英国文学上册Unit One The Abglo-Saxon Period
英国文学史及选读1,2册复习大纲
英国文学史及选读1,2册复习大纲Part 1 The Anglo―Saxon Period（449-1066）秧格鲁-撒克逊时期1.H istorical BackgroundCelts 400B.C. Romans 50B.C. Anglo―Saxons 450A.D Norman Invasion 1066A.D. Roman empire从albion撤军，teutonic tribes(包括angles, Saxons,jutes)（条顿人or日耳曼人）陆续登陆此地2. Literature 1,pagan异教徒文学2 christian基督徒文学alliterative verse头韵诗Epic: Beowulf贝奥武甫（Denmark背景）（the hall heorot 鹿兀grendel:a monster half-human）1) Oral origin, recited in court, handed down in generations until finally it was recorded by certain poet.上下部分由pagan写，插入由christian写2) a mixture of history and legend.，england’s national epic 民国史诗Part II The Anglo-Norman Period(1066-1350)秧格鲁-诺曼时期11.H istorical BackgroundRoman conquest,接着是english conquest，最后是normanconquest。
The Norman Conquest in 1066Duke William of Normandy claimed himself William I, King of England.（the battle of hastings希斯廷战役）Kings―Barons男爵―Knights, a feudal system of hierarchy统治集团was formed2.T he languageUpper classes: French, Latin The mon people: Old EnglishThree languages co-existed in England. French became the official language used by the king and the Norman lords; Latin became the principal tongue of church affairs and in universities; and Old English was spoken only by the mon English people.3.The literatureRomance was a type of literature that was very popular2in the Middle Ages. It is about the life and adventures undertaken by a knight.It reflected the spirit of chivalry骑士制度. The content of romance: love, chivalry and religion. It involves fighting, adventures.Subject matter:Geoffrey’s His tory杰弗里《史记》，riming chronicles押韵编年史，metricalverse格律诗体，doggerel verse打油诗体1)t he Matter of France eg. Charlemagne and his peers查理曼大帝和他的骑士2)M atter of Greece and Rome eg Akexabder亚历山大大帝3)M atter of Britain tales having for their heroes Arthurand his knights of the Round Table3.m ain literatureSir Gawain and the green knight.高文爵士和绿衣骑士（arthur，gawain,green knight, morgain the fay-woman3妖精摩根, the green girdle绿腰带）Part III Geoffrey Chaucer (1340―1400)杰弗里.乔叟时期1.H istorical BackgroundHe was living at the same time as the writer of Sir Gawain. In 1350 AD, 100 Years' War between England and France.The English won, they controlled large French territory领土. The Henry VI lost it all. He is father of English poetry War of the Roses 1455-1485 AD2.W hat's middle ages like?1). The medieval society: hierarchy 等级制度social system.2). Another important thing in the medieval society is Christianity基督God-centered thinking, mind ideology 思想体系3.L ife and work of ChaucerChaucer lived between (1340-1400). His life is closely41. French 1360-1370 translate French poetry2. Italian 1372-13863.English The Canterbury tales4.The Canterbury talesHe got his stories from various sources, Greek authors, Roman authors, Italian, French, but there is no doubt about Chaucer's originality. He retells the stories in his own way.5The stories are told by a group of people on their way to and back from Canterbury. Pilgrims 朝圣者tell stories to pass the time. The journey is used as a kind of device to unite the various tales Nun修女:Her enthusiasm for grace, trying to e someone that she is not, she cannot possibly be. --Pretentiousness, pretending伪装too much Chaucer has different attitude to different characters第一句：as soon as april pierces to the root, the drought of march, and bathes each bud and shootThe significance of his writing1)it gives a prehensive广泛的picture of Chaucer’s time2)the dramatic structure3)Chaucer’s humor4)Chaucer’s contribution to the English language. Ever since the Norman Conquest the French language was the language at the court and the upper classes, and Latin was the language of the learned and the church. Chaucer6used the native language English and proved that the English language is a beautiful language. He increased the prestige 威信of the English language.5.Popular ballads大众民谣A ballad is a narrative叙述poem that tells a story. It is about particular incidents, usually dramatic. Ballets tell stories-about tragic悲剧的incidents. They are written in a special musical pattern, ballad meter-four meters, couplets（相连并押韵的两行诗）―two line in a unit or quatrain 四行诗__ ababcdcd Characteristics:1)The beginning is often abrupt突然地. No introductionof the characters and the background of the tale2)There are strong dramatic elements. A ballad deals witha single episode插曲3)the story is often told through dialogue and action4)the theme is often tragic悲剧的5)The ballad meter is used. It contains four-line stanza7节，段在英国把民谣当文学形式研究的第一人是托马斯.帕西主教Bishop Thomas Percy,他将民谣收录到《英诗辑古》Reliques of Ancient English Poetry中。
罗经国版《新编英国文学简史(上)》第一章
Literary Term: epic
also called Heroic Poetry, epics are long narrative poems that record the adventures of the hero whose exploits are important to the history of a nation. Epics chronicle the origins of a civilization and embody its central beliefs and values. The style of epic is grand, formal, complex and serious. Two of the most famous epics of Western civilization are Iliad and Odyssey by Homer. The two most famous English epics are the AngloSaxon Beowulf and John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which employs some of the conventions of the classical epic.
