英国文学笔记.docx

英国文学笔记.docx

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英国文学笔记

IntroductionofEnglishliterature

1.        England’sinhabitantsareCelts.AnditisconqueredbyRomans,AngloSaxonsandNormans.TheAnglo-SaxonsbroughttheGermaniclanguageandculturetoEngland,whileNormansbroughttheMediterraneancivilization,includingGreekculture,RomelawandtheChristianreligion.

2.        TheoldEnglishliteratureextendsfromabout450to1066,theyearoftheNormanconquestofEngland.

3.        OldEnglishliteraturehassurviveddividedintotwogroups.

Religiousgroup:

      GenesisA

GenesisB    basedonbiblicalthemestheOldTestament

Exodus

                          TheDreamoftheRood

Thesecularone:

  TheWanderer

                          Deor                    

                          Theseafarer

                          Thewife’scomplaint

Beowulf:

atypicalexampleofOldEnglishpoetry,isregardedasthenationalepicoftheAnglo-Saxons.Itisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.

AftertheNorman’sconquest,threelanguagesco-existedinEngland.FrenchistheofficiallanguagethatisusedbykingandtheNormanlords.Latinistheprincipaltongueofchurchaffairsandinuniversities.OldEnglishwasspokenonlybythecommonEnglishpeople.

Inthesecondhalfof14thcentury,GerofferyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers

Recite:

1.      Romance:

whichusesnarrativeverseorprosetosingknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeedsisapopularliteraryforminthemedievalperiod.Ithasdevelopedthecharacteristicmedievalmotifsofthequest,thetest,themeetingwiththeevilgiantandtheencounterwiththebeautifulbeloved.Theheroisusuallytheknight,whosetsoutonajourneytoaccomplishsomemissions.Thereisoftenmysteriesandfantasiesinromance.Romanticloveisanimportantpartoftheplotinromance.Characterizationisstandardized,Whilethestructureislooseandepisodic,thelanguageissimpleandstraightforward.Theimportanceoftheromanceitselfcanbeseenasameansofshowingmedievalaristocraticmenandwomeninrelationtotheiridealizedviewoftheworld.

2.      Heroiccouplet:

Heroiccoupletisarhymedcoupletofiambicpentameter.ItisChaucerwhouseditforthefirsttimeinEnglishinhisworkTheLegendofGoodWoman.

3.      DefinetheperiodofOldEnglishliteratureandmedievalliterature:

TheperiodofOldEnglishliteraturebeginswiththeAnglo-SaxonssettlementinEnglandatabout450to1066,theyearoftheNormanConquestofEngland.TheMedievalPeriodinEnglishliteraturestartat1066,theyearoftheNormanConquest,andendsataboutthe15thcentury,isalmostabarrenoneinliterarycreation.Whileinthelaterperiod,startingfromthesecondhalfofthe14thcentury,EnglishliteratureflourisheswiththeappearanceofwriterslikeGeoffreyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers,

4.      ThethemeofBeowulf:

thepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofthenaturemythsandheroiclegends.

5.      WhatdoesthecharacterthewifeofBathinTheCanterburyTalesrepresent?

Andhowdoestheauthordevelophischaracterization?

TheWifeofBathisdepictedasthenewbourgeoiswifeassertingherindependence.Chaucerdevelopshischaracterizationtoahigherartisticlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.

6.      Chauceriscalled“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”andhasmadegreatcontributionstoEnglishpoetryandEnglishliterature.PleasediscussChaucer’sliteraryachievementandwhyheiscalled”thefatherofEnglishpoetry”

Chaucer’sachievement:

1.      hepresentedacomprehensiverealisticpictureofhisageandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersinhisworks,especiallyinTheCanterburyTales.2.Heanticipatedanewear,theRenaissance,tocomeundertheinfluenceoftheItalianwriters.3.Hedevelopedhischaracterizationtoahigherlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.4.hegreatlycontributedtothematuringofEnglishpoetry.Today,Chaucer’sreputationhasbeensecurelyestablishedasoneofthebestEnglishpoetsforhiswisdom,humorandhumanity.

2.      Whyheiscalled“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”:

Originally,OldEnglishpoemsaremainlyalliterativeverseswithfewvariations.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplaceit.InTheRomauntoftheRose,hefirstintroducedtotheEnglishtheisosyllabiccouplet.InTheLegendofGoodWomen,heusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishheroiccouplet.Andinhismasterpiece,TheCanterburyTales,heemployedheroiccoupletwithtrueeaseandcharmforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.HisartmadehimoneofthegreatestpoetsinEnglish;JohnDrydencalledhim“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”.

