美国文学-诗人及作家主题与写作风格分析以及文学术语

1、Ernest HemingwayErn est Hem in gway (1899-1961) is an American n ovelist, journalist and war correspondent He is the leading spokesman of the Lost Generat ionn , awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954仃hematic patterns)(1) The Lost Generation： described in The Sun also Rises” (1926) The gener

2、ation was lost in the sense that they were disillusioned with the war-wrecked world and spiritually alienated from a civilization and replaced by despair or a cynical hedonism(2) The Hemingway Code Hero： described in The Old Man and The Sea” (1952). A man can be physically destroyed but never defeat

3、ed spiritually. (Life is full of tension and battles, the world is in chaos and man is always fighting desperately a losing battle Those who survive and perhaps emerge victorious in the process of seeking to master the code with a set of principles such as honor, courage, enduranee, wisdom are known

4、 as the Hemingway code)(3) Ice theory： The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. Typical of this iceberg1* analogy is Hemingwayr s style It mea ns Less is more :His no vel In dian Camp n has four Icebergs” as the shadow)Application： Hemingway* s Code He

5、ro is embodied in Indian Camp It relates the story of young Nick watching his father deliver an Indian woman of a baby by caesarian section with a jackknife and without anesthesia to relieve the pain. In this novel, Hemingway1s concern about violence and death by revealing Nick* s feeling of perplex

6、ity, anxiety and terror over the misery of life and death Hemingway introduced us five medical knowledge in the novel through the fathers teaching(Writing style)(l) Hemingwayrs novel are based on using short, simple and conventional words and sentences, precise imagery, and an impersonal, dramatic t

7、one No detai 1 is wasted(Less is more，r)(2) He is good at using uIceberg Theoryn , and colloquial style(3) Hemingway develops the style of colloquialism, understatement and symbolism(4) The acce nts and mann er isms of human speech are well prese nted, so the characters are full of flesh and bloodHe

8、nry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is an American essayist, poet and philosopher He is the representative of the philosophical and literary school of American Tra nsce nden talism In 1845 he built a cab in beside the Walden Pond and lived there in a very simple man net for over two yea

9、rs, which gave birth to a great transcendentalist work Walden (1854) (Writing style)His literary style interweaves close natural observation, personal experienee, pointed rhetoric, symbolic meanings, and historical lore, while displaying a poetic sensibility, philosophical austerity, and Yankee love

10、 of practical detai 1 Use precise language, long and complex paragraphs and sentences and vivid, detailed descriptions, made it lucid, simply wrought and unpretentious (Theme)(1) For Thoreau, nature is not merely symbolic but divine in itself and human beings can receive precise communication from t

11、he natural world by way of pure senses(2) He believed in self-culture and was eager to identify himself with the Transcendental image of the self-reliant man. he thinks, the most important thing for men to do with their lives is to be self- sufficient(3) He emphasized individual conscience and even

12、considered the society fetters of the freedom of individualsWalden is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, it emphasizes the importance of self-relianee, solitude, contemplation, and closeness to nature in transcending the desperate existenee. Mainly expresses a critique of consu

13、merism and capitalism He does not perceive nature as a dead and passive object of conquest and exploitation.Walt WhitmanWhitman (1819-1892) is an American poet, essayist, journalist and humanist He was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, and was also called the father of

14、verse(Writing style)(1) Whitman1s poetic style is marked by the use of the poetic I(2) Whitman is also radically innovative in terms of the form of his poetry, such as adopted free verse(3) Whitman is conversational and casual, in the fluid, expansive, and unstructured style of talking Using Paralle

15、lism and phonetic at the beginning of the lines(4) His vocabulary is amazing, he is good at using powerful, colorful wordsand oral English(Theme)His poetry is filled with optimistic expectation and enthusiasm about new things and new epoch(1) He shows concern for the whole hard-working people and th

16、e burgeoning life of cities(2) He advocates the realization of the individual value Most of the poems in aLeaves of Grassn sing of the en-mass and the self as wel 1.(3) Pursuit of love and happiness is approved of repeatedly and affectionately in his lines(4) Some of Whitman1s poems are politically

