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