美国文学史吴伟仁学习指南（吴伟仁美国文学史及选读重排版笔记和考研真题）

第二部分 理性时代和革命时期文学

第5章 本杰明·富兰克林

5.1 复习笔记

Ⅰ. Historical Introduction (背景介绍)

(1) Theology dominated American literature during the Puritan period. After that, politics became the main subject of literary works.

(2) In the middle of the 18th century, the United States became a prosperous colony with a rapidly growing population and continuous integration. In people’s minds, the word “state”, which symbolizes an independent government, began to replace “colony”.

(3) The War of Independence lasted for eight years (1776—1783) and finally established a Federative bourgeois democratic republic—the United States of America.

(4) American bourgeois Enlightenment opposed to old colonial order and religious obscurantism. It dealt a fatal blow to the Puritan tradition and brought secular education and literature to life. American readers were very fond of the works of English scientists, philosophers and writers.

(5) Although the American literature of this century largely imitated the British literature of the 18th century, the brave and enterprising Americans created excellent political pamphlets and domestic newspapers with great ambition.

（1）神学在清教徒时期的美国文学中占主导地位。而后，政治成为作家们的主要题材。

（2）18世纪中期，美国成为一系列人口迅速增长、不断融合的相互毗邻、繁荣的殖民地。在人们的思想中，象征独立政府的词语“国家”，开始取代“殖民地”。

（3）独立战争持续了八年（1776—1783），最终建立了联合的资产阶级共和国——美利坚合众国。

（4）美国资产阶级启蒙运动反对旧殖民地秩序和宗教蒙蔽主义，给予清教传统致命打击，使世俗的教育和文学焕发生机。美国读者对英国科学家、哲学家及作家的作品很感兴趣。

（5）尽管本世纪的美国文学很大程度上模仿了18世纪英国文学，但此时英勇进取的美国人怀着雄心壮志，创作了极好的政治小册子和国内报纸。

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