American Romanticism

AmericanRomanticismAmericanLiterature•ChapteroneColonialPeriod•ChaptertwoAgeofReasonandRevolution•ChapterthreeAmericanRomanticism•ChapterfourAmericanRealism•ChapterfiveTwentiethcenturyLiteratureAmericanliterature•Historicalbackground•Literatureanditscharacteristics•MajorwritersandtheirrepresentativeworksAmericanRomanticism•“AlsoknownastheAmericanRenaissance”•Time:fromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar•RomanticisminAmericacoincidedwiththeperiodofnationalexpansionandthediscoveryofadistinctiveAmericanvoice.ThesolidificationofanationalidentityandthesurgingidealismandpassionofRomanticismnurturedthemasterpiecesoftheAmericanRenaissance.Historicalbackground•WhydidAmericanRomanticismemerge?Fastdevelopmentofthenewnation–Historically:thetimeofwestwardexpansion;–Economically:industrialization,floodofimmigrants,pioneerspushingthefrontierfurtherwest—economicboom;–Politically:democracyandpoliticalequalityTheidealsofthenewnation--Culturally:thelevelofeducationandliteracyhadrisensignificantlyRomanticismAppearanceofRomanticism•OriginatedinGermany,flourishedinEuropeRomanticsharedcertaingeneralcharacteristics:•Moralenthusiasm•Faithinthevalueofindividualismandintuitiveperception•Apresumptionthatthenaturalworldwasasourceofgoodnessandman’ssocietiesasourceofcorruptionFeaturesofAmericanRomanticism•Rejectionofrationalism•Transcendentalism,neitherlogicalnorsystematized•Thegrowthofculturalnationalism•Novels,shortstoriesandpoemsasAmerican’sprincipalliteraryforms•Imaginativeliteraturebecameintense,personal,andsymbolic•Freeexpressionofemotionandincreasingattentiontothepsychicstatesofcharacters.•AgreaterliteraryinterestinAmerica’slanguageanditscommonpeople.SignificanceofAmericanRomanticismCreativeperiodofanativeAmericancultureandliteratureRepresentativewritersWRITERSTHEME/STYLEREPRESENTATIVEWORKSWashingtonIrvingimaginativeliteratureTheSketchBook(TheLegendOfSleepyHollow&RipVanWinkle)AHistoryOfNewYorkJamesFenimoreCooper---historicalfictions---theseaadventuretale---frontiersageLeatherStockingTalesHenryWadsworthLongfellowbalancingRomanticspiritswithclassicalandChristiantasteAPsalmOfLifeWilliamBryant---lyricpoet;writingaboutnature,religionandlifeEdgarAllanPoe---gothicelements---detectivestories---darkromanticismPoem:ToHelenTheRavenAnnabelLeeShortStories:TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsherWRITERSTHEME/STYLEREPRESENTATIVEWORKSPalphWaldonEmersontranscendentalismOnNatureTheAmericanScholarHenryDavidThoreautranscendentalismWaldenNathanielHawthorne---concernwithhumansinandevil---puritanview---symbolismTheScarletLetterHermanMelvilleamixtureofromanticismandrealismMobyDickWaltWhitmanpoetLeavesOfGrassEmilyDickensonpoetWashingtonIrving(1783-1859)WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)华盛顿·欧文•Life–Borninarichmerchantfamily–Learnedlawbutmoreinterestedinwriting–WenttoEnglandforfamilybusiness–Wrotetosupporthimselfafterbusinessfailure–Diplomaticworkforaperiod•Majorworks–TheSketchBook(acollectionofessaysandshortstories)见闻札记•Twofamousshortstoriesinthecollection:–“RipVanWinkle”瑞普·凡·温克尔–“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”睡谷传奇WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)华盛顿·欧文Thethemeof“RipVanWinkle”WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)华盛顿·欧文paralleledjuxtapositions(不同文化的对比)oftwoworldspeacefulnaturalworldinthemountainsanoisyworldwithhiswifeonthefarmapre-RevolutionvillageWashingtonerabothWinkleandIrvingpreferthepastandadream-likeworldIrvingwasunwillingtoacceptamoderndemocraticAmerica.Thethemeof“RipVanWinkle”•itrevealsconservativeattitudeofIrving.•itmightbeanillustrationofIrving’sargumentthatrevolutionupsetthenaturalorderofthings.WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)华盛顿·欧文Features•Conservative–loveofoldworld’stradition–“anoldgentlemanspeakingEnglishnotAmerican•Goodatcreatingatmosphere•Thinplot•Humor•Finishedandmusicallanguage•Vividcharacters•Style:gentle,refined,lucid,beautiful(classicalinformthoughromanticinsubjects)•Aimofwriting:entertainment,notmoralizingWashingtonIrving(1783-1859)华盛顿·欧文Irving'suniquecontributiontoAmericanliterature•ThefatherofAmericanLiterature•HewasthefirstAmericanwritertogaininternationalfame.•TheshortstoryasagenreinAmericanliteratureprobablybeganwithIrving’sTheSketchBook.•TheSketchBookmarkedthebeginningofAmericanRomanticism.•IrvinggavehisworksdistinctiveAmericanflavor.WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)华盛顿·欧文JamesFenimoreCooper(1789-1851)JamesCooper(1789-1851)•Lifestory–borninarichfamily–attendedYalebutexpelled–fiveyearsatsea–inheritedfortunethenacomfortablelife–wrotelotsofnovelsbecauseheonedaywasdisgustedbyonenovelJamesCooper(1789-1851)Majorworks•Precaution《戒备》(1820)–Firstnovel•TheSpy«间谍»(1821)–hissecondnovelandgreatsuccess•“LeatherstockingTales”(aseriesoffivenovelsaboutthefrontierlife)《皮袜子故事集》–ThePioneers,–ThePrairie,–TheLastoftheMohicans,–ThePathfinder,–TheDeerslayerJamesCooper(1789-1851)•Centralcharacter:NattyBumppo–severalnamesforsamecharacter–atypicalfrontierman:honest,simple,innocent,generous(representsbrotherhoodofman,natureandfreedom)JamesCooper(1789-1851)•Theme:---historicalfictions---theseaadventuretale---frontiersage•Features–Goodatinventingplots(Cooperhadneverbeentothefrontierareapersonally.)•St