英国文学讲义缩略.docx

英国文学讲义缩略.docx

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英国文学讲义缩略

PartOneAnglo-SaxonLiterature

ChapterIIntroduction

1.TheBritonsBeforeenteringuponthestudyofEnglishliterature,itisnecessarytoknowsomethingabouttheEnglishpeople.TheEnglishpeopleareofamixedblood.TheearlyinhabitantsintheislandnowwecallEnglandwereBritons,atribeofCelts.FromtheBritonstheislandgotitsnameofBritain,thelandofBritons.TheBritonswereaprimitivepeople.Theyweredividedintodozensofsmalltribes,eachofwhichlivedinaclusteringofhunts.TheBritonslivedinthetribalsociety.

2.TheRomanConquestIn55B.C.,BritainwasinvadedbyJuliusCaesar,theRomanconqueror.ButassoonastheRomanslandedonshoreoftheisland,theBritonsfoughtlikelionsundertheleadershipoftheirchieftain.AndwiththecomingsandcomingsofmanyRomangeneralswithinthetimeofacentury,BritainwasnotcompletedunderthecontroloftheRomanEmpireuntil78A.D..WiththeRomanConquesttheRomanmodeoflifecameacrosstoBritainalso.Romantheatresandbathsquicklyroseinthetowns.Alltheserefinementsofcivilization,however,werefortheenjoymentoftheRomanconquerorswhilethenativeBritonsweretroddendownasslaves.TheRomanoccupationlastedforabout400years,duringwhichtheRomans,formilitarypurposes,builtanetworkofhighways,latercalledtheRomanroads,whichremainedusefulforalongtimetocome.Alongtheseroadsgrewupscoresoftowns,andLondon,oneofthem,becameanimportanttradingcentre.ItwasalsoduringtheRomanrulethatChristianitywasintroducedtoBritain.Butatthebeginningofthe5thcentury,theRomanEmpirewasintheprocessofdeclining.Andin410A.D.,alltheRomantroopswentbacktothecontinentandneverreturned.ThusendedtheRomanoccupationinBritain.

3.Anglo-SaxonConquestpage1

4.CharacteristicsofAnglo-SaxonLiteraturep2

ChapterIIAnglo-SaxonPoetry

1.Beowulf

1）BackgroundBeowulfistheoldestpoemintheEnglishlanguage.ItisthemostimportantspecimenofAngloSaxonliterature,andalsotheoldestsurvivingepic（anepicisalongoralnarrativepoemthatoperatesonagrandscaleanddealswithlegendaryorhistoricaleventsofnationaloruniversalsignificance.Mostepicdealswiththeexploitsofasingleindividualandalsointerlacethemainnarrativewithmyths,legends,folktalesandpastevents;thereisacompositeeffect,theentirecultureofacountrycoheringintheoverallexperienceofthepoem.Epicpoemsarenotmerelyentertainingstoriesoflegendaryorhistoricalheroes;theysummarizeandexpressthenatureoridealsofanentirenationatasignificantorcrucialperiodofitshistory.）intheEnglishlanguage.Itconsistsofmorethan3,000lines.Ithadbeenpassedfrommouthtomouthforhundredsofyearsbeforeitwaswrittendowninthe10thcenturyorattheendofthe9thcentury.Themainstoriesarebasedonthefolklegendsoftheprimitivenortherntribes.SuchtribeslivedalongthenorthwesterncoastofEurope.Backoftheirsettlementswereimpenetrableforests.Infrontofthemwasthestormynorthernocean.Theyhadtofightagainstthebeasts.Theyhadtostruggleagainsttheforceofnature,whichremainedmysteriousandunknowntothem.Whentheyreturnedfromtheirexploitsandvoyages,thewarriorswouldtellstoriesofstrangemonstersthatlivedbeneaththeseaorinthemarshesanddarkforestsinland.Theywerebravebutsuperstitious.SuchisthebackgroundofthemarvelousstoriesinBeowulf.

2）Contentp3

3）AnalysisBeowulfisagrandhero.Heisso,simplybyhisdeeds.Heisfaithfultohispeople.Hegoesalone,inastrangeland,torescuehispeople.Heforgetshimselfinfaceofdeath,thinkingonlythatitprofitsothers.Thoughthepoemwaswritteninthe10thcentury,itsherowasnodoubtmainlytheproductofaprimitive,tribalsocietyonthecontinent.ItwasprobablyputtogetherinEnglandonthebasisoflaysbroughtfromNorthernEuropebytheminstrels.InhismanuscriptsonEnglishandIrishhistories,EngelsmentionedthehistoricalsignificanceofBeowulfinreflectingthefeaturesofthetribalsocietyofancienttimes.

2.WritingFeaturesofthePoemp4

ChapterIIIAnglo-SaxonProsep6

PartTwoMedievalEnglishLiterature

ChapterIAnglo-NormanLiterature

Section1Introduction

1.NormanConquestp8接Aftertheconquest,feudalsystemwasestablishedinEnglishsociety.ThenewkingruledEnglandwithahighhand.Hemadeathoroughjoboftakingoverthecountry,andhadeverythinginventoried.HeconfiscatedthelandsoftheEnglishlords,and,regardinghimselfastheownerofthecountry.Heownedthelandandeverythinginit.HebestowedlargepatchesoflandtohisNormanbarons.TheNormanbaronsinturndividedtheirlandsamongtheirownknights.InordertosecuretheKnight’sauthorityoverhisbarons,Williamcompelledallvassalstotakeoathtohimdirectlyaswellastotheirlocallords.ThefeudalsocialstructureinEnglandwasjustlikethepyramidinEgypt.AtthetopofitwastheKingWilliamandbelowhimwerehisnoblemensuchasbaronsandknights.Thenheorderedagreatsurveytobemadeofallthelandandtaxablepropertyinthewholekingdom.BythismeanshepushedEnglandwellonitswaytofeudalism,andtheNormanConquestmarkstheestablishmentoffeudalisminEngland.

