《英美文学选读》自学资料 (全).doc

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1、强人总结英美文学选读自学资料(全)American LiteratureChapter one : The romantic periodI. Emersons transcendentalism and his attitude toward nature:1.Transcendentalismit is a philosophic and literary movement that flourish in New England, as a reaction against rationalism and Calvinism. It stressed intuitive understa

2、nding of god without the help of the church, and advocated independence of the mind.2. Emersons transcendentalism: The over-soulit is an all-pervading power goodness, from which all things come and of which all are a part. It is a supreme reality of mind, a spiritual unity of all beings and a religi

3、on. It is a communication between an individual soul and the universal over-soul. And he strongly believe in the divinity and infinity of man as an individual, so man can totally rely on himself.3.His toward nature:Emerson loves nature. His nature is the garment of the over-soul, symbolic and moral

4、bound. Nature is not something purely of the matter, but alive with Gods presence. It exercise a healthy and restorative influence on human beings. Children can see nature better than adult. II. Hawthornes Puritanism and his black vision of man:1. Puritanismit is the religious belief of the Puristan

5、s, who had intended to purify and simplify the religious ritual of the church of England.2. his black vision of manby the Calvinistic concept of original sin, he believed that human being are evil natured and sinful, and this sin is ever present in human heart and will pass one generation to another

6、.3. Young Goodman Brownit shows that everyone has some evil secrets. The innocent and naïve Brown is confronted with the vision of human evil in one terrible night, and then he becomes distrustful and doubtful. Brown stands for everyone ,who is born pure and has no contact with the real world ,

7、and the prominent people of the village and church. They cover their secrets during daily lives, and under some circumstances such as the witchs Sabbath, they become what they are. Even his closed wife, Faith, is no exception. So Brown is aged in that night.III. The symbolism of Melvilles Mobby-Dick

8、1.The voyage to catch the white whale is the one of the mind in quest of the truth and knowledge of universe. 2. To Ahab, the whale is an evil creature or the agent of an evil force that control the universe. As to readers, the whale is a symbol of physical limits, or a symbol of nature. It also can

9、 stand for the ultimate mystery of the universe and the wall behind which unknown malicious things are hiding.IV. Whitman and his Leaves of Grass :1. Theme: sing of the “en-mass” and the self / pursuit of love, happiness, and *ual love / sometimes about politics (Drum taps)2. Whitmans originality fi

10、rst in his use of the poetic form free verse (i.e. poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme),by means of which he becomes conversational and casual.3.He uses the first person pronoun “I” to stress individualism, and oral language to acquire sympathy from the common reader.Chapter two : Th

11、e realistic periodI. The character analysis and social meaning of Huck Finn in Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainHuck is a typical American boy with “a sound heart and a deformed conscience”. He appears to be vulgar in language and in manner, but he is honest and decent in essence. His rema

12、rkable rafts journey down on the Mississippi river can be regarded as his process of education and his way to grow up. At first, he stands by slavery, for he clings to the idea that if he lets go the slave, he will be damned to go to hell. And when the “King” sells Jim for money, Huck decides to inf

13、orm Jims master. After he thinks of the past good time when Jim and he are on the raft where Jim shows great care and deep affection for him, he decide to rescue Jim. And Huck still thinks he is wrong while he is doing the right thing.Huck is the son of nature and a symbol for freedom and earthly pr

14、agmatism. Through the eye of Huck, the innocent and reluctant rebel, we see the pre-Civil War American society fully exposed. Twain contrasts the life on the river and the life on the banks, the innocence and the experience, the nature and the culture, the wilderness and the civilization.II. Daisy M

15、iller by Henry James1. Theme: The novel is a story about American innocence defeated by the stiff, traditional values of Europe. James condemns the American failure to adopt expressive manners intelligently and point out the false believing that a good heart is readily visible to all. The death of D

16、aisy results from the misunderstanding between people with different cultural backgrounds. 2. The character analysis of Daisy: She represents typical American girl, who is uninformed and without the mature guidance. Ignorance and parental indulgence combine to foster he assertive self-confidence and

