The Early 20th century English Literature 5 страница

7. Characterize the first period of his literary activity.

8. What plays did he write?

9. What can you say about the plot and the main characters of Waiting for Godof?

10. When was Beckett awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature?

William Golding (born in 1911)

William Golding was born in Cornwall, England in 1911. He attended the famous private school, and then went to Brase-nose College, Oxford, where he started to study science*. After a short period he changed to study English Literature. Golding graduated from Oxford in 1935 and started a career in teaching.

William Golding

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Golding joined the Royal Navy and was involved in active service throughout the war. The effects of the war on Golding were enormous and helped to create his pessimistic view of human nature.

After the war he returned to teaching, a career that he con­tinued even after achieving fame as a writer. His first novel, Lord of the Flies, was published in 1954 and was accepted as an immediate critical success. This was followed by The Inheritors (1955), a novel set in the prehistoric age.

Pincher Martin (1956) was followed by Free Fall, and then by The Spire in 1964. There was a pause in Golding's literary production, and then in 1979 he published Darkness Visible and Rites of Passage in 1980. In 1983 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The novel Lord of the Flies touches some unusual themes. It received huge critical and popular acclaim on its publication and became an important novel, often studied, cited and read through the '50s, '60s and '70s. Now it remains one of the most important contributions to English literature made this century.

The novel is in the form of the fable. A fable is a tale that tells one story through another. The characters exist on two levels: as indi­viduals and as types. i

In this novel a group of boys, refugees from an atomic war, are on a deserted island. After an initial sense of liberty and adventure in this tropical paradise, the boys begin to organize themselves into a little democratic society, electing Ralph as their leader. The group hold meetings, go on expeditions to patrol the island, start building shelters to live in, organize the supply of water, and decide to keep a fire burning constantly, with the hope of signalling to passing boats. The group is composed of "littluns" of about six years old and "bi-guns" of about twelve. Apart from Ralph, another of the biguns, Jack, helps lead the group, by organizing a group of choirboys into a band of hunters, whose task it is to hunt pigs. However, things begin to get out of control. The littluns are afraid by the idea of a "beastie" or "snakey-thing" that they believe lives in the forest.

At night the children suffer from nightmares, even when the rational Piggy, an unpopular but intelligent fat boy, tries to tell them that there is no beast on the Island.

The rational projects that they originally established are gradu­ally abandoned, and under the influence of Jack, the boys return to the savage state based around hunting and the fear of the beast, which Jack develops into a kind of God, the Lord of the Flies. Ralph and Piggy try to keep control of the group, but Jack is too strong and all the boys except Ralph, Piggy and Simon, a strange, solitary boy, leave the first camp and follow Jack to live a savage life.

The boys now become hunters, painting their faces, chanting and dancing, throwing stones and spears. Maurice and Roger act as Jack's assistants. The fear of the beast grows, particularly when

one night a dead man on a parachute falls onto the island. The boys think that the parachute is the beast. Jack encourages the boys to leave "sacrifices" to the beast every time they kill on a hunt.

One night, Simon discovers the true nature of the parachute/ beast, but when he goes to the camp to tell the boys, he is killed, mistaken for the beast. After Simon's death, the hunters led by Jack, Roger and Maurice, kill Piggy and then decide to kill Ralph and to offer him as a human sacrifice to the Lord of the Flies. Ralph is forced to hide while they hunt him.

During the hunt, the boys set fire to the island and a passing ship sees the flames and lands to rescue them, thus saving Ralph's life.

Golding's development of the novel form during the 1950s and 1960s led him to an interesting experimentation with genre. He used the science fiction genre and the fantasy story to provide an effective narrative style for his analyses of human nature.

Vocabulary

outbreak f'autbreik] n начало (войны) paradise ['pasredais] n рай patrol [ps'treul] v охранять refugee Lrefju:'d3i] n беглец sacrifice [ 'sasknfais] n жертвоприно­шение savage ['saevidj] а дикий shelter ['Jelta] n кров, пристанище solitary ['sohtsn] а одинокий spear [spia] n копье

abandon [э'Ьагпёэп] v отказываться;

оставлять acclaim [э'Иеип] п шумное приветствие chant [tfa:nt] v петь choir boy ['kwaigboi] n участник хора

мальчиков cite [salt] v цитировать initial [I'nijbl] а первоначальный involve [m'vnlv] v вовлекать narrative f naerativ] а повествовательный nightmare ['naitmea] n кошмар; страш­ный сон

Questions and Tasks

1. Relate briefly the story of Golding's life.

2. What was his first novel?

3. What can you say about the plot and the main characters of Lord of the Flies'?

4. What form is the novel written?

5. What genres did Golding use in the novel Lord of the Flies'?

6. Name his other notable works.

7. Speak on Wiliam Golding's place in English literature.

Iris Murdoch (1919-1999)

Iris Murdoch [ 'aians 'm3:dt)k] was bom in Dublin. Her mother was Irish and her father was an English civil servant who served as a cavalary officer in the World War I. The family moved to Lon­don in her childhood and she grew up in the western suburbs of it.

Murdoch studied classics, ancient history and philosophy at Somerville College, Oxford. During World War II she was an active member of the Com­munist Party, but soon she became dis­appointed with its ideology and re­signed. Some years later Murdoch took up a postgraduate studentship in philosophy. In 1948 she was elected a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford, working there as a tutor until 1963. Since then Murdoch devoted herself entirely to writing. Between the years 1963 and 1967 she also lectured at the Royal College of Art.

Murdoch published her first novel in 1954. This was Under the Net, a comedy. Most of her novels, however, are more philosophical than comic. They have a wide range of themes, and show that serious novels can still become best-sellers. Among the best-known works are The Bell (1958), which depicts an Agli-can religious community, and a novel about the Irish rebellion in 1916, The Red and the Green (1965). Perhaps her best works from the 1970s are Black Prince (1973), A World of Child (1975) and The Sea, the Sea, which won the Booker Prize in 1978. It is con­sidered her major work.

Murdoch published over twenty novels. She was a prolific and highly professional novelist. Murdoch dealt in her works every­day ethical or moral issues.

The novels combine realistic characters with extraordinary situations, and many of them have a religious or philosophical

theme. She is always concerned with moral problems of good and bad, right and wrong, art and life, and the nature of truth. Iris Murdoch died in Oxford on February 8, 1999.

prolific [prg'hfikj а плодовитый resign [n'zam] v слагать с себя обя­занности tutor [ 'tju:ta] n руководитель группы студентов

Vocabulary

ethical ['eOikal] о этический fellow [Те1эи] п член совета колледжа issue ['isju:] n вопрос postgraduate fpsust'grffidjuit] а аспи­рантский

Questions and Tasks

1. Relate briefly the story of Iris Murdoch's life.

2. When did she publish her first novel?

3. What kind of novel was it?

4. What novels are considered to be her best-known ones?

5. What novel won the Booker Prize?

6. What issues did Murdoch deal in her works?

7. How many novels did Murdoch publish?

8. What moral problems did^he touch on her novels?

9. When did she die?

American Literature

The Beginning of Literature
I in America

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In the 17th— 18th centuries there were founded a number of col­onies in America. At the beginning the Portuguese and Spaniards occupied the rich gold and silver fields of south America. The Dutch and the French began the colonization of North America. The Dutch created their own colony around the Hudson River. They called it New Netherlands. The French occupied the territory which is Canada today and the land around it. They called it Louisi­ana [Лиш'жпэ].

England played a very important role in the colonization of North America. The first England settlement was made at Jamestown in 1607. In 1620 a large group of Englishmen landed their ship, the Mayflower, near Cape Cod and founded the colony of Plymouth ['р1нпэв]. It is from these two centres, that the English settlements developed. The war of 1972 — 1674 between the English and the Dutch made New Netherlands an English colony. This made almost the whole Atlantic coast English. During the seven year war (1756 — 1763) England took Canada from France and Florida from Spain.

After that a vast territory of land was under the English rule. Alongside with the wars between different nationalities of set­tlers there was a struggle against the native inhabitants, the Indian tribes. The extermination of the Indian people was one of the first manifestations of the appearence of the American "civilization".

There was little artistic literature in the colonial period. Eng­lishmen who came to America were not from the intellectual cir­cles in England.

Literature was the privilege of the clergy. They wrote mostly in the form of religious sermons, journals, letters and diaries. Early colonial literature cannot be regarded national American litera­ture. It did not reflect the life, ideas and thoughts of the simple people.

Vocabulary

cape [keip] n мыс Portuguese [, po:tju'gi:z] n португалец
extermination [eks,t3:mrneijbn] n ис- the Portuguese португальцы

требление sermon ['S3:m3n] n проповедь

manifestation [,mEenifes'teiJbn] n об- Spaniard ['spaenjad] n испанец

наружение the Spaniards испанцы

Netherlands ['nedgbndz] n Нидерланды

Questions and Tasks

1. When were a number of colonies in America founded?

2. What countries took part in the colonization of North America?

3. What role did England play in the colonization of North America?

4. When was the first English settlement made?

5. Where did a large group of Englishmen land their ship, the Mayflower?

6. When was New Netherlands made an English colony?

7. Explain how a vast territory of land became under the English rule.

8. Characterize American litrature in the colonial period.

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

I

Questions and Tasks

1. Give the main facts of Washington Irving's life.

2. What was Irving's first major work?

3. What was his most famous work?

4. Comment on the composition of The Sketch Book.

5. Speak on Irving's other works.