高级英语精品课程教案TheSadYoungMen

1、Lesson Ten The Sad Young MenBackground InformationThe Sad Young Men and the Lost Generation: refer to the same group of people. The name was first created and used by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his book All the Sad Young Men and second by Gertrude Stein. These names were applied to the disillusioned int

2、ellectuals and aesthetes of the years following the WWI, who rebelled against former ideals and values, but could replace them only by despair or a cynical hedonism享乐主义.Lost Generation: group of expatriate 移居国外 American writers residing primarily in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s. The group never

3、formed a cohesive literary movement, but it consisted of many in flue ntial America n writers, in cludi ng Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Carlos Williams, Thornton Wilder, Archibald MacLeish, and Hart Crane. The group was given its name by the American writer Gertrude Stein, who, in

4、a conversation with Hemingway, used an expression she had heard from a garage manager, une g e neratiorperdue ( “Oost generation ”tc),refer to expatriate America ns bitter about their World War I (1914-1918) experie nces and disillusi oned with America n society. Hemingway later used the phrase as a

5、n epigrap引I 语 for his novel The Sun Also Rises (1926).Beat Generation: group of American writers of the 1950s whose writing expressed profound dissatisfact ion with con temporary America n society and en dorsed an alter native set of values. The term sometimes is used to refer to those who embraced

6、the ideas of these writers.The term Beat Generation was first used by Kerouac in the late 1940s. The word beat had various conno tatio ns for the writers, in clud ing despair over the beate n state of the in dividual in mass society and belief in the beatitude, or blessedness, of the natural world a

7、nd in the restorative powers of the beat of jazz music and poetry. Beat writi ng gen erally called for a renun ciati on of material goods and acquisitiveness in favor of a rediscovery of the erotic, artistic, and spiritual self through the use of drugs, casual sex, music, and the mysticism of Zer禅宗

8、Buddhism.§ What kind of writing is this one? And what is the topic of it?This is a piece of expository writing by two American writers explaining a certain period in American literary and social history. It focuses esp. on the attitudes and revolt of the young people who retur ned from WWI, dis

9、appo in ted and disillusio ned. In this revolt the young in tellectuals, writers and artists, stood in the van and was the most vocal group. Many of these intellectuals lived abroad, esp. in Paris, as expatriates, but most of them later returned to the U.S. volu ntarily. These in tellectuals were ca

10、lled Sad Young Men” or “ thtost generatior”because they were critical and rebellious. However, they were never lost becausethey were also very creative and productive and as this essay says: gave the nation the liveliest, freshest, most stimulating writing in its literary experienee”.§ What is

11、the thesis of this essay? In which para is it stated?In the last para of the essay,the thesis is stated as follow: The in tellectuals of the twen ties, the ,sad young men? as F. Scott Fitzgerald called them, cursed their luck but didn ? die; escaped but voluntarily returned; flayed the Babbits but l

12、oved their country, and in so doing gave the nation the liveliest, freshest, most stimulating writing in its literary experience”.§ What is the structural orga ni zati on of this essay? How many parts does this essay fall in to?The structural organization of this essay is clear and simple. The

13、essay divides logically into paras with part. Fun cti ons: to in troduce the subject in para 1, to support and develop the thesis in para 2 through 9, to bring the discussi on to an end in para 10-11.§ How do these two writers support their thesis?They support their thesis by providing historic

14、al material concerning the revolt of the younger generation of the twenties in a series of paras and para units between the introduction and conclusion. Each para or para unit develops a new but related aspect of the thought stated in the thesis. Frequently the first sentence of these middle paras s

15、tates clearly the main idea of the material that follows and indicates a new but related stage of the develop ing thought.Detailed Study of the TextP 1: § What is the function of the first para? How do these writers develop this para?The first para is an introductory one, beginning by mentionin

