美国Realist.doc

Chapter 2----------The realist period:(美国) Time: 1865 to 1914 (the end of the Civil War to the outbreak of the 1st World War) Definition: Realism was a reaction against Romanticism or a move away from the bias towards romance and self-creating fictions, and paved the way to Modernism. Background: 1. Socially, Economically, America had transformed itself from a Jeffersonian agrarian community into an industrialized and commercialized society. Wilderness gave way to civilization. 2. Economically, burgeoning economy stepped up urbanization 3. Ideologically, people became dubious about the human nature and the benevolence of God. Literature: 1. Theme: People抯 attention was now directed to the interesting features of everyday existence, to what was brutal or sordid, and to the open portrayal of class struggle, by a comprehensive picture of modern life in its various occupations, class stratifications and manners, or by a psychological exploration of man抯 sub consciousness. 2.Characteristics: (1). Local colorism: They brought to fulfillment native trends in the realistic portrayal of the landscape and social surfaces, brought to perfection the vernacular style, and explored the literary possibilities of the interior life. (2). Naturalism: Naturalism is evolved from realism when the author抯 tone in writing becomes less serious and less sympathetic but more ironic and more pessimistic. One of the most familiar themes in American naturalism is the theme of human bestiality esp. as an explanation of sexual desire. Artistically, naturalistic writings are usually unpolished in language, lacking in academic skills and unwieldy in structure. Mark Twain (1835?910) The true father of our national literature His works: 1. The Celebrated Jumping Frog It brought him recognition from a wider public. 2. Innocents Abroad An account of American tourists in Europe which pokes fun at the pretentious, decadent and undemocratic Old World in a satirical tone. 3. Life on the Mississippi