1、American LiteratureRevision1.What is Realism?2.Who are the three representatives of American Realism?Questions for revision:Local Colorism and Mark TwainThe definition of Local Colorism:Local Colorism has“such quality of texture and background that it could not have been written in any other place o
2、r by anyone else than a native.”The ultimate aim of local colorism To create the illusion of an indigenous little world with qualities that tell it apart from the world outsideThe factors contributed to the growth of local colorism 1.social climate 2.intellectual climateThe period of local colorism
3、The beginning:The rapid growth:The ending:Basic Features of Local Colorism:1.Presenting a locale场所或地点场所或地点 which is different from the outside world;2.Describing the exotic and the picturesque;3.Glorifying the past;4.Attempting to show things as they are;5.Stressing the influence of setting on chara
4、cter.Diversity of AmericaThe Concern:presenting and interpreting the local character of their regions;The Attention is:to idealize and glorify the truthful color of local life.The relationship between local colorism and Realism:Question:Mark Twains House Mark TwainLife Works Mark Twain pseudonym of
5、Samuel Langhorne Clemens grew up on the Mississippi River at 12,father died,left schoola printers apprentice,a printer,a silver miner,a steamboat pilot and a frontier journalist gave him a wide knowledge of humanity 十二英尺水深十二英尺水深tragic events in later lifehis investments failed,had to give lectures t
6、o pay off his debts,his wife and two daughters diedworksl“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”l“卡拉韦拉斯县驰名的跳蛙卡拉韦拉斯县驰名的跳蛙”a frontier taleThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer 汤姆索耶历险记汤姆索耶历险记“the two adventures”The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 哈克贝里费恩历险记哈克贝里费恩历险记 all modern American literature comes.
7、He became nationally famous Samuel Clemens Major Works lThe Gilded Age 镀金时代镀金时代 written in collaboration with Charles Dudley WarnerlLife on the Mississippi 密西西比河上密西西比河上lA transition in his creation:from an optimist and a humorist to a despairing deterministSamuel Clemens Major WorkslA Connecticut Ya
8、nkee in King Arthurs Court亚瑟王朝里的康涅狄格州美国佬亚瑟王朝里的康涅狄格州美国佬lThe Man That Corrupted Hardleybug败坏了哈德莱堡的人败坏了哈德莱堡的人lThe Mysterious Stranger 神秘的陌生神秘的陌生人人lAutobiographylThese works contain bitter attacks on the human racelThe Innocents Abroad 傻子国外旅行傻子国外旅行记记lRoughing It艰难岁月艰难岁月lPuddnhead Wilson傻瓜维尔逊傻瓜维尔逊lThe Pr
9、ince and the Pauper王子与贫王子与贫儿儿The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 汤姆汤姆索亚历险记索亚历险记The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn哈克贝利哈克贝利弗恩历弗恩历险记险记 Life on the Mississippi密西西比河上的生活密西西比河上的生活 Mark Twains Writing Featureslocal colourrepresented social life through portraits of local places which he knew best drew from his ow
10、n rich fund of knowledge of people and places tall tales(highly exaggerated)a texture of most local color literature，a kink of humora master oflanguage shortconcrete direct in effect simple,even ungrammatical sentence&structures words he used colloquial language,vernacular language,dialects American
11、 dialect an American language Mark Twain was the first truly American writer,and all of us since are his heirs,who descended from him.Mark Twains Writing Features humour is of witty remarks mocking at small things and making people laughis a kind of artistic style used to criticize the social injust
12、iceThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The best work that Mark Twain ever produced is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.The book was a success from its first publication in 1884 and has always been regarded as one of the great books of Western literature and Western civilization.The Adventures of Hu
13、ckleberry Finnsetting It is about the United States before the Civil War,around 1850,when the great Mississippi Valley was still being settled.America was full of violence and even cruelty,The machine and the worship of money were on their way;But the river-god,with its“sunlight,space,uncrowded time
14、,stillness,and danger.”had not been forgotten.Story The story takes place along the Mississippi River,on both sides of which there was unpopulated wilderness and a dense forest.Along this river floats a small raft,with two people on it:One is an ignorant,uneducated Black slave named Jim and the othe
15、r is a little uneducated outcast white boy of about the age of thirteen,called Huckleberry Finn,The book relates the story of the escape of Jim from slavery and how Huck Finn changes his mind,his prejudice about Black people,and comes to accept Jim as a man as a close friend as well.His father is th
16、e poor town drunkard who would willingly commit any crime just for the pure pleasure of it.Huck Finn is an outcast,sleeping in barrels,eating crumbs and leavings,and dressed in rags.All of his virtues come from his good heart and his sense of humanity.Through their escape down the river,he gets to k
17、now Jim better and became more and more convinced that he is not only a man,but also a good man.Thus he ends up by accepting him not merely as a human being but also as loyal friend.Major Characters Huck:Jim:Tom Sawyer:Language featureColloquial style(vernacular style):a number of dialects are used:
18、the Missouri negro dialect;the extreme forms of the backwoods Southwestern dialect;the ordinary Pike County dialect;and four modified varieties of this last.His major contribution to American literary world.Comment on Mark Twain“the Lincoln of our literature”-W.D.Howells“All Modern American literatu
19、re comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.its the best book weve had.There was nothing before.There has been nothing so good since.”-Hemingway“In my opinion,Mark Twain was the first truly American writer,and all of us since are his heirs,who descended from him.”-William FaulknerAfter this class,You Should Know!What is Local Colorism?Name some of Mark Twains famous works.What are Mark Twains contribution to American Literature?What are the major characters and themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
