Unit 1 Benjamin Franklin.pptVIP

American Literature Introduction What does it mean by American Literature ? Some basic characteristics of American Literature ★Brief Outline of American Literature What does it mean by American literature ? By the literature of the United States, we mean all written and oral literary works produced in that part of the world has become the United States of America. Some basic characteristics of American literature Short history but great achievement Began with oral myths, legends, tales Poetry ,fiction, drama ,essay , all highly developed Female, ethnic (种族的）literature came into centre ★ Brief Outline of American Literature 1.The Colonial period（殖民地时期）:(约1607-1765） 2.The Revolutionary period（革命时期):(1765-18世纪末） ★3. The Romantic period （浪漫主义时期）: （1800-1865） ★4. The Realism and Naturalism（现实主义和自然主 义) : （1865-1918） ★5. The Modern period (现代主义时期）: 1918-1945 6. Contemporary literature（当代文学) :（1945- ） Chapter One : Colonial Period (1607-1775) General features types of writing: diaries, histories, journals, letters, travel books, autobiographies/biographies, sermons Content : : serving either God or colonial expansion or both Form: imitating English literary traditions ★American Puritanism（清教主义） Simply speaking, American Puritanism just refers to the spirit and ideal of puritans who settled in the North American continent in the early part of the seventeenth century because of religious persecutions(迫害）. In content it means scrupulous （小心谨慎）moral rigor（苛刻), especially hostility to social pleasures and indulgences, that is??strictness, sternness and austerity（苦行） in conduct and religion.  ★ American Puritanism（清教主义） With time passing it became a dominant factor in American life, one of the most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American Literature. To some extent it is a state of mind, a part of the national cultural atmosphere. Actually it is a code of values, a philosophy of life and a point of view in American minds.  Puritani