自考英语本科《英美文学选读》英美文学复习笔记整理.docx

自考英语本科《英美文学选读》英美文学复习笔记整理.docx

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自考英语本科《英美文学选读》英美文学复习笔记整理

英国部分

TheRenaissancePeriod

1.Renaissance:

between14thandmid-17thcentury.

2.Renaissancemeansrebirthorrevival,isactuallyamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchastherediscoveryofancientRomanandGreekculture,thenewdiscoveriesingeographyandastrology,thereligiousreformationandtheeconomicexpansion.

3.theRenaissance,thereforeinessenceisahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEuropeanhumanistthinkersandScholarsmadeattempttogetridofthoseoldfeudalistideasinMedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpressedthepurityoftherisingbourgeoisie,andtorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicchurch.

4.HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance

（1）Capableofindividualdevelopmentinthedirectionofperfection.

（2）Theyinhabitedwastheirsnottodespisebytoquestion,exploreandenjoy.

（3）ByemphasizingthedignityofhumanbeingandtheImportanceofthepresentlife,theyvoicedtheirbeliefsthatmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoythebeautyofthislife

（4）TomasMore,ChristopherMarlowandWilliamShakespearearethebestrepresentativeoftheEnglishhumanist.

5Metaphysicalpoetry:

Metaphysicalischaracterizedbypassionatethoughtsuccessionofconcentratedimage,exerciseofelaborateingenuityand“wit”,JohnDonewasthefamousoftheMetaphysicalpoet.TheMetaphysicalPoetsweremenoflearningandtoshowtheirlearningwastheirendeavour.

EdmundSpencer

Masterpiece:

TheFaerieQueene（allegory）

ChristopherMarlowe

Universitywits

Importantplays:

Tambulaine,Dr.Faustus,TheJewofMetaEdmundII

MarlowevoicedthesupremedesireofthemanoftheRenaissanceofinfinitepowersandauthority

（1）Perfectedtheblankverse.

（2）CreationoftheRenaissanceherotoEnglishdrama,itembodiesMarlowe’sidealofhumandignityandcapacity.

Dr.Faustus:

aspiringforknowledge,theplay’sdominantmoralishumanratherthanreligious,itcelebratesthehumanpassionforknowledge,powerandhappiness,italsorevealsman’sfrustrationinrealizingthehighaspirationinahostilemoralorderandtheconfinementtotimeisthecruelestfactofman’scondition.

WilliamShakespeare

1.Works:

154sonnets,38plays,2longpoems

Comedy:

MerchantofVenice.

24greattragedies:

Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,Macbeth

Eachportrayssomenoblehero,whofacetheinjusticeofhumanfateiscloselyconnectedwiththefateofthewholenation,eachherohashisweaknessofnature.Hamlet,themelancholicscholar-prince,facesthedilemmabetweenactionandmind:

Othello’sinnerweaknessismadeuseofbytheoutsideevilforce;theoldKingLearwhoisunwillingtototallygiveuphispowermakeshimselfsuffer,fromtreacheryandinfidelity;Macbeth’slustforpowerstirsuphisambitionandleadshimtoincessantcrime.

3MerchantofVenice

Inthisplay,Shakespearehascreatedtension:

ambiguity,aselfconsciousandself-delightingartificethatisatonceintellectuallyexistingandemotionallyengaging.Thesophisticationderivesinpartfromtheplaybetweenhigh,outstandingromanceanddarkfacesofnegatingandhatethetraditionalthemeoftheplayistopraisethefriendshipbetweenAntonioandBassanio,toidealizePortiaasaheroineofgreatbeauty,witandloyalty,andtoexploreinsuitablegreedandbrutalityoftheJew.

4Hamlet.

Theplayhasthequalitiesofa“blood-and-thunder”thrillerandaphilosophicalexplorationoflifeoflifeanddeath,thetimelessappealofhismightydramaliesinitscombinationofinjustice,emotionalconflictandsearchingphilosophicmelancholy.Hamletisobligedtoinhabitashadowworld,tolivesuspendedbetweenfactandfiction,languageandaction.Hislifeisoneoftheconstantrole-playingexaminingthenatureofactingonlytodenyitspossibility.Forsuchafigure,soliloquyisanaturalmedium,anecessaryreleaseofhisanguish;andsomeofhisquestioningmonologuepossessurpassingpowerandinsight.Byrevealingthepower-seeking,thejostlingforplace,thehiddenmotives,thecourteoussuperficialitiesthatveillustandguilty,Shakespearecondemnsthehypocrisyandtreacheryandgeneralreligiouscorruptingattheroyalcount.

FrancisBacon

1Masterpiece:

Essay;NovumOrganum.

2NovumOrganum:

mostimpressivedisplayofBeacon’sintellect.Theargumentisfortheuseofinductivenessofreasoninscientificstudy.

3Beaconsuggeststheinductivereasoning,i.e,proceedingfromtheparticulartothegeneral,inplaceoftheAristotelianmethod,thedeductivereasoning,i.e.proceedingfromthegeneraltotheparticular.

4Beacon’sessayarefamousfortheirbrevity,compactnessandpowerfulness.

