Henry David Thoreau
Walden:
This book, entitled Walden (1854), explained his ideas about how a person should live, being consciously aware of his or her own nature and of the natural world itself.
◆is a great Transcendentalist work超验主义作品that came out of the period under discussion. He took a more than usual interest in the natural world自然世界.and tried to seek a way to unlock the secrets of the spirit.
◆it is a faithful record of his reflections when he was in solitary communion with nature, of how he tries to minimize his own needs on Walden Pond. It is an eloquent indication that he not only embraced Emerson’s Transcendentalist philosophy but went further to illustrate the pantheistic quality of nature.梭罗不仅吸收爱默生超验主义哲学，还进一步说明自然的泛神特性
◆he was very critical of modern civilization, the book is full of people waking up批评现代文明唤醒人类.“Civilized man is the slave of matter,” As he saw it, modern civilized life has dehumanized man and placed him in a spiritual quandary: by trying to amass material possessions, man is not really living, he is digging his own grave.只是试图积累物质财富，人们不是真正在生活而是在自掘坟墓
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter: Both Hester and Dimmesdale are morally weak and deficient as we all are, according to Hawthorne, then Roger Chillingworth is guilty of the unpardonable sin: the invasion into another person’s soul in order to control the other’s will for a very selfish purpose. To him this is the worst sin and a person guilty of this sin is a completely corrupt.
The Scarlet Letter, always regarded as the best of his works, tells a simple but very moving story in which four people living in a Puritan community are involved in and affected by the sin of adultery in different ways. In this novel , Hawthorne focuses his attention on the moral, emotional, and psychological effects or consequences of the sin on the people in general and those main charaters in particular, so as to show us the tension between society and individuals. “The Custom-House”（海关）as an introductory note to The Scarlet Letter proves fruitful to Hawthorne’s imagination. By relating his own experience, Hawthorne succeeds in giving his tale a sense of historical reality. By using Pearl as a thematic symbol, Hawthorne emphasizes the consequence the sin of adultery has brought to the community and the people. With the scarlet letter A as the biggest symbol of all, Hawthorne proves himself to be one of the best symbolists. As a key to the whole novel, the letter A takes on different layers of symbolic meanings as the plot develops.The scarlet letter A is ambiguous. And ambiguity is one of the most important characteristics of Hawthorne’s art.
◆symbolism: It is rich in symbolism. The title, itself, keynotes the book.. “A” in the book represents the adultery, also symbolizes Able or Angel or Adamic or prehistoric, an archetypal vice suggestive of “original sin” or any other meaning a creative reader would suggest. Pearl, brilliantly dressed, is a living symbol of Hester’s sin.
Herman Melville
Moby Dick
1. Characters:
◆Ishmael: schoolteacher and part-time sailor; a Presbyterian, like Melville, he projects Calvinistic thinking tempered by his background in literature and philosophy. He discusses such issues as free will, predestination, necessity, and damnation. He is the sole survivor of the Pequod.
◆Captain Ahab:A man who is obsessed with the killing of a white whale that has maimed him. He has a scar which extends from his head to his leg.
◆Starbuck:He the first mate, is bold enough to criticize Ahab's vengeance, considers mutiny but fails.
◆Stubb:He is the second mate who is carefree, indifferent, and fatalistic.
◆Moby Dick:It is the White Whale; the world’s largest creature. It is powerful, legendary image of nature. It swims peacefully in the sea until disturbed by humans, then shows a terrible fury and anger. For Ahab, Moby Dick is the symbol of evil.
2. Themes:
◆Search for truth:the story deals with the human pursuit of truth and the meaning of existence.
◆Conflict between Good and Evil.
◆Conflict between Man and Nature.
◆Isolation between man and man; man and nature; man and society.
3.★Symbols:象征意义★
(1)The Pequod: is a symbol of doom. It is painted a gloomy black and covered in whale teeth and bones, literally bristling with the mementos of violent death. It is, in fact, marked for death. Adorned like a primitive coffin, the Pequod becomes one.
(2)Moby Dick:Moby Dick possesses various symbolic meanings for various individuals. Symbol of nature for human beings, because it is mysterious, powerful, unknown/ Symbol of evil for the Captain Ahab/ Symbol of good and purity because of its whiteness.自然;邪恶;纯洁.
(3)V oyage of the Pequod:Symbol of the pursuit of ideals, adventure, and the hunt in the vast wilderness.
