【正文】 roletariat – skyscrapers and slums ? Ideological background: a cold, indifferent Godless world – life as a struggle for survival – Darwinian evolutionary concepts like “ the survival of the fittest” and “ the human beast” – Herbert Spencer’ s social Darwinism – an attitude of gloom and despair American Naturalism ?2. Literary background/ Definition ?In the 1890s, French naturalism, with its new techniques and new ways of writing, appealed to the imagination of the younger generation like Crane, Norris and Dreiser. ?They tore the mask of gentility into pieces and wrote about helplessness of man, his insignificance in a cold world, and his lack of dignity in face of the crushing forces of environment and heredity. American Naturalism ? The whole picture is somber and dark。 Tragic in basic tone ? Death leads to immortality. ? Doubt。 Whitman and Dickinson Romantic Poetry Whitman and Dickinson ? Whitman and Dickinson ? Similarities: Both of them were distinctively American poets in theme and technique. Both of them were part of American Renaissance. ? A. Themes: both praised in their different ways, an emergent America, its expansion, its individualism, and its Americanness. ? B. Techniques: breaking free of the poetic tradition and pioneering American modernist poetry with their poetic innovation. ? Differences: ? A. Whitman kept his eye on society at large while Dickinson explored the inner life of the self and individual. ? B. Whereas Whitman is national in his outlook, Dickinson is regional. ? C. In formal terms, Whitman is characterized by his endless, allinclusive catalogs while Dickinson by her concise, direct, and simple diction and syntax. Whitman and Dickinson ? I. Walt Whitman (18191892) ? 1. Literary Status ? Father of American Poetry ? Precursor of Modern American Poetry ? Father of American Free Verse ? Celebrating America as a Poem ? 2. Life ? Workingclass background ? He grew up in New York and worked there. ? Five years of schooling, loafing and reading ? Rich life experience: office boy, printer’ s apprentice, carpenter, schoolmaster, printer, editor (of 8 successive papers), and journalist Whitman and Dickinson 3. The Publication of Leaves of Grass – Whitman’ s lifetime literary endeavor A. The first edition of 12 poems in 1855 A stir – broke with the poetic convention – sexuality and exotic and vulgar language harsh criticisms on it: “ noxious weeds” , “ poetry of barbarism” , “ a mass of stupid filth” B. Nine editions in all (1855, 56, 60, 67,71, 76, 81, 89, 9192) Began to be celebrated with the fifth edition C. His deathbed edition containing all of his 400odd poems Whitman and Dickinson ? 4. His ideas: ? “ a catalog and great acceptor” ? Enlightenment, humanitarianism ? Idealism and Transcendentalism ? Emerson and Whitman: ? Emerson’ s letter of praise of the first edition ? “ the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that an American has yet contributed” ? Whitman: “ dear Master,” “ I was simmering, simmering, simmering, Emerson brought me to a boil” ? He shared many similar ideas with Emerson: ? America itself was a poem。 the greatest poet is a seer, plete in himself. () Whitman and Dickinson ? 5. Whitman’ s Poetic Experimentation ? He was a daring experimentalist who “ broke the new wood” ? He began to experiment around 1847 which lead to a plete break with traditional poetics. ? Features: ? A. parallelism ? B. phoic recurrence (systematic repetition of words and phrases) ? C. his long catalogs of lines, his piling up of nouns, verbs, or adjectives, ? Whitman broke free from the traditional iambic pentameter and wrote “ free verse” . Whitman and Dickinson ? 6. Masterpieces: ? “ Song of Myself” ? “ There was a Child Went Forth” ? “ In Crossing Brooklyn Bridge” ? “ Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking” () ? “ When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed” () ? 7. Whitman’ s Influence ? Whitman’ s influence over modern poetry is great in the world as well as in America. His best work has bee part of the mon property of Western culture. ? Many poets in England, France, Italy, and Latin America are in his debt, esp. by his optimism and innovation as a poetprophet and poetteacher. ? T. S. Eliot, Pound, Hart Crane, Carl Sandburg Whitman and Dickinson ? II. Emily Dickinson (18301886) ? 1. Literary status ? A secluded poetess ? “ Mother” of American Poetry and American Modern Poetry ? 2. Life ? a Calvinist family ? Her father, a Whig lawyer and treasurer of Amherst College ? Read widely such as the Bible, Shakespeare, Keats ? Began writing seriously in her twenties ? 1775 poems altogether, 7 published in her life Whitman and Dickinson ? 3. Her Ideas ? Calvinism。 the loss of faith and the religious uncertainty ? 4. Themes: life, death, immortality, love, nature ? 5. Analysis of her masterpieces ? “ My Life Closed Twice before its Close” () ? “ Wild Nights – Wild Nights” () ? “ Because I could not stop for Death” ? “ I heard a fly buzz when I died” () ? “ Death is a Dialogue between” () ? “ A Narrow Fellow in the Grass” ? “ I’ ll tell you how the sun rose” Emily Dickinson’ s Poem: 249 Wild Nights – Wild Nights! Wild Nights – Wild Nights! Were I with thee Wild Nights should be Our Luxury! Futile – the Winds – To a Heart in port – Done with the Compass – Done with the Chart ! Rowing in Eden – Ah, the Sea! Might I but moor –Tonight – In Thee! Whitman and Dickinson ? 6. Dickinson’ s Aesthetics ? She holds that beauty, truth and goodness are ultimately one. ? 7. Her poetic innovation ? A. She broke free of the conventional iambic pentame