A Study on the Construction of Americanism in Mark Twain’s Works

Liu Yan

doi:10.5430/ijelt.v8n2p41

Abstract

American Writer Mark Twain in his works vividly records social changes caused by the industrialization in the 19th century. His writing could be regarded as a kind of construction of Americanism. He insists on advocating of Puritanism, using the American dialect to tell American stories, displaying the culture in American West and South. He employs humor and irony to combine American history with reality, getting rid of influences of the British literature to illustrate Americanism and the historical process of America.

Highlights

As a necessary part of national culture, literature plays a very important role in the process of constructing national culture and national spirit
They all focus on Americanism in their works and Mark Twain is a representative of these writers
Samuel Huntington once pointed out that “the foundation of Americanism is equality, freedom and the right to pursue happiness advocated in The Declaration of Independence.” (Huntington, 2005, 68) According to rules of the Pulitzer Prize, Shi penglu claims that the construction of Americanism involves the following factors: American Puritanism, the integration of history and reality, ethnic literary writing and female writers’ consciousness. (Shi Penglu, 2016, 109)

Summary

A Study on the Construction of Americanism in Mark Twain’s Works

Liu Yan1,* 1School of Foreign Languages, Yancheng Normal University, Yancheng, China *Correspondence: School of Foreign Languages, Yancheng Normal University, Yancheng, China.

Introduction

Literature Review

The Advocating of Puritanism

The Reflection on History and Reality

Conclusion