英国文学简史打印分析.docx

1、英国文学简史打印分析A SHORT STORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE英 国 文 学 简 史刘炳善河南人民出版社Lecture OnePart OneEarly English Literature (Angle-Saxon Literature) Early English Literature (Anglo-Saxon Literature) Historical Background The earliest inhabitants of the British Isles were Britons, a tribe of Celts. Today most Celt

2、s lived in Scotland and Wales. From 55 B.C. to 410 A. D. Romans conquered the Great Britain. The Roman army was led by Julius Caesar, who was a very famous figure in ancient Rome. Consequence of Roman conquest: 1. a network of highways; 2. scores of towns, including London; 3. Roman lifestyle 4. Chr

3、istianity was introduced. English Conquest Shortly after Romans retreat, the Britain was invaded by Anglos, Saxons and Jutes. And by the 7th century Old English emerged. Anglo-Saxon period witnessed a transition from tribal society to feudalism. With the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain, the histor

4、y of English literature began. Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Literature Anglo-Saxon literature, that is, the Old English literature is at most exclusively a verse literature in oral form. It could be passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Its creator for the most part is unknow

5、n. It was only given a written form long after its composition. Beowulf National epic of English people Pick out the characters in this story and make sure the place of the story. What are the three adventures mentioned in the story? What are the values conveyed in this story? Artistic features of “

6、Beowulf” 1. Using alliteration Alliteration: a rhetorical device, meaning some words in a sentence begin with the same consonant sound（头韵）. 2.Using metaphor (kenning) and understatementKenning: A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and O

7、ld Norse poetry; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle.understatement: expressing something in a controlled way Part Two Medieval English Literature Historical Background The Danish Invasion: King Alfred the Great, who succeeded in driving the Danes off with force, conceived “ Anglo-S

8、axon Chronicle”, also organized and supervised the writing process of the book. The Norman Conquest: It marks the establishment of feudalism in England. (After the conquest, feudal system was established in English society. ) The Influence of the Norman Conquest upon English Language and literature.

9、 The prevailing form of literature in the feudal England was the Romance . By the end of the 14th century, the Middle English emerged. Conditions in the Feudal England The chief feature of the society was distinct division into two classes: landlords and peasants. The miseries of the peasants The ri

10、sing of 1381 The Romance (骑士文学) Romance: a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero. Knight -central character of romances It is a special group of people existed in the Middle Age in Europe. Nearly all nobles were knights. However,

11、 nobody was born a knight. One nobleman must experience hard training and then the king will give him knighthood. 3.The great majority of the romances fall into three groups: matters of France : Charlemagne, a very great French emperor. 查理曼大帝 matters of Rome: Alexander the Great, a very great empero

12、r in ancient Greece. 亚历山大大帝matters of Britain: The Romance of King Arthur and his Round Table knights,亚瑟王和他的圆桌骑士，is comparatively the most important for the history of English literature, especially the works called “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. 格温爵士和绿衣骑士 Malorys Le Morte DArthur It is a collec

13、tion of stories about King Arthur, translated from French by Sir Thomas Malory. Who is King Arthur? The legends of King Arthur are the foundation of Le Morte D Arthur. A masterpiece in the 15th English literature. “Piers the Plowman” （ 农夫皮尔斯） William Langland“Piers the Plowman” is one of the greates

14、t of English poems. The poem sets forth a series of wonderful dreams, through which we can see a picture of feudal England, esp. the corruption of the Court and the Church, in contrast with the hard life of the poor peasants. Piers the Plowman 1. The exposure of the ruling classes 2. The story of th

15、e Cat and Rats 3. The marriage of Lady Meed 4. The condition of the peasants 5. The search for truth 6. The class nature of PiersLimitations: conservatismSocial significance: kindling the toiling peoples sense of human dignity and equality before God and playing a part in arousing their revolutionar

16、y sentiment. Artistic feature of the production: 1.One of the greatest of English poems, written in the form of a dream vision. 2.the usage of allegory（寓言）, personification（拟人）, symbolism（象征主义 ), and alliterationThe English BalladsA ballad is a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the

