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1、1．TheAgeofRealism(HowtodefinetheRealisticPeriodinAmericanliteraryhistory?)Theperiodrangingfrom1865tol914hasbeenreferredtoastheAgeofRealisminthe1iteraryhistoryoftheUnitedStates,whichisactuallyamovementortendencythatdominatedthespiritofAmericanliterature,especia1lyAme
2、ricanfiction,fromthe1850sonwards.RealismwasareactionagainstRomanticismoramoveawayfromthebiastowardsromanceandself-creatingfictions,anditpavedthewaytoModernism.Insteadofthinkingabouttheirrational,theimaginative,realiststoucheduponsocialandpoliticalrealitiesandpressur
3、esinthepost-Civilwarsociety.ThreedominantfiguresareWilliamDeanHowells,MarkTwain,andHenryJames.2.Thehistoricalandsocio-culturalbackgroundofAmericanRealismTheAmericansocietyaftertheCivilWarprovidedrichsoilfortheriseanddeve1opmentofRealism.Thisperiodischaracterizedwith
4、changes,inrelationtoeveryaspectofAmericanlife,politically,economically,culturally,andreligiously.Firstofall,politically,theCivilWaraffectedboththesocialandthevaluesystemofthecountry.Americahadtransformeditse1fintoanindustria1izedandcommercializedsociety.Wildernessga
5、vewaytocivilization.Theburgeoningeconomyandindustrysteppedupurbanization.However,economically,thechangeswerenotallforthebetter.Theindustrializationandtheurbanizationwereaccompaniedbytheincalculablesufferingsofthelaboringpeople.Therefore,polarizationofthewellbeingbet
6、weenthepoorandtherichstartedtoshowup.Thirdly,asfarastheideologywasconcerned,peoplebecamedubiousaboutthehumannatureandthebenevo1enceofGod,whichtheTranscendentalistscaredmost.WhatMarkTwainreferredtoas“theGi1dedAge”replacedthefrontierandthespiritofthefrontiersman,which
7、isthespiritoffreedomandhumanconnection.Fourthly,theliterarysceneaftertheCivi1Warprovedtobequitedifferentapicture.Theharshrea1itiesoflifeaswellasthedisillusionofheroismresultingfromthedarkmemoriesoftheCivilWarhadsetthenationagainsttheromance.TheAmericansbegantobetire
8、dofthesentimentalfeelingsofRomanticism.Thus,startedanewperiodintheAmericanliterarywritingsknownastheAgeofRealism,characterizedbyagreatinte
