美國文學(xué)Ralph Waldo Emerson（課堂PPT）

1、.1 An American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. New England TranscendentalismRalph Waldo Emerson(May 25, 1803 April 27, 1882) .2Introduction to Transcendentalism and EmersonIntroduction to Transcendentalism and EmersonWhat is Transcendenta

2、lism ?The whole lifeMajor worksWriting styleOthers.3 A philosophic and literary movement that flourished in New England, particularly at Concord (1836-1860), as a reaction against 18th century rationalism. This romantic, idealistic, mystical, and individualistic belief was more a cast of thought tha

3、n a systematic philosophyThe soul of each individual is identical with the soul of the world, and latently（潛伏地）（潛伏地） contains all that the world contains. Through belief in the divine authority of the souls intuitions（直覺）（直覺） and impulses, based on this identification of the individual soul with God

4、, there developed the doctrine of self-reliance and individualism, the disregard of external authority, tradition, and logical demonstration, and the absolute optimism of the movement. Among transcendentalists core beliefs was the belief in an ideal spiritual state that transcends the physical and e

5、mpirical and is realized only through the individuals intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions TranscendentalismTranscendentalism.4 Intuition, rather than reason, was regarded as the highest human faculty. Fulfillment of human potential could be accomplished through myst

6、icism or through an acute （敏銳的）（敏銳的）awareness of the beauty and truth of the surrounding natural world. Transcendentalists believed that God is inherent in nature and in human beings and that each individual has to rely on his or her own conscience and intuition for spiritual truths. Major Concepts

7、of Transcendentalism 1. It stressed the power of intuition. 2. It placed spirit first and matter second. 3. It took nature as symbol of spirit or God. 4. It advocated the permeation of Over-soul. 5. It stressed unity of humanity and nature. 6. It stressed individuality.5u He founded a Transcendental

8、ists Club and on September 19, 1836, he held the first official meeting. After that he became the most eloquent spokesman of Transcendentalismu In 1841 he published his first series of Essays, which included “Self-Reliance,” “Prudence,” and “Friendship” u In 1842-1844 he edited The Dial（日晷日晷）, a tra

9、nscendentalist journal u 1846 Published Poemsu On April 21, 1882, Emerson was found to be suffering from pneumonia. He died on April 27, 1882u In 1834 he moved to Concord, M a s s a c h u s e t t s （ 馬 薩 諸 塞 州 ）（ 馬 薩 諸 塞 州 ） , a n d developed a circle of literary friends, including Nathaniel Hawthor

10、ne, Henry David Thoreau u In 1836 he anonymously published the first book, Nature, a long philosophical essay that established his transcendentalist views u In1837 he delivered his American Scholar lectureu In1838 he delivered the “Address at Divinity College” His whole lifeu He was born in Boston i

11、n 1803, the son of a Unitarian (唯一神論唯一神論者者) minister who was a member of an old Puritan family. u In October 1817, at 14, Emerson went to Harvard College where in 1820 he began to keep the voluminous（大量的）（大量的）journals that he continued throughout his life, and that formed the basis of most of his es

12、says and poems. u In1823，he graduated from seminary school and became a priest to follow in the footsteps of his father.u Emerson toured Europe in 1833 and later wrote of his travels in English Traits (1856), during which time he met Carlyle（卡萊爾）（卡萊爾）, Wordsworth, and Coleridge（柯勒律（柯勒律治）治）, through

13、whom he became intimately associated with the transcendental thought and brought back with him the influence of European Romanticism.6Major worksMajor worksFirst SeriesSecond Series.7First Series（1841）Self-Reliance論自助論自助Compensation 論補(bǔ)償論補(bǔ)償The Over-Soul 論超靈論超靈LoveFriendshipPrudenceCircles圓圓IntellectE

14、ssaysEssays.8Self-Reliance Emerson urges his readers to retain the outspokenness（坦白） of a small child who freely speaks his mind. A child he has not yet been corrupted by adults who tell him to do otherwise. He also urges readers to avoid envying or imitating others viewed as models of perfection; i

15、nstead, he says, readers should take pride in their own individuality and never be afraid to express their own original ideas. In addition, he says, they should refuse to conform（遵照） to the ways of the popular culture and its shallow ideals; rather they should live up to their own ideals, even if do

