文学.docx
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文学.docx
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文学
ChapterVII.20thCenturyAmericanLiterature
TeachingTime8Teachinghours.
TeachingRequirement:
Thestudentsshouldknowthedevelopmentoftheliteratureinthisperiod.Throughlearningtheselectedworkofthewriters,thestudentslearntoanalyzeandenjoythemodernAmerican;literatue.
TeachingTool:
computer.
KeyPoints:
1.modernpoetryandtheircharacteristics;
1.TheLostgeneration
2.Streamofconsciencesness.
SectionI.Introduction
1.HistoricalBackground:
NoperiodinAmericanhistoryismoreeventfulthanthatbetweenthetwoworldwars;andnonefurnishedgreatercontrastsandironies.
Theyearsbetweenthetwoworldwarsseemtodaytofallintoseriesofperiods,eachofwhichprofoundlyaffectedthelivesofallAmericans;WorldWarI,reluctantlyenteredtheU.Sin1917;theperiodofpeacemaking,whichendedwithgeneraldisillusionmentaboutthevalueofwar;theboom-timeera,whichafterseveralportentshadbeenunnoted,endedwiththestockmarkercrashof1929;theperiodofdepression,followedbyslowrecovery;thentheperiodduringwhichtheworlddriftedtowardanothergreatwar.ThebombingofPearlHarbor,whichendedthelongapprenticeshipoftheUnitedStatesasamajorfigureininternationalpolitics,alsomarkedtheterminationofthemostcriticalperiodintheU.S.domesticaffairssincetheCivilWar.InthetwentyyearsbetweenWorldWarsAmericapassedthroughcontrastiveemotionalstagesathomefromanoverconfidentpositivenesstoachasterednegativity.Thetwentiesfoundthenationfullofbouncingebullience,fearfulofnothing,andcertainthatinitscommercialingenuityithadfoundthephilosopher’sstone;theThirtiessawthatbouncegoneandthepopularterrifiedasthebusinessman’ssupposedmajorformulaturnedouttobeonlyanotherdisastrousexperimentbyanapprentice.
Anexaminationoftheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentsofthetwentiesshowsthatitwasanerawhichopenedwithviolentstrikeswhichresultedintheprostrationofthelabormovementandvirtualdenialoftherightsoftheworkingman.Itwasaperiodofcontinueddrought,cropfailures,andfallingfoodpricesthatmadetheRotarianmystiqueofprosperityofmockingintheeyeofthefarmer.ItwasatimewhenanAmericanvirtuallyunharmedbytheWorldWarreturnedtoapolicyofsmugisolationlism.WorseofallitwasanagemarkedbytheshockingdeclineofthatidealismwhichwascontinuallycitedasamajorpartoftheAmericantemper,anagewhenpatriotismamongtheyoungturnedintocynicaldisillusionment,whentheunityofthefamilywasweakenedbythedecentralizingofthelureofthecityautomobilesandcheapmassentertainment.
NoaspectoflifeintheTwentieshasbeencommenteduponandsensationallyromanticizedthantheso-calledRevoltoftheYoungerGeneration.TheboomingofAmericanindustrywithitsgiganticroaringfactories,itsimpersonality,anditslargescaleaggressiveness,nolongerleftanyroomforthecodeofpolitebehaviorandwell-bredmoralityfashionedinaquietandlesscompetitiveage.Thusinachangingworldyouthwasforcedwiththechallengeofbringingourmoresuptodate.Butatthesametimeitwastempled,inAmericaatleast,toescapeitsresponsibilitiesandretreatbehindanairofnaughtyalcoholicsophisticationandaposeofBohemianimmorality.Anditwasduringthatperiodthatanumberofsensitivewritersfoundthatsincetherewaslittleremedyforacountrythatwasblindanddeaftoeverythingsavetheglintandringofthedollar,theonlywayoutwastoemigratetoEurope.TheretheybegantothinkofthemselvesinthewordsofGertrudeStein,asthe“LostGeneration.”
Butactuallythe“LostGeneration”wasneverlost.Itwasshocked,uprootedforatime,bitter,critical,rebellious,experimental,oftenabsurdmoreoftenmisdirected,butneverlosttheircountry,andinadoing,gavethenationtheliveliest,moststimulatingwritinginitsliteraryexperience.
TheJazzAgewasfollowedbytheGreatDepression.ThemostsignificanteffectofthedepressionseemedtobethevirtuallycompletelossofthatbrilliantconfidencethathadspurredthenationsinceRevolutionarytimes.People,duringthebitteryearsfollowing1929hadlostfaith:
faithintheirlaws,whichpermittedgangsterstoflourishand“respectable”brokeragehorsestopromoteworthlesssecurities;faithintheirfinancialinstitutions,likethebankswhichhadfailed,destroyingthecapitalofthousandsofdepositors;faithintheirleader,whoseemedpowerlesstocopewiththecatastropheofeconomiccollapse;faithintheirheroes,thebusinessmen,whosecynicalself-seekingwasglaringlyrevealedintheinvestigationsofasenatefrankingcommittee;faith,particularly,inthefutureofthecountry,ofthecapitalisticsystemwhichhadgiventhemsomuchandhadpromisedevenmore,oftheveryconstitutionwhichwasbeginningtobedescribedbysomeasanarchaicmomenttoanoutworneighteenth-centuryromanticism..ThehopefulexuberanceoftheAmericanexperiencewasvirtuallywipedoutafter1932;whateverfaithinAmericanprogresssurvivedthedepressioncannevermatchtheunqualifiedgustofthatofearlieryears.Perhapsthisisaloss;perhapsontheotherhand,itisonlyonemoresignthatthenation’sfinallyadoptedamoresober,validattitudetowardtheproblemsofitscontinuedexistence.