Evaluation:
(1)Moby Dick is, critics have agreed, one of the world’s greatest masterpieces. To get to know the 19th century American mind and America itself, one has to read this book.想了解19世纪的美国必须读
(2)One of the classics of American Literature and even world literature. The main theme of it is about alienation between man and man, man and society, and man and nature人与人，人与社会，人与自然之间的疏远. This work also reveals the basic pattern of nineteenth century American life: loneliness and suicidal individualism in a self-styled democracy. 在自称的民主下的孤独和自杀式的个人主义
(3)Moby Dick is an encyclopedia of everything, history, philosophy, religion, etc. in addition to a detailed account of the operations of the whaling industry.百科全书
(4)In this work Melville shows that Man in this universe lives a meaningless and futile life, 没有意义无用的meaningless because futile. Man can observe and even manipulate in a prudent way, but he cannot influence and overcome nature at its source. He must, ultimately, place himself at the mercy of nature. Once he attempts to seek power over it he is doomed. It show us the “the absurdity of man’s attempts to attribute meaning and value to a world in wh ich these can have no ground or status.”（the main reason for Melville’s resurrection in the present century.）
(5)Symbolism and ambiguity is the major characteristics of writing techniques. 象征主义和模糊是主要的写作技巧
Mark Twain
He wrote his masterpiece, Huckleberry Finn, at a time when the light-hearted qualities of
his earlier days were in balance with his later skepticism, and the novel has come to be recognized as one of the great works of American literature. It displayed the major achievements of his art: the carefully controlled point of view with its implicit ironies expressed through the voice of a semi-literate boy, the masterful use of dialects, the felicitous balancing of nostalgic romanticism and realism, humor and pathos, innocence and evil, all united fo r a journey down a river that serves as the novel’s mythic center.
●Through such works as Huckleberry Finn and Life on the Mississippi Twain shaped the
world’s view of America and had a profound impact on the development of American writing.
His presentation of native American material, his use of the vernacular idiom, his departures from the traditions of nineteenth-century gentility, and his sense of alienation influenced numerous American writers of the twentieth century, among them Ernest Hemingway, who acknowledged their common debt by writing, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn….”
●He developed a clear, vigorous colloquial style which has great influence over later writers. Henry James
The Portrait of a Lady
Isabel Archer:
Intelligent and formidable, energetic, knowledgeable, inexperience, proud, love of independence, with a chance to develop, a girl of many theories,
international theme
This novel deals with the author’s international theme. His fame generally rest upon his novels and stories with it. It is about the conflicts between American and European manners and customs, the simple-minded and kind-hearted innocent American individuals and those well-educated sophisticated Europeans with good taste for arts and culture. This novel is also set against a larger international background, in which most of the American characters are expatriates. The typical pattern of the conflict between the two cultures would be that of an American young man or an American girl who goes to Europe and affronts his or her destiny. The unsophisticated boy or girl would be beguiled, betrayed, cruelly wronged at the hands of those who pretend to stand for the highest possible civilization. Marriage and love are used by James as the focal point of the confrontation between the two value systems: American moral innocence and European decadence 衰落. The protagonist usually goes through a painful process of a spiritual growth, gaining knowledge of good and evil from the conflict.
了不起的盖茨比
The Great Gatsby
The theme of the novel: The Great Gatsby, by summarizing the experiences and attitudes of the glamorous and wild 1920s, deals with the bankruptcy of the American Dream, which is high1ighted by the disillusionment of the protagonist's personal dream due to the clashes between his romantic vision of life and the relentless reality. American Dream is a popular belief that people can achieve success, whether it is wealth, fame or love through honest hard working in a new world of liberty, equality, chances and promises. Yet in the 1920s, the American Dream was bankrupt in the sense that the wealthy people were spiritually disorientated and morally corrupted. The fact that the rich people turned to be more indifferent and careless brought forth the disillusionment of American Dream.
The story of The Great Gatsby is a good illustration. At the beginning of the story, Gatsby, a
poor young man from the Midwest, is in love with but rejected by an upper-class woman, Daisy. He later attains the wealth by bootlegging and other criminal activities. Yet his fascination with and pursuit of money is but the means of recapturing the past and regaining his lost love. And for him, Daisy is the representation of a kind of idealized happiness. So Gatsby's real dream is that of achieving a new status and a new essence, of rising to a loftier place in the mysterious hierarchy of human worth. That is why Daisy Buchanan seems so charming to Gatsby and that is why Gatsby has directed his who1e life to winning back her love. Yet his dream ended up with Daisy's indifference and carelessness. Under this thematic design, the novel displays some modern motifs like the Waste-land theme as symbolized by the Valley of Ashes and boredom as reflected in Daisy and Tom.
