english literature history.docx

english literature history.docx

《english literature history.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《english literature history.docx（38页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

englishliteraturehistory

Chapter1EnglishLiteratureoftheAnglo-SaxonPeriod

I.TheHistoricalBackground

Anglo-SaxonEngland

◆BeforetheGermanicinvasions

Celts—Celtictribes（“Britannia”:

subjugatedbyRome）

◆2.AftertheGermanicInvasion--“Independence"fromRome

1.The"adventusSaxonum,"orthecomingoftheSaxons:

2.TheFoedarati,RomanmercenariesofGermanorigin

3.HengestarrivedontheshoresofBritainwith"3keels"ofwarriorsin450A.D.

4.TheFoedarati:

theconqueror（thesouthernandeasternshoresofthecountry）.

5.TheBritons（thenorthandwest）.

“wealas”（Welsh）.

TheAngles:

◆AlthoughthereweremanydifferentGermanictribesmigratingtoEngland,severalstoodoutfromamongtheothers,suchastheAngles,Saxons,Jutes,Frisians,andFranks.

TheAngles:

Denmark

TheSaxons:

northernGermany.

TheJutes:

theJutlandpeninsula,（or,nearthemouthoftheRhineriver）.

TheFrisiansandFranks:

theLowCountriesandnorth-westernGermany.

◆SoonaftertheGermanicinvasions,theinhabitantsgavetheirsettlementsnewnames.

1.ThemostcommonSaxonplacenamesarethoseendingin-ton（fencedarea）,-wick（dwelling）,-ham（home）,-worth（homestead）,-den（pasture）,-hurst（woodedhill）,and–burn（stream）.

2.Somesettlementnamesbeganwithmorethanonewordwhicheitherstatedpersonalpossessionordescribedaphysicaldescriptionoftheareaandwouldlaterevolveintooneword.OneexampleofthisevolutionwouldbethewordChathamwhichwasoriginallyCeatta'sHam（Ceatta'shome）.

ConversiontoChristianity:

◆Theendofthesixthcentury:

◆AChristianmissionledbyoftheRomanchurch,

◆Christianity:

areligionoftheBook（literacy）

Note:

AlargenumberofLatinwordswasintroducedasaresultofthespreadofChristianity.

The8thcenturyandthebeginningoftheVikingraids:

◆ThefirstmajorraidbyVikingsoccurredintheyear793.TheVikingswouldcontinuemajorraidsalongmostofthesouthernandeasterncoastsofEnglandforadecade.

◆Theyalsointroducedmanynewnamesastheyfoundednewsettlementswithendingssuchas-scale,-beck,-by,and-fell.OneexampleofasettlementnamewouldbePortinscaleor'Prostitute'shut'.

EnglishSurnames:

◆Anglo-Saxonsdistinguishedtwopersonswiththesamenamebyaddingeithertheplacetheycamefromorthejobtheydidtotheirfirstname.

ModernsurnamessuchasBaxter,Baker,Weaver,Fisher,Fowler,Hunter,andFarmerareAnglo-Saxoninorigin.

◆TheVikingshadadifferentwayofdistinguishingbetweenpeopleofthesamename.Theyaddedthenameoftheperson'sfatherormothertothechild'sname.

Asanexample,Harald,thesonofErikwouldbeknownasHaraldErik'sson,oraswewouldsayittoday,HaraldErikson.

OftenVikingfamiliesalternatedthenameoftheeldestsothatArnGunnarsonmightbethefatherandsonofGunnarArnson,andthegrandfatherandgrandsonofArnGunnarson.

The9thcentury:

Duringtheninthcentury,theDanesbeganaseriesofmajorraidsonthewholeofEngland.

AlfredofWessex

◆InA.D.886,AlfredtheGreatcapturedLondonfromtheDanes.ThenameEnglalande（"thelandoftheAngles"）wasusedattheendofthiscentury.

◆“TheKingdomofEngland”wascreatedbyAnglo-Saxonpoliticians,soldiers,andchurchmanaroundthe9thand10thcentury.

The10thcentury:

EnglishUnification

II.EnglishLiteratureoftheAnglo-SaxonPeriod

•1.Beowulf

•2.Caedmon:

Paraphrase

•3.VenerableBede:

TheEcclesiasticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeople

•4.KingAlfredtheGreat:

TheAnglo-SaxonChronicle

Epic

◆alengthynarrativepoeminwhichtheaction,characters,andlanguageareonaheroiclevelandthestyleisexaltedandevenmajestic.Earlyepicsoftenstemmedfromoraltraditions.Themajorcharacteristicsofanepicare:

1.asettingremoteintimeandplace

2.anobjective,lofty,dignifiedstyle

3.acentralincidentorseriesofincidentsdealingwithlegendaryortraditionalmaterial

4.athemeinvolvinguniversalhumanproblems

5.atoweringheroofgreatstature

6.superhumanstrengthofbody,character,ormind

7.superhumanforcesenteringtheaction

Homer’sTheIliadandTheOdyssey,andTheAeneidofVirgilareancientepics.

1.Beowulf

•themostmonumental不朽的workinEnglishpoetryoftheearlyAnglo-Saxonperiod

•thefirstlongpoeminEnglish（3,182lines）

•thefirstgreatnarrativepoemintheEnglishlanguage

•thenationalepicoftheEnglishpeople

◆Theme:

EthosofHeroicLife:

Fate

thepast（appreciativeVS.critical）

◆Stylisticdevices

6.alliteration

7.B.metaphor

8.C.understatement

2.Caedmon

◆CaedmonistheearliestEnglishpoetwhosenameisknown.Hewasoriginallyignorantof"theartofsong"butlearnedtocomposeonenightinthecourseofadream.Helaterbecameazealousmonkandanaccomplishedandinspirationalreligiouspoet.

