本单元具体教学内容、教学基本要求、单元重点与难点

第3次课：早期浪漫主义的文学（2节）

1.教学内容

Chapter 3 American Romanticism

Section 1 Early Romantic Period

What is Romanticism?

I. Preview: Characteristics of romanticism

1. subjectivity

2. back to medieval, esp medieval folk literature

3. back to nature

II. American Romanticism

1. Background

2. features

III. Washington Irving

1. several names attached to Irving

2. life

3. works

4. Literary career: two parts

5. style – beautiful

IV.close reading and works analysis: Rip Van Winkle

V. Culturalcomparison: Rip Van Winkle  Vs. Chinese time travel fiction

2. 教学基本要求

IV. 1)To make students acquire some some information about the Washington Irving, his life, his works and his literary career

2) To develop students’ understanding of the American Romanticism.

3) To improve students’ abilities to interpret and appreciate the themes and characterization of literary works through  the literary work  Rip Van Winkle.

4) To improve students’ language cross-cultural communication skills and competence

5) To improve students’ critical thinking on different representation of the same theme (e.g.time travel ) in different culture.

 

3. 单元重点、难点 

重点

1) Features of early Romanticism in American literature.

2) Themes and characterization in Rip Van Winkle.

难点

1)Theme of loss of identity in Transient period.

2)Different representation Theme of time travel in American and Chinese contemporary online fiction.

 Early Romantic Period

What is Romanticism?

 An approach from ancient Greek: Plato

 A literary trend: 18c in Britain (1798~1832)

 Schlegel Bros.

I. Preview: Characteristics of romanticism

1. subjectivity

(1) feeling and emotions, finding truth

(2) emphasis on imagination

(3) emphasis on individualism – personal freedom, no hero worship, natural goodness of human beings

2. back to medieval, esp medieval folk literature

(1) unrestrained by classical rules

(2) full of imagination

(3) colloquial language

(4) freedom of imagination

(5) genuine in feelings: answer their call for classics

3. back to nature

nature is “breathing living thing” (Rousseau)

II. American Romanticism

1. Background

(1) Political background and economic development

(2) Romantic movement in European countries

Derivative – foreign influence

2. features

(1) American romanticism was in essence the expression of “a real new experience and contained “an alien quality” for the simple reason that “the spirit of the place” was radically new and alien.

(2) There is American Puritanism as a cultural heritage to consider. American romantic authors tended more to moralize. Many American romantic writings intended to edify more than they entertained.

(3) The “newness” of Americans as a nation is in connection with American Romanticism.

(4) As a logical result of the foreign and native factors at work, American romanticism was both imitative and independent.