英国文学史key points 122.docx

英国文学史key points 122.docx

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英国文学史keypoints122

I.Termsrequiredtoremember

1.Ode:

Along,statelylyricpoeminstanzasofvariedmetricalpattern,writteninadignifiedformalstyleonsomeloftyorserioussubject.Odesareoftenwrittenforaspecialoccasion,tohonorapersonoraseasonorcommemorateanevent.TwofamousodesarePercyByssheShelley’s“OdetotheWestwind”andJohnKeats’sOdeonaGrecianUrn.”TheEnglishodesfallinto3categories:

Pindaricode;CowleyanodeandHoratianode.Shelley’sodeisofHoratiantype.

2.Lakepoets:

TheLakePoetsalllivedintheLakeDistrictofEnglandattheturnofthenineteenthcentury.Asagroup,theybelongedtothefirstgenerationoftheRomanticpoets,representedbyWilliamWordsworth,SamuelTaylorColeridge

andRobertSouthey.

3.Byronichero:

AsaleadingRomanticist,Byron’schiefcontributionishiscreationofthe“Byronichero”,aproud,mysteriousrebelfigureofnobleoriginand.ThisidealizedbutflawedcharacterpervadesmuchofByron’sworkandappearsfirstinChildeHarold’sPilgrimage.Withimmensesuperiorityinhispassionsandpowers,thisByronicherowouldcarryonhisshoulderstheburdenofrightingallthewrongsinacorruptworld,andwouldrisesingle-handedlyagainstanykindoftyrannicalruleseitheringovernment,inreligion,orinmoralprincipleswithunconquerablewillsandinexhaustibleenergies.

4.Utilitarianism

IntheVictorianage,almosteverythingwasputtothetestbythecriterionofutility,thatis,theextenttowhichitcouldpromotethematerialhappiness.Thistheoryheldaspecialappealtothemiddle-classedindustrialists,whosegreeddrovethemtoexploitingworkerstotheutmostandbroughtgreatersufferingandpovertytotheworkingmass.

5.dramaticmonologue:

apoeminwhichasinglespeakerwhoisnotthepoetutterstheentirepoemtoasilent‘audience’ofoneormorepersonsatacriticalmoment.Thespeakerhasalistenerwithinthepoem,butwetooarehis/herlisteners,andwelearnaboutthespeaker'scharacterfromwhatthespeakersays.Infact,thespeakermayrevealunintentionallycertainaspectsofhis/hercharacter.

7.StreamofConsciousness:

Thecontinuousflowofsense-perceptions,thoughts,feelings,andmemoriesinthehumanmind;oraliterarymethodofrepresentingsuchablendingofmentalprocessesinfictionalcharacters,usuallyinanunpunctuatedordisjoinedformofinteriormonologue.

6.Aestheticism:

AestheticismisaVictorianliterarymovementthatwasbeguninthelate19thcentury.Followersofthemovementbelievedthatartshouldnotbemixedwithsocial,political,ormoralteaching.WalterPater’sstatement“theloveofartforitsownsake”isagoodsummaryofaestheticism.ThemovementhaditsrootsinFrance,butitgainedwidespreadimportanceinEnglandinthelasthalfofthenineteenthcentury,whereithelpedchangetheVictorianpracticeofincludingmorallessonsinliterature.

II.Keyfacts

1.AgeofRomanticism

（1）Time:

1798（publicationofLyricalBalladsbyWordsworthandColeridge）to1832（deathofSirWalterScott）

（2）Essence:

shiftfromreasontoemotion

（3）HistoricalBackground

FrenchRevolution（1789Bastille）andEnglishIndustrialRevolution（endofthe18thcentury）".

（4）Feature:

Anageofpoetry.

（5）*lakepoets:

threepoetsincludingWilliamWordsworth,SamuelColeridgeandRobertSouthey

2.WilliamWordsworth（1770-1850）

（1）Twocategoriesaccordingtotheme

Heismainlyfamousforhispoemsonnature,suchas"Iwanderedlonelyasacloud".

Healsowrotelotsofpoemsoncommonpeople'slife,suchas"Thesolitaryreaper","Shedweltamongtheuntroddenway"

3.JohnKeats（1795-1821）

Keatswrotesomenicelongpoems,buthewasmainlyfamousforhisshortpoems,andheisknownasasensuouspoet.

4.GeorgeGordonByron

Selectedpoem:

SheWalksinBeauty

A.Background:

Byron'smostfamouslyricalpoem;wroteforhisbeautifulcousinMrsWilmotHorton;takenfromHebrewMelodies

B.（Discussion）Inthefirststanza,theauthorusedasimiletodescribethewoman'sbeauty."nightofcloudlessclimesandstarryskies";becausethewomanworeablackmourninggownbrightenedwithspangles.

5.PercyByssheShelley（1792--1822）雪莱

（1）terzarima:

iambicpentameterlinesarrangedintercetsinwhichline2ofeachtercetrhymeswith1and3ofthenext,thus:

ababcbcdcdedeewithafinalcoupletee.

（2）Whatdoesthewestwindinthepoemsignify

（Answer）thegreatrevolutionforcewhichcandestroyallexistingvicesinhumanworld

6.JaneAusten（1775–1817）

thefirstfamousEnglishfemalewriter.ShelivedintheRomanticAgebuthernovelswereanti-romantic.ARomanticnovelistbutisimpressedwithneo-classicstrains.Themajorthemesofherworksareloveandmarriage.

