英美文学常识.docx

英美文学常识.docx

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英美文学常识

英好文教之阳早格格创做

英国文教

1.WilliamShakespeare

ShakespearewasborninStratford-on-Avonin1564.Whenhewasabout14yearsold,hehadtoleaveschooltohelpsupporthisfamily.In1582,hemarriedAnneHathaway,whowas8yearsolderthanhim.LaterhewenttoLondonandbecameanactorandwriter.In1612heretiredfromthestageandreturnedtohishometownanddiedin1616.Duringthe22yearsofhisliterarycareer,heproduced37plays,154sonnets（十四止诗）andsomelongpoems.

Shakespeareproduced16comedies.Hismaincomediesare:

AMidsummerNight’sDream（《仲夏夜之梦》）,AsYouLikeIt（《皆大欢喜》）,MerchantofVenice（《威僧斯商人》）,TheTwelfthNight（《第十两夜》）

MerchantofVenice

ThestorytellsusthatShylock,themoneylenderofJew,isdislikedbyallgoodmen,especiallybyAntonio,ayoungmerchantofVenice,Bassano,thefriendofhisfriendforhelp.AntoniohasnomoneyandgoestoShylock,whopretendstobekind,butasksAntoniotosignabond.Whenthedaytopaythedebtscomes,AntoniocannotpaythemoneyandtheJewdemandsthepoundoffleshassaidinthebond.Incourt,ayoungdoctor,PortiaindisguisesavesAntonia.

Shakespearewrote11tragedies,amongwhichthemostfamousare:

RomeoandJuliet（《罗稀欧取墨丽叶》）,Hamlet（《哈姆雷特》）,Othello（《奥赛罗》）,KingLear（《李我王》）,Macbeth（《麦克黑》）,TheTempest（《狂风雨》）.

Hamlet

ThewholeplayshowshowHamlet,whorepresentsgoodandjustice,fightsagainsthisuncleinwhomalltheevilthingscanbeseen.ThisplayisregardedasthesummitofShakespeare’sart.

Thefamouslineintheplay“tobe,ornottobe”byHamletisoftenquotedbypeople.

Othello

ThestorytookplaceinVeniceandCyprus.TheheroOthelloisasplendidgeneral.Iago,averybadmanenviesOthello’shappiness.HetellsOthellothathiswifebetrayedhi.Othellostrangleshiswifeandlaterkillshimself.

KingLear

KingLear,oneoftheBritishkings,wantstodividehiskingdomintothreepartsandbestowseachdaughterapart.Thefirsttwodaughterstellhimthattheylovehimmorethanwordscouldexpress,whiletheyoungestdaughterrefusestoflatterhim.Theoldking,angrywiththeyoungestdaughter,dividesthekingdomintotwopartsandtheelderdaughtersgetthem.Later,theoldkingistreatedbadlyanddrivenoutofthetwoelderdaughters’houses.Theyoungestdaughtercomestofighthersistersbutiskilled.Atlast,thekingdiesofgriefandsorrow.SomecriticshavesaidthatKingLearisShakespeare’sgreatestachievement,whichisthemostcomplexinplotandmostpainful.

AmongShakespeare’s10historicalplays,HenryIVandHenryVaretworemarkableones.

Besidesthe37plays,Shakespearewrotesomelongpoemsand154sonnets.

HewasoneofthefoundersofrealisminEnglishliterature.Hisplaysaremirrorsofhisage.

2.JohnMilton

Miltonisthegreatestwriterofthe17thcentury.InhislifeandliterarycareerthetwodominanthistoricalmovementsofRenaissanceandRefo0rmationcombineandreceivetheirmostintenseandintelligentexpression.HetowersoverhisagejustasShakespearetowersovertheElizabethanageandChaucerovertheMedievalAge.

