）《美国文学史及选读》复习思考题答案<0171
15>
I. Write out the authors' names of the following works. (
T. S. Eliot Benjamin Franklin
Walt Whitman
James Cooper
Ernest Hemingway James Baldwell
John Steinbeck Joseph Heller
William Faulkner Mark Twain
WashingtonIrving Ernest Hemingway
Toni Morrison Robert Frost
Ralph Ellison
Eugene O'Neill
Allan Poe John Steinbeck
. Scott Fitzgerald Tennessee Williams F
WashingtonIrving Robert Frost
Herman Melville Nathaniel Hawthorne
Mark Twain 'Neill Eugene O
Robert Frost William Faulkner
James Cooper Arthur Miller
H. D. Thoreau Henry James
Jack London
Whitman
Neill
Jack London
'O II. Define the following literary terms. (20>
of group refer to a Kerouac coined by Jack in 1948 to was generation:Beat The term movement and cultural this War Two. Later, literary World disillusioned writers following continued into the 1960s. The Beat Generation must not be confused with the Lost Generation of Allen Kerouac, were Jack Beat and writers. Spokesmen representatives of the Generation
and
materialistic, that an revolted others. Ginsberg and They against America was belligerent
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frustrating. Social, intellectual and sexual freedom was advocated. Traditional culture and normal social behavior were attacked and violated. Many of them were drug addicts wearing long hair and
dirty clothes. They were fond of slangs and jazz. Masterpieces created by writers of this group include Kerouac's On the Road and Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems, which were regarded as pocket Bibles of that generation. Other prominent Beats include William S. Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, and Neal Cassady. The Beat Generation, had
greatly influenced the countercultural movements of the 1960s and the adolescents and adults in other countries. In England, the “angry young men”made an echo and imitated the American “beatnik.”
Protagonist: the principal character in a play or story。the central character who serves as a focus for the work's themes and incidents and as the principal rationale for its development。and one who is opposed to the antagonist. In the beginning of ancient Greek drama, there were only a chorus and one actor—the leader of the chorus. Thespis invented the first actor. Then Aeschylus
and Sophocles added the second and third actors to the tragedy respectively. The three actors were names Protagonist, Deuteragonist and Tritagonist. In discussions of modern literature, the protagonist is sometimes referred to as the hero or anti-hero.
Biography: an account of a person's life written by somebody else, or biographical writing as a
form of literature.
Novel: Generally speaking, it is an imaginative prose narrative of extended length dealing with fictional characters and events. The constituent elements of a novel include plot, character, conflict, and setting. But there can be exceptions. Some novels are short. Some novels are not fictional. Some novels are in verse. And some novels do not even tell a story. There have been many debates over the appropriate length of a novel. No established length for a novel has been agreed upon. It
is generally held, however, that a full-length novel is longer than a novella or short novel, and a short novel is longer than a shot story. A novel should be long enough so as to appear in print in an independent volume. The great length of a novel makes it possible for the characters and themes in
it to be developed more fully and subtly.
Antihero: a main character in a story, novel, play or film who behaves in a completely different
way from what people expect a hero to do. A non-hero is without the qualities and features of a traditional or old-fashioned hero. He is doomed to fail. Antiheroes of early days were Don Quixote,
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Macbeth, Rip Van Winkle, and Tristram Shandy. Examples of antiheroes in modern literature include Leopold Bloom, Jim Dixon, Jimmy Porter, Herzog, and Yassarian.
Free verse: a form of poetry without rhyme, meter, regular line length, and regular stanzaic structure. It depends on natural speech for rhythm. Robert Frost compared it to “playing tennis
with the net down.”Though much simpler and less restrictive than conventional poetry and blank verse, free verse does no mean “formlessness.”T. S. Eliot once said that “no verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job.”Though its origin is unknown, it was attempted by such early poets as Surrey, Milton, Blake, and Macpherson. It was Whitman who did the greatest
contribution to the development and popularity of free verse. Whitman favored the simplicity and freedom of expression. According to him, “The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of light of letters is simplicity. Noting is better than simplicity.”
