英美文学史第一部分盎格鲁.docx

英美文学史第一部分盎格鲁.docx

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英美文学史第一部分盎格鲁

第一部分盎格鲁——撒克逊时期

III.名词解释

1.Epic（orHeroicPoetry）

Itis,originally,anoralnarrativepoem,majesticbothinthemeandstyle.Epicsdealwithlegendaryorhistoricalofeventsofnationaloruniversalsignificance,involvingactionofbroadsweepandgrandeur.Mostepicsdealwiththeexploitsofasingleindividual,therebygivingunitytothecomposition.Typically,anepicincludesseveralfeatures:

theintroductionofsupernaturalforcesthatshapetheaction;conflictintheformofbattlesorotherphysicalcombat;andstylisticconventionssuchasaninvocationtotheMuse,aformalstatementofthetheme,longlistsoftheprotagonistsinvolved,andsetspeechescouchedinelevatedlanguage.Commonplacedetailsofeverydaylifemayappear,buttheyserveasbackgroundforthestoryandaredescribedinthesameloftystyleastherestofthepoem.Epicpoemsarenotmerelyentertainingstoriesoflegendaryorhistoricalheroes;theysummarizeandexpressthenatureoridealsofanentirenationatasignificantorcrucialperiodofitshistory.ExamplesincludetheancientGreekepicsbythepoetHomer,theIliadandtheOdyssey.Thecharacteristicsoftheheroofanepicarenationalratherthanindividual,andtheexerciseofthosetraitsinheroicdeedsservestogratifyasenseofnationalpride.Atothertimesepicsmaysynthesizetheidealsofagreatreligiousorculturalmovement.TheDivineComedybytheItalianpoetDanteexpressesthefaithofmedievalChristianity.TheFaerieQueenebytheEnglishpoetEdmundSpenserrepresentsthespiritoftheRenaissanceinEnglishandlikeParadiseLostbytheEnglishpoetJohnMilton,representstheidealsofChristianhumanism.

2.Alliteration

Arepeatedinitialconsonanttosuccessivewords.InOldEnglishverse,anyvowelalliterateswithanyothers,andalliterationisnotanunusualorexpressivephenomenonbutaregularlyrecurringstructuralfeatureoftheverse,occurringonthefirstandthird,andoftenonthefirst,second,andthird,primary-stressedsyllablesofthefour-stressedline.Thus,fromTheSeafarer:

hreranmidhondumhrincaeldesae

（“tostirwithhishandtherime-coldsea”）

InlaterEnglishversetradition,alliterationbecomesexpressiveinavarietyofways.Spenserusesitdecoratively,ortolinkadjectiveandnoun,verbandobject,asintheline:

“muchdauntedwiththatdint,hersensewasdased.”Inthe18thand19thcenturiesitbecomesevenlesssystematicandmore"musical".

IV.

1.WhatisthethemeofBeowulf?

Beowulf,whichcentersonthenarrationoftheexploitsoftheheroicfigureBeowulf,ismainlyabouthisthreemajoradventures.Itreflectsalifeoffightsandfeasting,ofceremony,ofbrilliantgoldandsuddendarkness.Hereisaworldofsacredobligations,feudandvengeancewithheroicfigureswhoareproudoftheirbirthandtheirphysicalstrength.Butbeyondthis,theforcesofwyrd（fate）seemtocontrolman'sdestinywithmysteriousomnipotence,whileevilitselfisbothprimordialandpowerful.However,thematicallythepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.Forthoseinterestedinsymbols,thesimplestinterpretationofthemythsinthepoemistoregardBeowulf’ssuccessivefightsagainstthethreemonstersastheovercomingofthehostileforcesofnaturebyman’sindomitablewillandperseverance.Forinstance,thebattlebetweenBeowulfandtheDragonsymbolicallyrepresentsthatphaseofWinterandSummermythinwhichtheSummerGod,hereembodiedbyBeowulf,fightshislastbattleagainsttheWinterDragoninordertorescuethetreasuresofearth,thatis,thegoldencornandruddyfruits.Havinggiventhembacktomen,BeowulfhimselfdiesoftheWinter’sbreath.

2.WhatistheheroicidealofBeowulf?

BeowulfisessentiallyanaristocraticpoemconcernedwiththeheroicidealofkingsandkingshipinNorthEurope.Thesocialpatternsascribedinthepoemarerigidlyfeudal,highlyviolent.Battleisawayoflife.Strengthandcouragearebasicvirtuesforbothkingsandhiswarriors.Thehero-kingstrovetodobetterthananyoneelsethethingsthatarevitallyimportanttothehappylifeofhispeople.Thekingshouldprotecthispeopleandshowgentlenessandgenerositytohiswarriors.Andinreturn,hiswarriorsshouldshowabsoluteobedienceandloyaltytotheking.BypraisingBeowulf'swisdom,strengthandcourage,andbyglorifyinghisdeathforhispeople,thepoempresentstheheroicidealofakingandhisgoodrelationstohiswarriorsandpeople.

3.WhatisthestructureofBeowulf?

