英美文学选读简答.docx

英美文学选读简答.docx

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英美文学选读简答

英美文学选读简答题

英国部分

ⅠTheRenaissancePeriod

1.EdmundSpenser

（1）WhatarethefivecharacteristicsofSpenser?

spoetry?

a.aperfectmelody.

b.araresenseofbeauty.

c.asplendidimagination.

d.aloftymoralpurityandseriousness.

e.adedicatedidealism.

（2）Pleaselisttwoworksasexamplesofallegory.Whatistheimpliedmeaninganallegoryisusuallyconcernedwith?

a.JohnBunyan’sThepilgrim’sProgressandSpenser’sTheFaerieQueene,etc.

b.Itisusuallyconcernedwithmoral,religious,political,symbolicormythicalideas.

2.ChristopherMarlowe

（1）ExplaintheTamburlaine.

a.TamburlaineisaplayaboutanambitiousandpitilessTartarconquerorinthefourteenthcenturywhoserosefromashepherdtoanoverpoweringking.

b.TamburlaineisaproductofMarlowe’scharacteristicallyRenaissanceimagination,fascinatedbytheearthlymagnificenceavailabletomenofimaginativepowerwhoavetheenergyoftheirconvinctions.

（2）ExplaintwogreatestachievementsofMarlowe.

a.Marlowe’sgreatestachievementliesinthattheperfectedtheblankverseandmadeittheprincipalmediumofEnglishdrama.

b.Marlowe’ssecondachievementishiscreationoftheRenaissanceheroforEnglishdrama.Suchaheroisalwaysindividualisticandfullofambition,facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.HeembodiesMarlowe’shumanisticidealofhumandignityandcapacity.

3.WlliamShakespear

（1）ExplainthethemeofThe

MerchantofVenice?

a.Inhisromanticcomedies,Shakespeartakesanoptimisticattitudetowardloveandyouth,andtheromanticelementarebroughtintofullplay.ThemostimportantplayamongthecomediesisTheMerchantofVenice.

b.ThetraditionalthemeoftheplayistopraisethefriendshipbetweenAnotonioandBassanio,toidealiePortiaasaheroinofgreatbeauty,witandloyalty,andtoexposetheinsatiablegreedandbrutalityoftheJew.Butaftercenturies’abusingoftheJews,especiallytheholocaustcommittedbytheNaziGermanyduringtheSecondWorldWar,itisverydifficulttoseeShylockasaconventionalevilfigure.AndmanypeopletodaytendtoregardtheplayasasatireoftheChristian’shypocrisyandtheirfalsestandardsoffriendshipandlove,theircunningwaysofpursingworldlinessandtheirunreasoningprejudiceagainstJews.

（2）ExplaintheShakespear?

sgreattragedies?

a.Shakespeargreattragediesare:

Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,andMacbeth.

b.Theyhavesomethingincommon.Eachprotrayssomenoblehero,whofacestheinjusticeofhumanlifeandiscaughtinadifficultsituationandwhosefateiscloselyconnectedwiththefateofthewholenation.

c.Eachherohashisweaknessofnature:

1.Hamlet,themelancholicscholar-prince,facesthedilemmabetweenactionandmind;

2.Othello’sinnerweaknessismadeuseofbytheoutsideevilforce;

3.TheoldkingLearwhoisunwillingtototallygiveuphispowermakeshimselfsufferfromtreacheryandinfidelity.

4.Macbeth’slustforpowerstirsuphisambitionandleadshimtoincessantcrimes.

2.JohnMilton

（1）BrieflydicussJohnMilton?

Inhislife,Miltonshowshimselfarealrevolutionary,amasterpoetandagreatprosewriter.HefoughtforfreedominallaspectsasaChristianhumanist,whilehisachievementsinliteraturemakehimoveralltheotherEnglishwritersofhistimeandexertagreatinfluenceoverlaterones.

3.FrancisBacon

（1）NovumOrganum,alongwithotherworks,wontheauthorthehonor“Fatherofmodernscience”.

Whatisthenameoftheauthor,

Whatisthemainconcernofthis

workandwhyistheworkso

importantforthedevelopmentof

modernscience?

a.NovumOrganumisatreatise

onmethodologywhichwaswritten

byFrancisBacon.

b.Theargumentisfortheuseof

inductivemethodofreasoningin

scientificstudy.

c.Baconexpoundsthefourgreat

falseconceivingsthatbesetmen’s

mindandthemfromseekingthe

truth.

d.Healsoadvocatestheinductive

methodofreasoninginplaceofthe

deductivereasoning.

e.Byputtingforwardthistheory,

Baconshowsthenewempirical

attitudestowardtruthaboutnature.

f.Hebravelychallengesthe

medievalscholasticists.

ⅡTheNeoclassicalPeriod

（1）Listatleasttwoleading

neoclassicistsinEngland.What

didNeoclassicistscelebratein

literarycreation?

a.AlexanderPope,John

Dryden,SamuelJohnson

b.Theybelievedthatthe

artisticidealsshouldbeorder,logic,

restrainedemotionandaccuracy

andthatliteratureshouldbe

judegedintermsofitsserviceto

humanity.Theyseekproportion,

unity,harmonyandgraceinliterary

expressions,inanefforttodelight,

instructandcorrecthuman

beings.Thusapolite,elegant,witty

andintellectualartdeveloped.

