1. 连线题 （作家与作品，作品中的人物与作品）10% 2. 判断题 10% 3. 单选题 30% 4. 名词解释 12% 5. 作品选读分析 28% 6. 简述题 10%
名词解释： 1. Puritanism
Puritanism is the practices and beliefs of the Puritans. The Puritans were originally members of a division of the Protestant Church . As the word itself hints, Puritans wanted to purify their religious beliefs and practices. They accepted the doctrine of predestination, original sin and total depravity, and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from God.
2. Local colorism
(1)defined by Hamlin Garland as having “such quality of texture and background that it could not have been written in any other place or by anyone else than a native”;
(2)local colorists emphasized on local peculiarities of speech, dress and habits of thought and the presentation of native character types;
(3)one of the most significant local color fiction: Bret Harte’s The Luck of Roaring Camp 3. Imagism
It is a name given to a movement in poetry, originating in 1912 and represented by Ezra Pound, Amy Lowell, and others, aiming at clarity of expression through the use of precise visual images.
4. Dramatic monologre
A dramatic monologue presents a moment in which a narrator/speaker discusses a topic and, in so doing, reveals his personal feelings to a listener. Only the narrator, talks—hence the term monologue, meaning \"single (mono) discourse (logue).\" During his discourse, the speaker intentionally and unintentionally reveals information about himself. The main focus of a dramatic monologue is this personal information, not the speaker's topic. Therefore, a dramatic monologue is a type of character study. 5. Lost generation
（1）The term \"the lost generation\" was coined by Gertrude Stein who uses it to describe
the people of the 1920's who rejected American post World War I values. The three best known writers among The Lost Generation are Fitzgerald, Hemingway and John Dos Passos. （2）The \"Lost Generation\" defines a sense of moral loss or aimlessness apparent in literary
figures during the 1920s. World War I seemed to have destroyed the idea that if you acted virtuously, good things would happen. Many good, young men went to war and died, or returned home either physically or mentally wounded (for most, both), and their faith in the moral guideposts that had earlier given them hope, were no longer valid...they were \"Lost.\"
6. Transcendentalism
玉林师范学院外国语学院英本084班
Transcendentalism, essentially, is a form of idealism. It was a philosophical, literary, social, and theological movement that flourished in New England from about 1836 to 1860, which absorbed some ideological concerns of American Puritanism and European Romanticism, with its core belief in an ideal spiritual state that \"transcends\" the physical and empirical and is realized only through the individual's intuition, through which to grasp the absolute in the universe and the divinity of man. 7. Iamgist poetic principles
(1) Direct treatment of the “thing,” whether subjective or objective;
(2) To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation;
(3)As regarding rhythm, compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in the
sequence of a metronome.
作品选读分析: Passage 1
… Suddenly there shot along the path a wild light, and I turned to see whence a gleam so unusual could have issued—for the vast house and its shadows where alone behind me. The radiance was that of the full, setting, and blood-re moon, which now shone vividly through that once barely-discernible fissure, of which I have before spoken, as extending from the roof of the building, in a zigzag direction, to the base. … Questions:
1. From which short story is this passage taken? Who is the author of this short story?
The Fall of the House of Usher Edgar Allan Poe 2. what kind of story is it?
\"The Fall of the House of Usher\" is considered as the masterpiece of Americand Gothic
literature.
3. What’s the symbolic meaning of the “House” and the “Fissure”?
The fissure that develops in its side is symbolic of the decay of the Usher family, and the
collapsing house refers to the decline and fall of the User family.
Passage 2
“Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.” Questions:
1. Which work is this fragment taken from? Who’s the author?
Nature Ralph Waldo Emerson 2. What does “Universal Being” refer to? nature 3. How to appreciate it?
Now this is a moment of “conversion” when one feels completely merged with the outside world, when one has completely sank into nature and become one with it, and when the soul has gone beyond the physical limits of the body to share the omniscience of the Oversoul. In a word, the soul has completely transcended the limits of individuality and become part of the Oversoul. Emerson sees spirit pervading everywhere, not only in the soul of man, but behind
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nature, throughout nature.
Passage 3 （The Scarlet Letter Chapter II:The Market-Place）
…When the young woman—the mother of the child—stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress. In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would not poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbours. Questions:
1. Which novel is this selection taken from? What is the name of the novelist? The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne
2. What is “a certain token, which was wroght or fastened into her dress”? What are the symbolic meanings of it?
(1)The scarlet letter A on her breast
(2) In this novel, the scarlet letter \"A\" changes its meaning many times. This change is significant. It shows growth in the characters, and the community in which they live. The letter \"A\" begins as a symbol of sin--adultery. It then becomes a symbol of alone and alienation, and finally it becomes a symbol of able, angel and admirable; The scarlet letter \"A\" also can be seen the symbol of Adam.
