Transcript Anthology of American Literature

Welcome to American Literature
Teaching Contents
I. General Introduction to American
Literature
II. A Survey of Early American History
III. Major Periods of American Literature
IV. Colonial American Literature
Question
 How much do you know about
American literature?
 What are the features of American
literature? (please compare American
literature with British literature, and
set the comparison in their different
history)
Basic Qualities of American Writers
1) Independent
2) Individualistic
3) Critical
4) Innovative
General Introduction to American Literature
 Position and Influence in the World
 Since the 20th century, American literature has
showed its great influence in the world. In the
early 1970s, Longfellow’s A Psalm of life （人生
颂）was translated into Chinese.
 In 1901, Linshu （林纾）first translated
Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (<<黑奴吁天录>>,
今译<<汤姆叔叔的小屋>>), in which Chinese
people identify themselves.
 Whitman, O’Neill, Mark Twain, Dreiser,
Hemingway, Faulkner influenced Guo Moruo,
Lu Xun and other chinese writers greatly.
 In the world, Edgar Allan Poe, who paved the
way for Symbolist poetry in France, was
celebrated father of Symbolist poetry.
 Furthermore, their contribution to Children
literature （novel of growth) was well
received by Canadian writers and Chinese
writers as well.
Early American History Survey
 New World: It is generally held that Christopher
Columbus discovered the American continent in 1492.
 Colonial period (about 1607-1765):
 the first settling of the English people in Jamestown,
Virginia happened more than 100 years later in 1607,
and in 1620, the second group came, with Mayflower
dropping anchor at Plymouth harbor.
 It was not until 1760s, another 100 years later, when
these people began to call themselves Americans,
distinguishing their identity from their European
ancestors.
Early American History Survey
 Period of Reason and Revolution (1765-18世纪
末）
 In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was
signed, together with three other documents,
the treaty of alliance with France, the Treaty of
Paris and the Constitution, which legally marked
the United States as an independent nation.
 In 1789 George Washington was elected the
first president, and two years later, Washington
D. C. was established as the nation's capital.
Early American History and Literature
 The United States of America grew out of
religious controversy; out of the desire of
monarchs to expand their empires; out of the
human longing for land, adventure…
 The growth of colonial America into the United
States is recorded in a literature that began as
reports of exploration and colonization.
European explorers, traders, and settlers wrote
of their hopes, rare triumphs, and frequent
disasters and thereby created a literature that is
large, various, and amazingly rich." (McMichael,
ed., Anthology of American Literature, 1)
Question
 The early settlers on the American continent
later became the founding fathers of the
American nation. So, who were these
people? Why did they come?
Immigrants
 Most of the immigrants came because they
were hungry and America offered them good
and extensive land. They then described their
good fortune in their letters home, attracting
more to come.
 Other people came because they wanted to get
away from the religious persecution back in their
own country.
 Those who were considered “undesirable”
paupers, convicts(宣判有罪的人), criminals were
sent here by ships. They were not "good"
citizens as far as England was concerned. So,
off the America!
Immigrants
 Merchants came later. On the one hand, the shipping
company flourished because it brought millions of
people to America. On the other hand, trading
companies were organized, buying some things from
the settlers and selling other things to them at a profit.
Still later, the industry of advertisement also came into
being.
 So, they came, both the willing and the unwilling. The
movement began with a few people in early 1600s, and
in 1907 more than a million people entered the country
within a year. “In the years 1903 to 1913, every time
the clock struck the hour, day and night, 100 persons
born in some foreign country, not including Canada and
Mexico, landed on the shores of the United States.
