美国文学

名词解释：

Imagism: it was a movement in early 20th century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery, clear and sharp language. Imagists rejected the sentiment and artifice typical of much Romantic and Victorian poetry. Imagism called for a return to what were seen as more classical value. It is characterized by the following principles: 1) direct treatment of subject matter, 2) economy of expression, 3) as regards rhythm, to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase. Ezra Pound’s 《In a Station of the Metro》 is a well-known imagist poem.

Jazz Age：It describes the period of the 1920s and 1930s, the years between World War One and World War Two, particularly in the North America with the rise of the Great Depression, the value of this age saw much decline. The most representative work is American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 《The Great Gatsby》, highlighting what some describe as the decadence and hedonism, as well as the growth of individualism.

Stream of Consciousness: It is one of the modern literary techniques. It is the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character’s thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories and mental images as the character experiences them. Those novels with such technique broke the bounds of time and space, and depicted vividly the unconscious activity of the mind fast flowing and changing. Famous writers are James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner. The represent active work is Faulkner’s 《The Sound and the Fury》.

The Lost Generation: It was used to refer to a group of American literary notables who lived in Paris from the time period which saw the end of World War One to the beginning of the Great Depression. The significant members include Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Pound. They considered themselves lost because they felt spiritually alienated from a country they considered hopelessly provincial and emotional barren, because after the war many of them were disillusioned with the world in general and unwilling to move into a settled life. They often succumbed to drugs or alcohol to escape their depression, or sought out adventures to give life some temporary meaning.

Theatre of the Absurd: It is a form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human existence by employing disjointed, repetitions and meaningless dialogue, purposeless and confusing situation, and the plots that lack realistic or logical development. It includes the following features: 1) the basic assumption: human life lacks coherence and is chaotic, life operates without any rules; 2) the world is meaningless, so the play appears meaningless; 3) it examines the problems of life and death, of isolation and communication; 4) it satirizes people who are unaware of the ultimate reality; 5) in absurd drama, situation is more important than characters and events. The playwrights include: Sammuel Beckett and Arthor Aclamor.

The Hemingway Code Hero: Hemingway himself defined the Code Hero who \"offers up and exemplifies certain principles of honor, courage, and endurance which in a life of tension and pain make a man a man.\" The \"Hemingway Code Hero\" typically has some sort of physical or psychological wound symbolizing his

tragic flaw of his character, which must be overcome before he can prove his manhood (or re-prove it). In addition, many Hemingway Code Heroes suffer from a fear of the dark, which represents the transience of life in the face of permanent death. The \"Hemingway Code Hero\" is often times a living breathing character as well, but he doesn't always have to take a human form.

问答题：

The older waiter said to the younger waiter:” we are of two different kinds. ” In what way do you think they are different? A Clean Well-Lighted Place.

It is clear that the older waiter seems to have sympathy for the old man, where the younger waiter does not like the nasty old man.

The older waiter definitely feels for the man at the table because he knows what it is like to be old and lonely. This young man throws the old man out of the bar.

The young waiter was selfish and impatient. Furthermore, the young waiter was ignorant and blindly confident. He was so concerned with the daily routines and desires that he did not care about the others. He could not understand the old man. He did not realize what he had, such as job, wife and confidence, was unreliable because he was young. He thought that money should keep a person be happy. He meant that the old man had no reason to kill himself because he was

rich. Poverty, in his opinion, would be the only excuse for suicide. The middle aged waiter was more sympathetic. He knew the importance of a clean and well-lighted place for those who need a refuge to escape from the reality. He knew the old man’s suffering and was sympathized with him. Therefore, he did not think it was bad for the old man to stay in the café late into the night.

Tell the literary meaning and figurative meaning of The Road Not Taken.

Literally, \"The Road Not Taken\" is about a traveler who is walking in the woods and has come upon two roads. The traveler cannot travel both roads and thus must make a decision which one to walk. He evaluates both roads and chooses the road less traveled realizing that he cannot back. The poem ends by the traveler stating that his choosing the road less traveled has made all the difference.

Figuratively, \"The Road Not Taken\" can be applied to a person's life. The traveler is a person who has two choices, which are represented in the poem by the two roads in the woods. The person takes the time to consider both choices and all sides to them by examining the paths. The traveler cannot come back to the other road and as in life if a choice is made, it is impossible to redo. The person must choose between the choices many make or the choice that few make.

Examine the character of Blanche as a tragic heroine in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Firstly, Aristotle contends that a tragic agent must be “of the nobility”. Now

this is not to say that Blanche is of a royal descent, although she acts like it, but it has been interpreted as “one who is of a noble cause or intent”. Contrary to the way it seems Blanche enters her sister’s home with a selfish, but noble action. She is there to “get back on her feet”, even though she doesn’t tell her hosts this. This is one of the reasons she fits Aristotle’s description.

Secondly, Blanche has the four parts of a tragic character that Aristotle lays out. She is good. Good in the sense that what she says and does is done with conviction and careful choice. Blanche is appropriate. Her character exhibits the natural wants and needs of a woman in her disposition.

Also, she is realistic. In saying she is realistic; it means that she, as a whole, is presented in a way that is not unbelievable. Lastly, Blanche is consistent. Throughout the course of the play, she continues toward the same goal. Her consistent quality lies in her insatiable appetite for attention among other things.

Do you think Gatsby deserves to be called “the Great”? Why or why not?

Yes, I think he deserves \"the Great\

1) Gatsby is great because he is able to create a new identity for himself when he needs someone else. His determinations and audacity are amazing since he focuses on a good of winning. Daisy and he does whatever is necessary to attain it. He establishes that he needs wealth to keep Daisy in the manner she is accustomed to, and so he attains a “business” that gives him financial wealth.

What's more, he studies mannerisms and expressions, and he thinks it is what the social elite says and does.

2) Gatsby is great; it's also because of his unworldly love for Daisy. He takes the blame for Daisy when she commits a crime and that takes a great man

3) Gatsby is great because he is a mythical figure whose personal experience approximates a state of mind that embodies America. Gatsby is the last of the romantic hero, whose energy and sense of commitment take him in search of his personal grail.