美国文学名词解释1.Americanromanticism①itisoneofthemostimportantperiodsinthehistoryofAmericanliteraturethatstretchesfromthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakofthecivilwar.ItstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving’sTheSketchBookandendedwithWaltWhitman’sLeavesofGrass.②beingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalled“theAmericanRenaissance”.③Americanromanticworksemphasizetheimaginativeandemotionalqualitiesofnatureliterature.Thestrongtendencytoeulogizetheindividualandcommonmanwastypicalofthisperiod.Mostimportantly,thewritingsofAmericanRomanticismaretypicallyAmerican.WorksconcentrateonuniquecharacteristicsoftheAmericanland.④NewEnglandTranscendentalismisthesummitofAmericanRomanticism.⑤RomanticistsincludesuchliteraryfiguresasWashingtonIrving,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,WilliamCullenBryant,HenryWordsworthLongfellow,NathanielHawthorne,EdgarAllanPoe,HermanMelville,WaltWhitmanandsomeothers.2.Freeversefreeversemeanstherhymedorunrhymedpoetrycomposedwithoutpayingattentiontoconversationalrulesofmeter.FreeversewasoriginatedbyagroupofFrenchpoetsofthelate19thcentury.Theirpurposewastofreethemselvesfromtherestrictionsofformalmetricalpatternsandtorecreateinsteadthefreerhymesofnatureperiod.WaltWhitman‘sleavesofgrassisperhapsthemostnotableexample.3.Transcendentalism\①transcendentalismhasbeendefinedphilosophicallyas“therecognitioninmanofthecapabilityofknowingtruthintuitively,orofattainingknowledgetranscendingthereachofthesenses.②transcendentalistsstresstheimportanceoftheOver-soul,theIndividualandNature.Otherconceptsthataccompaniedtranscendentalismincludetheideathatnatureisenablingandtheideathattheindividualisdivineand,therefore,self-reliant.NewEnglandtranscendentalismistheproductofacombinationofNativeAmericanPuritanismandEuropeanromanticism.③someprominentrepresentativesincludeRalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau.4.realism①realismwasareactionagainstRomanticismandpavedthewaytoModernism.②oldergeneration,cameupwithanewinspiration.Thisnewattitudewascharacterizedbyagreatinterestintherealitiesoflife.Itaimedattheinterpretationoftherealitiesofanyaspectoflife,freefromsubjectiveprejudice,idealism,orromanticcolor.Insteadofthinkingaboutthemysteriesoflifeanddeathandheroicindividualism,people’sattentionwasnowdirectedtotheinterestingfeaturesofeverydayexistence,towhatwasbrutalorsordidandtotheopenportrayalofclassstruggle.③sowritersbegantodescribetheintegrityofhumancharactersreactingundervariouscircumstancesandpicturethepioneersoftheFarWest,thenewimmigrantsandthestrugglesoftheworkingclass.④MarkTwain,Howells,HenryJamesarethreeleadingfiguresoftheAmericanRealism.5.pointofview①theeventsofastorymaybetoldastheyappeartooneormoreparticipantsorobservers.Infirst-personnarrationthepointofviewisautomaticallythatofthenarrator.②morevariationispossibleinthird-personnarration.,wheretheauthormaychoosetolimithisorherreporttowhatcouldhavebeenobservedorknownbyoneofthecharactersatanygivenpointintheaction----ormaychoosetoreporttheobservationsandthoughtsofseveralcharacters.Theauthormighttochoosetointrudehisorherownpointofview.6.LocalcolorismPost-wasAmericanwaslargeanddiverseenoughtosenseitsownlocaldifferences.Regionalvoiceshademerged.Generally,theworksbylocalcoloristsareconcernedwiththelifeofasmall,well-definedregionorprovince.Thecharacteristicsettingistheisolatedtown.②Localcoloristswereconsciouslynostalgichistoriansofavanishingwayoflife,recordersofapresentthatfadedbeforeyoureyes.Yetforalltheirsentimentality,theydedicatedthemselvestominutelyaccuratedescriptionsofthelifeoftheirregions.Theyworkedfrompersonalexperiencetorecordthefactsofalocalenvironmentandsuggestedthatthenativelifewasshapedbythecuriousconditionsofthelocale.③MajorlocalcoloristsincludeHamlinGarland,MarkTwain,andKateChopin,etc..7.Americannaturalism①theAmericannaturalistsacceptedthemorenegativeinterpretationofDarwin’sevolutionarytheory,andusedittoaccountforthebehaviorofthosecharactersinliteraryworkswhowereregardedasmoreorlesscomplexcombinationsofinheritedattributes,theirhabitsconditionedbysocialandeconomicforces.②naturalismevolvedfromrealismwhentheauthor’stoneinwritingbecomeslessseriousandlesssympatheticbutmoreironicandmorepessimistic.Itisnomorethanagloomyphilosophicalapproachtoreality,ortohumanexistence.③themostfamiliarthemesinAmericannaturalismisthethemeofhuman,especiallyasexplanationofsexualdesires.Philosophically,thenaturalistsbelievethattherealandtrueisalwayspartiallyhiddenfromtheeyesoftheindividual,orbeyondhiscontrol.8.streamofconsciousness以下是考研书上的答案。①itisusedtodepictthementalandemotionalreactionsofcharacterstoexternalevents,ratherthantheeventthemselves.Itadoptsthepsycho-analyticapproachinliterarycreationtoexploretheexistenceofsub-consciousnessandunconsciouselementsinthemindmorethoroughlyandseemoreclearlyhowmenarethrownintoexistence.②asopposedtousagesofconventionalplotstructure,description,andcharacterization,theactionispresentedintermsofimagesandattitudeswithinthemindoffigures,oftentogetatthepsychicnatureofthecharactersataleveldistinctfromthatoftheirexpressionofordered,verbalizedthought.我们老师上课讲的