英美文学.docx

英美文学.docx

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英美文学

英美文学

一．OldandMedievalEnglishLiterature

1.MiddleEnglishliteraturedealswithawiderrangeofsubjectswithmorevoicesandinagreaterdiversityofstyles,tonesandgenres.Popularfolkliteraturealsooccupiesanimportantplaceinthisperiod.Itspresentationoflifeisnotonlyaccuratebutalsolivelyandcolorfulthoughitoftenlacksoriginalityofthought.MiddleEnglishliteraturestronglyreflectstheprinciplesofthemedievalChristiandoctrine,whichwereprimarilyconcernedwiththeissueofpersonalsalvation

2.Theromanceisapopularliteraryforminthemedievalperiod.Itusesverse（n.诗，诗篇；韵文；诗节）orprose（散文）tosingknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeeds.Itfollowsthemotifsofthequest,thetest,themeetingwiththeevilgiantandtheencounterwiththebeautifulbeloved.Theheroisusuallytheknight,whosetsoutonajourneytoaccomplishsomemissions.Theromanceusesmysteriesandfantasies,romanticlove,andstandardizedcharacterization.Itsstructureislooseandepisodic,anditslanguageissimpleandstraightforward.Theimportanceoftheromancecanbeseenasameansofshowingmedievalaristocraticmenandwomeninrelationtotheiridealizedviewoftheworld.Theromancereflectsachivalric

3.TheGreatMiddleEnglishPoets

GeoffreyChaucer（乔叟）affirmed（断言，肯定）man’srighttopursueearthlyhappinessandopposedasceticism;hepraisedman’senergy,intellect,quickwitandloveoflife;heexposedandsatirizedthesocialvices.Heborethemarksofhumanismandanticipatedaneweratocome.Chaucerdevelopedhischaracterizationtoahigherartisticlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.Inaddition,heintroducedmanyformsofrhymedstanzassuchastheoctosyllabiccoupletandtheheroiccouplet.HeisconsideredasthefatherofEnglishpoetry

4..Sonnet['sɔnit]十四行诗；商籁诗

Sonnetisakindoflyric,consistingof14lines,usuallyiniambicpentameterswithconsiderablevariations（变更）inrhymescheme.

5.Threebasicsonnetforms

（1）thePetrarchan:

whichcomprisesanoctave,（八行诗节）,rhymingabbaabbaandasestet（六行诗节）rhymingcdecdeorcdcdcd.

（2）theSpenserianofthreequatrains（四行诗节）andacouplet（两行诗节）,rhymingababbcbccdcdee

（3）TheShakespearean,againwiththreequatrainsandacouplet,rhymingababcdcdefefgg

6.HeroicCouplet（五音步英雄体两行诗）

Theheroiccouplet,tworhymingiambicpentameter（抑扬格十音节）lines,isalsocalledaclosedcoupletbecausethemeaningandthegrammaticalstructurearecompletewithintwolines.

二．TheRenaissancePeriod

1.Renaissancereferstotheperiodbetweenthe14thandmid-17thcenturies.Itmarksatransitionfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.ItstartedinItalywiththefloweringofpainting,sculptureandliterature,andthenspreadtotherestofEurope.TheRenaissancemeansrebirthorrevival.Itisamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricaleventsofculture,sciences,religionandeconomy.Inthisperiod,theEuropeanhumanistthinkersandscholarsmadeattemptstoabolisholdfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasoftherisingbourgeoisie,andtocarryoutreligiousreformation.

2.TheOxfordreformers,scholarsandhumanistsintroducedclassicalliteraturetoEngland.Educationwasrevitalizedandliteraturebecamemorepopular.ThiswasEngland’sGoldenAgeinliterature.ThereappearedmanyEnglishliterarygiantssuchasShakespeare,Spenser,Jonson,Sidney,Marlowe,BaconandDonne.

3.Humanism（人道主义）istheessenceoftheRenaissance.ItsprangfromtheendeavortorestoreareverencefortheGreekandRomancivilizationbasedontheconceptionthatmanisthemeasureofallthings.Throughthisnewlearning,humanistsnotonlysawtheartsofsplendorandenlightenment,butthehumanvaluesrepresentedinworks.Contrarytothesubordinationofindividualstothefeudalrulesandthesacrificeofearthlylifeforafuturelifeinthemedievalsociety,Renaissancehumanistsfoundintheclassicsajustificationtoexalthumannatureandcametoseethathumanbeingsweregloriouscreaturescapableofindividualdevelopmentforperfection.Byemphasizingthedignityofhumanbeingsandtheimportanceofthepresentlife,theyvoicedtheirbeliefsthatmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoylife,buthadtheabilitytoperfecthimselfandtoperformwonders.OxfordandCambridgebecamethecenterofEnglishRenaissance.ThomasMore,ChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespearearethebestrepresentativesoftheEnglishhumanists.

4.ThereligiousreformationofProtestantism（新教主义）wasinitiatedbyMartinLuther（卢瑟）（1483-1546）,aGermanProtestant.LutherbelievedthateverytrueChristianwashisownpriestandwasentitledtointerprettheBibleforhimself.TheProtestantmovementwasseenasameanstorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionandsuperstitionofthemiddleAges.BythemiddleofElizabeth’sreign,Protestantismhadbeenfirmlyestablished.Thereligiousreformationwasactuallyareflectionoftheclassstrugglewagedbythenewrisingbourgeoisieagainstthefeudalclassanditsideology.

