大四美国文学期末考试题型及例题

大四美国文学期末考试

题型及例题

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大四美国文学期末考试题型及例题：

1.选择/对错 60分（40道选择， 20个对错）

2.名词解释 10分（5个）

3.选段配对 10分（5个）

4.问答 20分（10/2）

1．历史：Father / poetess…

2. 名作家：Hemingway, Faulkner, Poe, Hawthorne, Emerson

3．作品：The Wasteland/Moby Dick/Scarlet Letter

选择题（40个，40分）

1. At the age of reason and revolution, Americans were influenced by the European movement called the ________.

A. Chartist Movement

B. Romanticist Movement

C. Enlightenment Movement

D. Modernist Movement

2. Which is NOT connected to Benjamin Franklin ________

A. He was born in a poor family.

B. He was a pious puritan.

C. He was phrased as “Jack of all trades”.

D. He was a master of diplomacy.

3. Ernest Hemingway is noted for the following EXCEPT ________.

A. Lost Generation

B. Iceberg theory

C. American Dream

D. Code Heroes

4. Which character is NOT from The Scarlet Letter ________

A. Hester Prynne

B. Roger Chillingworth

C. Captain Ahab

D. Pearl

5. Jack London’s semi-biographical novel ________well presents the disillusionment of American Dream.

A. The American Tragedy

B. The Call of the Wild

C. Martin Eden

D. The Grapes of Wrath

b)判断对错题（20个，20分）

1. Poe’s masterpiece “To Helen” is written to memorize his deceased wife. (F)

2. The tone of “Annabel Lee” is optimistic and hopeful. (F)

3. Mark Twain's novel Jumping Frog was an artistic failure, but it gave its name to the America of the postbellum period which it attempts to satirize. (F)

4. Sister Carrie ended up in tragedy because she could not control her fate. (F)

2.名词解释题（5个，10分）

1. It refers to the religious beliefs held by the Puritans, who had intended to “purify” or simplify the religious ritual of the Church of England. They believed in the original sin and the harsh Day of Doom, although some good people --- the chosen people or “the Elect”--- may be saved. (Puritanism)

2. A literary doctrine that called for “reality and truth” in the depiction of ordinary life．

It had originated in France and was very popular in 19th century. (Realism)

3.选段配对题（5个，10分）

1. Fair flower, that dost so comely grow,

Hid in this silent, dull retreat,

Untouched thy honeyed blossoms blow,

Unseen thy little branches greet:

No roving foot shall crush thee here,

No busy hand provoke a tear.

The Wild Honey Suckle (Philip Freneau)

2. During the whole of a dull, dark and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the cloud hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was—but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.

The Fall of the House of Usher(Edgar Allan Poe)

4.问答题（10/2，20分）

1. Transcendentalism

(a) Transcendentalism (p56)

{1}As a moral philosophy, it exalted feeling over reason, individual expression over the restraints of law and custom. & believed in the transcendence of the“oversoul”

{2}A literary movement flourishing in New England from the

1830s to the Civil war. It stresses intuitive understanding of God, without the help of the church and advocated independence of the mind. The representative writers are Emerson and Thoreau. {b}The significance of Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism exerted a dominating notion onto the major wirers of the Romantic period and its essence has been

permanently absorbed into the main stream of American thought. As a moral philosophy, Transcendentalists took their ideas from the romantic literature of Europe, from neo-Platonism, from German idealistic philosophy and from the revelations of Oriental mysticism. They spoke for cultural rejuvenation and against the materialism of American society. They believed in the transcendence of the “Oversoul”, an all-pervading power for goodness from which all things come and of which all things are a part. As a philosophical and literary movement, Transcendentalism flourished in New England from the 1830’s to the Civil War. Its doctrines found their greatest literary advocated in Emerson, who believed that man was a part of absolute good, and in Thoreau who beheld divinity in the “unspotted innocence” of nature. It was a powerful expression of the intellectual mood of the age, and the ideas it represented have remained a strong influence on great American writers from the days of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman to the present.

2. “The Road Not Taken”

Symbolic meanings of The Road Not Taken:

In this poem, the author uses two roads in the woods to symbolize the choices in the

real life. The author suggests us not being afraid to take a chance, not following the crowd and trying new things. Individualism is highlighted in the poem because the speaker chooses to go his own way, taking the “road less traveled”. Caution is also taken before deciding to take the “road less traveled”, for the speaker takes time to consider the other road.

