美国文学纲要 英文版Word文档下载推荐.docx

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TheRiseofRealism:

1860-1914

ModernismandExperimentation:

1914-1945

AmericanPoetry,1945-1990:

TheAnti-Tradition

AmericanProse,1945-1990:

RealismandExperimentation

ContemporaryAmericanPoetry

ContemporaryAmericanLiterature

Bibliography:

OutlineofAmericanLiterature

Fromorallytransmittedworkstoprintedofferings

01May2008

"

TheFirstThanksgiving,"

apaintingbyJ.L.G.Ferris.（LibraryofCongress）

（ThefollowingarticleistakenfromtheU.S.DepartmentofStatepublication,OutlineofAmericanLiterature.）

EarlyAmericanandColonialPeriodto1776ByKathrynVanSpanckeren

Americanliteraturebeginswiththeorallytransmittedmyths,legends,tales,andlyrics（alwayssongs）ofIndiancultures.Therewasnowrittenliteratureamongthemorethan500differentIndianlanguagesandtribalculturesthatexistedinNorthAmericabeforethefirstEuropeansarrived.Asaresult,NativeAmericanoralliteratureisquitediverse.

Narrativesfromquasi-nomadichuntingculturesliketheNavajoaredifferentfromstoriesofsettledagriculturaltribessuchasthepueblo-dwellingAcoma;

thestoriesofnorthernlakesidedwellerssuchastheOjibwaoftendifferradicallyfromstoriesofdeserttribesliketheHopi.

Tribesmaintainedtheirownreligions–worshippinggods,animals,plants,orsacredpersons.Systemsofgovernmentrangedfromdemocraciestocouncilsofelderstotheocracies.Thesetribalvariationsenterintotheoralliteratureaswell.

Still,itispossibletomakeafewgeneralizations.Indianstories,forexample,glowwithreverencefornatureasaspiritualaswellasphysicalmother.Natureisaliveandendowedwithspiritualforces;

maincharactersmaybeanimalsorplants,oftentotemsassociatedwithatribe,group,orindividual.TheclosesttotheIndiansenseofholinessinlaterAmericanliteratureisRalphWaldoEmerson'

stranscendental"

Over-Soul,"

whichpervadesalloflife.

TheMexicantribesreveredthedivineQuetzalcoatl,agodoftheToltecsandAztecs,andsometalesofahighgodorcultureweretoldelsewhere.However,therearenolong,standardizedreligiouscyclesaboutonesupremedivinity.TheclosestequivalentstoOld

Worldspiritualnarrativesareoftenaccountsofshamansinitiationsandvoyages.Apartfromthese,therearestoriesaboutcultureheroessuchastheOjibwatribe'

sManabozhoortheNavajotribe'

sCoyote.Thesetrickstersaretreatedwithvaryingdegreesofrespect.Inonetaletheymayactlikeheroes,whileinanothertheymayseemselfishorfoolish.

Althoughpastauthorities,suchastheSwisspsychologistCarlJung,havedeprecatedtrickstertalesasexpressingtheinferior,amoralsideofthepsyche,contemporaryscholars

–someofthemNativeAmericans–pointoutthatOdysseusandPrometheus,thereveredGreekheroes,areessentiallytrickstersaswell.

ExamplesofalmosteveryoralgenrecanbefoundinAmericanIndianliterature:

lyrics,chants,myths,fairytales,humorousanecdotes,incantations,riddles,proverbs,epics,andlegendaryhistories.Accountsofmigrationsandancestorsabound,asdovisionorhealingsongsandtricksters'

tales.Certaincreationstoriesareparticularlypopular.Inonewell-knowncreationstory,toldwithvariationsamongmanytribes,aturtleholdsuptheworld.InaCheyenneversion,thecreator,Maheo,hasfourchancestofashiontheworldfromawateryuniverse.Hesendsfourwaterbirdsdivingtotrytobringupearthfromthebottom.Thesnowgoose,loon,andmallardsoarhighintotheskyandsweepdowninadive,butcannotreachbottom;

butthelittlecoot,whocannotfly,succeedsinbringingupsomemudinhisbill.Onlyonecreature,humbleGrandmotherTurtle,istherightshapetosupportthemudworldMaheoshapesonhershell–hencetheIndiannameforAmerica,"

TurtleIsland."

Thesongsorpoetry,likethenarratives,rangefromthesacredtothelightandhumorous:

Therearelullabies,warchants,lovesongs,andspecialsongsforchildren'

sgames,gambling,variouschores,magic,ordanceceremonials.Generallythesongsarerepetitive.Shortpoem-songsgivenindreamssometimeshavetheclearimageryandsubtlemoodassociatedwithJapanesehaikuorEastern-influencedimagisticpoetry.AChippewasongruns:

AloonIthoughtitwasButitwas

Mylove'

ssplashingoar.

Visionsongs,oftenveryshort,areanotherdistinctiveform.Appearingindreamsorvisions,sometimeswithnowarning,theymaybehealing,hunting,orlovesongs.Oftentheyarepersonal,asinthisModocsong:

I

thesong

Iwalkhere.