Ernest Hemingway
Works of Hemingway, portraying as they do the dilemma of modern man
utterly thrown upon himself for survival in an indifferent world, reveal man's
impotence and his despairing courage to assert himself against overwhelming odds.
To Hemingway, man's greatest achievement is to show grace under pressure, which
is a repeated theme in his novels.For him, in a world which is crazy and meaningless,
there is nothing one can do but to be tough and fight against fate with dignity and
courage.
The Sun Also Rises太阳照常升起
The Sun Also Rises is about the disillusionment of the “lost generation”. In the book ,the panorama of the life of Jake Barnes and his group of expatriates in Paris is laid out scene by scene. There are innumerous parties on nearly each of which Hemingway lavishes detailed depiction of the sceneries and the environment, the word-to-word recording of the conversations and, occasionally, exhaustive presentation of people’s behaviors and even actions. By those scenes ful l of drinks, meaningless conversations and libertinism, Hemingway makes their lives smell of a tinge of corruption. This part also introduces the anguish of the main characters. Jake’s affliction explains itself in his sleepless nights, while Ashley tells all her agony in the simple confession: “Oh, darling, I’ve been so miserable.” Behind the faithfully documented facts, the emotions denoting idleness and suffering combine to settle the fundamental key of the book.
Theodore Dreiser
嘉莉妹妹The theme in Sister Carrie, a novel written by Theodore Dreiser, is materialism. The theme is primarily personified through Carrie with her desire for a fine home, clothes and everything else money can buy.
美国悲剧An American Tragedy
It’s a story about the tragic downfall of Clyde Griffiths, the son of poor street evangelist parents. Starting out as a door boy in a hotel later to a worker in a collar factory, Clyde dreamed of wealth and success. Then he met a rich girl Sondra with whom he hoped to marry
so as to have a chance to climb into the upper class. For that purpose, he planned to murder his girl friend Roberta but was unable to act. Then by accident, Roberta got drowned and Clyde was sentenced to death.
Clyde is a typical example of those who are destroyed by the environment, by the cruelty and callousness of a selfish capitalistic society. He commits his crime more out of a muddled desire to escape from his situation than out of ruthless ambition.
美国文学部分(American Literature) 一．殖民时期文学（The Literature of the Colonial Period） 1．本章考核知识点和考核要求： 1) 早期殖民地时期的文学的特点 2) 十八世纪美国文学的特点（重点是独立革命前后时期文学） 3) 主要的作家、其概况及其代表作品 4) 术语：the colonial period, American Puritanism, Puritans, Enlightenment in American, the Great A wakening 2．主要作家作品 John Smith第一个美国作家 A True Relation of Virginia and General History of Virginia. Anne Bradstreet 殖民地时期女诗人 The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America (1650) Jonathan Edwards十八世纪上半叶大觉醒时代的代表人物 “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Benjamin Franklin 本杰明·富兰克林，散文家、科学家、社会活动家，曾参与起草《独立宣言》。十八世纪美国启蒙思想代言人。 《穷查理历书》Poor Richard’s Almanac（收录格言警句） 《致富之道》The Way to Wealth 《自传》The Autobiography （富兰克林原意为写给儿子的家书） Thomas Paine 托马斯·潘恩，散文家、政治家、报刊撰稿人。 《常识》Common Sense ( Paine 最知名的政论文：It was inspired by the first battle of the Revolutionary War—the Battle of Lexington in Concord.) 《美国危机》American Crisis 《人的权利》Rights of Man 《专制体制的崩溃》Downfall of Despotism 《理性时代》The Age of Reason Philip Freneau 菲利普·弗伦诺，著名的“革命诗人”。 《蒸蒸日上的美洲》“The Rising Glo ry of America” 《英国囚船》“The British Prison Ship”（诗人自己被俘，关押于英国囚船的经历）
