American Puritanism 殖民地时期( roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th) 一、Benjamin Franklin 本杰明•富兰克林作品：1、Poor Richard's Almanac 《格言历书》--- A Collection of maxims, or proverbs, on the value of work and savings for success.2、The Autobiography 《自传》---“美国梦”的根源3、参与起草《独立宣言》浪漫主义American RomanticismThe Romantic Period stretches from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil War. It is a period of the great flowering of American literature.The social and cultural background of RomanticismThe young Republic was flourishing into a politically, economically and culturally independent country.The Romantic writings revealed unique characteristics of their own in their works and they grew on the native lands.The desire for an escape from society and a return to nature became a permanent convention of American literature.The American Puritanism as a cultural heritage exerted great influences over American moral values. Romantics frequently shared certain general characteristics:moral enthusiasm,faith in value of in dividualism and intuitive perception,and a presumption that the natural world was a source of good ness and man’s societies as a source of corruption.二、Edgar Allan Poe埃德加·爱伦·坡---poet,short story writer and literary critic(48poems,70short stories)He greatly influenced the devotees of“Art for art’s sake.”He was father of psychoanalytic criticism(心理分析批评),and the detective story.诗歌的精髓就是追求美小说的主题常常是恐怖和死亡，其中还运用了象征手法。

The Poetic Principle:1.The poem,should be short,readable at one sitting;2.Beauty(the rhythmical creation of beauty);3.Melancholy忧伤(especially the death of a beautiful woman).代表作：The Fall of the House of Usher《厄舍大厦的倒塌》Ligeia《莉盖亚》Annabel Lee《安娜贝尔·李》The Raven《乌鸦》The Cask of Amontillado《阿芒提拉多的酒桶》---gothic novel人物：蒙特利瑟Montresor,弗图纳多Fortunato，筵席上男人将喝醉的死对头哄骗至地窖并砌墙活埋的故事。

三．爱默生Emerson =The chief spokesman of New England Transcendentalism超验主义He was a descendent（后裔）of a long line of New England clergymen牧师【pastor】.散文家、诗人、超验主义的哲学的主要倡导者。

American TranscendentalismAs a philosophical and literary movement, American Transcendentalism (also known as “American Renaissance”) flourshed in New England from the 1830s to the Civil War. It is the high tide of American romanticism and its doctrines found their greatest literary advocates in Emerson and Thoreau.Transcendentalists spoke for the cultural rejuvenation and against the materialism of American society.Transcendentalism超验主义(+ H. D. Thoreau; Nathaniel Hawthorne; )The major features of Transcendentalism:①The Transcendentalists placed emphasis on spirit,or the Oversoul,as the most important thingin the universe. 思想超灵宇宙②The Transcendentalists stressed the importance of the individual.To them, the individual is themost important element of Society. 个体+社会③The Transcendentalists offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the Spirit or God. Nature was not purely matter. It was alive, filled with God’s overwhelming presence. 自然+上帝代表作：Nature《论自然》---the Bible of Transcendentalism by Emerson；Self-Reliance《论自助》---是表达他的超验主义观点的最重要作品之一一The American Scholar《论美国学者》；The Over-soul《论超灵》四、Nathaniel Hawthorne纳撒尼尔·霍桑---effected by超验主义He was born into a prominent Puritan family.One of the most ambivalent（矛盾的）writers in the American literary history.主要成就：美国心理分析小说的开创者浪漫主义小说家心理小说家代表作：Mosses from an Old Manse《古宅青苔》;Twice-Told Tales《故事重述》;The Marble Faun《玉石雕像》;The House of the Seven Gables《带有七个尖角阁的房子》The Scarlet Letter《红字》Many of his earlier stories had treated themes that led to The Scarlet Letter.Theme:Puritan severity toward sex and matrimony and its tendency to suppress bright color and true fe elings.The Scarlet Letter《红字》：Hester Prynne---strong-willed,impetuous,a king of compassionate,maternal figure;Pearl---innocent,perceptive;Roger Chillingworth---a man deficient in human warmth,true evil in the story;Arthur Dimmesdale---intelligent and emotional.[Symbolism in his worksHawthorne is a master of symbolism,which he took from the Puritan tradition清教徒传统and bequeathed to American literature in a revivified form.In his masterpiece,by usingPearl as a thematic symbol,Hawthorne emphasizes the consequence the sin of adultery has brought to the community and people living in that community.With the scarlet A as thebiggest symbol of all,which is ambiguous,he proves himself to be one of the best]symbolists.五、Herman Melville赫尔曼·梅尔维尔The early sailing experiences were rewarding.代表作：White Jacket《白外衣》Billy Budd《毕利·伯德》,Typee《泰比》,Omoo《欧穆》,Mardi《玛地》.Moby Dick1851《白鲸》---百科全书式性质/海洋作品/动物史诗（《熊》福克纳、《老人与海》海明威、《白鲸》梅尔维尔）[Moby Dick represents the sum total of Melville’s bleak view of the worldin which he lived.It is at once Godless and purposeless.Man in thisuniverse lives a meaningless and futile life,meaningless because futile.Once he attempts to seek power over it he is doomed.The idea that man can makethe world for himself is nothing but a Transcendentalist folly.Moby Dick thusreveals the basic pattern of19th century American life:loneliness and suicidalindividualism in a self-styled democracy.(a negative reflection upon Transcendentalism)Symbolism in Moby Dick：---It is regarded as the first American prose epic.It is not merely a whaling tale or sea adventure,c onsidering that Melville is a great symbolist.It turns out to be a symbolic voyage of the mind in que st of the truth寻找真理and knowledge of the universe,a spiritual exploration into man’s deep reality and psychology.---Different people on board the ship are representations of different ideas and different socialand ethnic groups;facts become symbols and incidents acquire universal meanings;the Pequod is t he microcosm of human society and the voyage becomes a search for truth.The white whale,Moby Dick,symbolizes nature for Melville,for it is complex,unfathomable难以理解的,malignant恶性的,and beautiful as well. ]六．H. D. Thoreau梭罗and his workWalden瓦尔登湖not only fully demonstrates Emersonian ideas of self-reliance but also develops and tests Thoreau’s own transcendental philosophy.七．Henry Wadsworth Longfellow朗费罗Features of Longfellow’s poetic works1)lChief romantic tendencies as humanitarian attitude, love of nature and love of beauty.2)lThe first American poet to write narrative poems.3)lConventional style and subjects4)lGenerally simple ideas expressed musically and powerfully.5)lSimplicity and detachment from the deep problems of contemporary life19世纪美国最伟大的浪漫主义诗人之一。