二十世纪美国文学的发展及主要作家.ppt

Modernism I. Historical Background 1. The Two World Wars A. economical prosperity The U.S.A made a lot of money,and there appeared an economic boom. the technological revolution had brought about great changes in the life of the American people. After the war, the U.S.A had become the most powerful industrialized nation in the world. B. Spiritual barrenness decline in moral code Indulging themselves in all kinds of pleasure-seeking Dancing, smoking, drinking, playing, having casual sex affaires Luxurious but meaningless life The traditional moral codes were breaking down. War means violence, devastation, blood and death. The gas victim Let’s share some pictures of the famous war films: Pearl Harbor(珍珠港） Saving Private Ryan Waterloobridge 　　　The Patriot(爱国者） Scheduler‘s List Casablanca（喀萨布兰卡） C. the Lost Generation or American expatriates in Europe What does it Mean? It defines a sense of moral loss or aimlessness. The WWI destroyed the innocent ideas, many good young men went to the war and died, or returned damaged, both physically and mentally; their moral faith were no longer valid--- they were “Lost.”? ? To whom does it refer? Narrow sense: a group of American writers, including Hemingway, F.S.Fitzgerald, J.Dos Passos, E.E.Cummings, A.Macleish, Sherwood Anderson, and Hart Crane, etc. Who left America and went to Europe. Broad Sense: the entire post -WWI American young generation. What are the main characteristics? Suffering from the war, losing beliefs, being cut off from the past, disillusioned, strong sense of loss, puzzled, confused, unable or unwilling to settle back into the routines of peacetime life, indulged in drinking and partying, can not adjust themselves to the present life. What are the main subject matters? The lostness, nada and wound (Hemingway), the breaking up of the American dream (Fitzgerald), the sociological zero (Dos Passos), and nothing again nothing (Elio