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TheDiscoveryofWhatItMeanstoBeanAmerican--JamesBaldwinLessonTenTeachingObjectives•TofamiliarizestudentswiththeraceproblemofUSA.•Toenablestudentstoappreciatethewritingstyleofthetext.TeachingContents1）BackgroundKnowledge2）Exposition3）Thesisofthetext4）Textualstructure5）DetailedstudyoftheEssay6）StylesandLanguageFeaturesBackgroundinformationTheauthorHOMEAnnaKareninaHenryJamesTolstoyAlbertCamusLittleRockJamesBaldwin(1924-1987)Americanwriter,notedforhisnovelsonsexualandpersonalidentity,andsharpessaysoncivil-rightsstruggleintheUnitedStates.Baldwinalsowrotethreeplays,achildren'sstorybook,andabookofshortstories.Hegainedfamewithhisfirstnovel,GOTELLITONTHEMOUNTAIN(1953),astoryofhiddensins,guilt,andreligioustorments.Inthisandsubsequentworks,Baldwinfusedautobiographicalmaterialwithanalysisofsocialinjusticeandprejudices.Severalofhisnovelsdealtwithhomosexualliaisons.Youwriteinordertochangetheworld,knowingperfectlywellthatyouprobablycan't,butalsoknowingthatliteratureisindispensabletotheworld...Theworldchangesaccordingtothewaypeopleseeit,andifyoualter,evenbyamillimeter,theway...peoplelookatreality,thenyoucanchangeit.--JamesBaldwinHenryJames(1843-1916)American-bornwriter,giftedwithtalentsinliterature,psychology,andphilosophy.Jameswrote20novels,112stories,12playsandanumberofliterarycriticism.HismodelswereDickens,Hawthorne,andBalzac.JamesoncesaidthathelearnedmoreofthecraftofwritingfromBalzacthanfromanyoneelse.Anovelisinitsbroadestsenseapersonal,adirectimpressionoflife:that,tobeginwith,constitutesitsvalue,whichisgreaterorlessaccordingtotheintensityoftheimpression.(fromTheArtofFiction,1885)LeoTolstoy(1828-1910)Russianauthor,oneofthegreatestofallnovelists.Tolstoy'smajorworksincludeWarandPeace(1863-69),characterizedbyHenryJamesasaloosebaggymonster,andAnnaKarenina(1875-77),whichstandsalongsideFlaubert'sMadameBovaryasperhapsthemostprominent19th-centuryEuropeannovelofadultery.Tolstoyoncesaid,Theonethingisnecessary,inlifeasinart,istotellthetruth.Tolstoy'slifeisoftenseentoformtwodistinctparts:firstcomestheauthorofgreatnovels,andlateraprophetandmoralreformer.Tolstoy'sfictiongreworiginallyoutofhisdiaries,inwhichhetriedtounderstandhisownfeelingsandactionssoastocontrolthem.Tolstoy'smajorwork,WarandPeace,appearedbetweentheyears1865and1869.TheepictaledepictedthestoryoffivefamiliesagainstthebackgroundofNapoleon'sinvasionofRussia.Tolstoy'sothermasterpiece,AnnaKarenina(1873-77),toldatragicstoryofamarriedwoman,whofollowsherlover,butfinallycommitssuicide.Tolstoyjuxtaposedintheworkcrisesoffamilylifewiththequestforthemeaningoflife.TolstoyAnnaKareninaAnovelbytheRussianauthorLeoTolstoy.Itisconsideredtobeoneofthemaster-piecesoftheworldliterature.Itwasfirstpublishedfrom1875to1877asaserialintheRusskiVestnik(RussianMessenger).ThefirstcompleteEnglishtranslationappearedin1899.AlbertCamus(1913-1960)Frenchnovelist,essayistandplaywright,whoreceivedthe1957NobelPrizeforliterature.CamuswascloselylinkedtohisfellowexistentialistJean-PaulSartreinthe1940s,buthebrokewithhimoverSartre'ssupporttoStalinistpolitics.Camusdiedattheageofforty-sixinacaraccidentinFrance.Amonghisbest-knownnovelsareTheStranger(1942)andThePlague(1947).LittleRockLocatedinthegeographiccenterofArkansas,LittleRockisalsothestate'sundisputedhistoric,cultural,andeconomichub.LittleRockisakeylinkbetweenmarketsinthesouthwestandthesoutheast.Thenetworkoffederalandstatehighwaysthatpassthroughornearthecityhavebroughtitwithin500milesoftenmajoreconomiccenters,andbusinessandgovernmentleadershaveworkedtotakeadvantageofthissituationbybolsteringthearea'sindustrialbase,expandingportfacilities,andencouragingfinancialinstitutionstoestablishoffices.LittleRockservesasabridgebetweentheOldSouthandtheNewSouth.NicknamedTheCityofRosesforitsmanygardens,LittleRockcombinesanold-fashioned,small-townambiencewithamoderndynamismthatoftenturnstoDallasorHoustonforinspiration.Historicsitesdocumentingmorethan150yearsofArkansaslifearecarefullypreservednexttosparklingnewskyscrapers.LittleRockisacitythathonorsitspastwhilewelcomingthefuture.GeneralUnderstandingoftheText1.Typeofliterature:apieceofexpositorywriting•Somemethodsofdevelopingideasinexposition:•apointbypointanalogy•simultaneouscomparison•alternatingcomparison--achievedfirstbyidentifyingacharacteristicofoneiteminthecomparisonandfollowingitimmediatelywithasimilarcharacteristicintheotheritem.Thistypeofcomparisonisbuiltupinlayers,fromfirstonesubject,thentheother.2.Thethesisoftheessay:ThediscoveryofwhatitmeanstobeanAmerican3.Thediscoveriesonthreelevels:--TheDiscoveryofWhatItMeanstoBeanAmerican--TheDiscoveryofWhatItMeanstoBeanAmericanWriter--TheDiscoveryofWhatItMeanstoBeanAmericanNegroWriterTextualstructure•(fourparts)PartOne:Para.1-9•ItmainlyfocusesonwhatBaldwin,asanAmericanNegrohasfoundoutinEurope.PartTwo:Para.10-16TheexperienceofstayinginEuropehelpsBaldwinrealizehisownfaults,hisownidentityandhisownvalue.PartThree:Para.17-22•TheperpetualcontactwithEuropeanpeopleandgradualunderstandingofthemshattersBaldwin’spreconceptionshehadalwaystakenforgranted.PartFour:Para.23-29•Baldwinrealizedthat