17、committedHis major work uLeaves of Grass commands great attention because of its uniquely poetic embodiment of American democratic ideals He is the poet of the common people and the prophet and singer of democracy In this poetry col lection,(1) Openness, freedom, and individualism are all concerned(

18、2) It brings the hard-working farmers and laborers into American literature, attack the slavery system and racial discriminatioru(3) It extols nature, democracy, labor and creation, and sings of man1s dignity and equality, and of the brightest future of mankind Most of the poems in uLeaves of Grass

19、sing of the en-mass and the self as well.The work was to express some new poetical feelings and to initiate a poetic tradition and he believed that poetry could play a vital part in the process of creating a new nation.文学术语超验主义Transcendentalism is also called uNew England Transcendentalism” As a phi

20、losophical and literary moment, It flourished from 1810 to 1836 around Concord, Massachusetts It was represented by Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne It has five characteristics： individualism, self-reliance, returning to nature, intuition and national consciousnessEpic散文史诗It is

21、 a long narrative poem telling of heroic deeds of reflecting the values of the society from which it originated The novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is regarded as the Great American Nove1Verse自由体It is poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme It was invented by Walt Whitman and popular

22、used in aLeaves of Grass”Code Hero海明威式的硬汉It refers to some protagonists in Hemingway * s works In his novels, life is full of tension and battles. The world is in chaos and man is always fighting desperately a losing battle Those who survive and perhaps emerge victorious in the process of seeking to

23、 master the code with a set of principles such as honor, courage, enduranee, wisdom, discipline and dignity are known as the Hemingway code A man can be physically destroyed but never defeated spiritually It is described in “ The Old Men and the Sea n5. Lost Generation 迷惘一代The Lost Generation was a

24、group of rebellious youth appeared in America after the First World War It is represented by Hemingway. It s described inTheSunAlsoRises. ”The generation was lost” in the sense that they were dis illusioned with the war-wrecked world and spiritually alienate d from a civilization and replaced by des

25、pair or a cynica 1 hedonismtheory冰山理论The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above the water Typical of this MicebergH analogy is Hemingwayr s style Hem in gway* s style is actually polished and tightly controlled, but highly suggestive and connotative It means le

26、ss is more n7. International theme 国际主题Henry Jame? s treatment with the clashes between two different cultures and the emotional and moral problems of America ns in Europe, or Europeans in America8. Local Colorism 地方色彩Local Colorism is a unique variation of American literary realism Local colorism c

27、oncerned with the life of a small, well-definejd region or province, which are marked by its customs, dialects, customs, landscape or other peculiarities It was represented by Mark Twain, especially in Mississippi life in Mississippi river诗歌Historical background： Emily Dickinson （1830T886）, the best

28、-known female poet in American literature. Her poems, as well as Walt Whitman* s, were considered as a part of American renaissance； they were regarded as pioneers of i mag ism.（三首诗都可以写上去的，是诗人背景）Died for Beauty（Emily Dick in son）金森）I died for beautybut was scarceAdjusted in the TombWhen one who died

29、 for Truth, was lainIn the adjoining RoomHe questioned softly Why I failed”生For beauty, I repliedAnd Ifor TruthThemself are One体“We Brethren, are, n He saidAnd so, as Kinsmen, met a Night逢。We talked between the Rooms我为美而死去（艾米莉狄我为美而死，却还不曾 在墓中安息， 一个殉真理的烈士 就成了我的近邻他轻声问我你为何而丧我会说：“为了美”“ 我为真理，真与美本是一他说：“我们也

30、是兄弟” 于是，我们像亲戚在黑夜里相隔着那坟墓喋喋低语，Until the Moss had reached our lips 直到青苔爬到了唇际And covered upour names遮住了那墓碑上我们的名字。评论:Summary：The speakersaysthat shediedforBeauty,but shewas hardly adjustedtoher tombbeforeaman whodied for Truthwas laid inatomb nextto her When thetwo softly toldeach otherwhythey died, them