17、 second and fourth lines rhymed. Features? Robin Hood -partly historical and partly legendary character “The character of Robin Hood is manysided. Strong, brave and clever, he is at the same time tender-hearted and affectionate. He is a man with a twinkle in his eye, a man fond of a very joke and a

18、hearty laugh. But the dominant key in his character is his hatred for the cruel oppressors and his love for the poor and downtrodden.” Social Significance:showing the fighting spirit, courage and revolutionary energy of English peasantry.examplifying the views of the exploited classes of feudal soci

19、ety Chaucerthe founder of English poetry three periods of creation 1.French: Romaunt of the Rose 玫瑰传奇 2.Italian: Troilus and Criseyde 特罗勒斯与克丽西德 3.British: The Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷故事集 Troilus and Criseyde a poem of more than 8000 lines, is Chaucers major work besides The Canterbury Tales. It is Chau

20、cers longest complete poem and his greatest artistic achievement. It is the tragic story of the Trojan prince Troilus and his beloved, Criseyde. Plot More than a romance The Canterbury Tales Chaucer masterpiece The story opens with a general prologue, telling that on a spring evening, 29 pilgrims, a

21、nd the poet on the way to Canterbury, stopped at an inn. At the proposal of the host of the Inn, each was to tell 4 stories on the way to and back from Cant. Host would be the judge, the best teller would get a free supper at the cost of all the rest upon their return to the inn. There should be 120

22、 stories altogether. but only 24 tales were written due to the authors death in 1400. The Prologue It was considered the best part of the whole work, which supplies an artistic group of people from all walks of life in the medieval England. So from the prologue, we know at once how people lived in t

23、hat era. That is why Chaucer has been called “ the founder of English realism. The Wife of Bath -巴斯夫人 The story of the married life of a woman of the middle class. We may see a colorful picture of the domestic life of that class in Chaucers day. Social significance: affirm mans right to pursue earth

24、ly happiness and opposes asceticism 禁欲说 praise mans energy, intellect, quick wit and love of life; (the forerunner of humanism) expose and satirize the social evils His Contribution He introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to replace the Old English alliterative verse. He is the

25、 first great poet who wrote in the English language. The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.Part TwoThe English Renaissance The Renaissance, which means “rebirth” or “revival”, is a

26、ctually an intellectual movement with a thirsting curiosity for classical literature and the keen interest in the activities of humanity. Background Information:-the rise of the bourgeoisie 1. The New MonarchyHenry VII founded the Tudor Dynasty, a centralized monarchy which met the needs of the risi

27、ng bourgeoisie.2. ReformationResult of the religious reformation-the guise for the bourgeoisie class for power * Protestantism was founded. * English Bible emerged The Authorized Version of the English Bible was made in 1611 under the auspices of James I, so also called the King James Bible, which h

28、as had a great influence on English language and literature.3. Economical Development: * The Enclosure Movement * The Commercial Expansion * The War with SpainAt this time, the English bourgeoisie came to the fore in the arena of history. The Renaissance An intellectual movement The rebirth of lette

29、rs Sprang first in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. Two striking features Features of Renaissance 1. Curiosity for the classical literature; 2. Keen interest in the activities of humanity. Humanism: Key-note of the Renaissance, and the very weapon for the bourgeoisie t

30、o use in its fight against feudalism restrictions and the dominating influence of the church, which had ruled mens minds for centuries. The Renaissance Renaissance in England: The time: mainly from the reign of Henry VIII, Edward, Mary and then to Queen Elizabeth and Jacobean Era William Caxton The

31、first English printer The Recuyell of the Histories of Troy, translated from French, is the first book printed in English in 1475. By his rendering French books into English, he contributed to the development of style of 15th century English prose, fixing a national language in England, and to the development of English culture as a whole. Thomas More 托马斯莫尔 -The greatest English humanist Utopia 乌托邦 - the masterpiece of Thomas More It was written i