Commitment is symbolized in the poem because the speaker does not have second thoughts after making his decision.

The last symbolized theme is accepting a challenge. It may be that the road the

speaker chooses is less traveled because it represents trials or perils. Such challenges

seem to appeal to the speaker.

The Road Not Taken

This poem, as many of Frost’s poems, begins with the observation of nature, as if the poet is a traveler sightseeing in nature. By the end, all the simple words condense into a serious proposition: When anyone in life is confronted with making a choice, in order to possess something worthwhile, he has to give up something which seems as lovely and valuable as the chosen one. Then, whatever follows, he must accept the consequence of his choice for it is not possible for him to return to the beginning and have another chance to choose differently. Frost is asserting that nature is fair and honest

to everyone. Thus all the varieties of human destiny result from each person’s spontaneous capability of making choices. Form: The poem is very regularly structured with 4 classic 5-line stanzas, with the rhyme scheme “abaab” and in conversational rhythm.

3. The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby the parody (戏仿)of American dream Thematically，the novel is a parody of the American dream as represented by Gatsby’s pursuit for wealth and love．

(1)American Dream(derived the Puritanism) is a popular belief that people can achieve success，whether it is wealth，fame or love through honest hard working in a new world of liberty，equality，chances and promises．. Franklin, Obama )

(2) It is true that Gatsby had a huge wealth，but it was built up through illegal means—bootlegging. Daisy was the embodiment of love for Gatsby，but the Daisy in Gatsby’s illusion was not the Daisy in reality——a mindless and spiritless woman only with a beautiful appearance，who retreated to her boring but secure way of life rather than accept the responsibility at the moment of crisis．

(3) Like Franklin，Gatsby also made a time table and a list of “do’s and don'ts”．But unfortunately he did not know that the time had changed．

(4) Therefore, G’s dream is tarnished by his material possessions, much like America is now with the obsession with wealth. In any case, Gatsby would have failed to his idealistic dream inevitably, namely disillusion of American dream. Together with Martin Eden, it well presents the disillusionment of American Dream.

Main ideas:

Nick Caraway, the narrator decided to leave his family in the Midwest to study bond business in New York．He took a small house at West Egg of Long Island and became a neighbor of Jay Gatsby，a mysterious man of great wealth．He resumed acquaintance with Tom Buchanan and his wife Daisy at a dinner party in their home．There he also met Jordan Baker，an attractive but arrogant young lady．He soon learned that their marriage was not happy and Tom has a mistress，Myrtle，wife of George Wilson，a garage owner in the Valley of Ashes．A few days later he was invited to Gatsby’s party. From Gatsby and later from Jordan, Nick learned of the love affair between Daisy and Gatsby before she married Tom．Gatsby then made a

request of Nick：to bring Daisy to tea and meet Gatsby．At the reunion Gatsby changed from nervousness to excitement and from excitement to a remote fantasy．At a party Gatsby gave to the Buchanans，Nick and Jordan，Gatsby and Tom had a fierce quarrel over Daisy and Daisy sided with both men in turns．Then Daisy and Gatsby left in Gatsby’s car while the others followed in Tom’s．On the way Gatsby’s car knocked Myrtle dead and ran away，but he later told Nick that Daisy was driving at the time of the accident．Myrtle，thinking Tom was in the car，ran toward it and was hit．Meanwhile Mr．Wilson traced Gatsby’s car and found Gatsby's house．A few hours later both of them were found dead．Apparently Wilson shot Gatsby and then himself．Although Nick tried to make Gatsby’s funeral respectable，none of his friends came．Only Gatsby’s father appeared，still thinking that his son was a great man．On another occasion Nick met Tom and Daisy and was reluctant to shake hands with them．He already knew that it was Tom who made Wilson believe that Myrtle was Gatsby’s lover and was run over by Gatsby．Soon Nick went back to his people in the Middle West．

美国文学史及选读试卷 (1)