Background
Beowulf is a folk legend of primitive Northern tribes, brought to England by Anglo-Saxon. It had been passed from mouth to mouth for hundred years before it was written down. In the back of their settlement were deep forests. In front was the storming ocean. When they hunters returned from their exploits, the warriors would tell stories of their adventures. They were brave but superstitious.
英语专业英国文学史课件Chapter One Beowulf
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The crash in the banqueting-hall came to the Danes,
• the men of the guard that remained in the building, • with the taste of death. The deepening rage • of the claimants to Heorot caused it to resound. • It was indeed wonderful that the wine-supper-hall • withstood the wrestling pair, that the world’s palace • fell not the ground. But it was girt firmly, • both inside and out, by iron braces • of skilled manufacture. Many a figured • Gold-worked wine-bench, as we heard it, • started from the floor at the struggles of that pair.
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• • • •
The men of the Danes had not imagined that any of mankind by what method soever might undo that intricate, antlered hall, sunder it by strength – unless it were swallowed up in the embrace of fire.
Targets of Comments
英国文学史及选读
英国文学史及选读1Part 1. The Anglo-Saxon PeriodBeowulf (the national epic of the English people) stricking feature: alliteration, metaphors and understatements. CaedmonParaphrase of the Bible/ (the first known religious poet of England) Cynewulf The Christ /( poet on religious subjects)Part 2. The Anglo-Norman PeriodSir Gawain and the Green Knight/ a mixture of Anglo-Saxon poetry and French poetry. (alliterative verse with metrical verse ), The poem reflects the ideal of feudal knighthood. A true knight should not only dedicate himself to the church, but also possess the virtues of great courage, of fidelity to his promise, and of physical chastity and purity.Part 3. Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer 1340-1400The House of Fame ; Troilus and Criseyde (long narrative poem);Legend of Good Women (first used heroic couplet); The Parliament of Fowls poetry ：Canterbury Tales / Significance(重要性): It gives a comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time ; It has a dramatic structure; It re flects Chaucer’s humor ; It shows Chaucer’s contribution to the English language and poetry. his contribution to English poetry: 1.introduced from france the rhymed couplet of 5 accents in iambic meter (the heroic couplet), 2.Is the first great poet who wrote in the English language. Who making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech. 3.He is considered as the founder of English poetry. Part 4. The English renaissance(英国文艺复兴)Thomas More(托马斯.莫尔) Utopia(乌托邦) ( He is the outstanding humanist) Lyrical poems(抒情诗) Thomas Wyatt(托马斯.怀亚特)(the first to introduce the sonnet<十四行诗> into English literature); Henry Howard; Philip Sidney; Thomas Campion Epic poem(史诗) Edmond Spenser The Faerie Queen Novels John Lyly(Eupheus gives rise to the term euphuism ); Thomas Lode (they dealing with court life and gallantry Thomas Deloney; Thomas Nashe (they are realistic authors devoted to the everyday life of craftsman, merchants and other representatives of the lower classes.) Francis Bacon(弗兰西斯.培根)1561-1626 The philosophical: Advancement of Learning ; Novum Organum 新工具; De Augmentis The literary: Essays(随笔)(Of Truth, Of Death; Of Revenge, Of Friendship ) The professional: treatises entitled Maxims of the Law and Reading on the Statute of Uses The founder of English materialist philosophy Drama Christopher Marlowe ( the greatest pioneer of English drama who made blank verse the principle vehic le of expression in drama); Robert Greene George Green /the Pinner of WakefieldWilliamShakespeare1564-1616 (37plays, two narrative poems, 154sonnets) The Tempest暴风风雨;The Two Gentlemen of Verona维罗纳二绅士;The Mercy Wives of