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Lecture 4
American Literature
Objectives
• Enable the Ss to know the background, representative writers and their works of the Romantic period in American literary history;
• Enable the Ss to appreciate Hawthorne’s style by a close reading of “The Minister’s Black Veil”
• Enable the Ss to know how to appreciate poems by analyzing Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee” from the perspective of form and theme etc.
Teaching Materials
• Hawthorne
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“A Psalm of Life”
Edgar Allan Poe
“Annabel Lee”
Teaching Methodology
• Lecturing
• Text-analysis
Leading writers
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Manifesto
In 1836 the publication of Nature by Emerson pushed American Romanticism into a new phase, the phase of New England Transcendentalism.
Nature is regarded as the Bible of New England Transcendentalism.
It says in the book:
• “The Universe is composed of Nature and the Soul.”
• “Spirit is present everywhere.”
About Transcendentalism Club:
Transcendentalist Club
Transcendentalist journal: The Dial
Sources:
---German Idealism,
---German Transcendentalism
---American Puritanism.
Definition by Emerson
“What is probably called Transcendentalism among us is idealism; idealism as appears in 1842.”
Transcendental: Whatever belongs to the class of intuitive (
直觉的 ) thought
Main Ideas (Features) of N.E.T.Main Ideas (Features) of N.E.T.
• 1. placing emphasis on spirit, or the Oversoul, as the most important thing in the universe --- a new way of looking at the world
• 2. stressing the importance of the individual. --- a new way of looking at man
• 3. offering a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of Spirit or God
• New England Transcendentalism was, in actuality, Romanticism in Puritan soil.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson
The American Scholar---Intellectual Declaration of Independence
Nature ---the Bible of New England Transcendentalism
• Emerson’s aesthetics brought about a revolution in American literature in general and in American poetry in particular.
• It marked the birth of true American poetry and true American poets such as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.
• He embodied a new nation’s desire and struggle to assert its own identity in its formative period.
Henry David Thoreau(1817-1862)Henry David Thoreau(1817-1862)
• A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
• Walden---a prophet of individualism in American literature
• He was one of the three great American authors of the last century who had no contemporary readers and yet became great in this century.
• Herman Melville
• Emily Dickinson.
Herman Melville Herman Melville (1819-1891)(1819-1891)
His life represents:His life represents:
one of the greatest one of the greatest tragedies in the North tragedies in the North American literary American literary history, one of the history, one of the greatest losses to greatest losses to American literature, American literature, one of the most one of the most disgraceful episodes of disgraceful episodes of critical stupidity in the critical stupidity in the United States United States
WorksWorks
1. Redburn 1849 2. Typee 1846 3. Omoo 1874 4. Moby Dick 1851 5. Mardi 1849 6. White Jacket 1850 7. Pierre 1852 8. Billy Budd 1924
Themes of Themes of Moby DickMoby Dick
• 1. Search for truth The story deals with the human
pursuit of truth and the meaning of existence.
2. Conflict between Good and Evil. 3. Conflict between Man and Nature. 4. Isolation between man and man;
man and nature; man and society. 5. Solipsism.
Symbols Symbols
• 1) The Pequod The Pequod is a symbol of doom. It
is painted a gloomy black and covered in whale teeth and bones, literally bristling with the mementos of violent death. It is, in fact, marked for death. Adorned like a primitive coffin, the Pequod becomes one. )
2) Moby Dick Moby Dick possesses various symbolic
meanings for various individuals. 1) Symbol of nature for human beings, because it is mysterious, powerful, unknown. 2) Symbol of evil for the Captain Ahab. 3) Symbol of good and purity because of its
whiteness.
3) Voyage of the Pequod Symbol of the pursuit of ideals,
adventure, and the hunt in the vast wilderness.
4) Ahab Symbol of solipsism, revenge and then
evil.5) Sea Symbol of vastness, loneliness, and
isolation.
EvaluationEvaluation• Moby Dick is, critics have agreed, one of
the world’s greatest masterpieces. To get to know the 19th century American mind and America itself, one has to read this book.
