英美文学教程笔记Word格式.docx

英美文学教程笔记Word格式.docx

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VI.GeoffreyChaucer

I.BackgroundinformationoftheAnglo-Saxonperiod

Theperiodcanberoughlydividedintotwostages:

theAnglo-SaxonperiodandtheAnglo-Normanperiod.

1.Themakingofthenation.

1.1Theinhabitantsofthenation

ThenativeCelts凯尔特人（theyinhabitinwhatisnowIreland,WalesandScotland）-------theRomanConquest（thisconquestwasledbyJuliusCaesarin55B.C.,whichlasted4centuries,butitmadelittleinfluenceonthenation’sliterature）-------theAnglo-SaxonConquestinabout449bythreeTeutonictribes条顿部落---theAnglos,theSaxons,theJutes.

TheAnglo-SaxonswereChristianizedinthe7thcentury,whichinfluencedtheliteratureintwoaspects:

oneisthegreatnumberofChristianpoetrywhichformsanimportantpartofEnglishliteratureofthisperiod;

theotherisChristiancolorinpaganworks,forthemonksrecordedtheoralliteraturewiththeirChristianideas.（Theideasusuallydonotgowiththecontentofthewholebeing.）

1.2Thelanguage

Inthe7th,thethreetribesmixedintoawholepeoplecalledEnglishandthelanguagespokenbythemisgenerallycalledAnglo-Saxon,thatistheOldEnglish.

Themainliteraryformoftheperiodispoetryandtherearetwogroups:

paganpoetryandreligiouspoetry,andoftenChristianone.

ThemostimportantworksleftisBeowulf《贝奥武甫》or《贝尔武夫》

TheintroductiontoBeowulf

ItistheearliestcompleteepicinEnglishliteratureanditisregardedasthenationalepicoftheEnglishpeople.

-----Definitionofepicornationalepic史诗:

itisapoeticaccountofthedeedsofoneormoregreatheroes,orofanation’spasthistory.

-----3182lines,twopartswithaninterpolationbetweenthetwo.

-----Thethemeofthepoem:

Beowulfisoneofthenation’sheroesoftheEnglishpeople.Withthedescriptionsofhisheroicdeeds,thesongreflectseventstakingplaceontheScandinavianpeninsulaatthebeginningofthe7thcentury.

-----Thesignificanceofthepoem:

Thestoryrepresents1）thefightoftheancientpeopleagainstbeastsandnaturalforces（e.g.flood,volcano）;

2）itreflectsthefeaturesoftribalsocietyofancienttime;

3）Beowulf’sdeedspresentstheidealvirtuesofancientAnglo-Saxons.（courage,prowess,devotiontohispeople）

-----Characteristicsofthepoem:

analliterativeverse头韵体诗歌;

paganinspiritandmatter,yetwithvisibleChristianmarks.

III.BackgroundinformationoftheAnglo-Normanperiod.

3.1TheNormanConquest

ThebeginningoftheAnglo-NormanperiodismarkedbytheNormanConquestin1066.TheinfluencesoftheconquestontheEnglishsocietyare:

1）thenationturnedfromthetribalsocietytothefeudalsociety;

2）theconquestbroughtforthenationFrenchcivilizationandtheFrenchlanguage.

3.2Thelanguage

Atfirst,FrenchwasthelanguageoftheupperclassortheoppressorandOldEnglishwasthelanguageoftheoppressed.ThenOldEnglishwascombinedwithFrenchtoformanewlanguage----MiddleEnglish

IV.LiterarycharacteristicsoftheAnglo-Normanperiod

Themainliteraryformsoftheperiodarepoetryandprose.（romanceintheformofprose）

Literarycharacteristics

------中古英诗呈现法国诗风与英格兰本土传统交融的情景。

诗歌韵体上，一方面受法国诗歌的影响，出现以音韵为特征的诗歌e.g.Chaucer’sCanterburytales，一方面保留古英语的头韵体诗歌e.g.SirGawainandtheGreenKnight

------poeticforms:

A.romance传奇whichwasbroughtfromFrancetoEngland,wasaboutthebright,romantictalesofloveandadventuresoftheknights.（P18）

B.Ballad民谣:

（definition）BalladisakindofEnglishfolkliterature.Itisastorytoldinsongs,usuallyin4-linestanzas,withthe2ndandthe4thlinesrhymed.ItportraysthecharactersfromthelowerclassandgivesanoutlookofthelifeofthecommonpeopleinfeudalEngland.（P51）

e.g.the“RobinHood”group

------SirGawainandtheGreenKnight,themostimportantamongtheKingArthur’scircle.（P18）

Itisabouttheadventuresandromanticloveofaknight,SirGawain.Andtheknightrepresentstheidealvirtuesadvocatedinthefeudalsociety---courage,devotiontohiskingandalsohisbelovedlady;

thisromancealsogivesavividaccountofthecourtlifeatthattime;

------Piers,thePlowmanbyWilliamLangland朗格兰

Itisareligiousallegory.

