Enlightenment in America

In America the literature of the Enlightenment is closely con­nected with the War for Independence against the British Em­pire. It lasted for eight years (1776—1783).

The war ended in adopting the Declaration of Indepedence. A Federative Democratic Republic — the United States of Ame­rica — was founded.This event was extremely significant for the further development of the country, as it gave freedom and inde­pedence to the American colonies.

But the Bourgeois Revolution had its drawbacks. It did not abolish slavery, nor did it improve the life of American colo­nists, the working people and farmers.

The progressive writers of that time protested against the in­justice of slavery and the growth of reaction.

American literature of the Enlightenment period is charac­terized by its fighting character. The writers of that time wrote political pamphlets and revolutionary poetry. The most popular writers of the time were Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, and the poet Philip Freneau [fre'no:].

Thomas Paine (1737— 1809) was the most democratic repre­sentative of the American Enlightenment movement.

In 1775 he published his pamphlet Common Sense which urged the separation of the American colonies from England.

During the War of Independence he wrote The Crisis (1776 — 1783), a series of pamphlets, containing his comments on the events of the war against England. While in France he wrote The Rights of Man (1791 - 1792), a political essay.

Thomas Jefferson (1743— 1826) was a writer of the revolu­tionary period in America. Besides he was a lawyer, philoso­pher, architect, statesman. In 1776 as a member of the Conti­nental Congress he was in the committee of five to draft the Declaration of Independence. He outlined the principles of revo­lutionary bourgeois democracy. In 1800 Jefferson won the elec­tions and served two terms as President of the USA.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is the most significant repre­sentative of the Enlightenment period in American literature.

He distinguished himself as a great statesman, a scientist, a jour­nalist, an economist, and a philosopher.

Franklin's most important pamphlets and essays were pub­lished in his famous Poor Richard's Almanac (1732— 1757) which played a very important role in spreading ideas of the Enlighten­ment period.

Franklin made a fundamental contribution to the Declaration of Independence.

Philip Freneau (1752— 1832) was the most outstanding poet of the Revolution. He wrote political poems.

A Poem of the Rising Glory of America (1772) was full of belief in the birth of a new world where freedom would reign. In the poem To the Americans (1775) the poet called for a rebellion against the British rule.

The Republican Genius of Europe welcomed the French Revo­lution. In his poems Freneau described his disappointment with the revolution as he thought that the American Bourgeous Revo­lution had not satisfied the demands of the people.

Though Freneau's political verse was his most important con­
tribution to American poetry, he wrote also lyrical poems of which
The Indian Burying Ground and The Wild Honey Suckle are the
best. «

Freneau also wrote prose. He published some letters and essays. Philip Freneau is considered to be one of the first truly American poets. He was the poet of American independence. He was the poet-journalist of contemporary affairs. All his life he fought for freedom in America.

Questions and Tasks

1. What is the literature of the Enlightenment in America closely connected with?

2. What was adopted when the war ended?

3. Why was this event extremely significant for the country?

4. What drawbacks did the Bourgeois Revolution have?

5. What is American literature of the Enlightenment period characterized by?

6. What did the writers of that time write?

7. Name the most popular writers of that time.

8. What were Pain's famous works before and during the Revolution?

9. Characterize Jefferson as a writer and a statesman.

10. What did Franklin do for the American Revolution as a journalist, and as a statesman?

11. Give a brief account of Philip Freneau's literary career.

12. Why can Freneau be considered one of the first truly American poets?

Vocabulary

abolish [s'bDliJ] v уничтожить outline ['autlam] v обрисовать, наметить

adopt [a'ctopt] v принимать statesman fsteitsimn] n государствен-
draft [dra:ft] v составлять (документ) ный деятель

drawback ['dro:baek] n недостаток urge [з:ф] v настаивать

American Literature in the First Half of the 19th Century

ROMANTICISM

The literary current of Romanticism appeared in America as the result of the Bourgeois Revolution of 1776—1783. It was inspired also by the deep disillusionment of the progressive people in the results of the revolution.

The contradictions between the rich and the poor were as strong as ever. Negro slavery flourished in the Southern states, the. Indian tribes were exterminated.

Romanticism brought with it the first important works of American poetry and fiction, and the first foundations of American national literature were laid.

Romanticism in America differed in some ways from the European Romanticism. European writers could at any moment look back on the cultural heritage of their countries; Americans began everything, including their literature from scratch¹.

