英国文学1.docx

英国文学1.docx

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英国文学1

GeoffreyChaucer（1340-1400）

杰佛利·乔叟

I.LifeandmainworksofChaucer

ThoughChaucerwasbornovertwohundredyearsearlier,weknowagooddealmoreforcertainabouthislifethanwedoofShakespeare’s.BecauseChaucerwasapublicmanaswellasapoet:

aneminentservant（官吏）,diplomat,administrator,JusticeofthePeace（治安官员）,andMemberofParliament.Hewastherepresentativewriterofthecentury.Therefore,the14thcenturyisusuallycalled“TheAgeofChaucer”.TodayChaucerisacclaimednotonlyas“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”（JohnDryden）butalsoas“thefatherofEnglishfiction”.

HistwovisitstoItalymusthavebeencrucial,herehebecameacquaintedwiththenewlearning,withtheworksofPetrarch（彼特拉克，1304-1374，意大利诗人、学者、欧洲人文主义运动的主要代表）,GiovanniBoccaccio（乔万尼·卜伽丘，1313-1375，文艺复兴时期意大利，《十日谈》Decameron）.HewasinfluencedbyDante（但丁，1265-1321意大利诗人，《神曲》DivineComedy）,Petrarch,andBoccaccio.ItispossiblethatBoccaccio’sthecollectionofstoriesinDecamerongaveChaucertheideaforTheCanterburyTales.Afterhisdeath,hewasburiedinWestminsterAbbey（英国名人墓地）,“Poet’sCorner”.

１３４８年，意大利的佛罗伦萨发生了一场可怕的瘟疫。

每天，都有大批大批的尸体运到城外。

从３月到７月，病死的人达１０万以上，昔日美丽繁华的佛罗伦萨城变成了坟场。

这件事给当时意大利作家薄伽丘以深刻影响。

为了记下人类这场灾难，他以这场瘟疫为背景，写下短篇小说集《十日谈》。

　　原来，在佛罗伦萨闹瘟疫期间的一个清晨，７个美丽年轻而富有教养的小姐，在教堂遇到了３个英俊而富有热烈激情的青年男子。

７位小姐中的３人是他们的情人，别的几位和他们还有亲戚关系。

他们决心带着仆人，离开佛罗伦萨这座可怕城市。

　　他们相约，两天后到郊外的一座小山上的别墅里去躲避瘟疫。

这１０位年轻人每天不是唱歌弹琴，就是跳舞散步。

大家商定每人每天讲一个优秀动听的故事，以此来愉快地度过一天中最难熬的时光，他们一共讲了１０天，１０天合计讲了１００个故事，这些故事收集成集子就叫《十日谈》。

　Chaucer’swholelifecanbedividedintothreeperiods.Thefirstperiod,aboutthirtyyears,includinghisyouthandearlymanhood,istheperiodofFrenchinfluence.Chaucer’smainworksinthisperiodweretranslationsfromFrench.TheRomauntoftheRose《玫瑰传奇》,themostpopularlonglovepoemoftheMiddleAges,wastranslatedfromFrenchintoEnglishbyChaucer.Thesecondperiod,aboutfifteenyears,coversChaucer’sactivelifeasdiplomatandmanofaffairs（知识渊博的人）.

　Inthisperiod,ItalianinfluenceseemedstrongerthantheFrench.ChaucerproducedworksadaptedfromItalianwriters.HischiefworksofthisperiodwereTroilusandCriseyde《特罗勒斯与克丽西德》andTheHouseofFame《声誉之堂》.Thethirdperiod,includinghislastfifteenyears,isgenerallyknownastheEnglishPeriod.ItistheperiodofChaucer’srichestdevelopment.Hismasterpiece,TheCanterburyTales,isoneofthemostfamousworksinallliteratures.

II.TheCanterburyTales

Inthisgreatwork,theauthorgiveshisreaderapictureofEnglishsocietyintheMiddleAges.Thewholeworkconsistsofaprologueandtwenty-fourtales.Intheprologue,theauthorrevealshisplanforwritingthiswork,andalsovividly

describesthetellerofeachtale.