JohnDone

Metaphysicalpoetry

ThemoststrikingfeatureofDone’spoetryispreciselyitstangofreality,inthesensethatitseemstoreflectlifeinarealratherthanapoeticalworld..

Donefrequentlyappliesconceits.

JohnMilton

Threemajorpoeticalworks:

Paradiselost,ParadiseRegained,SamsonAgonists

ThefreedomofthewillisthekeytoneofMilton.screed.

ParadiseLost

TheepicisthemasterpieceofJohnMilton

ThestoryisdrawnfromtheOldTestamentoftheBible,whichtellshowSatan,afterbeingdefeatedinhisrebelagainstGod,tempsAdamandEvetoeattheapplesfortheForbiddenTree,andcausestheFallofMan.

Satan,intheimageofarebel,stilldeterminestofightbackagainstGodwhenheandhisfollowersarecastintotheHell.Thefeaturesofthecharacterincludehisboldness,unbendingambitionandhisunconquerablewill.Thepoem,asinotherwriting,isfullofbiblicalandclassicalallusion,andisinaLatinizedstylewithonesentencerunningperhapsacrossseverallines.But,themajestyofexpressionsuitswellthesublimityofthepoet’sthought.

TheNeoclassicPeriod

1BetweenthereturnoftheStuartstotheEnglishthronein1660andthefullassertionofRomanticismwhichcamewiththepublicationoflyricalBalladsbyWordsworthandColeridgein1798

1.      EnlightenmentortheAgeofreason

TheEnlightenmentmovementwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementwhichflourishedinFranceandsweptthewholewesternEuropeatthetime

Itsproposewastoenlightenthewholeworldwiththelightofmodernphilosophicalandartisticideas.Theenlightenmenterscelebratedreasonorrationally,equalityandscience.Theycalledforareferencetoorder,reasonandrule,yieldplaceto“eternaltruth”“eternaljustice”and“naturalequality”

Theybelievedthathumanbeingswerelimited,dualisticandimperfectliteratureatthetime,heavilydidacticandmoralizing.

Theybelievedinself-restraint,self-relianceandhardwork.Towork,toeconomizeandtoaccumulatewealthconstitutethewholemeaningoftheirlife.Thisaspectofsociallifeisbest-formedintherealisticnovelsofthe18thcentury.

3Inthefieldofliterature,theybelievedthattheartisticshouldbeorder,logic,restrainedemotionandaccuracy.seekproportion,unity,harmonyandgraceinliteraryexpression,inanefforttodelight,instructandcorrecthumanbeings..

4Neoclassicism.InEnglishliteratureand,thestylistictrendbetweentheRestorationandtheadventofromanticismatthebeginningofthe19thcenturyisreferredtoasNeoclassicism.

5Heroic:

Itisapairofrhymedlinesofiambicpentameter.TheformwasintroducedintoEnglishbyChaucerandwidelyusedsubsequently.

JohnBunyan

1.      Masterpiece:

Thepilgrim’sprogress

2.      The“vanityfair”symbolizeshumanword,forallthatcomthisvanityEverythingandanythinginthisworldisvanity,havingnovalueandnomeaning.Thevanityfair,a“marketsellingnothingness”ofallsorts,isadirtyplaceoriginallybuiltupbydetails,but,thistown“lay”inthewaytotheCelestialCity,meaningpilgrimshadtoresistthetemptationstherewhentheymadetheirwaythrough.So,thedepictionofthe“Fair”insellingthingsworldlyandinattractingpeoplebad,representsJohnBunyan’srejectionoftheworldlyseekingsandpiouslongingforthepureandcharming“Celestialcity”,hisChristianideal.

AlexanderPope

Pope,averysensitiveman,wouldstrikebackhard,andintheconstantverbalbattleshedevelopedastyleofbitingsatire.

HewasoneofthefirsttointroducerationalismtoEngland,butwasnotentirelyblindtotherapidmoral,politicalandculturaldeterioration.

Forhimthesupremevalueswasorder-cosmicorder,politicalorder,socialorder,aestheticorder,andthisemphasisanorderexpressioninallofhisworks.PopemadehisnameasagreatpoetwiththepublicationofanEssayonCriticismin1711.

PopestronglyadvocatedNeoclassicism,emphasizingthatliteraryworksshouldbejudgedbyclassicalruleoforder,reason,logic,restrainedemotion,goodtasteanddecorum.

DanielDefoe

Masterpiece:

RobinsonCrusoe

Hislanguageissmooth,easy,colloquialandmostvernacular.Defoeglorifieshumanlaborandthepuritanfortitude.Itreferstheenterprisingspritofthemiddleclass.

JonathanSwift

1.Chiefworks:

ATaleofaTub,Thebattleofthebooks,TheDrapier’sletters,Guilliver’sTravelandaModestproposal.

2.Swiftisalmostunsurpassedinthewritingofsimple,direct,preciseprose.Hedefinedagoodstyleas“properwordsinproperplaces”clear,simple,concrete,diction,uncomplicatedsentencestructureandeconomyandconciseuseoflanguagemarkallhiswriting-essay,poemsandnovels.

3.      Asawhole,thebookisoneofthemosteffectiveanddevastatingcriticismandsatiresofallaspectsinthethenEnglishandEuropeanlife-socially,politically,religiously,