Drama: a form of literature written for actors to perform. A drama is divided into acts. An act can
be subdivided into scenes. The constituent elements of a drama include dialogue, plot, characters, setting, stage direction, and others. A drama can be as long as three parts called trilogy, or as short
as one act only. Greek drama originated in religious ceremonial in honor of Dionysus. Medieval
drama developed out of rites celebrating the life events of Jesus Christ. Dramatists of great importance in literary history include Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Shaw. In America, the
firs important dramatist was Eugene O'Neill who wrote the first serious plays. Before O'Neill, America had theatre. Starting from O'Neill, it began to have drama.
Jazz age: Jazz is a form of dance music that is derived from early Afro-American folk music, ragtime, and Negro blues. It is marked with exciting rhythm, pronounced syncopation, and
constant improvisation. The musical instruments used are mainly drums, trumpets, and saxophones. Major composers of Jazz music include Irvin Berlin and W. C. Handy. The term Jazz
Age was specifically employed by Fitzgerald to denote the 1920s, which was characterized by the
loss of traditional moral standards, indulgence in romantic yearnings, and great social excitement. According to Malcolm Cowley, the Jazz Age was “a legend of glitter, of recklessness, and of talent
in such profusion that it was sown broadcast like wild oats.”F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tales of the Jazz Age, like Mark Twain's The Gilded Age, was an epoch-making work.
Autobiography: a story a writer writes about his or her own life experiences. It is narrated from
the first-person point of view. The term was probably first used by Southey. But the first important
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autobiography was Confessions written by Augustine of Hippo. Other examples include Franklin's Autobiography, Adams's The Education of Henry Adams, John Stuart Mill's Autobiography,
Carlyle's Reminiscences, Henry David Thoreau's Walden, and so on. Sometimes, an
autobiography can be fictionalized. An example of this kind is Rousseau's Confessions. Some
novels and long poems are used for autobiography. Joyce's A Portrait of the Artistas a Young Man, Whitman's “Song of Myself”and Wordsworth's The Prelude fall in this category. Dickens's David Copperfield, Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and O'Neill's LongDay's Journey intoNight have strong autobiographical elements in them.
Blank verse: poetry that does not rhyme but has iambic pentameter lines. Though not originated
in England or America, it has been the most important and most widely used English verse form. Blank verse is popular because it is closest to the rhythm of daily English speech. Thus most
English poems which are dramatic, reflective or narrative are in the form of blank verse. This
verse was probably first used in England by Surrey who translated Aeneid, by Sackville and
Norton who composed Gorboduc. It was developed and perfected by Marlowe, Shakespeare and
th century, most poets favored heroic couplets. But Young and Thomson were able Milton. In the 18th century saw a renewed interest in this poetic form. to write in the tradition of blank verse. The
19Masters of blank verse included Wordsworth, Coleridge and Bryant. The fact that blank verse is
still practiced by writers like T.S. Eliot, Yeats, Frost and Stevens shows how influential and favorable it really is.
Black humor: a term frequently used in modern literary criticism. It is sometimes called ‘black comedy' or ‘tragic farce.' It is humor or laughter resulting from great pain, despair, horror and the absurdity of human existence. Black humor is a common quality of modern anti-novels and
anti-dramas. Examples are Franz Kafka's stories like “Metamorphosis”, “The Castle”and “The Trial”,
Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22 and Albee's The Zoo Story. Other writers who did much
contribution to the popularity of black humor were Beckett, Camus, Ionesco, V onnegut, Pynchon
and so on.
Head rhyme: the use in verse or prose of several words close together which all begin with the same letter. It is done for special musical effect comparable to the effects of end rhyme. In most cases, alliteration is the repetition of identical initial consonant sounds. Examples are Pope's “For 4 / 7
fools rush in where angels fear to tread,”Poe's “The weary, wayworn wanderer bore,”and Coleridge's “Five miles meandering with a mazy motion.”Alliteration of initial vowels is quite limited in number. An example of vowel alliteration is “It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.”
Surprise Ending: Also called “O. Henry ending,”it is a completely unexpected turn or revelation of events at the conclusion of a story or play. An example is “The Necklace”by Guy de Maupassant. Another instance is O. Henry's story “The Gift of the Magi.”
