自考英美文学选读知识点.docx

1、自考英美文学选读知识点自考英美文学选读知识点01.Humanism（人文主义）Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.it emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. Humanists voiced their beliefs that man was the center of the universe and man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of the pr

2、esent life， but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders.02.Renaissance（文艺复兴）The word “Renaissance”means “rebirth”， it meant the reintroduction into westerm Europe of the full cultural heritage of Greece and Rome.2the essence of the Renaissance is Humanism. Attitudes and feelings wh

3、ich had been characteristic of the 14th and 15th centuries persisted well down into the era of Humanism and reformation.3the real mainstream of the english Renaissance is the Elizabethan drama with william shakespeare being the leading dramatist.03.Metaphysical poetry（玄学派诗歌）Metaphysical poetry is co

4、mmonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.2with a rebellious spirit， the Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry.3the diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or t

5、he Neoclassical periods， and echoes the words and cadences of common speech.4the imagery is drawn from actual life.04.Classcism（古典主义）Classcism refers to a movement or tendency in art， literature， or music that reflects the principles manifested in the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Classicism empha

6、sizes the traditional and the universal， and places value on reason， clarity， balance， and order. Classicism， with its concern for reason and universal themes， is traditionally opposed to Romanticism， which is concerned with emotions and personal themes.05.Enlightenment（启蒙运动）Enlightenment movement w

7、as a progressive philosophical and artistic movement which flourished in france and swept through western Europe in the 18th century.2the movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance from 14th century to the mid-17th century.3its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern phi

8、losophical and artistic ideas.4it celebrated reason or rationality， equality and science. It advocated universal education.5famous among the great enlighteners in england were those great writers like Alexander pope. Jonathan swift.etc.06.Neoclassicism（新古典主义）In the field of literature， the enlighten

9、ment movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works.2this tendency is known as neoclassicism. The Neoclassicists held that forms of literature were to be modeled after the classical works of the ancient Greek and Roman writers such as Homer and Virgil and those of the contem

10、porary French ones.3 they believed that the artistic ideals should be order， logic， restrained emotion and accuracy， and that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity.07. The Graveyard School（墓地派诗歌）The Graveyard School refers to a school of poets of the 18th century whose poem

11、s are mostly devoted to a sentimental lamentation or meditation on life. Past and present， with death and graveyard as themes.2Thomas Gray is considered to be the leading figure of this school and his Elegy written in a country churchyard is its most representative work.08. Romanticism（浪漫主义）1In the

12、mid-18th century， a new literary movement called romanticism came to Europe and then to England.2It was characterized by a strong protest against the bondage of neoclassicism， which emphasized reason， order and elegant wit. Instead， romanticism gave primary concern to passion， emotion， and natural b

13、eauty.3In the history of literature. Romanticism is generally regarded as the thought that designates a literary and philosophical theory which tends to see the individual as the very center of all life and experience. 4 The English romantic period is an age of poetry which prevailed in England from

14、 1798 to 1837. The major romantic poets include Wordsworth， Byron and Shelley.09. Byronic Hero（拜伦式英雄）Byronic hero refers to a proud， mysterious rebel figure of noble origin.2 with immense superiority in his passions and powers， this Byronic Hero would carry on his shoulders the burden of righting al

15、l the wrongs in a corrupt society. And would rise single-handedly against any kind of tyrannical rules either in government， in religion， or in moral principles with unconquerable wills and inexhaustible energies.3 Byrons chief contribution to English literature is his creation of the “Byronic Hero”

16、10. Critical Realism（批判现实主义）Critical Realism is a term applied to the realistic fiction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.2 It means the tendency of writers and intellectuals in the period between 1875 and 1920 to apply the methods of realistic fiction to the criticism of society and the exa

17、mination of social issues.3 Realist writers were all concerned about the fate of the common people and described what was faithful to reality.4 Charles Dickens is the most important critical realist.11. Aestheticism（美学主义）The basic theory of the Aesthetic movement “art for arts sake” was set forth by

18、 a French poet， Theophile Gautier， the first Englishman who wrote about the theory of aestheticism was Walter Pater.2 aestheticism places art above life， and holds that life should imitate art， not art imitate life.3 According to the aesthetes， all artistic creation is absolutely subjective as oppos

