thehistoryofamericanliterature.docx

thehistoryofamericanliterature.docx

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thehistoryofamericanliterature

ABriefSummaryoftheHistoryofAmericanLiterature

Name：

黄月红

Class：

0904

StudentID:

2009212721

Score:

______________

Introduction

AlthoughthehistoryofAmericajusthasaround200years,ithasmademanygreatachievementsinallthefieldsofhumancivilianization.AndAmericanLiteratureisoneamongthem.FromthetimethatEuropeanslaughedatAmericawithoutitsownliteraturetothetimethatthe10thAmericanwritergottheNobelPrizeinLiterature,Americanliteratureiswidelyacceptedinthewholeworld.

Generallyspeaking,Americanliteraturecanbedividedinto5parts:

theEarlyAmericanLiterature,AmericanRomanticism,AmericanRealismandNaturalism,AmericanModernism,andAmericanPost-modernism.Eachperiodhasanintimaterelationshipwithsomehistoricalevents.

TheearlyAmericanliterature,tosomedegree,isadescendantofEuropeanliterature.FromtheperiodofRomanticism,Americanliteraturebegantoformitsownfeatures.Astheindustrializationdeveloping,Americansocietybecomemoreandmorecomplicated,soliteratureinthislandgraduallyvariesinstyle.ThetheoriesofRomanticism,RealismandNaturalismareborrowedfromEurope.ButthesituationinvertssincetheageofModernism.AmericabecomestheoriginallandofbothModernismandPost-modernism.Fromthenon,Americanliteraturehasestablisheditsownstageontheworldliteraturestage.

1TheAmericanRomanticism（1810-1865）

1）PeriodandBackground

TheAmericanRomanticperiodstretchedfrom1810to1865,whichwascrucialtothedevelopmentofAmericanliterarytraditions.ItsawmiraculousachievementsinAmericanliterature.BoththeoutsideandinsideenvironmentinthecountrycontributedtotheboomingofAmericanRomanticism.

Foronehand,AmericanRomanticismcamefromEurope.Attheendof18thcentury,RomanticismgaineditsstrengthinWesternEuropeaftertheIndustrialRevolution.ManyAmericanliterarycreationswereinspiredbytheEuropeanRomanticistslikeWilliamWordsworth,Byron.Tosomedegree,alotofliteraryworksinthaterawerecreatedbyimitatingEuropean’s.

Fortheotherhand,politically,thecountryhasgraduallydevelopeditsnewsocialorderwhichcontributedtobuildingademocraticcountry.Economically,theIndustrialRevolutionwasspreadallaroundthecountry;asaresultthatAmericabecamealandofwealthandhope.PeopleinsuchacircumstancebegantoseektheAmericanownvaluetosecuretheirexistence.Owningtoreasonsabove,theAmericanRomanticismbegantorootinthisfertilesoil.

2）TheEarlyRomanticism

Intheearlyromanticismwritersmainlyfocusedonfeelingswhenthecountrywasfoundednewly.Thevastlandprovidespeople’sgreatpassiononbuildingtheircountry.Thethemesinworksusuallyweresomethingonhumanrightsandindividualism.Heroeswoulddieattheendingforprotectingcountry.WashingtonIrvingandWilliamCullenBryantwererepresentativesofthispart.

Therewasagroupofpoetscalled“firesidepoets”becausetheyoftenreadtheirpoemswhenfamiliesorfriendssataroundafire.ThepoetswerehauntedwiththetraditionalEuropeanculture.ThemostfamousonewasHenryWadsworthLongfellow.

3）TheTranscendentalism

TranscendentalismwasthemostimportantpartofAmericanRomanticism.ItwasputforwardbyRalphWaldoEmerson.Themajorconceptsabouttranscendentalismcouldbesummarizedasfollowingfourpoints:

first,itstressesthepowerofintuition.Second,ittakesnatureassymbolicofspiritofgod.Third,itemphasizesthesignificanceoftheindividual.Fourth,religionisanemotionalcommunicationbetweenanindividualsoulandtheuniversal”over-soul”.Inthisperiod,therearealargeamountofsuccessfulwritersandpoets,suchas,GeorgePutnam,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,WaltWhitmanandEmilyDickinson.

4）ASpecialGroup:

theGothic

TheTranscendentalistsbelievedthekindnessofhuman’snature,whiletheGothicwritersthoughttheevilnessofhuman’snature.EdgarAllanPoebelongedtothegroup.MostPoe’sworkswereillustratedintheGothicwaylikeTell-taleHeartandtheBlackCat.NathanielHawthornealsobelongedtothisgroup.ThecriticismtowardPuritanismoftenappearedinhisworks.Hisworks,likeYoungGoodmanbrown,theScarletLetter,showeditclearly.

5）TheFeaturesofLiteraryWorks

Thisliteraryperiodwasregardedas1stAmericanRenaissance.ItwasnotonlybecauseAmericanwritersusedAmericanassubjectsintheirworksbutbecausealltheliteraryforms（exceptfordrama）,likefiction,non-fictionproseandpoetryoccurred.

Atthismoment,Americabegantohaveitsownliteratureworks.ItiswritersorpoetsfromWashingtonIrvingwhomakecontributiontothisquickdevelopment.Anddifferentliterarystyleownsitsspecialfunctiononit.Forexample,thefictionstendingtoexploreintothehiddenrecessionofthespiritoftheindividualswasthatAmericawaslackinginsettledandtraditionalcommunitylife.