7..CriticalRealism

（1）Time:

themiddleofthe19thcentury,coincideswiththereignofQueenVictoria,thuscalledVictorianAge

（2）Representatives:

CharlesDickens,WilliamThackerayandGeorgeEliotetc.

（3）Features

·introductionofanewsetofcharactersfromtheworkingclass

·stronghatredforvicesexistinginthesociety

·anillusionofbringingaboutsocialjusticeandharmonybyreforms

Anageofnovels.

8.CharlesDickens（1812-1870）

（1）HeisthegreatestrepresentativeofEnglishcriticalrealismandhewascalled“theexpressionoftheconscienceofhisage”.

（2）FeaturesofCharlesDickens’novels

a.Atendencytodepictthegrotesquecharacters（Hischaractersalwayshavepeculiarhabits,mannersorbehaviors）（suchasMicawber）

b.Believinginsocialreformstochangetheworld,thussometimescreatedunnaturalhappyendingforhisnovels

c.Delicatestructureandplot（well-designedandattractive）

d.Goodatdepictingpatheticscenestoarousesympathy

e.Goodatusingrhetoricaldevicestomakehislanguagevividandhumorous

（3）Threestagesofhisliterarylife

A.1836—1841,thefirstperiod,Periodofyouthfuloptimist:

fun,highspirit,naiveoptimism

B.1842-1850,thesecondperiod--Periodofexcitement,irritationandfrustration

C.Thethirdperiod,aPeriodofsteadilyintensifyingpessimism,showingunderlyingtoneofbitterness,lossofhopeforEnglishbourgeoissociety

9.TheBronteSisters

（1）TheBronteSistersCharlotteBronte（39years）,EmilyBronte（30years）andAnneBronte（29years）

（2）Charlottewrote4novels;Emily1novel（WutheringHeights）andAnne2novels.

（3）ThesuccessofthenovelJaneEyrealsoduetoitsintroductiontotheEnglishnovelthefirstgovernessheroineJaneEyre.

（4）JaneEyreisaworkofcriticalrealismaswellasthefirstandoneofthemostpopularworksoftheworkingmiddle-classwomen.ItisthefirstgovernessnovelinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.

10.AlfredTennyson

（1）Thesecondhalfofthe19thcenturyinEnglandproducedanumberofoutstandingpoetssuchasAlfredTennyson,RobeertBrowning,CharlesSwinburnandothers.ThetwogreatestEnglishpoets:

Browning&Tennyson.Theirpoetrywascharacterizedbyexperimentswithnewstylesandnewwaysofexpression.

（2）AlfredTennyson,EnglishpoetoftenregardedasthechiefrepresentativeoftheVictorianageinpoetry.TennysonsucceededWordsworthasPoetLaureatein1850.

（3）HisshortlyricBreak,Break,BreakiswritteninmemoryofTennyson'sbestfriend,ArthurHallam,whosedeathhasalifelonginfluenceonthepoet.

11.RobertBrowning

notedforhismasteryofdramaticmonologue.Hispoetrybelongstothe20th-centuryratherthantotheVictorianage.ItisinBrowning’shandsthat“dramaticmonologue”reachesitsmaturityandperfection.“MyLastDuchess”isBrowning’sbest-knowndramaticmonologue.

12.ThomasHardy

（1）ThomasHardyisoneofthemostimportantnovelistsintheVictorianEraandthefirstimportantpoetinthe20thcentury.HardyisatransitionalfigurebetweentheVictorianAgeandthe20thcentury.Inmanyways,hebelongedmoretothe20thcenturythantothe19thcentury.

（2）Hardy’snovelsareallVictorianindate.MostofthemaresetinWessex,thefictionalprimitiveandcruderuralregionwhichisreallythehomeplacehebothlovesandhates.Theyareknownforthevividdescriptionofthevicissitudesofpeoplewholiveinanagriculturalsettingmenacedbytheforcesofinvadingcapitalism.

（3）UnlikeDickens,mostofHardy’snovelsaretragic.Thecauseoftragedyisnotman’sownbehaviororhisownfaultbutthesupernaturalforcesthatrulehisfate.

（4）Hardyhimselfdividedhisnovelsintothreegroups:

1）.RomancesandFantasies  

2）.NovelsofIngenuity  

3）.NovelsofCharacterandEnvironment

13.OscarWilde

Hewasaspokesmanforthelate19th-centuryAestheticmovementinEngland,whichadvocatedartforart'ssake;andhewastheobjectofcelebratedcivilandcriminalsuitsinvolvinghomosexualityandendinginhisimprisonment.

AestheticismisaVictorianliterarymovementthatwasbeguninthelate19thcentury.ThemovementhaditsrootsinFrance,butitgainedwidespreadimportanceinEnglandinthelasthalfofthenineteenthcentury,whereithelpedchangetheVictorianpracticeofincludingmorallessonsinliterature.

Wilde'sgreatestsuccesseswerehissocietycomedies.WithintheconventionsoftheFrench“well-madeplay”（withitssocialintriguesandartificialdevicestoresolveconflict）,heemployedhisparadoxical,epigrammaticwittocreateaformofcomedynewtothe19th-centuryEnglishtheatre.

14.GeorgeBernardShaw

thegreatestcriticalrealisticplaywrightinthe20thcenturyEngland.

15.ModernistNovelists

1）JamesJoyce,VirginiaWoolf,andD.H.Lawrencearethethreebestknownamongthemodernistnovelists.

2）D.H.Lawrenceisoneoftheveryoriginalandcontroversialwritersoftheearly20thcentury.Heistraditionalinf