III. Give brief answers to the following questions. (15>
1.Who is the father of American literature? (Consult your book>
2.Who is the father of American poetry? (Consult your book>
3.What is Poe's theory concerning poetry? (Consult your book>
4.What is Poe's theory concerning the short story? (Consult your book>
5.What are the major characteristics of Twain's writing style? (Consult your book>
6.What are the major characteristics of Irving's writing style? (Consult your book>
7.What is “black humor? (Consult your book>
8.What is the Harlem Renaissance? (Consult your book>
9.What is the New England Renaissance? (Consult your book>
10.What are the major characteristics of colonial American literature? (See your book>
11.What is the Lost Generation? (Consult your book>
12.What are Benjamin Franklin's contributions to American culture? (See your book>
13.Why is colonial American literature neither American nor literary? (See your book>
14.What is the Jazz Age? (Consult your book>
15.What is American transcendentalism? (Consult your book>
16.What is imagism? (Consult your book>
17.What is O. Henry Ending? (Consult your book>
18.What is free verse? (Consult your book>
IV. Read the following poem and try to understand and explain it. (20>
Fog
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THE FOG comes
On little cat feet.
It sits looking
Over harbor and city
On silent haunches
And then moves on
(An imagist poem by Carl Sandburg。depicting the fog and its movement。free verse written in
the tradition of Whiman.>
In a Station of the Metro
(Ezra Pound>
The Apparition of these faces in the crowd。
Petals on a wet, black bough.
( a poem of the Imagist school, written by Ezra Pound.>
The Road Not Taken
(By Robert Frost>
TWO roads diverged in
a yellow wood,
both And sorry I not travel
could
stood And one be long I traveler,
could as I
as one down far looked And
。in
it undergrowthwhere To bent
the
as
fair, other, Then took
as the just
passing
that, Though as the for there
the them
Had worn really
same, about
equally that
And both morning
lay
trodden no
In leaves step
had
black.
another
first I kept
the for day! Oh,
to how
leads way way, Yet knowing
come
I if should
I doubted ever
back.
a
be I
shall
with
telling this
sigh
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Somewhere ages and
ages hence:
I- in and
a wood,
roads Two diverged
by,
one
I
traveled
took
less
the
And that has made all the difference.
(A poem by Robert Frost. It is about the difficulty of making a choice.>
Dreams
(by Langston Hughes>
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
(Consult your book>
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美国文学史及选读试卷 Ⅰ.Each of the following statements below is followed by four alternatives. Choose the one that would best complete the statement. (60points in all, 2 for each) 1. Which of following can be said of the common features which are shared by the English and American Romanticists ? A. An increasing emphasis on the free expression of emotions. B. An increasing attention to the psychic states of their characters. C. An increasing emphasis on the desire to return to nature. D. both A and B. 2. Which of the following statements about the Romantic period in the history of American literature is NOT true? （） A. In most of the American writings of this period there was a new emphasis upon the imaginative and emotional qualities of literature. B. The writers of this period placed an increasing emphasis on the free expression of emotions and displayed an increasing attention to the psychic states of their characters. C. There was a strong tendency to exalt the individual and the common man. D. Most heroes and heroines in the writings of this period exhibited extremes of reason and nationality. 3.______ is unanimously agreed to be the summit of the American Romanticism in the history of American literature. A. New England Transcendentalism B. England Transcendentalism C. the Harlem Renaissance D. New Transcendentalism 4.Hawthorn e’s unique gift was for the creation of ______ which touch the deepest roots of man’s moral nature. A. symbolic stories B. romantic stories
1.Why did Franklin write his Autobiography? Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it 2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had been apprenticed? His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his brother. 3.How did he arrive in Philadephia? First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 50 miles from Burlington, the next day he reached Burlington on foot, in Burlington he found a boat which was going towards Philadelphia, he arrived there about eight or nine o’clock, on the Sunday morning and landed at the Market Street wharf. 4.What features do you find in the style of the above selection? It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision(言简意赅). The narrative is lucid(易懂的), the structure is simple, the imagery is homely(朴素的). 二、Questions 1.How many characters does Poe include in The Cask of Amontillado? What are these names? Montresor, Fortunato and Luchesi 2. What drink are the French most famous for? Wine 3.Does Montresor have something of great value to him which we might consider to be his treasure? His pride and the pride of his French family heritage. Perhaps his devious plot of revenge. 