31、andeclared thatTruth andBeauty arethesame, sothatheand thespeakerwere ,rBrethreru Thespeaker saysthattheymet atnight,as Kinsmen, and talkedbetween their tombsuntilthe mossreachedtheir lips andcovered upthenameson their tombstonesThemes： eternity of death and beauty by describing the moment of death2

32、. Beauty is truth, truth is beauty3. No matter what people died for, their names would be faded away after time passed4. an optimism about the afterlife （来世）with barely sublimated（使纯化，使理想化）terror about the fact of deathFeatures： 1. This poem follows many of Dickinson s typical form patterns- the ABC

33、B rhyme scheme, the rhythmic use dash to interrupt the flowbut has a more regular meter2. Poems contain short lines typically lack titles3. unconventional capitalization and punctuationEffects：The effect of this poem is to show that every aspe ct of human life-ideals, human feelings, identity itself

34、-is erased by death No matter you are rich or poor, no matter which classes you belong to, no matter what you died for, people are the same after their death With time passing, they will be forgotten by the later generation.heard a Fly buzz -一 when 1 died - I heard a Fly buzz 一 when I died 我死时The St

35、illness in the RoomWas like the Stillness in the Air 一Between the Heaves of Storm 一The Eyes around 一 had wrung them dry 一 流尽一And Breaths were gathering firmFor that last Onset - when the King 房间里Be witnessed 一 in the Room 一I willed my Keepsakes 一 Signed awayWhat portion of me beAssignable 一 and then

36、 it was 了There interposed a Fly 一With Blue 一 uncertain stumbling Buzz 一 声Between the light 一 and me -间And then the Windows failed 一 and thenI could not see to see -我听到苍蝇的嗡嗡声一一当房间里，一片沉寂就像空气突然平静下来在风暴的间隙注视我的眼睛一一泪水已经我的呼吸正渐渐变紧等待最后的时刻一一上帝在现身的时刻降临我已经分掉了一一关于我的所有可以分掉的东西一一然后我就看见一只苍蝇一一蓝色的一一微妙起伏的嗡嗡在我和光之然后窗户关闭一一

37、然后我眼前漆黑一片一一评论：Summary： This poem is a description of the moment of death The speaker starts by mentioning the sound of a fly. Then the speaker tells us about the people standing around her Then, just when everything is in place, here comes that fly. When that fly shows up, everything changes, and th

38、ings get stranger and a lot less quiet and comfortableThemes：Emily1s alreadypoem is told in the died Emily Dickinsonpast tense by person who has uses past and present tense woa transition betweenunique because there（卑life and d is a conce 贱rds together, which indicate eath. Thepoem is ironic and rn

39、with a menial的）matter such as a buzzing fly at the finalmoment oflife.Features：1. The past tense2. This poem has broken the constraints of traditional cadence（抑 扬顿挫）and iambic pentameter. It uses iambic tetrameter（抑扬四步格）and iambic trimester （抑扬三步格）language： Blue is a symbolic color of deathLight is

40、the symbolic of life and heaven. the Kingn: the God of DeathWindows： the door to heaveru4. Poems contain short lines typically lack titles5. Unconventional capitalization and punctuation6. Rhetoric techniques： personificationmake some of abstract ideasvividEffects： This poem is a description of the

41、mome?nt of death Dickinson s attitude towards death is that of peaceful acceptanee. She even imagined her own death, the loss of her own body, and the journey of her soul to theunknown.Whether or not Dickinson s description of death is realist ic or not, she is able to achieve it through the grammat

42、ic al chooses she makes This poem is considered one of hermasterpieces and perhaps her greatest rendering of the moment of deathWeAtWeWeOrWe slowly droveHe knew no haste,我们慢慢前行一他不慌不忙And I had put away而我也收拾起My labor and my leisure too,我的劳动和闲暇，For His Civility一因他的彬彬有礼-passed the School, where Children

