美国文学题库-整理版

1、美国文学史及选读 期末复习重点考试题型：1.名词解释（20分）5个*4=20分2.选择题（20分）3.连线题（10分）4.判断题（10分）5.片段赏析（20分）一个10分2个一个小说一个诗歌6.论述题（20分）一个10分2个一个小说一个诗歌The Outline of American LiteratureThe Realistic Period 1865-1914Realists:Henry James and his psychological realism William Dean Howells and his moral realismLocal Colorism/Regional

2、ism: Mark TwainNaturalists:Stephen Crane /DreiserThe Modern Period 1914-1945Modern Poetry:Imagism:Ezra PoundW.C.WilliamsLyrical Poet：Robert FrostCarl SandburgWallace StevensModern Novelists: Representatives of the Lost Generation:(Jazz Age)F.Scott Fitzgerald/Ernest Hemingway/T.S.EliotEpitome of the

3、Southern Renaissance:William Faulkner The Leftist Novelists: John Dos Passos/John Steinbeck The Jewish American Novelists in this period: Eugene O·NeillPart I Term Definition 1. American Naturalism:美国自然主义1.Naturalism is a more deliberate kind of realism and this term describes a type of literat

4、ure that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity（客观） and detachment（冷静） to its study of human beings. 2.Naturalism is a literary movement that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. 3.Althoug

5、h naturalist literature described the world with sometimes brutal realism, it sometimes also aimed at bettering the world through social reform.4.It accepted the interpretation of Darwins evolutionary theory and Dreiser is a leading figure of this school.5.The representative figure is Stephen Crane

6、and his Sister Carrie.Key words：Darwins Evolutionary Theory;environment and heredity; objectivity and detachment Theodore Dreiser; Sister Carrie, Stephen Crane, etc.2. American Realism:美国现实主义1.时间：In American literature, the Civil War brought the Romantic Period to an end. The Age of Realism came int

7、o existence. 内战将浪漫主义结束，开启现实主义。2.It came as a reaction against the lie of romanticism and sentimentalism. 反对浪漫主义和感伤主义3.Realism turned from an emphasis on the strange toward a faithful of the ordinary, a slice of life as it is really lived. It expresses the concern for commonplace and the low, and it

8、offers an objective rather than an idealistic view of the human nature and human experience.现实主义从对奇异的强调转向对平凡的忠实的渲染，一种生活的片段。它表达了对平庸和平庸的关注，它提供了一个客观的而不是理想化的人性观和人类经验。4.A realistic writer is more objective than subjective，more descriptive than symbolism.5.The representative figures are Mark Twain, Henry

9、James and Howells. Key words：Mark Twain, Henry James and Howells；reality; the depressed; 3. Modernism:现代主义1.It was a complex and diverse (复杂多样的) international movement in all the creative arts (创造性艺术), originating about the end of the 19th century. 2.It provided （出现）the greatest creative renaissance

10、 of the 20th century. 3.It was made up of many facets (方面), such as symbolism，surrealism (超现实主义), cubism (立体主义), expressionism, futurism (未来主义), etc.4.Modernism implies historical discontinuity，a sense of alienation，of loss and of despair.4.Southern Renaissance(南方文艺复兴，必考)：1.时间：The Southern Renaissan

11、ce is the revival of American Southern literature that began in the 1920s and 1930s until the 1950s.2.特色：Much of the writings featured the struggle between those who embraced social changes and those who were more skeptical.3.观点：The writers attempt to come to terms not only with the inherited values

12、 of the Southern tradition，but also with a certain way of perceiving and dealing with the past.4.代表人物：The representative figures are William Faulkner Williams and so on.5.Imagism:意象主义1.时间，地点，影响：Imagism was a literary poetic movement which flourished in London between 1909 and 1917 and had an endurin

13、g and pervasive influence on English-language poetry in the twentieth century.2.意象主义三原则：Here are three imagist poetic principles:Direct treatment of the thing whether subjective or objective；Eliminate merely ornamental or superfluous words；As regarding rhythm，to compose in the sequence of the musica