• One of the classics of American Literature and even world literature.
• Moby Dick is an encyclopedia of everything, history, philosophy, religion, etc. in addition to a detailed account of the operations of the whaling industry.
6. Nathaniel Hawthorne 6. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) (1804-1864)
WorksWorks
a) Twice-Told Tales 1837
b) Mosses from an Old Manse 1843
c) The Scarlet Letter 1850
Collections of short stories
《故事重述》
《古宅青苔》
《红字》
d) The House of the Seven Gables 1851
e) The Blithedale Romance 1852
d) The Marble Faun 1860
《七个尖角阁的房子》
《福谷传奇》
《大理石雕像》
g) “Young Goodman Brown”
h) “The Minister’s Black Veil”
g) “Dr. Rappacini’s Daughter”
《好小伙儿布朗》
《教长的黑面纱》
《拉普齐尼博士的
女儿》
LifeLife
Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts.
Some of his ancestors were men of prominence ( 突出 )in the Puritan theocracy of seventeenth-century New England. One of them was a colonial magistrate, notorious for his part in the persecution of the Quakers, and another was a judge at the Salem Witchcraft Trial in 1692.
When Nathaniel was four, his father died on a voyage in Surinam, Dutch Guinea, but maternal （母系的） relatives recognized his literary talent and financed his education at Bowdoin College.
Among his classmates were many of the important literary and political figures of the day: writer Horatio Bridge, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and future President Franklin Pierce. These prominent friends supplied Hawthorne with government employment in the lean times, allowing him time to bloom as an author.
Like James Fenimore Cooper, Hawthorne was extremely concerned with conventionality 传统 ; his first pseudonymously published short stories imitated Sir Walter Scott, as did his 1828 self-published Fanshawe.
Hawthorne later formally withdrew most of this early work, discounting it as the work of inexperienced youth. From 1836 to 1844 the Boston-centered Transcendentalist movement, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, was an important force in New England intellectual circles.
Hawthorne's fiancée Sophia Peabody drew him into "the newness," and in 1841 Hawthorne invested $1500 in the Brook Farm Utopian Community, leaving disillusioned within a year.
His later works show some Transcendentalist influence, including a belief in individual choice and consequence, and an emphasis on symbolism.
As America's first true psychological novel, The Scarlet Letter would convey these ideals; contrasting puritan morality with passion and individualism.
Influences on HawthorneInfluences on Hawthorne
Salem - early childhood, later work at the Custom House.
Puritan family background - one of his forefathers was Judge Hathorne, who presided over the Salem witchcraft trials, 1692.
Belief in the existence of the devil. Belief in determinism.
Major Themes in Hawthorne's FictionMajor Themes in Hawthorne's Fiction Alienation （疏远） - a character is in a
state of isolation because of self-cause, or societal cause, or a combination of both.
Initiation （创始） - involves the attempts of an alienated character to get rid of his isolated condition.
Problem of Guilt -a character's sense of guilt forced by the puritanical heritage or by society; also guilt vs. innocence.
Pride - Hawthorne treats pride as evil. He illustrates the following aspects of pride in various characters: physical pride (Robin), spiritual pride (Goodman Brown, Ethan Brand), and intellectual pride (Rappaccini).
Puritan New England - used as a background and setting in many tales.
Italian background - especially in The Marble Faun.
Allegory （寓言） - Hawthorne‘s writing is allegorical, didactic （说教） and moralistic. （道德说教的）
Other themes include ： individual vs. society,
self-fulfillment vs. frustration,
hypocrisy vs. integrity,
love vs. hate,
exploitation （利用，剥削） vs. hurting, fate vs. free will.
Features of his worksFeatures of his works setting themes Idea Feature technique
Puritan New England
Evil & sin
“black vision” toward human beings
Ambiguity
symbolism
The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter
Hester Chillingworth Dimmesdale Pearl
Sin
evil
Adultery
Ability
Angel
The Scarlet Letter represents the height of Hawthorne‘s literary genius; dense with terse （用词简练的） descriptions. It remains relevant for its philosophical and psychological depth, and continues to be read as a classic tale on a universal theme (secret sin).