43、 strove我们经过学校，正值课间休息 recess一in the ring孩子们围成圆环一打逗一passed the Fields of Gazing Grain一我们经过农田凝望五谷passed the Setting Sun我们经过落日ratherHe passed Us确切地说一是他经过了我们-那露水引来了冷颤寒气一因我的女礼服-仅为纤细的薄纱The Dews drew quivering and chillFor only Gossamer, my Gown 织物My Tippetonly Tulle一 我的披肩-不过是绢网而已We paused before a House th

44、at seemed A Swelling of the GroundThe Roof was scarcely visibleThe Cornicein the GroundSince thenr tis centuries and yetFeels shorter than the Day我们停步于一所房子前 那似乎是一片隆起的地面一 屋顶几乎看不见一宛如飞檐装饰着大地一自那以后一若干个世纪一 可还是感觉比那天短，我首次猜测到，那马头Were toward Eternity是朝向永恒之地一I first surmised the Horsesr Heads评论：In Brief: Becau

45、se I Could Not Stop for Deathn is a lyric poem on the theme of death It reveals the author1s calm acceptance of death She holds ambivalent attitudes towards death On the one hand, death is a stage of life, where man bids farewell to the human world and goes to the Heaven； death is a release from a l

46、ifetime of work and suffering to a lasting peace in heaven. Therefore, she depicts the dark subject of death in a light tone In this poem Dickinson personifies death and immortality so as to make her message strongly felt and vivify the abstract ideas On the other hand, she feels uncertain about imm

47、ortality of deathThemes： : (1) death is nothing to be feared since it is a nature part of the endless cycle of nature(2) death is not only the beg inning , because to die is to go on another journey2. Immortality： Although death takes one away from the earthly world, there is still something to look

48、 forward to when one dies： Eternal life.3. Society and politics： transcendentalism4 Love： suffering and frustration caused by love5. NatureFeatures： stanza rhyme： The whole poem with four feet iambic and three feet iambic appears an alternate layout2.3.Unconventional capitalization and punctuationRh

49、etoric techniques： some of abstract ideas vivid2. Al literationdepict a continuity ofsceneseg. We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain We passed the Setting Sun3. Metaphorimplies the passage of birth,growth, maturity and deathchildhoodEg. School, where Children stroveFields of Gazing Grain一一 maturitySe

50、tting Sun- old age A swelling of the ground-一 the grave(the end of life s journey)诗人背景：Frost is an important poet in the 20th century. Robert Frost is mainly known for his poems concerning New England life Many of his poems are fragrant with natural quality Images and metaphors in his poems are draw

51、n from the rural world, the simple country life and the pastoral landscape However, profound ideas are delivered under the disguise of the plain language and the simple form. (3 首都可以用)WallSomething there is that doesn t love a wall. That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it And spills the upper bo

52、ulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast The work of hunters is another thing：5I have come after them and made repairWhere they have left not one stone on a stone, But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, To please the yelping dogs The gaps I mean, No one has seen them made o

53、r heard them made, 10 But at spring mending-time we find them there I let my neighbor know beyond the hill； And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once agairuWe keep the wall between us as we go. 15To each the boulders that have fallen to each And some are loaves and some

54、so nearly balls We have to use a spel1 to make them balance：Stay where you are until our backs are turned!n We wear our fingers rough with handling them20Oh, just another kind of outdoor game, One on a side It comes to little more： There where it is we do not need the wall： He is all pine and I ani

55、apple orchard My apple trees will never get across 25 And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him He only says, Good fences make good neighbors Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder If I could put a notion in his head：Why do they make good neighbors Isn t it 30 Where there are cows But here t

56、here are no cows Before I built a wall I d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out. And to whom I was like to give offense Something there is that doesn t love a wall.35That wants it down. ” I could say Elves to him, But it s not elves exactly, and I d rather He said it for himself I see hi

57、m there, Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed40He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees He will not go behind his fathers saying, And he likes having thought of it so well He says again, Good fences make good neighbors. n 45 翻译：有一点什么，它大概是不喜欢墙，它使得墙脚下的冻地涨得隆起， 大白天的把墙头石块弄得纷纷落： 使得墙裂了缝，二人并肩都走得过。 士绅们行猎时又是另一番糟蹋：