美国文学TheodoreDreiser的教案

美国文学TheodoreDreiser的教案第1页/共35页4/23/20232IntroductionTheodoreHermanAlbertDreiser(August27,1871–December28,1945)wasanAmericannovelistandjournalistofthenaturalistschool.第2页/共35页4/23/2023TheoutstandingAmericanpractitionerofnaturalism.HewastheleadingfigureinanationalliterarymovementthatreplacedtheobservanceofVictoriannotionsofproprietywiththeunflinchingpresentationofreal-lifesubjectmatter.第3页/共35页BiographyDreiserwasborninTerreHaute,Indiana,toSarahandJohnPaulDreiser,astrictCatholicfamily.JohnPaulDreiserwasaGermanimmigrantfromMayenintheEifelregion,andSarahwasfromtheMennonitefarmingnearDayton,Ohio;shewasdisownedformarryingJohnandconvertingtoRomanCatholicism.Theodorewasthetwelfthofthirteenchildren(theninthofthetensurviving).ThepopularsongwriterPaulDresser(1857–1906)washisolderbrother.第4页/共35页From1889to1890,TheodoreattendedIndianaUniversitybeforedroppingout..Withinseveralyears,hewaswritingfortheChicagoGlobenewspaperandthentheSt.LouisGlobe-Democrat.HewroteseveralarticlesonwriterssuchasNathanielHawthorne,WilliamDeanHowells,JohnBurroughs,andinterviewedpublicfiguressuchasAndrewCarnegie,MarshallField,ThomasEdison,andTheodoreThomas.第5页/共35页

Afterproposingin1893,hemarriedSaraWhiteonDecember28,1898.Theyultimatelyseparatedin1909,partlyasaresultofDreiser'sinfatuationwithThelmaCudlipp,theteenagedaughterofaworkcolleague,butwereneverformallydivorced.

In1919DreisermethiscousinHelenRichardsonwithwhomhebegananaffairwithsado-masochisticelements.TheyeventuallymarriedonJune13,1944第6页/共35页LiterarycareerHisfirstnovel,SisterCarrie,publishedin1900,tellsthestoryofawomanwhofleeshercountrylifeforthecity(Chicago)andtherelivesalifefarfromaVictorianideal.Itsoldpoorlyandwasnotwidelypromotedlargelybecauseofmoralobjectionstothedepictionofacountrygirlwhopursuesherdreamsoffameandfortunethroughrelationshipstomen.Thebookhassinceacquiredaconsiderablereputation.Ithasbeencalledthe"greatestofallAmericanurbannovels."(Itwasmadeintoa1952filmbyWilliamWyler,whichstarredLaurenceOlivierandJenniferJones.)第7页/共35页Hewitnessedalynchingin1893andwrotetheshortstory,NiggerJeff,whichappearedinAinslee'sMagazinein1901.Hissecondnovel,JennieGerhardt,waspublishedin1911.HisfirstcommercialsuccesswasAnAmericanTragedy,publishedin1925,whichwasmadeintoafilmin1931andagainin1951(asAPlaceintheSun).第8页/共35页Thoughprimarilyknownasanovelist,Dreiserpublishedhisfirstcollectionofshortstories,FreeandOtherStoriesin1918.Thecollectioncontained11stories.Anotherstory,"MyBrotherPaul",wasabriefbiographyofhisolderbrother,PaulDresser,whowasafamoussongwriterinthe1890s.Thisstorywasthebasisforthe1942romanticmovie,"MyGalSal".OtherworksincludeTrilogyofDesire,whichwasbasedonthelifeoftheChicagostreetcartycoonCharlesTysonYerkesandcomposedofTheFinancier(1912),TheTitan(1914),andTheStoic.Thelastwaspublishedposthumouslyin1947.Dreiserwasoftenforcedtobattleagainstcensorshipbecauseofhisdepictionofsomeaspectsoflife,suchassexualpromiscuity,offendedauthoritiesandpopularopinion.第9页/共35页4/23/202310Novelssistercarrie,JennieGerhardt,TheFinancier,TheTitan,TheGenius,AnAmericanTragedy,TheBulwark,TheStoicShortstorycollectionsFreeandOtherSrories,TwelveMenChains,LesserNovelsandStories,AGalleyofWomenPlayPlaysoftheNaturalandSupernatural,TheHandoftheRotterCollectionsofpoemsMoodsAutoblographyATravelleratForty,AHoosierHoliday,ABookAboutMyself,Dawn,AnAmateurLaborerCollectionsofassaysHeyRub-a-Dub-Dub:AbookoftheMysteryandWonderandTerrorofLife,ThecolorofaGreatCity,DreiserLooksatRussia,TragicAmerica,AmericaIsWorthSaving,NotesonLifeWorksbyTheodorDreiser第10页/共35页PoliticalcommitmentPolitically,Dreiserwasinvolvedinseveralcampaignsagainstsocialinjustice.ThisincludedthelynchingofFrankLittle,oneoftheleadersoftheIndustrialWorkersoftheWorld,theSaccoandVanzetticase,thedeportationofEmmaGoldman,andtheconvictionofthetradeunionleaderTomMooney.InNovember1931,DreiserledtheNationalCommitteefortheDefenseofPoliticalPrisoners(NCDPP)tothecoalfieldsofsoutheasternKentucky,wheretheytooktestimonyfromcoalminersinPinevilleandHarlanontheviolenceagainsttheminersandtheirunionsbythecoaloperators第11页/共35页Dreiserwasacommittedsocialist,andwroteseveralnon-fictionbooksonpoliticalissues.TheseincludedDreiserLooksatRussia(1928),theresultofhis1927triptotheSovietUnion,andtwobookspresentingacriticalperspectiveoncapitalistAmerica,TragicAmerica(1931)andAmericaIsWorthSaving(1941).第12页/共35页HisvisionofcapitalismandafutureworldorderwithastrongAmericanmilitarydictatecombinedwiththeharshcriticismofthelattermadehimunpopularwithintheofficialcircles.Althoughlesspoliticallyradicalfriends,suchasH.L.Mencken,spokeofDreiser'srelationshipwithcommunismasan"unimportantdetailinhislife,"Dreiser'sbiographerJeromeLovingnotesthathispoliticalactivitiessincetheearly1930shad"clearlybeeninconcertwithostensiblecommunistaimswithregardtotheworkingclass."第13页/共35页AssessmentDreiserhadanenormousinfluenceonthegenerationthatfollowedhis.Inhistribute"Dreiser"fromHorsesandMen(1923),SherwoodAndersonwrites:p.14

