英国文学笔记文档格式.docx

英国文学笔记文档格式.docx

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OldEnglishliteraturehassurviveddividedintotwogroups.

Religiousgroup:

GenesisA

GenesisB 

basedonbiblicalthemestheOldTestament

Exodus

TheDreamoftheRood

Thesecularone:

TheWanderer

Deor 

Theseafarer

Thewife’scomplaint

Beowulf:

atypicalexampleofOldEnglishpoetry,isregardedasthenationalepicoftheAnglo-Saxons.Itisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.

AftertheNorman’sconquest,threelanguagesco-existedinEngland.FrenchistheofficiallanguagethatisusedbykingandtheNormanlords.Latinistheprincipaltongueofchurchaffairsandinuniversities.OldEnglishwasspokenonlybythecommonEnglishpeople.

Inthesecondhalfof14thcentury,GerofferyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers

Recite:

Romance:

whichusesnarrativeverseorprosetosingknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeedsisapopularliteraryforminthemedievalperiod.Ithasdevelopedthecharacteristicmedievalmotifsofthequest,thetest,themeetingwiththeevilgiantandtheencounterwiththebeautifulbeloved.Theheroisusuallytheknight,whosetsoutonajourneytoaccomplishsomemissions.Thereisoftenmysteriesandfantasiesinromance.Romanticloveisanimportantpartoftheplotinromance.Characterizationisstandardized,Whilethestructureislooseandepisodic,thelanguageissimpleandstraightforward.Theimportanceoftheromanceitselfcanbeseenasameansofshowingmedievalaristocraticmenandwomeninrelationtotheiridealizedviewoftheworld.

Heroiccouplet:

Heroiccoupletisarhymedcoupletofiambicpentameter.ItisChaucerwhouseditforthefirsttimeinEnglishinhisworkTheLegendofGoodWoman.

DefinetheperiodofOldEnglishliteratureandmedievalliterature:

TheperiodofOldEnglishliteraturebeginswiththeAnglo-SaxonssettlementinEnglandatabout450to1066,theyearoftheNormanConquestofEngland.TheMedievalPeriodinEnglishliteraturestartat1066,theyearoftheNormanConquest,andendsataboutthe15thcentury,isalmostabarrenoneinliterarycreation.Whileinthelaterperiod,startingfromthesecondhalfofthe14thcentury,EnglishliteratureflourisheswiththeappearanceofwriterslikeGeoffreyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers,

4. 

ThethemeofBeowulf:

thepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofthenaturemythsandheroiclegends.

5. 

WhatdoesthecharacterthewifeofBathinTheCanterburyTalesrepresent?

Andhowdoestheauthordevelophischaracterization?

TheWifeofBathisdepictedasthenewbourgeoiswifeassertingherindependence.Chaucerdevelopshischaracterizationtoahigherartisticlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.

6. 

Chauceriscalled“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”andhasmadegreatcontributionstoEnglishpoetryandEnglishliterature.PleasediscussChaucer’sliteraryachievementandwhyheiscalled”thefatherofEnglishpoetry”

Chaucer’sachievement:

hepresentedacomprehensiverealisticpictureofhisageandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersinhisworks,especiallyinTheCanterburyTales.2.Heanticipatedanewear,theRenaissance,tocomeundertheinfluenceoftheItalianwriters.3.Hedevelopedhischaracterizationtoahigherlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.4.hegreatlycontributedtothematuringofEnglishpoetry.Today,Chaucer’sreputationhasbeensecurelyestablishedasoneofthebestEnglishpoetsforhiswisdom,humorandhumanity.

Whyheiscalled“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”:

Originally,OldEnglishpoemsaremainlyalliterativeverseswithfewvariations.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplaceit.InTheRomauntoftheRose,hefirstintroducedtotheEnglishtheisosyllabiccouplet.InTheLegendofGoodWomen,heusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishheroiccouplet.Andinhismasterpiece,TheCanterburyTales,heemployedheroiccoupletwithtrueeaseandcharmforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.HisartmadehimoneofthegreatestpoetsinEnglish;

JohnDrydencalledhim“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”.

