美国文学名词解释

AmericanDream:Americandreammeansthebeliefthateveryonecansucceedaslongashe/sheworkshardenough.Itusuallyimpliesasuccessfulandsatisfyinglife.ItusuallyframedintermsofAmericancapitalism（资本主义）,itsassociatedpurportedmeritocracy,（知识界精华）andthefreedomsguaranteedbytheU.S.BillofRights.AmericanPuritanism清教主义:Puritanismisthepracticesandbeliefsofthepuritans.ThePuritanswereoriginallymembersofadivisionoftheprotestantchurchwhowantedtopurifytheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices.Theyacceptedthedoctrinesofpredestination,originalsinandtotaldepravity,andlimitedatonementthroughaspecialinfusionofgracefromGod.Americanliteratureinthe17thcenturymostlyconsistedofPuritanliterature.PuritanismhadanenduringinfluenceonAmericanliterature.Ithadbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,somuchapartofnationalculturalatmosphere,ratherthanasetoftenets.Transcendentalism超验主义:Transcendentalismwasagroupofnewideasinliterature,religion,cultureandphilosophythatemergedinNewEnglandintheearlytomiddle19thcentury.TranscendentalistsspokeforculturalrejuvenationandagainstthematerialismofAmericansociety.Itplacedemphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheworld.ItstressedtheimportanceofindividualandofferedafreshperceptionnatureadsymbolicofthespiritofGod.ProminenttranscendentalistsincludedRalphWaldoEmersonandHenryDavidThorough.AmericanNaturalism自然主义:Americannaturalismwasanewandharsherrealism.Thenaturalistsattempttoachieveextremeobjectivityandfrankness,presentingcharactersoflowsocialandeconomicclasseswhoweredeterminedbyenvironmentandheredity.Itemphasizedthattheworldwasamoral,themenandwomenhadnofreewill,thatliveswerecontrolledbyheredityandenvironment,thatthedestinyofhumanitywasmiseryinlifeandoblivionindeath.ThepessimismanddeterministicideasnaturalismpervadedtheworksofsuchAmericanwritersasStephenCraneandTheodoreDreiser.AmericanNaturalism(美国自然主义文学)：TheAmericannaturalistsacceptedthemorenegativeinterpretationofDarwin’sevolutionarytheoryandusedittoaccountforthebehaviorofthosecharactersinliteraryworkswhowereregardedasmoreorlesscomplexcombinationsofinheritedattributes,theirhabitsconditionedbysocialandeconomicforces.2)naturalismisevolvedfromrealismwhentheauthor’stoneinwritingbecomeslessseriousandlesssympatheticbutmoreironicandmorepessimistic.Itisnomorethanagloomyphilosophicalapproachtoreality,ortohumanexistence.3Dreiserisaleadingfigureofhisschool.TheGildedAge镀金时代:theGildedAgereferstotheeraofrapideconomicandpopulationgrowthintheUnitedStatesduringthepost-CivilWarandpost-Reconstructionerasofthelate19thcentury.ThetermGildedAgewascoinedbyMarkTwainandCharlesDudleyWarnerintheir1873book,TheGildedAge:ATaleofToday.TheGildedAgeismostfamousforthecreationofamodernindustrialeconomy.TheendoftheGildedAgecoincidedwiththePanicof1893,adeepdepression.Thedepressionlasteduntil1897andmarkedamajorpoliticalrealignmentintheelectionof1896.AfterthatcametheProgressiveEra.TheLostGeneration:TheLostGenerationisagroupofexpatriateAmericanwritersresidingprimarilyinParisduringthe1920sand1930s.ThegroupwasgivenitsnamebytheAmericanwriterGertrudeStein,whoused“alostgeneration”torefertoexpatriateAmericansbitterabouttheirWorldWarIexperiencesanddisillusionedwithAmericansociety.HemingwaylaterusedthephraseasanepigraphforhisnovelTheSunAlsoRises.ItconsistedofmanyinfluentialAmericanwriters,includingErnestHemingway,F.ScottFitzgerald,WilliamCarlosWilliamsandArchibaldMacLeish.TheLostGeneration(迷惘的一代）：ThelostgenerationisatermfirstusedbySteintodescribethepost-warIgenerationofAmericanwriters:menandwomenhauntedbyasenseofbetrayalandemptinessbroughtaboutbythedestructivenessofthewar.2fullofyouthfulidealism,theseindividualssoughtthemeaningoflife,drankexcessively,hadloveaffairsandcreatedsomeofthefinestAmericanliteraturetodate.3thethreebest-knownrepresentativesoflostgenerationareF.ScottFitzgerald,HemingwayandJohndosPassos.Tragedy:ingeneral,aliteraryworkinwhichtheprotagonistmeetsanunhappyordisastrousend.Unlikecomedy,tragedydepictstheactionsofacentralcharacterwhoisusuallydignifiedorheroic.Throughaseriesofevents,thistragicheroisbroughttoafinaldownfall.Thecausesofthetragichero’sdownfallvary.Intraditionaldramas,thecausecanbefate,aflawincharacteroranerrorinjudgment.Inmoderndramas,wherethetragicheroisoftenanordinaryindividual,thecausesrangefrommoralorpsychologicalweaknesstotheevilsofsociety.Catch-22第22条军规:Catch-22isageneralcritiqueofbureaucraticoperationandreasoning.Resultingfromitsspecificuseinthebook,thephraseCatch-22iscommonidiomaticusagemeaningano-winsituationoradoublebindofanytype.ThetermwasoriginallyfromJosephHeller’santinovelCatch-22.BeatGeneration垮掉的一代:groupofAmericanwritersofthe1950swhosewritingexpressedprofounddissatisfactionwithcontemporaryAmericansocietyandendorsedanalternativesetofvalues.Thetermsometimesisusedtorefertothosewhoembracedtheideasofthesewriters.TheBeatGeneration'sbest-knownfigureswerewritersAllenGinsbergandJackKerouac.TheBeatGeneration(垮掉的一代):ThemembersofTheBeatGenerationwerenewbohemianlibertines.Whoengagedinaspontaneous,sometimesmessy,creativity.2TheBeatwritersproducedabodyofwrittenworkcontroversialbothfo