《20世纪外国文学专题》期末复习指导 一、课程考核说明和实施要求 1.本课程的考核对象是汉语言文学专业本科阶段的学生。 2.考核说明是根据中央电大“20世纪外国文学专题”课程教学大纲及主教材《20世纪外国文学专题》（吴晓东著，北京大学出版社，2002年7月）编写的，是该课程考试命题的基本依据。 3.本课程考核主要对主教材中涉及的文学思潮流派、作家作品的了解和掌握。 4.考核的要求分为了解、掌握、分析三个层次，要求如下： （1）“了解”要求学生对教材中所涉及的知识点做一般性的回答。 （2）“掌握”要求学生对教材中所涉及的问题做进一步的回答，并具有一定的归纳总结的能力。 （3）“分析”要求学生能较深入地分析教材中重点讲授的作品的某一方面，或通过自己的归纳总结，完整地回答教材中所涉及的较大问题。鼓励学生有自己的独到见解。 5.本课程的考试采取平时作业和期末考试相结合的方式，平时作业安排4次，由中央电大统一下发，占考核总成绩的20％。 6.本课程的期末考试由中央电大统一命题，采用开卷考试的方式。 7.试题类型包括填空题、选择题、简答题、论述题。试题难度分为较易、适中、较难三个等级，分别占卷面总成绩的30％、40％、30％。卷面成绩为100分，占课程总考核成绩的80％。考试时间为150分钟（两个半小时）。 8.简答题答题字数原则上在300字左右，论述题字数在800～1000字。 二、考核内容和目标 第一章现代主义的奠基：卡夫卡 一、了解 1.卡夫卡的生平及创作简况。 2.卡夫卡的创作对人类境况寓言式的呈示。（《饥饿艺术家》、《变形记》等）。 二、掌握 1.表现主义的概念及其特征。 2.卡夫卡对二十世纪人类生存境况的揭示。（《变形记》等）
美国文学研究 一、作者及其主要作品 梭罗《瓦尔登，或林中生活》 霍桑《红字》短篇小说如《教长的黑面纱》《小伙子布朗》等 麦尔维尔《白鲸》 爱伦·坡《怪诞故事集》 惠特曼《草叶集》 亨利·詹姆斯《一位女士的画像》 马克·吐温《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》《神秘的陌生人》 德莱塞《美国的悲剧》 杰克·伦敦《马丁·伊登》、《野性的呼唤》、《海狼》、《白牙》 T·S·艾略特《荒原》（诗歌） 菲茨杰拉德《了不起的盖茨比》 海明威《太阳照常升起》 福克纳《喧哗与骚动》 尤今·奥尼尔《毛猿》《琼斯皇》《进入黑夜的漫长旅程》（戏剧）斯坦贝克《愤怒的葡萄》 索尔·贝娄《洪堡的礼物》、《挂起来的人》 诺曼·梅勒《裸者与死者》 塞林格《麦田里的守望者》 厄普代克《兔子，跑吧》（“兔子四部曲”） 海勒《第二十二条军规》 纳博科夫《洛丽塔》 凯鲁亚克《在路上》 威廉斯《玻璃动物园》（戏剧） 米勒《推销员之死》（戏剧） 拉尔夫·埃里森《看不见的人》 托尼·莫里森《所罗门之歌》 爱丽丝·沃克《紫色》 谭恩美《喜福会》 独立战争前后的文学 富兰克林《自传》《穷查理历书》《致富之路》 托马斯·潘恩《常识》《人的权利》《理性的时代》 托马斯·杰弗逊《独立宣言》 克里夫古尔《一个美国农夫的信》
弗瑞诺《野忍冬花》《印第安人墓地》《纪念英勇的美国人》 查尔斯·布罗克丹·布朗《韦兰德》 二、简答题+论述题 1.美国文学的诞生及一般特色 1)历史背景：1775-81年的北美独立战争；1783年美利坚合众国的成 立；1861-65年的南北战争。独立战争以后，特别是进入19世纪之 后，独立的美国文学开始诞生。 2)美国文学的一般特色： A.早期人少地多，为个人理想的实现提供了很大的空间和可能性， 因此美国文学富于民主自由精神，个人主义、个性解放的观念 较为强烈； B.这是一个由各国移民组成的国家，所以文学的内容、思想倾向和 艺术风格都呈现出多样性、庞杂性； C.许多作家直接来自社会下层，使得文学的生活气息浓郁，平民色 彩鲜明，具有开朗、豪放的特点； D.由于美国作家的敏感、好奇，使得美国文学浪潮迭起，日新月异， 瞬息万变。 3)它是一种个人主义和冒险精神的文学，一种扩张和探索的文学，一 种种族冲突和帝国征服的文学，一种大规模移民和种族关系紧张的 文学，一种资产阶级家庭生活和个人自由与社会限制不断斗争的文 学······最后，这是一种始终由于有关身份的双重焦点而著称的文 学：一方面它把这个国家奉为未来的土地，“明天之国”，试图制造 一种关于“美国”的救世神话；另一方面它又进行自我折磨，对于 身为“美国人”意味着什么怀着一种极其痛苦的焦虑。 ——《剑桥美国文学史》2.浪漫主义时期的美国文学 1)浪漫主义产生的背景： A.独立战争的胜利、美国的独立发展 B.欧洲浪漫主义运动的盛行 C.美国大陆新的自然和社会风貌 2)前后两代浪漫主义： 前期：以纽约为根据地的作家，如欧文、库柏 后期：以波士顿为中心的新英格兰文化圈 3.早期浪漫主义文学（30年代以前）
Works: Part 1. The Literature of Colonial America John Smith 1580-1631 1 first American writer A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony; A Map of Virginia with a Description of the Country; The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles Roger Williams 1603-1683 1 Begins the history of religious toleration in America A key into the Language of America Edward Taylor 1612-1672 1 The best of the puritan poets No publishing of his work, most treat religious themes, many poems based directly on Psalms. Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 1 The first American secretary of state Drafted the Declaration of Independence Thomas Paine托马斯·潘恩1737-1809 The Case of the Officers of Excise(his first pamphlet)税务员问题；Common Sense常识；American Crisis美国危机；Rights of Man人的权利：Downfall of Despotism专制体制的崩溃；The Age of Reason理性时代Agrarian Justice --last important treaties 1 Great Commoner of Mankind 2 The most articulate spokesman of the American Revolution 3 natural gift for pamphleteering and rebellion Philip Freneau菲利普·弗伦诺1752-1832 Father of American Poetry The Rising Glory of America蒸蒸日上的美洲；The British Prison Ship英国囚船；To the Memory of the Brave Americans纪念美国勇士-----同类诗中最佳；The Wild Honeysuckle野生的金银花；The Indian Burying Ground 印第安人殡葬地 1 the most outstanding writer of the post-revolutionary period 2 “Poet of the American Revolution” 3 herald American literary independence
美国文学史作品作家汇总 美国文学 Part 1. Colonial America Thomas Paine托马斯?潘恩1737-1809 The Case of the Officers of Excise税务员问题；Common Sense常识；American Crisis美国危机；Rights of Man人的权利：Downfall of Despotism专制体制的崩溃；The Age of Reason理性时代 Philip Freneau菲利普?弗伦诺1752-1832 The Rising Glory of America蒸蒸日上的美洲；The British Prison Ship英国囚船；To the Memory of the Brave Americans纪念美国勇士-----同类诗中最佳；The Wild Honeysuckle 野生的金银花；The Indian Burying Ground印第安人殡葬地 .Jonathan Edwards The Freedom of the Will 论意志自由The Great Doctrine of Original Sin defended论原罪The Nature of True Virtue论真是德行的本原 Benjamin Franklin本杰明?富兰克林1706-1790 A Modest Inquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Money; Poor Richard’s Almanac穷查理历书；The Way to Wealth致富之道；The Autobiography自传 Part 2. American Romanticism Washington Irving华盛顿?欧文1783-1859 A History of New York纽约的历史-----美国人写的第一部诙谐文学杰作；The Sketch Book见闻札记The Legend of Sleepy Hollow睡谷的传说-----使之成为美国第一个获得国际声誉的作家；Brace bridge Hall布雷斯布里奇田庄；Talks of Travelers旅客谈；The Alhambra阿尔罕伯拉 Jamie Fennimore Cooper詹姆斯?费尼莫尔?库珀1789-1851 The Spy间谍;The Pilot领航者;The Little page Manuscripts利特佩奇的手稿;Leather stocking Tales皮裹腿故事集:The Pioneer拓荒者；The Last of Mohicans最后的莫希干人;The Prairie大草原;The Pathfinder探路者;The Deer slayer杀鹿者 Part 3.New England Transcendentalism Ralf Waldo Emerson拉尔夫?沃尔多?爱默生1803-1882 Essays散文集:Nature论自然-----新英格兰超验主义者的宣言书;The American Scholar 论美国学者;Divinity; The Over soul论超灵;Self-reliance论自立;The Transcendentalist超验主义者;Representative Men代表人物;English Traits 英国人的特征;School Address神学院演说 Concord Hymn康考德颂;The Rhoda杜鹃花;The Humble Bee野蜂;Days日
1. The Soul Selects Her Own Society The Soul selects her own Society--- Then---shuts the door--- To her divine Majority--- Present no more--- Unmoved ---she notes the Chariots---pausing--- At her low Gate--- Unmoved---an Emperor be kneeling Upon her Mat--- I’ve known her---from an ample nation--- Choose One--- Then---close the Valves or her attention--- Like Stone--- 1) the soul made its choice and wanted no more. This showed her resolution and determination. 2) Unmoved by any other temptation
3) Since I have made my choice, I will stick to it and will never be tempted by other things. Soul, one: art , poetry, love, ideal 2. Anecdote(奇闻，轶事) of the Jar I placed a jar in Tennessee, And round it was, upon a hill. It made the slovenly wilderness Surround that hill The wilderness rose up to it, And sprawled around, no longer wild. The jar round upon the ground And tall and of a port in air It took dominion everywhere. The jar was gray and bare. It did not give of bird or bush Like nothing else in Tennessee.
