Survey and Reading of British Literature.docx

Survey and Reading of British Literature.docx

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SurveyandReadingofBritishLiterature

SurveyandReadingofBritishLiterature

CAIYuhuiPh.D.

ObjectivesoftheCourse

BackgroundInformation

⏹TheBritons,atribeofCelts---theearliestinhabitants:

marginalizedinhistorybutitstraditionsincreasinglyfeltinmoderntimes:

colourfullifepatternsandoptimisticmanners;

⏹Anglo—SaxonsandJutes--newinhabitantsfromthenorthofEurope,exertingtheirinfluenceonEnglishnationalityofdiligenceinworkingandmelancholymannersoflife;

⏹Normans---newinhabitantsandrulingclassovertheisland,broughtaboutanewlanguage,comparativelycivilizedlifepatterns,e.g.constitutionalconcepts,governmentalstrategiesandmanagement,andromanticattitudeandmanners;

⏹Morevariablesaffectingthemakingofnationalidentities:

location–islandandnearthenorth;weather--mild;resources–limited;blendofraces–openness.

GeneralcolorsofBritishLiterature

⏹elegantandstandardinlanguage;

⏹melancholyandironicalinstyleorintone;

⏹conventionalandconservativeinthematicconcernandinliterarythoughts.

Anglo—SaxonLiterature

⏹Angles→Angle-land→England

⏹LanguagebyAngles,Saxons,Jutes（TeutonictribesorTeutonsfromthenorthofEurope）→（0ld）English

⏹Theliterature:

paganandChristian,i.e.thatbyTeutonsbroughtaboutfromtheancestors,like,Beowulf,andthatofthemonks,e.g.poeticparaphraseoftheBible

TheSongofBeowulf

⏹Englishnationalepic

⏹Thestory:

Beowulf,aherooftheGeats,theaidofHroðgar,thekingoftheDanes,whosegreathall,Heorot,plaguedbythemonsterGrendel.BeowulfkillsbothGrendelandGrendel'smother.Later,kingoftheGeats,foughtadragonandkilleditbutmortallywounded,deadandburiedinabarrow.

⏹Thetheme:

arevelationofprimitivestateofAnglo-Saxonsintribalstage,oftheirinteractionswithnatureandrivals,andoftheirvaluesandmoralities.

⏹Theartisticfeatures:

wideuseofalliteration,metaphorsandunderstatements.

EnglishBallads

⏹TheRobinHoodBallads:

ThecharacterofRobinHoodismany—sided.Strong,braveandclever,heisatthesametimetender-heartedandaffectionate.Heisamanwithatwinkleinhiseye,amanfondofaveryjokeandaheartylaugh.Butthedominantkeyinhischaracterishishatredforthecrueloppressorsandhisloveforthepooranddowntrodden.---byLIUBinshan

GeoffreyChaucerandTheCanterburyTales

⏹Chaucer’smaincontributionstoEnglishLiterature:

1）theblendofthreelanguagesintotheearlyshapeofmodernEnglish;2）applicationandspreadofcoupletasoneofstandardpoeticforms;3）creationofTheCanterburyTales

BackgroundforRenaissanceLiterature

⏹Historically:

1.1485–HenryVII:

endoftheWarofRosesandunificationofEngland,2.1588–victoryovertheSpanishArmada;3.PuritanRevolution

⏹Culturally:

1.theRenaissancemovement:

worshipforhumanism,forlearning,forscience;2.ReligionReform–breakwithRomeandfoundationofNationalChurch;3.publicationofJamesversionBible

⏹Economically:

1.“sheepdevouredmen”movement;2.rapidexpansionofcities.

Greatwritersinthisperiod

WilliamShakespeare:

sonnets,tragedies,comedies;

EdmundSpenser:

TheFaerieQueene;Spenserianstanzaandsonnets;

ChristopherMarlowe:

TheJewofMalta;Dr.Faustus;oneoftheUniversityWits

BenJonson:

EveryManInHisHumor;Volpone,ortheFox,ComediesofHumors

JohnDonne:

AValediction:

ForbiddingMourning;

TheFlea;oneoftheleadingMetaphysicalpoets

FrancisBacon:

OfStudies,essayist

JohnMilton:

ParadiseLost,ParadiseRegained

ReadingofShakespeare

⏹ReadingofSonnet18

⏹Metricalanalysis

⏹meter:

iambicpentameter

⏹rhymepattern:

ababcdcdefefgg

Technicalanalysis

⏹Alliteration

⏹Images

⏹Thematicanalysis

⏹Whois“thee”inthepoem?

⏹Whatis“this”inthepoem?

⏹Whatdo“roughwinds”standfor?

⏹Whatdoes“summer’slease”imply?

⏹Whatdoes“nature’schangingcoursestandfor?

⏹Whatdoes“Death”symbolizefor?

⏹Therearethree“fairs”inthepoemanddotheyrefertothesamething?

Ifnot,whatforrespectivelyinconcrete?

ReadingofHamlet,anexcerpt

⏹Paraphrases:

ToliveornottoliveisthequestionI’mwonderingabout.Isitnoblertobeartheattacksofthecrueltyoffortunethantostanduptofightagainsttheendlesstroublesinordertoendthem?

Todiemeanstosleep,andtherewouldbenomore.Inthatcase,wecanendtheheart-acheandendlessnaturaldisastersweareborntohaveandalsothecompletionofalltroublesinourlifeweearnestlywishfor.Todieislikeasleep.Inthesleep,wemayhaveadreamandthenhaveadilemmabecausewhatkindofdreamwemayhavewillhinderus.

