英美文学选读历年主观题及答案.docx

英美文学选读历年主观题及答案.docx

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英美文学选读历年主观题及答案

英美文学选读历年客观题

1.“Letitnotbesupposedbytheenemiesof‘thesystem,’thatduringtheperiodofhissolitaryincarceration,Oliverwasdeniedthebenefitofexercise,thepleasureofsociety,ortheadvantagesofreligiousconsolation.”WhatdoyouthinkCharlesDickensintendstosayintheaboveironicstatementtakenfromOliverTwist?

Thesentenceisatypicalexampleofirony.WhatDickensintendstosayisjusttheoppositeofthesentence’sliteralmeaning.

Forthe“benefit”ofexercise,Oliverwhippedeverymorninginastoneyard;forthe“pleasure”ofsociety,hewascarriedawayeveryotherdaytothedinninghallandfloggedasapublicwarningandexampletotheboys;asforthe“advantages”ofthereligiousconsolation,hekickedoutintoapartmenteveryeveningatprayertimeandlistenedtotheboy’sprayertobeguardedagainsthissinsandvices.

Theironicstatementis,infact,abitterdenunciationandfierceattackatthebrutal,inhumantreatmentofthepoororphanbytheworkhouseauthority.

2.HowisRomanticismdifferentfromNeoclassicism?

Providebriefevidencefromtheliteraryworksyouknowbest?

Neoclassicistsupheldthattheartisticidealsshouldbeorder,logic,restrainedemotionandaccuracy,andthatliteratureshouldbejudgedintermsofitsservicetohumanity,andthus,literaryexpressionsshouldbeofproportion,unity,harmonyandgrace.AlexanderPope’s“AnEssayonCriticism”advocatedgrace,wit（usuallythoughsatire/humor）,andsimplicityinlanguage（andthepoemitselfisademonstrationofthoseideals,too）,HenryFielding’sTomJoneshelpedestablishtheformofnovel;Gray’sElegyWritteninCountryChurchyarddisplayseleganceinstyle,unifiedstructure,serioustoneandmoralinstructions.

Romanticiststendedtoseetheindividualastheverycenterofallexperience,includingart,andthus,literaryworkshouldbe“spontaneousoverflowofstrongfeelings”,andnomatterhowfragmentarythoseexperiencesare（Wordsworth’sIWanderedLonelyasaCloudorTheSolitaryReaperorColeridge’sKebleKhan）,thevalueoftheworkliedintheaccuracyofpresentingthoseuniquefeelingsandparticularattitudes.

Inaword,NeoclassicismemphasizedrationalityandformbutRomanticismattachedgreatimportancetotheindividual’smind.

3.EnglishRomanticismisgenerallysaidtohavebegunin1798withthepublicationofWordsworthandColeridge’sLyricalBallads.WhyisLyricalBalladsconsideredthemilestonetomarkthebeginningofEnglishRomanticism?

Inthisbook,WordsworthandColeridgeexplorednewtheoriesandinnovatednewtechniquesinpoetrywring.

TheprefacetotheLyricalBalladsactsasamanifestoforthenewschool.Inthepreface,Wordsworthdefinespoetryandpoets.

Wordsworth’spoemsinthisbookdifferinmarkedwayfromhisearlypoetry:

simplicityofthelanguage,sympathyforthepoor,andexpressionsofinwardstatesofmind.

4.InPrideandPrejudice,JaneAustenexploredthreekindsofmotivationsofmarriagethemiddle-classpeoplehadinthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury.Trytomakeabriefdiscussionaboutthemwithspecificexamplesfromthenovel.MakecommentsonAusten’sattitudetowardsthesemotivations.

Motivationone:

topursuematerialwealthandsocialpositionthroughmarriage.Wickham,MissBingleyandCharlotteLucasareexamplesofthiskind.

Motivationtwo:

toseeksensualpleasureandbeauty.LydiaandMr.Bennetareexamplesofthiskind.

Motivationthree:

tosearchfortrueloveandalsotakepersonalmeritsandfinancialpositionsintoconsideration.ElizabethBennetisatypicalexampleofthiskind.

Austencelebratedthethirdkindofmotivationofmarriagewhilecriticizingthefirsttwomotivations.

5．“‘Myboy!

’saidtheoldgentleman,leaningoverthedesk.Oliverstartedatthesound.Hemightbeexcusedfordoingso,forthewordswerekindlysaid,andstrangesoundsfrightenone.Hetrembledviolently,andburstintotears.”（fromCharlesDickens’OliverTwist）

ExplainwhyOliverTwiststartedfirst,thentrembledviolentlyandburstintotearswhenthewordswere“kindly”said.

Theboystartedatthewordsbecausekindwordswerenotexpected;itmustbethefirsttimeinallhislifethattheboyOliverTwisthadever“kindly”greeted,strangewordsmaypredictanothersuffering.

6.DiscussthewaysymbolismisusedinMelville’sMoby-Dick.

ToAhab,thewhaleiseitheranevilcreatureitselfortheagentofanevilforcethatcontrolstheuniverse,orperhapsboth.ThechaseofthewhitewhalesymbolizesAhab’spursuitoftruthandfightingagainsttheevilforce.

ToIshmael,thewhaleisanastonishingforce,animmensepower,whichdefiesrationalexplanationduetoasenseofmysteryitcarries.Italsorepresentsthetremendousorganicvitalityoftheuniverse.