4.Does Montresor seem to have much respect for Italians? Montresor does not have much respect for Italians. He feels the French are superior, especially with respect to wine. 5.What was Fortunato's insult? Poe does not tell us directly, but only implies it in the third paragraph 6.Which wine does Montresor use to lure Fortunato into the catacombs? "Amontillado" (the Spanish wine; Montresor's ruse to lead Fortunato down into the catacombs. 7.Why does Montresor entertain Fortunato with wines from his collection? Montresor wants to get Fortunato drunk enough to be able to trap him in his plan of vengeance. 8.In what two ways does Montresor imprison Fortunato? He fetters (chains and locks) Fortunato to the wall of the catacombs. He builds a wall to close Fortunato off in a small corner of the catacombs, where Montresor will leave him to die. 9.In what ways is The Cask of Amontillado grotesque? First, which of Montresor's actions are abnormal? The whole obsessive plot of vengeance. The fettering and entombment of Fortunato. Montresor's sick sense of humor. 10.Is there anything grotesque about Fortunato? His obsession with alcohol. His drunkenness. His tendency to berate Luchesi (he may have been drunk and may have insulted Montresor in a similar
1.Captain John Smith became the first American writer. 2.The puritans looked upon themselves as a chosen people. is an annual collection of proverbs written by Benjamin Franklin. 4.Thomas Paine’s famous pamphlet Common Sense boldly advocated a “Declaration for Independence”. 5.Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.
has been called the “Father of American Poetry”. 7.In Washington I rving’s appeared the first modern short stories and the first great American juvenile literature. 8.Cooper’s enduring fame rests on his William Cullen Bryant’s wok. is considered “father of American detective stories and American gothic stories”. 10.Emerson believed above all in
Captain John Smith (first American writer). Anne Bradstreet；The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America （colonists living） Edward Taylor(the best puritan poet) John Cotton ”the Patriarch of New England” teacher spiritual leader Benjamin Franklin The Autobiography Poor Richard’s Almanack Thomas Jefferson： Political Career Thoughts The Declaration of Independence we hold truth to be self-evidence Philip Freneau“Father of American Poetry” The Wild Honey Suckle American Romanticism optimism and hope Nationalism Washington Irving“Father of American Literature short story”The first “Pure Writer” A History of New York The Sketch Book marked the beginning of American Romanticism! “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”Rip Van Winkle James Fenimore Cooper Father of American sea and frontier novels Leather stocking Tales The Last of the Mohicans The Pioneers The Prairie The Pathfinder The Deerslayer Edgar Allan Poe father of detective story and horror fiction Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque “MS. Found in a Bottle” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” “The Fall of the House of Usher”“The Masque of the Red Death”“The
I. Multiple choice. Please choose the best answer among the four items. (10 x 1’= 10’) 1. In American literature, the 18th century was the age of Enlightenment. ____ was the dominant. 2. The short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is taken from Irving’s work named ____. 3. Which of the following is not the characteristic of American Romanticism? 4. The short story “Rip Van Winkle” reveals the __ attitude of its author.
5.Stylistically, Henry James’ fiction is characterized by ___. 6.Transcendentalist doctrines found their greatest literary advocates in ___ and Thoreau. 7.Which is regarded as the “Declaration of Intellectual Independence”? 8.____ is considered Mark Twain’s greatest achievement.
美国文学史及选读试题 I. Multiple Choice 10’ 1. Who is different from others according to the division of writing period? A. Washington Irving B.William Cullen Bryant C. Captain John Smith D. James Fenimore Cooper 2. The American Romantic Period lasted roughly from ____ to ____. A. 1798-1832 B. 1810-1860 C. 1860-1864 D. 1776-1783 3. How many syllables are there in this first line of Raven? (“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,”) A. 11 B. 12 C. 13 D. 16 4. What dominated the Puritan phase of American writing? A. theology B. literature C. esthetics D. revolution 5. At the initial period of the spread of ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to ____. A. typography B. journalism C. revolution D. the development of paper-making industry 6. Who has been called the “Father of American Literature”? A. Walt Scott B. Geoffrey Chaucer
1.C aptain John Smith became the first American writer. 2.T he puritans looked upon themselves as a chosen people. collection of proverbs written by Benjamin Franklin. 4.T homas Paine’s famous pamphlet Common Sense boldly advocated a “Declaration for Independence”.
