why do we study english literature.ppt

1、Survey of American Literature,Introduction By Li Xiaohai,Why and what do we study English literature? What is Literature? Introduction to western literature Introduction to American literature,Why do we study English literature?,What do we study in English literature?,Literature,In wide sense, liter

2、ature is just about anything written; In narrow sense, Literature, as Robert Frost says, is a performance in words. It is the work of men who are specially sensitive to the language of their time and who use the skill of language to make permanent their vision of life.,Language is the basic mode whi

3、le literature is the advance mode . i.e. words are the language and phrases are the literature. Language is a method of communication; literature can be the content being communicated. Language is a set of gestures and words and phrases with meaning behind them, and literature is the manipulation an

4、d use of those gestures and words and phrases.,Genre of literature,Fiction (not factual) Drama , poetry, short story, novel ( Fable , Fairy Tale , Fantasy(科幻小说) Fiction Verse , Folklore , Historical Fiction , Legend(传奇） Mythology ，Science Fiction， Nonfiction (factual)(非小说的散文文学） Biography/Autobiograp

5、hy, Essay, Speech, letter, documentaries, histories,Why and what will we Study English Literature?,1.its beneficial for English language learning 2.we can learn empathy, empathy is what keep us human we learn how to truly engage in our lives in meaningful ways. Think critically about the world aroun

6、d us 3.How to express our ideas by language,So you see, time periods may change, but poeple and society basically stay the same. The same themes that were present in the past, are still true today, and will remain in the future.,Introduction to western civilization,1. Earliest Civilizations 2. Earli

7、est Philosophy ,Religions and literature 3. Brief Introduction to American literature,The Earliest Civilizations,The Mediterranean Civilizations 1. Mesopotami 3500B.C. the land between Tigris ,Euphrates rivers) cuneiform,楔形文字的Home of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria Decline in Mongol invading 2.

8、Egyptian civilization 3100 B.C. Hieroglyphic象形文字writing, 3.Greek civilization，2200B.C.Minoan弥诺斯, Crete克利特about 750 B.C. writing. 4.Hebrew civilization, roughly 1900 and 1500 B.C. Mesopotamia-Syria, move to Egypt， Old Testament,The language families,Afro-AsiaticSemitic 非亚闪族语系（Arabic),Indo-european印欧语

9、系,Sino-Tibetan 汉藏语系,You will notice just how little influence Asiatic culture has on the rest of the world. Interesting how western civilization is the most dominant.,Classical Greek literature,1.preclassical (8th to 6th BC) Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Hesiod赫西奥德. two surviving works Works and

10、 Days and Theogony神谱 2.classcal(5th to 4th BC) tragedies : Aeschylus(埃斯库罗斯), Sophocles(索福克勒斯), and Euripides(欧里屁德斯).Oedipus the king, Elektra, Medea, and Helen Comedy:Like tragedy, the comedy arose from a ritual in honor of Dionysus AristophanesFrogs, Clouds, Wasps and Birds. philosopher, Socrates P

11、lato,Republic Aristotle.poetics 3.Hellenistic period (330 to 146 BC) 2nd th The translation of the Old Testament into Greek. 72 scholars translated the book.,Prometheus Bound,Oedipus the King,Medea A princess and sorceress of Colchis who helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece, lived as his consort, a

12、nd killed their children as revenge for his infidelity.,Roman Culture,1.time: Alexander 146B.C. Roman conquest of Greece-476 A.D. the last emperor was deposed by the Goths(哥特人)End of the roman empire 2. Roman culture imitation of Geek culture. lot in common with Greeks, same traditions, similar reli

13、gion, myths and fused myths, Latin language 3.Religon 98-117: the Great emperor conquered almost Europe Christianity state religion 313 A.D The New Testament,Gospels (福音书）and the Epistles （门徒书）of Saint Paul（保罗）,The Middle Ages,1.time:5th-15th the Fall of Rome in the fifth century - the Renaissance.

