2 美国文学_Mark_Twain

MarkTwainMirrorofAmerica(1835-1910)1.“Mirror”heremeansapersonwhogivesatruerepresentationordescriptionofthecountry.2.Generallyspeaking,allliterarygiantsinhumanhistoryarealsogreathistorians,thinkersandphilosophers.Theirworksoftenrevealmoretruththanmanypoliticalessays.3.MarkTwainwasoneofthesegiants,andhislifeandworksareamirrorofAmericaofhistime.WhymirrorofAmerica?I.LifeII.MainWorksIII.Evaluation＆InfluenceV.FamousWordsOutlineⅠlifeexperienceBorninalittletowninMississippiAt11,helosthisfatherAt13,hestoppedschoolingTrampprinterSteamboatpilotontheMississippiConfederateguerrillaProspectorReporteronthefarwesternfrontierTravelerabroad1EarlyLifeborninFlorida,MissourionNovember30,1835toaTennesseecountrymerchantthesixthofsevenchildrenOnly3survivedchildhood.theMarkTwainbirthplaceinFlorida,MissouriWhenTwainwas4,hisfamilymovedtoHannibal,MissouriaporttownontheMississippiRiverthatservedastheinspirationforthefictionaltownofSt.PetersburginTheAdventuresofTomSawyerAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnMarkTwain'sHannibalhouseAtthattime,MissouriwasaslavestateYoungTwainbecamefamiliarwiththeinstitutionofslavery,athemehewouldlaterexploreinhiswriting.In1847whenTwainwas11,hisfatherdiedofpneumonia.Thenextyear,hebecameaprinter'sapprentice.In1851,hebeganworkingasatypesetterandcontributorofarticlesandhumoroussketchesfortheHannibalJournal.MarkTwainMemorialBridgeI-72MississippiRiverCrossingAtHannibalWhenhewas18,heleftHannibalandworkedasaprinterinNewYorkCityPhiladelphiaSt.Louis['lu(:)i]CincinnatiHeeducatedhimselfinpubliclibrariesintheevenings,findingwidersourcesofinformation.At22,TwainreturnedtoMissouri([mi'zuəri]).HisapprenticeshipasasteamboatpilotontheMississippiwhichlaterwasendedbytheadventoftheCivilWar.JoinedinanexcursiontoNevada.Hannibal,MO:SignontheMarkTwain-SteamboatPilotstatue2Travels“MarkTwainRiverboat,Hannibal,Missouri”Gainedemploymentatalocalnewspaperin1862.Clemenshaddisplayedauniquegiftforwritingmaterial.In1863ClemensassumedthepseudonymMarkTwain,aMississippiphrasewhichmeanttwofathomsdeep.obtainedemploymentasajournalistinSanFranciscoItwastherethatthathiscontributionstovariousnewspapersandmagazinesincreaseddramatically.Twain’sliterarysuccessculminatedin1865,whentheNewYorkSaturdayPresspublished,“TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty”In1867,TwaintookhislecturesacrosstheAtlanticOcean,andhisvisitstoFrance,Italy,andtheHolyLandwouldprovidehimwithampleopportunitytosatirizeEuropeanculture.Hisvisitsweretranslatedintotravelletters,whichwouldcontributetotheformatofTheInnocentsAbroadin1869.FollowinghisreturntotheUnitedStates,TwainmarriedOliviaLangdon,andshortlythereafterheproducedRoughingIt.3MarriageItwasduringthisperiodoftimethatheproducedtheclassics:TheAdventuresofTomSawyerLifeontheMississippiTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnThenewlywedsmovedtoHartford,Conneticut;atownwhichboastedanimpressivepedigreeofwriters.Twainwasprolificduringtheyearsextendingfrom1869until1889.Hisexperiencewithbank-ruptcyforcedhimtoconductlecturesasameansofincome,andthisreversalinfortuneseemedtoaffecthispersonalphilosophyaswell.4HisLaterLife-aperiodofdeepdepressionTherearemanytragiceventsinhislaterlife:thefailureofhisinvestments,hisfatiguingtravelsandlecturesinordertopayoffhisdebts,andaddedtothis,thedeathofhiswifeandtwodaughterswhichlefthimabsolutelyinconsolable.Somecriticslinkthesetragiceventswiththechangeofstyleinhislaterworks,fromanoptimistandhumoristtoanalmostdespairingdeterminist.In1909,Twainisquotedassaying:“IcameinwithHalley’sCometin1835.Itiscomingagainnextyear,andIexpecttogooutwithit.ItwillbethegreatestdisappointmentofmylifeifIdon’tgooutwithHalley’sComet.TheAlmightyhassaid,nodoubt:‘Nowherearethesetwounaccountablefreaks;theycameintogether,theymustgoouttogether.’”5DeathHispredictionwasaccurate:TwaindiedofaheartattackonApril21,1910inRedding,Connecticut,onedayafterthecomet’sclosestapproachtoEarth.UponhearingofTwain’sdeath,PresidentTaftsaid:“MarkTwaingavepleasure—realintellectualenjoyment—tomillions,andhisworkswillcontinuetogivesuchpleasuretomillionsyettocome...”Twainisburiedinhiswife'sfamilyplotatWoodlawnCemeteryinElmira,NewYork,nearthatofHermanMelville.Hisgraveismarkedbya12-foot(i.e.,twofathoms,or“marktwain”)monument,placedtherebyhissurvivingdaughter,Clara.Thereisalsoasmallerheadstone.Ⅱ.MainWorksTheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty《卡拉维拉斯县著名的跳蛙》,1865TheInnocentsAbroad《傻瓜出国记》,1869TheAdventuresofTomSawyer《汤姆·索耶历险记》,1876ThePrinceandPauper《王子与贫儿》,1881LifeontheMississippi《密西西比河上》,1881TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn《哈克贝里·费恩历险记》,1885theclimaxofTwain’sliterarycreativitythebestbookthatTwaineverproducedAConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourt《亚瑟王朝里来自康涅狄格州的美国佬》,1889Pudd’sHeadWilson《傻瓜威尔逊》,1894FollowingtheEquator《赤道行》,1897TheManthatCorruptedHadleyburg《败坏哈德莱堡的人》,1900WhatisMan?《人是什么？》,1906TheMysteriousStranger《陌生来客》,1916ChangesinStyleHisearlierworks:light,humorous,optimisticHislaterworks:darkerandmoreobscureshowinghisdiscontentanddisappointmenttowardthesocialrealityHislastworks:acutepessimism,despair,skepticismdete