5.T homas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. has been called the “Father of American Poetry”. 7.I n Washington Irving’s appeared the first modern short stories and the first great American juvenile literature.
8.C ooper’s enduring fame rests on his frontier stories, especially the five novels that comprise the is perhaps the peak of William Cullen Bryant’s wok. “father of American detective stories and American gothic stories”.
History And Anthology of American Literature （6） 附：作者及作品 一、殖民主义时期The Literature of Colonial America 1．船长约翰·史密斯Captain John Smith 《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》 “A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony” 《弗吉尼亚地图，附：一个乡村的描述》 “A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country” 《弗吉尼亚通史》“General History of Virginia” 2．威廉·布拉德福德William Bradford 《普利茅斯开发历史》“The History of Plymouth Plantation”3．约翰·温思罗普John Winthrop 《新英格兰历史》“The History of New England” 4．罗杰·威廉姆斯Roger Williams 《开启美国语言的钥匙》”A Key into the Language of America” 或叫《美洲新英格兰部分土著居民语言指南》 Or “A Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New England ” 5．安妮·布莱德斯特Anne Bradstreet 《在美洲诞生的第十个谬斯》 ”The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America” 二、理性和革命时期文学The Literature of Reason and Revolution 1。本杰明·富兰克林Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) ※《自传》“ The Autobiography ” 《穷人理查德的年鉴》“Poor Richard’s Almanac” 2。托马斯·佩因Thomas Paine (1737-1809) ※《美国危机》“The American Crisis” 《收税官的案子》“The Case of the Officers of the Excise”《常识》“Common Sense” 《人权》“Rights of Man” 《理性的时代》“The Age of Reason” 《土地公平》“Agrarian Justice” 3。托马斯·杰弗逊Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) ※《独立宣言》“The Declaration of I ndependence” 4。菲利浦·弗瑞诺Philip Freneau (1752-1832) ※《野忍冬花》“The Wild Honey Suckle” ※《印第安人的坟地》“The Indian Burying Ground” ※《致凯提·迪德》“To a Caty-Did” 《想象的力量》“The Power of Fancy” 《夜屋》“The House of Night” 《英国囚船》“The British Prison Ship” 《战争后期弗瑞诺主要诗歌集》 “The Poems of Philip Freneau Written Chiefly During the Late War” 《札记》“Miscellaneous Works” 三、浪漫主义文学The Literature of Romanticism 1。华盛顿·欧文Washington Irving (1783-1859) ※《作者自叙》“The Author’s Account of Himself” ※《睡谷传奇》“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 《见闻札记》“Sketch Book” 《乔纳森·欧尔德斯泰尔》“Jonathan Oldstyle” 《纽约外史》“A History of New York” 《布雷斯布里奇庄园》“Bracebridge Hall” 《旅行者故事》“Tales of Traveller” 《查理二世》或《快乐君主》“Charles the Second” Or “The Merry Monarch” 《克里斯托弗·哥伦布生平及航海历史》 “A History of the Life and V oyages of Christopher Columbus” 《格拉纳达征服编年史》”A Chronicle of the Conquest of Grandada” 《哥伦布同伴航海及发现》 ”V oyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus” 《阿尔罕布拉》“Alhambra” 《西班牙征服传说》“Legends of the Conquest of Spain” 《草原游记》“A Tour on the Prairies” 《阿斯托里亚》“Astoria” 《博纳维尔船长历险记》“The Adventures of Captain Bonneville” 《奥立弗·戈尔德史密斯》”Life of Oliver Goldsmith” 《乔治·华盛顿传》“Life of George Washington” 2．詹姆斯·芬尼莫·库珀James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) ※《最后的莫希干人》“The Last of the Mohicans” 《间谍》“The Spy” 《领航者》“The Pilot” 《美国海军》“U.S. Navy” 《皮袜子故事集》“Leather Stocking Tales” 包括《杀鹿者》、《探路人》”The Deerslayer”, ”The Pathfinder” 《最后的莫希干人》“The Last of the Mohicans” 《拓荒者》、《大草原》“The Pioneers”, “The Praire” 3。威廉·卡伦·布莱恩特William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) ※《死之思考》“Thanatopsis” ※《致水鸟》“To a Waterfowl” 4。埃德加·阿伦·坡Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) ※《给海伦》“To Helen” ※《乌鸦》“The Raven” ※《安娜贝尔·李》“Annabel Lee” ※《鄂榭府崩溃记》“The Fall of the House of Usher” 《金瓶子城的方德先生》“Ms. Found in a Bottle” 《述异集》“Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque” 5。拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) ※《论自然》“Nature” ※《论自助》“Self-Reliance” 《美国学者》“The American Scholar” 《神学院致辞》“The Divinity School Address” 《随笔集》“Essays” 《代表》“Representative Men” 《英国人》“English Traits” 《诗集》“Poems” 6。亨利·戴维·梭罗Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) ※《沃尔登我生活的地方我为何生活》 1