16、g the interest in the Twenties by young people today .In additi on, these writers discuss the questi ons that prese nt-day stude nts are ask ing their pare nts and teachers: Was there really a Youn ger Gen erati on problem? Were young people really so wild? sensationally romanticizedwas treated in a

17、 passi on ate, idealized manner to shock thrill and rouse the in terest of peopleNo aspect of lifemore commentedthan: After WWI, during the 1920s, every aspect of life in the U. S. has been commented upon, but the so-called Revolt of the Younger Generation has been more comme nted upon tha n all the

18、 other aspect.revolt: an act of protest or rejectio n nostalgic bittersweet longing for thin gs, pers ons, or situati ons of the past middle-aged middle-aged people lived through the Twenties so they can recall what life was like then the young: the young people have only heard about all this and we

19、re very curious about the lives of young people of ano ther gen erati on nostalgic, curiousboth are transferred epithetsThey really modify fhe middle-aged" and fhe young” respectivelyThe slightest mentionby the young At the very mention of this post-war period, middle-aged people beg in to thin

20、k about it longin gly and young people become curious and start ask ing all kinds of questi ons. thrill: a source or cause of excitement or emotion deliciously illicit thrill: an improper action but very enjoyable and exciting. A visit to a speakeasy was improper or prohibited because these places s

21、old alcoholic drinks illegally. This explains the illicit thrill ” speakeasy a place for the illegal sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks, as during Prohibition in the United States (the period 1923-33) denunciation the act or an in sta nee of denouncing, especially a public condemn ati on or ce

22、n su驳斥 Puritan morality: extreme or excessive strictness in matters of morals. Strict Puritans even regarded drinking, gambli ng and participati on if theatrical performa nces as puni shable offen ces. amour: a love affair, especially an illicit one experimentation the act, process, or practice of e

23、xperime nting fashionable experimentations in amour try ing out new ways of lovemak ing as every one was doing at that time sedan a closed automobile hav ing two or four doors and a front and rear seat parked sedan in a seda n car parked on Ion ely country roads§ What is bee n talked about in n

24、oun phrase memories of - co untry road”？ And the follow ing noun phrase questi ons about-drugstore cowboy"?The long noun phrases are the nostalgic recollections of the middle-aged, the following noun phrase are some of the questi ons asked by curious young people.naughty: mildly in dece nt jazz

25、y: playing jazz music sheik: a leader of an Arab family or village 酋长；a masterful man to whom wome n are supposed to be irresistibly attracted; a romantically alluring man moral and stylistic vagariesodd and ecce ntric dress and con duct flapper: in the 1920s, a young woma n con sidered bold and unc

26、onven ti onal in action and dress; a young woma n, esp. one in the 1920's who showed disda in for conven tio nal dress and behavior drugstore cowboy a western movie extra 临时演员 who loafs/idle in front of drugstores between picturesof necessity because of necessityThe answers-and no: The answer to

27、 such questions must because of necessity be bothes” and no”. § Why do they think the answers to such questions must necessarily be bothes” and no”？People cannot give a simply yes” or ho” answer to such questionsVeS' Problem: In the process of growing up, during the period when children gro

28、w up to become adults, there always exists a Youn ger Gen erati on Problem .In this sense the an swer must lyes'. see in perspectiveto view or judge things or eve nts in a way that show their true relati ons to one ano ther sensational arousing/intended to arouse strong curiosity, interest, or r

29、eaction, esp. by exaggerated or lurid details耸人听闻的degenerati on moral corrupti on, depravity jazzmad: blindly and foolishly fond of jazz musicno” jazzmad youth: whe n we look back now to those days and view things in their true relati ons to one ano ther, we see that the social behavior of the young

30、 people was not very wild, irresp on sible, and immoral. Their behaviour was far from being as sensational as the degeneration of jazzmad youth. Therefore, on this sen se, the an swer must beno”.“P 2: logical outcome necessary or expected result or consequenee§ Why do they think the revolt of t

