A Brief Introduction of English Literature.docx
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ABriefIntroductionofEnglishLiterature
ABriefIntroductionofEnglishLiterature
ABriefIntroductionofEnglishLiterature1.Literaturebeforethe20thcenturyinEngland:
PartOne:
TheAnglo-SaxonPeriod(449-1066)BeowulfPartTwo:
TheAnglo-NormanPeriod(1066-1350)SirGawainandtheGreenKnightPartThree:
GeoffreyChaucer(1340-1400)TheCanterburyTalesPopularBalladsRobinHoodandAllinDalePartFour:
Renaissance(Humanism)16thCenturyWilliamShakespeareHamletTheMerchantofVeniceSonnet18,19,106FrancisBaconOftruthOfStudiesPartFive:
17thCenturyJohnDonneSongAValediction:
ForbiddingMourningSonnet:
DeathbenotproudRevolutionandRestoration
JohnMilton“ParadiseLost”“ParadiseRegained”Sonnet:
OnHisBlindnessSonnet:
OnhisDeceasedWifeJohnBunyanThePilgrim’sProgressPartFive:
TheAgeofEnlightenment18thCenturyRationalismPopeNeo-classicismRealismDanielDefoeRobinsonCrusoeJonathanSwiftGulliver’sTravelsAModestProposalHenryFieldingTomJonesRichardBrinsleySheridanTheSchoolforScandalWilliamBlack
LondonTheTigerTheChimneySweeperRobertBurnsMyHeart’sintheHighlandsJohnAnderson,MyJoARed,RedRoseToaMouse19thCenturyRomanticPeriodWilliamWordsworthS.T.ColeridgeByronShelleyScottVictorianPeriodCharlesDickensTheBronteesBroaning2.ANewAgea.VictorianAgeSocialstability,industrialprogress,advancesinScienceandphilosophy,asplendidbodyofliterature,supremacyofthe
world.b.1920s’EnglandSnobbishclassstructure,hypocritical.c.1920s’LiteratureWriterspaidlittleattentiontothereformingthestructureofthesociety,insteadtheyturnedinwardtostudythehumanmind,theindividualresponsetomodernlife,andwantedtocreateanewkindofrealismtoovercometheinfluenceofromanticismbyshowingthetruethoughtsandfeelingsofthepeople.a.InpoetryW.B.YeatsT.SEliot(impreciselanguage,sentimentalemotions)b.InnovelBloomslerryGroup:
livednearLondon,duringandafterWWI,agrouppfpersons,livedaroundBloomslerryinLondon,includingwriters,criticphilosophers,amongthemwere:
VirginiaWolf,E.M.Foster,etc,regardedasthemostauthorizedgroupinliteratureinEngland.JamesJoyce“Streamofconsciousness”D.H.Laurencechangedtraditionalwayofthinkingand
feelingofrelationofhumanbeing.d.1930s’,backtowriteaboutsocialproblem.Socialistpoets(onpoliticalandsocialproblems)JamesJoyce(1882-1941)Revolutionizedthemethodsofdeletingcharactersanddevelopingtheplotinmodernversion,Pointofview:
1.lyricform(1ststageofliterature)2.narrativeform3.dramaticformWorks:
Dublinese(1914)APortraitoftheArtistasAYoungMan(1916)Ulisses(mostimportant1922)Finnegan’sWake(1939)KatherineMansfieldDifferencebetween3womanwriters:
EmilyBronte:
hasquestioneddeath;VirginiaWoolf:
life;KatherineMansfield:
everydaycontingenceandsuffering.Style:
1).Interiormonologue2).Focusoninternalpsychologicalconflicts3).Prosestyle,poeticstyle4).Subtleobservation.TheEffectofW.W.IIonEnglishLiterature----BreakupofoldordersinEngland.1.noshockingeffect,fewerpeoplediedthaninW.W.I.2.peoples’relationchanged3.theendofBritishEmpire-----Literatureafterthewar1.notoriginal,influential,energeticasbetween2wars.(lostoriginality,influenceandenergy)2.maintrends:
hopeless,maladjust---1.angry,2.curiosityaboutreasonforexisting,3.bitter(black)humor.1950s’appeared“AngryYoungMen”,rebellious,hostiletohighbrow.GeorgeOrwell,novelist,bridgedthegapbetweenearlyexpressedpessimism.AnimalFarm1984
Anglo-SaxonsPeriod?
Epic(HeroicPoetry)Itis,originally,anoralnarrativepoem,majesticbothinthemeandstyle.Itdealswithlegendaryorhistoricaleventsofnationaloruniversalsignificance,involvingactionofbroadsweepandgrandeur.Features:
1.theintroductionofsupernaturalforcesthatshapetheaction2.conflictsintheformofbattlesorotherphysicalcombat3.stylisticconventionssuchasaninvocationtotheMuse,aformalstatementofthetheme,longlistsoftheprotagonistsinvolved,andsetspeechescouchedinelevatedlanguage,4.Epicarenotmerelyentertainingstoriesoflegendaryorhistoricalheroes;theysummarizeandexpressthenatureoridealsofanentirenationatasignificantorcrucialperiodofitshistory.Examples:
theancientGreekepicsbythepoetHomer,theIliadandtheOdyssey.Characteristicsoftheheroofanepic:
nationalrather
thanindividual,theheroicdeedsservestogratifyasenseofanationalpride.Atothertimesepicsmaysynthesizetheidealsofagreatreligiousorculturalmovement.TheDivineComedybytheItalianpoetDanteexpressesthefaithofmedievalChristianity,TheFaerieQueenebytheEnglishpoetEdmundSpenserrepresentsthespiritofRenaissanceinEnglandandlikeParadiseLostbytheEnglishpoetJohnMiltonrepresentstheidealsofChristianhumanism.?
