英国文学史及选读第一册.docx

英国文学史及选读第一册.docx

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英国文学史及选读第一册

英国文学史选读第一册

PartITheAnglo-SaxonPeriod（449-1066）

Theliterature:

Theliteratureofthisperiodfallsnaturallyintotwodivisions:

pagan（异教徒文学）andChristian（基督徒文学）

Form:

Alliterativeverse

ThecomingofChristianitymeantnotsimplyanewlifeandleaderforEngland;itmeantalsothewealthofanewlanguage.

Caedmon（开德蒙）wroteapoeticParaphraseoftheBible.

Thegreatepic—TheSongofBeowulf:

TheSongofBeowulfcanbejustlytermedEngland’snationalepicanditsheroBeowulf—oneofthenationalheroesoftheEnglishpeople.

PartIITHEANGLO-NORMANPERIOD（1066-1350）

Background:

theNormansheadedbyWilliam,defeatedtheAnglo-Saxon.

Theliterature:

Theliteratureisremarkableforitsbright,romantictalesofloveandadventure.EnglishliteratureisalsoacombinationofFrenchandSaxonlanguage.

Literarywork:

SirGawainandtheGreenKnight

Termexplanation:

Romance（传奇）:

RomancewasatypeofliteraturethatwasverypopularintheMiddleAges.Itisaboutthelifeandadventuresundertakenbyaknight.Itreflectedthespiritofchivalry.Thecontentofromance:

love,religion,chivalry.Itinvolvesfightingandadventures.

PartIIIGEOFFREYCHAUCER（1340?

-1400）

GeoffreyChaucer,the“fatherofEnglishpoetry”andoneofthegreatestnarrativepoetsofEngland.Chaucer’screativeworkvividlyreflectedthechangeswhichhadtakenrootinEnglishcultureofthesecondhalfofthe14thcentury.

Chaucerchosethemetricalform（格律诗）whichlaidthefoundationoftheEnglishtonico-syllabicverse.AndalsofoundtheLondondialectastheEnglishliterarylanguage.

Works:

TheCanterburyTales

Termexplanation:

PopularBallads：

ThemostimportantdepartmentofEnglishfolkliteratureistheballad.Balladsareanonymousnarrativesongsthathavebeenpreservedbyoraltransmission,usuallyin4-linestanzas,withthesecondandfourthlinerhymed.Thesubjectsofballadsarevarious,asthestruggleofyoungloversagainsttheirfeudal-mindedfamilies.BishopThomaswasamongthefirsttotakealiteraryinterestinballads.Therearevariouskindsofballads:

historical,legendary,fantastical,lyricalandhumorous.TheparamountballadisRobinHoodandAllin-a-Dale.

CommentsonRobinHood:

RobinHoodisapartlyhistoricalandpartlylegendarycharacter.ThefirstmentionofRobinHoodinliteratureisinWilliamLangland’sTheVisionofPiers,thePlowman.

ThecharacterofRobinHoodismany-sided.Strong,braveandclever,heisatthesametimetender-heartedandaffectionate.Hishatredforthecrueloppressorsistheresultofhisloveforthepooranddowntrodden.

Works:

RobinHoodandAllin-a-Dale

GetupandBartheDoor

SirPatrickSpens

PARTIVTHERENAISSANCE（1485-1603）anageofdramaandlyricalpoetry

The16thcenturyinEnglandwasaperiodofthebreakingupoffeudalrelationsandtheestablishingofthefoundationsofcapitalism.

Termexplanation:

Renaissance:

1）renaissancewasaculturalmovementthatspannedroughlythe14thcenturytothe17thcentury.WiththedevelopmentofbourgeoisrelationshipsandformationoftheEnglishnationalstatethisperiodismarkedbyaflourishingofnationcultureknownastheRenaissance.Thetermrenaissanceoriginallyindicatedarevivalofclassical（GreekandRoman）artsandsciencesafterthedarkagesofmedievalobscurantism（蒙昧主义）.ThegreatestoftheEnglishhumanistswereThomasMoreandWilliamShakespeare.

2）Theme:

theexpressionofsecularvalueswithmaninsteadofGodasthecenteroftheuniverse.Itemphasizesthedignityofman,valuesofman.

3）Twomajortypes:

dramaandlyricalpoetry.

Itaffirmstheearthlyachievement,man’sdesireforhappinessandpleasure.

Works:

1.ThomasMore:

humanist,

utopia（giveaprofoundandtruthfulpictureofthepeople’ssufferingsandputforwardhisidealofafuturehappysociety.

2.FrancisBacon:

scientistandphilosopher;

hisworksmaybedividedontothreeclasses:

thephilosophical,theliterary,andtheprofessional

essays

3.ThomasWyatt:

thefirsttointroducethesonnetintoEnglishliterature.

4.EdmundSpenser:

TheFairyQueen

5.JohnLyly:

Eupheus;gaverisetotheterm“euphuism”,designatinganaffectedstyleofcourtspeech.

6.ChristopherMarlowe:

thegreatestpioneersofEnglishdrama;madeblandversetheprincipalvehicleexpressionindrama.

7.RobertGreene:

GeorgeGreen,thePinnerofWakefield

8.WilliamShakespeare:

oneofthefirstfoundersofrealism,amasterhandatrealisticportrayalofhumancharactersandrelations.