Heavy,heavy,thefeetofTheodore.Howeasytopicksomeofhisbookstopieces,tolaughathimforsomuchofhisheavyprose...hefellowsoftheink-pots,theprosewritersinAmericawhofollowDreiser,willhavemuchtodothathehasneverdone.Theirroadislongbut,becauseofhim,thosewhofollowwillneverhavetofacetheroadthroughthewildernessofPuritandenial,theroadthatDreiserfacedalone.第14页/共35页●OneofDreiser'sstrongestchampionsduringhislifetime,H.L.Mencken,declared"thatheisagreatartist,andthatnootherAmericanofhisgenerationleftsowideandhandsomeamarkuponthenationalletters.Americanwriting,beforeandafterhistime,differedalmostasmuchasbiologybeforeandafterDarwin.Hewasamanoflargeoriginality,ofprofoundfeeling,andofunshakablecourage.Allofuswhowritearebetteroffbecausehelived,worked,andhoped."

●Renownedmid-centuryliterarycriticIrvingHowespokeofDreiseras"amongtheAmericangiants,oneoftheveryfewAmericangiantswehavehad."●In2008,theLibraryofAmericaselectedDreiser’sarticle“DreiserSeesErrorinEdwardsDefense”forinclusioninitstwo-centuryretrospectiveofAmericanTrueCrime.第15页/共35页第16页/共35页第17页/共35页Style1.Language:veryawkward，crude/ontheborderingoflineofgrammar2.Seriousintone：neversatiricalorcomic3.NaturalnarrativemethodfreefromarticleHisnarrativeisbasedonquantitiesofmaterialsanddetaileddescriptions第18页/共35页Areflectionofthedissatisfaction,envyanddespairthatafflictedmanypoorandworkingpeopleinAmerican’scompetitive，success-drivensociety.Dreiser'sgreatthemewasthetremendoustensionsthatcanariseamongambition,desire,andsocialmoralAmongotherthemes,hisnovelsexplorethenewsocialproblemsthathadariseninarapidlyindustrializingAmerica.Theme

第19页/共35页NaturalismDefinitionThetermnaturalismdescribesatypeofliteraturethatattemptstoapplyscientificprinciplesofobjectivityanddetachmenttoitsstudyofhumanbeings.Naturalismimpliesaphilosophicalposition:fornaturalisticwriters,sincehumanbeingsare,inEmileZola'sphrase,"humanbeasts,"characterscanbestudiedthroughtheirrelationshipstotheirsurroundings.Zola's1880descriptionofthismethodinLeromanexperimental(TheExperimentalNovel,1880)followsClaudeBernard'smedicalmodelandthehistorianHippolyteTaine'sobservationthat"virtueandviceareproductslikevitriolandsugar"--thatis,thathumanbeingsas"products"shouldbestudiedimpartially,withoutmoralizingabouttheirnatures.

第20页/共35页NaturalismCharacteristicsA.Characters.

