【正文】 3. The first edition came out in 1855, contained 12 poems and did not sell well. But it received a warm w ele from Emerson. Emerson wrote him a letter, saying, “I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed.” When the 5th edition appeared (1871), Whitman began to receive recognition in England and importance:1. “father of modern American poetry” :Whitman?s influence over modern poetry is great in the world as well as in America. 2. His poetry added to the literary independence of America by breaking free from the traditional iambic pentameter and w。 3. ever worked as an office boy, printer, schoolmaster, editor, journalist and a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, which provided him with the firsthand knowledge of life and people in the new world. Representative work: Leaves of Grass 《草葉集》 1. America?s first genuine epic poem。 惠特曼 (1819 1892) The best and the most influential poet in the 19th century 11 His life: 1. born in a workingclass family in New York, son of a farmer and carpenter。 )It refers to who tells us a story and how it is told. The various points of view can be grouped into two categories: (1)The thirdperson narrator uses he, she , or they to tell the story and does not participate in the action。 society, man amp。 purity, innocence and youth Ahab —— man seeking to conquer nature A whaling voyage —— man?s journey in quest of the truth of nature Pequod and the crew —— American societyTheme: alienation between man amp。 a man with one leg Plot summary: Page 83 in Chang?s book Symbolism: Page 86 in Chang?s book Moby Dick—— nature whiteness —— death amp。 Hawthorne?s influence on him。 3. married the daughter of a rich judge, wrote for money to support his extravagant wife。 Poet (18191891) His life : 1. born in New York, son of a gentleman who died in debt when he was eleven。 In the early days of New England, puritans lived a strict and moral life. Major characters: Hester Prynne: “the fallen woman”Arthur Dimmesdale: young clergyman, Hester?s lover Roger Chillingworth: old scholar, physician, Hester?s husband Pearl: illicit daughter of Hester and her lover Dimmesdale Plot summary: Page 7475 in Chang?s book Theme: guilt and confession, morality The House of the Seven Gables (1851) 《帶七個尖角閣的房子》 Major characters: colonel Pyncheon 品欽上校； Matthew Maule 馬修 .莫爾 Plot summary: Page 72 in Chang’s book Theme: Sin will get punished, one way or another. 10 1. His works has his ?black? vision of life and human beings. He thought there was evil in every human heart. So in almost every book he wrote, Hawthorne discusses sin and evil. (Page 7172 in Chang’s book) 2. With his special interest in the psychological aspect of human beings, there isn?t much action, or physical movement going on in his works and he is good at exploring the plexity of human psychology. 3. Hawthorne is a master of symbolism. The scarlet letter “A”, the biggest symbol of all, takes on different layers of symbolic meanings as the plot develops. At first, it?s a symbol of shame, “Adultery”。 ( Page 70 to Page 71 in Chang?s book. ) Major works: novels amp。 studied at Bowdoin College。 son of a sea captain。 (2). Exaltation of the simple life。 died early。 graduated from Harvard。 2. regarded as “ America?s Declaration of Intellectual Independence”。 His importance: 1. He was the leading New England Transcendentalist. 2. His aesthetics brought about a revolution in American literature. It marked the birth of true American poetry. In his poetry, he developed a freeform, natural style, using symbols and imagery drawn from nature. His work had an immense impact on other poets of the time such as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Representative works: 1. Nature (1836)《論自然》： a philosophical work, an essay 2. “The American Scholar ” (1837)《美國學(xué)者》： a speech given at Harvard 3. SelfReliance (1840)《論自助》 : an essay Nature 《論自然》 1. a philosophical work about Emerson?s transcendental theories。 son of a clergyman。 Judge Temple: (2). Theme: the conflicts between nature and civilization, between freedom and law (3). Plot Summary: Page 51 on Chang’s book Phase 2: The summit of American Romanticism: New England Transcendentalism New England Transcendentalism 1. It was a literary and philosophical movement that flourished in New England in the middle of the 19th century. It was the summit of American Romanticism. 2. This movement was a reaction against Calvinism and the 18thcentury rationalism. It placed emphasis on oversoul, individualism and nature. 3. It was the product of a bination of foreign influences and the American Puritan tradition. 4. The two most famous American transcendentalists were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882) Poet amp。 (3). the richness of his imagination。 Question: Why did Cooper write about Natty from his old age to his youth? 4. Cooper’s writing style: Page 53 on Chang’s book(1). good at inventing plots。 his love 8 (4). The Pioneers: old and dying。 (2). loved nature and freedom。(3) the first professional writer who started writing as a career in the history of American literature。s descriptions of the two characters39。s house without Ichabod Crane. The town issued a search for Ichabod, but instead of finding him, they found Gunpowder39。s house, everyone there sat down to dinner. After the lovely feast of Dutch food such as cakes, pies, fruits, and meat, the music began. Everyone 7 danced about. Ichabod Crane danced with Katrina. Brom Bones sat in a corner glaring at the dancing couple. Then everyone sat down to listen to stories. The tales were fascinating! They were stories about ghosts . The favorite tale was about the headless horseman, a ghost who lost his head dur