16、ing so reaps them criticism and denunciation Throughout the essay he gives a defense for his famous catch-phrase “trust thyself.” This argument follows three major points: the self-contained genius, the disapproval of the world, and the value of self-w o r t h . T h r o u g h o u t t h i s e s s a y

17、 , E m e r s o n argues against conformity with the world. He gives an archetype（原型）for his own transcendental beliefs, but also argues for his slogan “trust thyself.” For someone to transcend their current state, one must lean only on their own understanding, hold a certain level of disregard for t

18、he opinions and currents of society, and most importantly hold a respect for self regardless of circumstances and societys opinions. .9Thank You!l Emerson calls on individuals to value their own thoughts , opinions , and experiences above those presented to be them by other individuals , society , a

19、nd religion .l This radical individualism springs from Emersons belief that each individual is not just unique but divinely unique ; i.e. , each individual is a unique expression of god creativity and will.l Further , since Emersons god is purposeful , he molded each individual to serve a particular

20、 purpose , to do a certain work that only he or she is equipped to carry out.Theme : individualism.10 . “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous（努力的） in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and me

21、anness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the worlds opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect

22、 sweetness the independence of solitude（孤獨(dú)）.” .11The Over-Soul The broad subject of this essay, considered one of Emersons best, is the human soul. Several general themes are treated: the existence and nature of the human soul; the relationship between the soul and the personal ego; the relationship

23、 of one human soul to another; and the relationship of the human soul to God. The essay attempts no systematic doctrine, but rather serves as a work of art, something like poetry. Its virtue is in personal insights of the author and the lofty manner of their presentation. Emerson wishes to exhort an

24、d direct the reader to an awakening of similar thoughts or sentiments. With respect to the four themes listed above, the essay presents the following views: the human soul is immortal（永恒的）, and immensely vast and beautiful; our conscious ego is slight and limited in comparison to the soul, despite t

25、he fact that we habitually mistake our ego for our true self; at some level, the souls of all people are connected, though the precise manner and degree of this connection is not spelled out; and the essay does not seem to explicitly contradict the traditional Western idea that the soul is created b

26、y and has an existence that is similar to God, or rather God exists within us.12 “By virtue of this inevitable nature, private will is overpowered, and, maugre our efforts or our imperfections, your genius will speak from you, and mine from me. That which we are, we shall teach, not voluntarily, but

27、 involuntarily. Thoughts come into our minds by avenues which we never left open, and thoughts go out of our minds through avenues which we never voluntarily opened. Character teaches over our head. The infallible index of true progress is found in the tone the man takes. Neither his age, nor his br

28、eeding, nor company, nor books, nor actions, nor talents, nor all together, can hinder him from being deferential to a higher spirit than his own. If he have not found his home in God, his manners, his forms of speech, the turn of his sentences, the build, shall I say, of all his opinions, will invo

29、luntarily confess it, let him brave it out how he will. If he have found his centre, the Deity will shine through him, through all the disguises（偽裝）of ignorance, of ungenial temperament, of unfavorable circumstance. The tone of seeking is one, and the tone of having is another” .13Thank You!Second S

30、eries (1844)The PoetExperienceNatureCharacterMannersGiftsPoliticsNew England and Reforms.14Thank You! Nature is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson , published anonymously in 1836. It is in this essay that the foundation of transcendentalism is put forth, a belief system that espouses（贊成）a non-t

31、raditional appreciation of nature. It was also regard as the bible of new England transcendentalism. Transcendentalism suggests that divinity suffuses（充滿） all nature, and speaks to the notion that we can only understand reality through studying nature. Within this essay, Emerson divides nature into

32、four usages; Commodity, Beauty, Language and Discipline. These distinctions define the ways by which humans use nature for their basic needs, their desire for delight, their communication with one another and their understanding of the world. Nature （1836）.15Thank You! Emerson uses spirituality as a

33、 major theme in his essay, “Nature”. Emerson believed in reimagining the divine as something large and visible, which he referred to as nature; such an idea is known as transcendentalism, in which one perceives anew God and their body, and becomes one with their surroundings. Emerson confidently exe

