美国文学史及选读(下册)

WhitmanandDickinson---RomanticPoetryWhitmanandDickinson•WhitmanandDickinson•Similarities:BothofthemweredistinctivelyAmericanpoetsinthemeandtechnique.BothofthemwerepartofAmericanRenaissance.•A.Themes:bothpraisedintheirdifferentways,anemergentAmerica,itsexpansion,itsindividualism,anditsAmericanness.•B.Techniques:breakingfreeofthepoetictraditionandpioneeringAmericanmodernistpoetrywiththeirpoeticinnovation.•Differences:•A.WhitmankepthiseyeonsocietyatlargewhileDickinsonexploredtheinnerlifeoftheselfandindividual.•B.WhereasWhitmanisnationalinhisoutlook,Dickinsonisregional.•C.Informalterms,Whitmanischaracterizedbyhisendless,all-inclusivecatalogswhileDickinsonbyherconcise,direct,andsimpledictionandsyntax.WhitmanandDickinson•I.WaltWhitman(1819-1892)•1.LiteraryStatus•FatherofAmericanPoetry•PrecursorofModernAmericanPoetry•FatherofAmericanFreeVerse•CelebratingAmericaasaPoem•2.Life•Working-classbackground•HegrewupinNewYorkandworkedthere.•Fiveyearsofschooling,loafingandreading•Richlifeexperience:officeboy,printer’sapprentice,carpenter,schoolmaster,printer,editor(of8successivepapers),andjournalistWhitmanandDickinson3.ThePublicationofLeavesofGrass–Whitman’slifetimeliteraryendeavorA.Thefirsteditionof12poemsin1855Astir–brokewiththepoeticconvention–sexualityandexoticandvulgarlanguageharshcriticismsonit:“noxiousweeds”,“poetryofbarbarism”,“amassofstupidfilth”B.Nineeditionsinall(1855,56,60,67,71,76,81,89,91-92)BegantobecelebratedwiththefiftheditionC.Hisdeathbededitioncontainingallofhis400-oddpoemsWhitmanandDickinson•4.Hisideas:•“acatalogandgreatacceptor”•Enlightenment,humanitarianism•IdealismandTranscendentalism•EmersonandWhitman:•Emerson’sletterofpraiseofthefirstedition•“themostextraordinarypieceofwitandwisdomthatanAmericanhasyetcontributed”•Whitman:“dearMaster,”“Iwassimmering,simmering,simmering,Emersonbroughtmetoaboil”•HesharedmanysimilarideaswithEmerson:•Americaitselfwasapoem;thegreatestpoetisaseer,completeinhimself.(P.90)WhitmanandDickinson•5.Whitman’sPoeticExperimentation•Hewasadaringexperimentalistwho“brokethenewwood”•Hebegantoexperimentaround1847whichleadtoacompletebreakwithtraditionalpoetics.•Features:•A.parallelism•B.phoneticrecurrence(systematicrepetitionofwordsandphrases)•C.hislongcatalogsoflines,hispilingupofnouns,verbs,oradjectives,•Whitmanbrokefreefromthetraditionaliambicpentameterandwrote“freeverse”.WhitmanandDickinson•6.Masterpieces:•“SongofMyself”•“TherewasaChildWentForth”•“InCrossingBrooklynBridge”•“OutoftheCradleEndlesslyRocking”(p.93)•“WhenLilacsLastintheDooryardBloomed”(p.94)•7.Whitman’sInfluence•Whitman’sinfluenceovermodernpoetryisgreatintheworldaswellasinAmerica.HisbestworkhasbecomepartofthecommonpropertyofWesternculture.•ManypoetsinEngland,France,Italy,andLatinAmericaareinhisdebt,esp.byhisoptimismandinnovationasapoet-prophetandpoet-teacher.•T.S.Eliot,Pound,HartCrane,CarlSandburgWhitmanandDickinson•II.EmilyDickinson(1830-1886)•1.Literarystatus•Asecludedpoetess•“Mother”ofAmericanPoetryandAmericanModernPoetry•2.Life•aCalvinistfamily•Herfather,aWhiglawyerandtreasurerofAmherstCollege•ReadwidelysuchastheBible,Shakespeare,Keats•Beganwritingseriouslyinhertwenties•1775poemsaltogether,7publishedinherlifeWhitmanandDickinson•3.HerIdeas•Calvinism;Tragicinbasictone•Deathleadstoimmortality.•Doubt;thelossoffaithandthereligiousuncertainty•4.Themes:life,death,immortality,love,nature•5.Analysisofhermasterpieces•“MyLifeClosedTwicebeforeitsClose”(p.98)•“WildNights–WildNights”(p.99)•“BecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath”•“IheardaflybuzzwhenIdied”(p.99)•“DeathisaDialoguebetween”(p.100)•“ANarrowFellowintheGrass”•“I’lltellyouhowthesunrose”EmilyDickinson’sPoem:249WildNights–WildNights!WildNights–WildNights!WereIwiththeeWildNightsshouldbeOurLuxury!Futile–theWinds–ToaHeartinport–DonewiththeCompass–DonewiththeChart!RowinginEden–Ah,theSea!MightIbutmoor–Tonight–InThee!WhitmanandDickinson•6.Dickinson’sAesthetics•Sheholdsthatbeauty,truthandgoodnessareultimatelyone.•7.Herpoeticinnovation•A.Shebrokefreeoftheconventionaliambicpentameter•B.Sheexploredtheinnerlifeoftheindividual•C.Shewasregional(NewEnglander)•D.Shewasidiosyncraticinherfrequentuseofdashesand•uniqueuseofcapitals.•E.herconcise,direct,andsimpledictionandsyntaxBecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath—•“BecauseICouldNotStopforDeath”isalyricpoemonthethemeofdeath.Itcontainssixstanzas,eachwithfourlines.Afour-linestanzaiscalledaquatrain.•ItrevealsEmilyDickinson’scalmacceptanceofdeath.Itissurprisingthatshepresentstheexperienceasbeingnomorefrighteningthanreceivingagentlemancaller—inthiscase,herfiancé(Deathpersonified).•Theoverallthemeofthepoemseemstobethatdeathisnottobefearedsinceitisanaturalpartoftheendlesscycleofnature.I.TheAgeofRealism(1865-1910)1.BackgroundA.WiththeAmericanCivilWar(1861-1865),theindustrializedNorthfoughttheagrarianSouth,thefactorydefeatedthefarm,andtheUSAheadedtowardcapitalism.B.Commercialization,industrialization,mechanization,urbanizationC.thefrontierwasclosingandareevaluationoflifebeganD.disillusionmentandfrustrationwerewidelyfelt.“AGolden”turnedouttobeaGildedone.E.TheAgeofReal