Tothereader,thewhalecanbeviewedasasymbolofthephysicallimitsthatlifeimposesuponman.Itmayalsoberegardedasasymbolofnature.

7.Asarule,anallegoryisastoryinverseorprosewithadoublemeaning:

asurfacemeaning,andanimpliedmeaning.Listtwoworksasexamplesofallegory.Whatistheimpliedmeaninganallegoryisusuallyconcernedwith?

Bunyan’sPilgrim’sProgressandSpenser’sTheFaerieQueene

Itusuallyconcernedwithmoral,religious,political,symbolicormythicalideas.

8.TakeMarkTwain’sTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnasanexampletoillustratethestatementthatMarkTwainwasauniquewriterinAmericanliterature.

MarkTwainshapedtheworld’sviewofAmericaandmadetheextensivecombinationofAmericanfolkhumorandseriousliterature.

ThenovelhasbecomeagreatcontributiontothelegacyofAmericanliterature.

ThenoveliswritteninalanguagethatistotallydifferentfromtherhetoricallanguageusedbyhiscontemporarywriterssuchasEmerson,PoeandMelville.Itissimple,direct,lucidandfaithtothecolloquialspeech.Thisstyleofcolloquialismisbestdescribedasvernacular.

Hesuccessfullyusedlocalcolorandhistoricalsettingstoillustrateandshedlightonthecontemporarysociety.That’swhyheisknownasalocalcolorist.

MarkTwain’shumorisremarkable,too.Mostofhisworkstendtobefunny,containingsomepracticaljokes,comicdetails,wittyremarks,etc.someofthemaretypicaloftalltales.Andagreatdealofhishumorischaracterizedbypuns,straight-facedexaggeration,repetition,andanti-climax.Heuseshishumortocriticizethesocialinjusticeandsatirizethedecayedromanticism.

9.HowdoyouphilosophicallydefineTranscendentalism?

Transcendentalismhasbeendefinedphilosophicallyas“therecognitioninmanofthecapacityofknowingtruthintuitively,orofattainingknowledgetranscendingthereachofthesense”.Emersononceproclaimedinaspeech,“Nothingisatlastsacredbuttheintegrityofyourownmind”.OtherconceptsthataccompaniedTranscendentalismincludetheideathatnatureisennoblingandtheideathattheindividualisdivineand,therefore,self-reliant.

10.ThomasHardyisoftenregardedasatransitionalwriter.Somecriticsbelievethatheisemotionallytraditionalandintellectuallyadvanced.Howdoyouunderstandthisidea?

Livingattheturnofthecentury,Hardyisoftenregardedasthetransitionalwriter.Inhimweseetheinfluencefromboththepastandthemodern.Assomepeopleputit,heisintellectuallyadvancedandemotionallytraditional.

InhisWessexnovels,thereisanostalgictouchinhisdescriptionofthesimpleandbeautifulthoughprimitiverurallife,whichwasgraduallydeclininganddisappearingasEnglandmarchedintoanindustrialcountry.Andwiththosetraditionalcharactersheisalwayssympathetic.

Ontheotherhand,theimmenseimpactofscientificdiscoveriesandmodernphilosophicthoughtsuponthemanisquiteobvious,too.HereadDarwin’sTheOriginSpeciesandacceptedtheideaof“survivalofthefittest”.HewasalsoinfluencedbySpenser’sTheFirstPrinciple,whichledhimtothebeliefthatman’sfateispredeterminedlytragic,drivenbyacombinedforceof“nature”,bothinsideandoutside.

11.HemingwayCodeheroes

ItreferstosomeprotagonistsinHemingway’sworks.InthegeneralsituationofHemingway’snovels,lifeisfulloftensionandbattles;theworldisinchaosandmanisalwaysfightingdesperatelyalosingbattle.Thosewhosurviveintheprocessofseekingtomasterthecodewiththehonesty,thediscipline,andtherestraintareHemingwaycodeheroes.

12．“Inyourrocking-chair,byyourwindowdreaming,shallyoulong,alone.Inyourrocking-chair,byyourwindow,shallyoudreamsuchhappinessasyoumayneverfeel.”（fromTheodoreDreiser’sSisterCarrie）

Whatideacanyoudrawfromthe“rocking-chair”?

The“rocking-chair”isasymbolstandingforfate.Itislikeacradlethatmakesonefeelpeaceful.Itisalsolikeatidethatevergoesonwithlife,thedestinyofwhichisuncertain.

Attheendofnovel,Carriesitsintherocking-chair,whichimpliesthatherfutureisstilluncertainandhardtoforesee.

13.ThethemeofHawthorne’s“TheScarletLetter”

TheScarletLettertellsasimplebutverymovingstoryinwhichfourpeoplelivinginaPuritanCommunityareinvolvedinandaffectedbythesinofadulteryindifferentway.Hawthornedoesnotintendtotellalovestorynorastoryofsin,butfocuseshisattentiononthemoral,emotional,psychologicaleffectsorconsequencesofthesinonthepeopleingeneralandthosemaincharactersinparticular,soastoshowusthetensionbetweensocietyandindividual.

14．ItissaidthatB.Shaw’splay,Mrs.Warren’sProfession,hasastrongrealistictheme,whichfullyreflectsthedramatist’sFabianistidea.Trytosummarizethisthemebriefly.

AsoneoftheinfluentialmembersoftheFabianSociety