◆Paraphrase:

storiesintheBiblewasturnedintoverse诗form.

3.VenerableBede

◆VenerableBede:

themostprominentoftheearlyprose散文writersinAnglo-Saxonperiod,the“FatherofEnglishHistory”

◆TheEcclesiasticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeople:

writteninLatin,didactic

relates叙述historylargelyfromthereligiouspointofviewandisfullofstrangestoriesandmiracles（storyaboutCaedmon）

4.KingAlfredtheGreat（KingoftheAnglo-Saxons）

◆Alfred’sContributiontoEnglishLiterature:

9.hetranslatedsomeworksfromLatin（themostoutstandingonewasBede’sEcclesiasticalHistory）.

10.heencouragedandsupervisedthelaunchingofTheAnglo-SaxonChronicle.

11.inhistranslationhecreatedthemorenaturalEnglishprosestyle.

◆Wealth&Wisdom&Power

◆Solomon’swisdom

“Thereforelearnwisdom…withoutanydoubt,youmaythusachievepower,thoughyoudonotdesireit.”---Alfred’stranslationofBoethius’ConsolationofPhilosophy

◆TheUseofVernacular

Iftoomuchweremadeaccessible,“thepearlsofChrist[might]beheldindisrespect”.

Chapter2:

EnglishLiteratureoftheLateMiddleAges

SectionI:

EnglishLiteraturefromtheMid-11thtotheMid-14thCentury

1.HistoricalBackground

◆TheDanes’Occupation:

TheDanesoccupiedthecountryin1013,andhelditfor30years.

◆TheNormanConquest:

In1066cametheFrench-speakingNormansunderDukeWilliam,wholaterbecamethekingofEngland.ItwascalledtheNormanConquest.

SocialFeaturesofFeudalEngland

MiddleAges,ortheDarkAge:

Itextendedintothe15thcentury.

TheInfluencesoftheNormanConquest:

12.Onlanguage:

TheEnglishlanguagewasgreatlyenrichedbyNormanconquest.

Englishvocabularyiscomposedof3sources:

a）nativewordsorAnglo-Saxonorigin（thebasicvocabularyincludingwordsoffamilymembers,ofhumanbody,ofexpressingnature（sun）,oftime（day,month）andforverbs,mostlysingleordoublesyllables.  

b）Norman-Frenchorigin:

wordsofgovernment,administrative,law（court,justice,parliament）;wordsinvolvingreligion,militaryaffairs（navy,army,baptism,confession）;wordsinvolvingdressing,cooking,diplomacy,socialcommunication（fashion,menu）;culture（renaissance,literature）.

c）Latinorigin:

Mostareacademicwords（education,science）.

13.Onliterature:

itsbright,romantictalesofloveandadventureVs.thestrengthandsombernessoftheAnglo-Saxonpoetry.

2.Literature

◆Romance

14.alongcomposition,sometimesinverse,sometimesinprose,describingthelifeofandadventureofanoblehero.Thecentralcharacterofromanceswastheknight—amanofnoblebirthskilledintheuseofweapons,commonlydescribedasridingforthtoseekadventures,takingpartintournament（contest）,orfightingforhislordinbattle（later,devotinghimselftoprotectinghishostess,thusloveaffairsappeared）,devotedtothechurchandking.TherulesgoverningthemannersandmoralsofaknightwereknownasCHIVALRY.Thethemeofloyaltytokingandlordwasrepeatedlyemphasizedinromances.

15.Thesubjectmattersare:

a）mattersofFrance;

b）mattersofGreeceandRome;

c）mattersofBritishtales（theirheroesArthurandhisknightsoftheRoundTable,inwhichSirGawainandtheGreenKnightisfamous）.

◆TheArthurianTales

16.KingArthur

17.SirGawainandtheGreenKnight

alate14th-centurymiddleEnglishalliterativeromanceoutlininganadventureofSirGawain,aknightofKingArthur’sRoundTable.

a）SirGawain：

Brave,chivalrous,loyallyfaithfultohisplightedword,scrupulouslyheedfulofhisownandothers'honor.

b）temptationandtestingofthehero'shonorandchastity.ThefairladyatGawain'sbed

c）thegreengirdleVs.theforbiddenfruit

d）AnotherSymbol:

Pentangle

Apentangleorpentagram

46linestodescribethemeaningofthepentangle

"asignbySolomon".

asymboloffaithfulnessandan"endlessknot".

•ThepentangleonGawain'sshieldisseenbymanycriticsassignifyingGawain'sperfectionandpoweroverevil.

•Differentvoice:

HowdidtheGawainoftheirimagination,thisempty-headed,empty-heartedworldling,andtreacherousfriend,evercometobethetypicalEnglishhero?

◆Tristram&Isolde（Iseult,Yseult）

SirTristan（alsoknownasTristran,Tristram,etc.）isoneofthemaincharactersoftheTristanandIseultstory,oneoftheKnightsoftheRoundTablefeaturingintheMatterofBritain.HeisthenephewofKingMarkofCornwall,senttofetchIseultbackfromIrelandtowedtheking.However,heandIseultaccidentallyconsumealovepotionwhileenrouteandfallhelplesslyinlove.Thepairundergoesnumeroustrialsthattesttheirsecretaffair.

SectionII:

EnglishLiteratureoftheSecondHalfofthe14thCentury

1.HistoricalBackground

◆Oppression:

royalfamily&feudalnobles&clergy神职人员

◆ThePeasants'Revolt—1381.（polltax人头税）

◆TheEarly