14、l phrase,not in the sequence of a metronome.3.代表人物：The imagists were led by Ezra Pound and the representative figures are D.H.Lawrence.Ezra Pound and so on.6.Iceberg Principle:冰山原则1.主要观点：Iceberg Principle is that the full meaning of the text is not limited to moving the plot forward：there is always

15、a web of association and inference，a submerged reason behind the inclusion of every detail.2.提出者：It is a writing style coined by American writer Ernest Hemingway.3.举例：In Death in the Afternoon（午后之死），Hemingway outlined his “theory of omission”or“iceberg principle”.4.海明威的观点：He believed the deeper mean

16、ing of a story should not be evident on the surface，but should shine through implicitly.The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.7.Jazz Age:爵士时代1.时间，地点：The Jazz Age describes the period of the 1920s and 1930s,the years between World War I and World War

17、 II,particularly in North America,continuing through the Roaring Twenties and ending with the rise of the Great Depression in America.2.代表人物，特点：The representative figure is F.Scott Fitzgerald with his novel The Great Gatsby,highlighting the decadence （颓废）and hedonism（享乐主义），as well as the growth of i

18、ndividualism.8.Hemingway Heroes/Code Hero:海明威式英雄1.Hemingway Heroes refer to some protagonists in Hemingways works.2.As a concept from Hemingway works，Code Hero is defined by Hemingway as a man who lives correctly，following the ideals of honour，courage and endurance in a world.3.It stands for a whole

19、 generation and this kind of hero is an average man of decidely masculine tastes，a man who is sensitive and intelligent，a man of actions and of few words.For example，he uses his code hero，who is named in most of his novels as Nick Adams to teach readers a creative and disciplined way of life.9. Amer

20、ican Dream:美国梦The American Dream is the faith held by many people in the United States of America that through hard work,courage and determination one can achieve a better life for oneself,usually through financial prosperity.These were values held by many early European settlers,and have been passe

21、d on to subsequent generations.American dream means the belief that everyone can succeed as long as he/she works hard enough. It usually implies a successful and satisfying life.美国梦是由在美利坚合众国的许多人通过努力保持信心，勇气和决心实现一个能给自己一个更好的生活，通常通过金融繁荣。这是许多早期的欧洲移民的价值观，并已传递给后代。美国梦的含义，相信每个人都能长他/她付出足够的努力获得成功。它通常意味着成功和满足的生

22、活。10. Stream of Consciousness:意识流1.范畴：It is one of the modern literary techniques.2.风格： It is the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a characters thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images as the character experiences them. Those novels broke through the

23、bounds of time and space, and depicted vividly and skillfully the unconscious activity of the mind fast changing and flowing incessantly.这些小说突破了时空的界限，生动而巧妙地刻画了心灵的无意识活动，瞬息万变，不断流动。 3.举例：It was first used by the Irish novelist James Joyce.The modern American writer William Faulkner successfully advance

24、d this technique.11.the Lost Generation：迷茫的一代1.人物，地点，时间：The term Lost Generation was coined by Stein to refer to a group of American Literary notables who lived in Paris from the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression.2.代表人物：The representative figures are F.Scott Fitzgerald，Erne

25、st Hemingway and T.S.Eliot and so on.3.迷茫的原因：They were “lost”because after the war many of them were disillusioned with the world in general. 4.It refers to a group of young intellectuals (知识分子) who came back from war, were injured (受伤害) both physically (身体上) and mentally (精神上).12.Yoknapatawpha：约克纳帕

26、塔法1.Most of Faulkners works are set in a small region in Northern Mississippi，Yoknapatawpha County，which is actually an imaginary place based on Faulkners childhood memory about the town of Oxford in his native County.2.With rich imagination，he turned the land，the people and the history of the regio

