美国文学考试必备知识点.docx
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美国文学考试必备知识点
1.Romanticperiod
2.WashingtonIrving
3.EdgarAllanPoe
4.NathanialHawthorne
5.WaltWhitman
6.EmilyDickinson
7.II.Realistperiod
8.MarkTwain
9.SherwoodAnderson
10.StephenCrane
11.TheodoreDreiser
12.III.Modernperiod
13.F.S.Fitzgerald
14.ErnestHemingway
15.WilliamFaulkner
1.Transcendentalism
TranscendentalismreferstothereligiousandphilosophicaldoctrinesofRalphWaldoEmersonandothersinNewEnglandinthemiddle1800’s,whichemphasizedtheimportanceofindividualinspirationandintuition,theOversoul,andNature.OtherconceptsthataccompaniedTranscendentalismincludetheideathatnatureisennoblingandtheideathattheindividualisdivineand,therefore,self-reliant.NewEnglandTranscendentalismistheproductofacombinationofnativeAmericanPuritanismandEuropeanRomanticism.
2.Naturalism
Naturalism,amoredeliberatekindofrealism,usuallyinvolvesaviewofhumanbeingsaspassivevictimsofnaturalforcesandsocialenvironment.Asaliterarymovement,naturalismwasinitiatedinFranceanditcametobeledbyZola,whoclaimedat“scientific”statusforhisstudiesofimpoverishedcharactersmiserablysubjectedtohunger,sexualobsession,andhereditarydefects.Naturalfictionaspiredtoasociologicalobjectivity,offeringdetailedandfullyresearchedinvestigationsintounexploredcornersofmodernsociety.ThemostsignificantworkofnaturalisminEnglishbeingDreiser’sSisterCarrie.
3.AmericanDream
TheAmericanDreamisthefaithheldbymanypeopleintheUnitedStatesofAmericathatthroughhardwork,courageanddeterminationonecanachieveabetterlifeforoneself,usuallythroughfinancialprosperity.ThesewerevaluesheldbymanyearlyEuropeansettlers,andhavebeenpassedontosubsequentgenerations.
4.TheLostGeneration
ThetermLostGenerationwascoinedbyGertrudeSteintorefertoagroupofAmericanLiterarynotableswholivedinParisfromthetimeperiodwhichsawtheendofWorldWarItothebeginningoftheGreatDepression.SignificantmembersincludedErnestHemingway,F.ScottFitzgerald,EzraPound,SherwoodAnderson,T.S.Eliot,andGertrudeSteinherself.Hemingwaylikelypopularizedtheterm,quotingStein(“Youareallalostgeneration”)asepigraphtohisnovelTheSunAlsoRises.Moregenerally,thetermisbeingusedfortheyoungadultsofEuropeandAmericaduringWorldWarI.Theywere“lost”becauseafterthewarmanyofthemweredisillusionedwiththeworldingeneralandunwillingtomoreintoasettledlife
5.Modernism
Modernwritingismarkedbyastrongandconsciousbreakwithtraditionalformsandtechniquesofexpression;itbelievesthatwecreatetheworldintheactofperceivingit.Modernismimplieshistoricaldiscontinuity,asenseofalienation,ofloss,andofdespair.Itelevatestheindividualandhisinnerbeingoversocialmanandpreferstheunconscioustotheself-conscious.
6.Romanticism
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7.Puritanism
TheprinciplesandpracticesofpuritanswerepopularlyknownasPuritanism.PuritanismacceptedthedoctrinesofCalvinism:
thesovereigntyofGod;thesupremeauthorityoftheBible;theirresistibilityofGod’swillformanineveryactoflifefromcradletograve.ThesedoctrinesledthePuritanstoexaminetheirsoulstofindwhethertheywereoftheelectandtosearchtheBibletodetermineGod’swill.
8.HemingwayHeroes/CodeHero
“HemingwayHeroes”refertosomeprotagonistsinHemingway’sworks.Suchaherousuallyisanaveragemanofdecidedlymasculinetastes,sensitiveandintelligent.Andusuallyheisamanofactionandofafewwords.Heissuchanindividualist,aloneevenwhenwithotherpeople,somewhatanoutsider,keepingemotionsundercontrol,stoicandself-disciplinedinadreadfulplacewhereonecannotgethappiness.TheHemingwayheroesstandforawholegeneration.Inaworldwhichisessentiallychaoticandmeaningless,aHemingwayherofightsasolitarystruggleagainstaforcehedoesnotevenunderstand.Theawarenessthatitmustendindefeat,nomatterhowhardhestrives,engendersasenseofdespair.ButHemingwayheroespossessakindof“despairingcourage”asBertrandRussellterms.Itisthiscouragethatenablesamantobehavelikeaman,toasserthisdignityinfaceofadversity.SurelyHemingwayheroesdiffer,onefromanother,intheirviewoftheworld.ThedifferencewhichcomesgraduallyinviewisanindextothesubtlechangewhichHemingway’soutlookhadundergone.
Expressionism
ExpressionismreferstoamovementinGermanyearlyinthe20thcentury,inwhichanumberofpainterssoughttoavoidtherepresentationofexternalrealityand,instead,toprojectahighlypersonalorsubjectivevisionoftheworld.Themainprincipleinvolvedisthatexpressiondeterminesform,andthereforeimagery,punctuation,syntax,andsoforth.Inbrief,anyoftheformalrulesandelementsofwritingcanbebentordisjointedtosuitthepurpose.Theatrically,expressionismwasareactionagainstrealisminthatittendstoshowinnerpsychologicalrealities.O’Neill’splaysaresomeofthebestexamples.
