美国文学选读复习资料总结

1、 1. Puritans: is English protestant, one division of Protestant (one division of Christianity, appeared in the 16th c, against the ruling Roman Catholic. In England, there were many divisions in protestant, for instance, Quakers, Baptism, 震颤派，喧嚣派). They regarded the reformation of the Church under E

2、lizabeth as inplete, and called for its further “purification” from what they considered to be unscriptural and corrupt forms and ceremonies retained from the unreformed church. They objected, for instance, to the wearing of the surplice and to government by the prelates, and they demanded the right

3、 to partake of the munion in a sitting posture. Their Millenary Petition (1603) requested a reform of the church courts, a doing away with “superstitious” customs, a discarding of the use of apocryphal books of the Bible, a serious observance of the Sabbath, and various ecclesiastical reforms. The 1

4、7th century American Puritans included two parts: one part of them were the creators of the Plymouth colony, called “Separatists”. They were so suppressed by the church of England that they sought escape. Those Separatists first went into exile to Holland, then were aboard “Mayflower” in 1620 and se

5、ttled down in Plymouth. America, therefore, as an infant was born. They considered that the Church of England had bee hopeless and advocated to separate from it since general reform would be useless. The other part was the Englishmen in the Massachusettes Bay Colony. Though they came later than thos

6、e of Plymouth colony, they were richer and better-educated. They devoted themselves to the reform of the Church of England and meant to clear away the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church in it. In reality, only this part of them were true Puritans. They accepted the doctrine of original sin and tot

7、al depravity, and predestination, and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from God. The main doctrine of Calvinism Puritans believed in was first shown in “total depravity”. They believed in the “original sin” in which Adam the first man God created sinned and which led to the conc

8、lusion that “in Adams fall, we sinned all.” They considered that man was born sinful, was a sinner and could not redeem his original sinfulness. Moreover, they could not save themselves. Secondly Puritans underscored that man would be chosen by God unconditionally. They thought that God occupied a d

9、ominant position. He could save a part of people willfully, made them rise to the Heaven after death, and could also destroy some other part of people wantonly, made fall into the hell after death. Therefore, determinism took firm root in their minds. They believed in mans destiny, everything of man

10、 was disposed in the hands of God, only God knew who were “chosen people” after they died. Man himself was predestined and could not master his own destiny. They thought that God willfully granted people the favor that man could neither strive to gain, nor refuse to accept. The obtaining of the Gods

11、 special kindness or Gods providence for him meant his “rebirth” or “being sainted.” In this sense, they strived to be saints while they were still alive. Man did not know whether they could be Gods chosen people, but should live a saint-like life at ordinary times according to Gods will. The Holy B

12、ible was the guidebook to mans behaviors. In New England where Puritanism was popular, ones life was only the course of moral training and that of his struggle between God and devils. People had an austere and rigid way of life governed by the church. Therefore, clergymen were the dominant authoriti

13、es. Puritans tended to suspect joy and laughter as symptoms of sin: they didnt dance, did not go to theatre, but sang chant in church and listened to the music. However, they allowed drinking, smoking and putting on beautiful clothes. Puritanism encouraged people to struggle in their careers. If one

14、s business was booming, it proved that he had gained Gods providence.They held extreme opinions. They regarded themselves as “chosen people” of God. Those who challenged their way of life were opposing Gods will. They were zealous in defense of their own beliefs, intolerant of others. They drove out

15、 or persecuted those whose opinions seemed dangerous to them. They embraced hardships, industry and frugality. They favored a disciplined, hard, somber, ascetic, harsh life. They opposed pleasure and arts. They suspect joy and laughter as symptoms of sin. They made laws about private morality as wel

16、l as public behavior. They emphasized a wrathful God and to forget His mercy. They were much concerned with authority than with democracy.2. Puritanism: a religious and political movement that developed in England about the middle of the 16th century and later spread influence into the New England i

17、n America. Puritanism was a logical aftermath of the Renaissance, the Reformation, the establishment of the church of England, and the growth of Presbyterianism. Through these movements, one sees emerging the right of the individual to political and religious independence. Across the pages of Americ

18、an literature Puritanism is written large. It may almost be considered the ethical mode of American thought. As an extreme form of the Protestant sensibility, Puritanism exaggerated those protestant traits-especially industry, frugality, hardships. They favored a disciplined, hard, somber, ascetic,

19、harsh life. All these, according to Max Weber and other analysts of social history contributed to the rise of capitalism.3. Enlightenment Movement: In 18th century, there was a dramatic change in the minds of Europeans, before the bourgeois revolution broke out. Inspired by the development of scienc

20、e, philosophers hoped to apply reason to all aspects of social and political life-government, law, economics, religion and education. This period therefore, came to be called the Age of Reason or the Enlightenment. It began with some key ideas that were put forth in the 17th century by English polit

