美国文学史chapter one

AmericanLiteratureOutlineofAmericanLiteratureColonialPeriodAmericanRomanticismTheAgeofRealismAmericanNaturalismTheModernPeriodThePost-WarPeriod:50s&60sAmericanDramaBlackAmericanLiteratureColonialPeriodBackgroundinformationWritersandworksNewEnglandNewEngland'scomposedofsixstates,includingfromnorthtosouth:Maine缅因州,NewHampshire新罕布什尔州,Vermont佛蒙特州,Massachusetts马萨诸塞州,RhodeIsland罗德岛州,Connecticut康涅狄格州.HistoricalBackgroundAmericanliteraturebeginswiththeorallytransmittedmyths,legends,tales,andlyrics(alwayssongs)ofIndiancultures.----nowrittenliteratureTheIndian’scontributiontoAmericaIndianwordsineverydayAmericanEnglishtodaysuchas“canoe”,“tobacco”,“potato”,“moccasin”软鞋，鹿皮鞋,“raccoon”浣熊“persimmon”柿子“moose”麋鹿“tomahawk”战斧“totem”图腾thefamousvoyageofanItalianexplorer,ChristopherColumbusin1492.EuropeansettlerscametoAmericancontinent.ThefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinNorthAmericawasestablishedatJamestown,Virginiain1607.PuritanismPuritanswasthenamegiveninthe16thcenturytothemoreextremeProtestants（新教徒，基督教徒）whothoughttheEnglishReformation（英国宗教改革）hadnotgonefarenough.Theywantedtopurifytheirnationalchurch.Inthe17thcenturymanyPuritansemigratedtotheNewWorld,wheretheysoughttofoundaholyCommonwealthinNewEngland.Puritanismremainedthedominantculturalforceinthatareaintothe19thcentury.1.FeaturesofPuritanism(1)Predestination:Goddecidedeverythingbeforethingsoccurred.(2)Originalsin:Humanbeingswereborntobeevil,andthisoriginalsincanbepasseddownfromgenerationtogeneration.(3)Totaldepravity(4)Limitedatonement:Onlythe“elect”canbesaved.2.Influence(1)Agroupofgoodqualities–hardwork,thrift,piety,sobriety(seriousandthoughtful)influencedAmericanliterature.(2)Itledtotheeverlastingmyth.Allliteratureisbasedonamyth–gardenofEden.(3)Symbolism:theAmericanpuritan’smetaphoricalmodeofperceptionwaschieflyinstrumentalincallingintobeingaliterarysymbolismwhichisdistinctlyAmerican.(4)Withregardtotheirwriting,thestyleisfresh,simpleanddirect;therhetoricisplainandhonest,notwithoutatouchofnobilityoftentraceabletothedirectinfluenceoftheBible.Overviewoftheliterature1.typesofwritingdiaries,histories,journals,letters,travelbooks,autobiographies/biographies,sermons2.writersofcolonialperiod(1)AnneBradstreet(2)EdwardTaylor(3)RogerWilliams(4)JohnWoolman(5)BenjaminFranklin(6)ThomasPaine(7)ThomasJefferson(8)PhilipFreneauMajorWritersandLiteraryWorksBenjaminFranklinThomasPaineThomasJeffersonPhilipFreneauBenjaminFranklin(1706----1790)BenjaminFranklin,---America'sfirstgreatmanofletters,”embodiedtheEnlightenmentidealofhumanrationality.FranklinrecordedhisearlylifeinhisfamousAutobiography.InmanywaysFranklin'slifeillustratestheimpactoftheEnlightenmentonagiftedindividual.Self-educatedbutwell-readinJohnLocke,JosephAddison,andotherEnlightenmentwriters,Franklinlearnedfromthemtoapplyreasontohisownlifeandtobreakwithtradition----inparticulartheold-fashionedPuritantradition----whenitthreatenedtosmotherhisideals.BenjaminFranklinWhenFranklindiedin1790,oneofhisfellowAmericanssaid,“Hisshadowliesheavierthananyotherman’sonthisyoungnation.”Asanauthor,Franklin’sstyleisquitemodern,andhisworksshowareturntotheir“plainstyle”.Atthesametime,thereissomething“anti-literary”aboutFranklin.Hehadnolikingforpoetryandfeltthatwritingshouldalwayshaveapracticalpurpose.Inthelanguageofhiswriting,FranklinadmirablyreflectsbothLocke’spsychologyandLocke’spoliticaltheory,andinfluencesotherwritersintheirchoicesoflanguage,subjectmatterandworldview.InventorPrinterstatesmanLibrarianBenjaminFranklin-PrinterAttheageoftwelve,hestartedasanapprenticewithhisolderbrotherJames.Attheageoftwenty-two,heopenedhisownprintingshop.Hisnewspaper,thePennsylvaniaGazette[ɡə'zet]becameverypopularandprofitable.Afewyearslater,PoorRichard’sAlmanackwasreleasedandsoonbecamethebestsellingbookinthecolonies,sellingover10,000copiesayear..Soon,hebecamethemostactiveprinterandwasappointedtheofficialprinterofPennsylvania.BenjaminFranklin-LibrarianSomefellowprintersandBenjaminFranklin,knownastheLeatherApronClub(becausemostofusworeleatheraprons)startedalendinglibrarythatwasopentoeveryone.Theywouldpooltheirmoneyandbuybooks,whichpeoplecouldborrow.In1731,thefirstlendinglibraryinAmericaopened.Soon,othertownsbegantoimitatethelibrary,untilreadingbecamefashionable.BenjaminFranklin-InventorAttheageofforty-two,BenjaminFranklinretiredfromprintingtoexplorehisotherinterests.Hedevotedthistimetoinventing.Also，heenjoyedexperimenting，ofwhichthemostfascinatingoneiselectricity.ThestoryofBenjamin’skiteandelectricity,andhislighteningrod.BenjaminFranklin-StatesmanDuringthefightforindependence,hewassenttoEuropetorepresentthecolonies.In1776,hesignedtheDeclarationofIndependenceand,in1778,theTreatyofAlliancewithFrance.Whenthecolonistswontheirindependencein1781,FranklinhelpednegotiatethepeacewithEnglandandsignedwhatultimatelybecameknownasTreatyofPeacewithGreatBritain(1782).Hisworks(1)PoorRichard’sAlmanac(2)AutobiographyTerm:Almanacs---apopularformofpracticalliteraturecontainingmuchusefulinformationforfarmersandsailors.Features:•practicalanduseful•interestingby