TheImagistMovement(Imagism)
LedbyEzraPoundandflourishedfrom1909to1917,themovementadvancedmodernisminartswhichconcentratedonreformingthemediumofpoetryasopposedtoRomanticism,especiallyTennyson'swordinessandhigh-flownlanguageinpoetry.ThethreeprinciplesfollowedbytheImagistswere:
(1)"Directtreatment"
(2)"EconomyofExpression"(3)"Rhythm"
symbolism
SymbolismoriginatesinFranceinthemiddle19thcentury.ThepoetrycollectionTheFlowersofEvilbytheFrenchpoetCharlesBaudelaireisarepresentativeworkofthisgenre.Symbolismtriestoexpressthedreamymysteriousinnerworldofthewriter.
Stream-of-consciousness
Stream-of-consciousnessbeginsinthe1920’sinBritain.Itisapsychologicaltermindicating“thefluxofconsciousandsubconsciousthoughtsandimpressionsmovinginthemindatanygiventimeindependentlyoftheperson’swill”.Inlate19thcentury,theliterarydeviceof“interiormonologue”wasoriginatedinFranceasanapplicationofmodernpsychologicalknowledgetoliterarycreation.Inthe20thcentury,undertheinfluenceofFreud’stheoryofpsychologicalanalysis,anumberofwritersadoptedthe“streamofconsciousness”methodofnovelwriting.Thestrikingfeatureofthesenovelistsistheirgivingprecedencetothedepictionofthecharacters’mentalandemotionalreactionstoexternalevents,ratherthantheeventsthemselves.(tobecontinued)
Freeverse:
aformofpoetrywithoutrhyme,meter,regularlinelength,andregularstanzaicstructure.Itdependsonnaturalspeechforrhythm.RobertFrostcompareditto“playingtenniswiththenetdown.”Thoughmuchsimplerandlessrestrictivethanconventionalpoetryandblankverse,freeversedoesnomean“formlessness.”T.S.Eliotoncesaidthat“noverseisfreeforthemanwhowantstodoagoodjob.”Thoughitsoriginisunknown,itwasattemptedbysuchearlypoetsasSurrey,Milton,Blake,andMacpherson.ItwasWhitmanwhodidthegreatestcontributiontothedevelopmentandpopularityoffreeverse.Whitmanfavoredthesimplicityandfreedomofexpression.Accordingtohim,“Theartofart,thegloryofexpressionandthesunshineoflightoflettersissimplicity.Notingisbetterthansimplicity.”
Jazzage:
JazzisaformofdancemusicthatisderivedfromearlyAfro-Americanfolkmusic,ragtime,andNegroblues.Itismarkedwithexcitingrhythm,pronouncedsyncopation,andconstantimprovisation.Themusicalinstrumentsusedaremainlydrums,trumpets,andsaxophones.MajorcomposersofJazzmusicincludeIrvinBerlinandW.C.Handy.ThetermJazzAgewasspecificallyemployedbyFitzgeraldtodenotethe1920s,whichwascharacterizedbythelossoftraditionalmoralstandards,indulgenceinromanticyearnings,andgreatsocialexcitement.AccordingtoMalcolmCowley,theJazzAgewas“alegendofglitter,ofrecklessness,andoftalentinsuchprofusionthatitwassownbroadcastlikewildoats.”F.ScottFitzgerald’sTalesoftheJazzAge,likeMarkTwain’sTheGildedAge,wasanepoch-makingwork.
Blackhumor:
atermfrequentlyusedinmodernliterarycriticism.Itissometimescalled‘blackcomedy’or‘tragicfarce.’Itishumororlaughterresultingfromgreatpain,despair,horrorandtheabsurdityofhumanexistence.Blackhumorisacommonqualityofmodernanti-novelsandanti-dramas.ExamplesareFranzKafka’sstorieslike“Metamorphosis”,“TheCastle”and“TheTrial”,JosephHeller’snovelCatch-22andAlbee’sTheZooStory.OtherwriterswhodidmuchcontributiontothepopularityofblackhumorwereBeckett,Camus,Ionesco,Vonnegut,Pynchonandsoon.
Autobiography:
astoryawriterwritesabouthisorherownlifeexperiences.Itisnarratedfromthefirst-personpointofview.ThetermwasprobablyfirstusedbySouthey.ButthefirstimportantautobiographywasConfessionswrittenbyAugustineofHippo.OtherexamplesincludeFranklin’sAutobiography,Adams’sTheEducationofHenryAdams,JohnStuartMill’sAutobiography,Carlyle’sReminiscences,HenryDavidThoreau’sWalden,andsoon.
SurpriseEnding:
Alsocalled“O.Henryending,”itisacompletelyunexpectedturnorrevelationofeventsattheconclusionofastoryorplay.Anexampleis“TheNecklace”byGuydeMaupassant.AnotherinstanceisO.Henry’sstory“TheGiftoftheMagi.”
Blankverse:
poetrythatdoesnotrhymebuthasiambicpentameterlines.ThoughnotoriginatedinEnglandorAmerica,ithasbeenthemostimportantandmostwidelyusedEnglishverseform.BlankverseispopularbecauseitisclosesttotherhythmofdailyEnglishspeech.ThusmostEnglishpoemswhicharedramatic,reflectiveor