27、n into a literary creation and a mythical kingdom.3.This kind of stories deal with the historical period from the Civil War to the 1920s3.As a result，the County has become an allegory and Faulkner has managed successfully to show a panorama of the whole Southern society.补充：Local Colorism（地方主义）1.时间：L

28、ocal colorism ，also called regionalism，as a trend became dominant in American literature in the 1860s and early 1870s and 2.特点：it is characterized by vernacular(本国语) language and satirical(讽刺的) humor.3.目的：The final goal of local colorists is to write or to present local characters of their regions d

29、istinguished from other.4.举例：The representative figure is Mark Twain.It is a unique variation of American literary realism.Key words: Mark Twain, local, people and landscape, realism, language, custom, etc.Part II Multiple Choices1. Which is not connected with Thomas Paine?A. Common Sense B. The Ame

30、rican Crisis C. The Rights of Man D. The Autobiography 2. “These are the times that try mens souls”, these words were once read to Washingtons troops and did much to spur excitement to further action with hope and confidence. Who is the author of these words?A. Benjamin Franklin B. Thomas Paine C. T

31、homas Jefferson D. George Washington3. At the Reason and Revolution Period, Americans were influenced by the European movement called the _.A. Chartist Movement B. Romanticist MovementC. Enlightenment Movement D. Modernist Movement4. In American literature, the Enlighteners were favorable to_.A. the

32、 colonial order B. religious obscurantism C. the Puritan tradition D. the secular literature5. The English colonies in North America rose in arms against their parent country and the Continental Congress adopted _ in 1776.A. Declaration of Independence B. the Sugar ActC. the Stamp Act D. the Mayflow

33、er Compact6. _ usually was regarded as the first American writer.A. William Bradford B. Anne Bradstreet C. Emily Dickinson D. Captain John Smith 7. Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan poet. Her poems made such a stir in England that she became known as the “_” who appeared in America.A. Ninth Muse B. Tent

34、h Muse C. Best Muse D. First Muse 8. Who was considered as the “poet of American Revolution”?A. Anne Bradstreet B. Edward Taylor C. Michael Wigglesworth D. Philip Freneau9. In 1817, the stately poem called Thanatopsis introduced the best poet _ to appear in America up to that time.A. Edward Taylor B

35、. Philip Freneau C. William Cullen Bryant D. Edgar Allen Poe10. The finest example of Nathaniel Hawthornes symbolism is the recreation of Puritan Boston in _.A. The Scarlet Letter B. Young Goodman BrownC. The Marble Faun D. The Ambitious Guest11. “The universe is composed of Nature and the soul Spir

36、it is present everywhere”. This is the voice of the book Nature written by Emerson, which pushed American Romanticism into a new phase, the phase of New England _.A. Romanticism B. Transcendentalism C. Naturalism D. Symbolism12. Which is generally regarded as the Bible of New England Transcendentali

37、sm?A. Nature B. Walden C. On Beauty D. Self-Reliance13. Mark Twain created, in _, a masterpiece of American realism that is also one of the great books of world literature.A. The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn B. The Adventure of Tom Sawyer C. The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg D. The Gilded Age14. _

38、marks the climax of Mark Twains literary creativity.A . The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn B. The Gilded AgeC. Life on the Mississippi D. The Adventure of Tom Sawyer15. Choose the novel which is not written by Henry James.A. The Ambassadors B. The Wings of the DoveC. The Bostonians D. The Mysterious

39、Stranger16. Generally speaking, all those writers with a naturalistic approach to human reality tend to be _.A. transcendentalists B. idealists C. pessimists D. impressionists17. Ezra Pounds long poem _ contained more than one hundred poems loosely connected.A. The Waste Land B. The Cantos C. Don Ju

40、an D. Queen Mab18. T. S. Eliots first major poem _(1917), has been called the first masterpiece of modernism in English.A. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock B. The Waste Land C. Four Quartets D. Preludes19. Ernest Hemingway was badly wounded in Italy and sent to a hospital where he fell in love wi