⏹Paraphrasescontinued

becauseinthedeath-likesleepwehavenoideaaboutwhatkindofdreamwemayhavewhenwehaveshakenoffhumansufferings.Theremustbesomereasonthatexplainsthemisfortuneofsuchalonglife;ifhemayendhislifeonlywithaknife,whowouldliketobearthewhipsandscornsoflife,theoppressor’swrongdeeds,theproudman’sinsult,thepainsofrejectedlove,theinsultfromofficials,thekicksthatamanofmeritreceivespatientlyfromtheunworthymen?

Whowouldliketobeartheburdensandtosufferunderawearylifeifnotbecausetheyareafraidofthesituationafterdeath?

⏹Paraphrasecontinued

Thatworldisunknowntousandfromwhichnotravelerhaseverreturned.Justbecauseofthis,itpuzzlesourwillandmakesusratherbearthosepainswehavethanflytotheotherworldweknownothingabout.Justbecauseofthis,itpuzzlesourwillandmakesusratherbearthosepainswehavethanflytotheotherworldweknownothingabout.Thisreflectiondoesmakeushesitantandinthatcaseourresolutionwouldbewithered,thedirection（wouldbe）changed,andthedetermination（wouldbe）shaken.

⏹CharacteranalysisofHamletonthemonologue

⏹Personalityanalysis

hesitantindeterminationandaction

thoughtfulinmind

sensitiveinfeeling

melancholyinmood

⏹Conceptualanalysis

believeinpresentlifethanthatafterlife

veryperceptiveatthecrueltyandhardshipsofthelifeorthesociety

ReadingofRomeoandJuliet

⏹Backgroundinformation

RomeoandJulietisatragedywrittenearlyinthecareerofplaywrightWilliamShakespeareabouttwoyoung“star-cross’dlovers"whoseuntimelydeathsultimatelyunitetheirfeudingfamilies.ItwasamongShakespeare'smostpopularplaysduringhislifetimeand,alongwithHamlet,isoneofhismostfrequentlyperformedplays.Today,thetitlecharactersareregardedasarchetypalyounglovers.

⏹InsertedsonnetinScene5,ActI

⏹Romeo:

（toJuliet）

⏹IfIprofanewithmyunworthiesthand,

⏹Thisholyshrine,thegentlepainisthis:

⏹Mylips,twoblushingpilgrims’handstotouch,

⏹Andpalmtopalmisholypalmers’kiss.

⏹Juliet:

⏹Goodpilgrim,youdowrongyourhandtoomuch,

⏹Whichmannerlydevotionshowinthis,

⏹Forsaintshavehandsthatpilgrims’handsdotouch,

⏹Andpalmtopalmisholypalmers’kiss.

⏹Romeo:

⏹Havenotsaintslips,andholypalmerstoo?

⏹Juliet:

⏹Ay,pilgrim,lipsthattheymustuseinprayer.

⏹Romeo:

⏹Othen,dearsaint,letlipsdowhathandsdo,

⏹Theypray:

grantthou,lestfaithturntodespair.

⏹Juliet:

⏹Saintsdonotmove,thoughgrantforprayers’sake,

⏹Romeo:

⏹Thenmovenot,whilemyprayer’seffecttake.

⏹Internalconflictanalysis:

InternalconflictwithRomeo:

Terms

⏹Shakespearefourgreattragedies

Shakespeare’stragediesareoftenregardedashisgreatestaccomplishments,whilehisfourtragediesstandoutasthemasterpieces.ThefourgreattragediesareHamlet,Othello,KingLearandMacbeth.Hamlet,adramaofmurderandrevenge,revealstheconflictbetweenfeudalismandhumanism.Othello,atragedyofcredulity,depictsaconflictbetweenanuprightmanandapurewomanwithatreacherousvillainandhistricks.KingLear,atragedyofvanity,hypocrisyandflattery,disclosestheseriousstruggleforpropertyandfame.Macbeth,atragedyofwildambition,depictsthestruggleforthecrownamongthenobleandtheroyal.

JohnDonneandMetaphysicalPoetry

⏹CriticismonJohnDonneandMetaphysicalPoetry

⏹JohnDonne’simportanceis“chieflybecausehestartedmoreorlessanewschoolofpoetry,the‘metaphysical’school,whichhadanumberoffollowersandwhichhaditsinfluenceevenuponsomeoftheCavalierpoets.”

AHistoryofEnglishLiterature–ChenJia

⏹Hecanperceivebeauty,butattheverymomentofthatperceptionheseesthecorpse,thecerementcloths,theskeleton.Heknowspassion,buthecanmockatthephysicalbodythroughwhichpassionistransmitted.Thisrestlessnessbringshismindandhisbodyveryclosetoeachother.Histhoughtiseverattheserviceofhispassions;hispassionsenterintohisthought.Contrariesexistinhismind,buttheyareevermovingoneintotheother.

AShortHistoryofEnglishLiterature---IforEvance

ReadingofTheFlea

⏹Paraphrase（forreference）

Look!

Thisisaflea.Lookattheflea.Howlittleisthatwhichyoudeniedme（mylove,comparedwiththeflea）.Itsuckedmefirst,andnowitsucksyou.Andinthisfleatwodropsofourbloodaremingled.Youknowthatthis（themixtureofourblood）cannotberegardedasasin,orashame,orlossofvirginity.Theflea,however,enjoyshappinessbeforeitsucceededinobtainingpromise.Anditswellswithonebloodover-suppliedoreatenfromustwo.Oh,thisismorethanwewoulddo.

⏹Oh,stop!

Pleasesparethreelivesinoneflea,fromwhichwearealmostmorethanmarried,indeed.Sothisfleaisthemixtureofyouandme,andthisisourmarriagebedandthisroomisourmarriagechurch.Eventhoughyourp