美国文学第三讲--现实主义时期.ppt

American Literature The Modern Period American Literature: The realistic Period (1865-1914): Historical background (1) The American Civil War (1861-1865) the civil war brought about two results: 1. Further industrialization, mechanization, urbanization, development of transportation and communication. 2. Westward movement; by 1890, the last of the first 48 states were settled. (2) Darwin’s evolutionary theory and 19th century French literature give birth to Realistic Writing Characteristics of literary writings (1) Realism (现实主义) (2) Local color (地方特色, 乡土色彩) (3) Naturalism (自然主义) (4)Feminist movement: Emily Dickinson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather. American Realism(1865-1900) Important writers: William Dean Howells. (He defined realism as “nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material”), Henry James Mark Twain Major writers and their major works 1. Mark Twain (1835-1910) Biography (P.335) Special features of his works: Comic narrator Local colorism (e.g. The life on the Mississippi River) Humor Language (good at using vernacular language) Major works: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County 1865 The Innocents Abroad 1869,. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1876, The Prince and Pauper 1881, Life on the Mississippi 1881, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1885, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 1889, The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg 1900 The Mysterious Stranger 1916 (1) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) It tells the story of Tom and his gang. While spending a summer in a drowsy (沉寂的) Mississippi River town, Tom and his buddies (密友, 伙伴) Huck and Joe take a series of adventures there. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: a story of his seeking for freedom, fame, fortune, love, manhood. The novel reveals the American values: one is hero complex, the other is American dream. His adventures is the realization of Am