美国文学史及作品选读.pptxVIP

Unit6AmericanRealism:WilliamDeanHowells,HenryJamesandMarkTwain

美国文学史及作品选读

AmericanRealism:1865-1914

◆HistoricalBackground

Twophases:thephaseofanexpanding

continentalnationfrom1865till1890s;andtheso-called“progressiveperiod”from

1890still1914.

◆TheCivilWar:destroyedtheinnocence

prevalentearlierinthe19thcentury;

(Chang,158:ledmanytoquestionthe

assumptionssharedbythe

Transcendentalists---naturalgoodness,

theoptimisticviewofnatureandman,benevolentGod.)

AmericanRealism:1865-1914

movementawayfrom

farm,metropolitan,lustforwealthandpower

◆“TheGildedAge”theageofwealthand

poverty,ofprogress

anddecline,andthe

ageofgaudyexcesses.

◆TheUSchangedfromanationofdistinct

regionsintoanationdominatedbyNorthernindustrialization,

businessandfinance.

◆Industrialism,

mechanization,

◆Theclosingfrontier:thedevelopmentof

railroads:mobile,Westernsettlement,

settlementintheGreatPlainsand

mountainousregions,awarenessofregionalcharacteristics;disillusionmentand

frustration,sufferingandunhappiness

Theclosingfrontier

◆Fromthe1890son,therewasa

greatdealofenthusiasmfor

varioussocialandeconomic

reforms,hencetheterm“the

progressiveera.”Mostofthewriterswhowrotewith

seriousnessandconvictionweresocialcritics.

TheProgressiveEra

◆Bythe1870sNewEnglandRenaissancehadwaned.

(HawthorneandThoreaudead;Emerson,Longfellow

andotherNewEnglandcelebritiesoldandfeeble;

Melvilleceasedtopublish.Dickinsonnotbroughttolightyet.OnlyWhitmanremainedactive.)

◆TheAgeofRomanticismandTranscendentalismwasbyandlargeover.

ParametersofRealism

◆童明，143：

◆ParametersofRealism:“Americanrealismmaybemeasuredbythefollowing

parameters”:

◆1.RealismreactsagainstRomanticism’s

emphasisonintuition,imagination,adreamy

(