21、ical thinkers such as: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke. According to Locke, the purpose of government is to protect what he called the “natural rights” of its citizens. All people, said Locke, are born free and equal, with a right to life, liberty and property. Another natural right he believed, was “the

22、pursuit of happiness”, the individuals private rights and choices. If a government fails to protect the rights of its citizens, the leaders of the government have “put themselves into a state of war with the people”. The people have the right or duty to overthrow that government and established a be

23、tter one. government derives its power from the consent of the people. (foundation of modern democracy) Enlightenment philosophers held that powerful government is indispensable, as a device for progress. They strongly argued for the education of mon people, questioned religious authority. They advo

24、cated free and independent thought. Enlightenment: a philosophical and intellectual movement of the18th century, it advocated reason or rationality, the scientific method, equality and human beings ability to perfect themselves and their society. The movement brought about a revival of interest in t

25、he old classical works. It was also the outgrowth of a number of 17th c intellectual attainments and currents: the discoveries of Sir Issac Newton, the rationalism of Descartes and Pierre Bayle, and the empiricism of Francis Bacon and John Locke. Enlightenment philosophers made a critical examinatio

26、n of previously accepted institutions and beliefs from the viewpoint of reason and with a confident faith in natural laws and universal order. They agreed on faith in human rationality and existence of discoverable and universally valid principles governing human beings, nature and society. They opp

27、osed intolerance, restraint, spiritual authority, and revealed religion. England Enlighteners: Addison, Steele, Swift, Pope, Edward Gibbon, Hume Adam Smith, Jereny Bentham. American enlighteners: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson. Enlightenment gave philosophical shape to American re

28、volution and two basic documents of the USA: The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. In the 18th century, the Enlightenment centered in France. (Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau) its influence was so powerful that it could be felt in the new-born British colonies in America. Pe

29、ople opposed the old colonial order (fail to give freedom) and religious obscurantism(fail to provide education), and favoredthe education and freedom of thoughts. American enlightenment first severely attacked the puritan traditions which opposed pleasure and arts, enforced the uniform and rigid so

30、mber, ascetic life, and persecuted those who held different ideas. They longed to seek pleasure through ones hard work. So at that time, books on enlightenment were widely read. The demand for education and reading greatly rose. The colonial men of letters must work hard to meet the requirement. Alm

31、ost all the great writers at that time were influenced or inspired by the enlightenment campaign. Their works sparkled with its spirits. The representative was Benjamin Franklin.4. Neoclassicism: a type of classicism which draws its name form its finding in classical literature of ancient Greek and

32、Roman writers and in contemporary French neoclassical writings the models for its literary expressions and a group of attitudes toward life and art. It dominated English literature in the restoration age and in the 18th century. Neoclassic ideals had concrete effects on literature. The neoclassicist

33、s believed that the artistic ideals should be order, logic, restrained emotion and accuracy. They followed some fixed laws and rules. Poetry should by lyrical, epical, didactic, satiric or dramatic. Prose should be precise, direct, smooth and flexible. Drama should be written in heroic couplet; the

34、three unities of time, space and action should be strictly observed.5. Deism: deistic beliefs, a religion. Its followers believe in God who rules the world by established laws but not in the divinity of Christ or the inspiration of the Bible. It is a “Natural” religion, based on reason and a study o

35、f nature opposed to “revealed” religion. It developed a rationalistic ideology that more and more tended to rely on reason instead of revelation in the consideration of the relation of human beings to God and the universe.When rationalism was applied to theology, it led to the appearance of Deism. D

36、eist held that first only one God was worth worshipping, secondly man could keep making progress by making use of his own moral sense and of his own intelligence and wisdom, thirdly man should love truth and do good; fourthly education and science was an important means to create mans happiness; fif

37、thly the freedom of citizens speech, action, and faith embodied mans basic benefits; and lastly to serve God best was to do good for the mankind.6. Poetry is an art of transforming an intensely personal moment /experience /emotion (subjective, inward) into an impersonal and municable image (objectiv

38、e, outward) through language, with a certain form and context, line-length, rhyme-scheme, regular meter.A poem is a verbal device that would preserve an experience indefinitely by reproducing it in whoever read the poem. (Philip Larkin)诗歌强调拟物寄情，把凝结在大众可普遍接受的客观世界的物上，找到一种情和外露，个人体验与大众审美都能兼顾，相结合的一种途径、方法。

39、Concentration and intensity are two of the qualities that distinguish the poetic treatment of a subject from its treatment on prose.Poetry is characterized by the following elements: a musical effect created by rhythm and sounds, a precise and fresh imagery, and multiple levels of interpretation sug

40、gested by the connotation of the closer words and allusions. (the ultimate aim of a poet, is to integrate all of these elements in order to produce a verbal statement in which everything form overall shape to individual word-choice is organically related in the most precise way possible.)Imagery is

