WashingtonIrvingTheSketchBookAmericanRomanticismItstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.startedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving'sTheSketchBookendedwithWhitman'sLeavesofGrass.BackgroundsofAmericanRomanticismA.RomanticMovementinEnglandandEuropeprovedtobeadecisiveinfluence;B.ManyEnglishandEuropeanmastersofpoetryandprosemadestimulatingimpactonAmericanRomanticism.

1).WalterScott:Waverlynovels,TheLadyoftheLake

2).Byron:Orientalromances3).Gothictradition,thecultofsolitudeandofgloomRomanticismassociatedwithimaginationandboundlessness,ascontrastedwithclassicism,whichiscommonlyassociatedwithreasonandrestriction.Themostprofoundandcomprehensiveideaofromanticismisthevisionofagreaterpersonalfreedomfortheindividual.RomanticismA.amovementinliterature,philosophy,musicandartwhichdevelopedinEuropeinthelate18thandearly19thcenturies;B.ItemphasizedindividualvaluesandaspirationsabovethoseofsocietyasareactiontotheIndustrialRevolution;C.ItlookedtotheMiddleAgesandtodirectcontactwithnatureforinspiration;D.Itgaveimpetustothenationalliberationmovementin19th-centuryEurope.AmericanRomanticism1.Time:thepublicationofWashingtonIrving'sTheSketchBook（1819）andendedwithWhitman'sLeavesofGrass（1855）;2.Itwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense;3.Thewritersemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup.Theyaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andcherishedstronginterestinthepast,thewild,theremote,themysteriousandthestrange.AmericanRomanticism4.thewritersstressedtheelementof“Amerianness”intheirworks;5.BeingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalledtheAmericanRenaissance;6.AmericanRomanticismis,inacertainway,derivative.AmericanRomanticismA.Romanticismcelebratesthetriumphoffeelingandintuitionoverreason.Itissuspiciousoftherationalistexplanationsoftheuniverseandhumannaturebytheenlightenmentwriters.B.Sincetheyplacedahighervalueonthefreeexpressionofemotionandonthepowerofimagination,theyshowedgreaterinterestsinthepsychicstates.AmericanRomanticismC.RomanticismlookedbacktotheMiddleAgeswithanostalgicfascination.Gothicstyles,“oriental”stylesandotherexoticstyleswerefavoredbyromanticists.D.Romanticismexaltedtheindividualoversociety,thusshowingastrongdislikingforthebondageofconventionandcustoms.AmericanRomanticismE.Natureisbelievedtobethesourceofgoodnessandantithesisofsocietyassocietytendstobecorrupt.F.Culturalnationalism-ortheproudbeliefonone’sownculturalgeniusandheritage-isalsoastrikingcharacteristicofromanticism.AmericanRenaissancealsocalledNewEnglandRenaissance.aperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,fromthe1830sroughlyuntiltheendoftheAmericanCivilWar.Itcameofageasanexpressionofanationalspirit——nationalism.OneofthemostimportantinfluencesintheperiodwasthatoftheTranscendentalism,mainlyfromRalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau.MajorwritersofAmericanRomanticismPoets:HenryWordsworthLongFellow,EdgarEllenPoe,WaltWhitman,EmilyDickinsonFiction:WashingtonIrving--comicfablesJamesFenimoreCooper--frontieradventuresNathanielHawthorne--psychologicalromancesEdgarAllenPoe--GothictalesWashingtonIrving(1783-1859)anAmericanauthor,essayist,biographerandhistorianoftheearly19thcentury.Heisbestknownforhisshortstories"TheLegendofSleepyHollow"and"RipVanWinkle",bothofwhichappearinhisbookTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.

WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)thefirstAmericanwriterstoearnaninternationalreputationFatheroftheAmericanliteratureHisTheSketchBookmarkedthebeginningofAmericanromanticismWashingtonIrving’sLifeIrving’sbirthplace:NewYorkCityFamilybackground:aratherwealthymerchantfamily.Education:adesultorystudent;readingwidelyinEnglishliteratureathome;studyinglawbutshowingmoreinterestinliterature

WashingtonIrving’sLifeIn1783,IrvingwasbornintoawealthyNewYorkmerchantfamily.Fromaveryearlyage,hebegantoreadwidelyandwritejuvenilepoems,essaysandplays.Later(1806),hestudiedlawandledforatimetheleisurelylifeofagentlemanlawyer.In1809,hisfirstbookAHistoryofNewYork,writtenunderthenameofDiedrich

Knickerbocker,wasagreatsuccessandwonhimwidepopularity.WashingtonIrving’sLifeIn1815,hewenttoEnglandtotakecareofhisfamilybusinessthere,andwhenitfailed,hadtowritetosupporthimself.In1826,asanAmericandiplomaticattaché,hewassenttoSpain,wherehegatheredmaterialforhiswriting.From1829to1832,hewassecretaryoftheU.SLegationinLondon.Thenwhenhewasfifty,hereturnedtoAmericaandbought“Sunnyside”,hisfamoushome.Therehespenttherestofhislife,livingalifeofleisureandcomfort.Hediedin1859.Hewasnotmarried.

IrvingacquiredhisfamoushomeinTarrytown,NewYork,knownasSunnyside,in1835.Hespenthisrestlife,exceptforaperiodoffouryears(1842-1846).Irving’sgraveII.LiteraryAchievements1809:AHistoryofNewYork《紐約外史》1820:TheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.《見(jiàn)聞札記》Twofolktales:“RipVanWinkle”and“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”(《睡谷傳奇》)1822:BracebridgeHall《布雷斯勃列奇莊園》1824:TalesofaTraveller《游客談》1835:ATourofthePrairies《大草原游記》CommentThefirstAmericanauthortowininternationalrecognitionThefirstprosestylistofAmericanromanticismInhisSketchBookappearedthefirstmodernAmericanshortstories.HisessaysaremodelsofperfectEnglish.

