58、m. the embodiment of nature modern life the loss of faith, the sense of futility well expressed in moby dick themes of moby dick 2) alienation (far away from each other) exists between man and man, man and society, and man and nature. ahab cuts himself off from his family, stays away from his crew,

59、hates moby dick and becomes a devil rushing to his doom. he was within “the masoned, walled town of a captains exclusiveness”,which leads him to his doom. themes of moby dick 3) loneliness and suicidal individualism (individualism causing disaster and death) the basic pattern of nineteenth-century a

60、merican life moby dick is a negative reflection upon transcendentalism ahab: too much of a self-reliant individual to be a good human being a victim of extreme individualism the price of self-reliance is death. themes of moby dick 4）rejection and quest voyaging for ishmael has become a journey in qu