14、2. feudalism, Religion was one of the most important influences in the middle ages.The government of Rome disappeared. It was replaced by thousands of small, regional governments wherein the local lord was in charge and held all the power. This new system is known as feudalism. The early Middle Ages

15、 the Dark Ages. the Inquisition宗教裁判所 3.later years,human achievements.,Medieval literature,1.Language : Latin language and vulgar vernacular language(本土语） 2. literature 2.1Christian church , (Theology神学） Poem:Dies Irae最后审判日Stabat Mater圣母悼歌 Mystery plays神秘剧,2.2.Knighthood and chivalry literature (骑士文

16、学） protect the weak, to fight for the church, to be loyal, to respect women of noble birth. Arthur and his knights of the round table, Robin hood Beowulf Nibelungenlied尼白龙根之歌 The Song of Roland 罗兰之歌 Macro Polo travelogue马克泼罗游记 Dante（但丁）： The Divine Comedy 神曲 Vernacular 3. literary device Allegory(寓言

17、）Much of medieval literature relied on allegory to convey the morals the author had in mind,Discovery of the new world,Columbus哥伦布 August 3, 1492,Amerigo Vespuccis Brazil 1501,Vespucci and Columbus sailed for Spain and Portugal at different times.,COLOMBUS DISCOVERED THE NEW LAND,Cultural pluralism

18、文化多样性,Introduction to American literature,1. Literature in Colonial period(1607-1765) Puritanism, Puritan Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) and Benjamin Franklin (1706-1990) 2. Literature in Enlightenment(1765-end of 18th) Great Awakening 3. Romanticism (1800-1865) 4. Realism (1865end of civil war- 1918

19、end of world war1) 5. Modernism (1918-1945) 6. Contemporary literature现代文学(1945-21th),The Original People in the Land,12, 000 , Asian hunters the Maya玛雅人and the Aztec阿芝台克人empires. oral tradition. as speech, chant, and song. 350 languages Today, two million of their descendants 200 languages are stil

20、l in use. Earth-Diver story. Trickster Tales,American literature begins with the orally transmitted myths, legends, tales, and lyrics (always songs) of Indian cultures. As a result, Native American oral literature is quite diverse。Tribes maintained their own religions - worshipping gods, animals, pl

21、ants, or sacred persons. Systems of government ranged from democracies to councils of elders to theocracies.,Colonial period,1) In 1542, Christopher Columbus found the new continent called America. 2) In 1607, Captain John Smith led some Englishmen across the ocean. 3) In 1620, 102 passengers sailed

22、 on the ship Mayflower across the sea and settled on the new continent “New England”.,2. People: native inhabitants: Indians Immigrants mostly from Europe: Spanish; Dutch; French English immigrants, Jamestown, Virginia, 1607,Puritans,a group of religious people,literature in colonial period 1607 176

23、5,1.Literary Contents: diaries, letters, travel journals, ships logs, and reports , self-examination; sermons in religious purification; the hardships the earlier settlers faced; innovations. 2.Literary Style: plain language; English stylistic models.,Jamestown 1st colony- 1765 stamp act,Protestant(

24、新教徒)and Catholic(天主教),Protestant: on the principles of the Protestant Reformation, acceptance of the Bible as the sole source of revelation. adhering to the theologies of Luther, Calvin, Catholic: Catholic meaning whole or complete. For Roman Catholics, the term Catholic Church refers to the Church,

25、 both Western and Eastern Trinity Theology The union of three divine persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one God.Also called Trine Trinity 【神学】 三位一体：三个分开的人合为一体圣父、圣子、圣神合成一神也作,Christian and its branchs,Catholic(天主教） Christian Lutheranism(1517) Protestant (新教) Calvinism (1533) English Puritia

26、nism(1558) Puritianism American puritianism(1607,1620),Puritan and Puritanism,1. Background:(16th-17th) 1.1purify , persecution; 1.2 build a new world The puritan dreamed of living under a perfect order and worked with indomitable不屈不挠的courage and confident hope to build a new garden of Eden in Ameri

27、ca. 2 Puritan Protestant新教reformers ; Elizabeths religious settlements; to purify their religion; moved to New England, a religious-political-cultural system reflecting Puritan beliefs. 2. Puritanism Pious,predestination宿命论, fate, working hard, indomitable,unconquerable, they opposed pleasure 3. The

28、 influence of the Puritanism,Although individual Puritans could not know, in strict theological terms, whether they were saved and among the elect who would go to heaven, Puritans tended to feel that earthly success was a sign of election. Wealth and status were sought not only for themselves, but a

29、s welcome reassurances of spiritual health and promises of eternal life.,Moreover, the concept of stewardship encouraged success. The Puritans interpreted all things and events as symbols with deeper spiritual meanings, and felt that in advancing their own profit and their communitys well-being, the