（2）Discussthedifference

betweenRomanticismand

Neoclassicism.

a.Inthefieldsofliterature,the

EnlightmentMovementbrought

aboutarevivalofinterestintheold

classicalworks.Thistendencyis

knownasneoclassicism.

\b.Theybelievedthatartistic

idealsshouldbeorder,logic,

restrainedemotionandaccuracy,

andthatliteratureshouldbejudged

intermsofitsservicetohumanity.

c.Thisbeliefledthemtoseek

proportion,unity,harmonyand

graceinliteraryexpressions,inan

efforttodelight,instructand

correcthumanbeings,primarilyas

socialanimals.Thusapolite,urban,

witty,andintellectualart

developed.

1.DanielDefoe

（1）Whatarethefeaturesof

DanielDefoe?

?

Defoewasaverygoodstory-teller.

Hehadagiftfororganizingminute

detailsinsuchavividwaythathis

storiescouldbebothcredibleand

fascinating.Hissentencesare

sometimesshort,crispandplain,

andsometimeslongandrambling,

whichleaveonthereaderan

impressionofcasualnarration.His

languageissmooth,,easy,

colloquialandmostlyvernacular.

Thereisnothingartificiainhis

language;itiscommonEnglishat

itsbest.

（2）DiscussCrusoeasan

embodimentoftherising

middle-classvirtuesinthe

mid-eighteenthcenturyEngland.

Robinsonisherearealhero;a

typicaleighteenth-centuryEnglish

middle-classman,withagreat

capacityforwork,inexhaustible

energy,courage,patienceand

persistenceinoverwhelming

obstacles,instrugglingagainstthe

hostilenaturalenviroment.Heis

theveryprototypeoftheempire

builder,thepioneercolonist.In

describingRobinson’slifeonthe

island,Defoeglorifieshuman

labourandthePuritanfortitude,

whichsaveRobinsonfromdespair

andareasourceofprideand

happiness.Hetoilsforthesakeof

subsistence,andthefruitsofhis

laborarehisown.

2.HenryFielding

（1）BrieflydicussHenry

Fielding?

sformsofplays?

Duringhiscareerasadramatist,

Fieldinghadattempteda

considerablenumberofformsof

plays:

wittycomediesofmanners

orintriguesintheRestoration

tradition,farcesorballadsoperas

witpoliticalimplications,and

burlesquesandsatiresthatbear

heavilyuponthestatus-quoof

English.

（2）Explainthethemeof

TomJones?

ThethemeofTomJones:

Tomis

anhonest,kind-hearted,

high-spirited,loyalandbrave,but

impulsive,wantingprudenceand

fullofanimalspirits.Inaway,the

youngmanstandsforawayfaring

Everyman,whoisexpelledfrom

theparadiseandhastogothrough

hardexperiencetogaina

knowledgeofhimselfandfinallyto

approachperfectness.

（3）Brieflydicussthefeaturesof

Fielding?

swritings?

Fielding’slanguageiseasy,

unlabouredandfamiliar,but

extremelyvividandvigorous.His

sentencesarealwaysdistinguished

bylogicandrhythm,andhis

structurecarefullyplannedtowards

aninevitableending.Hisworksare

alsonotedforlively,dramatic

dialoguesandothertheatrical

devicessuchassuspense,

coincidenceandunexpectedness.

ⅢTheRomanticPeriod

（1）Inspirationforthe

romanticapproachintiallyame

fromtwogreatshapersof

thought,whoarethey?

a.Jean-JacquesRousseau,a

Frenchphilosopher,wasoneofthe

leadingthinkersinthesecondhalf

ofthe18thcentury.In1762,he

publishedtwobooksthatelectrified

Europe,thatis,DuContratSocial

andEmile,inwhichheexplored

newideasaboutNature,Society

andEducation.

b.Nonewassoeffectiveas

ThomasPaine’sDeclarationof

RightofMan.Paineknewwhathe

wastalkingabout;hehadbeenin

FranceduringtheRevolution,and

demonstratedconclusivelythatby

1789Francewassoenmeshedin

oppressionandmiserythatnothing

shortofrevolutioncouldserhim

free.

（2）WhatistheGothicnovel?

Gothicnovel,atypeofromantic

fictionthatpredominatedinthe

lateeighteenthcentury,wasoneof

theRomanticmovement.Its

principalelementsareviolence,

horror,andthesupernatural,which

stronglyappealtothereader’s

emotion.Withitsdescriptionsof

thedark,irrationalsideofhuman

nature,theGothicformhas

exertedagreatinfluenceoverthe

writersofRomanticperiod.Works

likeTheMysteriesofUdolpoby

AnnRadcliffeandFrankensteinby

MaryShelleyaretypicalGothic

romance.

1.WilliamWordsworth

（1）WhyisLyricalBallads

consideredtemilestonetomark

thebeginningofEnglish

Romanticism?

a.Inthisbook,Wordsworth

andColeridgeexplorednew

theoriesandinnovatednew

techniquesinpoetrywriting.

b.TheprefacetotheLyrical

Balladsactsasamanifestoforthe

newschool.Inthepreface,

Wordsworthdefinespoetryand

poets.

c.Wordsworth’spoemsin

thisbookdifferinmarkedways

fromhisearlypoetry:

simplicityof

thelanguage,sympathyforthepoor,

andexpressionsofinwardstatesof

mind.

2.GeorgeGordonByron

（1）BrieflyexplainByro