Washington Irving Bracebridge Hall 布雷斯布里奇田庄 (1822) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tales of a Traveller 旅客谈 (1824) Christopher Columbus (1828) c. writing characteristics (1) humorous: the function of his writing is to amuse, to entertain instead of teaching or instruction (2) vivid and true character portrayal (3) finished (refined) and musical language, thus regarded as “the Amn. Goldsmith ” d. analysis on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow(选自the sketch book 见闻札记 ) 1. the story:setting,character, plot 2. theme:conflicts and praise conflict betw. Ichabod and Brom conflict betw. the village and the outside world James Fenimore Cooper The Spy (1821): a historical novel The Pilot (1824): a sea novel Leatherstocking Tales 皮裹腿故事集(1823-1841): frontier novels The Last Mohicans (1826) (Colonial War betw. Britain and France) e. writing features: strong points: we can see a variety of incidents and tensions, complicated plot and structure and a beautiful description of nature. Weak points: characterization is weak. There is unsatisfactory description of characters (esp. female). He is not free from syntactical awkwardness, heavy-handed attempt at humor. “Where Irving excels Cooper is weak.” Dialect is not authentic. Edgar Allan Poe The Fall of the House Usher Feature: i. brevity (15 pages) ii. Single effect iii. originality in theme To Helen It was inspired by the beauty of the mother of a schoolmate of Poe in Richmond, Virginia. The poem is famous for a number of things: 1. its rhyme scheme: ababb 2. its varied line lengths 3. its metaphor of a travel on the sea 4. its oft-quoted lines: "To the glory that was Greece,/And the grandeur that was Rome." theme: praise the ideal love and beauty and ancient Greek and Roman civilizations The Raven 乌鸦 theme: the lament over the death of a beautiful woman tone: melancholy Transcendentalism (essayists, poets, novelists) Their journal is “The Dial ” . Definition: Transcendentalism is idealism. (Emerson) b. features (1) stress on Oversoul, that is spirit. (2) stress the importance of individual. (3) fresh conception of nature. c. significance (1) inspired a whole generation of writers such as Whitman, Melville and Dickinson. (2) dresses man ’s subjective initiative as opposed to materialism. (3) liberated people from Calvin ’s original sin d. limitation (1) shallow: cut off from real life or reality; initiated by the rich, they were limited in a certain circle. So, in some degree, they have been cut off from social life and can ’t understand the sufferings of the common people. (2) inward contradiction: gain knowledge by intuition, shows its idealistic aspect. R.W. Emerson (Ralph Waldo) Nature (1836): the Bible of New England transcendentalism The American Scholar (1837): "America's Declaration of Intellectual The Divinity School Address 神学院致辞 (1838) Essays (1841/1847) Representative Men (1850) English Traits (1856)
美国文学史及选读试卷 Ⅰ. Multiple choices. (60 points in total, 2 for each) 1. The Romantic Period in American literature started from the publication of Washington Irving's ______ and ended with Whitman's Leaves of Grass. A. The Sketch Book B. Tales of a Traveller C. A History of New York D. The Scarlet Letter 2. At the middle of 19th century, America witnessed a cultural flowering which is called “_____”. A. the English Renaissance B. the Second Renaissance C. the American Renaissance D. the Salem Renaissance 3. As a philosophical and literary movement, the main issues involved in the debate of Transcendentalism are generally concerning ______. A. nature , man and the universe B. the relationship between man and woman C. the development of Romanticism in American literature D. the cold, rigid rationalism of Unitarianism 14. In the following statements, _________ is NOT true about Washington Irving’s famous story “Rip Van Winkle.” A. The story is not only well-kno wn for Rip’s 20-year sleep but also considered a model of perfect English in American literature. B. The story is set against the background of the inevitably changing America. C. The social conservatism and literary preference for the past is revealed, to some extent, in the story. D. Irving describes Rip’s response and reaction in a dramatic way, so that we see clearly both the narrator and Irving agree on the preferability of the present to the past. 15. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Experience is a serous discussion about the conflict between _________ and ordinary life.
