Part III The Literature of Romanticism ( From the end of 18th century to 1865)

1. Part III The Literature of Romanticism( From the end of 18th century to 1865) Historical Introduction Early Romanticism: Washington Irving and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Late Romanticism:Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe (poets) Transcendentalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (essayists) Nathaniel Hawthorne &Herman Melville (novelists)

2. Historical Introduction Geographically, America expanded its frontier through westarward movement. The land and the population in the United States was largely increased. Economically, it began the industrialization and urbanization.(automation and technology led to sharp contrast of riches and poverty) Politically, people enjoyed more freedom. Culturally, cultural nationalism prospered. Literary Ideas:Romanticism and Transcendentalism (novels, short stories and poems replaced sermons and manifestos as America’s principal literary forms

3. wars and a period of rapid growth • 1812, war with Britain • 1830s, a series of wars against native Americans • 1846—1848, war against Mexico • 1848, discovery of gold in California, thus the Gold Rush • 1859, first oil well drilled in Pennsylvania • 1861—1865, Civil War • 1869, the first transcontinental railway constructed

4. Period of rapid growth and expansion • In 1810, the population totaled 7,000,000. Fifty-years later, at the beginning of Civil War, the population reached 31,000,000. A new nationalism emerged as a result of this sudden influx of immigration. • The spread of industrialization filled people with optimism. The invention and practice of the sewing machine, the flour mill, the cotton grin, the telegraph and the assembly line greatly increased the production. • The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought about a Gold Rush, which further pushed the frontier to the end. As a result, an unprecedented optimistic attitude was prevailing among people.

5. a period of discussion of social issues • The woman’s issue. Some women asked for their rights to vote and to own property. In 1837, the first women’s college was established in Massachusetts. • The slavery issue. Slavery existed together with the anti-slavery conceptions. It was with the help of thousands of slaves that the expansion of the economy became possible.

6. American Romanticism • Against such a historical and social background did American Romanticism emerge. Coming 20 years later than its British counterpart, American Romanticism was regarded as a period of Renaissance in art and literature in the United States. • “… romanticism remained one of the glories of the age. It accelerated the spread of democracy to the downtrodden and the poor. It revitalized art and established new ways of perceiving humanity and the universe. And it remained evident today…” (AAL 1:565).

7. Reasons for flourishment • The spread of industrialization, the influx of immigration and the westward movement produced an economic boom and a strong sense of optimism and hope among people. • The desire for intellectual independence brought about the fertilization of literary milieu. Magazines increased in number, which included The North American Review, The American Quarterly Review, The New England Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, etc. The appearance of these magazines provided a media for people to express their opinions. • European romanticism reached the Continent when young people who traveled to Europe to educate themselves came back to America. With their help, the spirit of romanticism was spread.

8. Such philosophers as Immanuel Kant (German idealism 德国唯心主义 ) and Auguste Comte (French positivism 法国实证主义 ) were introduced to America, whose works were widely read among intellectuals. • As far as literature is concerned, influences are also obvious. • Sir Walter Scott, with his border tales, helped toward the development of American Indian romance and the romantic description of landscape in America literature. • The Gothic tradition and the graveyard tradition came to America and found their way into the works of Poe. • Burns, Byron, Wordsworth, with their lyric poems of love and passion and their concern for nature, added to the nation’s singing strength

9. Characteristics of Romanticism • an innate and intuitive perception of man, nature and society—reliance on the subconscious, the inner life, the abnormal psychology • an emphasis on freedom, individualism and imagination—rebellion against neoclassicism which stressed formality, order and authority • a profound love for nature—nature as a source of knowledge, nature as a refuge from the present, nature as a revelation of the holy spirit • the quest for beauty—pure beauty • the use of antique and fanciful subject matters—sense of terror, Gothic, grotesque, odd and queer

10. Uniqueness of American Romanticism • The Westward Movement, the pioneering into the West, provided the American writers with the best subject and materials. The wilderness always filled them with hope and drove them to look for an ideal world. • The newness as a nation, with people’s ideals of individualism and freedom, their dream that America was to be built into a new Garden of Eden, was strong enough to inspire romantic imagination. • American moral values were basically Puritan. As a result, many writers tend to moralize more than their English counterpart. They intended to edify rather than to entertain. Subjects like sex and love were particularly shunned. • The immigration in large numbers brought in mingling of races, which made American literature take on a variety in subject matter.

11. American Romanticism----imitative and innovative • . On the one hand, it is derivative. Writers such as Washington Irving, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Bryant, Whittier and Lowell treated traditional literary themes by using traditional techniques. • On the other hand, it is also independent. James Fenimore Cooper was one of the earliest writers to deal with American subject matter—the Westward Movement. In writers like Emerson and Whitman, we do hear voices different from those in the European tradition. They not only treated American subject matter but also used innovative techniques.