5.

（1）ThefirstperiodoftheEnglishRenaissancewasoneofimitationandassimilation.PetrarchandhissuccessorsestablishedthelanguageoflovepoetryoftheRenaissanceandgreatlyinfluencedtheEnglishwriters.

（2）PoetryandpoeticdramawerethemostoutstandingliteraryformsandtheywerecarriedonespeciallybyShakespeareandBenJonson.ButthepoetrybyJohnDonne,GeorgeHerbertandotherslikethemrepresentedasharpbreakfromthepoetrybytheirpredecessorsandmostoftheircontemporaries.

（3）TherealmainstreamoftheEnglishRenaissanceistheElizabethandrama.ItdrewinfluencesfromthemedievalinterludesandmoralityplaysaswellastheGreekandRomanclassics.ThemostfamousdramatistsintheRenaissanceEnglandareChristopherMarlowe（剧作家，诗人马洛）,WilliamShakespeare,andBenJonson.

（4）TheessaywasanothermainliteraryformintheEnglishRenaissance.FrancisBaconwasthebestknownessayistofthisperiod.HewasalsothefounderofmodernscienceinEngland.

6.EdmundSpenser（1552-1599TheFaerieQueene

Thisliteraryepicpoemhasaromantictheme-Fiercewarsandfaithfulloves.

TheChiefQualitiesofSpenser’spoetry

（1）Aperfectmelody

（2）Araresenseofbeauty

（3）Asplendidimagination

（4）Aloftymoralpurityandseriousness

（5）Adedicatedidealism

Inaddition,Spenserusesstrangeformsofspeechandobsoletewordsinordertoincreasetherusticeffect.ItisSpenser’idealism,hisloveofbeauty,andhisexquisitemelodythatmakehimknownas“thepoets’poet.”

7.ChristopherMarlowe（1564-1593）

（1）HeperfectedtheblankverseandmadeittheprincipalmediumofEnglishdrama.ItisMarlowewhobroughtvitalityandgrandeurintotheblankversewithhis“mightylines,”whichcarrystrongemotions.Heemployedhyperboleashismajorfigureofspeech,whichindicatesthepoeticenergyandintensityconveyedthroughtheverse.

（2）ThesecondoneishiscreationoftheRenaissanceheroforEnglishdrama.Suchaheroisalwaysindividualisticandfullofambition,facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.TheheroembodiesMarlowe’shumanisticidealofhumandignityandcapacity.Dr.Faustus（浮士德，oneofthemostfamousdramatistsoftheRenaissanceperiod.Themainthemeoftheplayishumanratherthanreligious.Itlaysitsfocusonthepassionforknowledge,powerandhappinessthatarethetruespiritoftheRenaissance.）

8.WilliamShakespeare

Shakespearewrotealtogether154sonnetsinhislife.Hissonnetsaretheonlydirectexpressionofthepoet’sfeelings.HissonnetsareusuallywritteninthepopularEnglishform,ofthreequatrainsandacouplet,whichwerefirstfullydevelopedbySurrey.

Tragedies：

（1）Hamlet

（2）Othello

（3）KingLear

（4）Macbeth

Tragediesfeatures:

（1）Itportrayssomenoblehero,whofacestheinjusticeofhumanlifeandiscaughtinadifficultsituationandwhosefateiscloselyconnectedwiththefateofthewholenation.

（2）Eachherohashisweaknessofnature:

（3）Itdescribesthesharpconflictsbetweentheindividualandtheevilforceinthesociety.

8.Shakespeare’sCharacterPortrayal

Hismajorcharactersareneithermerelyindividualonesnortypeones;theyareindividualsrepresentingcertaintypes.Eachcharactershashisorherownpersonalities;meanwhile,theymaysharefeatureswithothers.Byapplyingapsycho-analyticalapproach,Shakespearesucceedsinexploringthecharacters’innermind.Thesoliloquiesinhisplaysfullyrevealtheinnerconflictsofhischaracters.Shakespearealsoportrayshischaractersinpairs.

Hismajorcharactersareneithermerelyindividualonesnortypeones;theyareindividualsrepresentingcertaintypes.Eachcharactershashisorherownpersonalities;meanwhile,theymaysharefeatureswithothers.Byapplyingapsycho-analyticalapproach,Shakespearesucceedsinexploringthecharacters’innermind.Thesoliloquiesinhisplaysfullyrevealtheinnerconflictsofhischaracters.9.Shakespearealsoportrayshischaractersinpairs.

（1）ShakespearehasacceptedtheRenaissanceviewsonliterature.Hebelievesthatliteratureshouldbeacombinationofbeauty,kindnessandtruth,andshouldreflectnatureandreality.

（2）Shakespearebelievesthatliteraryworksthathavetrulyreflectednatureandrealitycanreachimmortality

10.FrancisBacon（1561-1626）（essays）

Mainfeatures:

（1）animportantlandmarkinthedevelopmentofEnglishprose.

（2）brevity,compactnessandpowerfulness

（3）thesentencesinthefirsteditionarechargedandcrowdedwithsymmetries.

（4）thefinaleditionenlargestherangeofthemeandbringsforththelooserandmorepersuasivestyle.

（5）theessaysarewell-arrangedand