17、 fierce willfulness. She behaves in the same daring naive way in Europe as she does at home. When someone is against her, she becomes more contrary. She knows that she means no harm and is amazed that anyone should think she does. She does not compromise to the European manners.3. The character anal

18、ysis of Winterbourne: He is a Europeanized American, who has live too long in foreign parts. He is very experience and has a problem understanding Daisy. He endeavors to put her in sort of formula, i.e. to classify her.III. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser:1. Theme: The author invented the success

19、of Carrie and the downfall of Hurstwood out of an inevitable and natural judgment, because the fittest can survive in a competitive, amoral society according to the social Darwinism.2. The character analysis of Carrie: She follows the right direction to a pursuit of the American dream, and the circu

20、mstances and her desire for a better life direct to the successful goal. But she is not contented, because with wealth and fame, she still finds herself lonely. She is a product of the society, a realization of the theory of the survival of the fittest.3. The character analysis of Hurstwood: He is a

21、 negative evidence of the theory of the survival of the fittest. Because he is still conventional and can not throw away the social morals, he is not fitted to live in New York. Chapter three : The Modern PeriodI. Ezra Pound and his theory of Imagism1. The principles: a. direct treatment of the thin

22、g; b. to use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation; c. to compose in the sequence of the musical; d. to use the language of common speech and the exact word; e. to create new rhythms; f. absolutely freedom in the choice of subject.2. Imagism is to present an intellectual an

23、d emotional complex in an instant of time. An imagistic poem must present the object exactly the way the thing is seen. And the reader can form the image of the object through the process of reading the abstract and concrete words. II. Frost and his poetry on nature:Frost is deeply interested in nat

24、ure and in mens relationship to nature. Nature appears as an explicator and a mediator for man and serve as the center of reference of his behavior. Peace and order can be found in Frosts poetical natural world. With surface simplicity of his poems, the thematic concerns are always presented in rich

25、 symbols. Therefore his work resists easy interpretation. III. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his The Great Gatsby1. Theme: Gatsby is American Everyman. His extraordinary energy and wealth make him pursue the dream. His death in the end points at the truth about the withering of the American Dream. The spi

26、ritual and moral sterility that has resulted from the withered American Dream is fully revealed in the article. However, although he is defeated, the dream has gave Gatsby a dignity and a set of qualities. His hope and belief in the promise of future makes him the embodiment of the values of the inc

27、orruptible American Dream .2. The character analysis of Gatsby: Gatsby is great, because he is dignified and ennobled by his dream and his mythic vision of life. He has the desire to repeat the past, the desire for money, and the desire for incarnation of unutterable vision on this material earth. F

28、or Gatsby, Daisy is the soul of his dreams. He believe he can regain Daisy and romantically rebels of time. Although he has the wealth that can match with the leisured class, he does not have their manners. His tragedy lies in his possession of a naive sense and chivalry. IV. Ernest Hemingways artis

29、tic features:1. The Hemingway code heroes and grace under pressure:They have seen the cold world ,and for one cause, they boldly and courageously face the reality. They has an indestructible spirit for his optimistic view of life. Whatever is the result is, the are ready to live with grace under pre

30、ssure. No matter how tragic the ending is, they will never be defeated. Finally, they will be prevail because of their indestructible spirit and courage. 2.The iceberg technique:Hemingway believe that a good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action. The one-eighth the is

31、presented will suggest all other meaningful dimensions of the story. Thus, Hemingways language is symbolic and suggestive. V. The character analysis of Emily in A Rose for Emily:Emily is a symbol of old values, standing for tradition, duty and past glory. But she is also a victim to all those she ca

32、res and embrace. The source of Emilys strangeness is from her born pride and self-esteem, the domineering behavior of her father and the betrayal of her lover. Barricaded in her house, she has frozen the past to protect her dreams. Her life is tragic because the defiance of the community, her refusa

33、l to accept the change and her extreme pride have pushed her to abnormality and insanity.EnglishLiteratureChapter OneThe Renaissance PeriodI. Shakespeares sonnets1. With a few exceptions, Shakespeare writes his sonnets in the popular English form of three quatrains and a couplet. The couplet usually