美国文学史及选读试卷 Ⅰ.Each of the following statements below is followed by four alternatives. Choose the one that would best complete the statement. (60points in all, 2 for each) 1. Which of following can be said of the common features which are shared by the English and American Romanticists ? A. An increasing emphasis on the free expression of emotions. B. An increasing attention to the psychic states of their characters. C. An increasing emphasis on the desire to return to nature. D. both A and B. 2. Which of the following statements about the Romantic period in the history of American literature is NOT true? （） A. In most of the American writings of this period there was a new emphasis upon the imaginative and emotional qualities of literature. B. The writers of this period placed an increasing emphasis on the free expression of emotions and displayed an increasing attention to the psychic states of their characters. C. There was a strong tendency to exalt the individual and the common man. D. Most heroes and heroines in the writings of this period exhibited extremes of reason and nationality. 3.______ is unanimously agreed to be the summit of the American Romanticism in the history of American literature. A. New England Transcendentalism B. England Transcendentalism C. the Harlem Renaissance D. New Transcendentalism 4.Hawthorn e’s unique gift was for the creation of ______ which touch the deepest roots of man’s moral nature. A. symbolic stories B. romantic stories

大学英语 英国文学 美国文学 填空题

1Of all the romantic poets of the 18th century, Blake is the most（independent ）and the most_（original ）. 2The underlying theme of （Songs of Innocence ）is the all pervading presence of 3（The Marriage of Heaven and Hell）in which, with vigorous satire and telling apologue 4The greatest of （Scottish）poets, Robert Burns, was born in a peasant?s clay-built cottage 5Burns? poetry is bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of the （Scottish）common people. 6Romanticism as a literary movement came into being in England early in the latter half of the （18th）century. 7(William Blake)and (Robert Burns)represented the spirit of what is usually called Pre-Romanticism. 8With the publication of William Wordsworth?s(Lyrical Ballads) ( The French Revolution) 9(liberty) ( equality), , and (franternity )were the watchwords of the French Revolution。 10The eighteen century was distinctively an age of (prose ). The Age of Wordsworth ( poetry) 1 (Poetry) is the highest form of literary expression. 2The English Romantic period produced two major novelists: Scott and ( Austen) 3In all Austen?s novels the love-making of her young people, though serious and (sympathetic) 4Austen?s style is ( easy) and effortless. 5(Austen) was the founder of the novel which deals with unimportant imddle-class people and of which 6The greatest English realist of Critical Realism was ( Charles Dickens) 7( Great Expectations) 1860-1861, is told in the first person by Pip, a young man who learns through 8Among the friendships Charlotte formed there was one, Thackeray, to whom she had dedicated (Jane Eyre) 9Both Jane Eyre and the still greater Wuthering Heights bfought to the novel an introspection and an intense concentration on the (inner life of emotion) 10In 1850, Tennyson took ( the laurel)after Wordsworth died. 1From 1850, Tennyson stood as the spokesman of his people in time 2Robert Browning?s first stimulus to poetic creation was given by a volumn of Shelley. 3In his critical essays O. Wilde expounded the theory of “art for art’s sake” 4Thomas Hardy is the last and one of the greatest of Victorian novelists. 5In The Return of the the Native1878, Hardy looked again to the land as a source of his power. 6Hardy …s novels culminated with the two greatest, Tess of the D’Urbevilles 1891, and Jude the Obscure 1896. 7Wilde established himself both as a writer and as a spokenman for the school of “ (Art for Art’s sake 8In 1882, Wilde visited America for a lengthy and successful lecture tour during which he startled audiences by airing the gospel of the.aesthetic movement 9Abroad with Frrieda, Lawrence finished Sons and Lovers, the autobiographical)novel 10. Lawrence?s most controversial novel is Lady Chatterlay’s Lover (1928), the best probably The Rainbow (1915) 1 In spite of doing most of his writing in Trieste, Zurich, and Paris, Joyce wrote only and always

美国文学史及选读期末复习题

1.Captain John Smith became the first American writer. 2.The puritans looked upon themselves as a chosen people. is an annual collection of proverbs written by Benjamin Franklin. 4.Thomas Paine’s famous pamphlet Common Sense boldly advocated a “Declaration for Independence”. 5.Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.

has been called the “Father of American Poetry”. 7.In Washington I rving’s appeared the first modern short stories and the first great American juvenile literature. 8.Cooper’s enduring fame rests on his William Cullen Bryant’s wok. is considered “father of American detective stories and American gothic stories”. 10.Emerson believed above all in