The periods of American
literature
Major Periods of American Literature
 Part I The Literature of Colonial America
(1607—1765)
 Part II The Literature of Reason and Revolution
(1765—the end of 18th century)
 Part III The Literature of Romanticism (1800—
1865)
 Part IV Literature of Realism (1865—1918)
 Part V Literature of Modernism (1918—1945)
 Part VI Contemporary literature (1945-- )
1. The Colonial period (约1607 - 1765)
 The main features
 Puritan and Puritanism
2. The period of Reason and Revolution (1765 1800)
 Benjamin Franklin
3. The Romantic period (1800 - 1865)
1) The early Romanticism
James Fenimore Cooper
Washington Irving
2) “New England Transcendentalism” or “American
Renaissance (1836 - 1855)”
Emerson
Thoreau
Whitman
Dickinson
3) “New England Poets”
Longfellow
Hawthorne
Melville
Allan Poe
4. The realistic period (1865 - 1914)
Henry James
Local Colorism
Mark Twain
Naturalism
Stephen Crane
Jack London
Theodore Dreiser
5. The period of modernism (1914 - 1945)
1) Modern poetry: experiments in form (Imagism)
Carlos Williams
Ezra Pound
T.S.Eliot
2) Prose Writing: modern realism (the Lost Generation)
F.Scott
Fitzgerald
William Faulkner
Ernest Hemingway
6. The Contemporary Literature (1945
- 2000)
I. American Poetry Since 1945: the
Anti-tradition
II. American Prose Since 1945:
Realism and Experimentation.
Books to be Read
1.Benjamin Franklin The Autobiography
2. Washington Irving The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
3. Edgar Allan Poe The Raven
4. Henry David Thoreau Walden
5. Ralph Waldo Emerson On Nature
6. Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter
7. Herman Melville Moby Dick
8. Longfellow A Psalm of life
9. Whitman O, Captain, My Captain
10. Emily Dickinson Because I Could not
Stop for death
11. Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer/Huckleberry Fin
12. Theodore Dreiser Sister Carrie
13. Ezra Pound In a Station of Metro
14. Ernest Hemingway Farewell to arms
15. Robert Lee Frost The Road Not Taken
16. F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby
17. William Faulkner A Rose for Emily
18. Ralph Ellison Invisible Man
19. Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman
20. Saul Bellow Dangling Man
21. Joseph Heller Catch-22
22.Toni Morrison The Bluest Eye
Part I. The Literature of Colonial America
 Historical Introduction(※)
 Early American writers
and poets
 Puritan & Puritanism
(※※)
Historical Introduction
 At the beginning of the 17th century, the vast
continental area that was to become the United
States had been probed only slightly by English
and European explorers. At last the English
settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts
began the main stream of that we recognize as
the American national history.
 Almost a hundred years earlier the Caribbean
Islands, Mexico, and other Parts of Central and
South America had been occupied by the
Spanish. The earliest settlers included Dutch,
Swedes, Germans, French, Spaniards, Italians
and Portuguese.
 All contributed to the forming of the
American civilization, but the colonies
that became the first United States were
for the most part English sustained by
English traditions, ruled by English laws,
supported by English commerce, and
named after English monarchs and
English lands. Compared with other
western literature, diversity becomes the
outstanding feature of American
literature.
 The original 13 colonies
 South (plantation)
Virginia 弗吉尼亚(1607) Maryland 马里兰
North Carolina北卡罗来纳
South Carolina南卡罗来纳
Georgia 佐治亚 (1732)
 North (commerce)
Massachusetts马萨诸塞 New Hampshire新罕布
什尔
Rhode Island罗德艾兰
Connecticut康涅狄格
Middle (farming)
New Jersey新泽西
New York纽约
Pennsylvania宾夕法尼亚 Delaware特拉华
Literary Scene
 Almost all literatures come from humble origins—
diaries, journals, letters, sermons, travel books,
etc. So did American literature. In the Colonial
Period, personal literature occupied a major
position in the literary scene. In content, they
served either God or the expansion or both. In
form, they were mainly the imitations of the
English tradition.
 Some important writers are:
 Captain John Smith---first American writer
 Contributions: his description of America were
filled with themes, myths, images, scenes,
characters and events that were a foundation for
the nation’s literature. He lured the Pilgrims into
fleeing here and creating a New land.
 Smith published eight together, in which the
bold and optimistic spirits were celebrated.
American literature is based on the myth of
biblical “Garden of Eden”, a New Promised Land
full of fortune.
 Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)
 the first notable poet in America whose lyrics remained
unsurpassed by any American women writers for 200
years until the appearance of Emily Dickinson. Her The
Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650) was
the first published book of poetry written by a settler in
the English colonies.
 Edward Taylor (1642-1729)
 a Puritan minister conservative. He wrote in the tradition
of metaphysical poets, expressing divine and elevated
ideas in unrelated, homely terms. His poems revealed
his efforts to obtain union with God.
 Phillis Wheatley (1754-1784)
 the first important Afro-American poet. Born in Africa,
sold as a slave, she was luckily well-treated by her
masters and later set free. Her Poems on Various
Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773), a collection of
39 poems, was concerned with abstract liberty.
 Philip Freneau (1752-1832)
 the father of American poetry. His poetry was a fusion
of neoclassicism and romanticism. He was famous
for his poem, "The Rising Glory of America",
collaborated with Brackenridge. He also founded the
National Gazette, a semi-weekly newspaper that
became the voice of liberal democracy in American
politics.
Puritans and Puritanism
 What do you know about Puritans?
 How do you understand the following
saying “Without true understanding of
Puritanism, there would be no real
understanding of American literature and
American culture.”?
Puritans
 Most of the early settlers were Puritans, a group
of serious, religious people who advocated strict
religious and moral principles.
a.They wanted to purify the English Church and to
restore simplicity
b. They wanted to live a hard and disciplined life;
opposed pleasure and art
c. They believed that the Bible was the revealed
word of God, therefore, people should guide their
daily behavior with the Bible.
Puritanism
 The Puritans brought with them a philosophy of
life, which is popularly known as American
Puritanism. A dominant factor in American life,
Puritanism was one of the most enduring and
shaping influences in American thought and
American literature.
 American Puritanism is a two-fold cultural
heritage, one being religious and the other
practical. Puritans were therefore called
"practical idealist" or "doctrinaire opportunist".
Religious doctrine
 The Puritans were determined to find a place on the
new continent where they could worship God in the way
they thought true Christians should.
 When they arrived on the continent, they saw virgin land,
virgin forests, vast expanses of wilderness, and
therefore believed that they were sent by God for a
definite purpose. Puritans thought they were "the
selected few", chosen by God to reestablish a
Commonwealth based on the teachings of the Bible, to
restore the lost paradise and to build the wilderness into
a new Garden of Eden. “
 Therefore the journey to the New World was not just a
migration. It was a new Exodus, ordained by God and
foretold in the Bible, just as the Bible promised the
creation of a New Jerusalem, in America."(McMichael,
ed. AAL, 8)
Practical
 On the other hand, Puritanism also has its practical
aspect. When the Puritans first landed on the continent,
what they were faced with was wilderness—no shelter,
no food and no clothes. Their struggle for survival and
the movement of pushing the frontier with them as they
moved further and further westward made them more
and more preoccupied with business and profits. They
had to work hard in order to make a living and be ready
for any misfortunes and tragic failures that might lie in
wait for them. As far as this respect is concerned, the
Puritans learned a lot from the native Indians who
helped them through the severe winters.
Influence upon American literature
Idealism and optimism:
 American literature, in a sense, is a literary expression
of the pious idealism of the Puritan request. The
Puritans dreamed of living under a perfect order and
worked with hope and courage toward building a new
Garden of Eden. Therefore, they tended to look
everything with a big amount of optimism. This went into
the works of Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and even
James. No wonder there appeared a mood of frustration
or despair in later periods, When the dream did not
materialize, when a "Gilded Age" came instead of the
Golden one they dreamed of, how could anyone feel?
Influence upon American literature
Symbolism:
 The Puritans' metaphorical mode of perception
brought American literary symbolism into being.
To the pious Puritans, the physical world was
spiritual, nothing but a symbol of God. The
world, therefore, was one of multiple meanings.
This idea was distinguishable in the works of
Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville and Poe, this
developed itself into symbolism.
Influence upon American literature
 The Puritan style of writing is characterized by
simplicity. The style of their writing was fresh,
simple and direst, the rhetoric plain and honest,
words simple and spare (not fancy).
