英国文学之重点部分.docx

1、英国文学之重点部分英国文学之重点部分 British Literature Old & Medieval English Literature Old English: 450-1066 the national epic of the Anglo-SaonsMedieval English： 1066 - middle 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer - the father of English poetry (wisdom, humor, humanity) first time to use heroic couplet The Renaissance Pe

2、riod : 14th mid 17th started in ItalyA series of historical events:1. rediscovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture2. new discoveries in geography & astrology(占星学)3. the religious reformation & economic expansionThe Renaissance - rebirth or revival Humanism - the essence of the Renaissance, the digni

3、ty of human being & the importance of the present life Best representatives: Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, William ShakespeareThe Elizabethan drama: the real mainstream of English RenaissanceMost famous dramatists: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben JonsonEdmund Spenser - the poets po

4、et 5 quality: 1) a perfect melody 2)a rare sense of beauty 3)a splendid imagination4)a lofty(高尚的) moral purity and seriousness 5)a dedicated idealism lament(哀悼) over the loss of Rosalind 主角：Arthur - who possess 12 virtues Gloriana the Fairy QueenThe theme is not “Arms and the man,” but something mor

5、e romantic “Fierce warres and faithfull loves”READING: excerpt from The Faerie Queene 仙后Content: Redcrosse Knight set out on his adventures.Christopher Marlowe “University Wits”, the pioneer of English drama Hyperbole(夸张)Marlowes achievement: 1) blank verse无韵诗歌It is Marlowe who brought vitality(活力)

6、and grandeur(伟大) into the blank verse with his “mighty lines,” which carry strong emotions.2) his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama.(not strong in dramatic construction.) the pioneer of English drama3 tragedies: the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness 帖木耳大帝 a play about

7、 an ambitious and pitiless overpowering king. 马尔他的犹太人non-drama pastoral(田园的) life ，the most beautiful lyrics(抒情诗)READING: 1. excerpt from Dr. Faustus 浮士德博士的悲剧A play based on the German legend Content: Faustus is a scholar who has a strong desire to acquire knowledge. By conjuration(念咒文召唤) he call up

8、 Mephistophilis, the Devils servant. He make a bond(契约) to sell his soul to the Devil in return for 24 years of life in which Mephistophilis to give him everything he desires. Devils name is Lucifer.Dominant moral is human rather than religious2. The Passionate(热情的) Shepherd to His Lovethis short po

9、em is considered to be one of the most beautiful lyrics(抒情诗) in English literature.The shepherd(牧羊人) enjoy an ideal country life, cherishing(珍爱) a pastoral(田园的) and pure affection for his love. Strong emotion is conveyed through the beauty of nature.William Shakespeare playwright & poet (above all w

10、riters in the past and in the present time)1. , 2. , , , Comedies: , , Tragedy: romantic tragedy. To praise the faithfulness of love and the spirit of pursuing happiness.3. Four tragedies - , , & 4. tragicomedies：Achievement: A. exploring the characterss inner mind. soliloquy(独白) or monologue - full

11、y reveal the inner conflict of the characters contrasts bring vividness to the charactersB. adroit（精巧的） plot constructionC. Irony is a good means of dramatic presentation. Disguise is an important device to create dramatic irony.D. the language.READING： 1. Sonnet 18 (14 line) eternal or immortal（不朽的

12、） beauty, have a faith in the permanence of poetry.A nice summers day is usually transient(短暂的), but the beauty in poetry can last for ever.2.excerpt from The Merchant of Venice to praise the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, to idealize Portia a heroine of great beauty, wit and loyalty, to e

13、xpose the insatiable（不知足的） greed and brutality of the Jew.Double plot:(1) Bassanio ask Antonio for a loan so that he might marriage with Portia(2) Antonio borrow money from Shylock, the Jewish usurer. Shylock make a strange bond that requires Antonio to surrender a pound of his flesh if he fail to r

14、epay him within a certain period of time. Portia disguised as a young lawyer instructed to judge the case: Shylock can take his pound of flesh, but there is no mention of blood in the bond. Otherwise, his lands and goods will be confiscated(充公) according to he law of Venice.3Excerpt from Hamlet hesi

