英美文学选读笔记精挑细选版.docx

英美文学选读笔记精挑细选版.docx

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英美文学选读笔记精挑细选版

英美文学选读笔记简单版

　　TheRenaissance

DefinitionsoftheLiteraryTerms：

　　1.TheRenaissance：

TheRenaissancemarksatransitionfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.Generally，itreferstotheperiodbetweenthe14th&17thcenturies.ItfirststartedinItaly，withthefloweringofpainting，sculpture&literature.FromItalythemovementwenttoembracetherestofEurope.TheRenaissance，whichmeans"rebirth"or"revival，"isactuallyamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents，suchasthere-discoveryofancientRoman&Greekculture，thenewdiscoveriesingeography&astrology，thereligiousreformation&theeconomicexpansion.TheRenaissance，therefore，inessenceisahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEuropeanhumanistthinkers&scholarsmadeattemptstogetridofthoseoldfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope，tointroducenewideasthatexpressedtheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisie，&torecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch.

　　2.Humanism：

　　HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance.ItsprangfromtheendeavortorestoreamedievalreverencefortheancientauthorsandisfrequentlytakenasthebeginningoftheRenaissanceonitsconscious，intellectualside，fortheGreekandRomancivilizationwasbasedonsuchaconceptionthatmanisthemeasureofallthings.Throughthenewlearning，humanistsnotonlysawtheartsofsplendorandenlightenment，butthehumanvaluesrepresentedintheworks.Renaissancehumanistsfoundintheclassicsajustificationtoexalthumannatureandcametoseethathumanbeingsweregloriouscreaturescapableofindividualdevelopmentinthedirectionofperfections，andthattheworldtheyinhabitedwastheirsnottodespisebuttoquestion，explore，andenjoy.Thus，byemphasizingthedignityofhumanbeingsandtheimportanceofthepresentlife，theyvoicedtheirbeliefsthatmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoythebeautyofthislife，buthadtheabilitytoperfecthimselfandtoperformwonders.ThomasMore，ChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespearearethebestrepresentativesoftheEnglishhumanists.

　　3.Spenserianstanza：

斯宾塞诗体

　　SpenserianstanzawasinventedbyEdmundSpenser.Itisastanzaofninelines，withthefirsteightlinesiniambicpentameter&thelastlineiniambichexameter，rhymingababbcbcc.

　　4.Metaphysicalpoetry：

　　Theterm"metaphysicalpoetry"iscommonlyusedtonametheworkofthe17thcenturywriterswhowroteundertheinfluenceofJohnDonne.Witharebelliousspirit，themetaphysicalpoetstriedtobreakawayfromtheconventionalfashionoftheElizabethanlovepoetry.ThedictionissimpleascomparedwiththatoftheElizabethanortheNeoclassicperiods，andechoesthewordsandcadencesofcommonspeech.Theimageryindrawnfromtheactuallife.Theformisfrequentlythatofanargumentwiththepoet'sbeloved，withGod，orwithhimself.

　　5.TheRenaissancehero：

　　ARenaissanceheroreferstoonecreatedbyChristopherMarloweinhisdrama.Suchaheroisalwaysindividualisticandfullofambition，facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.HeembodiesMarlowe'shumanisticidesofhumandignityandcapacity.Differentfromthetragicheroinmedievalplays，whoseeksthewaytoheaventhroughsalvationandgod'swill，heisagainstconventionalmoralityandcontrivestoobtainheavenonearththroughhisownefforts.Withtheendlessaspirationforpower，knowledge，andglory，theherointerpretsthetrueRenaissancespirit.BothTamburlaineandFaustusaretypicalinpossessingsuchaspirit.

MainqualitiesofSpenser'spoetry

　　①aperfectmelody

　　②araresenseofbeauty

　　③asplendidimagination

　　④aloftymoralpurity&seriousness

　　⑤adedicatedidealism

　　2）Inhiswriting，Spenserdrewontheconventions&thoughtofClassical，medieval，&Renaissanceliterature.However，headdedtohisfusionofthesediverseelementsmuchthatwasoriginal，&hisworksinspiredmanylaterEnglishpoets.Hecreatedanewstanza，calledtheSpenserianstanza，whichiswellsuitedtonarrativeverse.HisskillsinwritingmelodiousEnglishverse&hiscombinationofemotion，erudition，&spiritualvisionhavewonhimtheadmirationofgenerationsofEnglishpoets.Itishisidealism，hisloveofbeauty，&hisexquisitemelodythatmakehimknownas"thepoets'poet."

WilliamShakespeare

　　1.一般识记

　　BriefIntroduction

　　WilliamShakespearewasthegreatestwriterofplayswhoeverlived.Hisfriend&fellowplaywrightBenJonsonsaidthatShakespearewas"notofanagebutforalltime."The18th-centuryEnglishessayistSamuelJohnsondescribedhisworkas"themirroroflife."The19th-centuryEnglishpoetSamuelTaylorColeridgespokeof"myriad-mindedShakespeare."The20th-centuryEnglishdramatistGeorgeBernardShawstressedhis"enormouspoweroverlanguage."

hisdramaticcareerisdividedinto4periods.

　　Shakespeare’sauthenticnon-dramaticpoetryconsistsoftwolongnarrativepoems：

Venus&Adonis&TheRapeofLucerne&hissequenceof154sonnets.

