ClassicsofAmerican&BritishLiteratureTeachingPlan14sessionsX2.5hours7sessionsforAmericanLiterature7sessionsforBritishLiteratureIntroductionHighlightsReviewScoring30percentbasedonattendanceandparticipation30percentbasedonreadingandwritingassignments40percentbasedonafinalessay

RecommendedreadingsClassicsofAmericanLiterature,byArnoldWeinstein,Ph.D.《美國文學史及選讀》吳偉仁.TheNortonAnthologyofEnglishLiterature,publishedbyW.W.Norton&Company《英國文學名篇選注》王佐良等.

AMatchingGame:Who’sWho*Hebelievesin“self-reliance”*Hewrotethat"wordsaresignsofnaturalfacts"and"natureisthesymbolofspirit.“*Hearguesthatourlifeisanongoingseriesofdiscoveries,andexperiencerecordsourcrashingintobothrealityandourselves.HenryDavidThoreauRalphWaldoEmerson*Oneofhisfamousremarksis“themassofmenleadlivesofquietdesperation“.*Accordingtohim,weareallslavesinsociety,inthatwefollowroutinesandevenworshipgods.*HeelectstoliveouthisprinciplesbymovingtoWaldenPond;hence,hearticulatesaphilosophyofaction,ofpraxisovertheory.*Hewrotethestoryaboutawomanwhowasforcedtoweararagofscarletcloththatassumedtheshapeofanuppercaseletter“A”,whichisasymbolofher“sin”.*Hisworksbelongtoromanticism

or,morespecifically,darkromanticism,cautionarytalesthatsuggestthatguilt,sin,andevilarethemostinherentnaturalqualitiesofhumanity.NathanielHawthorneEdgarAllenPoe*Heiscalledthefirstgreatghostwriterforhiswritingsaboutdeath,includingitsphysicalsigns,theeffectsofdecomposition,concernsofprematureburial,thereanimationofthedead,andmourning.*Heclaimsthatmeaninginliteratureshouldbeanundercurrentjustbeneaththesurface.Workswithobviousmeanings,hewrote,ceasetobeart.

HermanMelvilleWaltWhitman*Hewroteastoryabouttheadventuresofawanderingsailortoseekoutaspecificwhale:MobyDick,aferocious,enigmaticwhitespermwhale.Inapreviousencounter,thewhaledestroyedhiscaptain'sboatandbitoffhisleg,whichnowdrivesthecapitaintotakerevenge.*Healsowroteasemi-autobiographicnovelthatisbasedonhisexperienceasacaptiveonaSouthPacificisland.*Whereasmostreligioustraditionsassertthatspiritissuperiortobody,hereversedthatnotioninhisworks,insistingonthenaturalnessandsanctityofthebody.*Hespentalmosthisentirelifewritingapoetrycollection.Amongthepoemsinthecollectionare"SongofMyself","ISingtheBodyElectric",and"WhenLilacsLastintheDooryardBloom'd".MarkTwainEmilyDickinson*He/sheisknownasahumoristwhosemostfamousnovelsincludeTheAdventuresofTomSawyer,anditssequel,AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,thelatteroftencalled"theGreatAmericanNovel."*He/sheexpressedthemostwidespread,ifunacknowledged,viewofall:aclassicisabookthatnobodyreads.*He/shelivedamostlyintrovertedandreclusivelife,wasknownforreluctancetogreetguestsor,laterinlife,evenleavehis/herroom.Mostofhis/herfriendshipswerethereforecarriedoutbycorrespondence.*He/shewrotepoemstoexamineissuesvitaltohumanity:theagoniesandecstasiesoflove,sexuality,theunfathomablenatureofdeath,thehorrorsofwar,Godandreligiousbelief,theimportanceofhumor,andmusingsonthesignificanceofliterature,music,andart.*Hisstyleisbrisk,terse,cleansedofadjectives,seeminglyobjective,andaimedatrenderingtheprecisemomentandfeelingofexperience.*HeisusuallyconsideredoneofthetwogreatestAmericannovelistsofhisera.ManyofhisworksareregardedasclassicsofAmericanliterature.ErnestHemingwayHenryJames*Hismethodofwritingfromthepointofviewofacharacterwithinataleallowshimtoexploreissuesrelatedtoconsciousnessandperception,andhisstyleinlaterworkshasbeencomparedtoimpressionistpainting.*InThePortraitofaLady,hetoldthestoryofayoungAmericanwomanwhofindsthatherupbringinghasillpreparedheragainsttwoschemingAmericanexpatriatesduringhertravelsinEurope.*HeisconsideredoneofthemostimportantwritersoftheSouthernliteratureoftheUnitedStates,andisknownforhisepicportrayal,insome20novels,ofthetragicconflictbetweentheoldandthenewSouth.*Oneofhisbooks’titleistakenfromthispoem:Life'sbutawalkingshadow,apoorplayer