15、tate between fact and fiction, language and action, too sophisticated（复杂的） to degrade his nature to the conventional role of a stage revenger content: Hamlet, the prince, appearing in a mood of world-weariness（厌世） occasioned by his fathers death and his mothers hasty remarriage with Claudius, his fa

16、thers brother. Hamlet is informed that Claudius has murdered his father and then taken over both his fathers throne and widow. Thus Hamlet is urged to seek revenge.Note: To be, or not to be - to live on in this world or to die; to suffer or to take action Francis Bacon philosopher, scientist, essayi

17、st, lay the foundation for modern scienceHis Essays is the first example of that genre in English literature.Bacons essays are famous for their brevity, compactness & powerfulness, well-arranging and enriching by Biblical allusions（典故）, metaphors（隐喻） and cadence（韵律）. mans understanding consists of t

18、hree parts: history to mans memory, poetry to mans imagination and creation, and philosophy to mans reason. written in Latin on methodology方法论Bacon suggests the inductive reasoning 归纳法 ( i.e. proceeding from the particular to the general) in place of Aristotelian method, the deductive reasoning 演绎法

19、( i.e. proceeding from the general to the particular)READING: Of Studies uses and benefits of study studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Studies perfect nature, and are perfected by experience. Different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies - studies and experience

20、 are complementary (互补) to each other. The correct attitude to reading books - to weigh and consider. How studies exert influence over human character - reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. John Donne Metaphysical poetry（玄学诗）- break away from love poetry, the

21、diction(用语) is simple, the imagery is from the actual, the form is frequently an argument with the poets beloved, with God, or with himself. A)conceits B)syllogism (三段论) Poetry 早期: holds that the nature of love is the union of soul and body.晚期: religious poemProse: his sermons, which are both rich a

22、nd imaginativeREADING: 1. The Sun Rising 2. Death, Be Not Proud ( a sonnet,14 lines) the busy sun is always ready to interfere with other things and everywhere whatever you are, you can not escape from death. When you are living, you are always in the shadow of death. Death only lasts a moment, our

23、life after death is eternal. The more pleasure the death gives people, not only the pleasure of the rest & the sleep, because whom the gods love die young. Though death is usually considered powerful, it actually provides a rest for a mans body and a birth for his soul. John Milton Achievement: 1)th

24、e early poetic works 2) the middle prose(散文) 3)the last great poemsElegy(挽歌) -利西达斯 (his early work)Epic(史诗) - Dramatic poem(诗剧) - 力士参孙 the most perfect example of the verse drama after the Greek style in English.READING: excerpt from Paradise Lost the only generally acknowledged epic in English lite

25、rature since Beowulf. The conflict is between human love and spiritual duty. The freedom of the will is the keystone of Miltons creed(纲领).Take from the Old Testament, the theme is the “Fall of Man”: Satan rebel against God and are driven from Heaven. He determined to revenge by seduce(引诱) Adam and E

26、ve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge against Gods instructions. So, Adam and Eve are exiled by God from the paradise.The Neoclassical Period : 1660-1798 with the publication of Lyrical ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge- a revival of interest in the old classical works, order, logic, rest

27、rained emotion(抑制情感) & accuracy the Age of Enlightenment/Reason the movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centries,a progressive intellectual movement, reason (rationality), equality & science (the 18th century)modern English novel newly rising literary form现实主义小说诞生（the

28、mid-century）Gothic novel(哥特式小说) - mystery, horror & castles (from middle part to the end of century)John BunyanREAING: The Vanity Fair名利场 an excerpt form The Pilgrims Progress (天路历程), a religious allegory(寓言), its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation(拯救) throu

29、gh constant struggles with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. Its predominant metaphor life as a journeyAlexander Popeone of the first to introduce rationalism to England, for him the supreme value was order.READING: excerpt from An Essay on Criticism(论批评) a poem written in heroic c

30、ouplets(对句), criticize the present poem lack of true taste & call on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance, true wit which is best set in a plain (simple & clear) style. Daniel Defoe - the first writer study of the lower-class people, his language is smooth, easy, colloquial and mostly vernacular(方言).RE