19、ed to objective. Art should be free from any influence of egoism. Only when art is for arts sake， can it be immortal. They believed that art should be unconcerned with controversial issues， such as politics and morality， and that it should be restricted to contributing beauty in a highly polished st

20、yle.4 This is one of the reactions against the materialism and commercialism of the Victorian industrial era， as well as a reaction against the Victorian convention of art for moralitys sake， or art for moneys sake.美学运动的基本原则“为艺术而艺术”最初由法国诗人西奥费尔。高缔尔提出，英国运用该美学理论的第一人是沃尔特。佩特。美学主义崇尚艺术高于生活，认为生活应模仿艺术，而不是艺术模

21、仿生活。在美学主义看来，所有的艺术创作都是绝对主观而非客观的产物。艺术不应受任何功利的影响，只有当艺术为艺术而创作时，艺术才能成为不朽之作。他们还认为艺术不应只关注一些热点话题如政治和道德问题，艺术应着力于以华丽的风格张扬美。这是对维多利亚工业发展时期物质崇拜的一种回应，也是向艺术为道德或为金钱而服务的维多利亚传统的挑战。12.The Victorian period（维多利亚时期）In this period， the novel became the most widely read and the most vital and challenging expression of prog

22、ressive thought. While sticking to the principle of faithful representation of the 18th century realist novel， novelists in this period carried their duty forward to criticism of the society and the defense of the mass.2 although writing from different points of view and with different techniques， t

23、hey shared one thing in common， that is， they were all concerned about the fate of the common people. They were angry with the inhuman social institutions， the decaying social morality as represented by the money-worship and Utilitarianism， and the widespread misery， poverty and injustice.3their tru

24、thful picture of peoples life and bitter and strong criticism of the society had done much in awakening the public consciousness to the social problems and in the actual improvement of the society.4 Charles Dickens is the leading figure of the Victorian period.13. Modernism（现代主义）Modernism is compreh

25、ensive but vague term for a movement ， which begin in the late 19th century and which has had a wide influence internationally during much of the 20th century.2 modernism takes the irrational philosophy and the theory of psycho-analysis as its theoretical case.3 the term pertains to all the creative

26、 arts. Especially poetry， fiction， drama， painting， music and architecture.4 in England from early in the 20th century and during the 1920s and 1930s， in America from shortly before the first world war and on during the inter-war period， modernist tendencies were at their most active and fruitful.5a

27、s far as literature is concerned， Modernism reveals a breaking away from established rules， traditions and conventions. fresh ways of looking at mans position and function in the universe and many experiments in form and style. It is particularly concerned with language and how to use it and with wr

28、iting itself.14. Stream of consciousness（意识流）（or interior monologue）In literary criticism， Stream of consciousness denotes a literary technique which seeks to describe an individuals point of view by giving the written equivalent of the characters thought processes. Stream of consciousness writing i

29、s strongly associated with the modernist movement. Its introduction in the literary context， transferred from psychology， is attributed to May Sinclair. Stream of consciousness writing is usually regarded as a special form of interior monologue and is characterized by associative leaps in syntax and

30、 punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow， tracing as they do a characters fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings. Famous writers to employ this technique in the English language include James Joyce and William Faulkner.学术界认为意识流是一种通过直接描述人物思维过程来寻求个人视角的文学写作技巧。意识流是现代主义运动的体现，它首先出现在心现学领

31、域，由梅。辛克拉提出的，后引进文学领域。意识流写作通常被认为是一种特殊形式的内心独白。它的特别是联想性，以句法和标点的跳跃，文章的晦涩难懂为特征。来表现人物的片断思维和感官性直觉。比较著名的使用此技巧的有乔伊斯。福克纳。15. American Puritanism（美国清教主义）Puritanism was a religious reform that arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. Under siege from church and crown， it sent an offshoot in t

32、he third and fourth decades of the 17th to the northern English colonies in the new worlda migration that laid the foundation for the religious， intellectual， and social order of New England. Puritanism， however， was not only a historically specific phenomenon coincident with the founding of new England， it was also a way of being in the worlda style of response to lived experiencethat has reverberated through American life ever since. Doctrinally， puritans adhered to the five points of Calvinism as codified at the syno