2.SocialConditionsintheFeudalEngland

Inthefeudalsociety,classdivisionbecameveryobvious,andclasscontradictionsbecameverysharp.Thereweremainlytwoclasses:

landlordsandpeasants.Noblemen,knights,bishops,archbishops,abbotsandthelike,withthekingattheirhead,allbelongedtotherulingclass.Thepeasants,whohadbecomeserfs,toiledalltheyearroundforthefeudallandlord.Thechurchandcourtunitedtocontrolthepeople.接p9

3.TheInfluenceoftheNormanConquestuponEnglishLanguageandliteraturep9接

Theliteraturewasvariedininterestandextensiveinrange.TheNormansbegantowritehistoriesorchronicleswhichwerewritteninLatin.

TheprevailingformofliteratureinthefeudalEnglandwastheRomancewhichwaswritteninFrench.

Bytheendofthe14thcentury,whenNormansandEnglishintermingled,Englishwasoncemorethedominantspeechinthecountry.ButnowitbecamesomethingdifferentfromtheoldAnglo-Saxon.ThestructureofthelanguageremainedEnglish,andthecommonwordswerealmostretained,thoughoftensomewhatmodifiedinform.ButmanytermsemployedbytheNormanswereadoptedintotheEnglishlanguage.ThesituationistypifiedbytheuseoftheEnglish“calf”,“swine”and“sheep”fortheanimalswhentendedbytheSaxonherdsmen,andoftheFrench“veal”,“pork”and“mutton”forthefleshservedatthenoble’stable.

Section2TheRomancesinAnglo-NormanPeriod

1.EssentialFeaturesoftheRomance

TheromancewastheprevailingformofliteratureintheMiddleAges.Itwasalongcomposition,sometimesinverse,sometimesinprose,describingthelifeandadventuresofanobleheroskilledinweapons.Someromancesalsodealswithlegendary,supernatural,oramoroussubjectsandcharacters.Itsessentialfeaturesare:

p10

5）p10Thecodeofmannersandmoralsofaknightisknownaschivalry.Onewhowantstobeaknightshouldserveanapprenticeshipasasquireuntilhewasadmittedtotheknighthoodwithsolemnceremonyandswearingofoaths.

2.RomanceCycles

Theenormousnumberoftheromancesfallintothreecyclesorgroups:

the"mattersofBritain",the"mattersofFrance",and“mattersofRome".p11

3）ThemattersofBritainmainlydealwiththeexploitsofKingArthurandhisknightsoftheRoundTable.TheromanceofKingArthuriscomparativelythemostimportantforthehistoryofEnglishliterature.IthasitsorigininCelticlegends.ThemostinterestingofallArthurianromancesarethoseoftheGawaincycle.ThestoryofSirGawainandtheGreenKnightistheculminationoftheArthurianromances.

3.TheClassnatureoftheRomance

Thethemeofloyaltytokingandlordwasrepeatedlyemphasizedinromances,asloyaltywasthecorner-stoneoffeudalmorality,withoutwhichthewholestructureoffeudalismwouldcollapse.

FromtheromancesweseeanepitomeoftheMiddleAges.Theromanceprosperedforabout300years（1200--1500）.Theromanceswereeitherrecitedbyprofessionalminstrelsorwrittentobereadaloud.Butinbothcasestheaudiencewasusuallythatofthecourtorofthecastle.Theromanceshadnothingtodowiththecommonpeople.Theywerecomposedforthenoble,ofthenoble,andinmostcasesbythepoetspatronizedbythenoble.

4.SirGawainandtheGreenKnightp11

ChapterIIEnglishLiteratureinAgeofChaucer

Section1Introduction

Chaucerlivedinthe14thcentury.Inthatcentury,Englandproducedfivemainwriters:

1）WilliamLangland.Hewroteaboutsocialdiscontentinhisworksandpreachedtheequalityofmenanddignityoflabor.

2）WycliffewasthegreatestofEnglishreligiousreformersandthefirsttranslatoroftheBible.

3）Gowerwasascholarandaliteraryman,whocriticizedthesociallifeinhisworks.

4）Mandevillewasatravelerandwroteaboutthewondershehadseenabroad.

5）Chaucerwasthegreatestofthem.Hewasascholar,atraveler,abusinessman,acourtier,whosharedinallthestirringlifeofhisageandreflecteditinhisworks.Hewastherepresentativewriterofthecentury.Therefore,the14thcenturyisusuallycalled"AgeofChaucer".

ChaucerandLanglandwerethemostimportantwritersoftheage.

Section2WilliamLangland（1330?

-1400?

）

1.Introductionp14

2.PiersthePlowmanp15

1）TheExposureoftheRulingClass

Theauthoralsosawallsortsofparasites.Firsttherewerethebishopsanddeacons.Insteadofpreachingtotheirflocks,theybec