The Minister’s Black VeilThe Minister’s Black Veil
Questions to answer:
1. What happened at the morning service? What was the effect of the black veil upon the villagers? What was the suject of the sermon?
1. Key: Mr. Hooper wore a black veil.
The second Paragraph in P302.
The 16th line in Paragraph 3 in P302.
2. What happened in the afternoon? Do you think Mr. Hooper had anything to do with the young maiden’s death?Why or why not?
2. Key:
In Paragraph 1 in P304.
3. What happened on that night?
3. Key:
In the last Paragraph in P304 and 1st Paragraph in P305.
4. What happened the next day?
4. Key:
In the second Paragraph in P305 and 1st Paragraph in P306.
The villagers were talking about the black veil.
They sent deputation to talk with Mr. Hooper.
5. What cause did Mr. Hooper give Elizabeth not to take off the black veil?
5. Key:
In the second Paragraph from thebottom in P307 and 2nd Paragraph in P308.
6. What happened at the death-bed of Mr. Hooper?
6. Key:
In the 1st Paragraph in P311 and the sixth Paragraph in P312
7. Why did Mr. Hooper persist in wearing the black veil until his death?
7. Key:
In the last Paragraph in P312.
TechniqueTechnique
Symbolism
Psychological insight
Hawthorne as a Literary ArtistHawthorne as a Literary Artist First professional writer - college educated,
familiar with the great European writers, and influenced by puritan writers like Cotton Mather.
Hawthorne displayed a love for allegory and symbol. He dealt with tensions involving: light versus dark; warmth versus cold; faith versus doubt; heart versus mind; internal versus external worlds.
Reasons for Hawthorne's Current PopularityReasons for Hawthorne's Current Popularity Hawthorne's use of psychological analysis (pre-
Freudian) is of interest today.
In themes and style, Hawthorne's writings look ahead to Henry James, William Faulkner, and Robert Penn Warren
7. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
Longfellow was early fond of reading - Washington Irving's Sketch-Book was his favorite
Among Longfellow's classmates at Bowdoin College was Nathaniel Hawthorne, whom he helped later reviewing warmly his Twice-Told Tales.
In 1836 Longfellow began teaching in Harvard Longfellow settled in Cambridge, where he
remained for the rest of his life Queen Victoria, who was his great admirer,
invited him to tea
The poet's 70th birthday in 1877 was celebrated around the country
Longfellow died in Cambridge on March 24, 1882. In London his marble image is seen in Westminster Abbey, in the Poet's Corner
Works of Longfellow
Voices of the Night 1839 《夜籁集》
Ballads and other Poems 1841 《歌谣及其他》
The Belfry of Bruges and other Poems 《布鲁茨的钟楼及其他》
Evangeline: a Tale of Acadie 1847《伊凡吉林》
The Song of Hiawatha 《海华沙之歌》 Tales of a Wayside Inn1863, 1872,
1873 《路边酒肆的故事》
Poetic Features His reputation as a major American Poet
declined between the two wars for the gentleness and sweetness, and the common subjects
He is lacking in passion and high imagination His style and subjects are conventional
compared with modern poets He made a great contribution to "the flowering
of New England Americans owe a great debt to Longfellow
because he was among the first of American writers to use native themes
A Psalm of Life ( 生命之歌 )
朗费罗《人生颂 》A Psalm of Life －－－年青人的心对歌者说的话
不要在哀伤的诗句里告诉我： Tell me not, in mornful numbers, “ 人生不过是一场幻梦！” "Life is but an empty dream!" 灵魂睡着了，就等于死了， For the soul is dead that slumbers, 事物的真相与外表不同。 And things are not what they seem.
人生是真切的！人生是实在的！ Life is real! Life is earnest! 它的归宿决不是荒坟； And the grave is not its goal; “ 你本是尘土，必归于尘土”， "Dust thou art, to dust returnest," 这是指躯壳，不是指灵魂。 Was not spoken of the soul.
