Introduction to American Literature

BriefIntroductiontotheHistoryofAmericanLiteratureColonialPeriod(EnlightenmentLiterature)ColonialPeriod(1600–1700)lastedfromtheEuropeansettlementintheearly17thcenturytotheendofthe18thcentury.ThemajortopicduringthisperiodisaboutAmericanPuritanismwhichisarisenfromdissatisfactionofPuritanswiththeElizabethanReligiousdoctrinesexpressedbytheRomanCatholicChurch.TenetofPuritanismPuritanismisthereligiousbeliefofthePuritans,whohadintendedtopurifyandsimplifythereligiousritualofthechurchofEngland.PuritansbelievethatGodonlyhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.Sohardworkandsimplelifearemostneededineveryone’slife.Beisides,theysincerelyseekbothindividualandcorporateconformancetotheteachingoftheBibleandtopursuemoralpuritytothehighestlevel.RepresentativewriterswhostronglyemphasizedthemoralvalueofPuritanismare:BenjaminFranklin:PoorRichard’sAlmanac《格言历书》；Autobiography《自传》ThomasPaine:CommonSense《常识》(1776)ThomasJefferson(asoneofthechiefauthors:DeclarationofIndependence《独立宣言》(July4,1776).AmericanRomanticism(1800–1865)WiththenationalindependencefromtheUK,theAmericabegantorisewithitsownidealsofdemocracy,equality,industrialization,andwestwardexpansion.ThefamousAmericandream,whichbelievesthateveryonecanbecomesuccessfulthroughhardwork,wasgraduallyformedduringthisperiod.RepresentativewritersWashingtonIrving（华盛顿·欧文）:TheSketchBook《见闻札记》“RipVanWinkle”,“瑞普凡温克尔”;“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”“睡谷的传说”arejusttwowell-knownstoriesfromit.JamesFenimoreCooper:LeatherStockingTales《皮袜子故事集》RalphWaldoEmerson,aleadingNewEnglandwriterofTranscendentalism:Nature《论自然》(1836)iscalledthemanifestoortheBibleofAmericanTranscendentalism.Transcendentalism,asaninseparablepartofromanticism,isaphilosophicandliterarymovementthatflourishedinNewEnglandasareactionagainstrationalismandCalvinism.TranscendentalistsstressedintuitiveunderstandingofGodwithoutthehelpofthechurch,andadvocatedindependenceofthemindandtheloveofNature.HenryDavidThoreau（梭罗）Walden《沃尔登湖》changedthetraditionalvalueofpeople’slifethroughcriticizingthenegativeeffectsofindustrialization.CivilDisobedience《论公民的不服从》notonlyseverelycriticizestheinefficiencyofthegovernment,butalsoadvocatestheindividualfreedomandthesenseofjusticeandequality.WaltWhitman(1819-1896)LeavesofGrass《草叶集》includes401poemswritteninfreeverseaboutvariousnationalthemesofAmerica,includingahighpraiseoftheselfoftheAmericans,thepursuitofloveandhappiness,andmanyprofounddebatesaboutvariousissuesofthesociety.EmilyDickenson(1830-1886)Shewroteover1700poems,butonly5ofthemgotpublishedbeforeherdeath.Herpoemsarehighlyindividualaboutherownworld,withherownpeculiarrhymescheme,images,anduniqueuseofpunctuations.NathanielHawthorne(1804-1864)TheScarletletter,anovelthatrevealsHawthorne’ssomewhatAnti-Puritanismandhisblackvisionofhumannature.HermanMelvilleMobyDick《白鲸》:Ahab’svoyagetocatchthewhitewhaleisthevoyageofthemindinquestoftruthandknowledgeoftheuniverse.ToAhab,thewhaleisanevilcreatureortheagentofanevilforcethatcontrolstheuniverse.Onlybyatotaldestructionofitcanmanobtainrealfreedom.HenryWadsworthLongfellow(1807-1882)Hispoemsarehighlyoptimisticandinspring.HisworksincludePaulRevere'sRide,TheSongofHiawatha《海华沙之歌》,andEvangeline.HewasalsothefirstAmericantotranslateDante'sTheDivineComedyintoEnglish.EdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)TheRaven《乌鸦》:Pessimisticinwriting,heusesdeathandhorrorashiscommontopics.Poealsowroteliterarycriticisms:ThePhilosophyofComposition《创作哲学》PoeticPrinciple《诗歌原理》.HarrietBeecherStowe(1811-1896)UncleTom’sCabin,ananti-slaverynovel,whichissaidtohaveintriguedtheAmericanCivilWar.Realism(1865-1918)TheCivilWarduring1861-1865eventuallybroughttheAmericanRomanticismtoanend.TheAgeofRealismbegan.Realismreactsagainstthelieofromanticismandsentimentalism.Itexpressesitsconcernforthesufferingsofthelow,andoffersanobjectiveratherthanidealisticviewofhumannatureandsocialexperience.RepresentativewritersofRealismMarkTwain(SamuelLanghorneClemens)(1835-1910)isthegreatesthumoristwriterofnovelsinAmericanliterature.TheAdventureofTomSawyerTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnTheCelebratedJumpingFrogfromCalaverasCounty(shortstory)HenryJames(1843-1916)ThePortraitofaLady:It’sastoryofaspiritedyoungAmericanwoman,IsabelArcher,whoaffrontsordespisesherdestinybutfindsitextremelyoverwhelming.SheinheritsalargeamountofmoneyandsubsequentlybecomesthevictimofMachiavellianschemingbytwoAmericanexpatriates(移居国外者).StephenCraneTheRedBadgeofCourage（1895）istheAmerica'sgreatestandmostinfluentialanti-warnovelabouttheCivilWar.NarratedbyHenryFleming,arecruit新兵intheAmericanCivilWar,thenovelisaboutthemeaningofcouragethroughapowerfulpsychologicalstudyofayoungsoldier'sstrugglewiththehorrorsofthewar.TheodoreDreiser(1871-1945)SisterCarrie《嘉莉妹妹》:Asarevolutionarynovel,ittellsthestoryaboutCarrieMeeber,an18-year-oldcountrygirlwhomovestoChicagoandbecomesakeptwoman.Dreiserportrayswithbrutalpowerhowthewrongdecision--orlackofdecision--canlaywastetothelifeofanindividual.ModernismWriters(1918-1945)AftertheWWI,thereappearedinpoetryastrongreactionagainstVictorianpoetrywhosechiefcharacteristicsareitsmoral