MiltonwasborninLondon.HewenttoCambridgeUniversityandgotB.A.andM.A.there.MiltonwasmarriedtoMaryPowellin1642butshelefthimsixweekslater.AftertheRestorationoftheMonarchyin1660,MiltonbeganhismasterpieceParadiseLost（《得乐园》）.Beforehisdeath,hepublishedtwootherworksParadiseRegained（《复乐园》）andSamsonAgonists（《力士参孙》）,butneitherissuccessfulasParadiseLost.

ParadiseLost

ParadiseLostisMilton’smasterpieceandthegreatestEnglishepic.Inthepoem,Godisnobetterthanaselfishdespot,whoiscruelandunjustinpunishingSatan（洒旦）,therebel.AdamandEveembodyMilton’sbeliefinthepowersofman.Satanistherealheroofthepoem.

3.DanielDefoe

Defoewasanovelistwhohasbeenregardedasthediscovererofthemodernnovel.Hisstrongcreativespiritinnovelwritingwonhimthetitle“FatherofEnglishandEuropeanNovels”.

DefoewasthesonofaLondonbutcher.Whenhewasnearly60yearsold,hereturnedtowritingnovels.HisfirstnovelTheLifeandStrangeSurprisingAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoewasagreatsuccessandDefoebecameawell-knownwriteralloverEurope.

RobinsonCrusoe

Thestoryistoldinthefirstpersonsingular.Atthebeginning,weseeCrusoe’scareerasasailor,amerchantandaslaveowner.OnthevoyagetoAfrica,hemetashipwreckandfoundhimselfcastbytheseaweavesupontheshoreofanuninhabitedisland.Hemanagedthelivelihoodtherebyhimself.Hebuiltashelter,grewbarleyandriceandfoughtagainstsavages.LaterherescuedonesavageandnamedhimFriday,whobecamehisfaithfulservant.FinallyanEnglishshipcameandtookhimtoEurope,thusCrusoeendedhis28-yearlifeontheisland.Afterwards,hereturnedtoEnglandandgotmarried.Atlast,heailedbacktotheislandandestablishedacolonythere.

CrusoerepresentedtheEnglishbourgeoisieattheearlystageofitsdevelopment.

4.JonathanSwift

SwiftwasborninDublin.AftergraduationfromDublinUniversity,hewenttoEnglandandbecamethesecretarytoSirWilliamTemplewhotreatedhimbadly.Duringthisperiod,hebegantowrite.Later,inordertojointhestruggleoftheIrishpeopleagainsttheirEnglishoppressors,hewrotesomepamphletsconcerningIreland.InAModestProposal,withbitterirony,SwiftsuggestedthatthepoorIrishpeasantsfattentheirone-year-oldchildrenandsellthemasfoodtotherich,whichisamostpowerfulblowattheEnglishgovernment.

IntheperiodwhenhewascloselylinkedwiththeIrishpeople,hewrotehismasterpieceGulliver’sTravels（《格列佛游记》）.Gulliver'sTravels （1726,amended1735）,isanovelby Irish writerandclergyman JonathanSwift thatisbotha satire onhumannatureanda parody ofthe"travellers'tales"literarysub-genre.ItisSwift'sbestknownfull-lengthwork,andaclassicof Englishliterature.

5.WilliamBlake

Blake’smainworksincludes:

SongsofInnocence（《天实之歌》）:

Thiscollectioncontainspoemswrittenforchildrenofwhichthebest-knownpoemisTheLamb（《羊羔》）.

SongsofExperience（《体味之歌》）:

ThiscollectionismuchmatureandisBlake’smostimportantwork.Thebest-knownpoemsinthiscollectionareTheTiger（《老虎》）,London（《伦敦》）andTheChimney-Sweeper（《扫烟囱的孩子》）.Thispoeminthiscollectionshowsthatthepoet’seyesareopentotheevilsandvicesoftheworld.

6.RobertBurns

RobertBurns’poetryfallsintoseveralgroupsaccordingtothesubjectmatter.

