Dreiser

From the age of fifteen， he earned meager support by doing some odd jobs. In 1889, spent a year studying at Indiana University, but drop out In 1890.
Life Experience
• • • • • •
American dream Change and transformation Choices and consequences Wealth and poverty Identity sex
• Theodore Dreiser is regarded as an outstanding representative of American naturalism.
• With no money, no friend in power, no formal education worthy of mention, no family tradition in letters. With every disadvantages piled upon him, Dreiser, by his strong will and his dogged persistence, eventually burst out and became one of the important American writers.
Theodore Dreiser （西奥多· 德莱塞）
Contents
1st 2ed 3rd 4th
Life Experience His Works His position Selected reading ----Sister Carrie

Main Literary Works
Sister Carrie 1900 《嘉莉妹妹》 嘉莉妹妹》 Jennie Gerhardt 1911 《珍妮姑娘》 珍妮姑娘》 Financial 1912 《金融家》 金融家》 The Titan 1914 《巨人》 巨人》 The “Genius” 1915 《天才 》 An American Tragedy 1925 《美国悲剧》 美国悲剧》 The Stoic 1947 《斯多葛》 斯多葛》
Born Died Occupation Wife Parents
Hale Waihona Puke 1871-08-27,Indiana 1945-12-28,Hollywood Novelist Sara White Sarah and John Paul Dreiser
Dreiser was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Sarah and John Paul Dreiser, a strict Catholic family. John Paul Dreiser was a German immigrant from Mayen in the Eifel region, and Sarah was from the Mennonite farming near Dayton, Ohio; she was disowned for marrying John and converting to Roman Catholicism. Theodore was the twelfth of thirteen children (the ninth of the ten surviving). The popular songwriter Paul Dresser (1857–1906) was his older brother.

1. Beowulf赏析英国现存最早、最完整的民族史诗。

1反映当时部落社会的面貌。

背景取自欧洲。

2古Anglo-Saxon人崇拜英雄的部落文化。

政治观点：“王”，权利来自武力，王权的继承还需要仁义。

3历史事实+神话传说。

主人公Beowulf英勇顽强。

自我牺牲精神。

爱护臣民。

有责任感。

简洁明快。

头韵。

隐喻：用复合词来比喻某种事物或现象。

2. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight赏析传奇文学是贵族人生理想的反映，与平民百姓没有丝毫的关系。

头韵诗。

2个主题：1砍头游戏检验Gawain的勇敢和信守诺言。

2女主人的诱惑检验Gawain的诚实和忠贞。

以重读音节为基础的韵律。

每一个stanza后面有一个只有一个重读音节的短促诗句，再加一个abab韵的4行诗节。

语言朴素自然，流畅通顺。

反映出Norman征服的宗教影响：基督教成统治地位。

Gawain是基督徒，拥有人的弱点。

他在困境中祈求圣母玛利亚的帮助，又因死亡的威胁而背弃诺言。

他身上有亚当的影子，原罪的概念。

3. Chaucer特点“英国诗歌之父”。

人文主义。

现实主义。

明快、诙谐。

伦敦方言创作。

首创heroic couplet。

钟情于中世纪的文学形式。

第一个用韵脚韵律诗，以重音-音节为基础的格律诗。

一方面用贵族式的理想眼光看待生活。

一方面又以现实的态度思考。

1法国影响时期—2意大利影响时期—3成熟时期强调人权，今生今世幸福快乐的权利，反对神权与禁欲主义。

反对滥用宗教教义。

人物：个人与社会关系的主题。

突出人物之间性格冲突和物质利益矛盾。

幽默讽刺地描写了新兴资产阶级所反感的阶级出身问题。

人物形象是立体的，有独特的气质和性格。

押尾韵。

八音节对偶句（octosyllabic couplet），iambic pentameter的heroic couplet。

4. Canterbury Tales赏析现实主义。

但未能摆脱中世纪的偏见。

轻松、欢快文艺复兴的先驱。

ContentsIntroduction (2)1. The historical and cultural background for Sister Carrie (3)1.1 Darwinism and Determinism (3)1.2 American naturalism (3)2. The typical characteristics of naturalism in Sister Carrie (3)2.1 The relationship among reason, free will and instinct (3)2.2 The influence of the environment (3)3. Dreiser’s naturalistic attitude of truthful reflection of life (4)3.1 Dreiser's “Sister”一Carrie (4)3.2 Hurstwood's decline一Dreiser's fear of failure (4)Conclusion (4)Notes (4)Bibliography (5)Abstract：Theodore Dreiser is regarded as an outstanding representative of American naturalism. In this thesis, Dreiser’s first novel Sister Carrie is taken as an example to analyze the features of Dreiser’s naturalism. The thesis referred to three great historical and cultural background of the novel which are Darwinism，Determinism. American Naturalism and Consumerism. Meanwhile the thesis analyzes three features of naturalism. At last, we can draw the conclusion that the leading character of the novel-Carrie’s dest iny has a great connection with Dreiser himself and the decline of Hurstwood is a result of Dreiser’s fear of failure, but Dreiser attributes Carrie and Hurstwood’s unhappiness to their insatiable desire for life or they are doomed to be unhappy etc, and f rom which we can see Dreiser’s naturalism easily.Key W ords：Naturalism Darwinism Consumerism desire environment论在嘉莉妹妹中德莱赛的自然主义摘要：美国作家西奥多德莱塞被认为美国自然主义的杰出代表，本文以其第一部小说《嘉莉妹妹》为例分析德莱塞自然主义的一些特征。