美国文学课件10The Literature of the Realistic Period 4教材课程.ppt

The Literature of the Realistic Period (3) Chapter 4 Outline Ⅰ. American Naturalism Ⅱ. Theodore Dreiser and his Sister Carrie Ⅲ. Robert Frost and his The Road Not Taken Ⅰ. American Naturalism (1890-1920) 1. Historical Background Extremes of wealth and poverty The ruthless manipulation of the railroad The spread of Darwins theory of evolution “the struggle for existence” “natural selection” “survival of the fittest” 2. Characteristics of American Naturalism Thematically: The lives of the downtrodden Human passion and sexuality The forces of environment and heredity Technically: Detailed documentation of life Gloomy and pessimistic atmosphere 3. Practitioners: Stephen Crane (1871-1900) Maggie, a Girl of the Streets (1893) The Red Badge of Courage (1895) Jack London (1876-1916) The Call of The Wild (1903) Martin Eden (1909), autobiographical account  Major works Sister Carrie (1900) 《嘉莉妹妹》 Jennie Gerhardt (1911) 《珍妮姑娘》 “Trilogy of Desire” “欲望三步曲” The Financier (1912) 《金融家》 The Titan (1914) 《巨人》 The Stoic (1947) 《斯多葛》 An American Tragedy (1925) 《美国悲剧》 Sister Carrie (1900) Carrie Meeber, a poor country girl, moves to Chicago. The mistress of a salesman, Charles Drouet The mistress of George Hurstwood, a married restaurant manager The end: Hurstwood: a bum(流浪汉) and commits suicide; Carrie finds success, but not happiness, as an actress. Dreiser made no moral judgments on his characters’ actions. He wrote about infidelity and prostitution as natural occurrences in the course of human relationships. Study question (page 114) Why does Carrie still suffer from unsatisfied desires after she became successful? “Oh, Carrie, Carrie! … Oh, blind striving of the human heart! In your rocking chair, by your window, dreaming, shall you long, alone, in your rocking chair, by your window, shall you dream such happiness as you may never feel”. (page 113) Ⅲ. Robert Frost (1874-1963) One of the most celebrated American modern poets Deep meanings benea