英国文学总结1.docx

英国文学总结1.docx

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英国文学总结1

TheAnglo-SaxonPeriod（450-1066）

1.Majorliteraturecharacteristics:

pagan&Christian

2.NorthumbrianschoolandWessexliterature

Northumbrianschool:

itscenterwasthemonasteriesandabbeysinthekingdomofNorthumbrian

Famousfigures:

1）.Caedmon:

turnedthestoriesintheBibleintoverseform

2）.VenerableBede:

amonk;wroteinLatin.“FatheroftheEnglishHistory”

TheEcclesiasticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeople

Wessexliterature:

KingAlfred:

1）.AnumberofLatinbooksofeducativevalueweretranslatedintoWestSaxondialect

2）.thelaunchingofTheAnglo-SaxonChronicle

3）.CreatedastyleofAnglo-Saxonprose

3.Anglo-Saxonpoetry

Beowulf:

longepicpoetry

Religiouspoems;heroicpoems;elegies

TheNormanPeriod（1066-1350）

1.TheNormanConquest

TheNormanConquestin1066acceleratedthedevelopmentoffeudalisminEnglandandmarksthebeginningoftheestablishmentoffeudalisminEngland.

2.TheinfluenceoftheNormanConquestonEnglishlanguageandliterature

1）.formanyyearsaftertheNormanConquest,threelanguageswereusedbypeopleintheEnglishsociety.TheNormanConquestlordsspokeFrench;theAnglo-SaxonpoorpeoplespokeEnglish;thescholarsandclergymenusedLatininwriting.ThethreelanguagescoexistedandinfluencedoneanotherandEnglishlanguageunderwentagreatdealofchangesduringthisperiod.

2）.besideswritinghistoriesorchroniclesinFrenchorLatin,theNormanalsobroughttheirowncultureandliteraturetoEngland.ManysubjectmattersinliteratureofthisperiodwerefromtheContinent.

3.TheRomance

Romance,intheoriginalsenseoftheword,meansthevernacularlanguage,asopposedtoLatin,andlatteritmeansataleinverse,embodyingthelifeandadventuresofknights.Itreflectedthespiritofchivalry,usuallywasaboutlove,chivalryandreligion.ItbecamepopularintheMiddleAges.ItschiefbreedinggroundwasthearistocraticsocietyinFrance.ItwasintroducedfromFranceinthelatterpartofthe13thcentury.

4.ThreecategoriesofRomances

1）.thematterofFrance:

anumberofromancesdealwiththeexploitsofCharlemagnetheGreatandRoland

2）.thematterofRome:

dealwithAlexandertheGreatandthesiegeofTroy

3）.thematterofBritain:

dealwiththelegendofKingArthurandhisRoundTableKnights

TheAgeofChaucer（1350-1400）

1.Historicalbackground:

1）.thehundredYears’War（1337-1453）

2）.thePeasantsUprisingof1381

2.Famousfigures:

1）.JohnWycliffe

a.demandedtoreformthechurchinordertodoawaywiththecorruptionandrottenness

b.translatedtheBibleintoStandardEnglish;“fatheroftheEnglishprose”

2）.WilliamLangland:

TheVisionofWilliamConcerningPiersthePlowman.《农夫皮尔斯的梦》

3.GeoffreyChaucer

Writingcareer:

1）.1360-1372.ChaucerwroteundertheinfluenceofFrenchliterature.HeimitatedFrenchpoetryandtranslatedFrenchpoems.

“TheBookoftheDuchess”

2）.1372-1386.ChaucerwroteundertheinfluenceofItalianliterature

“TroilusandCryseyde”“TheParliamentofFowls”“TheHouseofFame”

3）.1386-1400.“TheCanterburyTales”

ThesignificanceoftheCanterburyTales

InTheCanterburyTales,Chaucergivesusatrue-to-lifepictureofthesocietyofhistime.Asaforerunnerofhumanism,hepraisedman’senergy,intellect,quickwitandloveoflife.Atthesametime,heexposesandgentlysatirizestheevilsofhistime,andattacksthedegenerationofthenobleandcorruptionofthechurch.

1）.ItgivesacomprehensivepictureofChaucer’stime.ThepilgrimscoverawiderangeofcharactersintheEnglandofthetime,fromnoblementopeasants.Theyrepresentthewholerangeof14thcentury’ssociety,excepttheverytopandtheverybottom.

2）.thedramaticstructureofthepoemhasbeenhighlycommendedbycritics.

3）.Chaucer’shumour

4）.Chaucer’scontributiontotheEnglishlanguage.

TheFifteenthCentury（1400-1550）

1.Historicalbackground

1）.theHundredYears’War

2）.theWaroftheRoses

3）.thediscoveryofAmericaandthenewsearoutes

4）.Reformationofthechurch

2.Popularballads

Ballad:

todance

Characteristics:

1）.thebeginningisoftenabrupt

2）.Therearestrongdramaticelements

3）.thethemeisoftentragic

4）.theballadmeterisused

“RobinHoodBallads”

3.Famousfigure:

SirThomasMalory“LeMorted’Arthur”

TheEnglishRenaissance（1550-1642）

1.TheRenaissance

“Renaissance”isaFrenchwordthatmeans“rebirth”.TheRenaissancefirstbeganinItalyinthe13thand14thcenturiesanditwasarebirthoflearningandart.Inliterature,Dante,Petrarch,Baccacciowereprominent.TheRenaissancespreadgraduallyalloverEuropeandgottoEnglandinthe16thcentury.OneofthefeaturesoftheRenaissanceisthethirstycuriosityfortheclassicalliterature,especiallyGreekandRomanliterature.Anotherfeatureisthekeeninterestinmanandhumanactivities.

