美国文学简答题(自己整理归纳的)

11.AmericanTranscendentalismNewEnglandTranscendentalismwas,inessence,romanticidealismonPuritansoil.Itwasasystemofthoughtthatoriginatedfromthreesources.FirstWilliamElleryChanning(1780---1842)wasanAmericanUnitarianclergyman.HisUnitarianismrepresentedathoughtfulrevoltagainstorthodoxPuritanism.UnitarianismbelievedGodasonebeing,rejectingthedoctrineoftrinity,stressingthetoleranceofdifferenceinreligiousopinion,andgivingeachcongregationthefreecontrolofitsownaffairsanditsindependentauthority.Itlaidthefoundationforthecentraldoctrinesoftranscendentalism.Secondly,theidealisticphilosophyfromFranceandGermanyexertedenormousimpactonAmericanintellectuals.Thirdly,orientalmysticismasrevealedinHinduandChineseclassicsreachedAmericainEnglishtranslations.Asaresult,NewEnglandTranscendentalismblendednativeAmericantraditionwithforeigninfluences.2.AmericanRealismRealismisthetheoryofwritinginwhichfamiliaraspectsofcontemporarylifeandeverydayscenesarerepresentedinastraightforwardormatter-of-factmanner.Thisisthetheorythatauthorstrytouseandguidethemintheirwriting.Itstressestruthfultreatmentofmaterial.Itisanti-romantic,anti-sentimental,andwithoutabstractinterestinnature,death,etc.MarkTwainlaughedatpeoplewhowerecaughtupintheworldofillusions,whowerenotmatureenoughtoseerealsituations.Thisisoneexampleofthetruthfultreatmentofmaterial.3.AmericanRomanticismRomanticismwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Itwasamovementofconsciousrebellionagainstbeingtooobjective.Theromanticspiritwasoneofsubjectivityofinwardfeelingsthatonecouldtrustone’ssubjectiveresponses.Romanticsplacedahighpremiumuponthecreativefunctionofimagination,andsawartasaformulationofintuitiveandimaginativeperceptionsthattendtospeakanoblertruththanthatoffact.4.Whyarenaturalistsinevitablypessimisticintheirview?Pleasediscusstheabovequestioninrelationtothebasicprinciplesofliterarynaturalism.A.TheyacceptthenegativeimplicationofDarwin’stheoryofevolution,andbelievethatsocietyisajunglewheresurvivalstrugglesgoon.B.Theybelievethatman’sinstinct,theenvironmentandothersocialandeconomicforcesplayanoverwhelmingroleandman’sfateisdeterminedbysuchforcesbeyondhiscontrol.5.SomeofHemingway’sheroesareregardedastheHemingwaycodeheroes.Whateverthedifferencesinexperienceandage，theyallhavesomethingincommonWhichHemingwayValues．WhatarethecharacteristicsoftheHemingwayCodehero?6.WhatarethemajorfeaturesofNewEnglandTranscendentalism?7.WhatarethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenWhitmanandDickinson’spoetry?1)Dickinson’spoemsareusuallybasedonherownexperiences,hersorrowsandjoys.ButwithinherlittlelyricsDickinsonaddressesthoseissuesthatconcernthewhole2humanbeings,whichincludereligion,death,immortality,love,andnature.(theme)2)Hermasterpiece-----IheardaFlybuzz---whenIdied,shelookedatdeathfromthepointofviewofboththelivingandthedying.Sheevenimaginedherowndeath,thelossofherownbody,andthejourneyofhersoultotheunknown.3)ThestyleofDickinson:A:Aparticularstresspattern:dash“-------”B:Capitallettersasameansofemphasis;C:Language:brief,direct,andplain;D:Poem:short,alwaysonsingleimageorsymbol(e.g.Iliketoseeitlapthemiles---------describeatraininthepersonificationoftheliterarydevice)E:Herpoemstendtobepersonalandmeditative(e.g.“BecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath”).8.RealityreflectedinrealisticwritingsRealismcameasareactionagainst‘thelie’ofromanticismandsentimentalism.Thebattlebetween‘idealists’and‘realists’providedthemajorissueofAmericanliteraryhistoryaftertheCivilwar(1861-1865).Literaturebegantopaylessattentiontogeneralideasandmoretotheimmediatefactsoflife.Asawayofwriting,realismhasbeenappliedinalmosteveryliteraturethroughouthistory.Butasaliterarymovement,realismisaperiodconceptanditreferstotheapproachofrealistfictionoccurredatthelatterpartofthe19thcentury.Inpart,theriseofrealismcameasaprotestagainstthefalsenessandsentimentalityseeninromanticliterature.Therealistsweredeterminedtocreateanewkindofliteraturethatwascompletelyandtotallyrealistic.MajorFeatures1Realismisthetheoryofwritinginwhichfamiliaraspectsofcontemporarylifeandeverydayscenesarerepresentedinastraightforwardormatter-of-factmanner.Thisisthetheorythatauthorstrytouseintheirwriting.Itstressestruthfultreatmentofmaterial.Itisanti-romantic,anti-sentimental,andwithoutabstractinterestinnature,death,etc.2Inrealistfictioncharactersfromallsociallevelsareexaminedindepth.Therealistwritersholdontocharactersandkeepexamininghowthesepeoplerelatetoeachother.3Openendingisalsoagoodexampleofthetruthfultreatmentofmaterial.4Realismfocusesoncommonnessofthelivesofthecommonpeoplewhoarecustomarilyignoredbythearts.Realistsareinterestedincommonplace,theeveryday,theaverage,thetrivial,andtherepresentative.5Realismemphasizesobjectivityandoffersanobjectiveratherthananidealisticviewofhumannatureandhumanexperience.Therealistwritersaredetachedobserversoflife.Theyarelikescientists,makinganinvestigation.Realismpresentsmoralvisions.Theauthorhasapurposeforpresentinganobjectiveaccountofreallifeinordertoexpresshismoralsense.Realistsareethicalwriters,interestedintheproblemsoftheindividualconscienceinconflictwithsociali