Unit 1 Benjamin Franklin American Literature Lecture One Introduction American literature
American literature mainly refers to literature produced in American English by the people living in the United States. Historical Background
What do you know about American early history? 1. Early history:
1) In 1492, Christopher Columbus found the new continent called America. 2) In 1607, Captain John Smith led some Englishmen across the ocean.
3) In 1620, 102 passengers sailed on the ship Mayflower across the sea and settled on the new continent “New England”. Historical Background 2. People:
native inhabitants: Indians
Immigrants mostly from Europe: Spanish; Dutch; French English immigrants, Jamestown, Virginia, 1607 Puritans
a group of religious people
advocated religious &moral principles Brief Outline of American Literature 1. Colonial period and Revolutionary period 2.Romanticism 3.The age of Realism 4. The Modern period
5. After the WWII
Colonial period and Revolutionary period
Time: 1607--1783 the settlement of North America-- the Independence War Major topic:American Puritanism Introduction
There were no written literature among the more than 500 different Indian languages and tribal cultures，American writing began with the work of English adventurers and colonists in the New World chiefly for the benefit of readers in the mother country. Therefore the writing in this period was essentially two kinds:
（1）practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people “at home” what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration;
(2) highly theoretical, generally polemical(好辩的）, discussions of religious questions. Romanticism
Time: 1783—1861 the Independence War-- the Civil War Romanticism (1783-1865) Washington Irving James Fenimore Cooper
Summit of Romanticism-Transcendentalism (American Renaissance) Ralph Waldo Emerson Fillip Thoreau Late Romanticism Nathaniel Hawthorne Herman Melville not optimistic Romantic Poets Walt Whitman Emily Dickenson
Edgar Allen Poe：the most controversial & the most misunderstood
The age of Realism
Time: 1865--1918 the Civil War-- the First World War concern for the common-place offer an objective view
The Age of Realism (1865-1918) Mark Twain Henry James Naturalism Stephen Crane Theodore Dreiser American Literature
——Colonial Period and Revolutionary Period Time:
the settlement of North America——1607 the Independence War——1783 Major Topic: American Puritanism Puritanism
Features of Puritanism
(1) Predestination: God decided everything before things occurred.
(2) Original sin: Human beings were born to be evil, and this original sin can be passed down from generation to generation. (3) Total depravity
(4) Limited atonement: Only the “elect” can be saved.
Simply speaking, American Puritanism just refers to the spirit and ideal of puritans who settled in the North American continent in the early part of the seventeenth century because of religious persecutions(迫害）. In content it means scrupulous （小心谨慎）moral rigor, especially hostility to social pleasures and indulgences, that is strictness,sternness and austerity（苦行） in conduct and religion.With time passing it became a dominant factor in American life, one of the most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American Literature. To some extent it is a state of mind, a part of the national cultural atmosphere.Actually it is a code of values, a philosophy of life and a point of view in American minds. General features
Types of writing: diaries, histories, letters etc.
Content: serving either God or colonial expansion or both Form: imitating English literary traditions
II. Benjamin Franklin1706 - 1790 Benjamin Franklin
American politician, scientist, inventor, and educator.
He was a typical example of the so-called American Dream. He helped draft the “Declaration of Independence”. He conducted the difficult negotiation with France that brought financial and military support for America in the war. He founded the college that was to become the University of Pennsylvania.
Born in a poor candle and soap maker’s family, he had to leave school before he was eleven. At twelve he was apprenticed to an older brother, James, a printer in Boston.
When he was 17 he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune marking the beginning of a long success story of an archetypal kind. 1. His Life
He set himself up as an independent printer and publisher, Retired around forty-two, he did what was to him a great happiness: read, make scientific experiments At the same time he did a lot of famous experiments and invented many things such as volunteer fire departments, effective street lighting, the Franklin Stove, bifocal(双焦点的） glasses, efficient heating devices, lightning-rod and so on. Beginning his public career in the early fifties, he became a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, the Deputy Postmaster-General for the colonies, and for some eighteen years served as representative of the colonies in London.During the War of Independence, he was made a delegate to the Continental Congress and a member of the committee to write the Declaration of Independence. One of the
makers of the new nation, he brought France into an alliance with America against England, and played a decisive role at the Constitutional Convention.