' from scratch — на пустом месте 272

The writers of Romanticism depicted life as a struggle between vice and virtue, and insisted that virtue should defeat evil. But when they looked for the triumph of virtue in real life, they could not find it. Here we come to the most characteristic feature of Romanticism: this is the great gap between reality and the ideal — the dream of the poet, artist or writer.

Another feature of Romanticism was that the writers, having cre­ated personages, wished through them to bring moral judgement on the nation as a whole, disregarding the existence of classes, or different sections of the population.

The romantic poets and writers produced a powerful literature with wide variations. They developed such genres as the novel (historical, social, fantastic), the romance and the short story. They gave their readers a taste for old ballads, epics, and the folk-tales of the Indians.

Nature is one of the major themes of the American Romanti­cists. It was a time when new lands were discovered. Courageous pioneers and trappers penetrated into the wilderness of the bound­less forest and prairies. Man's struggle with nature and his victory over it inspired many of the American writers.

The writers of Romanticism were true patriots. They loved their country and recognized the importance of developing national literature and national history.

In Romanticist literature a reader finds a complicated plot, dynamic development of the events and sudden changes in the fates of the heroes. Many complicated dramatic conflicts were solved with the help of chance accidents, fatal meetings or the discovery of dreadful secrets.

Flourishing from 1820-ies to the 1850-ies, Romanticism can be divided into Early Romanticism (the twenties and thirties) and Late Romanticism (the forties and fifties).

The early period began with the romances and short stories of Washington Irving (1783— 1859). These forms were developed later by other American writers. The historical novel began in America with Fenimore Cooper (1789— 1851). Romantic poetry appeared in great variety; most outstanding were the poems of Edgar Allan Рое (1809- 1849).

The Late Romanticism were the years of mature Romanticism in American literature. Characteristic of this period were Cooper's later

novels, Edgar Allan Poe's romances and poems written during the last eight years of his life, the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 -1882), and the poems by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892).

Early Romanticists were more optimistic about the American reality than Late Romanticists were. Criticizing the drawbacks of American civilization, they believed that it provided vast possibilities for development.

Late Romanticism developed in an atmosphere of sharp class contradictions, influenced by the development of capitalism in the country. The fiction of Late Romanticists was permeated with a tragic mood, sharp conflicts, confused feelings. American Romanticism as part of world romantic literature played an important role in the cultural life of America. The works of romantic writers of America are still read and admired.

Vocabulary

boundless ['baundhs] о безграничный fatal ['feitl] а роковой

complicated fkomplikeitid] а сложный gap [дэгр] п разрыв

confused [kan'fju:zd] а спутанный heritage ['henticfc) n наследство

contradiction [^knntre'dikfsn] n проти- penetrate ['penatreit] v проникнуть

воречие permeate ['p3:mieit] v проникать

disregard [,dis'nga:d] v не принимать sharp [fa:p] а острый

во внимание trapper [Чгаерэ] п охотник, ставящий
drawback ['dro:b£ek] n недостаток капканы

exterminate [aks'temmert] ууничтожать

Questions and Tasks

1. When did the literary trend of Romanticism appear in America and what social events led to it?

2. How did Romanticism in America differ from the European Romanticism?

3. Characterize the principal features of Romanticism.

4. What genres did the romantic poets and writers produce?

5. What is one of the major themes of the American Romanticists?

6. What was the creative method of the writers of Romanticism?

7. When did Romanticism in America flourish?

8. What periods can it be divided into?

9. What are the main representatives of Early and Late Romanticism?

10. Why were early Romanticists more optimistic about the American reality
than late Romanticists?

Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Washington Irving ['wqjintan 'з:\тл], the first American romantic writer was bom in New York in a wealthy merchant's family. Washington, the youngest of eleven child­ren, being sickly in childhood, was not sent to school. His English-bom mother had ed­ucated him at home. He was well read in Chaucer and Spenser¹, and the 18th cen­tury English literature. He used to read a lot. Books of voyages and travels were his passion. He was fond of legends, fairy-tales and records of ancient and local customs.

Washington was fond of wandering

around the COUntry-Side. On the outskirts Washington Irving

of his native city he made himself familiar with places famous in history and legends. When he grew older, he longed to travel.

At fifteen he tried his hand at writing. Some little satires on New York life were even printed in his brother's magazine. Writing became his hobby, but his father wanted him to be a lawyer, and at seventeen he was set to studying law.