五、简答题 1.Describe and make comment on the character:Blanche(in A Streetcar Names Desire).(in about50words)（厦门大学2013研） Key:Blanche DuBois,Stella’s older sister,who was a high school English teacher until she was forced to leave her post.Blanche is a loquacious and fragile woman around the age of thirty.She avoids reality,preferring to live in her own imagination. As the play progresses,Blanche’s instability grows along with her misfortune. Behind her veneer of social snobbery and sexual propriety,Blanche is an insecure, dislocated individual. 2.Summarize Puritans’beliefs.（北航2011研） Key:The Puritans are seen as a society of prudish and extremely strict Christians who possess rigid orthodox and disciplined rules and beliefs,and live their lives according to the Holy Bible.The puritans believe in leading a simple and plain life, according to the most supreme scriptures of God,the Bible.They believe that their destinies are predetermined by God in terms of the soul that will be saved.They also believe that reading the Bible is the only way to reach the true salvation. Original sin,total depravity,and limited atonement,from God’s grace are their beliefs,too. 3.Describe and make a comment on the character in about50words:Frederic Henry(from:A Farewell to Arms)（厦门大学2012研）
一．The Colonial Period （1607-1765） 二．二. The Period of enlightenment and the Independence War (1765-1800) (一) Benjamin Franklin 富兰克林 1，Poor Richard’s Almanac《格言历书》 2，The Autobiography《自传》 （二）Thomas Paine 潘恩 1，Common Sense《常识》 (三) Thomas Jefferson 杰斐逊 1，Declaration of Independence《独立宣言》 （四）Alexander Hamilton汉密尔顿James Madison麦迪逊John Jay 杰伊1, The Federalist Papers《论联邦》（三人联作） (五）William Hill Brown 威廉.希尔.布朗 1，The Power of Sympathy《同情的力量》 三．The Romantic Period （1800-1865） （一）Washington Irving 欧文（Romanticism） 1，The Legend of Sleepy Hollow《睡谷的传说》 2，Rip Van Winkle 《瑞普.凡温.克尔》 3，The Sketch Book 《见闻札记》 （二）James Fenimore Cooper 库伯(Romanticism) 1，The Leather-stocking Tales 《皮袜子故事集》 （三）William Cullen Bryant 布莱恩特（Romanticism）first 1，To a Waterfowl 《致水鸟》 2，The Yellow Violet 《黄色的堇香花》 （四）Ralph Waldo Emerson 爱默生（Transcendentalism） 1，The Dial 《日晷》 2，Nature 《论自然》 3，Self-Reliance 《伦自立》 4，The American Scholar《论美国学者》 （五）Henry David Thoreau 梭罗（Transcendentalism） 1，Walden《沃尔登》 2，On the Duty of Civil Disobedience 《论公民的不服从》 （六）Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 郎费罗 1，The Song of Hiawatha 《海华沙之门》 （七）John Greenleaf Whittier 惠蒂埃 1，Snow-Bound《大雪封门》 （八）Walt Whitman 惠特曼（Romanticism） 1, Leaves of Grass《草叶集》 （九）Emily Dickinson 狄金森 1，The Poetry of Emily Dickinson《狄金森诗集》 （十）Nathaniel Hawthorne 霍桑non-transcendentalism，Gothic novel 1，The Blithedale Romance 《福谷传奇》 2，The Scarlet Letter 《红字》 3, The House of the Seven Gables 《带有七个尖角阁的房子》
1.What is Emerson’s attitude towards charity? Why does he hold such an attitude? The worst of charity is that the lives you are asked to preserve are not worth preserving.Not all charity mean goodness.One must explore if it be goodness.If malice and vanity wear the coat of philanthropy,that shall not pass,One’s goodness must have some edge to it,else it is none. 2.According to the poem “A Psalm of Life”, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death? According to these sentences“Be not like dumb, driven cattle!Be a hero in the strife!”“Act, -act in the living Present!Heart within, and God o'er head!”we can see the speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.We should work harder and live happier.Llife is not a dream, but very real, and urges us to live it to the fullest. The purpose of life is to do something. Our own individual time on earth is limited and will pass very quickly, we should try to achieve sth on earth and leave behind something. 