资源描述：
《美国文学欣赏To_a_Waterfowl课件.ppt》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、ToaWaterfowl致水鸟byWilliamCullenBryantYouthandEducationBryantwasbornonNovember3,1794,HewasthesecondsonofPeterBryant,adoctorandlaterastatelegislator,andSarahSnell.HismaternalancestrytracesbacktopassengersontheMayflower;hisfather's,tocolonistswhoarrivedabout
2、adozenyearslater.Bryantandhisfamilymovedtoanewhomewhenhewastwoyearsold.TheWilliamCullenBryantHomestead,hisboyhoodhome,isnowamuseum.AfterjusttwoyearsatWilliamsCollege,hestudiedlawinWorthingtonandBridgewaterinMassachusetts,andhewasadmittedtothebarin1815.He
3、thenbeganpracticinglawinnearbyPlainfield,walkingthesevenmilesfromCummingtoneveryday.Ononeofthesewalks,inDecember1815,henoticedasinglebirdflyingonthehorizon;thesightmovedhimenoughtowrite"ToaWaterfowl".Bryantdevelopedaninterestinpoetryearlyinlife.Underhisf
4、ather'stutelage,heemulatedAlexanderPopeandotherNeo-ClassicBritishpoets.“TheEmbargo”,asavageattackonPresidentThomasJeffersonpublishedin1808,reflectedDr.Bryant'sFederalistpoliticalviews.Thefirsteditionquicklysoldout—partlybecauseofthepublicityearnedbythepo
5、et'syoungage—andasecond,expandededition,whichincludedBryant'stranslationofClassicalverse,wasprinted.TheyouthwrotelittlepoetrywhilepreparingtoenterWilliamsCollegeasasophomore,butuponleavingWilliamsafterasingleyearandthenbeginningtoreadlaw,heregeneratedhis
6、passionforpoetrythroughencounterwiththeEnglishpre-Romanticsand,particularly,WilliamWordsworth.CompositionandpublicationhistoryTheinspirationforthepoemoccurredinDecember1815whenBryant,then21,waswalkingfromCummingtontoPlainfieldtolookforaplacetosettleasala
7、wyer.Theduck,flyingacrossthesunset,seemedtoBryantassolitaryasoulashimself,inspiringhimtowritethepoemthatevening."ToaWaterfowl"wasfirstpublishedintheNorthAmericanReviewinVolume6,Issue18,March1818.ItwaslaterpublishedinthecollectionPoemsin1821.Criticalrespo
8、nseMatthewArnoldpraiseditas"thebestshortpoeminthelanguage",andthepoetandcriticRichardWilburhasdescribeditas"America'sfirstflawlesspoem".Mainworks1808TheEmbargo禁运，asatiricalpoeminreactionagainstJefferson’straderestrictions1