Frequentlybutnotinvariablyill-educatedorlower-classcharacterswhoselivesaregovernedbytheforcesofheredity,instinct,andpassion.Theirattemptsatexercisingfreewillorchoicearehamstrungbyforcesbeyondtheircontrol;socialDarwinismandothertheorieshelptoexplaintheirfatestothereader.

B.Setting.

Frequentlyanurbansetting.C.Techniquesandplots.

Walcuttsaysthatthenaturalisticnoveloffers"clinical,panoramic,slice-of-life"dramathatisoftena"chronicleofdespair"第21页/共35页NaturalismThemes1.Walcuttidentifiessurvival,determinism,violence,andtabooaskeythemes.

2.The"brutewithin"eachindividual,composedofstrongandoftenwarringemotions:passions,suchaslust,greed,orthedesirefordominanceorpleasure;andthefightforsurvivalinanamoral,indifferentuniverse.Theconflictinnaturalisticnovelsisoften"managainstnature"or"managainsthimself"ascharactersstruggletoretaina"veneerofcivilization"despiteexternalpressuresthatthreatentoreleasethe"brutewithin."3.Theforcesofheredityandenvironmentastheyaffect--andafflict--individuallives.第22页/共35页NaturalismThemes4.Natureasanindifferentforceactingonthelivesofhumanbeings.5.Anindifferent,deterministicuniverse.Naturalistictextsoftendescribethefutileattemptsofhumanbeingstoexercisefreewill,oftenironicallypresented,inthisuniversethatrevealsfreewillasanillusion.第23页/共35页PLOTDissatisfiedwithlifeinherruralWisconsinhome,18-year-oldCaroline"SisterCarrie"MeebertakesthetraintoChicago,whereheroldersisterMinnie,andherhusbandSvenHanson,haveagreedtotakeherin.Carrietakesajobrunningamachineinashoefactory.Oneday,afteranillnessthatcostsherjob,sheencountersDrouetonastreet.Hepersuadeshertoleavehersisterandmoveinwithhim.

第24页/共35页Drouetinstallsherinamuchlargerapartment,andtheirrelationshipintensifiesasMinniedreamsabouthersister'sfallfrominnocence.BythetimeDrouetintroducesCarrietoGeorgeHurstwood,themanagerofFitzgeraldandMoy's.Hurstwood,becomesinfatuatedwithCarrie’syouthandbeauty,theystartanaffair,communicatingandmeetingsecretlyintheexpanding,anonymouscity.PLOTDrouetdiscovershehasbeencuckolded,CarrielearnsthatHurstwoodismarried,andHurstwood’swife,Julia,learnsfromanacquaintancethatHurstwoodhasbeenoutdrivingwithanotherwoman第25页/共35页anddeliberatelyexcludedherfromtheElkstheatrenight.HurstwoodmollifiesCarriebyagreeingtomarryher,andthecouplemovetoNewYorkCity.InNewYork,HurstwoodandCarrierentaflatwheretheyliveasGeorgeandCarrieWheeler.Hurstwoodbuysaminorityinterestinasaloon,atfirst,isabletoprovideCarriewithasatisfactory.Afteronlyafewyears,thesaloon’slandlordsellsthepropertyandHurstwood’sbusinesspartnerexpresseshisintenttoterminatethe

partnership.PLOT第26页/共35页PLOTCarrieturnstoNewYork’stheatresforemploymentandbecomesachorusgirl.HurstwoodultimatelyjoinsthehomelessofNewYork,takingoddjobs,fallingillwithpneumonia,andfinallybecomingabeggar.第27页/共35页CharactersCarolineMeeber:a.k.a.Carrie,ayoungwomanfromruralWisconsin;theprotagonist.MinnieHansonCarrie'sdoureldersisterwholivesinChicagoandputsheruponarrival.第28页/共35页

SvenHansonMinnie'shusband,ofSwedishextractionandtaciturntemperament.CharlesH.DrouetabuoyanttravelingsalesmanCarriemeetsonthetraintoChicago.GeorgeW.Hurstwoodawell-to-do,sophisticatedmanwhomanagesHannahandHogg'sresort.Characters第29页/共35页Themes

AmericanDreamEachofDreiser’scharactersinSisterCarriesearchfortheirown“AmericanDreams”-theonesofferedbyagrowingandprosperousdemocraticcountry.Carrie,apoorcountrygirl,arrivesinChicago,filledwiththeexpectationsofacquiringthefinerthingsinlife.

ChangeandTransformationCarrieandHurstwoodundergodramaticchangesfromthebeginningofthenoveltotheend.Thoughgradual,theirtransformationscreateimmediaterepercussionsalongtheway.第30页/共35页Themes

ChoicesandConsequencesHurstwoodmakesone