41、th a nurse. These two persons later became the characters of his novel _.A. The Old Man and the Sea B. For Whom the Bell TollsC. The Sun Also Rises D. A Farewell to Arms20. In William Faulkners The Sound and the Fury, he used a technique called _, in which the whole story was told through the though

42、ts of one character.A. stream of consciousness B. imagism C. symbolism D. naturalism21. Led by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson and _, there arose a kind of teachings of transcendentalism in the early nineteenth century.A. Herman Melville B. Henry David Thoreau C. Mark Twain D. Theodore Drei

43、ser 22. A New _ had appeared in England in the last years of the eighteenth century. It spread to continental Europe and then came to America early in the nineteenth century.A. realism B. critical realism C. romanticism D. naturalism 23. From Henry David Thoreaus jail experience, came his famous ess

44、ay, _ which states Thoreaus belief that no man should violate his conscience at the command of a government.A. Walden B. Nature C. Civil Disobedience D. Common Sense24. Mark Twain, one of the greatest 19th century American writers, is well known for his _.A. international theme B. waste-land imagery

45、C. local color D. symbolism25. Herman Melvilles _ is an encyclopedia of everything: history, philosophy religion, etc. in addition to a detailed account of the operations of the whaling industry.A. The Old Man and the Sea B. Moby DickC. White Jacket C. Billy Budd26. The ship “_” carried about one hu

46、ndred Pilgrims and took 66 days to beat its way across the Atlantic. In December of 1620, it put the Pilgrims ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts.A. Sunflower B. Armada C. Mayflower D. Pequod27. From 1733 to 1758, Benjamin Franklin wrote and published his famous _, an annual collection of proverbs.A.

47、The Autobiography B. Poor Richards Almanac C. Common Sense D. The General Magazine28. In American literature, the eighteen-century was the age of the Enlightenment. _ was the dominant spirit.A. Humanism B. Rationalism C. Revolution D. Evolution29. _ was the most leading spirit of the Transcendental

48、Club.A. Henry David Thoreau B. Ralph Waldo Emerson C. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. Walt Whitman30. Edgar Allen Poes first collection of short stories is _.A. Tales of a Traveler B. Leatherstocking TalesC. Canterbury Tales D. Tales of the Grotesque of Arabesque31. _ was a romanticized account of Herman Mel

49、villes stay among the Polynesians. The success of the book soon made Melville well known as the “man who lived among cannibals”.A. Moby Dick B. Typee C. Omoo D. Billy Budd32. Which is regarded as the “Declaration of Intellectual Independence”?A. The American Scholar B. English Traits C. The Conduct

50、of Life D. Representative Men33. The three dominant figures of the realistic period in American literature are _.A. Theodore Dreiser, Emily Dickinson and William Dean HowellsB. Mark Twain, Henry James and William Dean HowellsC. Mark Twain, Theodore Dreiser and William Dean HowellsD. Mark Twain, Emil

51、y Dickinson and William Dean Howells34. American literature produced only one female poet during the nineteenth century. This was _.A. Anne Bradstreet B. Jane Austen C. Emily Dickinson D. Harriet Beecher35. In 1900, London published his first collection of short stories, named_.A. The Son of the Wol

52、f B. The Sea Wolf C. The Law of Life D. White Fang36. In Henry James Daisy Miler, the author tries to portray the young woman as an embodiment of _.A. the force of convention B. the free spirit of the New World C. the decline of aristocracy D. the corruption of the newly rich37. “The apparition of t

53、hese faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.” This is the shortest poem written by _.A. T.S. Eliot B. Robert Frost C. Ezra Pound D. E.E.Cumings 38. The Fitzgerald lived so extravagantly that they frequently spent more money than F. Scot Fitzgerald earned for parties, liquor, entertaining their friends and traveling. It was this living style that nicknamed the decade of the 1920s as _.A. The Roaring Twenties B. The Jazz Age C. The Dollar Decade D. all of the above39. In 1954, _ was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his “mastery of the art of modern narration”.A. T.S Eliot B