【正文】 美 國 文 學(xué) 名 詞 解 釋 1. Puritans: is English protestant, one division of Protestant (one division of Christianity, appeared in the 16th c, against the ruling Roman Catholic. In England, there were many divisions in protestant, for instance, Quakers, Baptism, 震顫派，喧囂派 ). They regarded the reformation of the Church under Elizabeth as inplete, and called for its further ―purification‖ from what they considered to be unscriptural and corrupt forms and ceremonies retained from the unreformed church. They objected, for instance, to the wearing of the surplice and to government by the prelates, and they demanded the right to partake of the munion in a sitting posture. Their Millenary Petition (1603) requested a reform of the church courts, a doing away with ―superstitious‖ customs, a discarding of the use of apocryphal books of the Bible, a serious observance of the Sabbath, and various ecclesiastical reforms. The 17th century American Puritans included two parts: one part of them were the creators of the Plymouth colony, called ―Separatists‖. They were so suppressed by the church of England that they sought escape. Those Separatists first went into exile to Holland, then were aboard ―Mayflower‖ in 1620 and settled down in Plymouth. America, therefore, as an infant was born. They considered that the Church of England had bee hopeless and advocated to separate from it since general reform would be useless. The other part was the Englishmen in the Massachusettes Bay Colony. Though they came later than those of Plymouth colony, they were richer and bettereducated. They devoted themselves to the reform of the Church of England and meant to clear away the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church in it. In reality, only this part of them were true Puritans. They accepted the doctrine of original sin and total depravity, and predestination, and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from God. The main doctrine of Calvinism Puritans believed in was first shown in ―total depravity‖. They believed in the ―original sin‖ in which Adam the first man God created sinned and which led to the conclusion that ―in Adam’s fall, we sinned all.‖ They considered that man was born sinful, was a sinner and could not redeem his original sinfulness. Moreover, they could not save themselves. Secondly Puritans underscored that man would be chosen by God unconditionally. They thought that God occupied a dominant position. He could save a part of people willfully, made them rise to the Heaven after death, and could also destroy some other part of people wantonly, made fall into the hell after death. Therefore, determinism took firm root in their minds. They believed in man’s destiny, everything of man was disposed in the hands of God, only God knew who were ―chosen people‖ after they died. Man himself was predestined and could not master his own destiny. They thought that God willfully granted people the favor that man could neither strive to gain, nor refuse to accept. The obtaining of the God’s special kindness or God’s providence for him meant his ―rebirth‖ or ―being sainted.‖ In this sense, they strived to be saints while they were still alive. Man did not know whether they could be God’s chosen people, but should live a saintlike life at ordinary times according to God’s will. The Holy Bible was the guidebook to man’s behaviors. In New England where Puritanism was popular, one’s life was only the course of moral training and that of his struggle between God and devils. People had an austere and rigid way of life governed by the church. Therefore, clergymen were the dominant authorities. Puritans tended to suspect joy and laughter as symptoms of sin: they didn’t dance, did not go to theatre, but sang chant in church and listened to the music. However, they allowed drinking, smoking and putting on beautiful clothes. Puritanism encouraged people to struggle in their careers. If one’s business was booming, it proved that he had gained God’s providence. They held extreme opinions. They regarded themselves as ―chosen people‖ of God. Those who challenged their way of life were opposing God’s will. They were zealous in defense of their own beliefs, intolerant of others. They drove out or persecuted those whose opinions seemed dangerous to them. They embraced hardships, industry and frugality. They favored a disciplined, hard, somber, ascetic, harsh life. They opposed pleasure and arts. They suspect joy and laughter as symptoms of sin. They made laws about private morality as well as public behavior. They emphasized a wrathful God and to fet His mercy. They were much concerned with authority than with democracy. 2. Puritanism: a religious and political movement that developed in England about the middle of the 16th century and later spread influence into the New England in America. Puritanism was a logical aftermath of the Renaissance, the Reformation, the establishment of the church of England, and the growth of Presbyterianism. Through these movements, one sees emerging the right of the individual to political and religious independence. Across the pages of American literature Puritanism is written large. It may almost be considered the ethical mode of American thought. As an extreme form of the Protestant sensibility, Puritanism exaggerated those protestant traitsespecially industry, frugality, hardships. They favored a disciplined, hard, somber, ascetic, harsh life. All these, according to Max Weber and other analysts of social history contributed to the rise of capitalism. 3. Enlightenment Movement: In 18th century, there was a dramatic change in the minds of Europeans, before the bourgeois revolution broke out. Inspired by the development of science, philosophers hoped to appl