美国文学史及选读复习重点

Captain John Smith (first American writer). Anne Bradstreet；The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America （colonists living） Edward Taylor(the best puritan poet) John Cotton ”the Patriarch of New England” teacher spiritual leader Benjamin Franklin The Autobiography Poor Richard’s Almanack Thomas Jefferson： Political Career Thoughts The Declaration of Independence we hold truth to be self-evidence Philip Freneau“Father of American Poetry” The Wild Honey Suckle American Romanticism optimism and hope Nationalism Washington Irving“Father of American Literature short story”The first “Pure Writer” A History of New York The Sketch Book marked the beginning of American Romanticism! “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”Rip Van Winkle James Fenimore Cooper Father of American sea and frontier novels Leather stocking Tales The Last of the Mohicans The Pioneers The Prairie The Pathfinder The Deerslayer Edgar Allan Poe father of detective story and horror fiction Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque “MS. Found in a Bottle” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” “The Fall of the House of Usher”“The Masque of the Red Death”“The

美国文学英语专业期末考填空题

C h a p t e r O n e The Colonial Period and 17th Century Literature of Puritanism 1. John Smith: the first of American literature is written by him. A True relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia(1608),was a long report recording what he saw and heard in New England. 2. 还有一些人道主义作家则认为应与印第安人和平相处，甚至主张与印第安人通婚（Edward Taylor） 3. Such religious and cultural background of the Puritan writers was responsible for the two essential characteristics of the early American literature: their religious subject and imitation of English literary traditions. (elite in New England, 这就是长期美国文学长期没有自己文学的传统的原因之一) 4. Anne Bradstreet’s poems of religious experience and domestic intimacy were unique and genuine, delicate and charming, embodying her profound understanding of religion and humanity. 5. The Colonial Period and 17th Century Literature of Puritanism Historical narrative, poetry(history religions experience), sermons

华师自考美国文学史及选读试题

美国文学史及选读试题 I. Multiple Choice 10’ 1. Who is different from others according to the division of writing period? A. Washington Irving B.William Cullen Bryant C. Captain John Smith D. James Fenimore Cooper 2. The American Romantic Period lasted roughly from ____ to ____. A. 1798-1832 B. 1810-1860 C. 1860-1864 D. 1776-1783 3. How many syllables are there in this first line of Raven? (“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,”) A. 11 B. 12 C. 13 D. 16 4. What dominated the Puritan phase of American writing? A. theology B. literature C. esthetics D. revolution 5. At the initial period of the spread of ideas of the Enlightenment was largely due to ____. A. typography B. journalism C. revolution D. the development of paper-making industry 6. Who has been called the “Father of American Literature”? A. Walt Scott B. Geoffrey Chaucer

美国文学史及选读期末复习题

1.C aptain John Smith became the first American writer. 2.T he puritans looked upon themselves as a chosen people. collection of proverbs written by Benjamin Franklin. 4.T homas Paine’s famous pamphlet Common Sense boldly advocated a “Declaration for Independence”.

5.T homas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. has been called the “Father of American Poetry”. 7.I n Washington Irving’s appeared the first modern short stories and the first great American juvenile literature.

8.C ooper’s enduring fame rests on his frontier stories, especially the five novels that comprise the is perhaps the peak of William Cullen Bryant’s wok. “father of American detective stories and American gothic stories”.

美国文学史及选读考研复习笔记6.