3. What’s the young woman’s attitude toward the “certain token”?
Even being punished，Hester accept it with grace 。Being courageous ，pretty，compassionate，tolerant，and keeping dignity，she reestablish a meaningful relation with his fellowmen 。So above all ，her attitude is positive
Passage 4
The runaway slave came to my house and stopt outside, I heard his motions crackling the twigs of the woodpile,
Through the swung half-door of the kitchen I saw him limpsy and weak, And went where he sat on a log and led him in and assured him,
And brought water and fill’d a tub for his sweated body and bruis’d feet,
And gave him a room that enter’d from my own, and gave him some coarse clean clothes, … Questions:
1. What’s the title of the poem? From which collection of poetry is the poem taken from? Song of Myself Leaves of Grass
2. What’s the form of the poem? What’s the poet’s writing technique?
（1）free verse
（2）a. parallelism of a rhythm of thought b. poetic recurrence
4. What’s the symbolic meaning of the title of the collection? What’s the theme of the poem?
玉林师范学院外国语学院英本084班
(1)It is significant that Whitman entitled his book Leaves of Grass. He said that where there is earth, where there is water, there is grass. Grass, the most common thing with the greatest vitality, is an image of the poet himself, a symbol of the then rising American nation and an embodiment of his ideals about democracy and freedom.
(2)In this giant work, openness, freedom, and above all, individualism(the belief that the rights and freedom of individual people are most important) are all that concerned him.Whitman brings the hard-working farmers and laborers into American literature, attack the slavery system and racial discrimination. In this book he also extols nature,democracy, labor and creation ,and sings of man's dignity and equality, and of the brightest future of mankind. Most of the poems in Leaves of Grass sing of the \"en-masse\" and the self as well. Passage 5
Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves— And Immortality. …
We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess—in the Ring—
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain— We passed the Setting Sun— … Questions:
1. Who is the poet of this poem? Emily Dickinson （Because I could not stop for Death） 2. What do “He” and “Carriage” refer to? What do “School”, “Fields of Gazing Grain”and “Setting Sun” symbolize?
Death coffin childhood adulthood old age 3. What’s the poet’s attitude towards Death?(死后通向永恒)
The poem reveals Emily Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death. It is surprising that she presents the experience as being no more frightening than receiving a gentleman caller—in this case, her fiancé (Death personified). 4. What are the poetic feature of the poet?
1) she use a particular rhyme pattern,uses dashes and capital letters as a means of emphasis 2) simplicity and plainness
3) focus on a single image or symbol 4) poems are personal and meditative 5) personification
Passage 6
The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. Questions:
1. What’s the title of the poem? Who’s the poet?
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In a station of the Metro Ezra Pound 2. What are the objects and images in this poem?
objects: the faces in the dim and damp context; image: flower petals on a wet, black bough;
3. How do you appreciate the form and words used in this poem?
The diction in the poem is concise, direct and definite, and there is no traditional rhyme or rhythm in this poem, while it still sounds musical. Passage 7
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; …
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. Questions:
1. What’s the poem? Who is the poet? The Road Not Taken Robert Frost
2. What does the poet mean symbolically by “road”?
The “roads” may signify many of the “choices” in life, life would come and go in full circle and the roads make no differences after all.
3. What does the poet refer to by saying “I took the one less travelled by”?
the poet may indicate that he stands aside from the Modernist endeavor of his time -- he did not seem enthusiastic about experimentation in form, but keeps faith in the traditional forms of poetry. Passage 8
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky] Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells: Streets that follow like a tedious argument Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question. . . Oh, do not ask, \"What is it?\" Let us go and make our visit. …
玉林师范学院外国语学院英本084班
Questions:
1. What do “you” and “I” refer to? What’s the form of this poem? （1）--“you” , the listener, can signify three identity: “the unidentified male companion” of Prufrock and “Prufrock’s alter ego, inner self”“the generalized reader” --“I” the speaker/narrator, a balding, timid, overcautious middle-aged man. （2）dramatic monologue
2. What’s the ironic meaning of the title?
（1）. “Love Song” is in fact about the absence of love;
(2). The name of Prufrock is that of a furniture dealer in St. Louis. His initial “J” sounds
tony and classy, giving one a sense of the upper class to which he belongs;
（3）. The epigraph is taken from Dante’s Inferno, its implication is that Prufrock is, like
Guido, also in Hell or a hellish situation. Since Prufrock is not guilty of anything and Guido is, the resemblance is highly ironic; it also implies that modern man inhabits a nightmarish inferno. 3. What is the significance of the image of “I”?
