美国文学简史（三）

Chapter 2 American Romanticism
Section 1 Early Romantic Period
I.  Characteristics of romanticismII. American RomanticismIII. Washington IrvingIV. James Fenimore Cooper

 美国文学简史之早期浪漫主义时期

Characteristics of Romanticism

1. Subjectivity（主观主义）
> Feelings and emotions, finding truth> Emphasis on imagination> Emphasis on individualism – personal freedom, no hero worship（英雄崇拜）, natural goodness of human beings

2. Extrasensory Perception（ESP，超感官知觉）

> Unrestrained（自由的）by classical rules> Full of imagination> Colloquial（口语的） language> Freedom of imagination> Genuine in feelings: answer their call for classics

3. Back to Nature
Nature is “breathing living thing”---Rousseau

 American Romanticism

1. Background

> Political background and economic development> Romantic Movement in European countries  Derivative（派生物） – foreign influence
2. Features
> American romanticism was in essence the expression of a real new experience and contained “an alien quality” for the simple reason that “the spirit of the place” was radically new and alien（陌生的）.

> There is American Puritanism as a cultural heritage to consider. American romantic authors tended more to moralize（德化，教化）. Many American romantic writings intended to edify（启发，使受熏陶） more than they entertained（容纳，接受）.

>  The “newness” of Americans as a nation is in connection with American Romanticism.>  As a logical result of the foreign and native factors at work, American romanticism was both imitative（仿效的） and independent. 

本文为节选，来源：沪江英语

点击“阅读原文”