吴伟仁《美国文学史及选读》笔记和考研真题详解

吴伟仁《美国文学史及选读》（重排版）笔记和考研真题详解

第一部分　殖民地时期的美国文学

第1章　约翰·史密斯

1.1　复习笔记

Ⅰ. Historical Introduction (历史背景)

(1) It was not until the beginning of the 17th century that the vast continent where the United States was located was stepped into by explorers from Britain and a few European countries. In the early 17th century, the British eventually settled in Virginia and Massachusetts, laying the foundation for the well-known mainstream American culture.

(2) The colonies that became the first federation were mostly maintained by British traditions, governed by British law, relied on British commerce, and were named after British monarchs and territories.

(3) Early American literary works were mostly narratives and diaries written by the colonists. The content was mainly about their voyage to this new continent, how to adapt to the new life on the island, and how to deal with the local Indians. There were also letters, contracts, government charters, religious and political declarations.

(4) In 1607, British colonists established the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia, North America. The British mercenary Captain John Smith was one of these colonists. In the early 17th century, his report on exploring the New World was considered the first American literary work written in English.

（1）直到17世纪初，美国所在的广袤大陆才被英国及少数几个欧洲国家的探险家涉足。17世纪早期，英国人最终在弗吉尼亚和马萨诸塞定居，奠定了人们熟知的美国主流文化的基础。

（2）成为第一个联邦的殖民地大部分是由英国的传统维系，受英国法律管辖，依靠英国商贸，以英国君主和领地命名。

（3）美国早期文学就是这些殖民者写的叙述文和日记，主要是关于他们来到这块新大陆的航海历程，如何适应岛上的新生活，如何和当地印第安人打交道；还有信件、契约、政府宪章、宗教和政治声明。

（4）1607年，英国殖民者在弗吉尼亚詹姆斯敦建立了第一个在北美的永久性殖民地。英国雇佣兵约翰·史密斯上尉就是这批殖民者中的一员。17世纪初，他发表的关于探寻新大陆的报告被认为是第一部用英语写作的美国文学作品。

Ⅱ. Early New England Literature (早期新英格兰文学)

New England literature embodies a variety of ideas from the very beginning. Its content involves topics such as theology, morality, history, and politics. The Puritans came to New England for religious freedom. They endured hardship and the harsh church rules for a long time. Through years of hard work, they developed a lifestyle which was compatible with their melancholy religion, that is, hardwork, thrift, piety, and temperance. These main values were fully reflected in their works, including sermons, books and letters of some famous pastors such as John Cotton and Cotton Mather.

新英格兰文学打一开始就充满了各种各样的思想，内容涉及神学、道德、历史和政治等话题。清教徒来到新英格兰是为了获得宗教自由，他们长期地忍受着困苦和教堂严酷的教规。通过多年的努力，他们养成了一种与他们忧郁的宗教相适应的生活方式，即勤劳、节俭、虔诚和节制。这些主要价值观充分体现在他们的作品中，包括一些著名的牧师如约翰·科顿和科顿·马瑟等的布道词、书籍和信件等。

Ⅲ. Puritan Thoughts (清教徒的思想)

(1) Literally speaking, the Puritans wanted to purify their beliefs and behaviors. The Puritan was a “would-be purifier.” The term was coined by their opponents to mock them. It is used to mock those who think they were holier and better. These fearless Puritans accepted this title and regarded it as a symbol of honor.

(2) The Puritans wanted to restore the simplicity and holiness of the church and the theological authority of the Bible. They saw the corruption of the Anglican Church, so they wanted to break away from it.

(3) Puritans included people from the humblest to the loftiest ranks of English society, educated and uneducated, poor and rich. Their common shortcoming was that they viewed things too extreme. The Puritans believed that they were chosen by God, and those who lived differently from them were against God’s will and were not accepted. They were keen to defend their beliefs, and they often could not tolerate other beliefs.

(4) The Puritans lived a hard life of self-discipline. They tended to regard happiness and laughter as a manifestation of sin.

(5) The religious education of the Puritans tended to overemphasize the harsh side of God while ignoring the benevolent side of God.

（1）从字面上讲，清教徒想要净化他们的信仰和行为，他们是“灵魂将要得到净化的人”。这一词是由他们的对手造出来讽刺他们的，用来嘲讽那些自认为更圣洁、更美好的人。这些无畏的清教徒接受了这一称呼，并视其为荣誉的象征。

（2）清教徒希望恢复教堂的朴素和圣洁，以及《圣经》的神学权威。他们看到英国国教的腐败，因此想脱离国教。

（3）清教徒涵盖英国社会中最卑微到最高贵的人，受过教育的和没受过教育的人，贫穷的和富裕的人。他们的共同不足是对事物看法过分极端。清教徒认为自己是上帝选定的人，而那些与他们生活方式不同的人就是违背上帝的意愿，不被接受。他们热衷于为自己的信仰辩护，而通常难以容忍其他信仰。

（4）清教徒们过着一种自律艰苦的生活，他们倾向于将快乐和欢笑看成是一种罪恶的表现。

（5）清教徒的宗教教育倾向于过分强调上帝严厉的一面，而忽略了上帝仁慈的一面。

Ⅳ. John Smith (1580—1631) (约翰·史密斯)

(1) Captain John Smith became the first American writer. His first work is A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608). The letter responded to the opinions on opening up the colony and praised the superiority of the New World. His next book was A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country (1612). The book was a guide to the country and an invitation for adventurers to come to the New World to further expand the cultivation industry here.

(2) Smith published eight in all, some of which explored the history of New England. Smith’s work reflected the idea that America needs “workers” instead of “gentlemen” in the face of the difficult task of establishing colonies and pushing the frontiers westward. This kind of thinking slowly evolved into the basic idea of American history.

（1）约翰·史密斯成为第一位美国作家。他的第一个作品是寄给在伦敦的弗吉尼亚公司的一封信：《自殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚垦荒以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》，信中回应了关于开辟殖民地的意见，赞扬了新大陆的优越之处。他随后又写了《弗吉尼亚地图：一个乡村的描述》。这本书是一本指南，也成为了冒险家来新大陆进一步扩大这里的种植业的邀请函。

（2）史密斯共出版了8部作品，部分是关于新英格兰的历史。史密斯作品中反映的思想——面对建立殖民地和“西进”的艰巨任务，美国需要“工人”而不是“绅士”——慢慢演变成了美国历史的基本思想。

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