Prufrock is the image of an ineffectual, sorrowful, tragic 20th century Western man, possibly the modern intellectual who is divided between passion and timidity, between desire and impotence. His tragic flaw is timidity; his “curse” is his idealism. Knowing everything, but able to do nothing, he lives in an area of life and death; and caught between the two worlds, he belongs to neither. He craves love but has no courage to declare himself. He despairs of life. He discovers its emptiness and yet has found nothing to replace it. Thus the poem develops a theme of frustration and emotional conflict. Passage 9
It made me shiver. And I about made up my mind to pray, and see if I couldn't try to quit being the kind of a boy I was and be better. So I kneeled down. But the words wouldn't come. Why wouldn't they? It warn't no use to try and hide it from Him. Nor from ME, neither. I knowed very well why they wouldn't come. It was because my heart warn't right; it was because I warn't square; it was because I was playing double. I was letting ON to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth SAY I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that nigger's owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie--I found that out. … Questions:
1. Identify the author and the novel.
Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(Chapter31) 2. What do the “sin” and “the right thing and the clean thing” refer to? （1）help the nigger to hide from the slave owner
（2）go and write to that nigger's owner and tell where he was 3. What’s the writing style of the author?
Twain learned to write this way from writers of \"local color, presenting narratives in a
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regional dialect, in vernacular language style; his words are usually colloquial, concrete and direct; the sentence structures are simple, even ungrammatical, with a series of “ands” and semi-colons serving as connectives. Local-color writers, or \"local colorists,\" attempted to portray life in the various sections of burgeoning America. However, rather than writing soberly realistic stories, they tended to write stories infused with \"eccentrics as characters\" and \"whimsical plotting\" . Passage 10
“This is an unusual party for me. I haven’t even seen the host. I live over there--” I waved my hand at the invisible hedge in the distance. “and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation.”
For a moment he looked at me as if he failed to understand. “I’m Gatsby,” he said suddenly.
“What!” I exclaimed. “Oh, I beg your pardon.”
“I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host.” …
Questions:
1. Identify the novel and the author.
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Why Gatsby say he is “not a very good host”? Did not show himself
4. What’s the significance of the image of Gatsby.
（1）. Gatsby’s life follows a clear pattern: at first, a dream, then a disenchantment, and finally a sense of failure and despair. Gatsby’s personal experience approximates the whole of the American experience up to the first decades of the 20th century.
（2）. Gatsby is on the one hand, charmingly innocent enough to believe that past can be recovered and resurrected, but on the other hand, both corrupt and corrupting, tragically convinced of the power of money. His personal life has assumed a magnitude as a “cultural-historical allegory” for the nation. Passage 11
He went down the hall. I went to the door of the room. “You can’t come in now,” one of the nurses said. “Yes I can,” I said. “You can’t come in yet.”
“You get out,” I said, “The other one too.”
But after I had got them out and shut the door and turned off the light it wasn’t any good. It was like saying good-by to a statue. After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.
玉林师范学院外国语学院英本084班
Questions:
1. Identify the author and the novel. Ernest Hemingway A Farewell to Arms 2. What’s the theme of it?
Anti-war（小说的主题是描写帝国主义战争以及战争给青年一代在肉体和心灵上留下
的永久性创伤。）
3. How does the character reveal the typical “hero” created by the author?
Hero, who tried hard and learned to live in “grace under pressure”, possesses what Bertrand Russell terms “despairing courage”, which enables a man to behave like a man, to assert his dignity in face of adversity；who is wounded but strong, more sensitive and wounded because stronger, enjoys the pleasures of life (sex, alcohol, sport) in face of ruin and death and maintains, through some notion of a code, and ideal of himself. 简述题：(自己自由发挥)
1. What’s Edgar Allan Poe’s poetic theories? Take The Raven as an example to illustrate it.
(1)The chief aim of poetry is beauty, namely to produce a feeling of beauty in the reader. Beauty aims at “an elevating excitement of the soul”, and “beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” Thus melancholy is the most legitimate of all the poetic tones.” Poe concludes that “the death of a beautiful woman is , unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world.” In his poetry, the loss of a beautiful and loved woman is his recurrent theme.
(2)In Poe’s view, poems should be short enough to be read in one sitting, otherwise the unity of effect would be dissipated
(3)Poe attached his importance and interest to the sound of the poetry. He constantly experimented with ways to make it musical, and defined poetry as “the rhythmic creation of beauty”. In his poetry he often chose his words for the quality of their sound.
2. What’s Naturalism in American literature? State the naturalistic color in Sister Carrie.
（1）The features of Naturalism:
a. Concerning with man’s place in the universe, living in a cold, indifferent, and essentially Godless world, man was enslaved, they are helpless, insignificant and lacking dignity;
b. Life became a struggle for survival, man reveals their animality while struggling for survival of power;
c. The whole picture is somber and dark, and the general tone is hopeless and even despair.
（2）Comment on Sister Carrie：
1. It presents a new moral fiber: man is an animal in the jungle, driven by greed and lust in a struggle for existence, only the fittest survived. Therefore, existence is
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the most essential, the only instinct of man. In such circumstance, man has no power to assert his will, so man doesn’t have to be responsible for his moral activity.
2. As for Sister Carrie, the world is cold and harsh to her. Alone and helpless, she moves along like a mechanism driven by desire and catches blindly at any opportunities for a better existence. She is a feather in the wind, and always at the mercy forces she cannot understand, let alone to control. She does not seem to possess what may be called a moral fiber.
北美民兵
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