（0097）《美国文学史》复习思考题 I. Write out the authors’ names of the following works. (15) 1. Poor Richard’s Almanac 2. The Wasteland 3. The Pioneers 4. The Leaves of Grass 5. Go Tell it on the Mountain 6. For Whom the Bell Tolls? 7. Catch 22 8. Of Mice and Men 9. The Sound and the Fury 10.Huck Finn 11. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 12. The Old Man and the Sea 13. Mending Walls 14. Beloved 15. Invisible Man 16. Beyond the Horizons 17. Of Mice and Men 18. The Raven 19. The Great Gatsby 20. The Streetcar Named Desire 21. Rip van Winkle 22. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening 23. The Scarlet Letter 24. Moby Dick 25. Desire Under the Elms 26. The Gilded Age 27. The Sound and Fury 28. The Road Not Taken 29. The Death of a Salesman 30. The Pathfinder 31. Walden 32. Daisy Miller 33. Song of Myself 34. The Call of the Wild 35. Martin Eden 36. Long Day’s Journey into Night II. Define the following literary terms. (20) 1. Beat Generation 2. Protagonist 3. Biography 4. Novel 5. Anti-hero 6. Free Verse 7. Drama 8. Jazz Age 9. Biography 10. Blank Verse 11. Black Humor 12. Head Rhyme 13. Surprise ending 14. Transcendentalism
苏州科技学院期末考试试题（卷） 评分标准及标准答案 A卷 院系：专业：考试科目：美国文学史及选读考试形式：闭卷考试时间： 100 分钟 I.Blanks: (10%)(每题1分，共10分，答错不给分) 1. American literature 2. English 3. Puritans 4. short story 5. Autobiography 6. Philip Freneau 7. Washington Irving 8. Edgar Allan Poe 9. The Scarlet Letter II.Multiple Choice: ( 20%)(每题1分，共20分，答错不给分) 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. A 6. C 7. B 8. C 9. B 10. D 11. A 12. B 13. B 14. B 15. C 16.C 17. B 18. A 19. C 20. D III.Identification (20%)（每题1分，共20分，答错不给分） 1.James Fenimore Cooper 2.Washington Irving 3.Anne Bradstreet 4.Michael Wigglesworth 5.Washington Irving 6.James Fenimore Cooper 7.Philip Freneau 8.William Cullen Bryant
9.Edgar Allan Poe 10.Edgar Allan Poe 11.Nathaniel Hawthorne 12.Edgar Allan Poe 13.Anne Bradstreet 14.Washington Irving 15.James Fenimore Cooper 16.Philip Freneau 17.William Cullen Bryant 18.Edgar Allan Poe 19.Nathaniel Hawthorne 20.Philip Freneau IV.Terms (20%)（每题4分，共20分） 1. Poor Richard’s Almanac key words: Benjamin Franklin, sayings, hard work, thrift, Puritan, quotes, printed himself, etc. 2. Leatherstocking Tales Key words: Cooper, five novels, Natty Bumppo, frontier, frontiersman, life from youth to old age, The Pioneer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, The Deerslayer, etc. 3. Puritanism key words: Calvin, purify, hard work, thrift, predestination, salvation, sin, God, from England to America, immigration, etc. 4. Benjamin Franklin key words: statesman, scientist and writer, Autobiography, Poor Richard’s Almanac, puritan, hard work and thrift, successful, contributions, printer, etc. V.Appreciation (10%)（每题5分，共10分） Part A a)Philip Freneau’s（1分）The Wild Honey Suckle （1分） b)It is written in iambic tetrameter, the rhyme scheme is ababcc. （1分） c)“Little being” refers to the wild honey suckle. （1分）“But an hour” means the lifespan of a flower is very short. （1分）