American_ Literature(美国文学)

AmericanLiteraturePeriodsofAm.Lit.1.BeginningofAmericanLiterature:1607-1776ColonialPeriod1765-1790TheRevolutionaryAge1775-1828TheEarlyNationalPeriod2.Romanticism,Transcendentalism1828-1865TheRomanticPeriod(Alsoknownas:TheAmericanRenaissance)TheAgeofTranscendentalism1865-19003.Realism,NaturalismTheRealisticPeriod1900-1914TheNaturalisticPeriod(extremerealism)1914-19391920s1920s,1930s:AmericanModernistPeriod:JazzAge,HarlemRenaissanceTheLostGeneration1939-present1950s1960s,1970sTheContemporaryPeriod:TheBeatgenerationAmericanLiteraturerecognizesworksof:African-AmericanWritersNativeAmericanWritersAsian-AmericanWritersColonialPeriodPeriodsofAm.LiteraturevaryalotIt´simpossibletogiveexactdatesThefirstliteraturestartedtoappearafterfoundingofthefirstsettlementatJamestownin1607ItcontinuoudtilltheoutbreakoftheRevolutionLiterarygenres:HistoricalwritingsReligiousthemes–sermons(kázání)tractsWriters:AnneBradstreet(poet)BenjaminFranklin(TheWaytoWealth)WilliamBradfordTheRevolutionaryAgeThegreatestdocumentsofAmericanhistorywereauthored:ThomasPaine(CommonSense–heurgedindependence)TheDeclarationofIndependence(ThomasJefferson-1776)TheConstitution(1789-ratified)TheEarlyNationalPeriodBeginningsoftrueAm.LiteratureThewriterswroteinthEnglishstylebutthesettings,themesandcharacterswereauthenticallyAmericanWashingtonIrving–hewroteaboutAm.Life,biographyofG.WashingtonJamesFenimoreCooper–TheLastoftheMohicansEdgarAllanPoeE.A.Poe(1809-1849)sonofapooractress(drasticdeath)hisfatheralcoholicHewastakenbyhisguardianMr.AllanStudiedWestPoint–kickedoutMarriagewith13year-oldcousinShediedofTBtenyearslater–despair,griefwasreflectedinhisworks1849founddeliriousinasteetTheRaven(poem)-atired,unhappystudentasksifheevermeetshisloveagainHisdoubtsareunderlinedbytheraven´srepetition„nevermore“,symbolofdoubtsandlongingTheGoldenBugThePitandthePendulumTheBlackCatTheMurdersintheRueMorgueTheFalloftheHouseofUsherHiswork:1.realism:detectivestories–logical,brilliant,rational2.romanticism–irrationalism,mystery,violence,criminality,death,passionPerverse,vulgar,grotesquestyle.TranscendentalismAmericanreflectionofEuropeanromanticismPhilosophicalmovementThetranscendalphilosophywasbasedon:1.Freewill2.Humanity3.Intuition4.Individualconscience5.ItgloriesnatureAlltranscendentalistswereisolatedpeopleTheylivedin„UtopianCommunity“–BrookfarmnearBostonTheindividualcantranscendtheworldanddiscoverunionwithGodandIdealMainrepresentatives:RalphWaldoThoreauHenryDavidThoreauOtherRomanticWritersHermanMelville–symbolist(Moby-Dick)NathanielHawthorne(TheScarletLetter)themaintheme–sinHesterhastewearletterA–meansadulteressWaltWhitman(poet)EmilyDickinson(poet)RealisticPeriodAfterCivilWar:Socialinjustice–firstmillionairesappear(Rockefeller)discoveriesinscience(railway,telegraphcable,telephone,…)GrowthofeducationTwaincalledthisperiod„gildedage“RealismActionagainstromanticismMainliteraryform–novelAuthorsaccuseromanticismoffalsehoodTheydescribecommonthings,commonplaces,everydaylifeMarkTwainHisrealname:SamuelLangorneClemensHespenthischildhoodontheMississippiriverWorkedonasteamboatontheMississippiTravelledalotHerecollectshischildhoodinhisbooksTheInnocentsAbroadTheGildedAgeTheAdventuresofTomSawyerTheAdvednturesofHuckleberryFinnTomlikesdanger,he´salwaysabletoavoidproblems,Huckrepresentssocialconscience,he´ssensitivetoeverythingaroundhimNaturalismDerivedfromthewordnature(interestinnature)IthasitsorigininFrance–ZolaPropleareinfluencedbyenvironmentalforces(outsideus)andinnerdrives(insideus)–peolecan´tcontrolthemThemaindrivesofcharacters:hunger,fear,sex,…Theirwritingsareoftencruelandtragic.StephenCraneJackLondon(TjheCalloftheWild)TheodoreDreiser(AnAmericanTragedy)UptonSinclair(TheJungle)LostGenerationAtermappliedforAm.Writersbornaround1900,whofoughtinWWIThetermcomesfromGertrudeSteinMainfeatures:descriptionofthelossoftraditionalvaluesastheresultofthewarothersocialevilsErnestHemingwayFindsomeinfo.abouthimF.S.FitzgeraldConnectedwithJazzAgein20sWrotemanystoriesaboutwealthypeopleTheGreatGatsby–masterpiece(arichmanearnsmoneybysmuggling,helovesDaisy,butDaisyismarriedNick–anarratorisisdisgusted)AmericanDreamOther20thcenturywritersTheHarlemRenaissance:Harlem(N.Y.)wasacentreofitMotto:LetusreturntoAfrica!(inaliterarysense)Weallhavesth.incommonMainrepresentatives:LangstonHughesCounteeCullenRichardWrightTheGreatDepression=theendofAmericanModernistPeriodWilliamFaulknerJohnSteinbeckEugeneO´Neil(aplaywright)DealtwithsocialandpoliticalissuesJewishWritersBigemigrationoftheJewstotheUSWritersexplorenewthemesofidentity,psychologicalproblemsTheyarelookingattheirracialbackgroundSaulBellowJ.D.Salinger(ThecatcherintheRye)BernardMalamudJosephHeller(Cath22)TheBeatGenerationThemainpersonalities:A.Ginsberg,W.Boroughs,J.Kerouac,G.CorsoKneweachother,travelledthroughtheUSbytakingdrugsandhavingmanysexualaffairsSAnFrancisco–cradleoftheBeatsBasicCharacteristicsWantedtolivelifewithoutsocialconventionsAgainstsupermacyofmoneyTheiridol=wanderer