ChapterI 

theRenaissancePeriod

Renaissance:

itismarksatransitionfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.Generally,itreferstotheperiodbetweenthe14thandmid17thcenturies.ItfirststartedfromItalyandthenspreadalloverEurope.Therenaissance,whichmeans“rebirth”or“revival”,isactuallyamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchastherediscoveryofancientRomanandGreekculture,thenewdiscoveriesingeographyandastrology,thereligiousreformationandtheeconomicexpansion.TheRenaissance,therefore,inessence,isahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEuropeanhumanistthinkersandscholarsmadeattemptstogetridofthoseoldfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpressedtheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisie,andtorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch.

ThebackgroundoftheEngland

TheEnglandisunrest,andisavolcanicperiodofEnglishhistory.Thewar-likenoblesseizedthepowerofEnglandandturneditintoself-destruction.ThefrightfulreignofRichardIIImarkedtheendofcivilwars,untilthereignofHenryVIII（1509-1547）thattheRenaissancereallybegantoshowitseffectinEngland

Humanism:

itistheessenceoftheRenaissance.HumanismisasystemofbeliefsupheldbywritersandartistsoftheRenaissanceperiodintheirfightingagainstmedievalasceticism.Itstatesthatmanisgodly,thatmanisabletofindtruth,goodnessandbeauty,andthatmanisincontrolofthepresentliferatherthanbeingcontrolledbyGod.Briefly,humanismputsmanatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakesmantobethemeasureofeverythingwhiletheformerasceticismputsGodatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakespersonalsalvationtobethemostimportantthingontheearthforman.

Religiousreformation:

itisMartinLuther,aGermanProtestant,whoinitiatedtheReformation.LutherbelievedthateverytrueChristianwashisownpriestandwasentitledtointerprettheBibleforhimself.

HenryVIIIwasregardedasthefaithfulsonoftheCatholic,hiswifecutthetieswithRome

EdwardVI 

thereformofthechurch’sdoctrineandteachingwascarriedout

Mary 

therewasaviolentswingtoCatholicism.

Elizabeth’sreign 

Protestantismhasbeenfirmlyestablished.

Thereligiousreformationwasactuallyareflectionoftheclassstrugglewagedbythenewrisingbourgeoisieagainstthefeudalclassanditsideology.

Blankverse:

istheunrhymediambicpentameterline,ItwasSurreywhofirstbroughtitinandMarlowewhoperfecteditwithhis“mightyline”

Metaphysicalpoetry:

Theterm“metaphysicalpoetry”iscommonlyusedtonametheworkofthe17thcenturywriterswhowroteundertheinfluenceofJohnDonne.Witharebelliousspirit,themetaphysicalpoetstriedtobreakawayfromtheconventionalfashionoftheElizabethanlovepoetry.Thedictionissimpleandechoesthewordsandcadencesofcommonspeech.Theimageryisdrawnfromtheactuallife.Theformisfrequentlythatofanargumentwiththepoet’sbeloved,withGod,orwithhimself.ModernpoetslikeT.S.Eliothavebeenmostlyaffectedbythemetaphysicalinfluence.

7. 

TheRenaissanceheroisMarlowe’screation,Suchaheroisalwaysindividualisticandfullofambition,facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.HeembodiesMarlowe’shumanisticidealofhumandignityandcapacity.Differentfromthetragicheroinmedievalplays,whoseeksthewaytoheaventhroughsalvationandGod’swill,heisagainstconventionalmoralityandcontrivestoobtainheavenonearththroughhisownefforts,Withtheendlessaspirationforpower,knowledge,andglory,theherointerpretsthetrueRenaissancespirit.BothTamburlaineandFaustusaretypicalinpossessingsuchaspirit.

8. 

giveagreatincentivetosomething

9. 

WilliamCaxton,whointroducedprintingintoEngland.Including 

TheCanterburyTablesandMalory’sMorteDarthur

10. 

it’sthemainstreamofthesth

11. 

Itcouldbedatedbacktothe……

12. 

Interludesandmoralityplaysthrivinginthemedievalperiod

13. 

butthedevelopmentofthedramaintoasophisticatedartform

14. 

Theymadeavividdepictionofthesharpconflictsbetweenfeudalismandtherisingbourgeoisieinatransitionalperiod.

15. 

FrancisBacon（1561-1626）,thefirstimportantEnglishessayist,isbestknownforhisessayswhichgreatlyinfluencedthedevelopmentofthisliteraryform.HewasalsothefounderofmodernscienceinEngland.Hiswritingspavedthewayfortheuseofscientificmethod.Thus,heisundoubtedlyoneoftherepresentativesoftheEnglishRenaissance.

16. 

Themainwriters

A. 

EdmundSpenser（1552-1