Chaucertellsusthatonespringday,hecomesintotheTabardInninSouthwarkatthesouthendofLondonBridge.Herehemeetstwentyninepilgrims,whoaregoingtoCanterbury（坎特伯雷,英国东南部城市,在肯特郡.该城曾为肯特国王都城。

1170年12月29日，该城主教托马斯·阿·柏刻特因与国王亨利二世发生冲突被刺身亡，引起公愤。

1173年，柏刻特被尊为殉唯圣徒，其遗骨葬于坎特伯雷教堂，自那以后到乔叟时的200余年中，每年有络绎不绝的信徒前往朝拜。

它成了著名的圣地。

）.

IntheGeneralPrologue,thepoettellshow,onedayinApril,hecomestotheTabardInninthesouthernsuburbofLondon.Bynightfalltheyarriveattheinn,twentyninepilgrimsareallreadytogotoSt.ThomasàBecket’stombatCanterbury,andthepoetjoinsthecompanyandconverseswithallofthem.AttheproposalofHarryBailey,thehostoftheinn,allthepilgrimsagreethattheymakejourneytoandfromCanterburymoreinterestingbytellingstoriestooneanotherontheway.Eachofthemistotelltwostoriesontheoutwardtripandtwomoreonthewayback.Whoevertellsthebesttaleistobegivenafreesupper,atthecostofalltherest,upontheirreturntotheTabardInn.Thehostofferstogowiththemastheirguideandjudge.

Accordingtothisarrangement,thereshouldbealtogetherahundredandtwentystoriesinthecollection,butactuallyonlytwenty-fourtalesarepreserved,amongwhichtwoareleftincomplete,beinginterruptedatitwereinthecourseofnarration,whiletwoothersobviouslyremainunfinished.

Theprologueincludesagroupofvividsketches（素描）oftypicalmedievalfigures.AllclassesoftheEnglishfeudalsociety,expecttheroyaltyandthepoorestpeasant,arerepresentedbythesethirtypilgrims.Theyrangefromtheknightandsquire（律师、治安官）,andprioress（女修道院院长）,throughthelandedproprietorandwealthytradesman,downtothedrunkencookandhumbleplowman.Therearealsoadoctorandalawyer,monksofdifferentordersandnunsandpriests,andasummoner（法院传票传达员）,asailor,amiller,acarpenter,ayeoman（自耕农）,andanOxfordscholar.InthecenterofthegroupistheWifeofBath（巴斯妇）,theownerofalargecloth-factory.

Everyfigureisdrawnwiththeaccuracyofaportrait.TheportraitsofthethirtypilgrimssupplyaminiatureoftheEnglishsocietyinChaucer’stime.Lookingatthepicturegallery,weknowatoncehowpeoplelivedinthatera.ThatiswhyChaucerwaspraisedbyGorky（高尔基）as“thefounderofEnglishrealism”.

III.SocialSignificanceofTheCanterburyTales

InTheCanterburyTales,Chaucergivesusatrue-to-lifepictureofthesocietyofhistime.Takingthestandoftherisingbourgeoisie,heaffirmsmenandopposesthedogma（教条）ofasceticism（禁欲主义）preachedbytheChurch.Asaforerunnerofhumanism,hepraisesman’senergy,intellect,quickwit（机智）andloveoflife.Histalesexposeandsatirize（讽刺性描写）theevilsofhistime.Theyattackthedegenerationofthenoble,the

heartlessnessofthejudge,thecorruptionoftheChurchandsoon.

Livinginatransitionalperiod,Chaucerisnotentirelydevoid（缺乏的）medievalprejudices.Heisreligioushimself.Thereisnothingrevolutionaryinhiswriting,thoughhelivedinaperiodofpeasantuprising.Whilepraisingman’srighttoearthlyhappiness,hesometimeslikestocrackaroughjokeandpaintnaturalisticpicturesofsexuallife.

IV.FeaturesofChaucer’sWriting

Chaucerwroteinvividandexactlanguage.Hispoetryisfullofvigorandswiftness.Chaucer’scontributiontoEnglishpoetryisthatheintroducedfromFrancetherhymedcoupletofiambic（抑扬格）pentameter（五音步诗行）（whichwaslatercalledthe“heroiccouplet”英雄双韵体）toEnglishpoetry,insteadoftheoldAnglo-Saxonalliterativeverse（头韵诗）.ChauceristhefirstgreatpoetwhowroteinthecurrentEnglishlanguage.

