美国文学教案1(复习资料).doc

Colonial Period I. Historical Background: The first permanent English settlement in North America was established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. The first settlers advocated highly religious and moral principles. They carried with them to America a code of values and a philosophy of life-----Puritanism. II. Thought, Culture: American Puritanism was one of the most enduring influences on American thought and American literature. To some extent, it has become a state of mind. Puritanism is the religious beliefs of Puritans. They intended to “purify” the Church of England, so they came to America for the sake of religious freedom, and they wished to escape religious persecution. Their way of life was based on the doctrines. Puritan values dominated literature in colonial America, and greatly influenced the whole American literature. III. Literature: American literature grew out of humble origins. They mostly had close relationship with religion. There were such noted Puritan who was said the first American writer, because he first described New England as a promising virgin land. His writings about North America became the source of information, which aroused the attention of many people in England and Europe, and drew them over to this New World. Anne Bradstreet. The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America Edward Taylor. These two figures were the faithful disciple of the God. Revolutionary Period I. Historical Background: From the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century, North America had experienced great turbulence and social change. The mixture and alternation between the old and new, was the characteristic of this period. The ideas of the Enlightenment dealt a heavy blow to Puritanism. II. Literary Figures: 1. Benjamin Franklin. His ideas were expressed through his two famous literary works, Poor Richard’s Almanac and Autobiography. (1) Poor Richard’s Almanac----an annual collection of proverbs. (2) Autobiography----it is a how-to-d