The culture of England in the second half of the 16th centuryWord文档格式.docx
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5
1.1
Englishpoetryofthe16thcentury
1.2
Dramaandprose
7
1.3
WilliamShakespeare–thegreatestEnglishpoet
8
ChapterII.
Fineartsofthe16thcentury
10
2.1
Englishpaintinganditsmainrepresentatives
2.2
Englisharchitecture
13
ChapterIII.
Music
17
ChapterIV.
Fashionasapartofsocialstatus
20
4.1
Women'
sfashions
4.2
Men'
sfashion
22
ChapterV.
Entertainmentsandpastimes
25
5.1
VarietyofentertainmentsandpastimesduringtheElizabethanperiod
5.2
Sports
27
5.3
Festivals,holidaysandcelebrations
29
5.4
Weddings
31
Listofsources
33
TheperiodunderanalysisisoftencalledElizabethantimes,asduringthisperiodQueenElizabethwassittingonathrone.ThereignofQueenElizabethI(1558–1603)isoftenreferredtoasTheGoldenAgeofEnglishhistory[4].
ElizabethwasanimmenselypopularQueen,andherpopularityhaswanedlittlewiththepassingoffourhundredyears.Sheisstilloneofthebestlovedmonarchs,andoneofthemostadmiredrulersofalltime.Shebecamealegendinherownlifetime,famedforherremarkableabilitiesandachievements.
ThisperiodwasassociatedwiththeheightoftheEnglishRenaissance,andsawthefloweringofEnglishliteratureandpoetry.ThiswasalsothetimeduringwhichElizabethantheatreflourishedandWilliamShakespeare,amongothers,composedplaysthatbrokeawayfromEngland'
spaststyleofplaysandtheatre.Itwasanageofexpansionandexplorationabroad,whileathometheProtestantReformationbecameentrenchedinthenationalmindset.
TheElizabethanAgeisviewedsohighlybecauseofthecontrastswiththeperiodsbeforeandafter.ItwasabriefperiodoflargelyinternalpeacebetweentheEnglishReformationandthebattlesbetweenProtestantsandCatholicsandthebattlesbetweenparliamentandthemonarchythatwouldengulftheseventeenthcentury.TheProtestant-Catholicdividewassettled,foratime,bytheElizabethanReligiousSettlementandparliamentwasstillnotstrongenoughtochallengeroyalabsolutism.
Englandwasalsowell-offcomparedtotheothernationsofEurope.TheItalianRenaissancehadcometoanendundertheweightofforeigndominationofthepeninsula.Francewasembroiledinitsownreligiousbattlesthatwouldonlybesettledin1598withtheEdictofNantes.Inpartbecauseofthis,butalsobecausetheEnglishhadbeenexpelledfromtheirlastoutpostsonthecontinent,thecenturieslongconflictbetweenFranceandEnglandwaslargelysuspendedformostofElizabeth’sreign.
TheonegreatrivalwasSpain,withwhichEnglandconflictedbothinEuropeandtheAmericasinskirmishesthatexplodedintotheAnglo-SpanishWarof1585–1604.AnattemptbyPhilipIIofSpaintoinvadeEnglandwiththeSpanishArmadain1588wasfamouslydefeated,butthetideofwarturnedagainstEnglandwithadisastrouslyunsuccessfulattackuponSpain,theDrake-NorrisExpeditionof1589.ThereafterSpainprovidedsomesupportforIrishCatholicsinadrainingguerillawaragainstEnglandandSpanishnavalandlandforcesinflictedaseriesofdefeatsuponEnglishforces.ThisbadlydamagedboththeEnglishExchequerandeconomythathadbeensocarefullyrestoredunderElizabeth’sprudentguidance.[11;
45-46].EnglishcolonisationandtradewouldbefrustrateduntilthesigningoftheTreatyofLondontheyearfollowingElizabeth’sdeath.
Englandduringthisperiodhadacentralised,well-organised,andeffectivegovernment,largelyaresultofthereformsofHenryVIIandHenryVIII.Economically,thecountrybegantobenefitgreatlyfromtheneweraoftrans-Atlantictrade.
InthisresearchwewillregardEnglishRenaissancecultureandlifestile,itseminentcontributiontothehistoryofEnglandandtheworldculture.
ThemainaimofthisresearchistorevealEnglishcultureinthesecondhalfofthe16thcenturyinallitsvariety.
Themaintasksofthisresearchare:
♦todefineEnglishcultureinthesecondhalfofthe16thcentury
♦toestimateQueenElizabeth’scontributiontoEnglishcultureof16thcentury
♦todisplayhistoricalpeculiarsofEnglishcultureandtheirinfluenceonEnglishmodernculture.