3.Do you think the narrator and his listener ever suspect the presence of the humor of the story in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”? Why? How do you interpret their interactions? The narrator and his listener never noticed or suspected the presence of humor.During the intercourse the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative without a little smiling talking about the animals and the things like while the listener felt rather puzzled or bothered by his stories.It seemed to be kind of coarse things. So the two different scenes go on separately without a intersection.And their interaction was a complete failure according toour common sense about communication.But it in this sense produced the effect of humor which can be tasted by our readers due to the skills adopted by Mark Twain . 4.What does the title of the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” stand for? "Desire" is in fact a streetcar's name in America,but in this drama,it alludes the life of Blanche who indulging herself in desire and lies. There is an actual streetcar named “Desire” that Blanche takes on her way to the Kowalskis’. Which brings us nicely into our discussion of the metaphorical meaning of the title .Blanche is literally brought to the Kowalski place by “Desire,” but she is also brought there by desire; her sexual escapeds in Laurel ruined her reputation and drove her out of town.Desire.then Cemeterird , then Elysian Fields.Sex,death,afterlife.It’s like a linear progression.Sec leads to death,or at least some heavy-duty wreckage. Blanche herself seems to recognize some sort of connection here with this line, one that is key to understanding the role that desire plays in Streetcar: “Death, death was as close as you are. The opposite is desire” . Blanche is somehow under the impression that sex is her escape from death. She turned to sex to comfort herself after her husband died, and after her relatives passed
美国文学史作品作家汇总【常耀信】 美国文学 Part 1. Colonial America Thomas Paine托马斯?潘恩1737-1809 The Case of the Officers of Excise税务员问题；Common Sense常识；American Crisis美国危机；Rights of Man人的权利：Downfall of Despotism专制体制的崩溃；The Age of Reason理性时代 Philip Freneau菲利普?弗伦诺1752-1832 The Rising Glory of America蒸蒸日上的美洲；The British Prison Ship英国囚船；To the Memory of the Brave Americans纪念美国勇士-----同类诗中最佳；The Wild Honeysuckle野生的金银花；The Indian Burying Ground印第安人殡葬地Jonathan Edwards The Freedom of the Will The Great Doctrine of Original Sin defended The Nature of True Virtue Benjamin Franklin本杰明?富兰克林1706-1790 A Modest Inquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Money;Poor Richard’s Almanack穷查理历书；The Way to Wealth致富之道；The Autobiography自传 Part 2. American Romanticism Washington Irving华盛顿?欧文1783-1859 A History of New York纽约的历史-----美国人写的第一部诙谐文学杰作；The Sketch Book见闻札记The Legend of Sleepy Hollow睡谷的传说-----使之成为美国第一个获得国际声誉的作家；Bracebridge Hall布雷斯布里奇田庄；Talks of Travellers旅客谈；The Alhambra阿尔罕伯拉 James Fenimore Cooper詹姆斯?费尼莫尔?库珀1789-1851 The Spy间谍;The Pilot领航者;The Littlepage Manuscripts利特佩奇的手稿;Leatherstocking Tales皮裹腿故事集:The Pioneer拓荒者；The Last of Mohicans最后的莫希干人;The Prairie大草原;The Pathfinder探路者;The Deerslayer杀鹿者 Part 3.New England Transcendentalism Ralf Waldo Emerson拉尔夫?沃尔多?爱默生1803-1882 Essays散文集:Nature论自然-----新英格兰超验主义者的宣言书;The American Scholar论美国学者;Divinity;The Oversoul论超灵;Self-reliance论自立;The Transcendentalist超验主义者;Representative Men代表人物;English Traits英国人的特征;School Address神学院演说 Concord Hymn康考德颂;The Rhodo杜鹃花;The Humble Bee野蜂;Days日子-首开自由诗之先河 Henry David Threau亨利?大卫?梭罗1817-1862 Wadden,or Life in the Woods华腾湖或林中生活;Resistance to Civil Government/Civil Disobedience抵制公民政府;A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers Henry Wadsworth Longfellow亨利?沃兹沃思?朗费罗1807-1882 The Song of Hiawatha海华沙之歌----美国人写的第一部印第安人史诗;V oices of the Night夜吟;Ballads and Other Poens民谣及其他诗;Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems布鲁茨的钟楼及其他诗;Tales of a Wayside Inn 路边客栈的故事---诗集：An April Day四月的一天/A Psalm of Life人生礼物/Paul Revere’s Ride保罗?里维尔的夜奔;Evangeline伊凡吉琳;The Courtship of Miles Standish迈尔斯?斯坦迪什的求婚----叙事长诗；Poems on Slavery奴役篇---反蓄奴组诗 Nathaniel Hawthorne纳撒尼尔?霍桑1804-1864 Twice-told Tales尽人皆知的故事;Mosses from an Old Manse古屋青苔:Young Goodman Brown年轻的古德曼?布朗;The Scarlet Letter红字;The House of the Seven Gables有七个尖角阁的房子--------心理若们罗曼史;The Blithedale Romance福谷传奇;The Marble Faun玉石雕像
