刘炳善 英国文学史课件part1to8Word文档下载推荐.docx

1、Two divisions: pagan and Christian1. The pagan lit refers the songs, legends which the AS brought from their original home. 2. The Christian lit refers to poems or prose writings developed after the conversion, under the teaching of the monks; they mainly deal with religious subjects, stories based

2、on the Bible. Beowulf1. The use of alliteration, compound words, understatement, metaphor2. It is the national epic of Anglo-Saxons3. It is passed down orally from generation to generation until the 10th century when it was written down in old English.4. It is regarded as the national epic of the An

3、glo Saxon people. It is written in Old English, part-historical, part-legendary. It is a long narrative poem on the theme of arms and man, mixing with pagan elements and Christian coloring.Artistic feature in Beowulf1. The use of alliteration, words beginning with the same consonants alliterate with

4、 each other within each line, or a word beginning with a vowel alliterates with another word beginning with the same or another vowel. e.g. a. Thus made their mourning the men of Geat land,b. For their heros passing ,his heath-companionc. Quoth that of all the kings of earth,e. Of men he was the mil

5、dest and most belovedf. To his kin the kindest, keenest to praise2. The use of indirect metaphor （kennings）e.g. sea: swan-road, whale-path or sea-bathShip- wave-travelerSoldier: shield-bearer, battle-hero, spear-fighterFights: sword-clashing, edge-clashArmor: ring-mail, limb-sark, breast-net3. the u

6、se of understatement（低调，轻描淡写地陈述）：a negative expression usually in the form of an understatement creating a. Not troublesome, for very welcomeb. Need not praise, for a right to condemn4. Parallel and antithesis5. Episodes and digression Middle English literature Alliterative and metrical Romances con

7、stitute the bulk of the literary works Romancethe most popular literary form in the Middle Ages in Europe; A tale （in verse or prose） that deals with knightly adventures or other heroic deeds or supernatural or amorous subjects, and usually emphasizes the chivalric love. Characteristics of romance:1

8、） Mysterious, fantasies, romantic love, and standardized characterization; 2） Loose structure, simple and straightforward language; 3） Set in idealized worlds, containing unlikely or supernatural happenings, reflecting a chivalric age. 4） Most of the English Romances of the time were metrical. Meter

9、 and rhyme having been adopted from French poetry to take the place of alliteration in AS poetry. Chivalry： Qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women.Sir Gawain and the Green knightArtistic features1. The use of alliteration. It is an alliterativ

10、e Romance about King Arthur and his round table knight. Each fit consists of 2 parts, the first part contains alliterative long lines of more than 10 and the second part contains bob （two or three syllables） and four rhymed wheel. This kind of special fit makes the narrative rhythm changeable and va

11、riable; it combines the strong alliteration with musical rhyme so as to come to the effect of musical melody. 2. Images and figures contain mysterious meaning and color and foreground the theme of this poem.Five star picture- five symbols, five senses, five fingers, five wounds. Three days in castle

12、, three seductions, three test Piers the PlowmanA long poem by William Langland Artistic features: 1. First it is written in the form of dream visions, 2. Second it is an allegory which uses symbolism to relate truth; 3. Third, it is a realistic picture of medieval England.Allegory: is a fictional n

13、arrative or artistic expression that conveys a symbolic meaning parallel to but distinct from and more important than the literary meaning.The English BalladsA ballad is a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanza, with the second and fourth lines rhymed. The English and Scottish popular ballads

14、flourished in the 15th century.Features of ballads:1. four-line stanza. 2. 1/3 lines 4 stresses3. 2/4 lines 3 stresses. 4. Iambic （抑扬格）5. Abrupt beginning. 6. Dramatic elements7. Told through dialogues and actionsGeoffrey Chaucer （1340? -1400）Main worksHouse of Fame （plot, 1379） The Parliament of Fowls （1382） Troilus and Criseyde （1385） The Canterbury TalesHis master piece The Canterbury tales contains a general prologue and 24 tales, unfinished at the authors sudden death The total effect of the poem: a general picture of social reality of poets da