Hamlet（HamletisconsideredtobethesummitofShakespeare’sart.ThewholetragedyispermeatedwiththespiritofShakespeare’sowntime.HamletistheprofoundestexpressionofShakespeare’shumanismandhiscriticismofcontemporarylife.）

PARTVTHE17THCENTURY

THEPERIODOFREVOLUTIONANDRESTORATION

Literarycharacteristicsinthisperiod:

The17thcenturywasoneofthemosttempestuousperiodsinEnglishhistory.Thecontradictionsbetweenthefeudalsystemandthebourgeoisiehadreacheditspeakandresultedinarevolutionaryoutburst.

（1）ThePuritaninfluence:

medievalstandardofchivalry,theimpossibleloveandromancesperished.ThePuritansbelievedinsimplicityoflife.Theydisapprovedofthesonnetsandlovepoetry.TheBiblebecamenowtheonebookofthepeople.

（2）theexaggerationofthe“metaphysical”poets

Poetrytooknewandstartlingforms.Prosebecamesomber.Thespiritualgloomsoonerorlaterfastensuponallthewritersofthisage.Thisso-calledgloomyageproducedsomeminorpoemsofexquisiteworkmanship,andonegreatmasterofversewhoseworkwouldglorifyanyageorpeople---JohnMilton.

（3）TheFrenchinfluenceismostmarkedinthedrama.

Rimedcoupletsinsteadofblankverse;

Theunities,amoreregularconstruction,andthepresentationratherthanindividual;

Thecomediesarecoarseinlanguageandtheirviewoftherelationsbetweenmenandwomenisimmoralanddishonest.

（4）restorationcreatedaliteratureofitsown,thatwasoftenwittyandclever,butonthewholeimmoralandcynical.Themostpopulargenrewasthatofcomedythosechiefaimwastoentertainthelicentiousaristocrats.JohnDryden,critic,poetandplaywrightwasthemostdistinguishedliteraryfigureofthattime.

JohnDonne:

Hisprosestyle,involutedandornate,cumulativeandCiceronian,isoneofthemoregloriousmonumentstothespiritoftheearlyseventeenthcentury.

Song（“GoandCatchaFallingStar”）

AValediction:

ForbiddingMourning

Sonnet:

Deathbenotproud

JohnMilton:

poet,Puritan,fightforhumanrights;in1652becametotallyblind.

ParadiseLost:

itisbasedonthebiblicallegendoftheimaginaryprogenitorsofthehumanrace---AdamandEve,andinvolvesGodandhiseternaladversary,Sataninitsplot.Itpresentstheauthor’sviewsinanallegoricreligiousform,andthereaderwilleasilydiscernitsbasicidea---theexposureofreactionaryforcesofhistimeandpassionateappealforfreedom.

Sonnet:

OnHisBlindness\

Sonnet:

OnHisDeceasedWife

JohnBunyan:

spiritualindependence,gaveustheonlygreatallegory.Hewasimprisonedforpreachingwithoutalicense.

ThePilgrim’sProgress:

writteninold-fashioned,medievalformofallegoryanddream.

Bunyanspeaksinterse,idiomaticprose,andhischaractersarelivingmenandwomen.

PARTVITHE18THCENTURY（anageofproseandnovel）

THEAGEOFENLIGHTENMENTINENGLAND

Thetheme:

socialreality,commonpeople’slife.

Theenormousamountofeighteenthcenturywritingdevotedtotransientaffairs,topolitics,fashions,gossip.

Enlightenment:

onthewhole,wasanexpressionofstruggleofthethenprogressiveclassofbourgeoisieagainstfeudalism.Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.Theyattemptedtoplaceallbranchesofscienceattheserviceofmankindbyconnectingthemwiththeactualdeedsandrequirementsofthepeople.Theproblemofmancomestothefore,supersedingallotherproblemsinliterature.

1.JosephAddison,RichardSteele:

thepublishersofamoralisticjournalTheTatlerandTheSpectator

Thesetwomagazinesarethefirstimportantrecognitionsbyliteratureofthespecialofthespecialinterestsofwomenreaders,andalsobroughtliteraturedowntoeverydaylifeandkeptitcleanandwholesome.

TheessaysandstoriesofAddisonandSteele,devotednotonlytosocialproblems,butalsotoprivatelifeandadventures,gaveanimpetustothedevelopmentofthe18thcenturynovel.

SirRoger是JosephAddison塑造的经典形象。

2.AlexanderPope:

“whateveris,isright.（存在即是合理）”highestauthorityinmattersofliterature.Heelaboratedcertainregulationsforthestyleofpoeticalworksandmadepopulartheso-calledheroiccouplets（fivefootiambicsrhymedincouplets）

3.DanielDefoe丹尼尔.笛福

RobinsonCrusoe:

thisbookwasoneoftheforerunnersoftheEnglish18thcenturyrealisticnovel.ButitwasHenryFieldingandTobiasGeorgeSmolletwhobecametherealfoundersofthegenreofthebourgeoisrealisticnovel

Thefeaturesofhisworks:

heisanti-romantic,anti-feudalrealisticwriter.Heoftenuselongsentenceswithoutstrongpausedtogivehisstyleanimmediatequality,buttheunitsofmeaningaresmallandclearwithfrequentrepetitionsothatthewritinggivesanimpressionofsimplelucidity.明朗

4.JonathanSwift乔纳森.斯威夫特

1）HewasthemostoutstandingoftheepochofEnlightenment,andthemostremarkablesatirist讽刺家inthe18thcenturywhocriticizedthenewbourgeois-aristocratic贵族的societyofhisagewithmercy.宽容，hesupportstheconservativeTory.Heruthlesslyexposedthedirtymercenaryessenceofbourgeoisrelationships.

2）works:

thetaleofatub木桶的故事isasatireonreligion.

Gulliver’sTravels格列弗游记：

hetypifiedthebourgeoisworld,d