A Brief Introduction of English Literature.docx

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）