英美文学选读历年主观题及答案.docx

1、英美文学选读历年主观题及答案英美文学选读历年客观题1.“Let it not be supposed by the enemies ofthe system,that during the period of his solitary incarceration, Oliver was denied the benefit of exercise, the pleasure of society, or the advantages of religious consolation.”What do you think Charles Dickens intends to say in the

2、 above ironic statement taken from Oliver Twist? The sentence is a typical example of irony. What Dickens intends to say is just the opposite of the sentences literal meaning. For the “benefit” of exercise, Oliver whipped every morning in a stone yard; for the “pleasure” of society, he was carried a

3、way every other day to the dinning hall and flogged as a public warning and example to the boys; as for the “advantages” of the religious consolation, he kicked out into apartment every evening at prayer time and listened to the boys prayer to be guarded against his sins and vices. The ironic statem

4、ent is, in fact, a bitter denunciation and fierce attack at the brutal, inhuman treatment of the poor orphan by the workhouse authority.2. How is Romanticism different from Neoclassicism? Provide brief evidence from the literary works you know best? Neoclassicists upheld that the artistic ideals sho

5、uld be order, logic, restrained emotion and accuracy, and that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity, and thus, literary expressions should be of proportion, unity, harmony and grace.Alexander Popes “An Essay on Criticism” advocated grace, wit (usually though satire / humor

6、), and simplicity in language (and the poem itself is a demonstration of those ideals, too), Henry Fieldings Tom Jones helped establish the form of novel; Grays Elegy Written in Country Churchyard displays elegance in style, unified structure, serious tone and moral instructions. Romanticists tended

7、 to see the individual as the very center of all experience, including art, and thus, literary work should be “spontaneous overflow of strong feelings”, and no matter how fragmentary those experiences are (Wordsworths I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud or The Solitary Reaper or Coleridges Keble Khan), the

8、 value of the work lied in the accuracy of presenting those unique feelings and particular attitudes. In a word, Neoclassicism emphasized rationality and form but Romanticism attached great importance to the individuals mind.3. English Romanticism is generally said to have begun in 1798 with the pub

9、lication of Wordsworth and Coleridges Lyrical Ballads. Why is Lyrical Ballads considered the milestone to mark the beginning of English Romanticism? In this book, Wordsworth and Coleridge explored new theories and innovated new techniques in poetry wring. The preface to the Lyrical Ballads acts as a

10、 manifesto for the new school. In the preface, Wordsworth defines poetry and poets. Wordsworths poems in this book differ in marked way from his early poetry: simplicity of the language, sympathy for the poor, and expressions of inward states of mind.4. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen explored t

11、hree kinds of motivations of marriage the middle-class people had in the second half of the 18th century. Try to make a brief discussion about them with specific examples from the novel. Make comments on Austens attitude towards these motivations. Motivation one: to pursue material wealth and social

12、 position through marriage. Wickham, Miss Bingley and Charlotte Lucas are examples of this kind.Motivation two: to seek sensual pleasure and beauty. Lydia and Mr. Bennet are examples of this kind.Motivation three: to search for true love and also take personal merits and financial positions into con

13、sideration. Elizabeth Bennet is a typical example of this kind.Austen celebrated the third kind of motivation of marriage while criticizing the first two motivations.5“ My boy! said the old gentleman, leaning over the desk. Oliver started at the sound. He might be excused for doing so, for the words

14、 were kindly said, and strange sounds frighten one. He trembled violently, and burst into tears.”（from Charles Dickens Oliver Twist）Explain why Oliver Twist started first, then trembled violently and burst into tears when the words were “kindly” said. The boy started at the words because kind words

15、were not expected; it must be the first time in all his life that the boy Oliver Twist had ever “kindly” greeted, strange words may predict another suffering.6. Discuss the way symbolism is used in Melvilles Moby-Dick. To Ahab, the whale is either an evil creature itself or the agent of an evil forc

16、e that controls the universe, or perhaps both. The chase of the white whale symbolizes Ahabs pursuit of truth and fighting against the evil force.To Ishmael, the whale is an astonishing force, an immense power, which defies rational explanation due to a sense of mystery it carries. It also represents the tremendous organic vitality of the universe.To the reader, the whale can be viewed as a symbol of the physical limits that li