Theeffectofthedecadeontheindividualwas,insun,asoberingpain.Sufferingthroughadepressionwhichdestroyedhisconfidenceinhisinstitutionsandofteninhimselfmadeonetorealizehisowninsignificanceincontrasttothetitansofgovernmentandbusiness,borrowedbytheprospectofthesecondworldwar,andfearfulofthefuture,theoveragecitizenswerefardifferentmenfromtheonehehadbeenintheseeminglycarefreeandjazzytwenties.
II.TheRiseofthemodernAmericanliterature
AlthoughtheformandideasofmodernAmericanliteraturehadclearlybegantoemergeinthefirstdecadeofthecentury,theFirstWorldWarstandsasagreatdividinglinebetweenthe19thcenturyandcontemporaryAmerica.Writersofthefirstpostwarselfconsciouslyacknowledgedthatwas,asEzraPounddescribedit,“botched”“anoldbitchgoneintheteeth.”YetintheyearsbetweenthetwoworldwarsAmericanliteratureachievedanewdiversityandreacheditsgreatestheights.Thepublicationin1922ofT.S.Eliot’sTheWasteLand,themostsignificantAmericanpowerofthetwentiethcentury,helpedtoestablishamoderntraditionofliteraturerichlearningandallusivethought.In1920SinclairLewispublishedhismemorabledenunciationofAmericansmall-townprovincialismMainStreet,andinthesameyearTheodoreDreiserbeganwritinghismasterpieceofnaturalism,AnAmericanTragedy,F.ScottFitzgeraldsummarizedtheexperiencesandattitudesofthedecadeinhisshortstoriesandinhisnovelTheGreatGatsby.EarnestHemingwaywroteTheSunAlsoRisesandAFarewelltoArmes,andWilliamFaulknerpublishedoneofthemostinfluentialAmericannovelsoftheage,TheSunandtheFury.DuringthetwentyyearsbetweenthetwoworldwarssixAmericanwriterswhodidtheirbestandmostoriginalworkwontheNobelPriceforliterature.
AftertheFirstWorldWaragroupofnewAmericandramatistsemergedandtheAmericantheaterceasedtobewhollydependentonthedramatictraditionofEurope.Experimentplaywrightshostiletooutwornandtimidtheatricalconvention,createdworksoftragedy,starkrealism,andsocialprotest.Inthe“newAmericantheatre”plots,dialogue,staging,andactingdifferentradicallyfromtheblanddramaticfareofanearlierday.Playsby“advanced”dramatistswonlargeaudiencesanddrewwidespreadcriticalacclaim.Earlyin1920sthemostprominentofthenewAmericanplaywrights,EugeneO’Neil,establishedaninternationalreputationwithsadplaysasTheEmperorJones,AnnaChristie,andThehairyApe.
Inpoetry,asinthedrama,therewereinnumerableexperiments.AsRobertFrostonceobservedhumorously“poetry…wastriedwithoutpunctuation.Itwastriedwithoutcapitalletters.Itwastriedunderthenameofpoesicpure.Itwastriedwithoutphrase,epigram,coherence,logicandconsistency.Itwastriedwithoutfeelingorsentiment…”Thesourcesoftheseexperimentaltechniqueswerealsonumerous---theEnglishmetaphysicalpoetsofthe17thcentury,thesymbolistsofFrance,the“radical”Americanpoetsofthe19thcentury,andothers.Acompleteconsiderationoftheperiod,therefore,woulddealwithinnovationsandinfluencesbythescore.Ourmorelimitedconsiderationwilldealwiththreeofthechiefrebellionsagainstoldertechniques:
1.againsttheideasaboutthe“seriousnessproper”topoetry,2againstconventionalversificationand3againstconventionalpoeticfiction.
Withtheendofthetwentiescamethestockmarketcrashof1929andtheGreatDepressionofthe1930scataclysmiceventsthatshatteredpubliccomplacencyandtransformedAmericansociety.Theabruptendofprosperityweakenedthenation’sconfidenceinitsgovernmentanditspoliticalleaders,andAmericanartistofallkindsproducedworksofpoliticalandsocialcriticism.PainterscreatedharshvisionofAmericanlifeonfarmsandincities.Photographersrecordedthemiseriesofpovertyandwant.JohnSteibeckandotherwritersdescribedthesweat-drenchedlivesoffactoryworkersandimmigrantfarmersinreportsinshortstoriesandinsuchmemorablenovelsastheGrapesofWrath.
SectionII.SomemodernPoets
1.EzraPound:
Atechnicalgeniusandpivotalfigureinworldpoetry,EzraLoomisPoundwastheiconoclastofhisday.Arestlessseekerandexperimenter,hedisdainedhisAmericanroots,keptaménageatroiswithhiswifeandamistress,andcul
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