In 1806 he was admitted to the bar. Yet the law did not fascinate him and he decided to become a writer.

After two years of travelling in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and England Washington Irving returned to the United States. With some friends he started a paper called SalmagundP. The very title of the paper showed it to be a humorous periodical published by the authors just for fun. The Salmagundi papers possess, in addition to their interest as humorous sketches, historical value as pictures of social life in New York during the first decade of the 19th century.

¹ Spencer ['spensa] Edmund (1552-1599) — Спенсер Эдмунд, англ. поэт

² Salmagundi [,saelm9 'gAndi] (from French) — салмагунди (мясной салат с
анчоусами, яйцами и пикулями)

Irving' s first maj or work was A History of New York, published in 1809. The book was an immediate success. Washington Irving's humour was highly appreciated by Walter Scott and Charles Dickens.

After a brief period of military service, a partnership in his brother's firm and a couple of years of travelling and writing Irving completed his most famous works, a series of sketches, short stories and essays, which were published in New York in 1819 — 1820 and in London in 1820, under the title of The Sketch Book.

Irving's other story books are Bracebridge Hall (1822), Tales of a Traveller (1824) and The Alhambra (1832), mostly covering descriptions of Europe in which the author discovered romantic castles and a departed glory unknown to America. Irving also wrote historical biographies: A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus f knstafaks'kmbas] (1828); The Life of Oliver Goldsmith¹ [ 'nliva'gauldsmiG] (1840) and The Life of George Washing­ton ['(fcoxfe 'wormian] (1855- 1859).

On November 28, 1859 he died, at the age of 76.

Irving was the Father of the American short story. His graceful style and colourful descriptions of landscapes made him the Father of American prose. He started that clever humour, the mixture of fine irony and jolly caricature. Irving's wit was caught up and developed by many American writers.

He was the first American writer to win European approval.

Vocabulary admit [ad'mit] v давать право на заня­тие должности to be admitted to the bar получить право адвокатской практики в суде appreciate [a'prijieit] v оценивать approval [э'рш:уэ1] п одобрение caricature [,кэепкэ'Ц'да] п карикатура decade ["dekeid] n десятилетие departed [di'pa:tid] а былой

familiar [fa'miljg] о близкий

to make oneself familiar ознакомиться jolly ['djnli] а веселый local ['1эикэ1] а местный long [lrjrj] v страстно желать; стремиться mixture ['mikst/э] n смесь outskirt ['autsk3:t] n p/окрестности partnership fpartngfip] n участие passion ['рэе/эп] л страсть record ['rekad] n pi материалы

•OliverGoldsmith ['gsuldsmiG] (1728 тель и драматург

1774) — Оливер Голдсмит, англ. писа-

The Sketch Book

It consists of 34 sketches depicting both English and American life. The majority of the sketches are descriptions of rural England, the most famous being Stratford-on-Avon, Westminster Abbey, Rural Life in England. Yet, Irving's main merit lies in his creation of folk-tales of the Dutch colonial settlers of New York and sketches of the American Indians. They express the character, ways of thought, ideals and aspirations of the American simple people. The best known sketches of American life aieRip Van Winkle [ 'np'vaen'wirjkl] and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

In his sketches Irving uses legends, fairy-tales and records of customs and characters which he had collected from personal talks with old folks and which, to his mind, created the genuine history of society. Irving also describes the charm of American countryside with their lakes, their majestic mountains, wild forests, fertile valleys and boundless plains.

The Sketch Book is more than a romantic fairy-tale about the past of America. It contains rather sharp social observations. Thus, when Rip awakes after his 20 years' sleep, he finds America unchanged though a very important event, the American Revolution has taken place. Irving describes Rip's return to his village during an electioneering campaign with much irony.

The Sketch Book established Irving as one of the creators of the genre of story in America. The style of Irving's writing is easy, natural and graceful. His style and colourful descriptions of landscapes make him Father of American prose.

Vocabulary aspiration [^asspa'reijbn] л стремление boundless ['baundhs] а безграничный campaign [kasm'pein] n кампания electionary [I'lekjbnsn] а выборный fertile ['f3:tail] а плодородный

genuine Гфегушп] а подлинный graceful ['greisful] а изящный majestic [ma'djestik] a величественный merit ['merit] л заслуга rural ['гиэгэ1] а сельский

Дата добавления: 2015-06-27