英国文选史Chapters 1 Overview and 2 Middle Ages.docx

英国文选史Chapters 1 Overview and 2 Middle Ages.docx

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英国文选史Chapters1Overviewand2MiddleAges

IntroductiontoBritishandAmericanLiteraryHistory

PartIBritishLiteraryHistory

0.Introduction:

AnOverviewofBritishLiteraryHistory

0.1TheEnglish

TheearlyinhabitantsofwhatisnowcalledBritainwereBritons,atribeofCelts,whoselanguageisCeltic.

→→→TheRomanConquest:

In55B.C.,BritainwasinvadedbyJuliusCæsar,theRomanconqueror.ThenativeBritonsweretroddenasslaves.TheRomanoccupationlastedforabout400yearsuntiltheRomantroopswentbacktotheContinentin410A.D.andneverreturned.DuringtheRomanConquest,ChristianitywasintroducedtoBritain.

→→→TheEnglishConquest:

IntheMid-5thcentury,BritainwasinvadedbythreeTeutonictribesofpiratesfromtheNorthEurope:

Angles,SaxonsandJutes.GraduallysevenkingdomsaroseinBritain.Bythe7thcentury,thesekingdomswerecombinedintoaunitedkingdomcalledEngland,orthelandofAngles.ThethreetribeshadmixedintoonepeoplecalledtheEnglish.ThethreedialectsspokenbythemgrewintoonesinglelanguagecalledAnglo-Saxon,whichislaterdefinedasOldEnglishbyphilologists.TheAnglo-Saxonswereheathenpeople,whobelievedinoldmythologyofNorthernEurope（Northerngods）.TheywereChristianizedinthe7thcentury.→→→TheNormanConquest（1066,Frenchinfluences）（seeLiuBingshanp.6）→→→

0.2PeriodsoftheBritish（English）literaryhistory

LiteratureofOldEnglish（Anglo-Saxon）,LiteratureoftheMiddlesAges（ca5thcentury—1485）→→TheRenaissance（late15thcentury—early17thcentury）→→17th–centuryliterature（TheEnglishBourgeoisRevolutionandtheRestoration）→→TheEnlightenmentandNeo-Classicism（late17thcentury—mid-18thcentury）→→Romanticism（1798-1832）→（Critical）Realism（1830s-1918）→→Modernism（1918-1945）→→post-modernism/contemporaryliterature（1945—present）

Chapter1OldEnglishPeriod

1.1OldEnglishPoetry

*Epic（史诗）----apoemthatcelebratesintheformofacontinuousnarrativetheachievementsofoneormorepersonagesofhistoryortradition.AmongthegreatepicsoftheworldmaybementionedtheIliad,Odyssey,andAeneid,Beowulf;theChansondeRoland;thePoemadelCid;Milton’sParadiseLost.

Beowulf----thenationalepicoftheEnglishpeople（OldEnglishorAnglo-Saxonperiod）,alongpoemof3183lineswritteninalliterationinthe8thcentury,reflectingthe7thand8thcenturyEnglishlife,atransitionalperiodfromheathenGermanicculturetoaChristianculture,withbothtribalheroismandfeudalideal.TheepicdescribestheheroicdeedsofaScandinavianhero,Beowulf,infightingagainstthemonsterGrendel,hisrevengefulmother,andafiredragon.Thepoemconveysahopethattherighteouswilltriumphovertheevil.

BeowulfisanOldEnglishheroicepicpoem（ofabasicallypaganstorywithanevidentChristianoverlay）ofanonymousauthorship,datingasrecordedintheNowellCodexmanuscriptfrombetweenthe8thtothe11thcentury,andrelateseventsdescribedashavingoccurredinwhatisnowDenmarkandSweden.

Inthepoem,Beowulf,aherooftheGeats,battlesthreeantagonists:

Grendel,whohasbeenattackingthemeadhall（InancientScandinaviaameadhallorfeastinghallwasinitiallysimplyalargebuildingwithasingleroom.Fromthefifthcenturytoearlymedievaltimessuchabuildingwastheresidenceofalordandhisretainers.）inDenmarkcalledHeorotanditsinhabitants;Grendel'smother;and,laterinlifeafterreturningtoGeatland（modernsouthernSweden）andbecomingaking,hefightsanunnameddragon.Beowulfisfatallywoundedinthefinalbattle,andafterhisdeathheisburiedinabarrowinGeatlandbyhisretainers.

ThemostcommonEnglishpronunciationof"Beowulf"isIPA/ˈbeɪəwʊlf/,butthe"ēo"inBēowulfwasadiphthong,andamoreauthenticpronunciationwouldbewithtwosyllablesandthestressonthefirst（IPA:

[ˈbeːo̯wʊɫf]）.

（Forthestory,seeLiuBingshan,p.4）

NB.2007年，华纳兄弟根据这个故事制作出电影《贝武夫：

北海的诅咒》（Beowulf）

ArtisticfeaturesofBeowulf:

（1）ThemostsalientfeatureofBeowulfisalliteration（fordefinition,seebelow）.

（2）AnotherpeculiarfeatureofBeowulfisthefrequentuseofkennings（fordefinition,seebelow）topoeticallypresentthemeaningsofonesinglewordthroughacompoundsimile/metaphoroftwoelements.

