1、American Literature: An Introduction,Who is who,The living American authors,Toni Morrison (b. February 18, 1931)The Bluest Eye, 1970; Sula, 1973; Song of Solomon, 1977.; Tar Baby, 1981; Beloved, 1987; Jazz, 1992; Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, 1992; Paradise, 1998; Love

2、, 2003 Alice Walker (b. February 9, 1944 ) The Color Purple, 1982 J. (Jerome) D. (David) Salinger (1919 -) The Catcher in the Rye., 1951 Amy Tan (1952 - ) The Joy Luck Club, 1989 Maxine (Ting Ting) Hong Kingston (1940-) Dan Brown (1964-),American Literature: General Ideas,1. Early American literatur

3、e: Colonial period to 1815 2. American Romanticism: 1815-1865 3. American Realism: 1865-1914 4. American Modernism: 1914-1945 5. American Postmodernism (literature diversified): 1945-,American Puritanism,(1). A. The first settlers: a group of serious, religious people, advocating highly religious an

4、d moral principles. B. a code of values, a philosophy of life: American Puritanism.,(2). The Characteristics of American Puritanism:,a. Puritanism: Scrupulous moral rigor, especially hostility to social pleasures and indulgences b. The immigrants : religious persecution,C. The immigrants thought tha

5、t the Church in Europe was totally corrupted, they were persecuted because of their opposition to the Church. The American Puritans believes that the Church should be restored to the “purity” of the first-century Church as established by Jesus Christ Himself. D. They accepted the doctrine of predest

6、ination, original sin and total depravity, and limited atonement (or the salvation of a selected few) through a special infusion of grace from God, all that John Calvin (1509-1564), the great French theologian who lived in Geneva, had preached.,d. The Doctrines of Calvinism:,(1) 徹底的墮落 （2）無條件地選擇 （3）有

7、限制的贖罪 （4）不能拒絕的恩惠 （5）圣徒的永遠感恩,Am Literature：The beginning, In 1492, Christopher Columbus found the new continent called America. Immigrants: Spanish (they built the first town on the new continent); Dutch (they built New York city at the beginning stage); French (today still lots of peoples mother ton

8、gue is French in North America) English immigrants, Jamestown, Virginia, 16071620 “May Flower”, Plymouth (Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford) Imagine: despite inconvenient transportation then, why so many immigrants left their hometown and came to such a remote place as America? Economic, p

9、olitical and religious reasons Reformation and religious conflicts in Europe; persecution of Protestants,Literature of Colonial America (1620-1763), General features Humble origins: diaries, histories, letters etc.oral tradition In content: serving either God or colonial expansion or both In form: i

10、mitating English literary traditions Captain John Smith(1580-1631): the first American Writer Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672): first American woman poet; a Puritan poet; once called “Tenth Muse”; her poems mainly about religious experience, family life and early settlers lives; her most famous poems“Con

11、templations” (4) Philip Freneau (1752-1832): “Father of American Poetry”.,American Revolution,(Strict rules made by English government prevented the economic development of the colonies. It was unfair. So American Independence War broke.) 1775, Lexington, beginning of the Independence War July 4th, 1776, Thomas Jeffe