古英语和中世纪英语英国文学考点.docx

古英语和中世纪英语英国文学考点.docx

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古英语和中世纪英语英国文学考点

第一章　古英语时期和中世纪时期的英国文学考点

1.TheOldEnglishpoetrycanbedividedintotwogroups:

thereligiousgroupandthesecularone.TheBibleconsistsoftheOldTestamentandtheNewTestament.Beowulf《贝尔武夫》,atypicalexampleofOldEnglishpoetry,isregardedasthegreatestnationalepicoftheAnglo-Saxons.TheepicdescribestheexploitsofaScandinavianhero,Beowulf,infightingagainstthemonsterGrendel,hisrevengefulmother,andafire-breathingdragoninhisdecliningyears.Whilefightingagainstthedragon,Beowulfwasmortallywounded.However,hekilledthedragonatthecostofhislife.Beowulfisshownnotonlyasagloriousherobutalsoasaprotectorofthepeople.

2.RomanceisapopularliteraryforminthemedievalEngland.Itsingsknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeeds.Chivalry（suchasbravery,honor,generosity,andkindnesstotheweakandpoor）isthespiritofromance.

3.JohnGoweristheauthorofSirGawainandtheGreenKnight,thebestromanceoftheperiod.

WilliamLanglandisamorerealisticwriterwhodealtwiththereligiousandsocialissuesofhisdayinPiersPlowman《农夫皮尔斯》.

4.GeoffryChauceristhegreatestwriterofMiddleAges.HismasterpieceTheCanterburyTales《坎特伯蕾故事集》presents,forthefirsttimeinEnglishliterature,acomprehensiverealisticpictureofthemedievalEnglishsocietyandcreatesawholegalleryofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflife.In“TheCanterburyTales”,Chaucerdevelopedhisartofpoetrystillfurthertowardsdramaandtheartofthenovel.InTroilusandCriseyd,hegavetheworldwhatisvirtuallythefirstmodernnovel.ChaucerwroteinMiddleEnglishanddidmuchinmakingLondondialectthefoundationformodernEnglishlanguage.Thoughessentiallystillamedievalwriter,Chaucerboremarksofhumanismandanticipatedaneweratocome.Asaforerunnerofhumanism,hepraisesman’senergy,intellect,quickwitandloveoflife.Histalesexposedandsatirizedtheevilsofhistime.Thesetalesattackedthedegenerationofthenoble,theheartlessnessofthejudge,thecorruptionofthechurch,etc.Inhisworks,hedevelopedhischaracterizationtoahigherlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.“TheWifeofBath”isafamoustaleinwhichtheheroineisdepictedasthenewbourgeois.Takingthestandoftherisingbourgeoisie,heaffirmsmenandopposesthedogmaofasceticismpreachedbythechurch.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancerhymedstanzasofvarioustypesintoEnglishpoetrytoreplacetheOldEnglishalliterativeverse.ItwashewhousedforthefirsttimeinEnglishtherhymedcoupletofiambicpentameterthatwaslatercalledthe“heroiccouplet”.TheChaucer’sreputationhasbeensecurelyestablishedasoneofthebestEnglishpoetsforhiswisdom,humor,andhumanity.JohnDrydencalledChaucerthefatherofEnglishpoetry.

第二章文艺复兴时期的英国文学考点

1.Renaissancereferstothetransitionalperiodfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.ItfirststartedinItalyinthe14thcentury,lastingintothe17thcentury.TheRenaissancemeansrebirthorrevival.ItwasmarkedbyahumanisticrevivalofancientRomanandGreekclassicsexpressedinafloweringoftheartsandliteratureandbythebeginningsofmodernscience.HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance.TheEnglishRenaissancedidnotbeginuntilthereignofHenryVIII.ItwasusuallyregardedasEngland’sGoldenAge,especiallyinliterature.AmongtheliterarygiantswereShakespeare,Spenser,Johnson,Sidney,Marlowe,BaconandDonne,andJohnMiltonwasthelastgreatpoetoftheEnglishRenaissance.TherealmainstreamoftheEnglishRenaissanceistheElizabethandrama.

2.HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance.Itemphasizesthedignityofhumanbeingsandtheimportanceofthepresentlife.Humanistsvoicedtheirbeliefsthatmanwasthecenteroftheuniverseandmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoythebeautyofthepresentlife,buthadtheabilitytoperfecthimselfandtoperformwonders.

3.PetrarchwasregardedasthefountainheadofliteraturebytheEnglishwriters.WyattintroducedthePetrarchansonnetintoEngland.Surreybroughtinblankverse（无韵体诗），i.e.theunrhymediambic（抑扬格的）pentameter（五音步的）line.

4.Renaissancedrama:

theElizabethandramaistherealmainstreamoftheEnglishRenaissance.EnglishdramaswereinfluencedbytheGreekandRomanclassics.ThomasKydwrotetheearliestpopulartragedyofbloodandrevenge,TheSpanishTragedy.ThemostfamousdramatistsintheRenaissanceEnglandareChristopherMarlowe,WilliamShakespeare,andBenJohnson.ElizabethandramareacheditspeakinShakespeare’sworks.Shakespeare’scompassionateunderstandingofthehumanfatehasperpetuatedhisgreatnessandmadehimtherepresentativefigureofEnglishliteratureforthewholeworld.FrancisBaconwasthefirstimportantEnglishessayist.HewasthefounderofmodernscienceinEngland.Hiswritingpavedthewayfortheuseofscientificmethod.

