英国文学作品资料.docx

英国文学作品资料.docx

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英国文学作品资料

1TheCanterburyTales

Religion

TheTalesreflectdiversereligiousworldviewsinChaucer'stime.AftertheBlackDeath,manyEuropeansbegantoquestiontheauthorityoftheCatholicChurch.Someturnedtolollardy,whileotherschoselessextremepaths,startingnewmonasticordersorsmallermovementsexposingchurchcorruptioninthebehavioroftheclergy,falsechurchrelicsorsaleofindulgences.[27]SeveralcharactersintheTalesarereligiousfigures,andtheverynatureofthepilgrimagetoCanterburyisdeeplyreligious,makingthisapreeminentthemeofthework.[28]

Twocharacters,thePardonerandtheSummoner,haverolesdirectlytiedtothechurch'smonetarypower.Bothofthesecharactersareportrayedasdeeplycorrupt,greedy,andabusive.ApardonerinChaucer'sdaywasapersontowhomonepaidindulgencesinexchangeforforgivenessofsins.Pardonerswouldexactafeefortheirservicesandinmanycaseswereguiltyofusingthesefeesfortheirowngain.Chaucer'sPardoneropenlyadmitsthecorruptionofhispracticewhilehawkinghiswares.[29]TheSummonerisaclergymanwhosejobitwastobringsinnerstothechurchcourtforpossibleexcommunication.Thesecourtsalsohadpowertoseizeproperty,inflictpainorhumiliation,orimposethedeathpenalty.Corruptsummonerswouldwritefalsecitationsandfrightenpeopleintobribingtheminordertoprotecttheirlivesandproperty.Chaucer'sSummonerisportrayedasbeingguiltyoftheverykindsofsinsheisthreateningtobringotherstocourtfor,andheishintedashavingacorruptrelationshipwiththePardonertofurtherhispersonalgain.[30]InTheFriar'sTale,oneofthecharactersisasummoner,andisshowntobeworkingonthesideofthedevil,notGod.[31]

ThemurderofThomasBecket

Membersoftheregularclergy—monksandnunsofvariousorders—arerepresentedbytheMonk,thePrioress,theNun'sPriest,andtheSecondNun.Monasticorders,whichoriginatedfromthedesireofmanytofollowanasceticlifestyleandtoseparatethemselvesfromtheworld,hadbyChaucer'stimebecomeincreasinglyentangledinworldlymatters.Monasteriesfrequentlycontrolledhugetractsoflandonwhichtheymadesignificantsumsofmoney,whilepeasantsworkedintheiremploy.[32]TheSecondNunisanexampleofwhataNunwasexpectedtobe.Hertaleisaboutawomanwhosechasteexamplebringspeopleintothechurch.TheMonkandthePrioress,ontheotherhand,whiletheyarenotascorruptastheSummonerorPardoner,fallshortofidealfortheirorder.Botharedressedexpensivelyandshowsignsoflivesofluxuryandflirtatiousness.Bothalsoshowalackofspiritualdepth.[33]ThePrioress'sTaleisanaccountofJewsmurderingadeeplypiousandinnocentChristianboy.ThisbloodlibelagainstJewsbecameapartofEnglishliterarytradition.[34]However,thestorythePrioresstellsdidnotoriginateintheworksofChaucer:

itwaswellknowninthe14thcentury.[35]

Thepilgrimagewasaveryprominentfeatureofmedievalsociety.Pilgrimswouldfrequentlyjourneytocathedralsthatpreservedrelicsofsaints.Theybelievedthatsuchrelicshadmiraculouspowers.Pilgrimagesalsorepresentedthemortaljourneytoheaventhroughthestrugglesofmortallife.TheultimatepilgrimagedestinationwasJerusalem,[36]butCanterburywasapopulardestinationwithinEngland.SaintThomasBecket,ArchbishopofCanterbury,hadbeenkilledintheCanterburycathedralbyknightswhohadmisunderstoodHenryII'sorderduringadisagreementbetweenhimandBecket.Miraclestoriesconnectedtohisremainsbegantospringupsoonafterhisdeath,andtheareabecameapopularpilgrimagedestination.[37]Thepilgrimageisamajorthemeintheworkwhichtiesallofthestoriestogether,andsomescholarspointoutthatitmaybearepresentationofChristians'strivingforheaven,despiteweaknesses,disagreement,anddiversityofopinion.[38]

[edit]Socialclassandconvention

Bors'Dilemma-hechoosestosaveamaidenratherthanhisbrotherLionel

Theupperclassornobility,representedchieflybytheKnightandhisSquire,wasinChaucer'stimesteepedinacultureofchivalryandcourtliness.Nobleswereexpectedtobepowerfulwarriorswhocouldberuthlessonthebattlefield,yetmannerlyintheKing'sCourtandChristianintheiractions.[39]Knightswereexpectedtoformastrongsocialbondwiththemenwhofoughtalongsidethem,butanevenstrongerbondwithawomanwhomtheyidealizedinordertostrengthentheirfightingability.[40]Thoughtheaimofchivalrywastonobleaction,oftenitsconflictingvaluesdegeneratedintoviolence.Churchleadersoftentriedtoplacerestrictionsonjoustsandtournaments,whichattimesendedinthedeathoftheloser.TheKnight'sTaleshowshowthebrotherlyloveoftwofellowknightsturnsintoadeadlyfeudatthesightofawomanwhombothidealize,withbothknightswillingtofighttheothertothedeathinordertowinher.ChivalrywasinChaucer'sdayonthedecline,anditispossiblethatTheKnight'sTalewasintendedtoshowitsflaws,althoughthisisdisputed.[41]ChaucerhimselfhadfoughtintheHundredYears'WarunderEdwardIII,whoheavilyemphasizedchivalryduringhisreign.[42]Twotales,TheTaleofSirTopasandTheTaleofMelibeearetoldbyChaucerhimself,whoistravellingwiththepilgrimsinhisownstory.Bothtalesseemtofocusontheill-effectsofchivalry—thefirstmakingfunofchivalricrulesandthesecondwarningagainstviolence.[43]