------GeoffreyChaucer乔叟

Heisregardedas“fatherofEnglishpoetry”,andoneofthegreatestnarrativepoetsinEngland.（P41）AsawriterlivinginthetransitionalperiodwhenEnglandturnedfromfeudalsocietytocapitalism,hisworksrevealsfaithfullythelifeandthethoughtsofhistime.（heeulogizestheidealsofchivalrousEnglandontheonehand,andontheotherhand,hesanghighlyoftheRenaissancespirits）

6.1Abouttheauthor

A.Chaucerwasborninabout1340inafamilyofarichmerchantandservedaspagetoacountess,whichprovidedwithhimachanceofgettinginclosetieswiththecourtandnobility.

B.In1359heaccompaniedtheEnglisharmytoFranceandin1367hewassentonseveralembassiestoFrance.ThisexperiencehelpedhimgetinacquaintanceswithFrenchrenaissance.（imitatemewformsofpoetrywriting,translateFrenchworks）

C.In1367hewassentonseveralembassiestoFlanders,FranceandItaly,hethengotinacquaintanceswithItalianrenaissance.（Dante但丁,Boccaccio卜伽丘,Petrarch彼得拉克）

D.Thepoetdiedin1400andwasburiedinWestminsterAbbey,thusfoundingthe“Poets’Corner”.

6.2Chaucer’smainworks（P42）

masterpiece:

TheCanterburyTales

6.3TheCanterburyTales

------Itisoneofthemostfamousworksinallliteratures.Inarrangingthepoem,heimitatestheframeworkofBoccaccio’sDecamenon《十日谈》：

ageneralprologue+24taleswithinterlogues.（P43）

------SignificanceofTheCanterburyTales

A.Chaucercreatedabrilliantandpicturesquepanoramaofhistimeandhiscountry.Inthisbook,heportrayedcharactersfromallwalksoflifeandmadethemtellstoriesthatrevealedthelife,mannersandthoughtsofpeoplefromdifferentsocialclasses.

B.Asahumanist,heeulogizedhumanistideas.Hebelievedintherightsofmantoearthlyhappiness.Hewaskeentopraiseman’senergy,intellect,quickwitandtheloveforlife.

C.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzaofvarioustypestoreplacetheOldEnglishalliterativeverse.HewasthefirsttoemployskillfullyheroiccoupletsinEnglishpoeticwriting.

D.Hecoveredallthemajortypesofmedievalliteratureinhismasterpiece,suchasromances,folktales,animalstories.

E.ChauceralsocontributedgreatlytothefoundingofEnglishliterarylanguage,thebasisofwhichwasformedbytheLondondialect,soprofoundlyusedbythepoet.

------Appreciationpfthe“generalPrologue”（P43）

ChapterTwo

EnglishLiteratureintheRenaissance

I.Historicalbackgroundoftheperiod

II.FeaturesofEnglishRenaissance

III.Importantliterarymenandliteraryworks

IV.ChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespeare

The16thcenturyinEnglandwasaperiodofthebreakingupoffeudalrelationsandtheestablishingofthefoundationsofcapitalism.

A.Economically,theperiodwitnessedtheprogressofbourgeoiseconomywhichwasstimulatedbytheEnclosuremovement.（圈地运动）

B.Scientifically,itwasatimeofnewdiscoveriesingeographyandastrology.（哥伦布发现新大陆，哥白尼的“太阳中心说”）Thediscoveryofnewlandledtothedevelopmentofoverseastrade.Thenewideasaboutthecentreoftheworldarousedsuspiciononmedievalreligion.

CThereligiousandpoliticalreforminEnglandortheconsolidationofsecularandecclesiasticalpowerunderoneKinggreatlyfurtheredthestrengtheningofEnglishmonarchy.

D.Inliteratureandarts,therewasakeeninterestintherediscoveredancientGreekandRomanculturewithareassertionofman’spositionasthecentreoftheuniverse.Alsotheintroductionofprintingintheturningofthecenturymadereadingpopular,whichhelpedthespreadofnewideasamongthepopulace.

------Thedefinitionortheterm

Renaissance:

ThetermRenaissanceoriginallyindicatesarevivalorrebirthofancientGreekandRomanartsandsciencesafterthedarkagesofmedievalobscurantism.Indeed,agreatnumberoftheworksofclassicalauthorsweretranslatedintoEnglishduringthe16thcentury.Thestudyandpropagationofclassicallearningandartwascarriedonbytheprogressivethinkersofthehumanists.Theyheldtheirchiefinterestnotinecclesiasticalknowledge,butinman,hisenvironmentanddoingsandbravelyfoughtfortheemancipationofmanfromthetyrannyofthechurchandreligiousdogmas.

------TwokeyfeaturesofRenaissance

A.Thehumanistsshowedathirstingcuriosityforclassicalliterature.TherearousedageneralofthestudyofGreekandLatinauthors.（e.g.translatingtheirworks,modelingtheirliteraryforms,borrowingtheirsubjects）

B.Theyhadakeeninterestinlifeandhumanactivities.Forthefirsttime,manisconsideredasthecentreoftheuniverse.TheinterestinGodandinthelifeafterdeathistransformedintotheexaltationofmanandanabsorptioninearthlylife.

3.1Literaryformsoftheperiod

A.poetry,lyricalpoetryandnarrative/epicpoetry

B.prose,literarycriticworksandessays

C.drama