41、the use of descriptive language to re-create sensory experiences. An image is a verbal picture of an object, action, abstract idea, or sensation. It is often created by using figures of speech. There are ways making an idea or picture e closer into focus by relating the idea or experience to another

42、 that may be more familiar to the reader.Tone is inferred by the reader through the word choice, the connotation of those words, the verse form, the rhyme, the figurative language and the allusions.7. Romanticism had appeared in England in the last years of the eighteenth century. It spread to conti

43、nental Europe and then came to America early in the nineteenth century. It came into being as a reaction against the prevailing neoclassical spirit and rationalism during the Age of Reason. Romanticism opposed neoclassicism which underlined formality, order, and authority, (rebellious in spirit)and

44、stressed imagination and passion and individuality. It was pluralistic; its manifestations were as varied, as individualistic, and as conflicting as the cultures and the intellects from which it sprang. Yet romantics frequently shared certain general characteristics: 1.moral enthusiasm, 2. faith in

45、the value of individualism and intuitive perception, and 3 a presumption that the natural world was a source of goodness and mans societies a source of corruption. (It stressed the pursuit of freedom, individualism, a reliance upon the good of nature and “natural” man and an abiding faith in the bou

46、ndless resources of the human spirit and imagination.) 1. stress emotion, passion, imagination and fancy, rich in mystic color, deal with moral theme. 2.It exalted the individualism and encouraged people to fight for individual right and human happiness bravely. It displays personalities, expresses

47、feelings and thoughts of mon people. It stresses mans ability to master the world by ones conscience or intuition. They believed that human nature was of good-will. One form of it is transcendentalism. 3. The romantic showed a profound admiration and love for nature, the beauty and perfection of nat

48、ure could produce in him an unspeakable joy and exaltation; the romantic believed that he was the chosen and favored creature in nature, hence he was free in using his talent to eulogize nature. Nature is symbolized in literary works, marked by mens subjective mood. (Transcendentalism)The literary w

49、orks of romanticism mostly reflected the fantastic and thrilling stories taking place “long ago” and “far away” as an escape from the civilized society, and were rich in mystic color. The romantic also had a persistent interest in the primitive literature, such as epics, ballads, and other forms of

50、folk literature, in which he found inspiration of various kinds. Its progress was shown by singing the ordinary person, propagating democratic thinking and humanitarianism, and advocating to love everything in nature and to live a simple life near to nature. 8. Transcendentalism: Following the rise

51、of romanticism, Transcendentalism, which appeared after 1830, marked the maturity of American romanticism and the first renaissance in the American literary history. the term “transcendentalism” was derived from the Latin verb transcendere, meaning to rise above, or to pass beyond the limits. In a g

52、eneral sense it may be used in English to refer to any philosophy which teaches the transcendent nature of ultimate reality. Transcendentalism was a romantic idealism, or philosophical romanticism. It may also be regarded as a considerable-scale ideological and cultural revolution after American peo

53、ple struggled to get free from the English colonial rule. Rise of Transcendentalism :New England Transcendentalism was a system of thought that found expression in many forms. It was the product of a bination of foreign influence (Transcendentalism based on the doctrines of ancient and modern Europe

54、an philosophers, particularly Immanuel Kant, took their ideas from the romantic literatures of Europe, from neo-Platonism, from German idealistic philosophy and revelation of Oriental mysticism) and American native Puritan tradition. (1)There was the effect of oriental thought on the western world.

55、English translation of the Hindoo Epic Harivansa and Chinese ancient philosophers such as Confucius and Mencius began to appear and to be read. The major American authors of this time were almost all acquainted with those oriental works. (2) Since American transcendentalists were unhappy about the m

56、aterialistic-oriented life of their time after Americans won their independence from Britain. They turned to the Puritan principle of self-culture and self-improvement as best exemplified by the success story of Americas first self-made man, Benjamin Franklin. Transcendentalism is a philosophical an

57、d literary movement. It exalted feeling over reason, individual expression over the restraints of law and custom. It expressed a new outlook or new ideas on life. It believed individualism, human beings divinity, nature, spiritual life, dignity of manual labor, self-trust/ self-reliance, democracy.(

58、1) They laid emphasis on spirit or Oversoul. “The Universe is posed of Nature and Soul.” “Spirit is present everywhere.It had a considerable influence on the consciousness of man. They believed in transcendence of the “Over soul”, an all-pervading power for goodness from which all things e and of wh

59、ich all things are a part. (2) It placed emphasis on the importance of the individualthe most important element in the society, since society was posed of individuals and its development relied on the regeneration of the individuals. Thus, the individuals perfection, his self-culture and self-improvement, not meaning the frenzied effort to get rich, and his self-reliance were of the first importance, since the soul of the individual muned with the Oversoul (God) and was therefo