English Literature in the 20th Century.docx

English Literature in the 20th Century.docx

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EnglishLiteratureinthe20thCentury

EnglishLiteratureinthe20thCentury

I.Pleasedefinethefollowingterms.

1.Modernism:

Ageneraltermappliedretrospectivelytothewiderangeofexperimentalandavant-garde（Fr.先锋派）trendsinliteratureoftheearly20thcentury,includingSymbolism,Futurism,Expressionism,Imagism,Vorticism（旋涡画派——现代资产阶级文艺思潮未来主义的一种支派）,Dada（达达派——现代资产阶级颓废文艺流派），andSurrealism（超现实主义）,alongwiththeinnovationsoftheunaffiliatedwriters.Modernismtakestheirrationalphilosophyandthetheoryofpsycho-analysisatitstheoreticalbase.Itisareactionagainstrealism.Itrejectsrationalismwhichisthetheoreticalbaseofrealism;itexcludesfromitsmajorconcerntheexternal,objective,materialworld,whichistheonlycreativesourceofrealism;byadvocatingafreeexperimentationonnewformsandnewtechniquesinliterarycreation,itcastsawayalmostallthetraditionalelementsinliteraturesuchasstory,plot,character,chronologicalnarration,etc.,whichareessentialtorealism.Asaresult,theworkscreatedbythemodernistwriterscanoftenbelabeledasanti-novel,anti-poetryoranti-drama.

2.Allusivelanguage:

ModernistwritersseemtotalkaDadaistlanguage.Itisfullofallusionstomyths,theBible,foreignlanguages,ofteninformofcollages（抽象派的贴拼画）thatarerandom-seeming,makingapoemreadlikeariddle,astoryworklikealabyrinth.Itishighlyallusive,whichonesignifierglidingtoseveralsignifiers.Readingthiskindoflanguage,thereaderisforcedtosearchformeaningonhisown.

3.Feministcriticism:

Adevelopmentandmovementincriticaltheoryandintheevaluationofliteraturewhichwaswellunderwaybythelate1960sandwhichhasburgeonedsteadilysince.Itisanattempttodescribeandinterpretandreinterpretwomen’sexperienceasdepictedinvariouskindsofliterature–especiallythenovel;and,toalesserextent,poetryanddrama.Itquestionsthelong-standing,dominant,male,phallocentricideologies,apatriarchalattitudesandmaleinterpretationsinliterature.Itattacksmalenotionsofvalueinliteratureandchallengestraditionalandacceptedmaleideasaboutthenatureofwomenandabouthowwomenfeel,actandthink,oraresupposedtofeel,actandthink,andhowingeneraltheyrespondtolifeandliving.Itthusquestionsnumerousprejudicesandassumptionsaboutwomenmadebymalewriters,notleastanytendencytocastwomeninstockcharacterroles.

4.Reader-responsecriticism:

Ageneraltermforthosekindsofmoderncriticismandliterarytheorythatfocusontheresponseofreaderstoliteraryworks,ratherthanontheworksthemselvesconsideredasself-containedentities.Itisnotasingleagreedtheorysomuchasasharedconcernwithasetofproblemsinvolvingtheextentandnatureofreaders’contributiontothemeaningsofliteraryworks,approachedfromvariouspositionsincludingthoseofstructuralism,psychoanalysis,phenomenology,andhermeneutics.Thecommonfactorisashiftfromthedescriptionoftextsintermsoftheirinherentpropertiestoadiscussionoftheproductionofmeaningswithinthereadingprocess.

5.Post-modernism:

AtermreferringtocertainradicallyexperimentalworksofliteratureandartproducedafterWorldWarII.Post-modernismisdistinguishedfrommodernism,whichgenerallyreferstotherevolutioninartandliteraturethatoccurredduringtheperiod1910-1930,particularlyfollowingthedisillusioningexperienceofWorldWarI.Muchofpost-modernistwritingrevealsandhighlightsthealienationofindividualsandthemeaninglessnessofhumanexistence.Postmodernistsbreakawayfromtraditionsthroughexperimentationwithnewliterarydevices,forms,andstyles.

6.Post-structuralism:

Atermreferringtothegeneralattempttocontestandsubvertstructuralismandtoformulatenewtheoriesregardinginterpretationandmeaning.Itwasinitiatedparticularlybydeconstructorsbutalsoassociatedwithcertainaspectsandpractitionersofpsychoanalytic,Marxist,cultural,feminist,andgendercriticism.Post-structuralistsclaimthatinthegrandschemeofsignification,all“signifieds”arealsosignifiers,foreachwordexistsinacomplexweboflanguageandhassuchavarietyofdenotationandconnotationsthatnoonemeaningcanbesaidtobefinal,stable,andinvulnerabletoreconsiderationandsubstitution.Leadingpost-structuralistsincludeFrenchphilosophersDerrida,Lacan,Foucault,etc.

II．CommentonthedevelopmentofWilliamButlerYeats’spoeticcareerandcharacteristicsofhispoetry.

WilliamButlerYeatsisconsideredtobeoneofthegreatestpoetsintheEnglishlanguage;andhispoeticachievementstandsatthecenterofmodernliterature.HewasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1923.Yeatsisnotapoetofnature,butofman.Hispoemstendtopresentlifeinthemodeofdramaandconflictsinplaceandtimewiththevalueresidingintheconflictratherthaninthefinalvictory.

