Literature of Early Romantic Period 美国文学史教材.ppt

Literature of Early Romantic Period I. Background 1. Political background and economical development Radical changes Foreign influences 2. The ever-increasing number of magazines which provided the playground for romanticism II. Features of American Romanticism Both imitative and independent strong European influence: Presenting new experience alien to European culture Puritan heritage Producing a “newness” of the Americans as a nation. III. Common Themes and subject matters  celebration of natural beauty and simple life idealization of common people interest in the past and remote places eulogizing individualism Washington Irving Writing Style His style : beautiful, gentility, urbanity, Avoiding moralizing as much as possible Good at enveloping his stories in an atmosphere His characters : vivid and true/round character Humor Language: finished, musical Irving’s contributions to American literature 1st American man of letters to support himself as a writer 1st American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame Father of American literature: The Sketch Book also marked the beginning of A Romanticism,