Thatstrutsandfretshishouruponthestage

Andthenisheardnomore:itisatale

Toldbyanidiot,fullofsoundandfury,

Signifyingnothing."

WilliamFaulknerT.S.Eliot*Hispoem,“TheWasteLand”,iscalled"oneofthemostimportantpoemsofthe20thcentury.Amongitsfamousphrasesare"Aprilisthecruellestmonth"(itsfirstline)and"Iwillshowyoufearinahandfulofdust”.*Hewrote:“WearethehollowmenWearethestuffedmenLeaningtogetherHeadpiecefilledwithstraw.”*Americanplaywrightwhoseworkdramatizestheplightofpeopledrivenbyelementalpassions,bymemoryanddream,andbyanawarenessoftheforcesthatthreatentooverwhelmthem.*Theplay“BeyondtheHorizon”focusesontheportraitofafamily,particularlytwobrothersAndrewandRobert,bothfallinginlovewithagirlnamedRuth.Intheend,allthreefoundthattheirliveswereruined.EugeneO'NeillToniMorrison*He/sheemploysmodernisttechniquesofstream-of-consciousness,multipleperspectives,anddeliberatefragmentationinhis/herwritings.*Morrison’sworkfeaturesmythicelements,sharpobservation,compassion,andpoeticlanguageandisoftenconcernedwiththerelationshipbetweentheindividualandsociety.Whatisaclassic?AworkofliteraturethathaslastingsignificanceorgenerallyrecognizedworthORAworkthateverybodyknowsbutnobodywantstoread;Amonumenttocrustytraditions;Afancytalenotbasedonaccuratefactsthusnotasvaluableasahistorybook?AcourseonAmericanclassicsshouldbeginwithsomesenseofwhata"classic"is,whatis"American"aboutthisproject,andwhatonecanexpectfromthisendeavor."Classic"isthegreathonorifictermthatoftenimpliesstaleness:werarelyexpectourclassicstobeshockingorexcitingordisturbing.Alltoooften,weapproachthemwithpietyandboredom,seeinginthemtheenshrinedmonumentstocrustytraditions.ClassicsareindeedthosecanonicaltextsofAmericanliteraturethatmanyofushavegrownupwith,buttheyareneitherinnocuousnorasleep;onthecontrary,theyhavethepowertounhingeus.Theystemoutofvital,oftenunresolvableconflictsfromtheirownmoment.Theyarebristlingwithambiguitiesandinsightsthatbidtochallengeordestabilizeus,eventoday.Eventomorrow.Ourapproachhereistodiscovertherichmultidimensionalmannathatrestswithintheseworks,waitingtoberevealed.Moreover,wewillconsiderthenamesonthisaugustlistwithasenseofwhatistimelyaswellastimeless.Thecanonchanges,andmanyofourmostreveredwriterstodaywereunheard-ofawhilebackandmaybeeclipsedagainintheyearstocome,whileotherswhomwehaveneverreadwillsteptofillthoseshoes.Finally,theseliterarymasterpiecescanbethoughtofasbottleswithaspecialgeniewithinthem.Ourobjectiveistoopenthebottleandfreeanumberofmiracles:theactuali