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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
BasicLiteraryKnowledge
I.
LiteraryTerms
volumeonitsown.Ashortstorywillnormallyconcentrateonasingleeventwithonlyoneortwocharacters,moreeconomicallythananovel‘ssustainedexplorationofsocialbackground.Theshortstoryflourishedinthemagazinesofthe19thandearly20thcenturies,especiallyintheUSA.
2.Plot:Plotisthefirstandmostobviousqualityofastory.Plotiswhathappensinastory.
Unlikelife,whichisrandomandunpredictable,thestorywillusuallybeshapedbyachainofevents,oneleadinginevitablytoanotherinalineofrisingactiontoamomentofcrisis—theclimax.
3.Nonfiction:Itreferstoanyprosenarrativethattellsaboutthingsastheyactuallyhappenor
thatpresentsfactualinformationaboutsomething.Autobiographyandbiographyareamongthemajorformsofnonfiction.Thepurposeofthiskindwritingistogiveapresumablyaccurateaccountingofaperson‘slife.Essaysarealsocommonformsofnonfiction.Otherkindsofnonfictionincludethestories,editorials,andletterstotheeditorfoundinnewspapers,aswellasdiaries,journalsandtravelliterature.
4.Imagery:Itistherepresentationinpoetryofsensoryexperiences.Itisadevicebywhich
poetsappealtooursenses.Althoughweusuallythinkwithwords,manyofourthoughtscometousaspicturesorimaginedsensationsinourminds.Suchimaginedpicturesorsensationsarecalledimages.
5.Character:Charactersarethepersonspresentedinadramaticornarrativework.Inorderto
haveafullunderstandingofacharacter‘smoral,dispositionalandemotionalqualities,thereadersneedtointerpretwhattheysayandwhattheydo.
6.Surrealism:ItisaliteraryandartmovementinfluencedbyFreudianism,dedicatedto
expressingtheimaginationasrevealedindreams,freeoftheconsciouscontrolofreasonandconvention.Inliterature,surrealismwasconfinedalmostexclusivelytoFrance,andwasbasedontheassociationsandimplicationsofwords.Surrealismwasamajorintellectualforcebetweenthewars.
7.Theatreofabsurdity:Itisatermusedtoidentifyabodyofplayswrittenprimarilyin
Francefromthemid-1940sthroughthe1950s.theplaysusuallyemployillogicalsituations,unconventionaldialogues,andminimalplotstoexpresstheapparentabsurdityofhumanexistence.TheleadingfiguresofthemovementareIrish-bornplaywrightSamuelBeckettandtheFrenchplaywrightEugenIonesco.
8.Deconstruction:itisthemethodofanalyzingliteraturethatseekstouncovermultiplelayers
ofmeaning,includingtheauthor‘sintentionsandothermeaningsthatarebasedonhowthesamelanguage,images,orideashavebeenusedbefore.TheleadingfigureistheFrenchphilosopherJacquesDerrida.
1.Shortstory:Afictionalprosetaleofnospecifiedlength,buttooshorttobepublishedasa
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
II.Fillintheblanks.
1.Americanachievementsintheshortstoryhavedemandedinternationalrespectand
admirationformorethanacenturyandahalf.ThefirstsuccessfulAmericanshortstoriescamefromWashingtonIrvingintheearly19thcentury.
2.EdgarAllanPoeisgenerallythoughtofasthetruebeginneroftheshortstoriesbecause
hewasthefirstwriterwhoformulatedapoeticsoftheshortstories.
3.Inthe20thcentury,therehavebeenmanywhohavewonfameabroadaswellasintheUS
fortheirshortstories:SherwoodAnderson,HemingwayFaulkner,AnnaPorter,anddozensofothers.
4.Asyoureadfromwritertowriter,fromWashingtonIrving‘s‗RipVanWinkle‘to
O‟Connner‘s‗AGoodManisHardtoFind‘,youwillseethecomingofashortstoryage,growingfromanentertainingtaleintoastorywhichprobesdeepintohumansouls.5.Modernliteraryfictionhasbeendominatedbytwoforms:theshortstoryandthenovel.6.WashingtonIrving,―theFatherofAmericanLiterature‖,developedtheshortstoryasa
genreinAmericanliterature.
7.AllanPoeisusuallyacknowledgedastheoriginatorofdetectivestories.Heisalso
creditedwithdevelopingmanyofthestandardfeaturesofdetectivefiction.
III.Multiplechoice
1.EdgarAllanPoewrotepoemswhicharemarvelsofbeautyandcraftsmanship,suchas
____.
A.IHearAmericaSingingB.TheRaven
C.ToawaterfowlD.ThefalloftheHouseofUsher
2.ThecommonthreadthroughoutAmericanliteraturehasbeentheemphasisonthe___.
A.revolutionismB.reasonC.individualismD.rationalism
3.InAmericanliterature,the18thcenturywastheAgeoftheEnlightenment,___wasthe
dominantspirit.
A.humanismB.rationalismC.revolutionD.evolution
4.Whowasconsideredthe―PoetofAmericanRevolution‖?
A.MichaelWigglesworthB.EdwardTaylorC.AnneBradstreetD.PhilipFreneau
5.ThomasJefferson‘sattitude,thatis,afirmbeliefinprogress,andthepursuitofhappiness,
istypicaloftheperiodwenowcall___.
A.AgeofEvolutionB.AgeofReasonC.AgeofRomanticismD.AgeofRegionalism
6.MarkTwaincreated,in_____,amasterpieceofAmericanrealismthatisalsooneofthe
greatbooksofworldliterature.
A.HuckleberryFinnB.TomSawyerC.TheManThatCorruptedHadleyburyD.TheGildedAge
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
7.Thepessimismanddeterministicideasofnaturalismpervadedtheworksofsuch
Americanwritersas___.
A.MarkTwainB.ScottFitzgeraldC.WaltWhitmanD.StephenCrane
8.Althoughrealismandnaturalismwereproductsofthe19thcentury,theirfinaltriumph
cameinthe20thcentury,withthepopularandcriticalsuccessesofsuchwritersasEdwinArlington,WilliamCather,RobertFrost,WilliamFaulknerand_____.A.EdgarAllanPoeB.SherwoodAndersonC.WashingtonIrvingD.RalphEllison
9.Americanliteratureproducedonlyonefemalepoetduringthe19thcentury.Shewas___.
A.AnneBradstreetB.JaneAustenC.EmilyDickinsonD.HarriedBeecher
10.WithHowells,JamesandMarkTwainactiveonthescene,____becamethemajortrend
intheseventiesandeightiesofthe19thcentury.A.sentimentalismB.romanticismC.realismD.naturalism
11.Choosefromthefollowingwritersastaunchadvocateofthe19thcenturyAmerican
realism.
A.MarkTwainB.WashingtonIrvingC.StephenCraneD.JackLondon12.Whichwriterhasnaturalisttendency?
A.FrankNorrisB.WilliamDeanHowellsC.TheodoreDreiserD.BothAandC
13.Earlyinthe20thcentury,____publishedworksthatwouldchangethenatureofAmerican
poetry.
A.EzraPoundB.T.S.EliotC.RobertFrostD.BothAandB
14.TheImagistwritersfollowedthreeprinciples.Theyrespectivelyaredirecttreatment,
economyofexpressionand____.
A.localcolorB.ironyC.clearrhythmD.blankverse
15.____,oneoftheessaysinTheSacredWood,istheearlieststatementofT.S.Eliot‘s
aesthetics,whichprovidedausefulinstrumentformoderncriticism.
A.‗SweenyAgonistes‘B.„TraditionandIndividualTalent‟C.‗APrimerofModernHeresy‘D.‗Gerention‘
16.T.SEliotusedaform,thatis,theorchestrationofrelatedthemesinsuccessivemovements,
insuchworksas____.
A.„TheWasteLand‟B.‗ARoseforEmily‘C.TheScarletLetterD.‗TheEgg‘
17.T.S.Eliot‘sfirstmajorpoem(1917____,hasbeencalledthefirstmasterpiecesof
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
modernisminEnglish.
A.„TheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock‟B.‗TheWasteLand‘C.‗FourQuartets‘D.Prelude
18.ThethreepoetsEzraPound,T.S.Eliotand____openedthewaytomodernpoetry.
A.O.HenryB.HenryDavidThoreauC.E.E.CummingsD.RobertFrost
19.In1954,___wasawardedtheNobelprizeforliteraturefrohis―masteryoftheartof
modernnarration‖.
A.T.SEliotB.EarnestHemingwayC.JohnSteinbeckD.WilliamFaulkner
20.WilliamFaulknerisoneofthemostimportantsouthernwritersintheUnitedStates.____,
AsILayDying,LightinAugust,andAbsalom,Absalom!areworksthatambitiouscriticstendtoadmire.
A.TheSoundandtheFuryB.TheInvisibleManC.AGoodManisHardtoFindD.TheWrathoftheGrapes
IV.Questionsandanswers.
1.HowdoyouunderstandMarktwain‘suseoflocalcolorinhiswriting?
MarkTwain‘snarrativesaredistinguishedforhisuseoflocalcolor.Thismaybedefinedasthecarefulattentiontodetailsofthephysicalsceneandtothosemannerismsinspeech,dress,orbehaviorpeculiartoageographicallocality.Heinsistedthatthejobofthenativenovelistswastodepicteachofthecountry‘sregionsandpeopleaccurately.OnlyinthiswaycouldthepeculiarityofAmericanexperience,thepolyglottonguesofitspeople,andthevastnessofthecontinentbecaptured.HemainlyexploitedthepossibilitiesofthelocalcolorintheMississippiregion.
2.Discusstheconceptofwastelandinrelationtotheworksofthosewritersinthe20th
centuryAmericanliterature.
‗TheWasteLand‘isapoemwrittenbyT.S.Eliotonthethemeofthesterilityandchaosofth3contemporaryworld.Thismostwidelyknownexpressionofthedespairinthepostwarerahasappearedoverandoveragainintheworksofthosewritersinthe2othcenturyAmericanliterature.FaulknerexemplifiedT.S.Eliot‘sconceptofmodernsocietyasawastelandisadramaticway,hecondemnedthemechanized,industrializedsocietythathasdehumanizedmanbyforcinghimtocultivatefalsevaluesanddecreasethoseessentialhumanvaluessuchascourage,fortitude,honestyandgoodness.Fitzgeraldsoughttoportrayaspiritualwastelandofthejazzage.Beneaththemasksofrelaxationandjoviality,therewasonlysterility,meaninglessandfutilityamidthegrandeurandextravagance,therewasahintofdecadenceandmoraldecay.Hemingway,theleadingspokesmanoftheLostGeneration,thoughdisillusionedinthepostwarperiod,strovetobringaboutman‘s―graceunderpressure‖.Hetriedtobringouttheideathanmancanbephysicallydestroyedbutneverdefeatedspiritually.3.AnalyzeWaltWhitman‘s‗OCaptain!MyCaptain‘intermsoffreeverse.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
Inthepoem,WhitmancelebratestheheroicstruggleoftheAmericanpeoplefordemocracy,freedomandjusticeandexpresseshisseethinghatredofslavery.