CommentIrvingcreatedhumorbythewayhesaidthings:1)Hedelightedinmakingironicremarkswhichsayjusttheoppositeofwhathemeant.2)Heuseddignifiedwordstoproduceahalf-mockingeffect.3)Hewasalsofondofexaggeratingtheseriousnessofsituations.

CommentHenotonlyprovidedayoungnationwithhumorous,fictionalaccountsofthecolonialpastbutalsohelpedcreateanAmericanmythologywhichismadeupofstoriesabouttheAmericanpastsowidelyreadastobefamiliartonearlyeveryAmerican.RipVanWinkleAdaptedfromaGermanfolktaleItviewsastrikingcontrastbetweentheindependentUnitedStatesandtheformerBritishcolonyfromtheeyeofanativeinhabitantafterhis20-yearsleep.RipVanWinkleThestoryofRipVanWinkleissetintheyearsbeforeandaftertheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.Inapleasantvillage,atthefootofNewYork's"Kaatskill"Mountains,livesthekindlyRipVanWinkle,acolonialBritish-AmericanvillagerofDutchdescent.RipVanWinkleRipisanamiablethoughsomewhathermiticmanwhoenjoyssolitaryactivitiesinthewilderness,butisalsolovedbyallintown—especiallythechildrentowhomhetellsstoriesandgivestoys.However,atendencytoavoidallgainfullabor,forwhichhisnaggingwife(DameVanWinkle)chastiseshim,allowshishomeandfarmtofallintodisarrayduetohislazyneglect.RipVanWinkleOneautumnday,Ripisescapinghiswife'snagging,wanderingupthemountainswithhisdog,Wolf.Hearinghisnamebeingshouted,RipdiscoversthatthespeakerisamandressedinantiquatedDutchclothing,carryingakegupthemountain,whorequiresRip'shelp.Withoutexchangingwords,thetwohikeuptoanamphitheatre-likehollowinwhichRipdiscoversthesourceofpreviously-heardthunderousnoises:thereisagroupofotherornately-dressed,silent,beardedmenwhoareplayingnine-pins.RipVanWinkleAlthoughthereisnoconversationandRipdoesnotaskthemenwhotheyareorhowtheyknowhisname,hediscreetlybeginstodrinksomeoftheirliquor,andsoonfallsasleep.Heawakesinunusualcircumstances:Itseemstobemorning,hisgunisrottedandrusty,hisbeardhasgrownafootlong,andWolfisnowheretobefound.Ripreturnstohisvillagewherehefindsthatherecognizesnoone.Askingaround,hediscoversthathiswifehasdiedandthathisclosefriendshavediedinawarorgonesomewhereelse.RipVanWinkleHeimmediatelygetsintotroublewhenheproclaimshimselfaloyalsubjectofKingGeorgeIII,notknowingthattheAmericanRevolutionhastakenplace;GeorgeIII'sportraitonthetowninnhasbeenreplacedbythatofGeorgeWashington.RipisalsodisturbedtofindanothermanisbeingcalledRipVanWinkle(thoughthisisinfacthisson,whohasnowgrownup).RipVanWinkleThemenhemetinthemountains,Riplearns,arerumoredtobetheghostsofHendrick(Henry)Hudson'screw.Ripistoldthathehasapparentlybeenawayfromthevillagefortwentyyears.AnoldlocalrecognizesRipandRip'snow-adultdaughtertakeshimin.Ripresumeshishabitualidleness,andhistaleissolemnlytakentoheartbytheDutchsettlers,withotherhen-peckedhusbands,afterhearinghisstory,wishingtheycouldshareinRip'sgoodluck,andhavetheluxuryofsleepingthroughthehardshipsofwar."TheLegendofSleepyHollow"IttellsthestoryofIchabodCrane,whoisalean,lanky,andextremelysuperstitiousschoolmasterfromConnecticut,whocompeteswithAbraham"BromBones"VanBrunt,thetownrowdy,forthehandof18-year-oldKatrinaVanTassel,thedaughterandsolechildofawealthyfarmer,BaltusVanTassel.AsCraneleavesapartyheattendedattheVanTasselhomeonanautumnnight,heispursuedbytheHeadlessHorseman,whoissupposedlytheghostofaHessiantrooperwhohadhisheadshotoffbyastraycannonballduring"somenamelessbattle"oftheAmericanRevolutionaryWar,andwho"ridesforthtothesceneofbattleinnightlyquestofhishead"."TheLegendofSleepyHollow"Ichabodmysteriouslydisappearsfromtown,leavingKatrinatomarryBromBones,whowas"tolookexceedinglyknowingwheneverthestoryofIchabodwasrelated".AlthoughthenatureoftheHeadlessHorsemanisleftopentointerpretation,thestoryimpliesthattheHorsemanwasreallyBromindisguise.HowtoAnalyzeanEssay?1.Takeapencilinyourhand.2.Readtheessayoveronce,quickly,lookingforthemainidea,forwhattheessayisaboutingeneral,andforwhattheauthorseemstobesaying.Don'tgetboggeddownindetails.(Ifyoucometoanunfamiliarword,circleitbutgoonreading).HowtoAnalyzeanEssay?3.Checkthemeaningofunfamiliarwords.Iftheyseemtobekeywords,andscribbleabriefdefinitionatthebottomofthepageorattheendoftheessay.4.N