IndianoraltraditionanditsrelationtoAmericanliteratureasawholeisoneoftherichestandleastexploredtopicsinAmericanstudies.TheIndiancontributiontoAmericaisgreaterthanisoftenbelieved.ThehundredsofIndianwordsineverydayAmericanEnglishinclude"

canoe,"

"

tobacco,"

potato,"

moccasin,"

moose,"

persimmon,"

raccoon,"

tomahawk,"

and"

totem."

ContemporaryNativeAmericanwriting,discussedinchapter8,alsocontainsworksofgreatbeauty.

THELITERATUREOFEXPLORATION

Hadhistorytakenadifferentturn,theUnitedStateseasilycouldhavebeenapartofthegreatSpanishorFrenchoverseasempires.ItspresentinhabitantsmightspeakSpanishandformonenationwithMexico,orspeakFrenchandbejoinedwithCanadianFrancophoneQuebecandMontreal.

YettheearliestexplorersofAmericawerenotEnglish,Spanish,orFrench.ThefirstEuropeanrecordofexplorationinAmericaisinaScandinavianlanguage.TheOldNorseVinlandSagarecountshowtheadventurousLeifErikssonandabandofwanderingNorsemensettledbrieflysomewhereonthenortheastcoastofAmerica–probablyNovaScotia,inCanada–inthefirstdecadeofthe11thcentury,almost400yearsbeforethenextrecordedEuropeandiscoveryoftheNewWorld.

ThefirstknownandsustainedcontactbetweentheAmericasandtherestoftheworld,however,beganwiththefamousvoyageofanItalianexplorer,ChristopherColumbus,fundedbytheSpanishrulersFerdinandandIsabella.Columbus'

sjournalinhis"

Epistola,"

printedin1493,recountsthetrip'

sdrama–theterrorofthemen,whofearedmonstersandthoughttheymightfallofftheedgeoftheworld;

thenear-mutiny;

howColumbusfakedtheships'

logssothemenwouldnotknowhowmuchfarthertheyhadtravelledthananyonehadgonebefore;

andthefirstsightingoflandastheynearedAmerica.

Bartolomé

delasCasasistherichestsourceofinformationabouttheearlycontactbetweenAmericanIndiansandEuropeans.AsayoungpriesthehelpedconquerCuba.HetranscribedColumbus'

sjournal,andlateinlifewrotealong,vividHistoryoftheIndianscriticizingtheirenslavementbytheSpanish.

InitialEnglishattemptsatcolonizationweredisasters.Thefirstcolonywassetupin1585atRoanoke,offthecoastofNorthCarolina;

allitscolonistsdisappeared,andtothisdaylegendsaretoldaboutblue-eyedCroatanIndiansofthearea.Thesecondcolonywasmorepermanent:

Jamestown,establishedin1607.Itenduredstarvation,brutality,andmisrule.However,theliteratureoftheperiodpaintsAmericainglowingcolorsasthelandofrichesandopportunity.Accountsofthecolonizationsbecameworld-renowned.TheexplorationofRoanokewascarefullyrecordedbyThomasHariotinABriefeandTrueReportoftheNew-FoundLandofVirginia（1588）.Hariot'

sbookwasquicklytranslatedintoLatin,French,andGerman;

thetextandpicturesweremadeintoengravingsandwidelyrepublishedforover200years.

TheJamestowncolony'

smainrecord,thewritingsofCaptainJohnSmith,oneofitsleaders,istheexactoppositeofHariot'

saccurate,scientificaccount.Smithwasanincurableromantic,andheseemstohaveembroideredhisadventures.TohimweowethefamousstoryoftheIndianmaiden,Pocahontas.Whetherfactorfiction,thetaleisingrainedintheAmericanhistoricalimagination.ThestoryrecountshowPocahontas,favoritedaughterofChiefPowhatan,savedCaptainSmith'

slifewhenhewasaprisonerofthechief.Later,

whentheEnglishpersuadedPowhatantogivePocahontastothemasahostage,hergentleness,intelligence,andbeautyimpressedtheEnglish,and,in1614,shemarriedJohnRolfe,anEnglishgentleman.Themarriageinitiatedaneight-yearpeacebetweenthecolonistsandtheIndians,ensuringthesurvivalofthestrugglingnewcolony.

Inthe17thcentury,pirates,adventurers,andexplorersopenedthewaytoasecondwaveofpermanentcolonists,bringingtheirwives,children,farmimplements,andcraftsmen'

stools.Theearlyliteratureofexploration,madeupofdiaries,letters,traveljournals,ships'

logs,andreportstotheexplorers'

financialbackers–Europeanrulersor,inmercantileEnglandandHolland,jointstockcompanies–graduallywassupplantedbyrecordsofthesettledcolonies.BecauseEnglandeventuallytookpossessionoftheNorthAmericancolonies,thebest-knownandmost-anthologizedcolonialliteratureisEnglish.AsAmericanminorityliteraturecontinuestoflowerinthe20thcenturyandAmericanlifebecomesincreasinglymulticultural,scholarsarerediscoveringtheimportanceo