AlliterationArepeatedinitialconsonanttosuccessivewords,InOldEnglishverse,anyvowelalliterateswithanyother,andalliterationisnotanunusualorexpressivephenomenonbutaregularrecurringstructuralfeatureoftheverse,occurringonthefirstandthird,andoftenonthefirst,second,andthird,primary-stressedsyllablesofthefour-stressedline.TrytorememberthekindofSeptemberWhengrasswasgreenandgrainwasyellowTrytorememberthekindofSeptemberWhenyouwereacallowfellowInlaterEnglishversetradition,alliterationbecomes
expressiveinavarietyofways.Spencerusesitdecoratively,ortolinkadjectiveandnoun,verbandobject,asintheline:
“muchdauntedwiththatdirt,hersensewasdased”.Inthe18thand19thcenturiesitbecomesevenlesssystematicandmoremusical.?
WhatisthethemeofBeowulf?
ItcentersthenarrationoftheexploitsoftheheroicfigureBeowulf,mainlyabouthisthreemajoradventures.Itreflectsalifeoffightsandfeasting,ofceremony,ofbrilliantgoldandsuddenarkness(等级).Hereisaworldofsacredobligations,feudandvengeancewithheroicfigureswhoareproudoftheirbirthandtheirphysicalstrength.Butbeyondthis,theforcesoffateseemtocontrolman’sdestinywithmysteriousomnipotence,whileevilitselfisbothprimordialandpowerful.However,thematically,thepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.Forthoseinterestedinsymbols,thesimplestinterpretationofthemythsinthepoemistoregardBeowulf’ssuccessivefightsagainstthe
threemonstersastheovercomingofthehostileforcesofnaturebyman’sindomitablewillandperseverance.Forinstance,thebattlebetweenBeowulfandthedragonsymbolicallyrepresentsthatphaseofWinterDragoninordertorescuethetreasuresofearth,thatis,thegoldencornandruddyfruits.Havinggiventhembacktomen,BeowulfhimselfdiesoftheWinter’sbreath.*WhatisheroicidealofBeowulf?
EssentiallyanaristocraticpoemconcernedwiththeheroicidealofkingsandkingshipinNorthEurope.Strengthandcouragearebasicvirtuesforbothkingsandhiswarriors.Thehero-kingstrovetodobetterthananyoneelsethethingsthatarevitallyimportanttothehappylifeofhispeople.Thekingshouldprotecthispeopleandshowgentlenessandgenerositytohiswarriors.Andinreturn,hiswarriorsshouldshowabsoluteobedienceandloyaltytotheking.BypraisingBeowulf’swisdom,strengthandcourage,andbyglorifyinghisdeathforhispeople,thepoempresentstheheroicidealofakingandhisgoodrelationstohiswarriorsandpeople.?
WhatisthestructureofBeowulf?
Thepoemcanbedividedintothreeparts:
PartI:
ThefightagainstGrendelPartII:
ThefightagainstGrendel’smotherPartIII:
ThefightagainsttheDragonBisanoralpoemandforcenturiesthebardssingittothepeople.Asitisverylong,thebardcouldonlysingapartofthestoryeachnight.Usually,hewouldsingoneadventureonthefirstnightaboutthebattlewithGrendel.Thenonthesecondnight,hewouldcontinueandsingaboutBeowulf’sfightagainstGrendel’smother.However,theremightbesomenewlisteners.Sobeforehecametothesecondadventure,hewouldgiveashortsummeryaboutwhathesangthenightbefore.Andonthethirdnight,hewouldgivealongersummeryaboutwhathappenedonthefirsttwonights.Thereisalsoapreludetoinventanallusiontotherealstory,andtoserveasacontrastorcomparisontothemainstory.Thepoembeginswiththefuneralofakingandroundsupwiththatofanother.*What’sthestyleofBeowulf?
BtowersaboveallotherliteraryworkswritteninAnglo-Saxon,chieflybecauseitisapowerfulpoemabout
apeople’sherowrittenintrueepicstyle.Bisnotsimplyamanofgreatmilitaryprowess(勇敢)butheisforevereagertohelpothersindistressandinhislastadventurewithDragonheshowshimselfaworthyleaderreadytosacrificehisownlifeforthewelfareofhispeople,Settingasidethesupernaturalelementspervadingthepoemasaninevitablelimitationofthetribal-feudalage,BdeservestoberankedamongthegreatheroicpoemsofnorthernEuropethoughithasnotbeenaswellknownastheNibelungenlied.(尼伯龙根)Inartisticformtheepictellsthetaleinaleisurelyway,fullofelaborationsinlegendarydetails,andtheverserisesatplacestoheightsofpoeticgrandeur(史诗般的壮丽),particularlyinthedescriptionsofthehero’snobilityofcharacterandinthenarrationsofhiscourageousbattleswithmalevolentfoes.(TheTenCommandments,Benhe)