美国文学浪漫主义时期.ppt

 Romantic Period (1820-1865) : American Literature Comes of Age Overview From the end of 18th century through the outbreak of the Civil War, a rising America was flourishing into a politically, economically and culturally independent country. Historically, it was the time of westward expansion. The western boundary had reached to the Pacific by 1860. Romanticism The Romantic Movement, which originated in Germany but quickly spread to England, France, and beyond, reached America around the year 1820, some 20 years after William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge had revolutionized English poetry by publishing Lyrical Ballads. Early Romanticists Before the Revolutionary War, American literature--from Christopher Columbuss travel accounts to Benjamin Franklins autobiography--had been primarily nonfictional narratives, sermons, essays, diaries, and imitations of English verse, most of it written in private or shared in small circles. With the political revolution against England, however, came a cultural revolution, and Americans slowly began to build an independent cultural identity, which included a strong literary component. Washington Irving(1783-1859) Washington Irving(1783-1859) Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent (1819-1820). Washington Irving has been called the father of the American short story because of his unique contributions to the form. He established an artistic standard and model for subsequent generations of American short story writers. Life and Literary Achievements Washington Irving was born in New York City at the end of the Revolutionary War on April 3, 1783. His parents, Scottish-English immigrants, were great admirers of General George Washington, and named their son after their hero. At age six Irving met h