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Lesson5TheSadYoungMenRodW.HortonandHerbertW.EdwardsAims1.ToknowthesocialbackgroundoftheUSin1920s.2.ToknowtheLostGeneration3.TolearnthecentralideaofTheSadYoungMen4.TolearnthewritingtechniqueandtoappreciatethelanguagefeaturesTeachingContents•Pre-readingquestions•Background•Textstudy–Languagepoints–ComprehensionQuestions–TextAnalysisandAppreciation•Exercises•TasksAfterClassPre-readingquestionsWhatdoyouknowaboutthefollowing?–TheimpactofWWIandtheUSin1920s–TheLostGenerationandtheirrepresentatives–AmericanProhibitionLaw–GreenwichVillage–Victoriangentility–Bohemianism–BabbitryBackground•RodW.Horton(1910-?)–BorninWhitePlainsN.Y.–Instructor,NewYorkUniversity,(1937-45)–Assistantprofessor(1945-49)–Associateprofessor(1949-57)–Culturalaffairsofficer(1957-64)–Professor,ColoradoUniversity(1964-)–Visitingprofessor,UniversityofBrazil,Coimbra(1961-64).BackgroundPublications:•(withHerbertW.Edwards)BackgroundsofAmericanLiteraryThought(1952),•(withVincentF.Hopper)BackgroundsofEuropeanLiterature(1954)Background•TheimpactofWorldWarI•Symptomsofcrisis–Darwin,Nietzsche,Freud,Einstein,,Conrad尼采鼓吹人生的目的就是实现权力意志，扩张自我，成为驾驭一切的超人。超人是人的最高价值，应当藐视一切传统道德价值，为所欲为，通过奴役弱者、群氓来实现自我。BackgroundValuesaboutwar•Valuesaboutreligion•Valuesaboutethics•Impact–moraldisorientation,literaryandartrevolutions,riseofNazis,breakdownofphilosophyBackground•AmericanCultureinthe1920sThedecadeofthe1920sisoftencharacterizedasaperiodofAmericanprosperityandoptimism.ItwastheRoaringTwenties,thedecadeofbathtub,gin,themodelT,the$5workday,thefirsttransatlanticflight,andthemovie.Itisoftenseenasaperiodofgreatadvanceasthenationbecameurbanandcommercial(CalvinCoolidgedeclaredthatAmerica'sbusinesswasbusiness).BackgroundThedecadeisalsoseenasaperiodofrisingintoleranceandisolation:chastenedbythefirstworldwar,historiansoftenpointoutthatAmericansretreatedintoaprovincialism褊狭evidencedbytheriseoftheKuKluxKlan,theantiradicalhysteriaofthePalmerraids,restrictiveimmigrationlaws,andprohibition.BackgroundOverall,thedecadeisoftenseenasaperiodofgreatcontradiction:ofrisingoptimismanddeadeningcynicism,ofincreasinganddecreasingfaith,ofgreathopeandgreatdespair.Putdifferently,historiansusuallyseethe1920sasadecadeofseriousculturalconflict.Background•TheSadYoungMenTheSadYoungMenandtheLostGenerationrefertothesamegroupofpeople.ThefirstnamewascreatedbyF.ScottFitzgeraldinhisbookAlltheSadYoungMenandsecondbyGertrudeStein.BackgroundThesenameswereappliedtothedisillusionedintellectualsandaesthetesoftheyearsfollowingtheFirstWorldWar,whorebelledagainstformeridealsandvalues,butcouldreplacethemonlybydespairoracynicalhedonism享乐主义.BackgroundTheremarkofGertrudeStein,'youareallalostgeneration',addressedtoHemingway,wasusedasaprefacetothelatter'snovel,TheSunAlsoRises,whichbrilliantlydescribesanexpatriategrouptypicalofthe'lostgeneration'(cf.BeatGenerationandAngryYoungMen)Background•TheBeatGenerationAfterWorldWarIIappearedtheBeatGenerationintheUnitedStates.ThistermwasappliedtocertainAmericanartistsandwriterswhowerepopularduringthe1950s.Essentiallyanarchic,membersofthebeatgenerationrejectedtraditionalsocialandartisticforms.Theysoughtimmediateexpressioninmultipleintenseexperiencesandbeatific极乐的illuminationlikethatofsomeEasternreligions(e.g.ZenBuddhism禅宗佛教).•TheessentialelementofZenBuddhismisfoundinitsname,forZenmeansmeditation.Zenteachesthatenlightenmentisachievedthroughtheprofoundrealizationthatoneisalreadyanenlightenedbeing.Thisawakeningcanhappengraduallyorinaflashofinsight(asemphasizedbytheSotoandRinzaischools,respectively).Butineithercase,itistheresultofone'sownefforts.Deitiesandscripturescanofferonlylimitedassistance.•BackgroundInliteraturetheyadoptedrhythmsofsimpleAmericanspeechandofso-calledprogressivejazz.AmongthoseassociatedwiththemovementwerethenovelistsJackKerouacandChandlerBrossard,numerouspoets(e.g.KennethRexroth,AllenGinsberg,LawrenceFerlinghetti,andGregoryCorso),andothers,manyofwhomhadworkedinandaroundSanFrancisco.Duringthe1960sbeatideasandattitudeswereabsorbedbyotherculturalmovements,andthosewhopracticedthebeatlifestylewerecalledhippies.Background•TheangryyoungmenAtthistimethereappearedinEnglandagroupcalledtheangryyoungmen.ThistermwasappliedtoagroupofEnglishwritersofthe1950swhoseheroessharedcertainrebelliousandcriticalattitudestowardssociety.Thisphrase,whichwasoriginallytakenfromthetitleofLeslieAllenPaul'sautobiography,AngryYoungMan(1951),becamecurrentwiththeproductionofJohnOsborne'splayLookBackinAnger(1956).BackgroundThegroupnotonlyexpresseddiscontentwiththestaid不动的,hypocriticalinstitutionsofEnglishsociety--theso-calledEstablishment--butbetrayeddisillusionmentwithitselfandwithitsownachievements,includedamongtheangryyoungmenweretheplaywrightsJohnOsborneandArnoldWeskerandthenovelistsKingsleyAmis,JohnBraine,JohnWain,andAlanSillitoe.Inthe1960sthesewritersturnedtomoreindividualizedthemesandwerenolongerconsideredagroup.Background•GertrudeStein(1874-1946)Background•GertrudeStein(1874-1946)Americanauthorandpatronofthearts.Acelebratedpersonality,sheencouraged,aided,andinfluenced-throughherpatronageaswellasthroughherwriti