英语专八人文知识：美国文学简史(六)

会计考友

　　Chapter 4 American Naturalism
　　I.Background
/ S- E- K3 `9 C/ R1 {6 U$ B$ H　　1.Darwin's theory: "natural selection"
　　2.Spenser's idea: "social Darwinism"
　　3.French Naturalism: Zora
1 n$ R) s8 a# y& O- q9 M　　II.Features
' N5 s) ^& J( o2 d  B1 _　　1.environment and heredity
　　2.scientific accuracy and a lot of details
% G3 I: V- G2 A7 e0 r　　3.general tone: hopelessness, despair, gloom, ugly side of the society
　　III.significance
: W% x* H. x: l6 P  a# R　　It prepares the way for the writing of 1920s’
0 Q% O* G# F: E. q3 b7 A1 W' ]: _; i　　“lost generation” and T. S. Eliot.
　　IV.Theodore Dreiser
　　1.life
　　2.works
; U8 V( F/ h, C+ B& i　　(1)Sister Carrie
! \/ P5 w2 V& l　　(2)The trilogy: Financier, The Titan, The Stoic
, A; d* A0 T! T0 L% }' f　　(3)Jennie Gerhardt
4 n- j5 i2 h6 k1 {0 B6 W　　(4)American Tragedy
2 A7 @$ h5 M6 a  f9 v　　(5)The Genius
3 \+ u' c  \& w0 r6 ]　　3.point of view
3 S, Q" j5 ^- }& y1 S0 @* X; I　　(1)He embraced social Darwinism – survival of the fittest. He learned to regard man as merely an animal driven by greed and lust in a struggle for existence in which only the "fittest", the most ruthless, survive.
　　(2)Life is predatory, a "game" of the lecherous and heartless, a jungle struggle in which man, being "a waif and an interloper in Nature", a "wisp in the wind of social forces", is a mere pawn in the general scheme of things, with no power whatever to assert his will.
& A. a0 Y4 a$ y+ f1 F) l- D8 w2 i　　(3)No one is ethically free; everything is determined by a complex of internal chemisms and by the forces of social pressure.
: c5 ?0 x# P# _3 U" D$ V6 b　　4.Sister Carrie
5 i* m' I' J6 N. Y' M( V　　(1)Plot
　　(2)Analysis
/ i' v2 Y( R# M" }　　5.Style
　　(1)Without good structure
　　(2)Deficient characterization
3 h3 z- x& M+ m3 N+ f　　(3)Lack in imagination
　　(4)Journalistic method
　　(5)Techniques in painting