ChapterI theRenaissancePeriod

1.      Renaissance:

itismarksatransitionfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.Generally,itreferstotheperiodbetweenthe14thandmid17thcenturies.ItfirststartedfromItalyandthenspreadalloverEurope.Therenaissance,whichmeans“rebirth”or“revival”,isactuallyamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchastherediscoveryofancientRomanandGreekculture,thenewdiscoveriesingeographyandastrology,thereligiousreformationandtheeconomicexpansion.TheRenaissance,therefore,inessence,isahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEuropeanhumanistthinkersandscholarsmadeattemptstogetridofthoseoldfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpressedtheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisie,andtorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch.

2.      ThebackgroundoftheEngland

TheEnglandisunrest,andisavolcanicperiodofEnglishhistory.Thewar-likenoblesseizedthepowerofEnglandandturneditintoself-destruction.ThefrightfulreignofRichardIIImarkedtheendofcivilwars,untilthereignofHenryVIII（1509-1547）thattheRenaissancereallybegantoshowitseffectinEngland

3.      Humanism:

itistheessenceoftheRenaissance.HumanismisasystemofbeliefsupheldbywritersandartistsoftheRenaissanceperiodintheirfightingagainstmedievalasceticism.Itstatesthatmanisgodly,thatmanisabletofindtruth,goodnessandbeauty,andthatmanisincontrolofthepresentliferatherthanbeingcontrolledbyGod.Briefly,humanismputsmanatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakesmantobethemeasureofeverythingwhiletheformerasceticismputsGodatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakespersonalsalvationtobethemostimportantthingontheearthforman.

4.      Religiousreformation:

itisMartinLuther,aGermanProtestant,whoinitiatedtheReformation.LutherbelievedthateverytrueChristianwashisownpriestandwasentitledtointerprettheBibleforhimself.

HenryVIIIwasregardedasthefaithfulsonoftheCatholic,hiswifecutthetieswithRome

EdwardVI thereformofthechurch’sdoctrineandteachingwascarriedout

Mary    therewasaviolentswingtoCatholicism.

Elizabeth’sreign  Protestantismhasbeenfirmlyestablished.

Thereligiousreformationwasactuallyareflectionoftheclassstrugglewagedbythenewrisingbourgeoisieagainstthefeudalclassanditsideology.

5.      Blankverse:

istheunrhymediambicpentameterline,ItwasSurreywhofirstbroughtitinandMarlowewhoperfecteditwithhis“mightyline”

6.      Metaphysicalpoetry:

Theterm“metaphysicalpoetry”iscommonlyusedtonametheworkofthe17thcenturywriterswhowroteundertheinfluenceofJohnDonne.Witharebelliousspirit,themetaphysicalpoetstriedtobreakawayfromtheconventionalfashionoftheElizabethanlovepoetry.Thedictionissimpleandechoesthewordsandcadencesofcommonspeech.Theimageryisdrawnfromtheactuallife.Theformisfrequentlythatofanargumentwiththepoet’sbeloved,withGod,orwithhimself.ModernpoetslikeT.S.Eliothavebeenmostlyaffectedbythemetaphysicalinfluence.

7.      TheRenaissanceheroisMarlowe’screation,Suchaheroisalwaysindividualisticandfullofambition,facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.HeembodiesMarlowe’shumanisticidealofhumandignityandcapacity.Differentfromthetragicheroinmedievalplays,whoseeksthewaytoheaventhroughsalvationandGod’swill,heisagainstconventionalmoralityandcontrivestoobtainheavenonearththroughhisownefforts,Withtheendlessaspirationforpower,knowledge,andglory,theherointerpretsthetrueRenaissancespirit.BothTamburlaineandFaustusaretypicalinpossessingsuchaspirit.

8.      giveagreatincentivetosomething

9.      WilliamCaxton,whointroducedprintingintoEngland.Including  TheCanterburyTablesandMalory’sMorteDarthur

10.  it’sthemainstreamofthesth

11.  Itcouldbedatedbacktothe……

12.  Interludesandmoralityplaysthrivinginthemedievalperiod

13.  butthedevelopmentofthedramaintoasophisticatedartform

14.  Theymadeavividdepictionofthesharpconflictsbetweenfeudalismandtherisingbourgeoisieinatransitionalperiod.

15.  FrancisBacon（1561-1626）,thefirstimportantEnglishessayist,isbestknownforhisessayswhichgreatlyinfluencedthedevelopmentofthisliteraryform.HewasalsothefounderofmodernscienceinEngland.Hiswritingspavedthewayfortheuseofscientificmethod.Thus,heisundoubtedlyoneoftherepresentativesoftheEnglishRenaissance.

16.  Themainwriters

A.      EdmundSpenser（1552-1