Benjamin Franklin(1706—1790) printer, editor, inventor, scientist, opened his own print shop for 20 years of the lightning rod made experiment with a kite, proving that lightning was electricity published the Pennsylvania Gazette (newspaper) Benjamin Franklin（1706—1790）
a member of the group that wrote the Declaration of Independence founded the first public library, organized the first fire department and the first paid police force, founded a school and a hospital. the great man of letters Autobiography《自传》 Poor Richard’s Almanac 《穷理查德历书》 politician, public-spirited citizen, prose writer Autobiography
A story that a person writes about his or her own life is called an autobiography. Autobiographies are written in first-person point of view, and biographies in third-person point of view.
Autobiography—— the greatest autobiography produced in Colonial America The work portrays a fascinating picture of life in Philadelphia,
Franklin wrote the first five chapters of his autobiography in England in 1771, resumed again thirteen years later (1784-85) in Paris and later in 1788 when he returned to the United States.
Franklin ends the account of his life in 1757 when he was 51 years old. Autobiography
It is regarded as one of the most important works of American literature produced during the 18th century.
It is a record of a man rising to wealth and fame from a state of poverty and obscurity, an account of the colorful career of America's first self-made man. Autobiography
It is perhaps the first real post-revolutionary American writing as well as the first real autobiography in English.
First of all, it is a puritan document. The most famous section describes his scientific scheme of self-examination and self-improvement. Autobiography
The style: it is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision(言简意赅). The narrative is lucid(易懂的), the structure is simple, the imagery is homely(朴素的).
an exemplary illustration of the American style of writing. Autobiography
“To help myself live without fault, I made a list of what I considered the 13 virtues. These virtues are: 1. Temperance 2. Self-control 3. Silence 4. Order 5. Firmness 6. Savings 7.Industry 8.Honesty 9. Justice 10. Cleanliness 11. Calmness 12. Morality 13. Humbleness” 节制饮食，自我克制，沉默寡言，有条不紊，坚定信念，勤俭节约，工作勤奋，忠诚老实，办事公正，衣履整洁，平心静气，品行高尚，谦虚恭顺
He was a rare genius in human history. he became almost everything: a printer, postmaster, citizen, almanac maker, essayist, scientist, inventor, orator（雄辩家）, statesman, philosopher, political economist, ambassador and musician. He was the first great self-made man in America, his fine example helped to liberalize. 3. Evaluation
For quite some time he was regarded as the father of America, even more than Washington was. He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States: the declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the treaty of peace with England, and the constitution.
Scientifically, he invented a lot of useful implements.
Literally, he really opened the story of American literature. D. H. Lawrance agreed that Franklin was everything but a poet. In the Scottish philosopher David Hume’s eyes he was America’s “first great man of letters”. Unit 1 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Characters in the Autobiography：
Benjamin Franklin - The author and protagonist of the Autobiography;
The Autobiography tells of the major events of his life and many of his important scientific and political ideas, but the work does not
discuss the American Revolution, in which Franklin was a major participant. William Franklin
Benjamin's son and royal governor of New Jersey in 1771 when Ben begins writing the work. Ben begins the Autobiography as a letter to William with the intent of telling him about his life. James Franklin
Franklin older brother who owns a printing house in Boston. Ben is apprenticed to James when Ben is 12, and while they do not always get along very well, Ben learns much from James and proves to be quite helpful. When James is arrested for holding subversive (颠覆性的） political ideas, Ben takes over the paper until James' release. When Ben breaks his contract and leaves for Philadelphia, James grows angry and spiteful. Andrew Bradford
A printer in Philadelphia, he is unable to hire Franklin but he does allow Franklin to stay in his house.Later on, when Franklin runs his own paper, the two are competitors until Bradford leaves the printing industry. Samuel Keimer
The printer in Philadelphia for whom Franklin works.
Their relationship deteriorates over time, and eventually they have a falling out.
Keimer, however, tries to make amends when he realizes that Ben can supply him with important printing tools. John Read
A resident of Philadelphia, he houses Franklin shortly after Franklin arrives in Philadelphia. Deborah Read
The daughter of John Read, she eventually marries Franklin even though their courtship is interrupted by his 18-month trip to England, during which time she marries another man who disappears thus allowing her marriage to Franklin. “Firsts\
1.It is considered the first popular self-help book ever published.
2. It was the first and only work written in American before the 19th century that has retained bestseller popularity since its release. 3. It was the first major secular American autobiography.