Windsor温莎的风流妇人;Measure for Measure恶有恶报;The Comedy of Errors错中错;Much Ado about Nothing无事自扰;Love’s Labour’s Lost空爱一场;A Midsummer Night’s Dream仲夏夜之梦;The Merchant of Venice威尼斯商人;As You Like It如愿;The Taming of the Shrew驯悍记;All’s Well That Ends Well皆大欢喜;Twelfth Night第十二夜;The Winter’s Tale冬天的故事;The Life and Death of King John/Richard the Second/Henry the Fifth/Richard the Third约翰王/理查二世/亨利五世/理查三世;The First/Second Part of King Henry the Fourth亨利四世（上、下）;The First/Second/Third Part of King Henry the Sixth亨利六世（上、中、下）; The Life of King Henry the Eighth亨利八世；Troilus and Cressida脱爱勒斯与克莱西达;The Tragedy of Coriolanus考利欧雷诺斯;Titus Andronicus泰特斯·安庄尼克斯;Romeo and Juliet罗密欧与朱丽叶；Timon of Athens雅典的泰门;The Life and Death of Julius Caesar;朱利阿斯·凯撒；The Tragedy of Macbeth麦克白;The Tragedy of Hamlet哈姆雷特/王子复仇记;King Lear李尔王;Othello奥塞罗;Antony and Cleopatra安东尼与克利欧佩特拉;Cymbeline辛白林;Pericles波里克利斯;Venus and Adonis维诺斯·阿都尼斯;Lucrece露克利斯;The Sonnets十四行诗The Great Comedie(伟大的喜剧)s: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Merchant of V enice; As You Like It ;Twelfth Night;The Great Tragedies(伟大的悲剧): The Tragedy of Hamlet; Othello; King Lear; The Tragedy of Macbeth;The Later Comedies(romances): Pericles; Cymbeline; The Winter’s Tale; The Tempest;Part 5. The English Bourgeois revolution period and RestorationJohn Milton1608-1674 Shorter poems: L‘Allegro欢乐的人;Il Penseroso沉思的人;Comus科马斯;Lycidas;Principle pamphlets: Areopagitica论出版自由; Eikonoklastes; Defense for theEnglish people;Poem: Paradise Lost (The poem was written in blank verse); Paradise Regained;John Bunyan1628-1688 The Pilgrim’s Progress(It is the greatest English allegory, its style is simple and biblical)John Donne1572-1631 Poetry(love lyrics & religious poems);Sonnets(The founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry)John Dryden Critic, poet and playwright of restoration periodPart 6. The eighteenth CenturyThe Age of Enlightenment or The Age of ReasonEnlightenment Alexander Pope；Joseph Addison&Richard Steele The Spectator；Jonathan Swift；Daniel Defoe；Henry Fielding；Richard B. Sheridan；Oliver Goldsmith；Edward Gibbon；Samuel JohnsonPope exercised the greatest influence on the 18th century poetry;Swift is the most outstanding personality, Gulliver’s TravelsNeoclassicism John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Edward Gibbon The Decline & Fall of theRoman Empire Neoclassical poetry, as represented by Dryden, Pope & Johnson, reachedits stylistic perfection during the periodModern Realistic Novel Defoe Robinson Crusoe,Richardson,Fielding, Sterne, Goldsmith, T.G..Smollet’s satirical novel The adventures of Roderick RandomFielding and Smollet are the real founders of the genre of the bourgeois realistic novel in England and Europe.Richardson displays the innermost life of an individual, Pamela or Virtue Rewarded, he History of a Young Lady, The History of Sir Chares GrandionGothic Novel The real originator of English Gothic novel was Horace Walpole Castle of Otranto；Mary Shelley Frankenstein;Ann Radcliff The Mysteries of UdolphoSentimentalism Novels: Laurence Stern Sentimental Journey;Tristram Shandy；Oliver Goldsmith The Vicar of WakefieldPoetry: Thomas Gray’s An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard;Goldsmith’s The Deserted Village;George Crabbe The VillageSatire Pope , Swift, Richard B. Sheridan School for ScandalPre-Romanticism in poetry, which was ushered in by Percy Macpherson & Chatterton, and represented by William Blake&Robert Burns。
新编英国文学选读 罗经国 北外课堂笔记整理版 北京大学出版社
