美国文学课件 2.ppt

Modern Period Since the World War One Modernism The Jazz Age The Lost Generation The Beat Generation Modern period History The history of Americans’ spirit from self-confidence to disillusion Modernism Mixture of various schools of literature and philosophy Worldwide background The 20th century began with a strong sense of social breakdown. The 1st World War (1914-1918) became the symbol of all wars, which means violence, devastation, blood and death. Due to these wars the whole world had undergone a dramatic social change, a transformation from order to disorder. The US social situation The United states’s participation in the 1st World War marked a crucial stage in the nation’s evolution to a world power. Since the wars were not fought on the American soil, by the second decade of the 20th century, the US had become the most powerful industrialized nation in the world, outstripping Britain and Germany in terms of industrial production. Imagism and Ezra Pound Modernism began with the “Imagist Movement” with a leading spokesman, Ezra Pound and a group of American poets who wrote verses on strong, concrete images. Ezra Pound living in London began as an Imagist and influenced many other poets, especially T.S. Eliot. “Modern” movement Well-known modernist Literature critic Nobel prize in 1948 Gerontion 1920 《小老头》 The Waste Land 1922《荒原》 The Hollow Men 1925《空心人》 Modernism and T.S. Eliot Eliot, born in U.S. but settled in U.K., wrote intellectual poetry, carried by a dense structure of symbols. His long poem the Waste Land (400 Ls.) narrates a pessimistic vision of post-war( I) society in fragmented, haunting images(6 lang.) It is seen as milestone of Modern west poetry. He dominated the so-called “Modern” movement in poetry. Other Modernists are E.E. Cumming calling attention to his poetry by throwing away rules of writing poems and Wallace Stevens, who, in contrast, wrote thoughtfully on how man can know reality. His verse was disciplined, with precisely chose