美国文学考试必备知识点.doc

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1.
Roma ntic period
9.
Sherwood An ders on
2.
Wash ington Irvi ng
10.
Stephe n Crane
3.
Edgar Alla n Poe
11.
Theodore Dreiser
4.
Natha nial Hawthor ne
12.
III. Moder n period
5.
Walt Whitman
13.
F. S. Fitzgerald
6.
Emily Dick inson
14.
Ern est Hemi ngway
7.
II. Realist period
15.
William Faulk ner
8. Mark Twai n
1. Tra nsce nden talism
Transcenden talism refers to the religious and philosophical doctri nes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and others in New England in the middle 1800', which emphasized the importa nee of in dividual in spirati on and in tuiti on, the Oversoul, and Nature. Other concepts that accompanied Transcendentalism include the idea that n ature is enno bli ng and the idea that the in dividual is divine and, therefore, self-reliant. New England Transcendentalism is the product of a comb in ati on of n ative America n Purita nism and Europea n Roma nticism.
2. Naturalism
Naturalism, a more deliberate kind of realism, usually invoIves a view of huma n beings as passive victims of n atural forces and social en vir onment. As a literary moveme nt, n aturalism was in itiated in France and it came to be led by Zola, who claimed at §cientific” status for his studies of impoverished characters miserably subjected to hun ger, sexual obsessi on, and hereditary defects. Natural fiction aspired to a sociological objectivity, offering detailed and fully researched investigations into unexplored corners of modern society. The most significant work of naturalism in English being Dreiser 's Sister Carrie.
3. American Dream
The American Dream is the faith held by many people in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve a better life for oneself, usually through financial prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations.
4. The Lost Generati