 Style: tight and logic structure, precise and
compact expression, avoidance of rhetorical
decoration, adoption of homely imagery,
simplicity of diction.
 Form: They were good at writing history, too,
and biography was once a popular form of
literature.
Homework
 How did American Independence War
influence the literature of this period?
(choose one as an example)
 How much do you know about Benjamin
Franklin and his Autobiography?
Part II. The Literature of Reason and
Revolution
 Historical Introduction
(※)
 Benjamin Franklin (※※)
 Thomas Paine
 Thomas Jefferson
 Philip Freneau
Part II. Historical Introduction(1)
 In Economy:
The Industrial Revolution: spurred the economy in
American colonies.
 Independence War(1776-1783)
the industrial growth led to intense strain with
Britain. The British government tried to suppress
their growth economically, and ruled them from
abroad politically and levied heavy tax on them.
These aroused bitter resentment in colonies.
Constant conflicts resulted in American
revolutionary war
Part II. Historical Introduction (2)
 In Ideology (Enlightenment)
 Spiritual life of the colonies—Enlightenment,
a philosophical and intellectual movement.
 Advocated reason or rationality, the scientific
method, equality and human beings’ability to
perfect themselves and their society.
 In favor of the revolutionary ideas and took
actively in the war.
 Opposed some of puritan traditions and
brought the secular education and literature
to life.
Features of Literature
 Writers were preoccupied with rationality and
showed a love for the order and beauty of
calssical art.
 In form, they treated the 18th century English
classical writers as their models (clarity, precision
and order of Pope, Addison and Steele)
 In content, they were intended to be utilitarian.
 Essayists and journalists shaped the nation’s
beliefs with reason dressed in clear and foreceful
prose.
Thomas Paine
 The most important
American prose writer of
the 18th century.
 political pamphlets writer.
 1776 common sense
American Crisis
Thomas Jefferson
 President, Enlightener,
planter, aristocrat, lawyer,
a symbol of American
democracy.
 Man of many talents:
scientist, inventor,
musician, linguist,
architect, diplomat and
writer.
Thomas Jefferson
 Political Career: He served his country as Minister to
France(1784-1789), Secretary of State(1789-1793),
Vice President(1791-1801) and third President(18011809).
 Thoughts: Jeffersonian Democracy, which includes
faith in the individual and common man, dislike an
overly strong government, and emphasis on the
importance of education and on agrarianism and land
ownership as they brought responsibility and true
judgment. Politically, he is considered the father of
the democratic spirit in his country. Style: dignity,
flexibility, clarity, command of generalization
Thomas Jefferson
 The Declaration of Independence: The essay,
adopted July 4, 1776, not only announced the birth of
a new nation, but also set forth a philosophy of
human freedom which served as an important force
in the western world.
 It is a statement of American principles and a review
of the Causes of the quarrel with Britain, presented
the American view to the world with classic dignity.
 It instilled among the common people a sense of their
own importance and inspired struggle for personal
freedom, self government and a dignified place in
society.
Philip Freneau
 Poet of the American Revolution
 Father of American poetry
 Serves the transitional role
between neoclassicism and
romanticism (p12)
野金银花 菲利普·弗瑞诺
 美丽的金银花，
你粲然绽放于幽静一角。
芳菲满枝，无人垂顾，
迎风起舞，无人注目。
游子从不践踏你的玉体，
过客从不催落你的泪滴。
 造化令你素裹银妆，
你得以远离庸人的目光。
她赐予你一片绿阴葱葱，
她带给你一泓流水淙淙。
恬静的夏日倏然流淌，
你终于红衰翠减，玉陨香消。
 妩媚动人，你却无法盛颜久长，
落红满地，你令我黯然神伤。
纵然在伊甸乐园，人间天堂，
也难免一日凋零，满目凄凉。
萧瑟秋风，凄白秋霜，
你终于消失得无影无踪。
 朝霞暮露，
孕育了你娇小的身躯。
你从尘土来，又归尘土去，
来时一无所有，去时化作尘土，
可叹生命苦短，
你终究红消香断。
Question
 Compare The wild honey suckle with To
Daffodils, sonnet 18, what are the
similarities and differences?