　　3.领会

　　HisInfluence

　　1）Contributionstolanguage

　　ManywordsandcommonlyusedphraseshavebeenaddedtoeverydayEnglishvocabularythroughtheirappearanceinShakespeare’sworks.

　　2）Effectsonliterature

　　Shakespeare’splays&poetryhavehadapervasiveinfluenceonworldliterature.Mostofthegreatliteraryfiguresoftheworldhavebeeninspired&stimulatedbyhisachievement.

　　Onthewhole，however，Shakespeare’scontributionhasbeentothelanguage&spiritoflaterwritingratherthantoitsform.References¶llelstoShakespeare’sphraseologyhaveoccurredinliteraturesincethe16thcentury.PerhapsthegreatestinspirationtosubsequentauthorshasbeenShakespeare’scapacitytodepictlifeinallitscomplexity&toilluminateman’scharacter&destiny.

　HisMajorTheme

　　1）Shakespeareisagainstreligiouspersecution&racialdiscrimination，againstsocialinequality&thecorruptinginfluenceofgold&money.

　　2）Hewasahumanistofthetime&acceptedtheRenaissanceviewsonliterature.

　　6.领会

　　HisLiteraryAchievements

　　1）Characterization

　　Hismajorcharactersareneithermerelyindividualonesnortypeones；theyareindividualsrepresentingcertaintypes.Eachcharacterhashisorherownpersonalities；meanwhile，theymaysharefeatureswithothers.Thesoliloquiesinhisplaysfullyrevealtheinnerconflictofhischaracters.Shakespearealsoportrayshischaractersinpairs.Contrastsarefrequentlyusedtobringvividnesstohischaracters.

　　Thewomenintheplaysarevividcreations，eachdifferingfromtheothers.Shakespearewasfondofportraying"mockingwenches，"suchasKateoftheTamingoftheShrew，RosalineofLove''sLabor''sLost，&BeatriceofMuchAdoAboutNothing，buthewasequallyadeptatcreatinggentle&innocentwomen，suchasOpheliainHamlet，DesdemonainOthello，&CordeliainKingLear.HisfemalecharactersalsoincludethetreacherousGoneril&Regan，theiron-willedLadyMacbeth，thewitty&resourcefulPortia，thetender&loyalJuliet，&thealluringCleopatra.

　　2）PlotConstruction

　　Shakespeare’splaysarewellknownfortheiradroitplotconstruction.Heseldominventshisownplots；instead，heborrowsthemfromsomeoldplaysorstorybooks，orfromancientGreek&Romansources.Thereareusuallyseveralthreadsrunningthroughtheplay，thusprovidingthestorywithsuspense&apprehension.

　　3）Language

　　InShakespeare’stime，Englishgrammar&spellingwerenotyetformalized，soShakespearecouldfreelyinterchargethevariouspartsofspeech，usingnounsasadjectivesorverbs，adjectivesasadverbs，&pronounsasnouns.Suchfreedomgavehislanguageanextraordinaryflexibility，whichenabledhimtoexpresshisthoughtsaseasilyinpoetryasinprose.

MostofShakespeare’sdramaticpoetryisinblankverse，orunrhymediambicpentameter.Hisblandverseisespeciallybeautiful&mighty.Hehasanamazingwealthofvocabulary&idiom.Hiscoinageofnewwords&distortionofthemeaningoftheoldonesalsocreatestrikingeffectsonthereader.

ChapterIITheNeoclassicalPeriod

　　1）TheEnlightenmentMovement

　　The18th-centuryEnglandisknownastheAgeofEnlightenmentortheAgeofReason.TheEnlightenmentMovementwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementwhichflourishedinFrance&sweptthroughthewholeWesternEuropeatthetime.ThemovementwasafurtheranceoftheRenaissanceofthe15th&16thcenturies.Itspurposewastoenlightenthewholeworldwiththelightofmodemphilosophical&artisticideas.Theenlightenerscelebratedreasonorrationality，equality&science.Theycalledforareferencetoorder，reason&rules&advocateduniversaleducation.FamousamongthegreatenlightenersinEnglandwerethosegreatwriterslikeJohnDryden，Alexanderpope&soon.

　　2）Neoclassicism

　　Inthefieldofliterature，theEnlightenmentMovementbroughtaboutarevivalofinterestintheoldclassicalworks.Thistendencyisknownasneoclassicism.Accordingtotheneoclassicists，allformsofliteratureweretobemodeledaftertheclassicalworksoftheancientGreek&Romanwriters（Homer，Virgil，&soon）&thoseofthecontemporaryFrenchones.Theybelievedthattheartisticidealsshouldbeorder，logic，restrainedemotion&accuracy，&thatliteratureshouldbejudgedintermsofitsservicetohumanity.Thisbeliefledthemtoseekproportion，unity，harmony&graceinliteraryexpressions，inanefforttodelight，instruct&correcthumanbeings，primarilyassocialanimals.Thus，apolite，urbane，witty，&intellectualartdeveloped.

　　3）Theheroiccouplet英雄双行诗

　　ItmeansapairoflinesofatypeoncecommoninEnglishpoetry，whichrhyme&arewrittenwithfivebeatseach……

　　4）theRealistic