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Transcendentalism:transcendentalismwasagroupofnewideasinliterature,religion,cultureandphilosophythatemergedinNewEnglandintheearlytomiddle19thcentury.TranscendentalistsspokeforculturalrejuvenationandagainstthematerialismofAmericansociety.Itplacedemphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheworld.ItstressedtheimportanceofindividualandofferedafreshperceptionnatureadsymbolicofthespiritofGod.ProminenttranscendentalistsincludedRalphWaldoEmersonandHenryDavidThorough.BlackHumor:theuseofmorbidandtheabsurdfordarklycomicpurposesinmodernfictionanddrama.Thetermrefersasmuchtothetoneofangerandbitternessasitdoestothegrotesqueandmorbidsituations,whichoftendealwithsuffering,anxiety,anddeath.BlackhumorisasubstantialelementintheAnti-novelandtheTheatreofAbsurd.JosephHeller'sCatch-22isanalmostarchetypalexample.Irony:acontrastoranincongruitybetweenwhatisstatedandwhatisreallymeant,orbetweenwhatisexpectedtohappenandwhatactuallyhappensindramaandliterature.Therearetypesofirony:verbalirony,dramaticironyandironyofsituation.Ironyofsituationtypicallytakestheformofadiscrepancybetweenappearanceandreality,orbetweenwhatacharacterexpectsandwhatactuallyhappens.Bothverbalandironyofsituationsharethesuggestionofaconcealedtruthconflictingwithsurfaceappearances.IndividualismItisamoralpoliticalandsocialphilosophywhichemphasizesindividuallibertytheprimaryimportanceoftheindividualandtheunitiesofself-reliance.Streamofconsciousness(意识流)(orinteriormonologue);Inliterarycriticism,Streamofconsciousnessdenotesaliterarytechniquewhichseekstodescribeanindividual’spointofviewbygivingthewrittenequivalentofthecharacter’sthoughtprocesses.Streamofconsciousnesswritingisstronglyassociatedwiththemodernistmovement.Itsintroductionintheliterarycontext,transferredfrompsychology,isattributedtoMaySinclair.Streamofconsciousnesswritingisusuallyregardedasaspecialformofinteriormonologueandischaracterizedbyassociativeleapsinsyntaxandpunctuationthatcanmaketheprosedifficulttofollow,tracingastheydoacharacter’sfragmentarythoughtsandsensoryfeelings.famouswriterstoemploythistechniqueintheenglishlanguageincludeJamesJoyceandWilliamFaulkner.SymbolismmeansusingsymbolsinliteraryworksthesymbolmeanssomethingrepresentsorstandsforabstractdeepmeaningAmericanrealism：（美国现实主义）RealismwasareactionagainstRomanticismandpavedthewaytoModernism;2).Duringthisperiodanewgenerationofwriters,dissatisfiedwiththeRomanticideasintheoldergeneration,cameupwithanewinspiration.Thisnewattitudewascharacterizedbyagreatinterestintherealitiesoflife.Itaimedattheinterpretationoftherealitiesofanyaspectoflife,freefromsubjectiveprejudice,idealism,orromanticcolor.Insteadofthinkingaboutthemysteriesoflifeanddeathandheroicindividualism,people’sattentionwasnowdirectedtotheinterestingfeaturesofeverydayexistence,towhatwasbrutalorsordid,andtotheopenportayalofclassstruggle;3)sowritersbegantodescribetheintegrityofhumancharactersreactingundervariouscircumstancesandpicturethepioneersofthefarwest,thenewimmigrantsandthestrugglesoftheworkingclass;4)MarkTwainHowellsandHenryJamesarethreeleadingfiguresoftheAmericanRealism.AmericanNaturalism:Americannaturalismwasanewandharsherrealism.Thenaturalistsattempttoachieveextremeobjectivityandfrankness,presentingcharactersoflowsocialandeconomicclasseswhoweredeterminedbyenvironmentandheredity.Itemphasizedthattheworldwasamoral,themenandwomenhadnofreewill,thatliveswerecontrolledbyheredityandenvironment,thatthedestinyofhumanitywasmiseryinlifeandoblivionindeath.ThepessimismanddeterministicideasnaturalismpervadedtheworksofsuchAmericanwritersasStephenCraneandTheodoreDreiser.AmericanPuritanism:Puritanismisthepracticesandbeliefsofthepuritans.ThePuritanswereoriginallymembersofadivisionoftheprotestantchurchwhowantedtopurifytheirreligiousbeliefsandpractices.Theyacceptedthedoctrinesofpredestination,originalsinandtotaldepravity,andlimitedatonementthroughaspecialinfusionofgracefromGod.Americanliteratureinthe17thcenturymostlyconsistedofPuritanliterature.PuritanismhadanenduringinfluenceonAmericanliterature.Ithadbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,somuchapartofnationalculturalatmosphere,ratherthanasetoftenets.AJazzage(爵士时代):TheJazzAgedescribestheperiodofthe1920sand1930s,theyearsbetweenworldwarIandworldwarII.ParticularlyinnorthAmerica.Withtheriseofthegreatdepression,thevaluesofthisagesawmuchdecline.PerhapsthemostrepresentativeliteraryworkoftheageisAmericanwriterFitzgerald’sTheGreatGatsby.Highlightingwhatsomedescribeasthedecadenceandhedonism,aswellasthegrowthofindividualism.Fitzgeraldislargelycreditedwithcoiningtheterm”JazzAge”.LocalColorism(乡土文学)：Generallyspeaking,thewritingsoflocalcoloristsareconcernedwiththelifeofasmall,weell-definedregionorprovince.Thecharacteristicsettingistheisolatedsmalltown.2)Localcoloristswereconsciouslynostalgichistoriansofavanishingwayoflife,recordersofapresentthatfadedbeforetheireyes.Yetforalltheirsentimentality,theydedicatedthemselvestominutelyaccuratedescriptionsofthelifeoftheirregions,theyworkedfrompersonalexperiencetorecordthefactsofalocalenvironmentandsuggestedthatthenativel