5.UniversityWitreferstoanyofanotablegroupofpioneerEnglishdramatistswritingduringthelast15yearsofthe16thcentury.Theytransformedthenativedramaticinheritanceofinterludeandchronicleplayintoapotentiallygreatdramabywritingplaysofqualityanddiversity.IndoingsotheypreparedthegroundforgeniusofWilliamShakespeare.TheirforerunnerwasJohnLily,ChristopherMarlowe,ThomasNashe,RobertGreen,andThomasKyd,etc.AllthesewritersexceptThomasKydtookdegreesfromuniversitieslikeOxfordandCambridge.

6.EdmundSpenser:

TheShepherd’sCalendarishisearlywork.Spenser’smasterpieceistheFaerieQueene《仙后》,agreatpoemofitsage.TherearefivemainqualitiesinSpenser’spoetry:

aperfectmelody;araresenseofbeauty;asplendidimagination;aloftymoralpurityandseriousness,andadedicatedidealism.ItisSpenser’sidealism,hisloveofbeauty,andhisexquisitemelodythatearnhimthetitleof“thepoets’poet.”（诗人的诗人）TheFaerieQueeneiswritteninthestanzainventedbySpenserhimself,theSpenserianstanza,i.e.,astanza（诗的一节）ofninelines,withthefirsteightlinesiniambicpentameterandthelastlineiniambichexameter（六音步）,rhymingababbcbcc.

7.ChristopherMarlowe:

（1）Asthemostgiftedofthe“UniversityWits”,Marlowecomposedsixplayswithinhisshortlifetime.Amongthemthemostimportantare:

Tamburlaine,Dr.Faustus,TheJewofMaltaandEdwardII.TamburlaineisaplayaboutanambitiousandpitilessTartarconquerorinthefourteenthcenturywhorosefromashepherdtoanoverpoweringking.Bydepictingagreatherowithhighambitionandsheerbrutalforceinconqueringoneenemyafteranother,MorlowevoicedthesupremedesireofthemanoftheRenaissanceforinfinitepowerandauthority.Dr.FaustusisaplaybasedontheGermanlegendofamagicianaspiringforknowledgeandfinallymeetinghistragicendasaresultofsellinghissoultotheDevil.Itcelebratesthehumanpassionforknowledge,powerandhappiness;italsorevealsman’sfrustrationinrealizingthehighaspirationsinahostilemoralorder.Andtheconfinementtotimeisthecruelestfactofman’scondition.Theplayisagoodexampletoillustratetheideathatamangainsthewholeworldbutloseshisownsoul.

（2）Marlowe’sgreatestliteraryachievementliesinthatheperfectedtheblankverseandmadeittheprincipalmediumofEnglishdrama.Hebroughtvitalityandgrandeurintotheblankversewithhis“mightylines”whichcarrystrongemotions.Marlowe’ssecondachievementishiscreationoftheRenaissanceheroforEnglishdrama.Suchheroisalwaysindividualisticandfullofambition,facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.SuchaheroembodiesMarlowe’shumanisticidealofhumandignityandcapacity.Withtheendlessaspirationforpower,knowledge,andglory,theheroembodiesthetrueRenaissancespirit.

8.WilliamShakespeare（1564—1616）:

（1）ShakespearewasbornonApril23,1564,intoamerchant’sfamilyinStratford-on-Avon.In1582,hegotmarriedandhadthreechildren.ItwasprobablybecausehehadtosupporthisgrowingfamilythatheleftforLondon.Shakespearewrote38plays,154sonnetsand2longpoems.HeisthegreatestdramatistoftheEnglishRenaissance.Shakespeareisaboveallwritersinthepastandinthepresenttime.RobertGreene,oneofthe“UniversityWits”,resentfullydeclaredhimtobe“anupstartcrow.”HediedonApril23,1616.Shakespeareissurpassinglygreatbecausehisworksneverfailtobearakindofclosenesstohumanlifeandneverfailtobethemirrorreflectinghumannature.ShakespeareissogreatthatmaybeonlyBenJohnson’spraisingpoemwillsomewhatcoverhisgreatness:

“…SouloftheAge!

Theapplause!

delight!

Thewonderofourstage!

Triumph,myBritain,thouhastonetoshowTowhomallscenesofEuropehomageowe.Hewasnotofanage,butforalltime!

”

（2）Shakespeare’sfourdramaticperiods:

a.Hisfirstdramaticperiodwasoneofapprenticeship.Hewrotefivehistoryplays:

HenryVI,PartsI,II,andIII,RichardIII,andTitusAndronicus;andfourcomedies:

TheComedyofErrors,TheTwoGentlemenofVerona,TheTamingoftheShrew,andLove’sLabour’sLost.

b.Hisseconddramaticperiodwashighlyindividualized.Hewrotefivehistoryplays:

RichardII,KingJohn,HenryIV,PartsIandII,andHenryV;sixcomedies:

AMidsummerNight’sDream,TheMerchantofVenice,MuchAdoAboutNothing,AsYouLikeIt,TwelfthNight,andTheMerryWivesofWindsor;andtwotragedies:

RomeoandJulietandJuliusCaesar.RomeoandJulieteulogizesthefaithfulnessofloveandthespiritofpursuinghappiness.Theplay,thoughatragedy,ispermeatedwithoptimisticspirit.Shakespeare’shistoryplaysofthesetwoperiodsaremainlywrittenundertheprinciplethat