本书的特点之一就是她打破了美国文学教材编写的传统框架,选材直接从美国浪漫主义文学开始,经过现实主义文学和现代主义文学,一直延伸到后现代主义文学。其间撷取了美国文学史上最具代表性的18位作家及其经典作品,供普通高等学校英语专业高年级一个学期的教学使用。在此框架下,教材开篇所编选的作家作品已经脱离了对英国文学的模仿,代表着真正意义上的美国文学;结篇则表现了美国文学中最新的文学思潮。
本书的另一个特点是追求文学史概述与文学作品选读的结合,提高文学史部分的内容在文学选读课程中的重要性。从篇章结构上讲,教材的每一章都大致分为两个部分。首先是该时期文学史的总体概述。然后是作家的作品选读。这么做的目的就是试图通过文学史部分的概述,为读者阅读、理解和欣赏选篇提供所必需的背景信息,使得读者能够在相应的文学背景下更好地获得文学体验和美学感受。
Chapter 01 American Romanticism
Edgar Allan Poe
Poe's life
Poe's literary creation
Selected Readings
The Raven
The Tell-Tale Heart
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson's life
Emerson's literary creation
Selected Readings
Nature (an excerpt)
Self-Reliance (an excerpt)
Walt Whitman
Whitman's life
Whitman's poetic writings
Selected Readings
Song of Myself ( an excerpt)
I Hear America Singing
Oh, Captain ! My Captain !
Chapter 02 American Realism
Mark Twain
Twain's life
Twain's literary creation
Selected readings
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (an excerpt)
A plot summary of the novel
Reading guide
An excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
O. Henry (William Sidney Porter)
O. Henry's life
O. Henry's literary creation
Selected reading
The Cop and the Anthem
Henry James
James' life
James' literary creation
Selected reading
Paste
Theodore Dreiser
Dreiser's life
Dreiser's literary creation
Selected reading
Sister Carrie (an excerpt)
A plot summary of the novel
Reading guide
An excerpt from Sister Carrie
Chapter 03 Modernism
Carl Sandburg
Sandburg's Life
Sandburg's literary creation
Characteristics of Sandburg's poems
Selected readings
Bones
Chicago
Cool Tombs
Fog
Grass
The Harbor
Ezra Pound
Pound's life
Pound's literary creation
Selected readings
In a Station of the Metro
The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter
A Pact
A Virginal
Salutation
Langston Hughes
Hughes' life
Hughes' literary creation
Selected readings
Let America Be America Again
Life is Fine
Mother to Son
Dream Variations
Quiet Girl
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
The Negro Mother
Sinclair Lewis
Lewis' life
Lewis' literary creation
Selected reading
Babbitt (an excerpt)
A plot summary of the novel
Reading guide
An excerpt from Babbitt
Sherwood Anderson
Anderson's life
Anderson's literary creation
Selected reading
The Egg
Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's life
Hemingway's literary creation
Hemingway's style
Selected reading
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
William Fanlkner
Faulkner's life
Fanlkner's literary creation
Selected reading
Barn Burning
Chapter 04 Postmodernism
Jack Kerouac
Kerouac's life
Kerouac's literary creation
Selected reading
On the Road (an excerpt)
A plot summary of the novel
Reading guide
An excerpt from On the Road
Joseph Heller
Heller's life
Heuer's literary creation
Selected reading
Catch-22 (an excerpt)
A plot summary of the novel
Reading guide
An excerpt from Catch-22
Toni Morrison
Morrison's life
Morrison's literary creation
Selected reading
Recitatif
Arthur Miller
Miller's life
Miller's literary creation
Selected reading
Death of a Salesman (an excerpt)
A plot summary of the play
Reading guide
An excerpt from Death of a Salesman