Accordingtothecontentsofthestory,thepoemcanbedividedintothreeparts:

PartI:

thefightagainstGrendel

PartII:

thefightagainstGrendel’smother

PartIII:

thefightagainstDragon

Beowulfisanoralpoemandforcenturiesthebardssingittothepeople.Asitisquitelong,thebardcouldonlysingapartofthestoryeachnight.UsuallyhewouldsingoneadventureonthefirstnightaboutthebattlewithGrendel.Thenonthesecondnight,hewouldcontinueandsingaboutBeowulf'sfightagainstGrendel’smother.However,theremightbesomenewlisteners.Sobeforehecametothesecondadventure,hewouldgiveashortsummaryaboutwhathesangthenightbefore.Andonthethirdnight,hewouldgivealongersummaryaboutwhathappenedonthefirsttwonight.Thereisalsoapreludetoinventanallusiontotherealstory.Thepoembeginswiththefuneralofakingandroundsupwiththatofanother.

4.GiveadescriptionofstyleinBeowulf.

“Beowulf”towersaboveallotherliteraryworkswritteninAnglo-Saxon,chieflybecauseitisapowerfulpoemaboutapeople’sherowrittenintrueepicstyle,andnotsomuchbecausetheotherextentwritingsoftheperiodaremediocreorfragmentary.Beowulfisnotsimplyamanofgreatmilitaryprowessbutheisforevereagertohelpothersindistressandinhislastadventurewiththedragonheshowshimselfaworthyleaderreadytosacrificehisownlifeforthewelfareofhispeople.Settingasidethesupernaturalelementspervadingthepoemasaninevitablelimitationofthetribal-feudalage,“Beowulf”deservestoberankedamongthegreatheroicpoemsofnorthernEuropethroughithasnotbeenaswellknownasthe“Nibelungenlied”.Inartisticformtheepictellsthetaleinaleisurelyway,fullofelaborationsinlegendarydetails,andtheverserisesatplacestoheightsofpoeticgrandeur,particularlyinthedescriptionsofthehero’snobilityofcharacterandinthenarrationsofhiscourageousbattlingswithmalevolentfoes.

尼伯龙根之歌（Nibelungenlied）是著名的中世纪中古高地德语叙事诗。

5.WhatdoyouknowaboutTeutons?

BeforetheinvasionofBritain,theTeutonsinhabitedthecentralpartofEuropeasfarsouthastheRhine,atractwhichinalargemeasurecoincideswithmodernGermany.TheJutes,Angles,andSaxonsweredifferenttribesofTeutons.TheseancestorsoftheEnglishdweltinDenmarkandinthelandsextendingsouthwardalongtheNorthSea.

TheAngles,animportantTeutonictribe,furnishedthenameforthenewhouse,whichwascalledAnglo-landafterwardshortenedintoEngland.ThelanguagespokenbythesetribesisgenerallycalledAnglo-SaxonorSaxon.

6.GivetheartisticfeaturesofoldEnglishpoetry.

Anglo-SaxonorOldEnglish,inwhich“"Beowulf”waswritten,representstheearlieststageinthehistoryoftheEnglishlanguageandisverydifferentfrommodernEnglish.ItappearsalmostlikeanotherlanguagealtogetherandcannotbeunderstoodtodaybyEnglish-speakingpeoplesunlessoneconsultsnotesandglossaryindetailorreadsitstranslationinmodernEnglish.ItwascloselyrelatedtoOldLawGermanandthereforeitishighly-inflectedlikeotherGermaniclanguage.“Beowulf”waswritteninalliterativeverse,employingthedeviceofalliterationinsteadoftheuseofrhymesorblankversethatwascommontotheEnglishpoemsbeginningwiththesameconsonantsalliteratewitheachotherwithineachline,orawordbeginningwithavowelalliterateswithanotherwordbeginningwiththesameoranothervowel.

Eachlineofversemaycontainanindefiniteofwordsorsyllablesbutgenerallyhasfourstresses,withapausebetweenthesecondandthethirdstresses,thusbreakingthelineintotwoparts.Alliterationinvariablyfallsuponthestressedsyllables,butnotallfourofthestressesinalinetoalliterate,usuallytwoorthreeofthemalliterate,withatleastonefromhalf-line.Thefirstthreelinesoftheoriginalpoemaregivenhereasspecimen.

Hwaet!

WeGar-Dena（ingear-dagum

Poed-cyningaprymgefranon,

Hupaaeolingasellenfremedon,

（Lo!

WeSpear-Danesindayslongpast

Ofwarriorking’sgloryhaveheard,

Howtheprinceswroughtdeedsofprowess.）

Onepeculiarcharacteristicofstylein“Beowulf”isthefrequentuseofcompound-wordstoserveasindirectmetaphorsthataresometimesverypicturesque.Theseareknownas“kennings”,suchas:

“swan-road”,“whale-path”or“seal-bath”usedtorefertothesea;“wave-traveller”toindicateaship;“shield-bearer”,“battle-hero”or“spear-fighter”assubstitutefortheword“solider”;“sword-clashings”or“edge-clash”todescribeorbattlingsorfights;“ring-mail”,“limb-sark”or“breast-net”asequivalenttoarmour.

第二部分盎格鲁——诺曼底时期

补充练习

一.Completeeachofthefollowingstatementswithaproperwordoraphraseaccordingtothetextbook

1.Intheyear_____,atthebattleof_____,theNormansheadedbyWilliam,DukeofNormandy,defeatedtheAnglo-Saxon.

2.Theliteraturewhichn

3.NormansbroughttoEnglandisremarkableforitsbri