常耀信美國(guó)文學(xué)史第三版Chapter16課件

GertrudeStein

(格特魯?shù)滤固┮?

Background:

shecamefromawell-to-dofamilyandwasabletolivecomfortablyonherinheritanceinParismostofheradultlife.shegraduatdefromRadcliffeCollege,Massachusetts.Awriter,apatronofartandliterature.

MajorWorksThreeLives<<三人行>>TenderButtons<<軟紐扣>>ThemakingofAmericans<<美國(guó)人的形成>>Howtowrite<<怎樣寫作>>Foursaintsinthreeacts<<三幕中的四個(gè)圣徒>>Evaluation1.Sensitivetothetemperofhertimeanditssubtletiesofchange.helpedinherway,usherinthenew,modern,period.becamewithtime"TheMatronSaintofParisArt''(''巴黎藝術(shù)的女性巔峰時(shí)代'')TheautobiographyofAliceB.Toklas<<艾麗絲托克拉斯自傳>>(1933)AkindofculturalmonumentinParis

2.Literarytheoryandpractice<<Howtowrite>><<怎樣寫作>>(1)stress"thevalueoftheindividualword"(2)repetitionsofwordseg:"Roseisaroseisaroseisarose"3.Thedifficultyofthepoemobscurelanguageandabstraction,unconventionalwordorderandcoherencethatanychoiceamongthemisnexttoimpossible.

IntroductionofMajorWorksStein’sworks:”Picasso”1.Thefeatureofwriting:thelimitlesspotentialofavailablelanguageresources2.Fromthepointofviewof“goodEnglish”:achieveamazingeffectiveness3.Writingstyle:solid,charming,lovely,perplexing,disconcerting,simple,clear,complicated,interesting,disturbing,repellant“ThreeLives”:1.introduction:(1).Stein’sfirstpublishedbookandoneofherbest,mostreadableworks(2).Artistically,it’scrudeandofffocusattimes,anddoesnotquitetellastoryperse,butItoffersaseriouspictureoflife.(3).Itisaboutthesimple,vague,humblelivesofthethreewomen,withtheirpassion,feelings,andinnerthoughts(4).ItisseenasoneoftheearliestmodernworksofAmericanfiction2.Thethemesabout“Melanctha”in“threelives”:(1).herseekingrestandquiet(2).hergettingintotrouble(3).herlearningtobecomewiseSinclairLewis

(1885--1951)LifeBornintoamiddle-classfamilyinSaukCenter,Minnesota,Lewiswastoplacethatclassunderruthlesssatire,andatthesametimetoaffirmitsbestvirtues.From1912to1919hewasabletopublishedfivenovels,butitwasnotuntilthesummerof1920whenhissixthbook,MainStreet,cameoutthathebecameafamousman.HemanagedtoacquireaninternationalreputationwhichledstraighttotheNobelPrize.ThuswithinsometwentyyearsLewisclimbedtothesummitofhiscareer.Thereafter,nonewouldeverreachtheheightofeitherMainStreetorBabbitt.SinclairLewiswasthefirstAmericanauthortowintheNobelPrizeforliterature.Hewrote22novelsinhislife.MajorworksMainStreet(1920)Babbitt(1922)Arrowsmith(1925)Dodsworth(1929)BabbittPlotsummaryLiterarysignificanceandcriticismThemePlotsummaryCarolMilfordisaliberal,free-spiritedyoungwoman,rearedinSaintPaul,Minnesota,thestatecapital.ShemarriesWillKennicott,adoctor,whoisasmall-townboyatheart.Whentheymarry,Willconvinceshertoliveinhishome-townofGopherPrairie,Minnesota(atownmodeledonSaukCentre,Minnesota,theauthor'sbirthplace).CarolisappalledatthebackwardnessofGopherPrairie.Butherdisdainforthetown'sphysicaluglinessandsmugconservatismcompelshertoreformit.Shespeakswithitsmembersaboutprogressivechanges,joinswomen'sclubs,distributesliterature,andholdspartiestolivenupGopherPrairie'sinhabitants.Despiteherfriendlybutineffectiveefforts,sheisconstantlyderidedbytheleadingcliques.Shefindscomfortandcompanionshipoutsidehersocialclass.Thesecompanionsaretakenfromheronebyone.Inherunhappiness,CarolleavesherhusbandandmovesforatimetoWashington,D.C.,butsheeventuallyreturns.Nevertheless,Caroldoesnotfeeldefeated:IdonotadmitthatMainStreetisasbeautifulasitshouldbe!IdonotadmitthatGopherPrairieisgreaterormoregenerousthanEurope!Idonotadmitthatdish-washingisenoughtosatisfyallwomen!Imaynothavefoughtthegoodfight,butIhavekeptthefaith.(Chapter39)LiterarysignificanceandcriticismSomeofLewis'scontemporariessaidthenovelwastoobleak,evenhumorless,initsconveyanceofignorantsmall-townlifeandpeople.However,MainStreetisgenerallyconsideredtobeLewis'smostsignificantandenduringwork,alongwithits1922successorBabbitt.Somesmall-townresidentsresentedtheirportrayalandthebookwasbannedbythepubliclibraryofAlexandria,Minnesota.BecauseofthepopularityacquiredbyLewisandhisbook,high-schoolteamsfromhishometownofSaukCentre,Minnesota,begantobecalledtheMainStreetersasearlyasthe1925–26schoolyear.Thisnamewasessentiallygiventothetownbythenearbytownsatschoolevents.TheSaukCentreHighSchoolstillgoesbythenameinatributetoLewis.ThemeLewiscriticizesBabbittry,thatis,materialism,culturalvulgarity,hypocrisy,andconformism.LiterarycontributionLewiswasasociologicalwriter.HisnovelformsasegmentofAmericansocialhistory.ForseveraldecadesLewisnibbledlikeasilkwormatthemulberryleafofAmericanmiddle-classlife,sothathegottoknownitinsideout.HeexplainedtheAmericanmiddle-classandgaveaname,Babbitt,awordwhichhasfounditswayintotheEnglishdictionaryasasynonymforthevulgarandphilistinebusinessman.Lewis’limitationsInthemehisaffirmationofwhatheregardedasthebestmiddle-classvirtuesmadehimappearratherold-fashioned.Instyle,apartfromthefactthathisnovelssprawlandwantorderandart,hewasaccurateinexternaldescriptionbutlackinginpsychologicalexploration.Thus,amidtheexperimentalatmosphereofthepostwaryears,helookedconservativeandoutmoded.Thatimagehasremainedinthememoryofcriticsandreadersalikeeventoday.WillaCather——章嫣然2013105204