Freeverseisakindofpoetrythatlacksregularmeterorpatternandmaynotrhyme.Dependingonnaturalspeechrhythms,itslinesmaybeofdifferentlengthsandmayswitchabruptlyfromonerhythmtoanother.WhitmanwasthefirstAmericanpoettousefreeverseextensively,becauseitisanappropriateformforhisliberatingviewoflifeandforhispoetrythatwouldalloweveryaspectoflifetospeakwithoutrestraint.Hetriedtoapproximatethenaturalcadencesofspeechinhispoetry,carefullyvaryingthelengthofhislinesaccordingtohisintendedemphasis.
LiteratureofColonialAmerica
I.
LiteraryTerms
―separatists‖.UnlikethemajorityofPuritans,theysawnohopeofreformingtheChurchofEnglandfromwithin.Theyfeltthattheinfluencesofpoliticsandcourthadledtocorruptionswithinthechurch.TheywishedtobreakfreefromtheChurchofEngland.AmongthemwasthePlymouthplantationgroup.TheywishedtofollowCalvin‘smodel,andtosetup―particular‖churches.
2.PilgrimsandPuritans:AsmallgroupofEuropeanssailedfromEnglandonthe
Mayflowerin1620.Thepassengerswerereligiousreformers---PuritanswhowerecriticaloftheChurchofEngland.Havinggivenuphopeof―purifying‖theChurchfromwithin,theychoseinsteadtowithdrawfromtheChurch.ThisactionearnedthemthenameSeparatists.Weknowthemasthepilgrims.
II.
Fillintheblanks
1.Theterm―Puritan‖wasappliedtothosesettlerswhooriginallyweredevoutmembersof
theChurchofEngland.
2.HarvardCollegewasestablishedin1636,withaprintingpresssetupnearlyin1639.3.Hardwork,thrift,pietyandsobriety,thesewerethepuritanvaluesthatdominatedmuch
oftheearlyAmericanwriting.
4.TheAmericanpoetswhoemergedintheseventeenthcenturyadaptedthestyleof
establishedEuropeanpoetstothesubjectmatterconfrontedinastrange,newenvironment.AnneBradstreetwasoneofsuchpoets.
5.Bradstreetusedaword―pilgrim‖todescribethecommunityofbelieverswhosailedfrom
SouthamptonEngland,ontheMayflowerandsettledinPlymouth,Massachusetts,in1620.6.ThewriterwhobestexpressedthePuritanfaithinthecolonialperiodwasJohn
Winthrop.
7.ThePuritanphilosophyknownasPuritanismwasimportantinNewEnglandduring
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1.Separatists:Inthecolonialperiod,thePuritanswhohadgonetoextremewereknownas

重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
colonialtime,andhadaprofoundinfluenceontheearlyAmericanmindforseveralgenerations.
III.
Multiplechoice
1.Earlyinthe17thcentury,theEnglishsettlementsin___beganthemainstreamofwhatwe
recognizeastheAmericannationalhistory.
A.VirginiaandPennsylvaniaB.MassachusettsandNewYorkC.VirginiaandMassachusettsD.NewYorkandPennsylvania
2.ThefirstwritingsthatwecallAmericanwerethenarrativesand___oftheearly
settlements.
A.journalsB.poetryC.dramaD.folklores
3.AmongtheearliestsettlersinNorthAmericawereFrenchmenwhosettledintheNorthern
Coloniesandalongthe____River.
A.St.LouisB.St.LawrenceC.MississippiD.Hudson4.In1620anumberofPuritanscametosettlein___.
A.VirginiaB.GeorgiaC.MarylandD.Massachusetts
5.Whosereportsofexploration,publishedintheearly1600s,havebeenregardedasthe
firstdistinctAmericanliteraturewritteninEnglish?A.JohnWinthrop‘sB.JohnSmith‟s
C.WilliamBradford‘sD.ChristopherColumbus‘s
6.WhatstyledidtheseventeenthcenturyAmericanpoetsadapttothesubjectmatter
confrontedinastrangelynewenvironment?A.Thestyleoftheirown.
B.ThestylemixedwithEnglishandAmericanelements.C.Thestylemixedwithnative-AmericanandBritishtradition.D.ThestyleofestablishedEuropeanpoets.
7.____wasacivilcovenantdesignedtoallowthetemporalstatetoservethegodlycitizen.
A.TheearlyhistoryofPlymouthColony.B.TheMagnaliaChristiAmerica.C.MayflowerCompact.D.FreedomoftheWill
8.WhoamongthefollowingtranslatedtheBibleintotheIndiantongue?
A.RogerWilliamsB.JohnEliotC.CottonMatherD.JohnSmith
9.ThebestofPuritanpoetswas____,whosecompleteeditionofpoetsappearedin1960,
morethantwohundredyearsafterhisdeath.
A.AnneBradstreetB.MichaelWigglesworthC.ThomasHookerD.EdwardTaylor
10.EnglishliteratureinAmericaisonlyaboutmorethan___yearsold.
A.500B.600C.200D.100
11.Theearlyhistoryof___ColonywasthehistoryofBradford‘sleadership.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
A.PlymouthB.JamestownC.NewEnglandD.Mayflower
12.ThecommonthreadthroughoutAmericanliteraturehasbeentheemphasisonthe___.
A.revolutionismB.reasonC.individualismD.rationalism
13.AnneBradstreetwasaPuritanpoet.HerpoemsmadesuchastirinEnglandthatshe
becameknownasthe―___‖whoappearedinAmerica.A.NinthMuseB.TenthMuseC.bestMuseD.FirstMuse
14.Theship―___‖carriedaboutonehundredPilgrimsandtook66daystobeatitsway
acrosstheAtlantic.InDecemberof1620,itputthePilgrimsashoreatPlymouth,Massachusetts.
A.SunflowerB.ArmadaC.MayflowerD.Titanic15.WhichwriterbestexpressedthePuritansenseoftheself?
A.JonathanEdwardsB.CottonMatherC.JohnSmithD.ThomasHooker
16.Before_____theAmericannewspaperswereculturalandliterarynature,butafterthis
time,theybecamemorepolitical.
A.1620B.1700C.1775D.1750IV.
Questionandanswer.
WhowasAnneBradstreet?Whatwereherliteraryachievements?
AnneBradstreet(1612-1672isoneofthemostimportantfiguresinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.SheisconsideredbymanytobethefirstAmericanpoetandherfirstcollectionofpoems,TheTenthMuseLatelySprungupinAmerica,byaGentlewomanofThoseParts,wasthefirstbookwrittenbyawomantobepublishedintheUnitedStates.Mrs.Bradstreet‘sworkalsoservesasdocumentofthestrugglesofaPuritanwifeagainstthehardshipsofnewEnglandcoloniallife.

LiteratureofReasonandRevolution
I.
Literaryterms.
1.Autobiography:Anautobiographyisaperson‘saccountofhisorherlife.Generally
writteninthefirstperson,withtheauthorspeakingas―I‖.Autobiographiespresentlifeeventsasthewriterviewsthem.Inadditiontoprovidinginsidedetailsaboutthewriter‘slife,autobiographiesofferinsightsintothebeliefsandperceptionsoftheauthor.Theyalsoofferglimpseofwhatitwasliketoliveintheauthor‘stimeperiod.Theyoftenprovideaviewofhistoricaleventsthatyouwon‘tfindinhistorybooks.BenjaminFranklin‘sAutobiographysetthestandardforwhatwasthenanewgenre.
2.Persuasion:Persuasioniswritingmeanttoconvincereaderstothinkoractinacertain
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
way.Apersuasivewriterappealstoemotionsorreason,offeropinionsandurgesaction.3.Aphorism:Anaphorismisashort,concisestatementexpressingawiseorclever
observationorageneraltruth.Avarietyofdevicesmakeaphorismseasytoremember.Somecontainrhymesorrepeatedwordsorsounds.Othersuseparallelstructuretopresentcontrastingideas.Theaphorism―nopainsnogains‖usesrhyme,repetitionandparallelstructure.II.
Fillintheblanks.
1.AttheinitialperiodthespreadofideasoftheAmericanEnlightenmentwaslargelydueto
journalism.
2.Franklineditedthefirstcolonialmagazine,whichhecalledtheGreatMagazine.3.Franklin‘sbeatwritingisfoundinhismasterpieceAutobiography.
4.ThomasPaine,withhisnaturalgiftforpamphleteeringandrebellion,wasappropriately
bornintoanageofrevolution.
5.OnJanuary10,1776,Paine‘sfamouspamphletCommonSenseappeared.
6.Paine‘ssecondmostimportantworkTheRightsofManwasanimpassionedpleaagainst
hereditarymonarchy.
7.ThemostoutstandingpoetinAmericaofthe18thcenturywasPhilipFreneau.
8.PhilipFreneau‘sfamouspoem―TheBritishPrisonShip”waswrittenabouthis
imprisonedexperience.
9.PhilipFreneauwasaclosefriendandpoliticalassociateofPresidentThomasJefferson.10.PhilipFreneauwasconsideredasthe―poetoftheAmericanRevolution‖,becausehe
wroteimpassionedverseinsupportoftheAmericanrevolution.
11.PhilipFreneauwasnoteworthyfirstbecauseofthenatureofhispoems.Theyweretruly
Americanandverypatriotic.Inthisrespect,hereflectedthespiritofhisage.Therefore,hehasbeencalledthe―fatherofAmericanpoetry‖.
12.InAmericanliterature,theeighteenthcenturywasanAgeofReasonandRevolution.III.
Multiplechoice
1.InAmericanliterature,theeighteenthcenturywastheageoftheEnlightenment.___was
thedominantspirit.
A.HumanismB.rationalismC.RevolutionD.Evolution
2.InAmericanliterature,theEnlightenerswerenotopposedto___.
A.thecolonialorderB.religiousobscurantismC.thePuritantraditionD.thesecularliterature
3.TheEnglishcoloniesinNorthAmericaroseinarmsagainsttheirparentcountryandthe
ContinentalCongressadopted___in1776.
A.theDeclarationofIndependenceB.theSugarActC.theStampActD.theMayflowerCompact
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
4.WhichstatementaboutFranklinisnottrue?
A.Heinstructedhiscountrymenasaprinter.B.Hewasamasterofdiplomacy.C.HewasaPuritan.D.Hewasascientist.
5.ThesecularidealsoftheAmericanEnlightenmentwereexemplifiedinthelifeandcareer
of___.
A.ThomasHoodB.BenjaminFranklinC.ThomasJeffersonD.GeorgeWashington
6.Whichofthefollowingdoesnotbelongtothisliteraryperiod?
A.TheAmericanCrisisB.TheFederalistC.DeclarationofIndependenceD.TheWasteLand7.BenjaminFranklinwastheepitomeofthe___.
A.AmericanEnlightenmentB.SugarActC.ChartistmovementD.Romanticist
8.From1732to1758,BenjaminFranklinwroteandpublishedhisfamous___,anannual
collectionofproverbs.
A.TheAutobiographyB.PoorRichard’sAlmanacC.CommonSenseD.TheGeneralMagazine
9.ThefirstpamphletpublishedinAmericatourgeimmediateindependencefromBritainis
___.
A.TheRightsofManB.CommonSense
C.TheAmericanCrisisD.DeclarationofIndependence
10.―Thesearethetimesthattrymen‘ssouls‖,thesewordswereoncereadtoWashington‘s
troopsanddidmuchtoshoreupthespiritsoftherevolutionarysoldiers.Whoistheauthorofthesewords?