History And Anthology of American Literature （6） 附：作者及作品 一、殖民主义时期The Literature of Colonial America 1．船长约翰·史密斯Captain John Smith 《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》 “A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony” 《弗吉尼亚地图，附：一个乡村的描述》 “A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country” 《弗吉尼亚通史》“General History of Virginia” 2．威廉·布拉德福德William Bradford 《普利茅斯开发历史》“The History of Plymouth Plantation”3．约翰·温思罗普John Winthrop 《新英格兰历史》“The History of New England” 4．罗杰·威廉姆斯Roger Williams 《开启美国语言的钥匙》”A Key into the Language of America” 或叫《美洲新英格兰部分土著居民语言指南》 Or “A Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New England ” 5．安妮·布莱德斯特Anne Bradstreet 《在美洲诞生的第十个谬斯》 ”The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America” 二、理性和革命时期文学The Literature of Reason and Revolution 1。本杰明·富兰克林Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) ※《自传》“ The Autobiography ” 《穷人理查德的年鉴》“Poor Richard’s Almanac” 2。托马斯·佩因Thomas Paine (1737-1809) ※《美国危机》“The American Crisis” 《收税官的案子》“The Case of the Officers of the Excise”《常识》“Common Sense” 《人权》“Rights of Man” 《理性的时代》“The Age of Reason” 《土地公平》“Agrarian Justice” 3。托马斯·杰弗逊Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) ※《独立宣言》“The Declaration of I ndependence” 4。菲利浦·弗瑞诺Philip Freneau (1752-1832) ※《野忍冬花》“The Wild Honey Suckle” ※《印第安人的坟地》“The Indian Burying Ground” ※《致凯提·迪德》“To a Caty-Did” 《想象的力量》“The Power of Fancy” 《夜屋》“The House of Night” 《英国囚船》“The British Prison Ship” 《战争后期弗瑞诺主要诗歌集》 “The Poems of Philip Freneau Written Chiefly During the Late War” 《札记》“Miscellaneous Works” 三、浪漫主义文学The Literature of Romanticism 1。华盛顿·欧文Washington Irving (1783-1859) ※《作者自叙》“The Author’s Account of Himself” ※《睡谷传奇》“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 《见闻札记》“Sketch Book” 《乔纳森·欧尔德斯泰尔》“Jonathan Oldstyle” 《纽约外史》“A History of New York” 《布雷斯布里奇庄园》“Bracebridge Hall” 《旅行者故事》“Tales of Traveller” 《查理二世》或《快乐君主》“Charles the Second” Or “The Merry Monarch” 《克里斯托弗·哥伦布生平及航海历史》 “A History of the Life and V oyages of Christopher Columbus” 《格拉纳达征服编年史》”A Chronicle of the Conquest of Grandada” 《哥伦布同伴航海及发现》 ”V oyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus” 《阿尔罕布拉》“Alhambra” 《西班牙征服传说》“Legends of the Conquest of Spain” 《草原游记》“A Tour on the Prairies” 《阿斯托里亚》“Astoria” 《博纳维尔船长历险记》“The Adventures of Captain Bonneville” 《奥立弗·戈尔德史密斯》”Life of Oliver Goldsmith” 《乔治·华盛顿传》“Life of George Washington” 2．詹姆斯·芬尼莫·库珀James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) ※《最后的莫希干人》“The Last of the Mohicans” 《间谍》“The Spy” 《领航者》“The Pilot” 《美国海军》“U.S. Navy” 《皮袜子故事集》“Leather Stocking Tales” 包括《杀鹿者》、《探路人》”The Deerslayer”, ”The Pathfinder” 《最后的莫希干人》“The Last of the Mohicans” 《拓荒者》、《大草原》“The Pioneers”, “The Praire” 3。威廉·卡伦·布莱恩特William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) ※《死之思考》“Thanatopsis” ※《致水鸟》“To a Waterfowl” 4。埃德加·阿伦·坡Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) ※《给海伦》“To Helen” ※《乌鸦》“The Raven” ※《安娜贝尔·李》“Annabel Lee” ※《鄂榭府崩溃记》“The Fall of the House of Usher” 《金瓶子城的方德先生》“Ms. Found in a Bottle” 《述异集》“Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque” 5。拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) ※《论自然》“Nature” ※《论自助》“Self-Reliance” 《美国学者》“The American Scholar” 《神学院致辞》“The Divinity School Address” 《随笔集》“Essays” 《代表》“Representative Men” 《英国人》“English Traits” 《诗集》“Poems” 6。亨利·戴维·梭罗Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) ※《沃尔登我生活的地方我为何生活》 1

美国文学练习题

5. Hawthorne’s unique gift was for the creation of ________ which touch the deepest roots of man’s moral nature. A. romantic stories B. symbolic stories C. gothic stories D. humorous stories 7. Romanticism appeared as a literary trend against _____. A. rationality B. imagination C. intuition D. individualism 12. _____ held a “black”vision of life and human beings. A. Ralph Waldo Emerson B. Nathaniel Hawthorne C. Edgar Allan Poe D. James Fenimore Cooper 16. Born of one common cultural heritage, the American Romanticists shared some common features..._______, with the English Romanticists. A. an increasing emphasis on the free expression of emotions B. an increasing attention to the psychic states of their characters C. an increasing emphasis on the desire to return to nature D. both A and B 17. _______ was the first great American writer to earn international fame. A. Irving B. Cooper C. Emerson D. Whitman 21. Pearl is the heroine in Hawthorne’s novel _________ . A. Moses from an Old Manse B. Twice-Told Tales C. The Scarlet Letter D. The Blithedale Romance 7. Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, ang Pearl are most likely the names of the characters in __________. A.The Scarlet Letter B. The House of the Seven Gables C. The Portrait of a Lady D. The Pioneers 24. Being a period of the flowering of American literature, the Romantic period is also called “_____”. A. the American Renaissance B. the English Renaissance C. the Harlem Renaissance D. the Second Renaissance 5. According to Hawthorne, the scarlet letter “A”which originally stood for “_______” f inally obtained the meaning of “able”or “angel”through Hester’s efforts. A. adultery B. arrogance C. accomplishment D. agony 13. F. Scott Fitzgerald is often acclaimed literary spokesman of the ____________.