WillaCather(1873-1947)

ShewasborninVirginia,WillaCathermovedattheageofninewithherfamilytoaprairiestateoftheWest-Nebraska.Oldwestthusbecomesinmostofhernovelsthecenterofmoralreferenceagainstwhichmodernexistenceismeasured.

Shewasoneofthefew“uneasysurvivorsofthenineteenthcentury.”Hangingontothetraditionalvalues,shewasneverabletocometotermswithmodernity.Shelivedinbetweentheworlds,rejectingthemodernandtryingtoescapeintotherefugeofthepast.Herworksareafictionalprojectionofherowncrisisinlife.WORKSMyAntonio(1918)——我的安東妮亞TheSongoftheLark(1915)——云雀之歌ALostLady(1923)——一個(gè)迷途的女人TheProfessor’sHouse(1925)——教授的房子DeathComesfortheArchbishop(1927)——大主教之死ShadowsontheRock(1931)——巖石上的影子MyAntonio(1918)MyAntoniaisanovelpublishedin1918byAmericanwriterWillaCather,consideredoneofherbestworks.Itisthefinalbookofher"prairietrilogy"ofnovels,precededbyOPioneers!andTheSongoftheLark.ThisnovelisconsideredasCather'sfirstmasterpiece.CatherwaspraisedforbringingtheAmericanWesttolifeandmakingitpersonallyinterestingLiterarystyleandthemesAlthoughCatherbeganherwritingcareerasajournalist,shemadeadistinctionbetweenjournalism,whichshesawasbeingprimarilyinformative,andliterature,whichshesawasanartform.Cather'sworkisoftenmarkedbyitsnostalgictone,hersubjectmatterandthemesdrawnfrommemoriesofherearlyyearsontheAmericanplains.SomecriticshavechargedCatherwithbeingoutoftouchwithhertimesandfailingtousemoreexperimentaltechniques,suchasstreamofconsciousness,inherwriting.Cather'sstyleisnottheaccumulativecataloguingofthejournalists,northefragmentaryatomismofpsychologicalassociations.ThinkingWillaCatherwritesinthebeliefthat,whenapioneergoesforthwithhistraditionintoanewland,hewillfoundahomewiththegracesandrichesofthemindandspirit,andshemayhavefoundsolaceandsatisfactioninherwritings.Thusatraditionalisttotheend,shemanagedtoclingtoheridealandleftaninspiritingliteraryrecordofathinkingmind’sresponsetomodernlife.ThomasWolfeBriefIntroduction:Born(October3,1900–September15,1938)AmajorAmericannovelistoftheearlytwentiethcentury.Wolfewrotefourlengthynovels,plusmanyshortstories,dramaticworksandnovellas.Heisknownformixinghighlyoriginal,poetic,rhapsodic,andimpressionisticprosewithautobiographicalwriting.MajorWorks:LookHomeward,Angel(1929)《天使望家鄉(xiāng)》OfTimeandtheRiver(1935)《時(shí)間與河流》TheWebandTheRock(1939)《蛛網(wǎng)與巖石》YouCan’tGoHomeAgain(1940)《不能再回家》TheStoryofaNovel(1936)《一本小說(shuō)的故事》TheLostBoy(1937)《迷失的男孩》

PersonalwriterAllhiswritingsareself-revelations.Allhisprotagonistsarehisownpersonality.AmbitiousmanHesawthewholelifeofAmericaastheprovinceofhisfictionalrepresentati