自考英美文学选读英国部分.docx

自考英美文学选读英国部分.docx

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自考英美文学选读英国部分

ChapterITheRenaissancePeriod

1.TheRenaissancemarksatransitionfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.Generally,itreferstotheperiodbetweenthe14thandmid-7thcenturies.ItfirststartedinItaly,withthefloweringofpainting,sculpture&literature.FromItalythemovementwenttoembracetherestofEurope.TheRenaissance,whichmeans"rebirth"or"revival,"isactuallyamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchasthere-discoveryofancientRoman&Greekculture,thenewdiscoveriesingeographyandastrology,thereligiousreformationandtheeconomicexpansion.TheRenaissance,therefore,inessenceisahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEuropeanhumanistthinkersandscholarsmadeattemptstogetridofthoseoldfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpressedtheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisie（新兴资产阶级）,andtorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch.

2.HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance.Itsprangfromtheendeavortorestoreamedievalreverencefortheancientauthors.HumanismisthebeginningoftheRenaissancebecausetheGreekandRomancivilizationwasbasedtheconceptionthatmanisthemeasureofallthings.Throughthenewlearning,humanistsnotonlysawtheartsofsplendorandenlightenment,butthehumanvaluesrepresentedintheworks.Renaissancehumanistsfoundajustificationtoexalthumannatureandcametoseethathumanbeingsweregloriouscreaturescapableofindividualdevelopmentinthedirectionofperfections,andthattheworldtheyinhabitedwastheirs,theyhaverightstoquestion,explore,andenjoy.Thus,byemphasizingthedignityofhumanbeingsandtheimportanceofthepresentlife,theyvoicedtheirbeliefsthatmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoythebeautyofthislife,buthadtheabilitytoperfecthimselfandtoperformwonders.ThomasMore,ChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespearearethebestrepresentativesoftheEnglishhumanists.

3.TheRenaissancewasslowinreachingEnglandnotonlybecauseofEngland’sseparationfromtheContinent,butalsoitsdomesticunrest.

4.TheRenaissancewastheEngland’sGoldenAge,especiallyinliterature.

5.HenryVIIInamed“DefenderoftheFaith”byPope.

6.WilliamCaxtonintroducedprintingintoEngland.WyattintroducedthePetrarchansonnetintoEngland,Surreyintroducedblankversewithhis“mightylines”.

7.TheElizabethandrama,initstotality,istherealmainstreamoftheEnglishRenaissance.

8.InterludesandmoralityplaysthrivinginthemedievalperiodcontinuedtobepopulardowntoShakespeare’stime.ThemostfamousdramatistsareChristopherMarlowe,WilliamShakespeare,andBenJonson.

9.FrancisBacon,thefirstimportantEnglishessayist,isbestknownforhisessays.

Ⅲ.WilliamShakespeare

1.WilliamShakespeareisoneofthemostremarkableplaywrightsandpoets.Withhis38plays,154sonnetsand2longpoems,hehasestablishedhisgreatpositioninworldliterature.Healsohasbeengiventhehighestpraisesbyscholarsandcriticstheworldover.HewasbornprobablyonApril26,1564,anddiedonApril23,1616.

2.RobertGreene,oneofthe“UniversityWits”calledhim“anupstartcrow”.

3.Generally,hisdramaticcareerisdividedinto4periods.

TheFirstPeriod（1590-1594）theapprenticeship-fivehistoricalplays&fourcomedies:

　　　HenryⅥ,partⅠ（1590）,HenryⅥ,partⅡ（1590）,HenryⅥ,partⅢ（1591）,RichardⅢ（1592）,TitusAndronicus（1593）,TheComedyofErrors（1592）,TheTwoGentlemenofVerona（1594）,TheTamingoftheShrew（1593）,Love'sLabor'sLost（1594）

TheSecondPeriodhighlyindividualized-fivehistoricalplays,sixcomedies&twotragedies:

　　　RichardⅡ（1595）,KingJohn（1596）,HenryⅣ,PartⅠ&PartⅡ（1597）,HenryV（1598）,AMidsummerNight'sDream（1595）,TheMerchantofVenice（1596）,MuchAdoAboutNothing（1598）,AsYouLikeIt（1599）,TwelfthNight（1600）,TheMerryWivesofWinsor（1598）,Romeo&Juliet（1595）,JuliusCaesar（1599）

TheThirdPeriodtragediesanddarkcomedies-Seventragedies&twodarkcomedies:

　　　Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,Macbeth,Antony&Cleopatra,Troilus&Cressida,Coriolonus,All'sWellThatEndsWell,MeasureforMeasure

TheFourthPeriod-Romantictragic-comedies&twoplays:

　　　Pericles,Cymbeline,TheWinte'sTale,TheTempest,HenryⅧ,TheTwoNobleKinsmen

4.Therearetwonarrativelongpoems:

Venus&AdonisandTheRapeofLucrece,andhissequenceof154sonnets.

5.Shakespeare’ssonnetsaretheonlydirectexpressionofthepoets’ownfeelings.

6.Shakespeare’shistoryplaysaremainlywrittenundertheprinciplethatnationalunityunderamightyandjustsovereignisanecessity.

7.ThesuccessfulromantictragedyisRomeoandJuliet,whicheulogizesthefaithfulnessofloveandthespiritofpursuinghappiness.Itispermeatedwithoptimisticspirit.