HewrotehispoetrybyusingtheEastMidlanddialectofEngland,thedialectofLondon.SohedidmuchinmakingthedialectofLondon,thefoundationformodernEnglishspeechandestablishingEnglishastheliterarylanguageofthecountry.Chaucerdisplayedgeniusforvividcharacterization,bland（柔和的）irony,oblique（坦率的）humor,andmixofpracticality（实用性）andimagination,rhetoric（华丽的言语）andrealism.

Chaucer’sstyleinTheCanterburyTalesisremarkablyflexible.Hisprose,likehisvocabulary,iseasyandinformal.Chaucerisagreatsatirist,butheisalmostneverbitterwhenhepokesfunatthefoiblesandweaknessofpeople.

V．Let’sreadtheselectionofTheCanterburyTales（看课本2-5页）

ThePrologue

WheninAprilthesweetshowersfall

Andpierce（penetrate）thedroughtofMarchtotheroot,andall

Theveins（叶脉）arebathedinliquor（喻指甘霖）ofsuchpower

Asbringsabouttheengendering（生长，发芽）oftheflower,

WhenalsoZephyrus（希腊人认为西风神是森林诸神中最温柔者）withhissweetbreath

Exhales[eksˈheɪl]（breatheout）anairineverygrove（wood）andheath（openanduncultivatedland）

Uponthetendershoots（嫩芽，幼苗）,andtheyoungsun

Hishalf-courseinthesignoftheRamhasrun,（白羊宫，但太阳经过白羊宫时为三月二十一日至四月二十一日，正值春天。

）

Andthesmallfowl（birds）aremakingmelody

Thatsleepawaythenightwithopeneye

Thenpeoplelongtogoonpilgrimages

Andpalmers[ˈpɑ:

mə]（朝圣者）longtoseekthestrangerstrands（shore）

Offar-offsaints,hallowed（respect）insundry（allkindsof）lands,

Andspecially,fromeveryshire’s（郡）end

OfEngland,downtoCanterburytheywend（go）

Toseektheholyblissful（有造化的）martyr[ˈmɑ:

tə]（殉教者）,quick

Togivehishelptothemwhentheyweresick.

thappenedinthatseasonthatoneday

InSouthwark,attheTabard,asIlay（精心准备）

Readytogoonpilgrimageandstart

ForCanterbury,mostdevout[dɪˈvaʊt]（虔诚的）atheart,

Atnighttherecameintothehostelry[ˈhɔstəlri]（hotel）

Somenineandtwentyinacompany（group）

Ofsundryfolk（people）happeningthentofall

Infellowship,andtheywerepilgrimsall

ThattowardsCanterburymeanttoride.

Theroomsandstables（马厩）oftheinnwerewide;

Theymadeuseasy（comfortable）,allwasofthebest,

And,briefly,whenthesunhadgonetorest,

I’dspokentothemalluponthetrip

Andwassoononewiththeminfellowship,

Pledged（promise）toriseearlyandtotaketheway

ToCanterbury,asyouheardmesay.

Butnonetheless（still）,whileIhavetimeandspace,

Beforemystorytakesafurtherpace,（趁故事正文尚未开始，我还有时间和篇幅）

Itseemsareasonablethingtosay

Whattheircondition（社会地位）was,thefullarray（rank）

Ofeachofthem,asitappearedtome.

Accordingtoprofessionanddegree（地位）,

Andwhatapparel（clothes）theywereridingin;

AndataKnightIthereforewillbegin.

TherewasaKnight,amostdistinguishedman,

Whofromthedayonwhichhefirstbegan

Torideabroadhadfollowedchivalry[ˈʃɪvəlri:

],

Truth（faith）,honour（reputation）,freedom（generosity）andallcourtesy（refinement,politeness）.

Hehaddonenoblyinhissovereign’s[ˈsɔvrin]（king）war,

Andriddenintobattle,nonemorefar

AswellinChristendom[ˈkrisəndəm]基督教世界

asinheathen[ˈhi:

ðən]异教徒places,

Andeverhonouredforhisnoblegraces.涵养

WhenwetookAlexandria（埃及港市）,hewasthere.

eoftensatattableinthechair

ofhonour,aboveallnations,wheninPrussia普鲁士.

InLithuania[ˌliθju（:

）ˈeinjə]立陶宛hehadridden,andRussia,

NoChristianmansooften,ofhisdegree.

InfarG