美国文学-浪漫主义时期

RomanticPeriod(1820-1865):AmericanLiteratureComesofAgeOverviewFromtheendof18thcenturythroughtheoutbreakoftheCivilWar,arisingAmericawasflourishingintoapolitically,economicallyandculturallyindependentcountry.Historically,itwasthetimeofwestwardexpansion.ThewesternboundaryhadreachedtothePacificby1860.Economically,thewholenationwasexperiencinganindustrialtransformation,whichaffectedtheruralaswellastheurbanlife.Politically,democracyandequalitybecametheidealofthenewnation,andthetwo-partysystemcameintobeing.Culturallyandliterally,thenationfeltanurgetohaveitsownliteraryexpression,tomakeknownitsnewexperiencethatothernationsdidnothave:theearlyPuritansettlement,theconfrontationwiththeIndians,thefrontiersmen'slife,andthewildWest.RomanticisminAmericacoincidedwiththeperiodofnationalexpansionandthediscoveryofadistinctiveAmericanvoice.ThesolidificationofanationalidentityandthesurgingidealismandpassionofRomanticismnurturedthemasterpiecesoftheAmericanRenaissance.RomanticismTheRomanticMovement,whichoriginatedinGermanybutquicklyspreadtoEngland,France,andbeyond,reachedAmericaaroundtheyear1820,some20yearsafterWilliamWordsworthandSamuelTaylorColeridgehadrevolutionizedEnglishpoetrybypublishingLyricalBallads.Romanticismwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense.Theystressedthecloserelationshipbetweenmanandnature,emphasizedindividualismandaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself.Theycherishedstronginterestinthepast,especiallythemedievalandwereattractedbythewild,theirregular,theindefinite,theremote,themysterious,andthestrange.Themovementappealedtothoselongingtobreakfreeofthestrictreligioustraditionsofearlysettlement.ItappealedtothoseinoppositionofCalvinism,whichinvolvedthebeliefthattheuniverseandalltheeventswithinitaresubjecttothepowerofGod.TheRomanticMovementgaverisetoNewEnglandTranscendentalismwhichportrayedalessrestrictiverelationshipbetweenGodandUniverse.ThenewreligionpresentedtheindividualwithamorepersonalrelationshipwithGod.Asamoralphilosophy,transcendentalismwasneitherlogicalnorsystemized.Romanticliteraturewaspersonal,intense,andportrayedmoreemotionthaneverseeninneoclassicalliterature.America'spreoccupationwithfreedombecameagreatsourceofmotivationforRomanticwritersasmanyweredelightedinfreeexpressionandemotionwithoutsomuchfearofridiculeandcontroversy.Theyalsoputmoreeffortintothepsychologicaldevelopmentoftheircharacters.WaltWhitman,NathanielHawthorne,HermanMelville,EdgarAllanPoe,EmilyDickinson,andtheTranscendentalistsrepresentthefirstgreatliterarygenerationproducedintheUnitedStates.EarlyRomanticistsBeforetheRevolutionaryWar,Americanliterature--fromChristopherColumbus'stravelaccountstoBenjaminFranklin'sautobiography--hadbeenprimarilynonfictionalnarratives,sermons,essays,diaries,andimitationsofEnglishverse,mostofitwritteninprivateorsharedinsmallcircles.WiththepoliticalrevolutionagainstEngland,however,cameaculturalrevolution,andAmericansslowlybegantobuildanindependentculturalidentity,whichincludedastrongliterarycomponent.Forthefirsttime,Americahadasignificantnumberofmenandwomenofletters--thatis,writerswhocreatedworksappreciatedfortheiraestheticvalueandwhomadeacareeroratleastaseriousavocationofliterature.ThefirstofthesewriterswasWashingtonIrving,whoseSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,firstpublishedin1819,wasasensationinEnglandandhelpedbuildtheUnitedStates'reputationforcreativeliterature.SomeotherrepresentativemanofletterswereJamesFenimoreCooperinfiction,WilliamCullenBryant,andHenryWadsworthLongfellowinpoetry.WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)WashingtonIrvingwasanAmericanauthor,essayist,biographerandhistorianoftheearly19thcentury.HewasbestknownforhisshortstoriesTheLegendofSleepyHollowandRipVanWinkle,bothofwhichappearinhisbookTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent(1819-1820).WashingtonIrvinghasbeencalledthefatheroftheAmericanshortstorybecauseofhisuniquecontributionstotheform.HeestablishedanartisticstandardandmodelforsubsequentgenerationsofAmericanshortstorywriters.InTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.(1819-20),hewoveelementsofmythandfolkloreintonarratives,suchasRipVanWinkleandTheLegendofSleepyHollow,thatachievedalmostimmediateclassicstatus.AlthoughIrvingwasalsorenownedinhislifetimeforhisextensiveworkinhistoryandbiography,itwasthroughhisshortstoriesthathemoststronglyinfluencedAmericanwritinginsubsequentgenerationsandintroducedanumberofnow-familiarimagesandarchetypesintothebodyofthenationalliterature.Atransitionalfigure,IrvingsomewhatironicallycontributedtoAmerica'sliteraryindependencewhileproducingworkthatwasdistinctivelyEuropeanincontentandstyle.HismasterfuluseofstylizedproseanduseofEuropeanlegendalldemonstratethestronginfluenceoftheOldWorldonhiswork.Thisattentiontothepast,asIrvingscholarWilliamP.Kellyhasnoted,wasonereasonforIrving'ssuccesswithhisAmericanaudience.KellypointsoutthatAmericans,recentlyseveredfromtheirEuropeanheritage,werestrugglingwithanidentitycrisisatthetimetheywerereadingIrving'swork,whichitselflooksbothforwar