| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第9-10页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第10页 |
| 摘要 | 第11-14页 |
| CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION | 第14-19页 |
| 1.1 Background Knowledge of the Research | 第14-16页 |
| 1.2 Significance of the Study | 第16-17页 |
| 1.3 The Structure of This Thesis | 第17-19页 |
| CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW | 第19-26页 |
| 2.1 Studies on Biography | 第19-20页 |
| 2.2 Studies on Autobiography | 第20-22页 |
| 2.3 Studies on American Autobiographical Writing | 第22-26页 |
| CHAPTER III THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN CULTURAL SELF-CRITICISM | 第26-37页 |
| 3.1 Historical Perspective | 第26-31页 |
| 3.1.1 Emergence of American Values in the 18th Century | 第26-27页 |
| 3.1.2 American Values in the First Half of the 19th Century | 第27-29页 |
| 3.1.3 The Loss of American Values from the End of 19th Century to the Early 20th Century | 第29-31页 |
| 3.2 Social Perspective | 第31-37页 |
| 3.2.1 The loss of Cultural Confidence | 第31-33页 |
| 3.2.2 The Price of Social Development | 第33-34页 |
| 3.2.3 The Evolution of American Values | 第34-37页 |
| CHAPTER IV THE ANALYSIS OF THE CULTURAL SELF-CRITICISM IN THREE BOOKS | 第37-56页 |
| 4.1 Three Autobiographical Writings | 第37-41页 |
| 4.1.1 Benjamin Franklin and His Autobiography | 第37-39页 |
| 4.1.2 Henry David Thoreau and Walden | 第39-40页 |
| 4.1.3 Henry Adams and His Education | 第40-41页 |
| 4.2 Cultural Self-criticism in the Three Books | 第41-51页 |
| 4.2.1 The Thirteen Virtues of Benjamin Franklin | 第42-46页 |
| 4.2.2 The Simple Life of Henry David Thoreau | 第46-49页 |
| 4.2.3 Disillusionment of Henry Adams | 第49-51页 |
| 4.3 Moral values in Three Books | 第51-56页 |
| 4.3.1 Similarities in Three Autobiographical Works | 第52-54页 |
| 4.3.2 Differences in Three Autobiographical Works | 第54-56页 |
| CHAPTER V CONCLUSION | 第56-58页 |
| 5.1 Research Findings | 第56-57页 |
| 5.2 Research limitations | 第57-58页 |
| WORKS CITED | 第58-61页 |