31、he youths was an expected result? How many reasons do they list? Western world: all the coun tries in the western hemisphere and Europe aftermath: a con seque nee, esp. of a disaster or misfort une§ Which war are they referring to by the first serious war in a country"?The writer, perhaps,

32、 is referring to the WWI as the last serious war that took place almost a hundred years ago.the rebellion was no confined century: the revolt of the young did not take place only in the U. S., but affected all the coun tries in the Western world. Their revolt was the result or con seque nee of WWI t

33、he biggest and most serious war in a hun dred years.Actuallyin the age Actually, the revolt of the young people was a necessary and expected con seque nee of the con diti ons that existed in this period of history.subconsciousoccurri ng without con scious percepti on, or with only slight perceptio n

34、, on the part of the in dividualtradition: stories, beliefs, customs, etc han ded dow n orally from gen erati on to gen eratio nit was reluctantlyor tradition: some people in the U. S. fully understood, though unwillingly, that the U. S. could no Ion ger remai n isolated politically or in matters of

35、 social customs and practices. If these people did not state their views ope nly, at least, they un derstood it subc on sciously.to reach international stature: to develop and grow into a n ati on respected and esteemed by all other n ati ons in the worldartificial: produced rather than natural; bro

36、ught about/causedby sociopolitical/other human-generated forces/i nflue nces 人为的provincial: narrow, limited like that of rural provinces. Here the word means narrow like that of a single coun trythe U. S.We had reached - bordering oceans metaphor, comparing provincial morality” to artificial walls”

37、We have become a world power so we can no Ion ger on our acti on just follow the prin ciples of right and wrong as accepted in our own coun try, nor can we rema in isolated geographically protected by the Atla ntic and Pacific ocea ns. In other words, the U. S. can no Ion ger pursue a policy of isol

38、ati oni sm.P 3: Victorian: show ing the middle-class respectability, prudery, bigotry, etc, gen erally attributed to Victoria n En gla ndgentility: the quality of being genteel; now, esp. excessive or affected refinement and eleganceThe rejectioninevitable: In any case, America could not avoid casti

39、ng aside its middle-class respectability and affected refi neme nt.boom v.: to grow or develop rapidly; flourishroar v. : to make or produce a loud no iseroaring: very active or successful; brisk;impersonality: the lack or absenee of a personal or human character; the quality or state of not involvi

40、ng pers onal feeli ngs or the emoti ons aggressiveimplies a bold and en ergetic pursuit of one© en ds, connoting, in derogatory usage, a ruthless desire to dominate and, in a favorable sense, enterprise, initiative, etc.code any set of prin ciples or rules of con duct; a moral code well-bred: o

41、f good upbri nging; well-ma nn ered and refinedThe booming -competitive age After WWI, America became a highly industrialized country. There were big successful factories operati ng everywhere. Busin ess becamehuge corporati ons devoid of any huma n feeli ngs and the ruthless desire to domin ate was

42、 exercised on a large scale. In this new atmosphere, the prin ciples of polite, courteous and con siderate behaviour and con duct that were formed in a quieter and less competitive age (before WWI) could no Ion ger exist.medium: en vir onmentto battle for successmetaphor, they had to fight as in a b

43、attle in order to become successful War or no war for success With or without a war, as one generation followed another, the young people found it increasingly difficult to accept standards of behaviour that seemed in no way to be related to the no isy, busy world of bus in ess, and it was in this b

44、ustl ing bus in ess world that they were expected to become successfulcatalytic agent a person or thing acting as the stimulus in bringing about or hastening a result agent an active force or substa nee produci ng an effect; a chemical age nt breakdown n.: the act or process of faili ng to function/

45、con ti nueThe war acted social structure The war only helped to speed up the breakdow n of the Victoria n social structure. It? a metaphor, the war being compared to a catalytic age nt precipitate v.: to throw from or as if from a great height; to cause to happe n, esp. sudde nly/prematurely by prec