A.BenjaminFranklinB.ThomasJeffersonC.ThomasPaineD.GeorgeWashington11.WhichstatementaboutPhilipFreneau?
A.HewasasatiristB.Hewasapamphleteer.C.Hewasasinger.D.Hewasabitterpolemicist.12.Whowasconsideredasthe―poetofAmericanRevolution‖?
A.MichaelWigglesworthB.EdwardTaylorC.AnneBradstreetD.PhilipFreneau
13.AttheReasonandRevolutionPeriod,AmericanswereinfluencedbytheEuropean
movementcalledthe___.
A.ChartistMovementB.RomanticistMovementC.EnlightenmentMovementD.ModernistMovement
14.ThomasJefferson‘sattitude,thatis,afirmbeliefinprogress,andthepursuitofhappiness,
istypicaloftheperiodwenowcall____.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
A.AgeofEvolutionB.AgeofReasonC.AgeofRomanticismD.AgeofRegionalismIV.
QuestionsandAnswers.
1.WhatarethecharacteristicsofBenjaminFranklin‘sliterarywork?
ThemainqualityinallBenjaminFranklin‘swritingisitsgenuinehumanness.Hisliteraryworkwastypicalofhimself.Honest,plain,democratic,clear-headed,shrewd,worldly-wise,hewasinterestedinthepracticalsideoflife.Theabsenceofidealityisobviousinallhiscompositions.Heneverreachedthehighlevelsofimaginativeart.Butonthislowerplaneofmaterialinterestandevery-daylifehewas,theworkspossessauniversalcharm
2.GiveabriefaccountofAmericanliteratureofthisperiod.
MuchworkduringtheRevolutionaryperiodwaspublicwriting.BythetimeoftheWarforIndependence,nearlyfiftynewspapershadbeenestablishedinthecoastalcities.AtthetimeofWashington‘sinauguration,therewerenearlyfortymagazines.AlmanacswerepopularfromMassachusettstoGeorgia.Themindofthenationwasonpolitics.Journalistsandprintersprovidedaforumfortheexpressionofideas.Thewritingofpermanentimportanceismostlypoliticalwriting.Thebest-knownwritingoftheperiodoutsidethefieldofpoliticswasdonebyBenjaminFranklin.3.Writeananalysisof‗TheDeclarationofIndependence‘.
TheDeclarationofIndependence,adoptedonJuly4,1776,notonlyannouncedthebirthofanewnation,italsosetforthaphilosophyofhumanfreedomwhichservedasanimportantforceinthewesternworld.ItsideasinspiredmassfervorfortheAmericancause,foritinstilledamongthecommonpeopleasenseoftheirownimportance,andinspiredstruggleforpersonalfreedom,self-government,andadignifiedplaceinsociety.
RomanticPeriodofAmericanLiterature
I.
LiteraryTerms.
1.Romanticism:Theliteraturetermwasfirstappliedtothewritersofthe18thcenturyin
Europewhobrokeawayfromtheformalrulesofclassicalwriting.WhenitwasusedinAmericanliteratureitreferredtothewritersofthemiddleofthe19thcenturywhostimulatedthesentimentalemotionsoftheirreaders.Theywrotethemysteriesoflife,love,birthanddeath.Theromanticwritersexpressedthemselvesfreelyandwithoutrestraint.Theywroteallkindsofmaterials:poetry,essays,plays,fiction,history,worksoftravel,andbiography.
2.Firesidepoets:WilliamGullenBryant,HenryWadsworthLongfellow,JamesRussel
Lowell,OliverWendellHolmes,andJohnGreenleafWhittierconstitutedagroupcalled
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
theFiresidePoets.Theyearnedthisnicknamebecausetheyfrequentlyusedthehearthasanimageofcomfortandunity,aplacewherefamiliesgatheredtolearnandtellstories.Theywerewidelyreadaroundthehearthsidesof19th-centuryAmericanfamilies.3.Transcendentalism:InNewEngland,anintellectualmovementknownas
transcendentalismdevelopedasanAmericanversionofRomanticism.ThemovementbeganamonganinfluentialsetofauthorsbasedinConcord,MassachusettsandwasledbyRalphWaldoEmerson.LikeRomanticism,transcendentalismrejectedboth18thcenturyrationalismandestablishedreligion,whichforthetranscendentalistsmeantthePuritantraditioninparticular.Thetranscendentalistscelebratedthepowerofthehumanimaginationtocommunewiththeuniverseandtranscendthelimitationsofthematerialworld.Theyfoundtheirchiefsourceofinspirationinnature.Emerson‘sessaynaturewasthemajordocumentofthetranscendentalschoolandstatedtheideasthatweretoremaincentraltoit.
4.Symbolism:ItisamovementinliteratureandthevisualartsthatoriginatedinFrancein
thepoetryofCharlesBaudelaireinthelate19thcentury.Inliterature,symbolismwasanaestheticmovementthatencouragedwriterstoexpresstheirideas,feelings,andvaluesbymeansofsymbolsorsuggestionsratherthanbydirectstatements.HawthorneandMelvillearemastersofsymbolisminAmericainthe19thcentury.
5.Freeverse:freeverseistherhymedorunrhymedpoetrycomposedwithoutattentionto
conventionalrulesofmeter.FreeversewasfirstwrittenandlabeledbyagroupofFrenchpoetsofthelate19thcentury.Theirpurposewastodeliverpoetryfromtherestrictionsofformalmetricalpatternsandtorecreatethefreerhythmsofnaturalspeech.WaltWhitmanwastheprecursorwhowrotelinesofvaryinglengthandcadence,usuallynotrhymed.Theemotionalcontentormeaningoftheworkwasexpressedthroughitsrhythm.FreeversehasbeencharacteristicoftheworkofmanymodernAmericanpoets,includingEzraPoundandCarlSandburg.
6.Puritanism:Thewordisoriginallyusedtorefertothetheoryadvocatedbyapartywithin
theChurchofEngland.ItisalsousedtorefertoattitudesandvaluesconsideredcharacteristicsofthePuritans.Itdenotesarigidmoral,orthecondemnationofinnocentpleasure,orreligiousnarrownessadheredbytheearlyNewEnglandPuritans.ItexertedgreatinfluenceoverAmericanRomanticism.ThepreoccupationwiththeCalvinistviewoforiginalsinandthemysteryofevilmarkedtheworksbysuchfamouswritersasHawthorneandMelville.
II.
Fillintheblanks
1.Intheearly19thcenturyRipVanWinkleestablishedWashingtonIrving‘sreputationat
homeandabroad,anddesignedthebeginningofAmericanRomanticism.
2.RalphWaldoEmerson‘sfirstbookin1836NaturebroughtAmericanRomanticismintoa
newphase,thephaseofNewEnglandTranscendentalism.
3.Intheearly19thcentury,WashingtonIrvingwroteTheSketchBookwhichbecamethe
firstworkbyanAmericanwritertowinfinancialsuccessonbothsidesoftheAtlantic.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
4.AllanPoe‘spoemshavethemusicalqualityandromanticbeauty.TheRavenishis
best-knownpoem.
5.TheCivilWarof1861-1865endedinthedefeatoftheSouthernersandtheabolitionof
slavery.
6.LeavesofGrass,eitherincontentorform,isanepoch-makingworkinAmerican
literature;itsdemocraticcontentmarkedtheshiftfromRomanticismtoRealism,anditsfreeverseformbrokefromoldpoeticconventionstoopenanewroadforAmericanpoetry.
7.WashingtonIrvingwasregardedasthefirstgreatprosestylistofAmerican
Romanticism.
8.In1823JamesFenimoreCooperwroteThePioneers,thefirstofthefivenovelsthatmake
upTheLeatherstockingTales.Theremainingfourbooks:TheLastoftheMohicans,ThePrairie,ThePathfinderandTheDeerslayer,continuethestoryofNattyBumppo,oneofthemostfamouscharactersinAmericanfiction.
9.Theshortstory‗TheLegendofSleepyHollow‘istakenfromWashingtonIrving‘swork
namedTheSketchBook.
10.WashingtonIrvingwasthefirstAmericantoachieveaninternationalliteraryreputation
aftertheRevolutionaryWar.
11.MelvilleisfamousforwritingabouttheseaandtheislandsoftheSouthernPacific.Inhis
masterpieceMobyDick,hetellsastoryofwhalingvoyagewhichsetsasymbolicaccountoftheconflictbetweenmanandhisfate.
12.ThefirstimportantAmericannovelistwasJamesFennimoreCooper.
13.ThecentralfigureintheLeatherstockingTalesisNattyBumppo,whogoesbythe
variousnamesofLeatherstocking,Deerlayer,PathfinderandHawkeye.
14.―ToaWaterfowl‖isperhapsthepeakofWilliamCullenBryant‘swork.Ithasbeen
calledbyaneminentEnglishcritic―themostperfectbriefpoeminthelanguage‖.15.AmongWilliamCullenBryant‘smostimportantlaterworksarehistranslationsofthe
IliadandtheOdysseyintoEnglishblankverse.
16.EdgarAllanPoe‘spoem―TheRaven‖isperhapsthebestexampleofonomatopoeiainthe
Englishlanguage.
17.MostofAllanPoe‘sstoriescanberoughlydividedintotwokinds:talesofGothichorror
orgrotesquelikeTheBlackCat,anincisiveenquiryintothecapacityofthehumanmindtooriginateitsdestructionandTheFalloftheHouseofUsher.
18.AsuperbbookWaldencameoutofThoreau‘stwo-yearexperienceatWaldenPond.19.FromThoreau‘sConcordjailexperience,camehisfamousessay―CivilDisobedience”.20.In1850,NathanielHawthornebroughtouthismasterpieceTheScarletLetter,thestory
ofatriangleloveaffairincolonialAmerica.
21.HermanMelville‘snovelMobyDickisatremendouschronicleofawhalingvoyagein
pursuitofaseeminglysupernaturalwhitewhale.
22.In―IHearAmericaSinging‖,WaltWhitmandepictsthebeautyoflaborandlaborers.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
23.Forthewhole19thcenturyEmilyDickinsonwastheonlywomanpoetwhoenjoyshigh
academicesteemtoday.Shehasbeenacclaimedasapoetofphilosophicalandtragicdimensions,apoetwhowasresponsivetothechallengingquestionsofman,natureandhumanconsciousness.
24.TheAmericanRomanticperiodstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturythroughthe
outburstoftheCivilWar.
25.InThePioneers,NattyBumpporepresentstheidealAmerican,livingavirtuousandfree
lifeinGod‘sworld.
26.ThewayinwhichHawthornewroteTheScarletLettersuggeststhatAmerican
RomanticismadapteditselftoAmericanPuritanmorality.III.
MultipleChoice.
1.In1837,thefirstcollege-levelinstitutionforwomen,MountHolyokeFemaleSeminary,
openedin___toservethe―Muslinsex‖.A.NewEnglandB.VirginiaC.MassachusettsD.NewYork
2.Asaphilosophicalandliterarymovement,___flourishedinNewEnglandfromthe1830s
totheCivilWar.
A.modernismB.rationalismC.sentimentalismD.transcendentalism
3.TheappearanceoftheScarletLettermarkedthematurityofHawthorneasanovelist.
Soonhecomposedtheotherthreeimportantnovelincluding___,TheBlithedaleRomanceandTheMarbleFaun.
A.TheHouseoftheSevenGablesB.ThePrairieC.TheFalloftheHouseofUsherD.Walden
4.Transcendentalismrecognized___asthe―highestpowerofthesoul‖.
A.intuitionB.logicC.dataofthesensesD.thinking
5.Anew___hadappearedinEnglandinthelastyearsofthe18thcentury.Itspreadto
continentalEuropeandthencametoAmericaearlyinthe19thcentury.A.RealismB.CriticalrealismC.RomanticismD.Naturalism
6.Thedesireforanescapefromsocietyandareturntonaturebecameapermanent
conventionofAmericanliterature,evidentin___.A.JamesFenimoreCooper‘sLeatherstockingTales.B.HenryDavidThoreau‘sWaldenC.MarkTwain‘sHuckleberryFinnD.Alloftheabove
7.HermanMelville‘s___isnotonlyanadventurestory,butalsoasignificantphilosophical
workonspiritualexploration.
A.MobyDickB.TheEggC.NatureD.TheOver-Soul
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
8.InJamesFenimoreCooper‘snovels,closeafterNattyBumppoinromanticappeals,come
thetwonobleredmen.Choosethemfromthefollowingitems.A.TheMohicanChiefChingachgookB.UncassC.TomJonesD.BothAandB9.Poe‘sfirstcollectionofshortstoriesis____.
A.TalesofaTravelerB.LeatherstockingTales
C.CanterburyTalesD.TalesoftheGrotesqueandArabesque
10.ThefirstexampleofNathanielHawthorne‘ssymbolismistherecreationofPuritan
Bostonin___.
A.TheScarletLetterB.YoungGoodmanBrownC.TheMarbleFaunD.TheAmbitiousGuest
11.HermanMelvillecalledhisfriendNathanielHawthorne____inAmericanliterature.
A.ThelargestbrainwiththelargestheartB.FatherofAmericanpoetryC.TheTranscendentalistD.TheAmericanscholar12.WhichisthecharacterwhoappearsinthenovelMobyDick?
A.HesterPrynneB.Mr.HooperC.AhabD.Pearl
13.___wasaromanticizedaccountofMelville‘sstayamongthePolynesians.Thesuccessof
thebooksoonmadeMelvilleknownasthe―manwholivedamongcannibals‖.A.MobyDickB.TypeeC.OmooD.BillyBudd
14.Withtheappearanceof___in1855,whichisaboutAmericanIndian,Longfellow‘s
poeticalreputationwasestablished.
A.EvangelineB.TheCourtshipofMilesStanndishC.SongofHiawathaD.MichaelAngelo
15.Intheearly19thcenturyAmericanmoralvalueswereessentiallyPuritan.Nothinghasleft
adeeperimprintonthecharacterofthepeopleasawholethandid___.
A.PuritanismB.RomanticismC.RationalismD.Sentimentalism16.―TheuniverseiscomposedofnatureandtheSoul…Spiritispresenteverywhere‖.Thisis
thevoiceofthebookNaturewrittenbyEmerson,whichpushedAmericanRomanticismintoanewphase,thephaseofNewEngland___.A.RomanticismB.TranscendentalismC.NaturalismD.Symbolism
17.WhichisgenerallyregardedastheBibleofNewEnglandTranscendentalism?
A.NatureB.WaldenC.―OnBeauty‖D.―Self-Reliance‖18.Whichisregardedasthe―DeclarationofIntellectualIndependence‖?
A.TheAmericanScholarB.EnglishTraitsC.TheConductofLifeD.RepresentativeMen
19.___isanappallingfictionalversionofNathanielHawthorne‘sbeliefthat―thewrong
doingofonegenerationlivesintothesuccessiveones‖andthatevilwillcomeoutofevilthoughitmaytakegenerationstohappen.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
A.TheMarbleFaunB.TheHouseofSvenGablesC.TheBlithedaleRomanceD.‗YoungGoodmanBrown‘
20.Inadditiontohisnovels,____wroteabout120shortstoriesandsketches.Amongthem
are‗YoungGoodmanBrown‘and‗TheMinisterofBlackVeil‘.A.HenryDavidThoreauB.NathanielHawthorneC.RalphWaldoEmersonD.HermanMelville
IV.
Questionsandanswers
1.WhataretheartisticachievementsofHenryWadsworthLongfellow‘spoetry?
HewasthebestknownoftheFiresidePoets.AmericanpoetrybeganitsemergencefromtheshadowofitsBritishparentage.Hispoeticnarrativehelpedcreateanationalhistoricalmyth,transformingcolorfulaspectsoftheAmericanpastintomemorableromance.TheworksincludeEvangeline(1847,theSongofHiawatha(1855.NoAmericanpoetbeforeorsincewasaswidelycelebratedduringhisorherlifetimeasLongfellow.HebecamethefirstandtheonlyAmericanpoettobehonoredwithabustinthePoets‘Corner.
2.HowtodefinetheRomanticperiodinAmericanhistory?
Theperiodstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.itstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving‘sTheSketchBookandendedwithWhitman‘sLeavesofGrass.BeingaperiodofthegreatflowingofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalled―theAmericanRenaissance‖.
3.WhataretheliterarycharacteristicsintheworksofAmericanromanticperiod?
Thecharacteristicsaremoralenthusiasm,faithinthevalueofindividualismandintuitiveperception,andapresumptionthatnaturalworldwasasourceofgoodnessandman‘ssocietyasourceofcorruption.
4.WhatistherelationshipbetweenAmericanromanticismandEuropeanRomanticism?
Theysharemuchincommon:inreactiontotheenlightenmentanditsemphasisonreason,Romanticismstressedemotion,theimagination,andsubjectivityofapproach.Europeanliterarymasters,especiallytheEnglishcounterpartsexertedastimulatingimpactonthewritersofthenewWorld.AmericanromanticismistosomeextentderivativeaftertheirEnglishpredecessors.ButthegreatAmericanRomanticworksweretypicallyAmerican.Thewritersdevelopedsomenewformsoffictionorpoetry.Theyplacedanincreasingemphasisonthefreeexpressionofemotionsanddisplayedanincreasingattentiontothepsychicstatesoftheircharacters.Thestrongtendencytoexalttheindividualandcommonmanwasanotherfocusofthemovement.5.WhatisRalphWaldoEmerson‘stranscendentalideaandhisviewofnature?
HistranscendentalideahassomeideologicalconcernsofAmericanPuritanismandEuropeanRomanticism,withitsfocusontheintuitiveknowledgeofhumanbeingstograsptheabsoluteintheuniverseandthedivinityofman.Emersonrejectedtheformalreligionofthechurches.Hebasedhisreligiononanintuitivebeliefinanultimateunity,whichhecalledthe―over-soul‖.Theover-soulisanall-pervadingpowerfromwhichall
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
thingscomefromandofwhichallareapart.InEmerson‘sview,natureisemblematicofthespiritualworld,alivewithGod‘soverwhelmingpresence.Itexercisesahealthyandrestorativeinfluenceonhumanmind.Byemployingnatureasabigsymbolofthespirit,orGod,ortheOver-soul,EmersonhasbroughtthePuritanlegacyofsymbolismtoitsperfection.
6.WhatisthemainideaofHenryDavidThoreau‘sWalden?
Thoreau‘sworkdemonstrateshowtheabstractidealsoflibertarianismandindividualismcanbeeffectivelyinstilledinaperson‘slife.InWalden(1854Thoreauexplainshismotivesforlivingapartfromsocietyanddevotinghimselftoasimplelifestyleandtotheobservationofnature.ThebooknotonlydisplaysEmersonianideasofself-reliancebutalsodevelopsThoreau‘sowntranscendentalidea.ForThoreau,natureisnotmerelysymbolic,butdivineinitselfandhumanbeingscanreceiveprecisecommunicationfromthenaturalworldbywayofpuresense.Toachievepersonalspiritualperfectionhethinksthemostimportantthingformanistobeself-sufficient.7.WhataretheartisticachievementsofEdgarAllanPoe?
Poeisknownasapoetandcriticbutmostfamousasthefirstmasteroftheshortstoryform,especiallytalesofthemysteriousandmacabre.Heoriginatedthenovelofdetection.ThebestknowntaleinthisgenreisTheMurdersintheMorgue(1841.ManyofPoe‘stalesaredistinguishedbytheauthor‘suniquegrotesqueinventivenessinadditiontohissuperbplotconstruction.SuchstoriesincludeTheFalloftheHouseofUsher(1983,inwhichthepenetratinggloominessoftheatmosphereisaccentedequallywithplotandcharacterization.Poe‘spoemsareremarkablefortheirflawlessliteraryconstructionandfortheirhauntingthemesandmetersasinthepoems‗TheRaven‘and‗AnnabelLee‘.8.WhataretheartisticcharacteristicsoftheScarletLetter?
Thenovel,astoryofrebellionwithinanemotionallyconstrictedPuritansociety,isanundisputedmasterpiecewrittenbyHawthorne.ItrevealsbothHawthorne‘ssupercraftsmanshipandthepowerfulpsychologicalinsightwithwhichheprobedguiltandanxietyinthehumansoul.Hawthorne‘sremarkablesenseofthePuritanpast,hisunderstandingofthecolonialhistoryinEngland,hisapparentpreoccupationwiththemoralissueofsinandguilt,andhiskeenpsychologicalanalysisofpeoplearebroughttofulldisplayinthenovel.Withmodernpsychologicalinsight,Hawthorneprobedthesecretmotivationsinhumanbehaviorandtheguiltandanxietythathebelievedresultedfromallsinsagainsthumanity,especiallythoseofpride.Hawthorneisamasterofsymbolism.Thestructureandtheformofthenovelarecarefullyworkedouttocaterforthethematicconcern.ByusingPearlasathematicsymbol,Hawthorneemphasizestheconsequenceofthesinofadulteryhasbroughttothecommunityandpeoplelivinginthatcommunity.TheletterAtakesondifferentlayersofsymbolicmeanings.9.DiscussthesymbolisminMelville‘sMobyDick?
MobyDickwaspublishedin1851.Holdingthethemethat―allvisibleobjectsarebutaspasteboardmask‖,Melvillestrikesthroughthesurfaceofhisadventurousnarrativeto
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
formulateconceptsofgoodandevilembeddedasallegoryinitsevents.MobyDickisasymbolicvoyageofthemindinquestofthetruthandknowledgeoftheuniverse,aspiritualexplorationintoman‘sdeeprealityandpsychology.ThePequodisthemicrocosmofhumansocietyandthevoyagebecomesasearchfortruths.Thewhitewhale,MobyDick,symbolizesnature,foritiscomplexunfathomable,malignantandbeautifulaswell.ForAhab,thewhalerepresentsonlyevil.Fortheauthor,thenarratorIshmaelandthereaders,MobyDickisanultimatemysteryoftheuniverse.Thevoyageofthemindwillforeverremainasearchofthetruth.
10.WhyisLeavesofGrassconsideredamilestoneinAmericanliterature?
TheworkhasalwaysbeenconsideredamonumentalworkbecauseofitsuniquelypoeticembodimentofAmericandemocraticideal.Ithasnineeditionsandthefirsteditionwaspublishedin1855.Inthegiantwork,Whitmanshowsconcernforthewholehardworkingpeopleandtheburgeoninglifeofthecities.Therealizationoftheindividualvaluealsofoundatoughpositioninhispoemsinaparticularway.Incelebratingtheself,Whitmanemphasizesthephysicaldimensionoftheselfandopenlycelebratessexuality.Someofhispoemsarepoliticallycommitted.Stylistically,Whitmanexperimentswithamixtureofthecolloquialdictionandproserhythmofjournalism.Thedirectaddressisanothersalientfeatureofhispoetry.Heconstructsademocratic―I‖,avoicethatsetsouttocelebrateitselfandtheraptureofitssenseexperiencingtheworld.HeinitiatedtheformoffreeverseinAmericathatendowshispoemswithaflowofmusicalityasenseofrhythm.
11.WhatarethethematicconcernsandtheartisticcharacteristicsofEmilyDickinson‘s
poetry?
Herpoetrycoverstheissuesvitaltohumanity,whichincludereligion,death,immortality,loveandnature.Herpoemshavenotitles,hencearealwaysquotedbytheirfirstlines.Inherpoetry,thereisaparticularstresspattern,inwhichdashesareusedasamusicaldevicetocreatecadenceandcapitallettersasameansofemphasis.Mostofherpoemsborrowtherepeatedfour-line,rhymedstanzasoftraditionalChristianhymns,withtwolinesoffour-beatmeteralternatingwithtwolinesofthree-beatmeter.Amasterofimaginarythatmakesthespiritualmaterializeinsurprisingways,Dickinsonmanagedmanifoldvariationswithinhersimpleform.Sheusesimperfectrhythms,subtlebreaksofrhythm,andidiosyncraticsyntaxandpunctuationtocreatefascinatingworldpuzzles,whichhaveproducedgreatlydivergentinterpretationsovertheyears.Duetoherdeliberateseclusion,herpoemstendtovivifysomeabstractideas.Herpoetry,despiteitsostensibleformalsimplicity,isremarkableforitsvariety,subtletyandrichness.Herlimitedprivateworldhasneverconfinedthelimitlesspowerofhercreativityandimagination.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
PeriodofRealism
I.
Literaryterms.
1.Realism:Amodeofwritingthatgivestheimpressionofrecordingorreflectingfaithfully
anactualwayoflife.
2.Naturalism:Amoredeliberatekindofrealisminnovels,storiesandplays,usually
involvingaviewofhumanbeingsaspassivevictimsofnaturalforcesandsocialenvironment.
3.Localcolor:Itmaybedefinedasthecarefulattentiontodetailsofthephysicalsceneand
tothosemannerismsinspeech,dress,orbehaviorpeculiartoageographicallocality.4.Psychologicalrealism:Itistherealisticwritingthatprobesdeeplyintothecomplexities
ofcharacters‘thoughtsandmotivation.HenryJames‘novelTheAmbassadorsisconsideredtobeamasterpieceofpsychologicalrealism.
II.
Fillintheblanks
1.By1875,Americanwritersweremovingtowardrealisminliterature.Wecanseethisin
thetrue-to-lifedescriptionsofBretHarte,WillimDeanHowellsandHamlinGarland.2.ThemoststraightforwarddefinitionofrealismisprobablytheonegivenbytheAmerican
realistWilliamDeanHowells.Thatis:―nothingmoreandnothinglessthanthetruthfultreatmentofmaterial.‖
3.RealismfirstappearedintheUnitedStatesintheliteratureoflocalcolor,anamalgamof
romanticplotsandrealisticdescriptionsofthingsimmediatelyobservable:thedialects,customs,sightsandsoundsofregional.
4.AsoneofAmerica‘sfirstandforemostrealistsandhumorists,MarkTwain,thepenname
ofSamuelLanghorneClemens,usuallywroteabouthisownpersonalexperiencesandthingsheknewaboutfromfirsthandexperiences.
5.AttheheartofMarkTwain‘sachievementishiscreationoftwocharacters:TomSawyer
andHuckleberryFinn.
6.MarkTwainwasbornonNovember30,1835,inthevillageofFlorida,Missouri,and
grewupinthelargerrivertownofHannibal.ThesteamboatswhichpasseddailywerethefascinationofthetownandbecamethesubjectmatterofTwain‘sLifeontheMississippi.7.ErnestHemingway,whoseownstyleisbasedonTwain‘s,oncesaid,―Allmodern
AmericanliteraturecomesfromTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.‖
8.StephenCrane,thefirstAmericannaturalist,wasnotmuchinfluencedbythescientific
approach.Hewasageniuswithamazingsympathyandimagination.
9.InTheRedBadgeofCourage,StephenCrane‘sgreatestnovel,theaccidentofwarmakes
ayoungmanseemtobeahero.Warchangesmenintoanimals.Intheviewoftheauthor,goodorbad,heroorcoward,aremerelymattersofchance,offate.
10.HamlinGarlanddevelopedawritingmethodwhichhecalled―veritism‖(meaningtruth.
Hedescribedpeople,placesandeventsinacarefulandfactualmanner.
11.HenryJameswasarealist,butnotanaturalist.Hewasanobserverofthemindrather
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
thanarecorderoftime.Hisrealismwasaspecialkindofpsychologicalrealism.
12.HenryJamesfirstachievedrecognitionasawriterofthe―International‖novel---astory
whichbringstogetherpersonsofvariousnationalistswhorepresentcertaincharacteristics.
13.ThePortraitofaLadyisthebestnovelofHenryJames‘―middleperiod‖.Itisastory
aboutayoung,brightAmericangirlwhogoestoEuropetoexplorelife.
14.Dreiser‘sgreatestnovelAnAmericanTragedy,revealsalaststageinhisthinkingof
socialconsciousness.
15.Darwinismhadanevidentinfluenceonnaturalism.Itseemedtostresstheanimalityof
man,tosuggestthatmanwasdominatedbytheforcesofevolution.
16.TheArtofFictionwasHenryJames‘mostfamousandinfluentialcriticalessaywrittenin
responsetoalectureonfictiondeliveredbyanEnglishnovelist.III.
Multiplechoice
1.___,whobecametheeditorofHarper’sMonthlyin1891,createdthefirsttheoryfor
Americanrealism.
A.EmileZolaB.HamlinGarlandC.StephenCraneD.WilliamDeanHowells
2.___inthe1860swasthefirstAmericanwriteroflocalcolortoachievewidepopularity.
A.MarkTwainB.WilliamDeanHowellsC.BretHarteD.HarrietBeecherStowe
3.StephenCrane‘snovel:Maggie:AGirloftheStreet,isthestoryofagirl___.
A.whoisbroughtupinapoorareaofChicago
B.whoislovedbyherfamilybutbetrayedbyherfriends.
C.whoexperiencedtheviolenceandcrueltyofthesocietyalmosteverydayD.whoisevilbynature.
4.Inhisshortstory,___,StephenCraneshowshowevenlifeanddeatharedeterminedby
fate.
A.„TheOpenBoat‘B.‗TheOpenWindow‘C.‗WarIsKind‘D.‗WarisSlaughterhouse‘
5.Thenaturalismof___wasfilledwithdeepsympathyforthecommonpeople.His
literaturewasaformofprotestsagainsttheconditionswhichmadethelivesofMid-westernfarmerssopainfulandunhappy.A.HaroldFredericB.AmbroseBierceC.HenryJamesD.HamlinGarland
6.ThenovelwhichwasdescribedbyanAmericancriticas―anoutragetoAmerican
girlhood‖isHenryJames‘___.
A.DaisyMillerB.ThePortraitofaLadyC.WomaninLoveD.Awakening
7.MarkTwain‘sfirstnovel,___,wasanartisticfailure,butitgaveitsnametotheAmerica
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
oftheperiodwhichitattemptstosatirize.
A.TheGildedAgeB.LifeontheMississippiC.TheInnocentsAbroadD.TheMysteriousStranger
8.JackLondonwasathisheightofhispowerswhenhewrote___,whichisdeeply
influencedbyDarwinism.
A.TheSeaWolfB.ToBuildaFireC.TheCalloftheWildD.MartinEton
9.Withthepublicationof___in1900,TheodoreDreisercommittedhisliteraryforceto
openingthenewgroundofAmericannaturalism.A.AnAmericanTragedyB.SisterCarrieC.TheBulwarkD.TheStoic10.Inhisworks,TheodoreDreiser‘stoneisalways___.
A.sadB.satiricalC.comicD.seriousIV.
Questionsandanswers
1.InTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,HuckFinnisathirteen-year-oldboy.Whydoes
Marktwainuseachildasthecenterofconsciousnessinthisbook?
Inusingachildprotagonist,Twainisabletoimplyacomparisonbetweenthepowerlessnessandvulnerabilityofachildandthepowerlessnessandvulnerabilityofablackmaninpre-CivilWarAmerica.HuckandJimfrequentlyfindthemselvesinthesamepredicaments:eachisabused,eachfacesthethreatoflosinghisfreedom,andeachisconstantlyatthemercyofadultwhitemen.InHuck‘smoraldilemmas,JimisalsovulnerabletoHuckwhoiswhite.Twainalsouseshischildprotagonisttodramatizetheconflictbetweensocietalorreceivedmorality.Asaboy,Huckisacharacterwhocandevelopmorally,whosemindisstillopenandbeingformed,whodoesnottakehisprinciplesandvaluesforgranted.Bytracingtheeducationandexperiencesofaboy,Twainshowsthatconclusionsaboutrightandwrongthatarebasedonlogicandexperience.Thesociety‘srulesandmoralsareoftenhypocriticalratherthanlogical.2.DiscusstheinfluenceofCharlesDarwin‘stheoriesonTheCalloftheWild.
Inwritinghisnovel,JackLondonwasprofoundlyinfluencedbythewritingsofCharlesDarwin.Darwin,thefoundingfatherofevolutiontheory,thoughtthatlifeinthenationalworldconsistsofaconstantstruggleforsurvival,inwhichonlythestrongcouldthriveandproduceoffspring.This―survivalofthefittest‖wastheenginethatdroveevolution.TheworldthatLondoncreatesinTheCalloftheWildoperatesstrictlyaccordingtoDarwinistprinciplesinitsbrutalityandamorality,onlythefitsurvivesinthecruellandscapeoftheKlondike.
3.WhatisspecialaboutMarkTwain‘srealism?
MarkTwain‘scontributiontothedevelopmentofrealismandtoAmericanliteratureasawholewaspartlythroughhistheoriesoflocalcolorinAmericanfiction,andpartlythroughhiscolloquialstyle.MarkTwaindrewheavilyfromhisownrichfundof
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
knowledgeofpeopleandplaces.Heconfinedhimselftothelifewithwhichhewasfamiliar.Byquotingfromhisownexperience,hemanagedtotransformintoartthefreedomandhumor,inshort,thefinestelementsofwesternculture.
20thCenturyAmericanPoetry
I.
Literaryterms
1.Imagism:ImagismisaschoolofpoetrythatflourishedinNorthAmericaandEnglandat
thebeginningofthe20thcentury.Imagistsrejectedthesentimentalismoflate19thcenturyverseinfavorofthepoetrythatreliedonconcreteimagery.EzraPoundoriginallyledthemovement.AmyLowellsoonbecameitsproponent.Themajorcriteriaare:aregularlyuseeverydayspeechbutavoidsclichés;bcreatenewrhythms;caddressanysubjectmatterthepoetdesired;ddepictitssubjectsthroughprecise,clearimages.ThepoetsincludeH.D.,CarlSandburg;WilliamCarlosWilliam,D.H.Lawrenceetc.
2.Confessionalpoetry:Anautobiographicalmodeofversethatrevealsthepoet‘spersonal
problemswithunusualfrankness.ThetermisusuallyappliedtocertainpoetsoftheUS.Fromthelate1950stothelate1960s,notablyRobertLowell,whoseLifeStudiesandFortheUnionDeaddealwithhisdivorceandmentalbreakdowns.OtherexamplesareAnneSexton‘sToBedlamandPartWayBack,includingpoemsonabortionandlifeinmentalhospitals.JohnBerryman‘sDreamSongsonalcoholismandinsanity;SylviaPlath‘spoemsonsuicideinArielandW.D.Snodgrass‘Heart’sNeedleondivorce.
3.BlackMountainpoets:Alooselyassociatedgroupofpoetsthatformedanimportantpart
oftheavant-gardeofAmericanpoetryinthe1950s,publishinginnovativeyetdisciplinedverseintheBlackMountainReview(1954-57,whichbecamealeadingforumofexperimentalverse.Theirexperimentalyetdisciplinedstyletookitsimpetusfromtheessay―ProjectiveVerse‖(1950byCharlesOlson.TheBlackMountainSchoolislinkedwithCharlesOlson‘stheoryof―projectiveverse‖,whichinsistsonanopenfrombasedonthespontaneityofthebreathpauseinspeechandthetypewriterlineinwriting.ThegroupgrewuparoundthepoetsRobertCreeley,RobertDuncanandCharlesOlsonwhiletheywereteachingatBlackMountain.
4.TheBeatGeneration:ThetermBeatGenerationwasintroducedbyJackKerouacin
approximately1948todescribehissocialcircletoanovelistwhopublishedanearlynovelaboutthegeneration.Themembersofthebeatgenerationwereengagedinaspontaneous,messycreativity.Thebeatwritersproducedabodyofwrittenworkcontroversialbothforitsadvocacyofnon-conformityandforitsnon-conformingstyle.ThemajorbeatwritingsareJackHerouac‘sOntheRoad,AllanGinsberg‘sHowlandWilliamBurroughs‘NakedLunch.
5.TheNewYorkSchool:UnliketheBeatpoets,thepoetsoftheNewYorkSchoolarenot
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
interestedinovertlymoralquestionsandingeneral,theysteerclearofpoliticalissues.Theyhavethebestformaleducationofanygroup.ThemajorfiguresoftheNewYorkSchool—JohnAshberry,FrankO‘HarraandKennethKoch—metwhiletheywereundergraduatesatHarvardUniversity.Theyarequintessentiallyurban,cool,nonreligious,wittywithapoignant,pastelsophistication.Theirpoemsarefastmoving,fullofurbandetail,incongruityandanalmostpalpablesenseofsuspendedbelief.NewYorkcityisthefineartscenterofAmericaandthebirthplaceofabstractexpressionismamajorinspirationofthispoetry.Mostofthepoetsworkedasartreviewersormuseumcurators,orcollaboratedwithpainters.Perhapsbecauseoftheirfeelingforabstractart,whichdistrustsfigurativeshapesandobviousmeanings,theirworkisoftendifficulttocomprehend,asinthelaterworkofJohnAshbery.
II.
Fillintheblanks
1.ImagismisapoeticmovementofEnglandandtheUnitedStates,whichflourishedfrom
1980-1917.
2.Generallyconsideredtheleaderoftheimagistmovement,EzraPoundborrowed
techniquesfromclassicalChineseandJapanesepoetryandproducedpoemsstressingclarity,precisionandeconomyoflanguageandforegoingtraditionalrhymeandmeter.3.TheWasteLandbyT.S.Eliotisregardedasacentraltextofmodernism.Itissaidto
catchpreciselythestateofcultureandsocietyafterWordWarIandgraphicallyillustratethespiritualpovertyoftheWestofthattime.
4.Publishedin1917,PrufrockandOtherObservationsimmediatelyestablishedT.S.Eliot
asaleadingpoemoftheavant-garde.Themostnotablepoeminthiscollectionisentitled‗TheLoveSongofAlfredJ.Pruforck‟.
5.In1927,T.S.EliotbecameaBritishcitizenandconvertedfromtheUnitarianChurchto
theChurchofEngland.
6.Amongtheimagists,H.D.iscreditedwithgivingafemalevoicetoclassicalmyths.7.WinneroftheNationalBookAwardin1950andthePulitzerPrizein1960,WilliamC.
Williamsistheauthorofthefive-volumeepicPatersonwhichisalucidstatementoftheauthor‘saesthetics.
8.TheprosemasterpiecesofCarlSandburgisthemonumentalbiographyofAbraham
Lincohn:ThePraireYearsandAbrahamLincohn:TheWarYears,thelatterofwhichearnedhimthe1940PulitzerPrizeinhistory.
9.WallaceStephenwassuccessfulintwodifferentfieldswhichseemedratherincompatible
witheachother:hewasvice-presidentofaninsurancecompanyandaremarkablepoetatthesametime.
10.T.S.Eliotalsowroteverseplaysandheexcelledindramaticmonologue.Murderinthe
Cathedraliswidelyacknowledgedashisbestverseplay,whichisbasedonthestoryofThomasaBecket,asaintoftheRomanCatholicChurchoftheancienttime.

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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
III.Multiplechoice
1.Imagistpoemsaremainlycomposedintheformof___.
A.blankverseB.freeverseC.heroiccoupletD.sonnet
2.Imagismwasequivalentto___infictioninasense.Imagistneverstatedtheemotionin
thepoem,butjustpresentedanimage:concrete,firmanddefiniteinpicture.A.naturalismB.romanticismC.modernismD.surrealism
3.PioneerofmodernAmericanpoetry,___didnotonlyproducegreatpoetryhimselfbut
alsohelpedhiscontemporarypoetsincludingT.S.Eliot,H.D.,andRobertFrostwiththeirliterarycareers.
A.RobertLowellB.EdgarAllanPoeC.EzraPoundD.WilliamCarlosWilliams4.WhichofthefollowingpoetsisaNobelPrizewinner?
A.EzraPoundB.RobertFrostC.T.S.EliotD.WallaceStevens
5.TomanywhoreadFog,IAmthePeople,theMob,Grass,andthe21sectionsofGood
Morning,America,___wassuccessorto19thcenturypoetWaltWhitmanastheproclaimeroftheAmericanspirit.
A.T.SEliotB.EzraPoundC.RobertFrostD.CarlSandburg
6.FourofRobertFrost‘spoeticcollectionswerePulitzerPrizewinners.Theyare___,
CollectedPoems,AFurtherRange,andaWitnessTree.
A.PatersonB.NewHampshireC.CathayD.DesImagistes
7.E.A.RobinsonwrotenarrativepoemsbasedonArthurianlegendsinhislaterlife.The
poemsinclude___,Lancelot,andTristram.
A.MerlinB.GuinevereC.TheHolyGrailD.Camelot8.WhichofthefollowingwasnotwrittenbyRobertFrost?
A.‗TheRoadnotTaken‘B.‗AfterApple–Picking‘C.‗Birches‘D.„RichardCory‟
9.LikeT.S.Eliot,___mainlyappealedtothetasteoftheso-calledelites.
A.E.A.RobinsonB.WallaceStevensC.E.E.CummingsD.CarlSandburg
10.LikeRobertFrost,___wasalsonotedforhisuseofadry,sometimesbiting,New
Englandhumor.
A.CarlSandburgB.WallaceStevensC.E.A.RobinsonD.E.E.Cummings11.CarlSandburgwasassociatedwiththeimagistsandwrotewell-knownimagistpoems
suchas___.
A.‗TheHarbor‟B.‗Merlin‘C.‗SmokeandSteel‘D.‗Camelot‘
12.Theimagistpoetsfollowedthreeprinciples,theyare___,directtreatmentandeconomy
ofexpression.
A.blankverseB.clearrhythmC.freeverseD.everydayspeech13.T.S.Eliotwasa___.
A.playwright,criticandpoetB.critic,poetandnovelist
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
C.novelist,essayistandpoetD.poet,novelistandpolitician
14.___championedtheimagistmovementfrom1912to1914,settingdowntheimagist
principles.ThenAmyLowellledthemovementintotheperiodof―Amygism‖,asPoundcalledit,from1914to1917.
A.T.S.EliotB.H.D.C.EzraPoundD.CarlSandburgIV.
Questionsandanswers
1.Whatarethemajorcharacteristicsofimagistpoetry?Themajorcharacteristicsareasfollows:
1directtreatmentofobjects,concretenessofimagery.2Noideasorinsightbutthingsorimages.
3Freeversewithoutimposingarhythmicalpattern.4Commonspeech,economyofexpressions2.Whatisthethemeof‗TheWasteLand‘byT.S.Eliot?
Thethemeismodernspiritualbarrenness,thedespairanddepressionthatfollowedtheWWI,thesterilityandturbulenceofthemodernworld,andthedeclineandbreak-downofwesternculture.Italsoshowsthesearchforregenerationbypeoplelivinginachaoticworld.

20thCenturyAmericanFiction
I.
Literaryterms
1.Cameraeye:AliterarydevicedevelopedbyDosPassos,whichprovidesan
autobiographyaccountofhislifecorrespondingtothetimeofthefictionalnarrative.Writtenusuallyinastream-of-consciousnessstyle,theyrecordtheauthor‘sactivitiesandreflectionsatroughlythesametimethateventsinthefictionalnarrativesaretakingplace.Theseimpressionisticaccountsrecreatehischangingmoodsinaturbulentage,showingthathisprivatelifeispartofagreaterculturalcomplexity.
2.Expressionism:ThetermreferstoamovementinGermanyearlyinthe20thcentury,in
whichanumberofpainterssoughttoavoidtherepresentationofexternalrealityandinstead,toprojectahighlypersonalvisionoftheworld.Themainprincipleinvolvedisthatexpressiondeterminesform,andthereforeimagery,punctuation,syntaxandsoon.Inbrief,anyoftheformalrulesandelementsofwritingcanbebentordisjointedtosuitthepurpose.Theatrically,expressionismwasareactionagainstrealisminthatittendstoshowinnerpsychologicalrealities.
3.Freeassociation:Atermcommonlyusedinpsychologybutwhichhasachievedsome
currencyinliterarycriticismandtheory.Thepointinvolvedisthatawordorideaactsasastimulusortriggertoaseriesorsequenceofotherwordsorideaswhichmayormaynothavesomelogicalrelationship.Somewritingthatlookslikeitisprobablytheresultofcarefullythoughtoutandcontrivedarrangement.Thistechniqueisoftenadoptedin
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
modernworks,suchasJamesJoyce‘sUlysses.