4. It is also the first real account of the American Dream in action as told from a man who experienced it firsthand. Part One, first section
The Autobiography opens with a salutation（问候、致意） to Ben Franklin’s son, William Franklin who at the time was the royal governor of New Jersey. Franklin is writing in the summer of 1771 on vacation in a small town about 50 miles south of London. Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. Franklin says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it, although he would like to correct some small errors if the opportunity arose. But since Franklin cannot repeat life, he can instead recollect it. He thanks God for allowing him to live a good life. Ben, at the age of 12, signed a contract to work for James for the next eight years. Commentary
The opening part of the Autobiography addresses some themes that will come up later on in the book, namely, self-betterment and religion. Franklin‘s tone at the beginning of the book is humble.
He claims to write only so that his own life may be an example for his son of how one can live well and how one can get through hardships. Franklin's book, a story of self-betterment, is written so as to be a model for the betterment of others. This general motive for writing, as well as Franklin's mention of correcting some errors were he to relive his life, both indicate Franklin's constant interest in self-improvement. This is perhaps the largest theme in the Autobiography; it dominates Part Two and recurs often in Part One.Also notice that Franklin thanks God for helping him to lead a good life. Franklin does not often show a religious side, and he will explain in greater depth later on that he is a Deist（自然神论信仰者）without ascribing to any particular religious denomination（教派）. Franklin is often seen as the prototypical American and the first real example of the classic American Dream in action. Notice how Franklin carefully draws out throughout the book how he rose up with help primarily from hard work and skills. This part of the Autobiography is interesting from a literary standpoint because Ben Franklin is essentially creating the legend of the American Dream. Part One, second section
When James was jailed for political reasons, Ben had the chance to take over the paper briefly, a job which Ben held in name even after James was released under the stipulation（约定） that he could no longer work on the paper.After another fight with James, however, Ben suddenly broke his contract and quit his job. James immediately instructed the other printers in Boston not to hire his brother, and as a result, Ben realizes that he would have to travel to a different city if he wished to find work. At age 17, he secretly leaves home and
traveled to New York City.
He finds no work there , but learns that he could get a job in Philadelphia working for a printer named Andrew Bradford.His journey to Philadelphia is eventful as he gets caught in a storm, during which he saved the life of a drunken Dutchman, who nearly drowned. The boat dropped him off near Burlington, about 18 miles from Philadelphia. He finally arrived in the city on October 6, 1723 in the Market Street Wharf.Wandering around, Franklin stumbled into a Quaker meeting（贵格会教派的祈祷会）near the market. One of these Quakers showed him a place to stay the night. Commentary
Franklin mentions in this section one of his \
Franklin mentions them for one reason so as to show others how to live their lives. He also points them out as a means of showing humility. He wants to make it clear that he has never acted perfectly in all situations, and he wishes to indicate that he recognizes the mistakes he has made during his life. Questions
1.Why did Franklin write his Autobiography?
Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it 2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had been apprenticed?
His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his brother. 3.How did he arrive in Philadephia?
First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 50 miles from Burlington, the next day he reached Burlington on foot, in Burlington he found a boat which was going towards Philadelphia, he arrived there about eight or nine o’clock, on the Sunday morning and landed at the Market Street wharf.
4.What features do you find in the style of the above selection?
It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision(言简意赅). The narrative is lucid(易懂的), the structure is simple, the imagery is homely(朴素的). Unit 2 Edgar Allen Poe The American Romanticism I. What is Romanticism
a literary movement flourished as a cultural force the early period and the late period.
associated with imagination and boundlessness,
as an historical movement it arose in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The most clearly defined romantic literary movement in the U. S.A was Transcendentalism. Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper,
and those of the late period contain Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe.
II.Features of American romanticism
(1) It was the expression of “a real new experience(全新体验)”.
(2) American Puritanism was a cultural heritage. Many American romantic writings intended to edify(启发) more than they entertained. (3) American Romanticism is full of “newness(新奇)” . Ideals：Individualism; political equality Dream：America: a new Garden of Eden
(4) American romanticism was both imitative and independent.
Edgar Allen Poe(1809 - 1849)
the most controversial and most misunderstood literary figure.
a Bohemian（吉普赛人）, depraved（堕落） and demonic（恶魔的）, a villain（恶棍） with no virtue at all.
美国文学选读 - 第二版 - 课后习题 - 答案 - 陶洁
