美国文学Unit10StephenCrane.pptVIP

Selected Readings in American Literature Unit 10 American Realism American Naturalism 现实主义与自然主义的对比 Muckrakers 黑幕揭发者 What is American Realism? What is American realism?As a literary movement realism came in the latter half of the nineteenth century as a reaction against “the lie” of romanticism and sentimentalism. It expressed the concern for the world of experience, of the commonplace, and for the familiar and the low.  The American realists advocated “verisimilitude（逼真） of detail derived from observation,” the effort to approach the norm of experience —— a reliance on the representative in plot, setting, and character, and to offer an objective rather than an idealized view of human nature and experience. Characteristics of American Realism 1.truthful description of life? ?2.typical character under typical circumstance 3.objective rather than idealized, close observation and investigation of life? ?“Realistic writers are like scientists”. 4.concerned with social and psychological problems 5.open-ending: leaves much room for readers to think by themselves. 6.optimistic tone Three Giants in Realistic Period William Dean Howells??– “Dean of American Realism” Henry James?? Mark Twain?? (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) There were dramatic events that were taking place in late 19th-century America. The 1890s were a watershed （分水岭）period, including such changes as: The closing of the frontier An end to the great days of railroad building, an industry that had helped propel the economy The late 19th-century rise of science The mid- to late-19th-century influences of Charles Darwin, as well as the later influences of Sigmund Freud Technology was growing at a rapid pace Powerful monopolies （垄断）owned by a small number of robber barons （巨头） based their philosophy of business not on classical republican ideology but on social Darwinism and laissez faire （自由放任的）practices A large influx （汇集，涌入）of immigrants helped lead to the creation of urban