（3）Theuseofunderstatements.“nottroublesome”=verywelcome;“neednotpraise=condemn

*Alliteration（头韵）:

Thecommencementoftwoormorewordsincloseconnectionwiththesamesoundinasentence,especiallyinpoetry.Eg.1.Heisasbusyasabee.2.Ofmenhewasthemildestandmostbeloved,/Tohiskinthekindest,keenesttopraise.（quotedfromBeowulfinmoderntranslation）

*Kenning（隐喻语）:

InoldEnglish,akenning（compoundword,i.e.wordpicture）isakindofmetaphorchieflydesignedtoappealtopeoplethinkinginimagesandpicturesandfacilitateaprocessofattainingknowledgebyguesswork.Forexample,inBeowulf,thesuniscalled“theworld’sgreatcandle”;theseaisoften“swan’sway”or“whale-path”or“whales’roador“pathwayofsails’;asoldierisoftena“shield-holder”or“battlehero”or“swordhero”or“spearfighter”;swordisoftensubstitutedby“brain-biter”or“lifedestroyer”;andharpisreferredtoas“wood-of-delight”.

1.2OldEnglishProse

1.2.1TheVenerableBede（ca.673-735）,ahighlyliteratechurchmanwroteHistoriaEcclesiasticaGentisAnglorum（731）inLatin.ItwaslatertranslatedintoEnglish（EcclesiaticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeople）.ItremainsanimportantsourceofknowledgeabouttheAnglo-Saxonperiod.

1.2.2KingAlfredtheGreat

TheAnglo-SaxonChronicle（ca.871-1154）wascompiledunderhisguidance.ItisalaconicrecordofcontemporaynationaleventsandthusanimportantsourceforAlfred’sandsubsequentreigns.

Chapter2TheMedievalPeriod（1066—1485）

2.1*RomancewasthemostprevailinggenreofliteratureinFeudal（middleages）England.Itsingsknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeeds.Chivalry（suchasbravery,honor,generosity,loyaltyandkindnesstotheweakandpoor）isthespirit/themeofromance.

SirGawainandtheGreenKnight----oneoftheArthurianRomances----legendsofKingArthurandhisKnightsofRoundTable.（Forthestory,seeWuWeiren,p.20.）

AKnightridingahorse

AKnightridingahorse

SirGawainandtheGreenKnightisalate14th-centuryMiddleEnglishalliterativeromanceoutlininganadventureofSirGawain,aknightofKingArthur'sRoundTable.ThestoryofGawain'sstruggletomeettheappointmentandhisadventuresalongthewaydemonstratethespiritofchivalryandloyalty.

SirGawainandTheGreenKnight（fromoriginalmanuscript,artistunknown）

Synopsis

ThestorybeginsinCamelotonNewYear'sDayasKingArthur'scourtisfeastingandexchanginggifts.AlargeGreenKnightarmedwithanaxeentersthehallandproposesagame.Heasksforsomeoneinthecourttostrikehimoncewithhisaxe,onconditionthattheGreenKnightwillreturntheblowoneyearandonedaylater.SirGawain,theyoungestofArthur'sknightsandnephewtotheking,acceptsthechallenge.Heseversthegiant'sheadinonestroke,expectinghimtodie.TheGreenKnight,however,picksuphisownhead,remindsGawaintomeethimattheGreenChapelinayearandaday（NewYear'sDaythenextyear）andridesaway.

AsthedateapproachesSirGawainsetsofftofindtheGreenChapelandcompletehisbargainwiththeGreenKnight.HislongjourneyleadshimtoabeautifulcastlewherehemeetsBertilakdeHautdesert,thelordofthecastle,andhisbeautifulwife;botharepleasedtohavesucharenownedguest.GawaintellsthemofhisNewYear'sappointmentattheGreenChapelandsaysthathemustcontinuehissearchasheonlyhasafewdaysremaining.BertilaklaughsandexplainsthattheGreenChapelislessthantwomilesawayandproposesthatGawainstayatthecastle.

Beforegoinghuntingthenextday,BertilakproposesabargaintoGawain:

hewillgiveGawainwhateverhecatches,onconditionthatGawaingivehimwhateverhemightgainduringtheday.Gawainaccepts.AfterBertilakleaves,theladyofthecastle,LadyBertilak,visitsGawain'sbedroomtoseducehim.Despiteherbestefforts,however,heyieldsnothingbutasinglekiss.WhenBertilakreturnsandgivesGawainthedeerhehaskilled,hisguestrespondsbyreturningthelady'skisstoBertilak,withoutdivulgingitssource.Thenextday,theladycomesagain,Gawaindodgesheradvances,andthereisasimilarexchangeofahuntedboarfortwokisses.Shecomesoncemoreonthethirdmorning,andGawainacceptsfromheragreensilkgirdle,whichtheladypromiseswillkeephimfromallphysicalharm.Theyexchangethreekisses.Thatevening,Bertilakreturnswithafox,whichheexchangeswithGawainforthethreekisses.Gawainkeepsthegirdle,however.

Thenextday,GawainleavesfortheGreenChapelwiththegirdle.HefindstheGreenKnightatthechapelsharpeninganaxe,and,asarranged,bendsovertoreceivehisblow.TheGreenKnightswingstobeheadGawain,butholdsbacktwice,onlystrikingsoftlyonthethirdswing,causingasmallscaronhisneck.TheGreenKnightthenrevealshimselftobethelordofthecastle,BertilakdeHautdesert,andexplainsthattheentiregamewasarrangedbyMorganleFay,Arthur'senemy.Gawainisatfirstashamedandupset,butthetwomenpartoncordialtermsandGawainreturnstoCamelot,wearingthegirdleinshameasatokenofhisfailuretokeephispromisewithBertilak.Arthurdecreesthatallhisknightsshouldhenceforthwearagreensash（肩带、绶带）inrecognitionofGawain'sadventure.

2.2Poem

PiersPlowmanbyWilliamLangland----apoemthatgivesapictureofthelifeoffeudalEngland.

PiersPlowman（writtenca.1360–1399）orVisioWillelmide