Benjamin Franklin
 The only good writer of the
colonial period.
 Printer, enlightener,
inventor, scientist,
statesman, diplomat
 Aid Jefferson in writing
The Declaration of
Independence.
 Seek help from France in
American Independence
War.
1706-1790
As an Inventor(1)





Father of Bifocals
Lightning rod
Kite flight
Franklin’s stove
odometer
As a Writer（2）
 Main Works:
a. Poor Richard’s Almanac（格言历书）. It
contains many proverbs
b. Autobiography（自传）. With it he set the form
for autobiography as a genre.
Style:
He developed an utilitarian and didactic style.
His style is characterized by simplicity, frankness,
wit, clarity, logic and order.
Franklin’s proverbs





Well done is better than well said
A lie stands on one leg, the truth on two
God helps those who help themselves
A penny saved is a penny earned
Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy,
wealthy, and wise
 Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half
shut afterwards
Virtues
 1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not
to elevation.
 2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit
others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
 3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places;
let each part of your business have its time.
 4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you
ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
 5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do
good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
 6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always
employ'd in something useful; cut off all
unnecessary actions.
 7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think
innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak
accordingly.
 8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or
omitting the benefits that are your duty.
 9. MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear
resenting injuries so much as you think they
deserve.
 10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in
body, cloaths, or habitation.
 11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles,
or at accidents common or unavoidable.
 12. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
富兰克林人生格言 （1）






节制：食不过饱，饮不过量。
缄默：言必于人于己有益，避免无益的闲聊。
秩序：何处放何物，何时干何活，都要有条不紊。
决心：该做的事一定要做，要做的事一定要做好。
节俭：于人于己有利之事方可花费，决不浪费。
勤奋：珍惜一切时间用于有益之事，不搞无谓之
举。
 真诚：不虚伪骗人，心存良知，为人正直，讲话
实在。
富兰克林人生格言 （2）
 正义：不损人利己。
 中庸：不走极端，容忍别人给予的伤害，将
此视做应该承受之事。
 清洁：力求身体、衣服、和住所整洁。
 宁静：不为区区琐事、或寻常事故、或不可
避免的事故而惊慌失措。
 谦逊：效仿耶稣和苏格拉底。
The Autobiography
 Autobiography: inspiring account of a poor
boy’s rise to a high position. It is a how-to-do-it
book, one on the art of self-improvement.
 Contents: It covered Franklin’s life only until
1757 when he was 51 years old. It described his
life as a shrewd and industrious businessman
and narrates how he owned the constant felicity
of his life, his long-continued health and
acquisition of fortune.
Significance
 It presents a prototype of American
success which inspired generations of
Americans.
 It is an embodiment of Puritanism and
enlightening spirits.(rationalism, order and
education, self-improvement, self-analysis,
and moral and ethical values)
Text Reading
 The main idea of each paragraph
 Franklin’s style (narrative point of view,
diction and expression, syntax)
Para 1
 Did Franklin think that it is important for
posterities to borrow the experiences of
their ancestors?
 How did Franklin evaluate his own life? If
he could repeat his life, what did he want
to do?
Para 5-9
 What books has Franklin ever read? What is his
reading experience?
 What is Franklin’s father’s attitudes towards his
writing poetry?
 How did Franklin improve his writing elegance
and language accuracy?
Franklin’s Style
 In The Autobiography, he uses the first
point of view, which is amiable and close.
 His diction and expression are plain and
precise.
 His syntax is short, smooth and wellbalanced.
Why Franklin is admired and read widely?
 He is a typical American, model of the self-made man,
a cultural hero whose life exemplified the American
dream of the poor boy who made good.
 He stressed the importance of working hard to make
money, happiness depending in the first place on
economic success and optimistically believed that
every American could do so.
 He was convinced that no man could be virtuous or
happy unless he did his best to improve the life of his
society and his own life.
Homework
 What are the features of American
Romanticism?
 Self-study of The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow.