引入美国文学考试重点

填空

1. Christopher Columbus discovered America.

2. The earliest settlers were Dutch, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

3. In the early 17

th

century, English began their settlement of the North American continent.

4. Puritans were to become founding- fathers of the United States years later.

5. American Puritanism was a dominant factor in American life and worked as one of the most

enduring shaping influence in American thought and American literature.

6.

Most

of

the

writing

during

the

early

years

of

the

colonists

’

settlement

was

forcing

on

a

God-centered world. And sermon was one of its highest writing forms.

7. The American Revolution was brought to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

8. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America.

9. As a European literary movement, Romanticism originated and strengthened in German, France

and England in the middle of 18

th

century as a rebellion against the prevailing Neo-classicism and

Rationalism during the Age of Reason.

10. Transcendentalism or Romantic Idealism emerged after the publication of Nature, written by

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

11. New England Transcendentalism was the summit of American Romanticism.

12. Emerson described Allan Poe in three words: the jingle man.

13. In

the Scarlet Letter

, Hawthorne remarkably handles the Puritan background.

14. The dominating theme of

the Scarlet Letter

is about sin and its consequences.

15. Poe emphasized the significance of art and he thought that works of art should be created for

the sake of beauty. He insisted that the creation of a work of art require the utmost concentration

and unity, as well as the most careful use of words.

16.

The Raven

is a verse-narrative and has 108 lines.

17.

The

dominant

themes

of

Melville

’

s

major

works

include

the

exploration

of

historical

and

psychological origins, the development of self and society, and the desire

to create and destroy

gods and heroes.

18. Realism appeared in the American literature in the form of local color.

19. Mark twain means two fathoms deep.

20.

The

“

international

situation

”

was

Henry

James

’

term

for

the

fictional

encounters

between

Americans and Europeans.

21. Henry James was one of the three strong advocates of 19

th

century American realism, the other

two being Howells and Mark Twain.

22.

Henry

James

’

realism

emphasizing

the

inner

awareness

and

inward

movements

of

his

characters in face of outside occurrences, was called psychological realism.

23. Sinclair Lewis was the first American novelist, who awarded the Nobel Prize.

24.

Gertrude

Stein

was

the

center

of

the

expatriates.

She

said:

“

All

of

you

young

people

who

served in the war, you are the lost of generation.

”

25. Pounds

’

three famous principles: direct treatment, economy of expression and rhythm.

26.

The Great Gatsby

is a blend of romanticism and cynicism, a story of doomed love and helpless

obsession set amid the harsh glitter of wealthy New York society in the 1920s.

27. The term

“

Hemingway Style

”

is widely used today to refer to the kind of prose writing which

is characterized by simplicity, directness, clarity, freshness and naturalness.

名词解释

1. Puritanism

Puritanism

refers

to

the

practice

and

beliefs

of

the

puritans.

Puritans

were

originally

pious

members of the church of England who wanted to

“

pu rify

”

the rituals and to lessen the authority

of bishops. To them, religion had the highest priority and man should live, think and act in a way

which

tended

to

the

glory

of

God.

The

doctrines

of

them

are

predestination,

original

sin,

total

depravity,

and

limited

atonement.

Puritanism

remained

the

dominant

cultural

force

into

the 19

th

century.

In

the

grin

struggle

for

survival,

the

puritans

became

more

practical.

They

believe

in

hardworking, piety and sobriety. In a word, American Puritanism was one of the most enduring

shaping influences in American thought and literature.

2. Romanticism

Romanticism

is

a

reaction

neoclassicism

and

artistic

and

intellectual

movement

originating

in

Europe in the 18

th

century. This early 19

th

century movement elevated the interest in nature, the

individual, the passions and the inner life. It stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from

classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social convention.

3. Realism

Realism

is

a

mode

of

writing

that

gives

the

impression

of

recording

or

reflecting

faithfully

an

actual

way

of

life.

The

term

refers,

both

to

a

literary

method

based

on

detailed

accuracy

of

description,

and

to

a

more

general

attitude

that

rejects

idealization,

escapism,

and

other

extravagant qualities of romance in favor of recognizing soberly the actual problems of life.

4. Naturalism

Naturalism mainly refers to American naturalism, which occurred in later 19

th

century and early

20

th

century. It was a literary approach of French origin that vividly depicted social problems, and

viewed human beings as helpless and passive victims of natural forces and social environment.

5. Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin

Franklin

was

one

of

the

most

important

American

thinkers

during

the

revolutionary

period and had tremendous influence on the subsequent development of American literature. He

demonstrated all the major principles of the Enlightenment in America and stood as the versatile

embodiment of rational man of the period. His life experiences remind us of

“

American Dream

”

.

Franklin was well known principally as an accomplished scientist, natural philosopher, statesman

and literary man. The two major works:

Poor Richard

’

s Almanac

and

The Autobiography

brought

Franklin great fame as a man of letters. He was the only American to sign the four documents that

brought

the

United

States

into

being:

the

Declaration

of

Independence,

the

Treaty

of

Paris,

the

Treaty of Peace with England, and the Constitution. He died in 1790 and is remembered as one of

the most beloved of the founding fathers.

6. Poor Richard

’

s Almanac

Poor Richard

’

s Almanac

is Benjamin Franklin

’

s masterpiece. The book was an immediate success

upon

its

publication.

It

contains

a

number

of

practical,

witty

and

humorous

maxims

about

life,