英国文学史及选读下备课笔记.docx

英国文学史及选读下备课笔记.docx

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英国文学史及选读下备课笔记

TheRomanticPeriod

Attheturnofthe18thand19thcenturiesromanticismappearedinEnglandasanewtrendinliterature.ItroseandgrewundertheimpetusoftheIndustrialRevolutionandFrenchrevolution.

AftertheIndustrialRevolution,Englandwasasceneofcomplicatedsocialcontradictions.Theoldaristocracywaspushedquitetothebackground.Rapidcapitalistdevelopmenthadruinedthepeasantswhohadnowbecomehiredworkersinthecountryside.Anewclass,theproletariat（无产阶级）,hadsprungintoexistence.Alltheworkingpeoplelivedindirepoverty,mercilesslyexploitedbythebourgeoisie.Thefirstworkers’strugglebrokeout,findingexpressioninthespontaneousmovementoftheLuddites（19世纪英国手工业工人中参加捣毁机器运动者）.Or“frame-breakers”,whobroketheirmasters’machinestoshowtheirhatredofthecapitalistsandcapitalistexploitation.

OnJuly14,1789,theParisianpeoplestormedtheBastille.ThismarkedtheoutbreakoftheFrenchRevolution,whoseinfluencesoonsweptalloverEurope.InEngland,too,allsocialcontradictionssharpenedowingtothisinfluence.Theworkers,peasants,peopleofthelowerclassesandtheprogressiveintellectualshailedtheFrenchRevolutionanditsprinciple,hopingtorealize“liberty,equalityandfraternity”alsoinEngland.Thentherearoseanupsurgeofdemocraticmovementsamongthepopularmasses,andradicalorganizationsliketheLondonCorrespondingSocietyweresetupinmanycities.Inthemeantimethebourgeoisie,especiallyitsupperstratum,scaredbythetremendousinfluenceoftheFrenchRevolutionamongthepeople,sawin“Jacobinism”（激进主义）amostdangerousenemywhichthreateneditsveryexistence.Underthebanneroffighting“Jacobinism”.TheBritishGovernmentcarriedonapolicyofsupportingthe“HolyAlliance”,i.e.,the“Unionofkings”,ortheunionofreactionaryEurope,tosuppresstheFrenchRevolutionandthedemocraticmovementsinEngland.AfterthebattleofWaterloo（1815）,thereactionarymeasuresoftheBritishrulingclassbecameevenmorefrantic,resultinginthe“PeterlooMassacre”in1819,whenhundredsofworkerswerekilledandwoundedbythetroopsduringamassrallydemandingpoliticalreformatManchester.

Theacutestrugglewasreflectedinthepoliticalwritingsoftheday.TheRadicalpamphleteerThomasPainewrote“TherightofMan”,inwhichheadvocatedthatpoliticswerethebusinessofthewholemassofcommonpeople.Governmentwasonlytolerableifitsecuredtothewholepeople“Life,libertyandthepursuitOfhappiness”,andanygovernmentwhichfailedbythistestoughttobeoverthrown,ifnecessary,byrevolution.HisclearandlogicalexpositionoftheprincipleoftheFrenchRevolutionwonareadyhearingamongthepeople.Butpersecutionsoonfollowed.“TherightofMan”wasbanned,andPainefledtoFrancetoescapetrialbytheBritishgovernment.

Amidthesesocialconflictsromanticismaroseasanewliterarytrend.ItprevailedinEnglandduringtheperiod1778-1832.ThemovementwasusheredbyThomasPerry,JamesMacphersonandThomasChatterton.WilliamBlakeandRobertBurnsrepresentedthespiritofwhatisusuallycalledPre-Romanticism.WiththepublicationofWilliamWordsworth’sLyricalBalladsincollaborationwithColeridgeromanticismbegantobloomandfoundafirmplaceinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.Infact,thefirsthalfofthe19thcenturyrecordedthetriumphofromanticism.Generallyspeaking,theromanticsexpressedtheideologyandsentimentoftheseclassesandsocialstratumwhowerediscontentwith,andopposedto,thedevelopmentofcapitalism.Butowingtodifferenceinpoliticalattitudes,theysplitintotwoschools.Someromanticwritersreflectedthethinkingofclassesruinedbythebourgeoisie,andbywayofprotestagainstcapitalistdevelopmentturnedtothefeudalpast,i.e.,the“merryoldEngland”astheirideal,or,“Frightenedbythecomingofindustrialismandthenightmaretownsofindustry,theywereturningtonatureforprotection.“Theseweretheelderandsometimescalledpassiveorescapistromanticists,representedbyWordsworth,ColeridgeandSouthey.Othersexpressedtheaspirationsoftheclassescreatedbycapitalismandheldoutanideal,thoughavagueone,ofafuturesocietyfreefromoppositionandexploitation.TheseweretheyoungerandsometimescalledactiveromanticistsrepresentedbyByron,ShelleyandKeats.