1. Chapter One The Anglo-Saxon Period (450 —— 1066) 1. Historical backgroundThe Celts 〉the Brythons.The Iron Age.The ceremonies of May Day and the cult of mistletoe.From 55 BC to 407 AD, the Roman Empire, a slave society.London was founded.Little influence on the cultural life of the Celts,Town with names ending in “chester” or “caster”.De Bello Gallico by Julius Caesar and Germania by Publius Cornelius Tacitus450 AD, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.“angul” means a hook; “seax” means a short sw ord.Around 500 AD, the Celtic King Arthur fought against Cerdic, the founder of the kingdom of Wessex. Camelot, King Arthur’s capital.Later 8th, the Danes, or the Vikings.King Alfred the Great of Wessex (849-899)Harold, the last Saxon King 〉William the Duke of Normandy.597, Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine to England and the first converted king was King Ethelbert of Kent.2. Northumbrian School and Wessex literature——two highlights in the development of the Anglo-Saxon literature.Monasteries and abbeys in the kingdom of Northumbria.Caedmon in the 7th turned the stories in the Bible into verse form ——Paraphrase. Inspired by God.The Venerable Bede (673-735), wrote in Latin The Ecclesiastical History of the English People from Caesar to 731. It was Bede who told about the story of Caedmon.The reign of King Alfred (871-899)First, Latin books into West Saxon dialect. It is said that King Alfred translated the history of Bede.Second, the launching of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, from Caesar’s conquest to 1154.Third, created a style of Anglo-Saxon prose which was not obscure.3. Anglo-Saxon poetryThe earliest is Widsith and the last is Maldon.BeowulfAs early as the 6th in oral formWritten down in the 8th.The manuscript preserved dates back to the 10th and in Wessex dialect. One datable fact in the poem is a raid on the Franks by Gelac in 520. 3183 lines.Danish King Hrothgar built a hall called Heorot.Grendel for 12 years.Beowulf, nephew to King Hygelac of the Geats. With 14 companions.Hrothgar's friend Aeschere killed by Grendel's mother.Killing Grendel’s mother with a magic sword in the cave.One of the 12 companions, Wiglaf, helped Beowulf kill the dragon.Physical strength demonstrates his high spiritual qualities.A mixture of paganism and Christian elements.Old English Poetry:1. The technical structure:1)Every line consists of two clearly separated half lines between whichis a caesura. The two parts of the line are united by alliteration,a form of initial rhyme, which is the repetition of the same sound orsounds at the beginning of two or more words that are next to or close to each other.2)Every half line consists of two feet and each foot is made up of anaccented syllable and a varying number of unaccented syllables.3)Generally there are 3 alliterations per line, two in the first halfline and one on the first foot of the second half line.2. The scop also used a figurative language called “kenning”, a metaphor usually composed of two words, which becomes the formula of a special object: “helmet bearer” for “warrior.”3. The use of repetition and variation. Same idea expressed more than once by synonyms.PS: 第4頁第2段第3行經Word自動更正提示以及維基百科確認，“Ecclesiatical”為印刷錯誤，應為“Ecclesiastical”。
英国文学选读unit1
and Cambridge. In 1357 he the skilled men in the use of weapon, riding
began life aseek adventures.
Two years later he accompanied • Most English romances deal with three major
• Middle English literature and the Canterbury
• Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of Tales
the English poetry was born in • about 1340, of a rich family. His father was a wine merchant. He is said to have studied at Oxford
• The Norman Conquest (1066---1350)
• The Normans invaded England in 1066. They defeated the English troops and William, the Duke of Normandy(诺曼底), was crowned as King of England.
• The poem probably existed in its oral form as early as the 6th century. It was written in the 7th century. Beowulf the hero and his adventures are placed in Denmark and southern Sweden, from which the Anglo-Saxon came. Beowulf, in its remote ideas, allusive(引用典故的) style and story-telling form, towers(超越、胜过) above all other literary works written in Anglo-Saxon, chiefly because it is a powerful poem about a people’s grand hero who is eager to help others in distress(危难、痛苦), is faithful to his people, and is ready to sacrifice his own life for their welfare.