4.theStreamofconsciousness:Itwasfirstusedinthe19thcenturybyWilliamJames,an
Americanphilosopherandpsychologist,inhisbookThePrincipleofPsychology.Asaliterarytechniquethatnovelistsexperimentwithinthe20thcentury,itisemployedtoevincesubjectiveaswellasobjectivereality.Itrevealsthecharacter‘sfeelings,thoughts,andactions,oftenfollowinganassociativeratherthanalogicalsequence,withoutcommentarybytheauthor.Itisaliterarytechniqueinwhichauthorsrepresenttheflowofsensationsandideas,addedtothedepthofcharacterportrayal.TheBritishRichardsonwasthepioneerinuseofthedevice.JamesJoycebroughtittoitshighestpointofdevelopment.OtherexponentsincludeUlyssesandFinnegansWake.
5.Avant-garde:TheFrenchmilitaryandpoliticaltermforthevanguardofanarmyor
politicalmovement,extendedsincethelate19thcenturytothatbodyofartistsandwriterswhoarededicatedtotheideaofartasexperimentandrevoltagainsttradition.Itmeanstostayaheadofone‘stimethroughconstantinnovationinformsandsubjects.
6.Collage:Atermadoptedfromthevocabularyofpainterstodenoteawork,which
containsamixtureofallusions,references,quotations,andforeignexpressions.ItiscommonintheworkofJamesJoyce,EzraPoundandT.S.Eliot.
7.LostGeneration:AlsotermedtheSadYoungMen,whichwascreatedbyF.S.Fitzgerald
inhisbookAlltheSadYoungMen.Thetermingeneralreferstothepost-WorldWarIgeneration,butspecificallyagroupofUSwriterswhocameofageduringthewarandestablishedtheirreputationinthe1920s.ItstemsfromaremarkmadebyGertrudeSteintoErnestHemingway,―Youareallalostgeneration.‖HemingwayuseditasanepigraphtoTheSunAlsoRises,anovelthatcapturestheattitudesofahard-drinking,fastlivingsetofdisillusionedyoungexpatriatesinpostwarParis.Thegenerationwas―lost‖inthesensethatitsinheritedvalueswerenolongerrelevantinthepostwarworldandbecauseofitsspiritualalienationfromUS,theyseemedhopelesslyprovincial,materialistic,andemotionallybarren.ThetermembracesHemingway,Fitzgerald,DosPassos,E.E.Cummingsandsoon.
8.Multiplepointofview:WilliamFaulknerisamasteratpresentingmultiplepointsof
view,showingwithinthesamestoryhowcharactersreactdifferentlytothesamepersonorthesameevents.Itgivesthestoryacircularformwithoneeventasthecenterandvariouspointsofviewradiatingfromit.Thistechniquemakesitdifficultforthereadertoseethetruthofthestory.
II.
Fillintheblanks
1.TheimpactofDarwin‘sevolutionarytheoryontheAmericanthoughtandtheinfluenceof
the19thcenturyFrenchliteratureontheAmericanmenoflettersgiverisetoanotherschoolofrealism:Americannaturalism.
2.TheSoundandtheFuryhasfoursectionswithfourdifferentnarrators.Thedaughterof
theCompsonfamilynamedCaddy,whoistheonlyonecapableoflovingamongtheCompsonchildren,appearsinallthenarratives.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
III.Multiplechoice
1.OfthefollowingAmericanswriters,whohasNOTbeenanexpatriateinParis?
A.ErnestHemingwayB.SherwoodAndersonC.F.S.FitzgeraldD.EmilyDickinson
2.WhichofthefollowingworksbyWillaCathershowsTheaKronbergfindingspiritual
renewalintheAmericanSouthwest?
A.OPioneers!B.TheSongoftheLarkC.DeathComesfortheArchbishopD.ShadowsontheRock3.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningWillaCatherisNOTtrue?
A.EstrangementfromconventionalsexualityandsexrolesistypicalofCather‘smain
characters.
B.OPioneersrepresentsthefirststageofCather‟sliterarylifecenteringaround
thethemeofheroicmanhood.
C.BooksfromhermiddleperiodincludeALostLadyandTheProfessor’sHouse;both
dealwithspiritualandculturalcrisesinthelivesoftheirmaincharacters.
D.DeathComesfortheArchbishop,aworkthatinitiatesherthirdstageandissetin
nineteenthcenturyNewMexico,evokesthesolidityofavanishedpast.
4.InwhichoftheworksofHemingwaydoesthecharacterSantiagooccur?
A.InOurTimeB.TheOldManandtheSeaC.ForWhomtheBellTollsD.TheSunAlsoRises
5.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningtheroleoftheseainHemingway‘snovella
TheOldManandtheSeaisNOTcorrect?
A.Throughtheprotagonist‘sinteractionswiththesea,hischaracteremerges.B.Theseaprovidesglimpsesofthedepthoftheprotagonist‘sknowledge.
C.Hisstruggle,resolveandpridearemeasuredintermsofhowfaroutintothegulfhe
sails.
D.Theseasymbolizesthebenevolentsideofnature.6.TheHemingwaycodeheroesarebestrememberedfortheir___.
A.indestructiblespiritB.pessimisticviewoflifeC.warexperienceD.masculinity
7.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningErnestHemingwayisNOTtrue?
A.War,hunting,humandignityandtriumphhavebeenrecurringmotifsinHemingway‘s
works.
B.Hisworkispreoccupiedwiththeculturalandpsychologicalmeaningsof
femininity.
C.Hemingwayidentifiedtherapidchangeinwomen‘sstatusafterWWIandthegeneral
blurringofsexrolesthataccompaniedthenewsexualfreedom.
D.AsHemingwayaged,hisinterestinexclusivelymasculineformsofself-assertionand
self-definitionbecamemorepronounced.
8.WhohasmadethestatementthatallmodernAmericanliteraturecomesfromasingle
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
bookcalledTheAdventureofHuckleberryFinn?
A.ErnestHemingwayB.WilliamFaulknerC.F.S.FitzgeraldD.T.S.Eliot
9.WhowasthefirstAmericanauthorthatwontheNobelPrizein1930?
A.ToniMorrisonB.ErnestHemingwayC.SinclairLewisD.JohnSteinbeck
10.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningSherwoodAndersonisNOTtrue?
A.Hislongerfictioniswellknownforitscomplexunity.B.Heembracedsimplicityanddirectnessofstyle.
C.Hemadeattractivetheuseofthepointofviewofoutsidercharactersasawayof
criticizingconventionalsociety.
D.Hepresentsinhisshortstoriesasliceoflifeorasignificantmomentasapposedto
panoramaandsummary.
11.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningWinesburg,OhioisNOTtrue?
A.Thebookconsistsofmanyindividualtaleswithaloosebutcoherentstructure.B.Thelivesofanumberofpeoplelivinginthetownareobservedbythenative
adolescentGeorgeWillard.
C.ThebookendswiththedeathofGeorge‘smotherandhisdeparturefromWinesburg.D.Throughfirstpersonpointofview,thebookenablesthereadertoseehowthe
livesofthecharactershavebeenprofoundlydistortedbythefrustrationandsuppressionofsomanyoftheirdesires.
12.―Therewasmusicfrommyneighbor‘shousethroughthesummernights.Inhisblue
gardensmenandgirlscameandwentlikemothsamongthewhisperingsandthechampagneandthestares…‖.Thisquotationistakenfrom…..
A.MobyDickbyHermanMelvilleB.DaisyMillerbyHenryJamesC.SisterCarriebyTheodoreDreiserD.TheGreatGatsbybyF.S.Fitzgerald13.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrueindescribingAmericannaturalists?
A.Theyusedsomeseriousandmoresympathetictoneinwritingthanrealists.B.TheyweredeeplyinfluencedbyDarwinism.
C.TheywereidentifiedwithFrenchnovelistandtheoristEmileZola.D.Theychosetheirsubjectsfromlowerranksofsociety.
14.Amongthefollowingwriters,whoisoftenacclaimedliteraryspokesmanoftheJazzAge?
A.WilliamFaulknerB.F.S.FitzgeraldC.HenryJamesD.EugenO‘Neill15.―NickAdams‖isacharacterwhofrequentlyappearsin___‘sstories.
A.WilliamFaulknerB.TheodoreDreiserC.MarkTwainD.ErnestHemingway16.Nick‘snighttriptotheIndianvillageandhisexperienceinsidethehutcanbetakenas
___.
A.aninitiationtopainandsufferingB.aconfrontationwithevilandsinC.anessentiallessonaboutIndiantribesD.alearningprocessofhumanconnections17.ItwasTheVikingPortableFaulknereditedby___in1946thatfirstbroughtFaulknerto
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
criticalattention.
A.MalcolmCowleyB.PhilStoneC.SherwoodAndersonD.GertrudeStein
18.Thefictionalplacethatbearsmarkedsimilaritiestothetownwhere___hadbeenraised
wascalledbyhimselfhis―littlepostagestampofnativesoil‖.
A.WilliamStyronB.MarkTwainC.WilliamFaulknerD.JohnBarth
IV.
Questionsandanswers
1.WhatisthetypeofheroesinHemingway‘snovels?
Someofhisheroesliveadisorderlyandimmorallife,wildwithalcohol.Someofthemarementallywoundedandholdanihilisticorcynicalviewtowardlife.Deepatthebottomoftheirhearts,theyareneverlost.Northeyeverceasetosearchforthemeaningandultimatetruthoflife.Theymaybephysicallydestroyedbyfate,buttheycanneverbespirituallydefeated.TheHemingwaycodeheroisbraveandunyielding.Thoughsufferingfromphysicalpainsandpsychologicalalienationsfromtheirsurroundings,theycanalwayspossessthequalityof―graceunderpressure‖.
2.WhywasFitzgeraldregardedasspokesmanofthe―JazzAge‖?
Fitzgeraldwasarepresentativefigureofthe1920s.Heneverfailedtoremaindetachedandforeseethetragedyofthe―DollarDecade‖.Hisworksmirrortheexcitingageinalmosteveryway.Throughtheglitteringworldofhisfictionrunthethemesofmoralwasteanddecayandnecessityofpersonalresponsibility.TheGreatGatsby,abookabouttheJazzAge,isacasestudyinpeople‘spursuitofanelusiveAmericanDream.ItisalsoapowerfulcriticismofAmericansociety.ThusheisoftenacclaimedliteraryspokesmanoftheJazzAge.
3.WheredidWilliamFaulknerusuallylocatehisstories?Whatdoestheplacestandfor?
FaulknerusuallylocatedhisstoriesinafictionaltowncalledJeffersoninthefictionalYoknapatawphaCounty.Withhisimagination,Faulknerturnedtheland,thepeopleandthehistoryoftheplaceintoaliterarycreationandamythicalkingdom,whichstandsfortheAmericanSouth.TheYoknapatawphaCountyfictionhasanoverallpatterninwhichFaulkner‘sprotagonistscollidewiththe20thcenturysociety.MostofthemajorthemesaredirectlyrelatedtothisconfrontationinFaulkner‘sfiction.4.ListatleastthreeWilliamFaulkner‘sthemes.
