英国 第二章 新古典主义时期.docx

英国 第二章 新古典主义时期.docx

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英国第二章新古典主义时期

Chapter2TheNeoclassicalPeriod

WhatwenowcalltheneoclassicalperiodistheoneinEnglishliteraturebetweenthereturnoftheStuartstotheEnglishthronein1660andthefullassertionofRomanticismwhichcamewiththepublicationofLyricalBalladsbyWordsworthandColeridgein1798.

TheEnglishsocietyoftheneoclassicalperiodwasaturbulentone.OfthegreatpoliticalandsocialeventsthereweretheRestorationofKingCharlesIIin1660,theGreatPlagueof1665whichtook70,000livesinLondonalone,theGreatLondonFirewhichdestroyedalargepartofthecity,leavingtowthirdsofthepopulationhomeless,theGloriousRevolutioninwhichKingJamesIIwasreplacedbyhisProtestantdaughterMaryandherDutchhusbandWilliam,DukeofOrange,in1689,andsoon.Therewasconstantstrifebetweenthemonarchandtheparliament,betweenthetwobigparities-theToriesandtheWhigs-overthecontroloftheparliamentandgovernment,betweenopposingreligioussectssuchastheRomanCatholicism,theAnglicanChurchandtheDissenters,betweentherulingclassandthelaboringpoor,etc.Inshort,itwasagefullofconflictsanddivergenceofvalues.

TheeighteenthcenturysawthefastdevelopmentofEnglandasanation.Abroad,avastexpansionofBritishcoloniesinNorthAmerica,India,theWestIndies,andacontinuousincreaseofcolonialwealthandtradeprovidedEnglandwithamarketforwhichthesmall-scalehandproductionmethodsofthehomeindustrywerehardlyadequate.ThiscreatednotonlyasteadydemandforBritishgoodsbutalsostandardizedgoods.Andathomeinthecountry,ActsofEnclosurewereputtingmorelandintofewerprivilegedrichlandownersandforcingthousandsofsmallfarmersandtenantsofflandtobecomewageearnersinindustrialtowns.ThiscomingtogetheroffreelaborfromthehomeandfreecapitalgatheredorplunderedfromthecolonieswastheessenceoftheIndustrialRevolution.So,towardsthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury,Englandhadbecomethefirstpowerfulcapitalistcountryintheworld.Ithadbecomethework-shopoftheworld,hermanufacturedgoodsfloodingforeignmarketsfarandnear.

Alongwiththefasteconomicdevelopment,theBritishbourgeoisofmiddleclassalsogrewrapidly.ItwasthemajorforceoftheRevolutionandwasmainlycomposedofcitypeople:

traders,merchants,manufactures,andotheradventuressuchasslavetradersandcolonists.AstheIndustrialRevolutionwenton,moreandmorepeoplejoinedtherankofthisclass.Marxoncepointedoutthatthebourgeoisclassoftheeighteenth-centuryEnglandwasarevolutionaryclassthenandquitedifferentfromthefeudalaristocraticclass.Theywerepeoplewhohadknownpovertyandhardship,andmostofthemhadobtainedtheirpresentsocialstatusthroughhardwork.Theybelievedinself-restraint,self-relianceandhardwork.Towork,toeconomizeandtoaccumulatewealthconstitutedthewholemeaningoftheirlife.Thisaspectofsociallifeisbestfoundintherealisticnovelsofthecentury.

Theeighteenth-centuryEnglandisalsoknownastheAgeofEnlightenmentortheAgeofReason.TheEnlightenmentMovementwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementwhichflourishedinFranceandsweptthroughthewholeWesternEuropeatthetime.ThemovementwasafurtheranceoftheRenaissanceofthefifteenthandsixteenthcenturies.Itspurposewastoenlightenthewholeworldwiththelightofmodernphilosophicalandartisticideas.Theenlightenerscelebratedreasonorrationality,equalityandscience.Theyheldthatrationalityorreasonshouldbetheonly,thefinalcauseofanyhumanthoughtandactivities.Theycalledforareferencetoorder,reasonandrules.Theybelievedthatwhenreasonservedastheyardstickforthemeasurementofallhumanactivitiesandrelations,everysuperstition,injusticeandoppressionwastoyieldplaceto"eternaltruth,""eternaljustice"and"eternalequality."ThebeliefprovidedtheoryfortheFrenchRevolutionof1789andtheAmericanWarofIndependencein1776.Atthesametime,theenlightenersadvocateduniversaleducation.Theybelievedthathumanbeingswerelimited,dualistic,imperfect,andyetcapableofrationalityandperfectionthrougheducation.Ifthemasseswerewelleducated,theythought,therewouldbegreatchancefordemocraticandequalhumansociety.Asamatteroffact,literatureatthetime,heavilydidacticandmoralizing,becameaverypopularmeansofpubliceducation.FamousamongthegreatenlightenersinEnglandwerethosegreatwriterslikeJohnDryden,AlexanderPope,JosephAddisonandSirRichardSteele,thetwopioneersoffamiliaressays,JonathanSwift,DanielDefoe,RichardBrinsleySheridan,HenryFieldingandSamuelJohnson.

