英美chapter3.pptVIP

Chapter Three Early National Period In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? Or goes to an American play? Or looks at the American picture? Sydney Smith, 1819 1. Romantic American Literature The Romantic Period, one of the most important periods in the history of American literature, stretches from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil War. It started with the publication of Washington Irvings The Sketch Book (1820)and ended with Whitmans Leaves of Grass. 1.1The Characteristics of American Romanticism A. The American national experience of pioneering into the west proved to be a rich source of material for American writers to draw upon. B. The desire for an escape from society and a return to nature became a permanent convention of American literature. The American Puritanism as a cultural heritage exerted great influences over American moral values and American Romanticism. Washington Irving (1783-1859) The father of American literature Works A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty”(1809) “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Grayon, Gent” (1819,1820) “Rip Van Winkle” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Summery of the two stories:  These two stories are a mixture of European tradition and American life. The setting, Character, life presented in the two stories are typically American. The language, the writing style and the techniques are typically English. James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) The “American Scott” Works “ The Spy” (1821): a novel about the American Revolution. “The Pilot”: the sea novel “The Leather stocking Tales”: a series of frontier novel “The Leather stocking Tales” The Deer slayer 《打鹿将》 The Last of the Mohicans 《最后的莫希干人》 The Path Finder 《探路者》 The Pioneer 《开拓者》 The Prairie 《草原》 Natty Bumppo Natty Bumppo is the son of a native American and a wh