34、mplifies transcendentalism, stating, “From the earth, as a shore, I look out into that silent sea. I seem to partake（分擔(dān)）its rapid transformations: the active enchantment reaches my dust, and I dilate and conspire with the morning wind”, proving that humans and wind are one. Emerson referred to natur

35、e as the “Universal Being”; he believed that there was a spiritual sense of the natural world around him. Depicting this sense of “Universal Being”, Emerson states, “The aspect of nature is devout（虔誠的）. Like the figure of Jesus, she stands with bended head, and hands folded upon the breast. The happ

36、iest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship”. Theme：spirituality.16Other worksThe American Scholar美國學(xué)者(1837) Divinity School Address神學(xué)院演講(1838)SpeechesPoetry“Concord Hymn” (1836) “Uriel” (1846) “The Rhodora” (1847) “Brahma” (1856)Essay collectionsRepresentative Men代表人物(1850) The Cond

37、uct of Life生活行為(1860) English Traits英國人的性格(1856) Nature; Addresses and Lectures（1849）.17 The American Scholar was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson on August 31, 1837, to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was declared to be Americas “Intellectual Declaration of Independe

38、nce.” In others words，its a monument in the American literature that declares its spiritual independence which was intended to build Americas own literature tradition.The American Scholar.18 We are all fragments, as the hand is divided into fingers, of a greater creature, which is mankind itself, a

39、doctrine ever new and sublime. An individual may live in either of two states. In one, the busy, divided or degenerate state, he does not possess himself but identifies with his occupation or a monotonous action; in the other, right state, he is elevated to Man, at one with all mankind. To achieve t

40、his higher state of mind, the modern American scholar must reject old ideas and think for him or herself, to become “Man Thinking” rather than “a mere thinker, or still worse, the parrot of other mens thinking”, “the victim of society”, “the sluggard（游手好閑的） intellect of this continent. The American

41、Scholar has an obligation, as Man Thinking, within this One Man concept, to see the world clearly, not severely influenced by traditional/historical views, and to broaden his understanding of the world from fresh eyes, to defer never to the popular cry. The scholars education consists of three influ

42、ences: I. Nature as the most important influence on the mind II. The Past manifest（明顯的）in books III. Action and its relation to experience The last, unnumbered part of the text is devoted to Emersons view on the Duties of the American Scholar who has become the Man Thinking.Some key points of the sp

43、eech.19Writing Style Emerson wrote on a number of subjects, never espousing（支持）fixed philosophical tenets（原理）, but developing certain ideas such as individuality, freedom, the ability for man to realize almost anything, and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world. Emersons nature

44、 was more philosophical than naturalistic; Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul. While his writing style can be seen as somewhat impenetrable, and was thought so even in his own time, Emersons essays remain one of the linchpins of American thinking, and Emerson

45、s work has influenced nearly every generation of thinker, writer and poet since his time. When asked to sum up his work, he said his central doctrine was “the infinitude of the private man（個(gè)人發(fā)展?jié)摿o限）.20Emersons aesthetics（美學(xué)） l Poets should function as preachers who gave Poets should function as prea

46、chers who gave directions to the mass.directions to the mass.l True True poetrypoetry and true art and true art shouldshould ennoble and ennoble and serve as a moral purification and a passage serve as a moral purification and a passage toward organic unity and higher reality.toward organic unity an

47、d higher reality.l Emerson places emphasis on ideas, symbols Emerson places emphasis on ideas, symbols and imaginative words.and imaginative words.l As to theme, Emerson called upon American As to theme, Emerson called upon American authors to celebrate America and the life today.authors to celebrat

48、e America and the life today.l Emerson Emerson s aesthetics brought about a s aesthetics brought about a revolution in American literature in general and revolution in American literature in general and in American in American poetrypoetry in particular. It marked the in particular. It marked the bi

49、rth of true American poetry and true America birth of true American poetry and true America poets such as Whitman and Dickinsonpoets such as Whitman and Dickinson.21Some of his sayings The first wealth is health.The first wealth is health. 健康是人生的第一筆財(cái)富。健康是人生的第一筆財(cái)富。 A great man is always willing to be little.A great man