Inthefieldofliterature,theEnlightenmentMovementbroughtaboutarevivalofinterestintheoldclassicalworks.Thistendencyisknownasneoclassicism.Accordingtotheneoclassicists,allformsofliteratureweretobemodeledaftertheclassicalworksoftheancientGreekandRomanwriters（Homer,Virgil,Horace,Ovid,etc.）andthoseofthecontemporaryFrenchones.Theybelievedthattheartisticidealsshouldbeorder,logic,restrainedemotionandaccuracy,andthatliteratureshouldbejudgedintermsofitsservicetohumanity.Thisbeliefledthemtoseekproportion,unity,harmonyandgraceinliteraryexpressions,inanefforttodelight,instructandcorrecthumanbeings,primarilyassocialanimals.Thusapolite,urbane,witty,andintellectualartdeveloped.

Neoclassicistshadsomefixedlawsandrulesforalmosteverygenreofliterature.Proseshouldbeprecise,direct,smoothandflexible.Poetryshouldbelyrical,epical,didactic,satiricordramatic,andeachclassshouldbeguidedbyitsownprinciples.DramasshouldbewrittenintheHeroicCouplets（iambicpentameterrhymedintwolines）;thethreeunitiesoftime,spaceandactionshouldbestrictlyobserved;regularityinconstructionshouldbeadheredto,andtypecharactersratherthanindividualsshouldberepresented.

Inthelastfewdecadesofthe18thcentury,however,theneoclassicalemphasisuponreason,intellect,witandformwasrebelledagainstorchallengedbythesentimentalists,andwas,induetime,graduallyreplacedbyRomanticism.ButithadalastingwholesomeinfluenceuponEnglishliterature.Thepoetictechniquesandcertainclassicalgracessuchasorder,goodform,unifiedstructure,clarityandconcisenessoflanguagedevelopedinthisperiodhavebecomeapermanentheritage.

TheneoclassicalperiodwitnessedtheflourishofEnglishpoetryintheclassicalstylefromRestorationtoaboutthesecondhalfofthecentury,climaxingwithJohnDryden,AlexanderPopeandthelaststandard-beareroftheschool,SamuelJohnson.Muchattentionwasgivetothewit,formandartofpoetry.Mockepic,romance,satireandepigramwerepopularformsadoptedbypoetsofthetime.Besidestheelegantpoeticstructureanddiction,theneoclassicalpoetrywasalsonotedforitsseriousnessandearnestnessintoneandconstantdidacticism.

Themid-centurywas,however,predominatedbyanewlyrisingliteraryform-themodernEnglishnovel,which,contrarytothetraditionalromanceofaristocrats,givesarealisticpresentationoflifeofthecommonEnglishpeople.This-themostsignificantphenomenoninthehistoryofthedevelopmentofEnglishliteratureintheeighteenthcentury-isanaturalproductoftheIndustrialRevolutionandasymbolofthegrowingimportanceandstrengthoftheEnglishmiddleclass.AmongthepioneerswereDanielDefoe,SamuelRichardson,HenryFielding,LaurenceSterne,TobiasGeorgeSmollett,andOliverGoldsmith.

Andfromthemiddlepartoftheendofthecenturytherewasalsoanapparentshiftofinterestfromtheclassicliterarytraditiontooriginalityandimagination,fromsocietytoindividual,andfromthedidactictotheconfessional,inspirationalandprophetic.Gothicnovels-mostlystoriesofmysteryandhorrorwhichtakeplaceinsomehauntedordilapidatedMiddleAgecastles-wereturnedoutprofuselybybothmaleandfemalewriters;workssuchasTheCastleofOtranto（1765）byHoraceWalpole,TheMysteriesofUdolpho（1794）andTheItalian（1797）byMrs.AnnRadcliffe,TheChampionofVirtue,aGothicStory（1777）byClaraReeve,andTheMonk（1796）byM.G.Lewisbecameverypopular.EulogizingorlamentinglyricsbynaturepoetslikeJamesThomson,WilliamCollins,andWilliamCowper,andbysuchsentimentalistsasthe"GraveyardSchool"werewidelyread.TheromanticpoemsoftheScottishpeasantpoet,RobertBurnsandWilliamBlakealsojoinedin,pavingthewayfortheflourishofRomanticismearlythenextcentury.

Inthetheatricalworld,RichardBrinsleySheridanwastheleadingfigureamongahostofplaywrights.Andofthewittyandsatiricprose,thosewrittenbyJonathanSwiftareespeciallyworthstudying,hisAModestProposalbeinggenerallyregardedasthebestmodelofsatire,notonlyoftheperiodbutalsointhewholeEnglishliteraryhistory.

I.

JohnBunyan

JohnBunyan（1628-1688）wasbornintoapoortinker'sfamilyinBedfordshirein1628.Hereceivedverylittleformaleducation.Whenhewasstillalittleboy,hetookuphisfather'strade,andhadtheleastpromiseofbecomingawriter.Buttheboyhadaprofoundimagination.Hismarriagein1647withaChristianwomanledhimtotheLord.HejoinedaNonconformistchurchandbegantopreach,bytheroadsideoronthevillagegreen,tellingpeopleofhisvisionandinterpretationofGod'sdoctrine.However,hewasthrownintoprisonin1660forpreachingwithoutreceivingpermissionformtheEstablishedChurch.Heremainedinprisonfor12yearsbecauseofhisrefusingtotakeavowtogiveuppre