Thegeneralfeatureoftheworksoftheromanticistsisadissatisfactionwiththebourgeoissociety,whichfindsexpressioninarevoltagainstoranescapefromtheprosaicsordiddailylife,the“prisonoftheactual”undercapitalism.Theirwritingsarefilledwithstrong-willedheroes,formidableevents,tragicsituations,powerfulconflictingpassions,andexoticpictures.Sometimestheyresorttosymbolicmethods.Withtheactiveromanticists,symbolicpicturesrepresentavagueideaofsomefuturesociety,whilewiththepassiveromanticists,theseoftentakeonamysticcolor.Incontrasttotherationalism（理性主义）oftheenlightenersandclassicists（古典主义者）inthe18thcentury,theromanticistspaidgreatattentiontothespiritualandemotionallifeofman.Nature,oftenpersonified,alsoplaysanimportantroleintheirworks.Thepassionsofmenandthebeautiesofnatureappealedstronglytotheimaginationoftheromanticwriter,andthegloryoflakesandmountains,thelittlejoysorsorrowsofchildren,thewealandwoeofordinaryunculturedpeasants,thewonderofthefairyworld,andthesplendoroftheGreekartallbecamethefountain-headsofthewriter’sinspiration.Poetry,ofcourse,isthebestmediumtoexpressallthesesentiments.Infact,alltheromanticistsmentionedabovewerepoets.TheRomanticPeriodwasoneofpoeticalrevival.

RomanticproseofthetimewasrepresentedbyLamb,Hazlitt,DeQuinceyandHunt.

TheonlygreatnovelistinthisperiodwasWalterScott,whosehistoricalnovelscombinearomanticatmospherewitharealisticdepictionofhistoricalbackgroundandcommonpeople’slife.Scottmarkedthetransitionfromromanticismtotheperiodofrealismwhichfollowedit.

WilliamWordsworth

I.Lifeexperience

WilliamWordsworth,therepresentativepoetoftheearlyromanticismwasbornin1770,inalawyer’sfamilyatCumberland.HestudiedatCambridgefrom1787to1791.In1798,theyjointlypublishedthe“LyricalBallads”.Coleridge’scontributionwashismasterpiece“TheRimeoftheAncientMariner”.Themajorityofpoemsinthiscollection,however,werewrittenbyWordsworth.

Thepublicationofthe“LyricalBallads”markedthebreakwiththeconventionalpoeticaltraditionofthe18thcentury,i.e.,withclassicism,andthebeginningoftheRomanticrevivalinEngland.

Intheprefacetothe“LyricalBallads”,Wordsworthsetforthhisprinciplesofpoetry.Ascontrastedwiththeclassicistswhomadereason,orderandtheold,classicaltraditionsthecriteriaintheirpoeticalcreations,Wordsworthbasedhisownpoeticalprincipleonthepremisethat“allgoodpoetryisthespontaneousoverflowofpowerfulfeeling”.Heappealeddirectlytoindividualsensations,i.e.,pleasure,excitementandenjoyment,asthefoundationinthecreationandappreciationofpoetry.TheprefacetotheLyricalBallads“servedasthemanifestooftheEnglishRomanticMovementinpoetry.

Wordsworth,ColeridgeandSoutheyhaveoftenbeenmentionedasthe“LakePoets”becausetheylivedinthelakedistrictinthenorthwesternpartofEngland.Thethreetraversedthesamepathinpoliticsandinpoetry,beginningasradicalsandclosingasconservatives.

1.Hisworks:

（1）“TotheCuckoo”,“IWanderedLonelyasaCloud”,“MyHeartLeapsUp”,“IntimationsofImmortality”,“LinesComposedaFewMilesAboveTinternAbbey”.Hisdeeplovefornaturerunsthroughsuchshortlyricsastheabove.

（2）Deep-rootedinhisnativesoil,Wordsworthsucceededindrawingpatheticpicturesofthelaboringpeople（“TheSolitaryReaper）,indepictingthenaivetyofsimplepeasantchildren（“WeAreSeven”）andindelineatingwithdeepsympathythesufferingsofthepoor,humblepeasants（“TheRuinedCottage”）,“SimonLee”.His“Lucy”poemsareaseriesofshortpatheticlyricsonthethemeofharmonybetweenhumanityandnature.

Wordsworth’spoetryisdistinguishedbythesimplicity,vividimagery,directnessoflanguage,andpurityofthelanguage.Hispoetryhastheunadornedbeauty.Histheoryandpracticeinpoeticalcreationstartedfromadissatisfactionwiththesocialrealityundercapitalism,andhintedatthethoughtof“Backtonature”,and“backtothepatriarchalsystemoftheoldtime”.

“ThePreface”isWordsworth’sautobiographicalpoem,in14books,whichwaswrittenin1799-1805butnotpublisheduntil1850.Itisthespiritualrecordofthepoet’smind,honestlyrecordinghisownintimatementalexperienceswhichcoverhischildhood,schooldays,yearsatCambridge,hisfirstimpressionsofLondon,hisfirstvisittoFrance,hisresidenceinFranceduringtheRevolution,andhisreactiontothesevariousexperiences,showingthedevelopmentofhisownthoughtandsentiment.

II.SheDweltAmongtheUntroddenWays

Explanationofthefollowingwordsandexpressions:

Ways:

wayswhichnoonehasevertrod;whichnoonehaseverwalkedon

Ceasedtobe:

passed

III.“IwanderedLonelyasaCloud”:

1.Introductiontothebackground:

Thispoemwaswrittenin1804andpublishedin1807.OnedaywhenWordsworthwaspassingUllwasterLake,hesuddenlysawalargecrowdofgoldendaffodils.Thissceneimpressedhimsodeeplythatitwasstillinhismindtwoyearslater,sohewrotethispoem.

HissisterDorothyWordsworthwroteaboutthissceneinherdiary:

WhenwewereinthewoodsbelowGowbarrowParkwesawafewdaffodilsclosetothewaterside.A