AlthoughAmericanromanticismwasdividedintofourparts,anywayworksallbelongingtothisera,hadsomefeaturesincommon.Firstly,allofthemareclosetonature.Secondly,individualism,equality,freedomandsimplicitywereemphasized.Thirdly,Puritanismwasattacked.

2TheAmericanRealismandNaturalism（1865-1914）

1）PeriodandBackground

Rangingfrom1865to1914,itistheperiodofAmericanRealismandNaturalism.TheydominatedthespiritofAmericanliterature,especiallyAmericanfictions.

The50yearsbetweentheendoftheCivilWarandtheoutbreakofworldwarⅠisaperiodfullofchanges,ineveryaspectofAmericanlife,politically,economically,culturally,andreligiously.ThescaleofthechangewassovastthatitindicatedafundamentalredirectioninthenatureandideologyoftheAmericansociety.

Withtheappearanceofindustrialismthenatureoflaborchanged.However,beyondpeople’sexpectation,aftertheCivilWar,ordinarypeople’slifewasnotimprovedatallbutbecametougherandtougher,althoughthenationaleconomyincreasedrapidly.Allthefortunewentintocapitalistshands,asaresultthatthesocialgapbroadened,andthepolarizationbetweentherichandthepoorbecamelargerandlarger.Someacutewritersrealizeditandbegantheirrealisticcreationssothatagreatliteraryerawascoming.

2）TheAmericanRealism（1865-1890s）

Realismis,inabroadestsense,simplytoactualityinliterature.WilliamsdeanHowellsdefinedit:

“realismisnothinglessthanthetruthtreatmentofmaterial”.Hencethesubjectofrealisticfictiontendstobecontemporary,ordinary,andmiddle-class.

TherepresentativesinthiserawereWilliamdeanHowells,MarkTwain,andHenryJames.Thethreeliterarygiantsinthatperiodstoodforthreerealisticstyles:

genteelrealism,psychologicalrealismandLocalColorism.Howellswasgoodatwritingthetraditionofgenteelrealism,whocalledforthetreatmentofthe“smilingaspectoflife”.Jameswasfamousforpsychologicalrealismwiththemeoftheideologyofthenewworldandoldworld.AndMarkTwainreachedthemountoftheLocalColorismwhichwasthedescriptionoflocalplacesandpeopleheknewbest.

3）TheAmericanNaturalism（1890s-1914）

WhenCharlesDarwin’sevolutionarytheory:

thestruggleforexistence,survivalofthefittest,naturalselectionandtheamoralworldappeared,itofferedpeopletothinkthenewworldinatotallynewperspectives.Finallytheyfoundanswerstotheirpuzzles.ItisFrankNorriswhointroducedNaturalismintoAmericanland.Naturalistsadvocatedwritinglikethewayofscientistsconductingexperiment.Theprocessshouldbeasthefollowings:

Innaturalisticawork,fatalismandpessimismwerethecharacteristics.Innaturalistsview,people’sfatesweredeterminedbythreethings:

Heredity,EnvironmentandChance.ThefamousNaturalistsinAmericawereFrankNorris,StephenCrane,TheodoreDreiser,andJackLondon.Theslumgirlswereverycommonprotagonists.AndinmanyworkshumanweredescribedlikeanimalswhoonlyknewtoeatandsleeplikeMcTeague.Naturalistsusuallydidnotgivecommentsontheprotagonistsintheirwork.

Allinall,AmericanNaturalistsdidsharesomesimilaritiesinthemeandtechnique.Intheme,theyrepresentedthelowerclasses’livestruthfullyandbrokeintosuchforbiddenregionsasviolence,death,andsex;intechnique,theirworksexhibithonestskillsandartistry.

4）AComparisonbetweenAmericanRealismandNaturalism

SomepeopleregardedNaturalismasanextensionofRealism,whileothersvieweditasabridgebetweenRealismandModernism.Anyway,thesetwoperiodshavetheiruniquewritingstyles.Hereisachartofcomparisonbetweenthetwoasthefollowing:

Realism

Naturalism

Emphasizingtheordinary

Emphasizingontheextraordinary

Amirror/anautofocusingcamera

Alens/afocusingcamera

Anobserver

Ascientist

Moral/rational

Accidental/physiological

Fromthechart,wecanseetheirdifferencesclearly.First,Realistschoseaverygenteelwaytodescribetheharshrealitywhichnaturalistsdisapproveof.InNaturalists’minds,people’sattentioncanbeattractedonlybyusingsomeextraordinarycase,likeafocusingcamera.Second,realistsusearationalwaytorevealreality,andNaturalistsprefertothephysiologicalmethod.Inshort,thepurposeofthesetwoistoreveallifereality.NaturalismuseamorepowerwayinsteadofRealism’sgenteelway.

3TheAmericanModernism（1914-1945）

1）PeriodandBackground

BetweenthebeginningofWWⅠandtheendofWWⅡ,Americaenteredintoanewliteraryera:

Modernism.Asthesciencehighlydeveloped,lotsofinventionswereproduced;Lifeintheearly20thcenturywastotallydifferentfromth