8.Shakespeare’sgreatesttragediesare:

Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,Macbeth.

1）Eachportrayssomenoblehero,whofacestheinjusticehumanlifeandiscaughtinadifficultsituationandwhosefateiscloselyconnectedwiththefateofthewholenation.

2）Eachherohashisweaknessofthenature:

Hamlet,themelancholicscholar-prince,facesthedilemmabetweenactionandmind;Othello’sinnerweaknessismadeuseofbytheoutsideevilforce;theoldkingLearwhoisunwillingtogiveuphispowermakeshimselfsufferfromtreacheryandinfidelity;andMacbeth’lustforpowerstirsuphisambitionandleadshimtoincessantcrimes.

9.Heholdsthatliteratureshouldbeacombinationofbeauty,kindnessandtruth,andshouldreflectnatureandreality.

10.Hismajorcharactersareneithermerelyindividualonesnortypeones;theyareindividualsrepresentingcertaintypes.Eachcharacterhashisorherownpersonalities;meanwhile,theymaysharefeatureswithothers.Thesoliloquiesinhisplaysfullyrevealtheinnerconflictofhischaracters.Shakespearealsoportrayshischaractersinpairs.Contrastsarefrequentlyusedtobringvividnesstohischaracters.

11.Shakespeare'splaysarewellknownfortheiradroitplotconstruction.Heseldominventshisownplots;instead,heborrowsthemfromsomeoldplaysorstorybooks,orfromancientGreek&Romansources.Thereareusuallyseveralthreadsrunningthroughtheplay,thusprovidingthestorywithsuspense&apprehension.

12.Ironyisagoodmeansofdramaticpresentation.

13.Shakespeareisagainstreligiouspersecution&racialdiscrimination,againstsocialinequality&thecorruptinginfluenceofgold&money.

14.Hisblandverseisespeciallybeautiful&mighty.Hehasanamazingwealthofvocabulary&idiom.Hiscoinageofnewwords&distortionofthemeaningoftheoldonesalsocreatestrikingeffectsonthereader.

Shakespeare’sworks:

A.TheMerchantofVenice

Inhisromanticcomedies,Shakespearetakesoptimisticattitudetowardloveandyouth,andtheromanticelementsarebroughtintofullpay.ThemostimportantplayamongthecomediesisTheMerchant’sVenice.Theplayhasdoubleplot.

Theme:

topraisethefriendshipbetweenAntonio&Bassanio,toidealizePortiaasaheroineofgreatbeauty,wit&loyalty,&toexposetheinsatiablegreed&brutalityoftheJew.

B.Hamlet

HamletisgenerallyregardedasShakespeare'smostpopularplayonthestage,forithasthequalityofexplorationoflife&death.ShakespearetakesthebareoutlineofRevengeTragedy.Andthetimelessappealofthismightydramaliesinitscombinationofintrigue,emotionalconflict&searchingphilosophicmelancholy.

TheplayopenswithHamlet,PrinceofDenmark,appearinginamoodofworld-wearinessoccasionedbyhisfather'srecentdeath&byhismother'shastyremarriagewithClaudius,hisfather'sbrother.Whileencounteringhisfather'sghost,HamletisinformedthatClaudiushasmurderedhisfather&thentakenoverbothhisfather'sthrone&widow.This,Hamlet,isurgedbytheghosttoseekrevengeforhisfather's"foul&mostunnaturalmurder."

Trappedinanightmareworldofspying,testing&plotting,&apparentlybearingtheintolerableburdenofthedutytorevengehisfather'sdeath,Hamletisobligedtoinhabitashadowworld,tolivesuspendedbetweenfact&fiction,language&action.Hislifeisoneofconstantrole-playing,examiningthenatureofactiononlytodenyitspossibility,forheistoosophisticatedtodegradehisnaturetotheconventionalroleofastagerevenger.Hismindissospeculative,soquestioning,andsocontemplative.

BycharacterizingHamlet,Shakespearesuccessfullymakesaphilosophicalexplorationoflife&deathandcondemnsthehypocrisyandtreacheryandgeneralcorruptionattheroyalcourt.

1）tobeornottobe:

toliveoninthisworldortodie;tosufferortotakeaction.

C.TheTempest

TheTempest,anelaborate&fantasticstory,isknownasthebestofhisfinalromances.Thecharactersareratherallegorical&thesubjectfullofsuggestion.Thehumanlyimpossibleeventscanbeseenoccurringeverywhere,intheplay.Theplaywrightresortstothesupernaturalatmosphere&tothedreamstosolvetheconflict.ToShakespeare,thewholelifeisnomorethanadream.Thus,TheTempestisatypicalexampleofhispessimisticviewtowardshumanlife&societyinhislateyears.

D.Sonnet18

Sonnet18isoneofthemostbeautifulsonnetswrittenbyShakespeare.

Theme:

aprofoundmeditationonthedestructivepoweroftime&theeternalbeautybroughtforthbypoetrytotheoneheloves.Anicesummerisshort,butthebeautyinpoetrycanlastforever.ThusShakespearehasafaithinthepermanenceofpoetry.

1）asummer’sday:

Hereismayrefertoaperiodortheseasonofsummer.

2）Date:

theperiodofalease.

3）Untrimmed:

strippedofgayapparel.

4）Ow’st