TheTalesconstantlyreflecttheconflictbetweenclasses.Forexample,thedivisionofthethreeestates;thecharactersarealldividedintothreedistinctclasses,theclassesbeing"thosewhopray"（theclergy）,"thosewhofight"（thenobility）,and"thosewhowork"（thecommonersandpeasantry）.[44]Mostofthetalesareinterlinkedbycommonthemes,andsome"quit"（replytoorretaliateagainst）othertales.ConventionisfollowedwhentheKnightbeginsthegamewithatale,asherepresentsthehighestsocialclassinthegroup.ButwhenheisfollowedbytheMiller,whorepresentsalowerclass,itsetsthestagefortheTalestoreflectbotharespectforandadisregardforupperclassrules.HelenCooper,aswellasMikhailBakhtinandDerekBrewer,callthisopposition"theorderedandthegrotesque,LentandCarnival,officiallyapprovedcultureanditsriotous,andhigh-spiritedunderside."[45]Severalworksofthetimecontainedthesameopposition.[45]

[edit]Relativismvs.realism

Chaucer'scharacterseachexpressdifferent—sometimesvastlydifferent—viewsofreality,creatinganatmosphereofrelativism.AsHelenCoopersays,"Differentgenresgivedifferentreadingsoftheworld:

thefabliauscarcelynoticestheoperationsofGod,thesaint'slifefocusesonthoseattheexpenseofphysicalreality,tractsandsermonsinsistonprudentialororthodoxmorality,romancesprivilegehumanemotion."ThesheernumberofvaryingpersonsandstoriesrenderstheTalesasasetunabletoarriveatanydefinitetruthorreality.[46]

[edit]Influence

ItissometimesarguedthatthegreatestcontributionthatthisworkmadetoEnglishliteraturewasinpopularizingtheliteraryuseofthevernacular,English,ratherthanFrenchorLatin.Englishhad,however,beenusedasaliterarylanguageforcenturiesbeforeChaucer'slife,andseveralofChaucer'scontemporaries—JohnGower,WilliamLangland,andthePearlPoet—alsowrotemajorliteraryworksinEnglish.ItisuncleartowhatextentChaucerwasresponsibleforstartingatrendratherthansimplybeingpartofit.[citationneeded]Itisinterestingtonotethat,althoughChaucerhadapowerfulinfluenceinpoeticandartisticterms,whichcanbeseeninthegreatnumberofforgeriesandmistakenattributions（suchasTheFlowerandtheLeafwhichwastranslatedbyJohnDryden）,modernEnglishspellingandorthographyowesmuchmoretotheinnovationsmadebytheCourtofChanceryinthedecadesduringandafterhislifetime.[citationne

eded]

二SirGawainandtheGreenKnight

SirGawainandtheGreenKnightisalate14th-centuryMiddleEnglishalliterativeromanceoutlininganadventureofSirGawain,aknightofKingArthur'sRoundTable.Inthetale,SirGawainacceptsachallengefromamysteriouswarriorwhoiscompletelygreen,fromhisclothesandhairtohisbeardandskin.The"GreenKnight"offerstoallowanyonetostrikehimwithhisaxeifthechallengerwilltakeareturnblowinayearandaday.Gawainaccepts,andbeheadshiminoneblow,onlytohavetheGreenKnightstandup,pickuphishead,andremindGawaintomeethimattheappointedtime.ThestoryofGawain'sstruggletomeettheappointmentandhisadventuresalongthewaydemonstratethespiritofchivalryandloyalty.

Natureandchivalry

Somearguethatnaturerepresentsachaotic,lawlessorderwhichisindirectconfrontationwiththecivilisationofCamelotthroughoutSirGawainandtheGreenKnight.ThegreenhorseandriderthatfirstinvadeArthur’speacefulhallsareiconicrepresentationsofnature'sdisturbance.Natureispresentedthroughoutthepoemasroughandindifferent,constantlythreateningtheorderofmenandcourtlylife.Natureinvadesanddisruptsorderinthemajoreventsofthenarrative,bothsymbolicallyandthroughtheinnernatureofhumanity.ThiselementappearsfirstwiththedisruptioncausedbytheGreenKnight,laterwhenGawainmustfightoffhisnaturallustforBertilak’swife,andagainwhenGawainbreakshisvowtoBertilakbychoosingtokeepthegreengirdle,valuingsurvivalovervirtue.Representedbythesin-stainedgirdle,natureisanunderlyingforce,foreverwithinmanandkeepinghimimperfect（inachivalricsense）.[22]Inthisview,Gawainispartofawiderconflictbetweennatu