46、ipitating violent energies by throwing our young people suddenly and unexpectedly into a World War, which was a form of mass murder, we released the viole nt en ergies which the young people has so far held in check or repressed obsolescena dj.: being in the process of pass ing out of use or usefu I

47、n ess which, after the shooting society whe n the war was over, the young people used their n ewly released violent energies, both in Europe and America, to destroy the l9 century society that was getting old and beco ming un acceptableP 4: challenge anything, as a demanding task, that calls for spe

48、cial effort or dedication mores: customs, esp. the fixed or traditional customs of a society, often acquiring the force of law Thusto date: Thus in a world where everything was changing, our young people had to take up the demanding task of reforming our traditional social customs in order to keep u

49、p with this changing world. tempt v.: to try to get (sb.) to do wrong, esp. by a promise of reward air: an outward appeara nee; gen eral impressi on or feeli ng give n by sth.naughty adj.: in dece nt; improper sophistication the state of being artificial, worldly-wise, urbane etc pose a way of behav

50、 ing or speak ing that is assumed for effect; prete nse Bohemian: a pers on, esp. an artist, poet, etc, who lives in an unconven ti on al, nonconforming way; hav ing or displayi ng a very in formal and unconven ti onal way of lifeit was temptedimmorality: in America at least, the young people were s

51、trongly inclined to shirk their responsibilities. They pretended to be worldly-wise, drinking and behaving naughtily. They pretended to live like unconventional artists or poets, breaking the moral code of the community.faddishness the follow ing of fadsnovelty n.: the quality of being no vel; newn

52、ess hectic adj.: characterized by intense activity, con fusi on, or haste perversion n.: a sexual practice/act con sidered abno rmal or devia ntpattern: a regular, mai nly unvarying way of act ing or doing; behaviour patter nsThe faddishness，pattern of escape The young people did many of the followi

53、ng foolish and wild things in their attempt to escape their responsibilities. They went in for all kinds of fads, spent money freely on transitory pleasures and momentary novelties. They pretended to be wildly gay and experimented with all kinds of sensations, including those produced by sex, drugs,

54、 alcohol and perversi ons.fatigue n.: physical or men tal weari ness result ing from exerti onan escaperesponsibilitiesthe young people could do all these things in their attempt to escape their resp on sibilities because after the WWI there was gen eral prosperity in the country and people were tir

55、ed of politics, economic restrictions and international responsibilities.Prohibition: the forbidding by law of the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic liquors for beverage purposes; specifically in the U. S., the period (1920-1933) of prohibition by Federal law Prohibition，illicit: Th

56、e young people found greater pleasure in their drinking because Prohibition, by making drinking uni awful added a sense of adve nture.much publicized reported ofte n and widely in n ewspapers and magaz ines orgy: any wild, riotous, lice ntious merrymak ing; debauchery 放荡 manifeston.: a public declar

57、ation of principles, policies, or intentions, esp. of a political nature Greenwich Village secti on of New York City, on the lower west side of Man hatta n, no ted as a cen ter for artists, writers etc, it is formerly a village the much-publicized escapism the much publicized wild and riotous life o

58、f the intellectuals in Greenwich Village and their defiant open declarations of their motives and intentions provided the young people with a philosophy that could justify their escapism spree n.: overi ndulge nee in an activityAnd like ran out: And like most wild, riotous lives led by the escapist,

59、 this one also en ded whe n the escapists didnft have any more money to spe nd.crash n.: a sudde n econo mic or fiscal failuresober up cause sb. to become soberthe crash to sober up a metaphor, comparing the wild, riotous living of the escapists to a party and the escapists to drunken revelers. The Great Economic Depression which started in the U. S. in 1929 brought the young escapists back to their sen ses and stopped the wild, riotous lives they were liv ing.P 5: the stalemate of 1915-1916 this refers to th