美国文学问答题作业 Week 1 (2014.2.17——2.24) 1.Why did Franklin write his autobiography? P. 8 2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had been apprenticed? P. 8 3.How do you comment on the puritanism and consumerism in American culture against the background of globalization? 4.Free Q&A. (questions raised and answered by the students themselves on the basis of their reading and understanding of Franklin and his Autobiography ) Week 2 (2014.2.24——3.2) 1. According to Emerson, what do most people believe to be virtue?And what is real virtue?(p.24) 2. What is Emerson’s attitude on “consistency” and the agreement of one’s actions? Do you agree with him? Why? (p.24) 3. What is your comment on one of the wide-spread guiding principles held by Chinese universities that university students should adapt themselves to the society? 4. Free Q&A. (questions raised and answered by the students themselves on the basis of their reading and understanding of Emerson and his works .) Week 3 (2014.3.3—3.9) 1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level? 2.Why did Thoreau enjoy the act of buying the farm but give up buying it at the last moment? 3.How do you explain the fact that Thoreau loved living in Walden but decided to leave it in two years? 4.Free Q&A. (questions raised and answered by the students themselves on the basis of their reading and understanding of Emerson and his works .) Week 4 （2014. 3.10-3.16） 1.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitudes of the people towards her throughout the whole novel. 2.Is The Scarlet Letter a novel about adultery? Give your reasons. 3.What is your comment on Hawthorne’s moral vision supported by his negative capability? 4.Free Q&A. (questions raised and answered by the students themselves on the basis of their reading and understanding of Emerson and his works .)
美国文学 一、单选(10/20’) 二、True or false(10/10’) 三、填空(15/15’) 四、根据一段作品内容节选，写出该作品的作品名及作家(5/10’) 五、简答(5/25’) 六、文学评论(20’) 简答题： 1.欧文的重要地位是什么？ Washington Irving （1）first American writer （2）the messenger sent from the new world to the old world （3）father of American literature 2.超验主义 American Transcendentalism I.Background: four sources 1.Unitarianism (1)Fatherhood of God (2)Brotherhood of men (3)Leadership of Jesus (4)Salvation by character (perfection of one’s character) (5)Continued progress of mankind (6)Divinity of mankind (7)Depravity of mankind 2.Romantic Idealism Center of the world is spirit, absolute spirit (Kant) 3.Oriental mysticism Center of the world is “oversoul” 4.Puritanism Eloquent expression in transcendentalism II.Appearance 1836, “Nature” by Emerson III.Features 1.spirit/oversoul 2.importance of individualism 3.nature – symbol of spirit/God garment of the oversoul 4.focus in intuition (irrationalism and subconsciousness) IV.Influence 1.It served as an ethical guide to life for a young nation and brought about the idea that human can be perfected by nature. It stressed religious tolerance, called to throw off shackles of customs and traditions and go forward to the development of a new and distinctly American culture. 2.It advocated idealism that was great needed in a rapidly expanded economy where opportunity often be came opportunism, and the desire to “get on” obscured the moral necessity for rising to spiritual height. 3.It helped to create the first American renaissance – one of the most prolific period in American literature.