英国文学选读复习资料.docx

1、英国文学选读复习资料Selected ReadingLet me confess that we two must be twain,Although our undivided loves are one:So shall those blots that do with me remain,Without thy help, by me be borne alone.Questions:1. What is the genre of this passage? (1)2. Who is the author of this passage? (1)3. what does “we two”

2、 refer to in the first line? (2)4. please translate these lines into modern text. (6)Answers:1. It is a sonnet 20. (1)2. W. Shakespeare(1)3. Shakespeare and Mr. W. H(2)4. I acknowledge that the two of us have to part, even though were united in love. That way I can take those disgraces that weve inc

3、urred together all onto myself, bearing them without any help from you. Our love for one another gives us common cause, despite this awful situation that forces us apart, which, though it cant prevent us from being united in love, still robs us of sweet hours of pleasure together. (6)Selected readin

4、g 2 Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have more cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. Histori

5、es make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep, moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.Questions:1. This passage is taken from a famous essay written by _.(1)2. What is the title of the essay? (1)3. What do you think of the language of this essay? (8)Ans

6、wers:1. Francis Bacon(1)2. “OF STUDY” (1)3. The language of this essay is peculiar for its clearness, brevity, and force of expression. The sentences are short, pointed, incisive, and often of balanced structure. (8)Selected reading 3Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree,

7、whose mortal tasteBrought Death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,Questions:1. What is the genre of this passage? (1)2. Who is the author? (1)3. What does Forbidden Tree refer to? (2)4. From which book is this part taken

8、? (1)5. According to this part, what is the story about? (5)Answer:1. It is an epic. (1)2. John Milton(1)3. tree of knowledge in Bible(2)4. Old Testament(1)5. With these lines, Milton begins Paradise Lost and lays the groundwork for his project, presenting his purpose, subject, aspirations, and need

9、 for heavenly guidance. He states that his subject will be the disobedience of Adam and Eve, whose sin allows death and pain into the world. He invokes his muse, whom he identifies as the Holy Spirit. He asserts his hopes that his epic poem will surpass the other great epic poems written before, as

10、he claims that his story is the most original and the most virtuous. He also asks his muse to fill his mind with divine knowledge so that he can share this knowledge with his readers. Finally, he hopes this knowledge and guidance from his muse will allow him to claim authority without committing any

11、 heresies, as he attempts to explain Gods reasoning and his overall plan for humankind. (5) Selected reading 4It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his firs

12、t entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.Questions:1. This passage is the opening of a novel entitled _.(1)2. The writer of the novel is the first famous wom

13、an novelist _.(1)3. What is the style of the passage? (2)4. What is the passage describing? (6)Answers1. Pride and Prejudice(1)2. Jane Austen(1)3. This passage is taken from the first chapter of the novel. Chapter I has been universally acknowledged to be very well-written as an opening chapter. The

14、 style is lucid and graceful, with touches of humor and mild satire. The conversations are interesting and amusing, and immediately bring the characters to life. The author only inserts her observations occasionally. (2)4. It is describing the parents of Bennet girls. Mr. And Mrs. Bennet are busy co

15、nsidering the prospects of their daughters marriages, shortly after hearing of the arrival of a rich, unmarried young man as their neighbor. Mild satire may be found here in the authors seemingly matter of fact description of very ordinary, practical family conversation, though unmistakable sympathy

16、 is given to both Mr. And Mrs. Bennet. (6) Selected reading 5“It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because hes handsome, Nelly, but because hes more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Edgars is

17、 as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.”Questions:1. This passage is taken from _ written by _. (2)2. “I” in this passage refers to _ (1)3. What is the interpretation of “hes more myself than I am”? (7)Answer:1. Wuthering Heights; Emily Bronte(2)2. Catherine(1)3. Catherines s

18、peech to Nelly about her acceptance of Edgars proposal, in Chapter IX, forms the turning-point of the plot. It is at this point that Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights, after he has overheard Catherine say that it would “degrade” her to marry him. Although the action of Wuthering Heights takes plac

19、e so far from the bustle of society, where most of Bronts contemporaries set their scenes, social ambition motivates many of the actions of these characters, however isolated among the moors. Catherines decision to marry Edgar Linton out of a desire to be “the greatest woman of the neighbourhood” ex

20、emplifies the effect of social considerations on the characters actions.In Catherines paradoxical statement that Heathcliff is “more myself than I am,” readers can see how the relation between Catherine and Heathcliff often transcends a dynamic of desire and becomes one of unity. Heterosexual love i

21、s often, in literature, described in terms of complementary oppositeslike moonbeam and lightning, or frost and firebut the love between Catherine and Heathcliff opposes this convention. Catherine says not, “I love Heathcliff,” but, “I am Heathcliff.” In following the relationship through to its pain

22、ful end, the novel ultimately may attest to the destructiveness of a love that denies difference. (7)Selected reading A womans face with natures own hand painted,Has thou, the master mistress of my passion;A womans gentle heart, but not acquaintedWith shifting change, as is false womens fashion:An e

23、ye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,Questions 1. What is the genre of this passage? (1)2. Who is the author of this passage? (1)3. Is this selected part about a woman or a man? (1)4. What is this passage about? (7)Answer:1. It is a sonnet 20. (1)2. W. Shakespeare(1)3. a man(1)4. Sonnet

24、 20 has caused much debate. Some scholars believe that this is a clear admission of Shakespeares homosexuality. Despite the fact that male friendships in the Renaissance were openly affectionate, the powerful emotions the poet displays here are indicative of a deep and sensual love. The poets lover

25、is the master-mistress of his passion. He has the grace and features of a woman but is devoid of the guile and pretense that comes with female lovers; those wily women with eyes false in rolling, who change their moods and affections like chameleons. (7) Selected reading 2They gradually ascended for

26、 half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley HouseIt was a large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hillsShe had never seen a place where

27、 nature had done more and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!Questions:1. This passage is taken from _ written by _. (2)2. “she” in this passage refers to _ (1)3. What is your interpretation to the sentence “at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemb

28、erley might be something”? (7)Answer:1. Pride and Prejudice; Jane Austen(2)2. Elizabeth Bennet(1)3. These lines open Chapter 43 and provide Elizabeths introduction to Darcys grand estate at Pemberley. Her visit to Darcys home, which occupies a central place in the narrative, operates as a catalyst f

29、or her growing attraction toward its owner. In her conversations with the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, Elizabeth hears testimonials of Darcys wonderful generosity and his kindness as a master; when she encounters Darcy himself, while walking through Pemberleys grounds, he seems altogether changed and

30、 his previous arrogance has diminished remarkably. This initial description of the building and grounds at Pemberley serves as a symbol of Darcys character. The “stream of some natural importance . . . swelled into greater” reminds the reader of his pride, but the fact that it lacks “any artificial

31、appearance” indicates his basic honesty, as does the fact that the stream is neither “formal, nor falsely adorned.” Elizabeths delight and her sudden epiphany about the pleasure that being mistress of Pemberley must hold, prefigure her later joy in Darcys continued devotion. (7)Selected reading 3The

32、n I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of the town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair; it is kept all the year long; it beareth the name of Vanity Fair because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity; and also because all t