romanticism 1 美国文学课件.ppt

* American Romanticism (1783-1861) Review on Romanticism Romanticism is a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. In part, it was a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature, and was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature. Features: 1. subjectivity (1) genuine feeling and emotions, finding truth (2) emphasis on imagination (3) emphasis on individualism – personal freedom, no hero worship, natural goodness of human beings 2. back to medieval, esp. medieval folk literature (1) unrestrained by classical rules (2) full of imagination (3) colloquial language 3. back to nature nature is “breathing living thing” (Rousseau) II. Backgrounds of American Romanticism the developments of politics and economy boom (Independence War; economic boom) 1. Ideological changes democracy; political equality 2. Social developments ＊Industrialism ＊Influx of immigrants ＊The westward movement Demanding new literary expressions 3. Religious backgrounds Strict religious tradition of early settlement became out-of-dated. Romantics reject rationalism and religious intellect. III. Features of American Romanticism 1. Influences from American Puritanism Tend more to moralize than entertain; Restrictions of the contents: areas better not to touch on, such as taboos, sex and love, etc. 2. Imitative as well as independent Imitate European, especially English Romantics: “home, family and children, nature and idealized love” b. Independence: the sense of “newness”, major problems of America such as ideals of individualism, political equality, American dream, westward expansion, nature resources, etc. IV. Representatives of early Romanticism 1. Washington Irvin