MostofBurn’spoemsarelyricsonloveandfriendship.Theyhaveagreatcharmofsimplicity.Theyareverymusicalandcanbesung.HisbestknownlyricsareARed,RedRose（《黑黑的玫瑰》）,AuldLangSyne（《昔日好佳时光》）.

Burnswrotesomepoemstoexpresshishatredfortheoppressionoftherulingclassandhisloveforfreedom.

Burnsisthegreatestsongwriterintheworld.HeisthenationalpoetofScotland.MostofhispoemsandsongswerewritteninScotchdialects.Hewasthepeople’spoet.

7.WilliamWordsworth

WilliamWordsworthwasbornandgrewupintheLakeDistrict.ThenaturalbeautyandgrandeurofthisareawasamajorsourceofinspirationforWordsworththroughouthislife.In1787,heattendedCambridgeUniversity.In1797,hewasintroducedtoSamuelTaylorColeridgeandbecameclosefriends.TheirfriendshipisoneofthemostimportantandfruitfulfriendshipsinEnglishliterature.Later,heacceptedtheofficeofadistributorofstampsandwasmade“PoetLaureate”（桂冠诗人）.Hediedin1850whenhewas80yearsold.

8.GeorgeGordonByron

ByronwaseducatedinCambridgeUniversity,whereheledanunbalancedlife.In1815,ByronmarriedAnnabellabutquarreledwithherbitterly.Afterthebirthoftheirdaughter,shelefthim.ByronleftEnglandin1816duetothescandalsandneverreturned.In1824,ByrondiedoffeverinGreece.

Byronwrotealotoflyricalpoems.Theydealwithnatureandlove.Thebest-knownpiecesareSheWalksinBeauty（《她走正在好的光影里》）,WhenWeTwoParted（《昔日依依别》）andHebrewMelodies（《希伯去歌直》）.Byronischieflyknownforhistwolongpoems,oneisChildeHarold’sPilgrimage（《恰我德哈罗我德游记》）,theotherisDonJuanwhichishismasterpiece.

Thestoryofthepoemtakesplaceinthelatterpartofthe18thcentury.DonJuan（《唐璜》）isaSpanishyouthofaristocraticbirth.ThelongpoemdescribesDonJuan’sadventuresinmaycountries.

ByronisoneofthemostexcellentrepresentativesofEnglishRomanticism.Hisliterarycareerwascloselyassociatedwiththestruggleandprogressivemovementofhisage.HispoemsarefavoritesoftheBritishworkers.

9.PercyByssheShelley

ShelleywenttoOxfordUniversitybutwasexpelledaftersixmonths.expelledaftersixmonths.Hehadtwomarriagesandthesecondonewashappy.LaterhisfirstwifediedandByronwascompelledtoleaveEnglandin1818andspentalltherestofhislifeinItaly,wherehemet.Byron.In1822,hewasdrowned.

PrometheusUnbound（《解搁的普罗米建斯》）isShelly’smasterpiece.ThestoryistakenfromGreekmythology.AccordingtoGreekmyth,PrometheusstealsfirefromHeavenandispunishedbyZeus,whochainshimtoarock.FinallyZeusisoverthrownandHerculessetsPrometheusfree.

Shelly’sshortpoemsonnatureandloveformanimportantpartofhisliteraryoutput.Hisbestlovelyrics:

OdetotheWestWind（《西风颂》）andOdeToaSkylark（《云雀颂》）.“IfWintercomes,canSpringbefarbehind?

”isafamouslineinOdetotheWestWind.

Shellylovedthepeopleandhatedtheiroppressorsandexploiters.Byroncalledhim“thebestandleastselfishmanIeverknew”.

10.JohnKeats

Keatswasofveryhumbleorigin.In1817,hepublishedhisfirstvolumeofpoemsandin1818appearedhissecondvolume.Keats’personallifewasquiteunhappy.HediedinRomeattheageof26.

HisfamousworksareOdetoa