12. Washington Irving Father of American Imaginative literature Father of the American short story

13. Washington Irving: (1783—1859) • the first important American fiction writer who gains international fame. • often referred to as American author, short story writer, essayist, poet, travel book writer, biographer, and columnist(政论专栏作家）

14. Life A. Born in a rich merchant family, the last of 11 children B. Liked traveling and reading C. Learned law but more interested in writing D. Went to England for family business E. Wrote to support himself after business failure F. Diplomatic work for a period

15. Irving’s Style beautiful highly skillful providing a model for the narrative of the future “The style is the man,”文如其人 striking features • avoided moralizing; wrote to amuse and entertain, • was good at enveloping his stories in an atmosphere, • his characters are vivid and true • filled with humor • musical language

16. Washington Irving’s Literary style • (1)“The style is the man;” • (2) neoclassical in form; • (3) English style + German folktale + American life = Irving’s style; • His graceful, humorous, stylistically careful writing is in the tradition of Addison, Steele, and Goldsmith.

17. Major works (1)A History of New York (纽约外史）from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty by Diedrich Knickerbocker. a. written under the name of D. K.; b. a popular and humorous handbook about the Dutch settlers; (2)Biographies of Goldsmith and Washington Bracebridge Hall 1822 Oliver Goldsmith 1840 Life of George Washington 1855-1859

18. Major works (3)The Sketch Book(1819 - 20)见闻札记 a. a collection of essays, sketches and tales;b. It marks the beginning of American romanticism;c. Satire is woven throughout the book;d. Two famous short stories in the collection: "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

19. Rip Van Winkle Rip Van Winkle: good-natured, hen-pecked, idle, amiable, careless, conservative Dame Van Winkle : his termagant (泼妇般的） wife the story: Rip felt into sleep before the American Independence and woke after it and found the world completely changed

20. Rip Van Winkle: • 他是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。此外他还是一个善良的邻居，也是一个在老婆面前唯唯诺诺的丈夫。由于在家里被老婆管得太严所以他似乎养成了处处与人为善的习惯。因此，除了他老婆外，大这都对他评价很高。当然，他在村子里所有的良家妇女中很受欢迎。每当她们知道了凡-温克尔家吵架，她们总是认定瑞普是对的，而凡-温克尔夫人是错的。孩子们也一样，瑞普-凡-温克尔一来，他们总是欢叫起来。他总是望着他们玩耍，为他们做玩具，教他们怎么玩各种游戏，还给他们讲最精彩的故事。不管他去哪儿，他的四周常常围着一群孩子。村子里没有哪条狗对他狂吠过。瑞普-凡-温克尔有一个缺点：什么赚钱的活儿他都不喜欢，甚至是憎恨。

21. Rip Van Winkle and his wife • 可是他老婆在他耳朵边不停地数落他，说他游手好闲，对家庭漠不关心，这个家快给他毁了。从早到晚，她唠叨个没完。他说的每句话，做的每件事，定公招徕她一顿臭骂。瑞普对付他那长舌老婆，倒是有个办法，这个办法用多了。已经成了一个习惯。他只是把头耷拉在肩膀上，眼望天空，一言不发。然而，这又引来老婆的一阵发火。这么一来，瑞普无事可做，只有离开家。在家里，瑞普唯一的朋友就是他的狗，名叫沃尔夫。沃尔夫常常是凡-温克尔太太的出气筒，因为她把他们看做是游手好闲的难兄难弟，有时她甚至指责说：瑞普之所以吊儿郎当都是这条狗的错。不错，沃外交活动夫在树林里像条狗，很勇敢，可是再勇敢的狗也经不住一个长舌妇的数落。每当沃尔夫走进家门，他总是耷拉着脑袋，尾巴垂掉在地上或夹在两腿间。他在屋里溜达，一脸心虚的样子，时刻从眼角观察着凡-温克尔太太，一看到她有一丝不快的迹象，便拨腿开溜。

22. “您父亲叫什么？” • “哦，可怜的人！他叫瑞普-凡-温克尔，可是20年前，他带着猎枪离家出走了，此后谁也没有他的消息。他的狗回来了，可他没有。他是开枪自杀了，还是被印第安人掳走了，谁也不知道。我当时只是一个小女孩。” • 瑞普只有一个问题要问了。他声音颤抖地问： “你母亲在哪儿？” • “哦，她死了，就在不久前。她是对一个上门兜售产品的人发火，结果血管破裂死了。” • 这个消息至少给他带来一点安慰。这个诚实的老人再也控制不住自己的感情。他一把抱住他的女儿和她的孩子。“我是你的父亲！”他哭着说道。“从前是年轻的瑞普—凡-温克尔，现在成了老瑞普-凡-温克尔了。这儿没人认得可怜的瑞普-凡-温克尔吗？” 大伙儿站在那儿，目瞪口呆，最后一个老太太离开人群，抬头打量了他片刻，然后惊叫起来：“没错！是瑞普-凡-温克尔；是瑞普欢迎您回家，老邻居！可是这20年来你去哪儿了？”

23. Irving had a special talent for creating a magical, fairytale quality in his tales–notably "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"–and thus helped shape the folklore of early America. His elegant writing style, full of gentle humor and vivid descriptions, continues to enchant modern readers.

25. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

26. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow • "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.(1820)《见闻札记》, written while he was living in Birmingham, and first published in 1820. With Irving's companion piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest American fiction still read widely today.

27. Questions: • 1. Setting: What is the location of this story? The atmosphere and the history of this area? • 2. Who is the protagonist of this story? • 3. Describe the protagonist’s physical features and the meaning of his name. Where did he come from? What was he doing there to make a living? • 4. What’s the plot of the story?

28. Plot Summary • The story is set about 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, in a secluded glen（峡谷） called Sleepy Hollow. It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a sycophantic(谄媚的）, lean, lanky, and extremely superstitious schoolmaster from Connecticut, who competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, the town rowdy, for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel.

29. As Crane leaves a party he attended at the Van Tassel home on an autumn night, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, who is supposedly the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during "some nameless battle" of the American Revolutionary War, and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head".

30. Ichabod mysteriously disappears from town, leaving Katrina to marry Brom Bones, who was "to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related". Although the nature of the Headless Horseman is left open to interpretation, the story implies that the Horseman was really Brom Bones in disguise.

31. Artistic Features • Romantic description (scene,nature, valley) a dreaming quality/exotic place (sleepy hollow, a place with long history, justly affected by independence war) • Gothic elements and supernatural atmosphere (atmosphere, headless Ghost) • Vivid language and portrayal of characters (cartoonlike) • Exaggerated humor (language) • Absurd plot

32. Text-appreciation • The cognoment of Crane was not inapplicable to his person. He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that…

33. “克瑞恩”就是鹤的意思，而他本人看起来就象是一只鹤，人又高有瘦，肩膀却很小，连着长长的胳膊。两只手荡在袖口外面有一英里长，两只脚简直可以当铲子使用。他的头也很小，顶上扁平，耳朵很大，长着一双呆滞无神绿色的大玻璃眼睛，还有一个长鼻子。“克瑞恩”就是鹤的意思，而他本人看起来就象是一只鹤，人又高有瘦，肩膀却很小，连着长长的胳膊。两只手荡在袖口外面有一英里长，两只脚简直可以当铲子使用。他的头也很小，顶上扁平，耳朵很大，长着一双呆滞无神绿色的大玻璃眼睛，还有一个长鼻子。

34. Questions • How did Irving establish the gothic elements in his novel? • How did Irving make the language vivid and musical? • After you read this story, what is the author’s attitude towards indepedence war?

35. Theme • On the surface, it is a funny love story between Crane, Blom and Katrina. • In a deeper sense, the hero, Crane as an unexpected visitor from Connecticut, seems to be isolated by the local people.(he cannot obtain his beloved and was driven away by Blom in disguise) • The main theme should be the conflict between reality and ideal life . • The disharmony between city and countryside.

36. 改编作品 • 电影默片《无头骑士》（The Headless Horseman，1922年），拍摄于纽约的哈德逊河。 • 动画电影《伊老师与小蟾蜍大历险》（The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad，1949年），华特迪士尼公司出品。 • 电视电影《沉睡谷传奇》（The Legend of Sleepy Hollow，1980年），拍摄于犹他州。 • 电影《断头谷》（Sleepy Hollow，1999年），蒂姆·伯顿导演，强尼·戴普主演，获1999年奥斯卡金像奖最佳艺术指导奖。 • 电视连续剧《你害怕黑暗吗？》（Are You Afraid of the Dark？，1992年）中的《午夜骑士的传奇》（The Tale of the Midnight Ride）一集。

37. Washington Irving’s Contribution 1) Irving is the first belletrist in American literature, writing for pleasure at a time when writing was practical and for useful purposes. 2) He is the first American literary humorist. 3) He has written the first modern short stories. The short story as a genre in American literature probably began with Irving's The Sketch Book. 4) He is the first to write history and biography as entertainment. 5) He introduced the nonfiction prose as a literary genre. 6) He was the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame.

38. Previewing work • Self-study of Longfellow’s A Psalm of life, what can you learn from this poem? • (try to identify the poetic form, paraphrase each stanza, rhetorical devices and the images, and the theme and the enlightenment you gain from the poem)