ChapterI.EnglishLiteratureanditscontributiontothedevelopmentofculturein16thcentury
1.1Englishpoetryofthe16thcentury
Thepoetryoftheearlierpartofthe16thcenturyisgenerallylessimportant,withtheexceptionoftheworkofJohnSkelton,whichexhibitsacuriouscombinationofmedievalandRenaissanceinfluences.Thetwogreatestinnovatorsofthenew,richstyleofRenaissancepoetryinthelastquarterofthe16thcenturywereSirPhilipSidneyandEdmundSpenser,bothhumanisticallyeducatedElizabethancourtiers.Sidney,
universally
recognizedasthemodelRenaissancenobleman,outwardlypolishedaswellasinwardlyconscientious,inauguratedthevogueofthesonnetcycleinhisAstrophelandStella(written1582;
published1591).Inthiswork,intheelaborateandhighlymetaphoricalstyleoftheearlierItaliansonnet,hecelebratedhisidealizedloveforPenelopeDevereux,thedaughterofWalterDevereux,1stearlofEssex.TheselyricsprofesstoseeinheranidealofwomanhoodthatinthePlatonicmannerleadstoaperceptionofthegood,thetrue,andthebeautifulandconsequentlyofthedivine.Thisidealizationofthebelovedremainedafavoredmotifinmuchofthepoetryanddramaofthelate16thcentury;
ithaditsrootsnotonlyinPlatonismbutalsointhePlatonicspeculationsofhumanismandinthechivalricidealizationofloveinmedievalromance.The
greatest
monumenttothatidealism,broadenedtoincludeallfeaturesofthemorallife,isSpenser'
suncompletedFaerieQueene(BooksI-III,1590;
BooksIV-VI,1596),themostfamousworkoftheperiod.Ineachofitscompletedsixbooksitdepictstheactivitiesofaherothatpointtowardtheidealformofaparticularvirtue,andatthesametimeitlooksforwardtothemarriageofArthur,whoisacombinationofallthevirtues,andGloriana,whoistheidealformofwomanhoodandtheembodimentofQueenElizabeth.ItisentirelytypicaloftheimpulseoftheRenaissanceinEnglandthatinthisworkSpensertriedtocreateoutoftheinheritedEnglishelementsofArthurianromanceandanarchaic,partlymedievalstyleanobleepicthatwouldmakethenationalliteraturetheequalofthoseofancientGreeceandRomeandofRenaissanceItaly.HiseffortinthisrespectcorrespondedtothenewdemandsexpressedbySidneyinthecriticalessayTheDefenceofPoesie,originallyApologieforPoetrie(written1583?
;
posthumouslypublished1595).Spenser'
sconceptionofhisrolenodoubtconformedtoSidney'
sgeneraldescriptionofthepoetastheinspiredvoiceofGodrevealingexamplesofmorallyperfectactionsinanaestheticallyidealworldsuchasmererealitycanneverprovide,andwithagraphicandconcreteconvictionthatmerephilosophycanneverachieve.ThepoeticandnarrativequalitiesofTheFaerieQueenesuffertoadegreefromthevarioustheoreticalrequirementsthatSpenserforcedtheworktomeet.[14;
25]
In
a
number
of
other
lyricalandnarrativeworksSidneyandSpenserdisplayedtheornate,somewhatflorid,highlyfiguredstylecharacteristicofagreatdealofElizabethanpoeticexpression;
buttwootherpoetictendenciesbecamevisibletowardtheendofthe16thandintheearlypartofthe17thcenturies.ThefirsttendencyisexemplifiedbythepoetryofJohnDonneandtheotherso-calledmetaphysicalpoets,whichcarriedthemetaphoricalstyletoheightsofdaringcomplexityandingenuity.Thisoftenparadoxicalstylewasusedforavarietyofpoeticpurposes,rangingfromcomplexemotionalattitudestothesimpleinducementofadmirationforitsownvirtuosity.AmongthemostimportantofDonne'
sfollowers,GeorgeHerbertisdistinguishedforhiscarefullyconstructedreligiouslyrics,whichstrivetoexpresswithpersonalhumilitytheemotionsappropriatetoalltrueChristians.OthermembersofthemetaphysicalschoolareHenryVaughan,afollowerofHerbert,andRichardCrashaw,whowasinfluencedbyContinentalCatholicmysticism.AndrewMarvellwrotemetaphysicalpoetryofgreatpowerandfluency,buthealsorespondedtootherinfluences.Theinvolvedmetaphysicalstyleremainedfashionableuntillateinthe17thcentury.
The
second
late
RenaissancepoetictendencywasinreactiontothesometimesflamboyantlushnessoftheSpenseriansandtothesometimestortuousverbalgymnasticsofthemetaphysicalpoets.BestrepresentedbytheaccomplishedpoetryofBenJonsonandhisschool,itrevealsaclassicallypureandrestrainedstylethathadstronginfluenceonlatefiguressuchasRobertHerrickandtheotherCavalierpoetsandgavethedirectionforthepoeticdevelopmentofthesucceedingneoclassicalperiod.
1.2Dramaandprose
poetry
the
EnglishRenaissancebetween1580and1660wastheresultofaremarkableoutburstofenergy.Itis,however,thedramaofroughlythesameperiodthatstandshighestinpopularestimation.Theworksofitsgreatestrepresentative,WilliamShakespeare,haveachievedworldwiderenown.InthepreviousMiddleEnglishperiodtherehadbeen,withinthechurch,agradualbroadeningofdramaticrepresentationofsuchdoctrinallyimportanteventsastheangel'
sannouncementoftheresurrectiontothewomenatthetombofChrist.Ultimately,performancesofreligiousdramahadbecometheprovinceofthecraftguilds,andtheen