Thethemescover(athepre-civilwarSouthernvaluesvs.thepostcivilwarSouthernvalues;(bthedeclineoftheoldaristocraticfamiliesofthesouth;(cthepastvs.thepresent(socialchanges;(dracialproblemsintheoldsouthandthegoodtraitsoftheblacks.
V.
DiscussHemingway‟s“icebergprinciple”ofwriting.
Hisaimandachievementasanovelistandshortstorywrierweretoconveyhisconcernsinaprosestylebuiltfromwhatwasleftaftereliminatingallthewordsone―couldnotstandtobear‖.Heoncesaid―Ialwaystrytowriteontheprincipleoftheiceberg.Thereisseven-eighthsofitunderwaterforeverypartthatshows‖.Hebelievesthatagoodwriter
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
doesnotneedtorevealeverydetailofacharacteroraction;theone-eighththatispresentwillsuggestallothermeaningfuldimensionsofthestory.Accordingtohim,goodliterarywritingshouldbeabletomakereadersfeeltheemotionofthecharactersdirectlyandthebestwaytoproducetheeffectistosetdownexactlyeveryparticularkindoffeelingwithoutanyauthorialcomments,withabareminimumofadjectivesandadverbs.Hislanguageissimple,symbolicandsuggestive,improvingmorethanwhatisactuallysaid.
VI.Comparedwithearlierwritings,especiallythoseofthe19thcentury,whatarethe
characteristicsofmodernAmericanwritings?
Themodernworkseemstobeginarbitrarily,toadvancewithoutexplanation,andtoendwithoutresolution.Thebookisnolongerarecordofsequenceandcoherencebutajuxtapositionofthepastandthepresent,ofthehistoryandthememory.Thereareshiftsinperspective,voiceandtone,butthebiggestshiftisfromtheexternaltotheinternal,fromthepublictotheprivate,fromthechronologicaltothepsychological,fromtheobjectivedescriptiontothesubjectiveprojection.Thetraditionaleducatedliteraryvoice,conveyingtruthandculture,haslostitsauthoritytoamoredetachedandironictone.
20thCenturyAmericanDrama
I.
Fillintheblanks
1.OfalltheplaysthatO‘Neillwrote,mostofthemaretragedies,dealingwiththebasic
issuesofhumanexistenceandpredicamentsuchaslifeanddeath.
2.Atypeofcomedywhichdependsuponridiculoussituations,exaggeratedcharactertypes,
coarsehumor,andhorseplayforitscomiceffectsiscalledfarce.
3.Thefinaloutcomeofthemaincomplicationinaplayorstoryiscalleddenouement.4.Akindofdramarepresentingsomeactioninwhichseriousandcomicscenesareblended
iscalledtragicomedy.
II.
Multiplechoice
1.EugeneO‘Neill‘sTheHairyApeexplorestheproblemof___intheearly20thcentury.
A.humandisillusionmentB.thecorruptionofhumandesireC.thelossofhumanidentityD.humanresponsibility
2.O‘Neill‘sinventivenessseeminglyknewnolimits.Hewasconstantlyexperimentingwith
newstylesandformsforhisplays,especiallyduringthe20swhen___wasinfullswing.A.symbolismB.expressionismC.romanticismD.realism
3.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningEugeneO‘NeillisNOTcorrect?
A.HewasinfluencedbytheideaofFreud.
B.Heisinterestedintheworldofthemind,ofintenseinneremotions,memoriesand
fears.
C.Hefoundinspirationandconfirmationforhisapproachinwritingcenteringon
familyrelationshipinclassicalGreekdrama.
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
D.Theunityofhisworkliesinitscontrollingintellectualidea.
4.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningO‘Neill‘sLongDay’sJourneyintoNightis
NOTtrue?
A.Theauthorfocusesontheperson,ratherthanthefamilyintheplayasthe
fundamentalhumanunit.
B.Theplayisdesignedasaseriesofencounters.Eachcharacterisplacedwithone,two
orthreeoftheothersuntileverycombinationisworkedthrough.
C.TheTyronefamilyisfollowedthroughoneday.Thusitisaliteraldayinthelivesof
theTyrones.
D.ItisalsotheTyrones‘journeythroughlifetowarddeaththatreaderswitness.5.WhichofthefollowingstatementsconcerningTennesseeWilliamsisNOTcorrect?
A.HehasbeeninfluencedbyAnton,D.H.LawrenceandHartCrane.B.HislastBroadwayplayisnamedClothesforeaSummerHotel.C.Hisrecurrentthemesinmanyofhisplaysarelonelinessanddesire.D.HewasawardedNobelPrizeforhisbrillianceasadramatist.

BlackAmericanLiterature
I.
Literaryterms
1.HarlemRenaissance:Aliterarymovementthatbeganinthe1920sinthealmost
exclusivelyAfricanAmericanareaofHarleminNewYorkCity.HarlemhadgrowntremendouslyfollowingWWI,whenamassmigrationofblackAmericansoutoftheSouthandintonortherncitieshadtakenplace.ThankstotheHarlemRenaissance,AfricanAmericanculturewasforthefirsttimehighlightedforamultiracial,multiethnicnationalaudience.TheHarlemareabecamenotonlythelinkofblackliterature,theater,music,anddancebutalso,foratime,anintellectualandartisticnervecenterfortheentirenation.DistinguishedwritersincludedpoetsCounteeCullen,LangstonHughes,CloudeMcKayandSterlingBrown,novelistJeanToomer,JessieFaucetandmanyessayists,memoiristsandwritersindiversemodessuchasJamesWeldonJohnsonandArnaBontemps.TheGreatDepressionof1929broughtittoanend.
II.
Fillintheblanks
1.AsspokesmanforHarlemartists,LangstonHughespublishedanarticle―TheNegro
ArtistandtheRacialMountain‖in1925,whichcanbeviewedashispublicdeclarationoftheirintenttobreaktheirliteraryheritageandtoinitiateanewtrendinblankliterature.2.TheHarlemRenaissancetookformandthefocaldateforethemovementwouldbein
1925whentheblackscholarAlainLockepublishedananthologyofcurrentworkentitledTheNewNegro:AnInterpretation.
3.AfricanAmericanliteratureattainedtoahigherdegreeofmaturityin1952whenRalph
Ellison‘sInvisibleManappearedinprint,whichtellsanarchetypalexistentialstoryofa
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
namelessprotagonist-narratorofmoderntimes.
4.ToniMorrisonisbestknownforherfifthnovelBeloved,whichisbasedonthetruestory
ofaslavemotherkillingherownchildrenjustforthemtoavoidslavery.
5.TheColorPurplebyAliceWalkerisanepistolarynovelwhichismainlyaboutAfrican
Americanwomen‘sgrowthagainstthebackdropofsocialandfamilialoppression.
III.
Multiplechoice
1.___,BookerT.WashingtonandFrederickDouglassaregenerallyregardedasthethree
AfricanAmericanwritersinthe19thcentury.A.RalphEllisonB.LangstonHughesC.ToniMorrisonD.DuBois
2.OneofthemostnoticeableelementsofHarlemRenaissancewritingisitsuseofdialect
andfolkloreanditsidentificationwiththespiritof___.A.rapB.jazzC.bluesD.R&B
3.AmongtheAfricanAmericanwritersofthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury,___wasthemost
durableandversatile:hewasapoet,playwright,novelist,songwriter,biographer,editor,newspapercolumnist,translatorandlecturer.
A.CounteCullenB.CloudeMcKayC.JeanToomerD.LangstonHughes4.ThebasicthemesofJamesBaldwin‘sare___.
A.raceanddeathB.raceandfate
C.raceandhomosexualityD.raceandlovebetweenfamilymembers
5.ThenovelTheirEyesWereWatchingGodiswrittenby___,oenoftheimportantauthors
inthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury.
A.ZoraNealeHurstonB.AmiriBarakaC.ArnaBontempsD.GwendolynBrooks
6.___ismulti-talentedgenius:sheisanactress,dancer,singer,professor,writer,poet
educator,directorandcivilrightsactivist.In1993shebecamePresidentClinton‘sinauguralpoet.
A.ToniMorrisonB.AlexHaleyC.AliceWalkerD.MayaAngelou7.Rootswasauthoredby___.
A.AlexHaleyB.MayaAngelouC.GloriaNaylorD.ToniMorrison
IV.
Questionsandanswers
1.WhatarethemajorthemesofNativeSonbyRichardWright?
Theyareracism,protest,alienation,frustrationandmentalityofAfricanAmericans.
V.
MakeasummaryofAfricanAmericanliterature.
Duetoracistdiscrimination,AfricanAmericansweresegregatedanddeniedtherighttoreadandwriteduringthe19thcentury.Asaresult,AfricanAmericanliteratureremainedforalongtimeintheformofsongs,balladsandspirituals.However,writtenliteraturefounditswayinthe18thandespecially19thcenturywhensomeAfricanAmericanwritersappearedonthescene.Douglass,WashingtonandDuBoiswerethegreatestAfricanAmericanwritersinthe19thcentury,thoughmorepoliticallythan
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重庆交通大学外国语学院精品课程《英美文学史及选读》美国文学部分：思考题
artistically.HarlemRenaissanceinthe1020sbroughtgreatprosperityofAfricanAmericanliteraturewithHarlemareainNewYorkCityasacenterofAfricanAmericanliterature.ImportantliteraryfiguresofthistimeincludeLangstonHughes,CounteeCullen,CloudeMcKay,JeanToomerandZoraNearleHurston.TheGreatDepressionof1929andtheearly1930sbroughtittoanend.From1930s,theirworkspowerfullydepictthebrutalityofracistoppressionanditstraumaticeffectsonAfricanAmericans.Inthe1940s,InvisibleManbyRalphEllison,withtheuniversalityofitsprofoundthemeandexquisitestyle,markedahigherdegreeofmaturityofAfricanAmericanliterature.ContemporaryAfricanAmericanwritersincludeAliceWalker,ToniMorrison,MayaAngelou,AlexHaley,amongwhomToniMorrisonisthemostoutstandingofall.AfricanAmericanshavemadesignificantcontributionstoallaspectsofAmericanlife.ThewritersprovidethemoststrikingexampleofalienationinAmericanliterature.
VI.DiscussToniMorrison‟sartoffiction.
ToniMorrisonisknownfor―magicalrealism‖inthatsheusesmagic,folktalesandthesupernaturalinhernovels.Herstylecombinesunrealisticelementswitharealisticpresentationoflifeandcharacters.
ForMorrison,―allgoodarthasbeenpolitical‖andtheBlackartisthasaresponsibilitytotheBlackcommunity.Sheaimsatcapturing―thesomething‖thatdefineswhatmakesabook―Black‖.Allherfiction―bearswitness‖totheexperienceoftheBlackcommunity.Senseofloss,roots,communityandidentityoftheBlacksareusualthemesofherworks.HersympathyisespeciallygiventotheBlackwomenwhosufferfromboththeWhitesandBlackmen.
Morrison‘sprosehasthequalityofspeech.Shedeliberatelystrivesforthiseffect,whichshecalls―auralliterature‖.Morrisonwantsreaderstoparticipateinhernovels,tobeinvolvedactively.Readersareencouragedtocreatethenovelwithherandtohelpconstructthemeaning.
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