34、 ties the sonnet to one of the general themes, leaving the quatrains free to develop the poetic intensity.2. The sonnets most common themes concern the destructive effects of time, the quickness of physical decay, and the loss of beauty, vigor, and love. Although the poems celebrate life, they are a

35、lways with a keen awareness of death. 3. His sonnet 18 expresses that beautiful things can rely on the force of literature to reach eternity. Literature is created by man, thus it declares mans eternity. The poem shows the mighty self-confidence of the newly class. The vivid, variable and rich image

36、s reflect the lively and adventurous spirits of those who were opening new world. II. Shakespeares A Merchant of Venice1. Theme(1) Justice vs. mercy:Shakespeare suggests that all men should be merciful. There is a further aspect of justicethe injustice revealed in the Christians treatment of the Jew

37、s. (2) Appearance vs. reality:e.g. superficial or external beauty vs. moral or spiritual beauty or truth (in the case of three caskets); the letters of law vs. the spirit of the law.(3) Commercial or material values vs. love: True love is much more worthwhile than money and material values. Antonio

38、epitomizes true love in his friendship for Bassanio.2. The character analysis of ShylockShylock is a Jewish usurer, and he is a tragic-comic character.He is comic because he finally becomes the one punished by his own evil deed. He is avaricious. He accumulates as much wealth as he can and he even e

39、quates his lost daughter with his lost money. He is also cruel. In order to revenge, he would rather claim a pound of flesh from his enemy Antonio than get back his loan.He is tragic, because he is the victim of the society. As a Jew, he is not treated equally by the society. The law is harsh to him

40、. He has to make as much money as he can in order to protect him. He is abused by Antonio, so he wants to get revenge. III. The character analysis of HamletHamlet is a scholar and a warrior. His father has been killed by his uncle, Claudius, who then take the throne and marries his mother. Hamlet is

41、 informed by the ghost of his father to take revenge, but the weakness of indecisiveness or indetermination in his character always delay his action, and finally leads to his tragic fall of death. Hamlet is not a man of action, but a man of thinking at first. He hesitates at some crucial moments. At

42、 last when he is forced to take some actions, he does kill Claudius gloriously, but he also sacrifices his own life.IV. Donne and his “The Sun Rising”1. Metaphysical poet: He wrote poems by using unconventional and surprising conceits and full of wit and humor, but sometimes the logic argument and c

43、onceits become pervasive. The language is colloquial but powerful, creating unorthodox images on the readers mind.2. His “The Sun Rising”: In this poem, the loves wedding room has been intruded by sun and the man takes offence at the intrusion. He attack the sun as an unruly servant, and finally he

44、allow the sun to enter their chamber and warm them. The poems true subject is the ladyhis true emotional love. Every insult to the sun is a compliment to the lady.V. Miltons Paradise Lost :1.Structure: The story is taken from the Old Testament. It extends chronologically from the exaltation of Chris

45、t before the creature of universe to the second coming of Christ. Geographically, it ranges over the entire world. 2. The character analysis of Satan:He has the strength, the courage and the capacity for leadership, but he devoted all those qualities to evil. His defiance of God shows his egoistic p

46、ride, his false conception of freedom, and his alienation from all good. His own evil and damnation give him potentially tragic dimensions. Therefore, Satan is enveloped in dramatic irony because he fight in ignorance of the unshakable power of God and goodness. 3.Features: Parallel and contrastThe

47、central conflict and contrast between good and evil are intensified by the contrast between heaven and hell, light and darkness, love and hate, reason and passion, etc.Chapter TwoThe Neo-classical PeriodI. The allegorical meaning of “The Vanity Fair” in John Bunyans The Pilgrims ProgressThe Vanity F

48、air refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that all they are concerned is to buy and sell everything they can. It allegorically represents vanity both in the society and in peoples heart, so people are spiritually lost. However, the pilgrims refuse to buy any of the things

49、in the Vanity Fair. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weakness and social evils. Christians refusal shows that they are one step nearer the Celestial City.II. Popes point of view on poetry criticism and the characteristics of his own poetry1. Popes point