Hehadaverylongpoeticcareer,stretchingfromthe1880stothe1930s,andhadexperiencedaslowpainfulchangeinhispoeticcreation,startingintheromantictraditionandfinishingasamaturedmodernistpoet.Generally,hispoeticcareercanbedividedintothreeperiodsaccordingtothecontentsandstyleofhispoetry.Asayoungmaninthelastdecadesofthe19thcentury,Yeatsstartedhispoeticcareerintheromantictradition.ThemajorthemesareusuallyCelticlegends,localfolktales,orstoriesoftheheroicageinIrishhistory.Hisearlyworkisimbuedwithahauntingbeauty,asorenessofheartbornofafundamentallonelinessofspirit,andanidealisticlongingtotranscendthemiseriesandimperfectionsofthemundaneworld.Intheseearlylyrics,hislongingsoftentaketheformofarathersimplisticbutbeautifullyexpressedescapism,asin“TheLakeIsleofInnisfree”.Thestyleofhisearlypoetryisverydelicatewithnaturalimagery,dream-likeatmosphereandmusicalbeauty.

Thefirsttwodecadesofthe20thcenturywereaperiodoftransitiontoYeats,duringwhichhisattitudetowardspolitics,lifeandpoetryexperiencedagreatchange.NowYeatsbegantowritewithrealisticandconcretethemesonavarietyofsubjects,studyingtheprofoundandcomplicatedhumanproblems,suchaslife,love,politics,andreligion.Heacceptedthemodernistideasinpoetry.Gradually,Yeatsturnedfromatraditionalpoetintoamodernistone.Thepoemsofthisperiodarecharacterizedbythemoodofanger,disillusionandbitterrhythms.“TheSecondComing”,rawandvisionary,givesanairofcyclicinevitabilitytotheoccurrenceofthedeathandrebirthofthegodsaspartoftherecurringcyclesofhistory,whichmarksYeats’maturityasamodernistpoet.

Yeatsreachedthelaststageofhispoeticcreationwhenhewasoverfifty.Hisconcernhasturnedtothegreatsubjectsofdichotomy,suchas,youthandage,loveandwar,vigorandwisdom,bodyandsoul,andlifeandart.Inthislastperiod,Yeatshasdevelopedarealistic,toughcomplexandsymbolicalstyle.Inhisfamouspoem,“SailingtoByzatium”,Yeatsexplorestheproblemsofdeath,love,oldageandart.TheTowerandTheWindingStairaretwocollectionswhichrepresentthematurityofhismodernistpoetry.ThemasteryoftechniquethatenablesYeatstoperfectsubtle,forcefulandhighlyunusualpoeticstylemakeshimoneofthegreatestmodernpoets.

III.DiscussthepossiblethemeinWilliamButlerYeats’s“TheLakeIsleofInnisfree”andhowthatthemeispresentedinthepoem.

ThemajorthemesinYeats’spoemsareusuallyCelticlegends,localfolktales,orstoriesoftheheroicageinIrishhistory.Manyofhispoemshaveadreamquality,expressingmelancholy,passiveandself-indulgentfeelings.Butinanumberofpoems,Yeatshasachievedsuggestivepatternsofmeaningbyacarefulcounterpointingofcontrastingideasorimageslikehumanandfairy,naturalandartificial,domesticandwild,andephemeralandpermanent.“Innisfree”isjustapopularrepresentativeofsuchpoems;arounda“fairyland”background,thepoemiscloselywoven,easy,subtleandmusical;theclarityandcontroloftheimagerygivethepoemahauntingquality.Theoverallstyleofhisearlypoetryisverydelicatewithnaturalimagery,dream-likeatmosphereandmusicalbeauty.Thepossiblethemeisthattiredofthelifeofhisday,Yeatssoughttoescapeintoanideal“fairyland”wherehecouldlivecalmlyasahermitandenjoythebeautyofnature.Thepoemconsistsofthreequatrainsofiambicpentameter,witheachstanzarhymedabab.InnisfreeisaninletinthelakeinIrishlegends.Heretheauthorisreferringtoaplaceforhermitage.

IV.Makeacontrastbetween1950s’poetryand1960s’poetry.

The1950sistheheydayoftheso-calledMovement.Itreactsagainsttheneo-RomanticismofDylanThomasandothersandagainstthemodernistmode.ItisinsomesensetherevivaloftheEnglishtradition.YettocharacterizethestyleoftheMovementinsuchphrasesisdifficult,butitmaysuggestthetypeofrealistic,reflective,moralizing,empirical,personallyhonest,occasionallysatiricalpoetry,suspiciousofhumannatureandsaturatedwithasenseoflife’spain,whichwasdominantinBritainforthepastthirtyyears.ThemostimportantMovementpoetsincludePhilipLarkin,DonaldDavie,ThomGunn,etc.Itsinfluenceextendedtomanyyearslater.

The1960sisamixtureoftraditionalstylewithModernistandPost-moderniststylesoftheUSandofEurope.TheMovementpoetsgeneratedoppositioninthe1960sbecausetheycarrytheanti-modernist,insularreaction,whichwaspresentinEnglishpoetrysincethe1920s,tounusuallength.Andthemovementpoetrywasattackedfortheirgentility.Englishpoetryofthenewpoetryisfor