美国文学名词解释

美国文学名词解释 1. Transcendentalism Time: appears in 1842 Sources: It was a system of thought that originated from 3 sources: Unitarianism, idealistic philosophy from France and Germany and oriental mysticism as revealed in Hindu and Chinese classics. Features: ?emphasis on spirit/over soul(超灵) ?emphasis on individuals ?taking nature as the symbol of the spirit or God. Representatives:Ralph Waldo Emerson、Henry David Thoreau 2. Romanticism th Time: The Romantic Period covers the first half of the 19 century th Sources: It spreads to continental Europe and then comes to America early in the 19 century. Features: ? stressing emotion rather than reason, faith in value of intuitive perception, subjectivity in form and meaning imagination. ? stressing freedom and individuality. ? idealism rather than materialism ? writing about nature， medieval legends and with supernatural elements ? the quest for pure beauty ? simplicity: turned to the humble people and the everyday life. Representatives: Washington Irving、 Edgar Allan Poe 3. Realism Time:1865—1914 Sources:It came as a reaction against the lie of romanticism and sentimentalism. Features: ? emphasis on the strange toward a faithful rendering of the ordinary, a slice of life as it is really lived ? expresses the concern for commonplace and low ? offers an objective rather than an idealistic view of human nature and human experience ? Realistic writing often depicts the everyday life and speech of ordinary people Representatives: Mark Twain、 Henry James 4. Naturalism Time and Sources: It is a literary school that originated in France and came to American thLiterature at the end of the 19 century. Features: The naturalistic writers attempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness, presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were dominated by their environment and heredity. Representatives: Dreiser、 Stephen Crane 5. Modernism Time: The year from 1910 to 1930 is often called the Era of Modernism. Sources: It began in Europe as a response to be devastating effects of WW? Features: ? breaking with the past, a reaction against realism, anti-romantic, anti-traditional, anti-heroes, anti- climax ? turning to the inner ? turning to the fragment ? turning to pessimism ? turning to the symbolic Representatives: Ernest Hemingway、 Ezra Pound 6. Puritanism Time: Sources: Features: It is the practices and beliefs of Puritans. Puritans accepted the doctrine of predestination, original sin and total depravity, and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from God. It stressed hard work, thrift piety and sobriety. Representatives: Captain John Smith、 Edward Taylor 附:Imagism Local Colorism Lost Generation