我们命定的目标和道路 Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, 不是享乐，也不是受苦； Is our destined end or way; 而是行动，在每个明天 But to act, that each to-morrow 都超越今天，跨出新步。 Find us farther than to-day.
智艺无穷，时光飞逝； Art is long, and Time is fleeting, 这颗心，纵然勇敢坚强， And our hearts, though stout and brave, 也只如鼙鼓，闷声敲动着， Still, like muffled drums, are beating 一下又一下，向坟地送丧。 Funeral marches to the grave.
世界是一片辽阔的战场， In the world's broad field of battle, 人生是到处扎寨安营； In the bivouac of life, 莫学那听人驱策的哑畜， Be not like dumb, driven cattle! 做一个威武善战的英雄！ Be a hero in the strife!
别指望将来，不管它多可爱！ Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! 把已逝的过去永久掩埋！ Let the dead Past bury its dead! 行动吧－－趁着活生生的现在！ Act, -- act in the living Present! 心中有赤心，头上有真宰！ Heart within, and God o'evhead!
伟人的生平启示我们： Lives of great men all remind us 我们能够生活得高尚， We can make our lives sublime, 而当告别人世的时候， And, departing, leave behind us 留下脚印在时间的沙上； Footprints on the sand of time;
也许我们有一个兄弟 Footprints, that perhaps another, 航行在庄严的人生大海， Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 遇险沉了船，绝望的时刻， A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 会看到这脚印而振作起来。 Seeing, shall take heart again.
那么，让我们起来干吧， Let us, then, be up and doing, 对任何命运要敢于担戴； With a heart for any fate; 不断地进取，不断地追求， Still achieving, still pursuing, 要善于劳动，善于等待。 Learn to labor and to wait.
据钱钟书先生考证，朗费罗的名篇《人生颂》是英语诗歌中最早译成汉语的一首。
8. Edgar Allan Poe 8. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)(1809-1849)
father of modern short story
father of detective story
father of psychoanalytic criticism
1) Works1) Works
a) Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque
b) “MS. Found in a Bottle”
C) “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”
《奇异怪诞故事集》
《瓶子里发现的手稿》
《毛格街杀人案》
d) “ The Fall of the House of Usher”e) “The Masque of the Red Death”f) “The Cask of Amontillado”
《厄舍古屋的倒塌》
《红色死亡的化妆舞会》
《一桶酒的故事》
g) The Ravenh) Israfel
i) Annabel Lee
j) To Helen
《乌鸦》
《伊斯拉菲尔》
《安娜贝尔•李》
《致海伦》
k) The Poetic Principle
l) The Philosophy of Composition
《诗歌原理》
《创作哲学》
2) Life2) Life
• Famous American Poet, short-story writer and critic.
Appreciation of Annabel LeeAppreciation of Annabel Lee
• The theme:
The poem is believed to have been dedicated to the memory of Poe’s wife, Virginia Clemm, who died in 1847 at the age of 26.
The form:
Poe stresses rhythm, defines true poetry as “the rhythmical creation of beauty”
It is an elaborate display of pure technique with little or no substance. Its poetry exists in its ingenious creation of sounds.
FootFoot （（音格）音格）• It is the metrical unit by which a line of poetry is
measured. It is a specific combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. A foot usually consists of one stressed and one or two unstressed syllables. A vertical line is used to separate the feet. A foot of poetry can be arranged in a variety of patterns. The most commonly used feet are as follows:
Foot Pattern Foot Pattern
• (1) The iambic foot, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
• What ‘kept/ his ‘eyes/ from ‘giv/ing ‘back/ the ‘gaze
• The ‘fa/lling ‘out/ of ‘faith/ful ‘friends/, re’new/ing ‘is /of ‘love.
• (2)The trochaic foot, consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.
• ‘He was ‘louder ‘than the ‘preacher• ‘Double, ‘double, ‘toil, and ‘trouble
(3)The anapestic foot, two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable.