30、y were also furthering Gods plans. They did not draw lines of distinction between the secular and religious spheres: All of life was an expression of the divine will.,Historical Background,3. Belief-Puritanism Puritans wanted to “purify the church” to its original state, because they thought the chu

31、rch was corrupted and had too many rituals (宗教)仪式, 礼节,a code of values a philosophy of life a point of view,Calvinists,took roots in the New World,Doctrines of Puritans,taking religion as the most important thing; living for glorifying God; believing predestination（命运天定）, original sin total depravit

32、y(人类是完全堕落的，所以人要处处小心自己的行为，要尽可能做到最好以取悦上帝), limited atonement (有限救赎，被上帝选中的人才能得到上帝的拯救),American Puritanism,Features of American Puritan,idealist,dream,they would build the new land to an Eden on earth.,more practical, tougher吃苦耐劳的,the severe conditions,struggle for survival,preoccupied with business and

33、 profits,American Puritanism,Enduring shaping influence on literature Basis of American literature,went into the making of American literature,dreamed of living under a perfect order worked with courage hoped to build an Eden of Garden on earth faced the worst of life with optimism,American Puritani

34、sm,Contributing to the development of Symbolism（象征主义）: a technique, widely used,Puritans thought that all the simple objects existing in the world connoted deep meaning.,Symbolism means using symbols in literary works. The symbol means something that represents or stands for abstract deep meaning.,A

35、merican Puritanism,Influencing the style of literature: simple, fresh and direct (just as the style of the Authorized Version of Holy Bible),Time:,1607,the Independence War,the settlement of North America,1783,Major topic:,American Puritanism,Colonial period and Revolutionary period,Colonial period

36、and Revolutionary period,Benjamin Franklin,Jonathan Edwards,Benjamin Franklin,1. Calvinist background. 1706 a poor candle- makers family“ 2.very young, apprentice学徒, printer; 16, to publish essays under the pseudonym, 17 , Philadelphia, make his own fortune. Poor Richards Almanac. 3. Jack of all tra

37、des First self made man Fish and visitors stink in three days and Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise to write the Declaration of Independence. He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States,The Autobiography 1. First of all, a

38、Puritan Document. self-examination反省, 自省 self-improvement.自我改善, self-analysis. predestination宿命论, Puritans and Calvinists加尔文教徒constantly examined their conscience良心to ascertain确定for themselves how much more they should do to ensure salvation. 2. Declaration of Enlightenment Man is good and free by n

39、ature; rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. a man trying to be of value to mankind; the new world of America was a land of opportunities which might be met through hard work and wise management, self-reliance自立，, the book celebrates, the fulfillment of the American dream,it is the pattern

40、 of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision 简洁. the plainness of its style, the homeliness朴素of imagery, the simplicity of diction, syntax, and expression.,The features of the style of Autobiography,Romanticism,Time:,1783,the Civil War,the Independence War,1861,American ideal of democracy Dutch

41、; French English immigrants, Jamestown, Virginia, 1607,Puritans,a group of religious people,advocated religious living for glorifying God; believing predestination（命运天定）, original sin(原罪，人生下来就是有罪的，因为人类的祖先亚当和夏娃是有罪的), total depravity(人类是完全堕落的，所以人要处处小心自己的行为，要尽可能做到最好以取悦上帝), limited atonement (有限救赎，只有被上帝

42、选中的人才能得到上帝的拯救),American Puritanism,Features of American Puritan,idealist,dream,they would build the new land to an Eden on earth.,more practical, tougher(hard laborious),the severe conditions,struggle for survival,preoccupied with business and profits,American Puritanism,Enduring shaping influence o

43、n literature Basis of American literature,went into the making of American literature,dreamed of living under a perfect order worked with courage hoped to build an Eden of Garden on earth faced the worst of life with optimism,All literature is based on a myth garden of Eden.,American Puritanism,Cont

44、ributing to the development of Symbolism,Puritans thought that all the simple objects existing in the world connoted deep meaning.,Symbolism means using symbols in literary works. The symbol means something that represents or stands for abstract deep meaning.,American Puritanism,Influencing the style of literature: simple, fresh and direct (just as the style of the Authorized Version of Holy Bible),Without understanding of Puritanism, there can be no good understanding of American culture and literature.,Brief Outline of American Lite