2.Humanism

ThecentralidealoftheRenaissancewashumanism.WiththespreadingoftheGreekandRomanculturethereappearedanumberofhumanistscholarswhotookgreatinterestinthewelfareofhumanbeings.Accordingtothem,itwasagainsthumannaturetosacrificethehappinessofthislifeforanafterlife.Theyarguedthatmanshouldbegivenfullfreedomtoenrichtheirintellectualandemotionallife.Inreligiontheydemandedthereformationofthechurch.Inartandliterature,insteadofsingingpraisetoGod,theysanginpraiseofmanandofthepursuitofhappinessinthislife.Humanismshatteredtheshacklesofspiritualbondageofman’smindbytheRomanCatholicChurchandopenedhiseyesto“abravenewworld”infrontofhim.

3.Theenclosuremovement

4.Theflourishingofdrama

1）.Citiesandtownsgrewrapidlyinthe16thcentury

2）.Newmeansofentertainment

3）.Moreandmoretheatreshadbeenbuilt

5.Universitywits

Theterm“universitywits”referstoagroupofwriters,mainlyplaywrights,whowerepredecessorstoShakespeare.AmongthemwereChristopherMarlowe,RobertGreene,ThomasKyd,andsoon.TheyweresocalledastheywereinfluencedbysomeRomandramatistswhentheywereatuniversity.

ThomasKyd

“TheSpanishTragedy”:

theearliestspecimenofrevengeplaysof“bloodandthunder”dramainEnglandandanticipatedShakespeare’sHamlet.

ChristopherMarlowe

“TamburlainetheGreat”《帖木耳大帝》

“TheTragicHistoryofDoctorFaustus”《浮士德博士的悲剧史》

“TheJewofMalta”《马耳他的犹太人》

Chiefcharacteristics:

1）.Marlowewasnotedforhischaracters.Inspiteofthefactthathisplotconstructionislooseandsomeofhischaractersaremerelyembodimentsofideas,mostofthemarehighlyindividualisticandrebellious.

2）.HereformedtheEnglishdramaandperfectedthelanguage.ItisMarlowewhofirstmadeblankverse,i.e.unrhymediambicpentameter,theprincipalinstrumentofEnglishplaysatthetime.Inasense,hepavedthewayindramatictechniquesfoethegreatEnglishplaywrightWilliamShakespeare.

3）.Hisworksareremarkablefortheirimagination,burningpassion,sensuousrichness,varietyofpace,andresponsetovaryingemotions.

4）.Humanismisthedominantthemeinhisplays.Hisplaysinvariouswaysshowthespiritoftherisingbourgeoisie,itsloveoffreedomanditscuriosityforknowledge.

5）.Hisverseisknownforitsstatelinessanditspoeticbeauty.

6.EdmundSpenser

EdmundSpenseriscalledbyJohnKeats“thepoet’spoet”.Heisgenerallyacknowledgedtobethegreatestnon-dramaticpoetoftheElizabethanAge.

Majorworks:

“TheShephearde’sCalender”:

pastoralpoem

“TheFaerieQueen”

CharacteristicsofTheFaerieQueen

1）.anunfinishedallegoricalromance

2）.Theme:

“fashionagentlemanornoblepersoninvirtuousandgentlediscipline”.

3）.InTheFaerieQueen,theauthormakesadistinctionbetween“ethical”virtuesand“political”virtues.

4）.withabaroquestylebypaintingonepictureafteranotherandemploysimagesandsimileswhichresemblesHomericepicpoetry.

5）.Hisnine-lineSpenserianstanza（agroupofeightlinesofiambicpentameterfollowedbyasix-stressiambicline,i.e.anAlexandrine,witharhymeschemeababbabcc）.

7.WilliamShakespeare

Literarycareer

1）.1592-1594（earlyyearsofhisapprenticeship）.Historyplaysorhistoriesandagroupofcomedies.Thisisaperiodofexperimentation,whichismarkedbyimitationofexistingplays,bythespiritofyoungfulnessandrichimagination,byexaggeratedlanguageandbythefrequentuseofrhymedcouplets.

KingHenry

Richard

TwoGentlemenofVeronaLove’sLabourLost

2）.1595-1600.Aperiodofrapidgrowthanddevelopment.Producedmorecarefulandartisticworkswithbetterplots,andamarkedincreaseintheknowledgeofhumannature.

MidsummerNight’sDreamRomeoandJuliet

TheMerchantofVeniceHenry

AsYouLikeItJuliusCaesarHenry

3）.1601-1608.Aperiodofgloomanddepression

HamletOthelloKingLearMacbeth

4）.1068-1612.Aperiodofrestoredserenity,calmness

TheWinter’sTaleTheTempest

CharacteristicsofShakespeare’sworks

1）.Shakespearerepresentedthetrendofhistoryingivingvoicetothedesiresandaspirationsofthepeople.

2）.Shakespeare’shumanism:

Shakespeareinhisplaysreflectsthespiritofhisage.Hehadafirmbeliefinthenobilityofhumannatureandinthepoweroflove.

3）.Shakespeareisgoodatcharacterization.Mostofhischaractersaretruetolife.Hedescribesawiderangeofdifferentcharactersthatare“round”withmanyaspectsordimensions.

4）.ShakespeareisthemasterofEnglishlanguage.Hislanguageisalwayscolorful,vivid,andmusical.

Shakespeare’splays

1）.TheGreatComedies

AMidsummerNight’sDreamTheMerchantofVenice

AsYouLikeItTwelfthNight

Inthem,Sha