• I am ‘monarch of ‘all I sur’vey• For the ‘moon/ never ‘beams/ without
‘bring/ing me ‘dreams.
(4)The dactylic foot, consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.
• ‘Slowly the/ ‘mist o’er the/ ‘meadow was/ ‘creeping.
• ‘This is the/ ‘forest pri/’meval: the/ ‘murmuring/ ‘pines and the/ ‘hemlocks
• (5) Spondaic foot 扬扬格
MeterMeter
• Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The number of feet in a line determines its meter.
• English poetry includes the following eight kinds of lines:
Kinds of meterKinds of meter
• 1). Monometer line (one foot) • I/ trust
• 2). Dimeter line (two feet) • The wild /winds weep
• 3). Trimeter line (three feet) The au/tumn time/ has come
• 4). Tetrameter line (four feet) When first/ my way/ to fair/ I took
• 5). Pentameter line (five feet) The lone/ and le/vel sands/ stretch far/ away
• 6). Hexameter line (six feet) (Alexandrine)• This is the/ forest pri/meval: the/
murmuring /pines and the /hemlocks
Rhyme Schemes
• Full rhyme
• Imperfect rhyme
• Positional types or rhyme
• End rhyme/ Internal rhyme/ Beginning rhyme
Other Special Sound Effects
• Alliteration
The furrow followed free
• Assonance
Lake-fate Clean-sweep
• Consonance
Chatter pitter patter
Foot and Meter in Annabel LeeFoot and Meter in Annabel Lee
• Anapaestic / Iambic SEE page 325 note1
• All sounds, vowels, and diphthongs for example, and poetic devices such as end and internal rhymes, alliteration are brought into full play for the “rhythmical creation of beauty”.
Other devicesOther devices
• Repetition
• Parallel structure
致海伦 海伦，你的美在我的眼里，
有如往日尼西亚的三桅船 船行在飘香的海上，悠悠地
把已倦于漂泊的困乏船员 送回他故乡的海岸。
早已习惯于在怒海上飘荡， 你典雅的脸庞，你的鬈发， 你水神般的风姿带我返航， 返回那往时的希腊和罗马， 返回那往时的壮丽和辉煌。 看哪！壁龛似的明亮窗户里， 我看见你站着，多像尊雕像， 一盏玛瑙的灯你拿在手上！ 塞姬女神哪，神圣的土地 才是你家乡！
这首诗据坡自己说是为中学一位同学的年轻母亲斯丹娜夫人而作，写的是“我的灵魂的第一次纯洁、理想的爱”。从诗里提到的地理、历史背景来看，对斯丹娜夫人的爱慕和对古希腊史诗《伊利亚特》中的绝世美人海伦的景仰合二为一。而在最后一节里，对不可企及的美人的倾倒又升华为对艺术——甚至是对真、善、美的无穷无尽的追求。因为在西文人心中，古代的希腊和罗马已成为一种理想的境界，那里的一切似乎都是至美与至善的。
4) Evaluation4) Evaluation
• Poe remained the most controversial and most misunderstood literary figure in the history of American literature.
• Poe was successful in three areas: critic, poet and short-story writer.
• Emerson dismissed him in three words “the jingle man” ， Mark Twain declared his prose to be unreadable. And Whitman was the only famous literary figure present at the Poe Memorial Ceremony in 1875.
• Ironically, it was in Europe that Poe enjoyed respect and welcome.
• Bernard Shaw said: “Poe was ‘the greatest journalistic critic of his time; his poetry is exquisitely refined; and his tales are “complete works of art”.
• Poe’s reputation was first made in France. Charles Baudelaire said that “Edgar Poe, who isn’t much in America, must become a great man in France.”
• Today, Poe’s particular power has ensured his position among the greatest writers of the world. The majority of critics today, in America as well as in the world, have recognized the real, unique importance of Poe as a great writer of fiction, a poet of the first rank, and a critic of acumen and insight. His works are read the world over. His influence in world-wide in modern literature.
Assignment
• Write a 200- word comment on “To Helen”
analyzing its theme and form etc.