美国文学史及选读考试整理

Washington Irving Bracebridge Hall 布雷斯布里奇田庄 (1822) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tales of a Traveller 旅客谈 (1824) Christopher Columbus (1828) c. writing characteristics (1) humorous: the function of his writing is to amuse, to entertain instead of teaching or instruction (2) vivid and true character portrayal (3) finished (refined) and musical language, thus regarded as “the Amn. Goldsmith ” d. analysis on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow(选自the sketch book 见闻札记 ) 1. the story:setting,character, plot 2. theme:conflicts and praise conflict betw. Ichabod and Brom conflict betw. the village and the outside world James Fenimore Cooper The Spy (1821): a historical novel The Pilot (1824): a sea novel Leatherstocking Tales 皮裹腿故事集(1823-1841): frontier novels The Last Mohicans (1826) (Colonial War betw. Britain and France) e. writing features: strong points: we can see a variety of incidents and tensions, complicated plot and structure and a beautiful description of nature. Weak points: characterization is weak. There is unsatisfactory description of characters (esp. female). He is not free from syntactical awkwardness, heavy-handed attempt at humor. “Where Irving excels Cooper is weak.” Dialect is not authentic. Edgar Allan Poe The Fall of the House Usher Feature: i. brevity (15 pages) ii. Single effect iii. originality in theme To Helen It was inspired by the beauty of the mother of a schoolmate of Poe in Richmond, Virginia. The poem is famous for a number of things: 1. its rhyme scheme: ababb 2. its varied line lengths 3. its metaphor of a travel on the sea 4. its oft-quoted lines: "To the glory that was Greece,/And the grandeur that was Rome." theme: praise the ideal love and beauty and ancient Greek and Roman civilizations The Raven 乌鸦 theme: the lament over the death of a beautiful woman tone: melancholy Transcendentalism (essayists, poets, novelists) Their journal is “The Dial ” . Definition: Transcendentalism is idealism. (Emerson) b. features (1) stress on Oversoul, that is spirit. (2) stress the importance of individual. (3) fresh conception of nature. c. significance (1) inspired a whole generation of writers such as Whitman, Melville and Dickinson. (2) dresses man ’s subjective initiative as opposed to materialism. (3) liberated people from Calvin ’s original sin d. limitation (1) shallow: cut off from real life or reality; initiated by the rich, they were limited in a certain circle. So, in some degree, they have been cut off from social life and can ’t understand the sufferings of the common people. (2) inward contradiction: gain knowledge by intuition, shows its idealistic aspect. R.W. Emerson (Ralph Waldo) Nature (1836): the Bible of New England transcendentalism The American Scholar (1837): "America's Declaration of Intellectual The Divinity School Address 神学院致辞 (1838) Essays (1841/1847) Representative Men (1850) English Traits (1856)

美国文学史及选读试卷 (4)

美国文学史及选读试卷 Ⅰ. Multiple choices. (60 points in total, 2 for each) 1. The Romantic Period in American literature started from the publication of Washington Irving's ______ and ended with Whitman's Leaves of Grass. A. The Sketch Book B. Tales of a Traveller C. A History of New York D. The Scarlet Letter 2. At the middle of 19th century, America witnessed a cultural flowering which is called “_____”. A. the English Renaissance B. the Second Renaissance C. the American Renaissance D. the Salem Renaissance 3. As a philosophical and literary movement, the main issues involved in the debate of Transcendentalism are generally concerning ______. A. nature , man and the universe B. the relationship between man and woman C. the development of Romanticism in American literature D. the cold, rigid rationalism of Unitarianism 14. In the following statements, _________ is NOT true about Washington Irving’s famous story “Rip Van Winkle.” A. The story is not only well-kno wn for Rip’s 20-year sleep but also considered a model of perfect English in American literature. B. The story is set against the background of the inevitably changing America. C. The social conservatism and literary preference for the past is revealed, to some extent, in the story. D. Irving describes Rip’s response and reaction in a dramatic way, so that we see clearly both the narrator and Irving agree on the preferability of the present to the past. 15. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Experience is a serous discussion about the conflict between _________ and ordinary life.