History and Anthology of English Literature文档格式.docx

1、 Early and Medieval English literature-the making of England The 15th century to 16th century English literature-English Renaissance The 17th century English literature-Revolution and Restoration period The 18th century English literature-English Enlightenment Movement English Romanticism -from 1798

2、 to 1832 The Victorian Age-the English Critical Realism Mid and late 19th century English literature The 20th century English literaturePart I Anglo-Saxon Period Historical Background：Early inhabitants of “England” were called Britons.（Britain=the land of Britons） Time mark:In 55 B.C. Roman Conquest

3、 by Julius CaesarIn 78 A.D. Britain was completely conquered by Romans In 410 A.D. the fall of the Roman Empire and the rule ended.-Roman Conquest lasted for more than 400 years. Afterwards, three tribes from Northern Europe came in this land-the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes These three later fo

4、rmed a whole country, called England, the land of Angles and the language spoken by them was Old English.Influence of Roman Conquest Roman civilization was brought to England A network of highways Christianity was introduced to EnglandMonasteries were built and the monks became the only educated peo

5、pleLiterature in this period There were two divisions: pagan and Christian1） pagan: oral stories gleeman2） Christian: in written form and was taught and transmitted by monksNote:pagan Pagan beliefs and activities do not belong to any of the main religions of the world and take nature and a belief in

6、 many gods as a basis. They are older, or are believed to be older, than other religions. In former times, pagans were people who did not believe in Christianity and whom many Christians considered to be inferior people. 异教徒（信奉非主流宗教者） ;教外人（旧时的基督徒用以指非基督徒） The Song of BeowulfStructured by fights First

7、 fight: with Grendel Beowulf begins with the story of King Hrothgar, who built the great hall Heorot for his people. In it he, his wife Wealheow and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating, until Grendel, an outcast from society who is angered by the singing, attacks the hall and kills

8、 and devours many of Hrothgars warriors while they sleep. But Grendel dares not to touch the throne of Hrothgar, because he is described as protected by a powerful god. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendels attacks, abandon Heorot.Second fight: Grendels mother The next night, after cele

9、brating Grendels death, Hrothgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendels mother appears and attacks the hall. She kills Hrothgars most-trusted warrior, schere, in revenge for Grendels death. Hrothgar, Beowulf, and their men track down Grendels mother to her lair（巢穴） under a lake. Beowulf prepares hims

10、elf for battle; he is presented with a sword, Hrunting, by a warrior called Unferth. After stipulating a number of conditions to Hrothgar in case of his death, Beowulf dives into the lake. He is swiftly detected and attacked by Grendels mother. However, she is unable to harm Beowulf through his armo

11、r and drags him to the bottom of the lake. In a cavern containing Grendels body and the remains of men that the two have killed, Grendels mother and Beowulf engage in fierce combat.Third fight: The dragon Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people. One day, late in Beowulfs l

12、ife, a slave steals a golden cup from the lair of an unnamed dragon at Earnaness. When the dragon sees that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but only one of the warriors, a brave young man named Wig

13、laf, stays to help Beowulf. Beowulf kills the dragon with Wiglafs help, but dies from the wounds he has received. After he is cremated（火葬）, Beowulf is buried in Geatland on a cliff overlooking the sea, where sailors are able to see his tumulus（坟墓）. The dragons treasure is buried with him, in accorda

14、nce with Beowulfs wishes, rather than distributed to his people. There is a curse associated with the hoard（宝藏） and it is also a Germanic and Scandinavian burial practice. Significance: 1） it is the only complete surviving poetry. 2） it is an English national epicTerm:Epica long verse narrative on a

15、 serious subject. It is told in a formal and elevated style, and centered on a heroic figure on whose activities depends the fate of a tribe, a nation or the whole human race.Further analysis Narrativeit tells a story of somebody, real or legendary Verseits meter: Alliterative verse （Alliteration）Al

16、literation Definition:The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of two or more words in successionAlliterationExample Examples of alliteration include well-known tongue-twisters such as Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran and Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Ar

17、tistic features of Song of Beowulf The use of alliteration The use of metaphors and of understatementse.g. swan-road/ whale-path=sea; battle-hero/spear-fighter=solider not troublesome=welcome need not praise for a right to condemMajor Themes of The Song of Beowulf Goodness conquers evil Men against

18、nature（Thematically the poem represents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggle against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader）3. Judge the greatness of a human being by the greatness of his deeds and his noble ancestry 4. Help thy neighbor5.

19、Forces of darkness are always at work in the world. Part II. Anglo-Norman Period（10661350）Historical Background The year 1066-the battle of Hastings（14 October 1066 ）Consequence of the battle Norman conquest by William Duke of Normandy Duke William （collected land from Saxons） Normans （subdivided th

20、e land） KnightsConclusion Politically, England entered into the feudal societyAddition A strong centralized government appeared instead of the loose union of Saxon tribes-the growth of nationality Religiously, the Rome-backed Catholic Church had a stronger control over the country.（ further input of

21、 the Roman civilization to England ）New language and literature In language, three languages co-existedFrenchthe language used by the ruling classLatinlanguage of church officials and in universityOld Englishlanguage spoken by common peopleExamples 一般的日常用语，如beast，country，cup，fruit，lamp，letter，oil， r

22、ose，table，war，service，prison，castle，market之外，还可以遇到一些宗教用语abbot，clerk，hermit，pilgrim，prior，miracle，religion，sermon，一些文化方面的词语justice，peace，rich，poor，还有一些关于文明生活及服装的词，如fashion，dress，habit，button，fur，robe，collar，chemise等等。此外还有 copy（拷贝）、colognespirit（科隆香水）、cent（分币）、modern（摩登）、disco（迪斯科）、model（模特）、mushroom（

23、蘑菇） In literature, it underwent two stages: From 1600 to Mid 14th century, a barren period in literary creation The 2nd half of 14th century, English literature started to flourish（representativeGeoffrey Chaucer）Characteristics of the Medieval literature It deals with a wide range of subjects. It is

24、 expressed in a variety of styles, tones and genres. Popular folk literature occupies an important place in this period.Literature in study Geoffrey History The works of French writers because they made the Arthurian legends popular Riming chronicles Metrical RomancesRomance （传奇） Nature:It is a kind

25、 of genre, named again as chivalric romance.It is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds.Origins The genre of romance dealt with traditional themes. Overwhelmingly, these were linked in some way, perhaps only

26、 in an opening frame story, with three thematic cycles of tales: these were assembled in imagination at a late date as the Matter of Rome （actually centered on the life and deeds of Alexander the Great）, the Matter of France （Charlemagne and Roland） and the Matter of Britain （the lives and deeds of

27、King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, within which was incorporated the quest for the Holy Grail）;Features and characteristics of Romance The character: the knights, who worshiped chivalry It represents a courtly and chivalric agemore civilized The plot: a. a knights quest for a beautiful

28、ladys heartcourtly love b. a knight fights with dragon and monsters The theme: loyalty to lord and king; a celebration of courage, loyalty, honor and love. The structure: loose and episodic The language: simple and straightforward There is often a liberal use of the improbable, sometimes supernatura

29、l things, e.g. mysteries and fantasies.The Age of Chaucer Social Background-a transitional period the awakening of national consciousness in EnglandGeoffrey Chaucer（1340?-1400）Focus Introduction of Geoffrey Chaucer Introduction of The Canterbury Tales Analysis of this work Contribution of ChaucerEvaluation The Father of English Poetry One of the greatest narrative poets of England translated the Bible into standard English （to reform the church）life Born in a rich family He was once sent to Italy to fulfill the diplomatic mission