美国文学关于Nathaniel Hawthorne的课件.pptVIP

Nathaniel Hawthorne(1804—1864) I. Introduction to the writer 1.1. Life experienceBorn to a family with a long Puritan tradition in Salem, Massachusetts. His ancestors were notorious for the persecution of the Quakers and for the Salem Witchcraft Trial in 1692. a dark shadow on his heart When he was 4, his father, a sea captain, died. He was brought up by his uncle. He graduated form Bowdoin College in 1842 in the same class with Longfellow and Franklin Pierce (the 14 th U.S President). After graduation, he returned to Salem to live in his mother’s house and to pursue his literary career. His life experience had great influence on his character, as well as on his writing career. 1.2. Point of view Black vision of human nature: Obsessed by the Calvinistic concept of the original sin, Hawthorne believes human beings are evil-natured and sinful and this sin and evil is ever present in human heart and will pass on from one generation to another. His writings are to show how we are all wronged and wrongers, and avenge one another. 1.3. Major Works The Scarlet Letter Twice-Told Tales Which includes “The Minister’s Black Veil” Mosses from an Old Manse Which included “Young Goodman Brown” The Houses of the Seven Gables The Marble Faun 1.4. Themes of Hawthorne’s writing  1. Explore the relationship between the past and the present 2. Explore the hidden motivations of his characters. 3. Examine the effect of hidden sin and secret guilt 4. Moral or immoral, right or wrong is the question Hawthorne always talks about in his works. 1.5. Style 1. His style was soft, flowing and almost feminine. 2.Language: smooth, clear, beautiful in sound and meaning 3. He also frequently uses symbols and settings to reveal the psychology of the characters. II. Appreciation of “Young Goodman Brown” 2.1. The main idea of the work (reference to p434-435) 2.2. Understanding of the excerpt 2.3. Analysis of the structure At sunset, Goodman Brown leaves his wife Fa