英国文学上
Part I the Anglo-Saxon Period（449-1066）Social background：The Teutonic tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes who conquered the British settled in the island and became the ancestors of the English dwelt. The language spoken by these tribes is generally called Anglo- Saxon or Saxon.Main trend of literature: The literature of this period falls naturally into two divisions—pagan and Christian.The former represents the poetry which the Anglo –Saxons probably brought with them in the form of oral sagas-the crude material out of which literature was slowly developed on English soil.The latter represents the writers developed under teaching of the monks.Special forms of literature:Epic(史诗)—An epic is a long narrative poem, on a grand scale, about the deeds of warriors and heroes.Master work:The Song of Beowulf .The Song of Beowulf is England's first national epic and its hero Beowulf ---one of the national heroes of the English people. The whole epic consisting of 3182 lines is to be divided into two parts with an interpolation between the two, describing the deeds of the Teutonic hero Beowulf.My understanding:It is the beginning of the English literature.Part ⅡThe Anglo-Norman Period(1066-1350)Social background:In the year 1066,at the battle of Hastings, the Normans headed by William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Anglo-Saxon.The Normans were originally a hardy race of sea rovers inhabiting Scandinavia. In the tenth century they conquered a part of northern France, which is still called Normandy, and rapidly adopted French civilization and the French language. Their conquest of Anglo-Saxon England under William, duke of Normandy, began with the battle of Hastings in 1066.Main trend of literature: English literature is a combination of French and Saxon elements. The literature which Normandy brought to England is remarkable for its bright , romantic tales of love and adventure, in marked contrast with the strength and somberness of Anglo-Saxon poetry.Special forms of literature: Romance —Sir Gawain and the Green KnightPopular Ballads—Ballads are anonymous narrative songs that have been preserved by oral transmission.(Robin Hood and Allin -a-Dale)Major writer: Geoffrey Chaucer(1340?-1400) —―father of English poetry‖Master work:Chaucer‗s masterpiece is The Canterbury Tales，one of the most famous works in all literature. In this great work，Chaucer created a strikingly brilliant and picturesque panorama of his time and his country. In this poem Chaucer‘s realism, trenchant irony a nd freedom of views reached such a high level of power that it had no equal in all the English literature up to the 16th century.Style and language feature:His work is permeated with buoyant free-thinking，so characteristic of the age of Renaissance whose immediate forerunner Chaucer thus becomes. He believes in the right of man to earthly happiness. He is anxious to see man freed from superstitions and a blind belief in fate. He is always keen to praise man's energy，adroitness，intellect，quick wit and the love for life.My understanding:The English literature come into being.Part III The Renaissance(the 16th century)Social background: The 16th century in England was a period of the breaking up of feudal relations and the establishing of the foundations of capitalism. Manufactories were developing and the wool trade was rapidly growing in bulk. The enclosure of commons drove thousands of peasants off their lands and many of them settled in towns. It was a time when, according to Thomas More, ―sheep devoured men.‖Main trend of literature:Together with the development of bourgeois relationships and formation of the English national state this period is marked by a flourishing of national culture known as the Renaissance.Special forms of literature: sonnet, drama, lyrical poetry and various types of novel.Major writer and master works and their style and language features: At the beginning of the 16th century the outstanding humanist Thomas More(1478-1535) wrote his Utopia(1516)in which he gave a profound and truthful picture of the people's sufferings and put forward his ideal of a future happy society .In the first half of the 16th century there appeared lyrical poems by Thomas Wyatt (1503?-1542),Henry Howard, Earl of surrey(1517-1547) and others who initiated new poetical forms, borrowing freely from English popular songs and Italian and French poetry. Thus Wyatt was the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature.In the second half of the 16th century lyrical poetry became widespread in England. Among the outstanding lyrical and epic poets of the time were Philip Sidney (1554-1586), Thomas Campion (1567-1680), and Edmund Spenser (1552-1599). The latter was the author of the greatest epic poem of the time The Fairy Queen.John Lyly (1553?-1606) and Thomas Loge (1558?-1625) were authors of novels dealing with court life and gallantry. Realistic tendencies developed in Thomas Deloney‘s (1543-1607) and Thomas Nashe‘s (1567-1602) novels, devoted to the everyday life of craftsmen, merchants and other representatives of the lower classes.The greatest of the pioneers of English drama was Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) who reformed that genre in England and perfected the language and verse of dramatic works. It was Marlowe who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama. Robert Greene（1560?-1592）was a outstanding dramatist whose play George Green, the Pinner of Wakefield was highly appreciated.The great English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) whose s famous Literary work is the Essays. Francis Bacon's works may be divided into three classes: the philosophical, the literary，and the professional works. The principal and best known of the philosophical works are: the Advncement of Learning，（学术的推进）publshed in English in 1605; the Novum Organum新工具，published in Latin in 1620; and the De Augmentis，published in Latin in 1623. Of Bacon's litera works，the most important are the Essays.T he greatest humanist writer of this period —William Shakespeare(1564-1616).William Shakespeare is the greatest of all English authors. He belongs to those rare geniuses of mankind who have become landmarks in the history of world culture. The works of William Shakespeare are a great landmark in the history of world literature for he was one of the first founders of realism，a master hand at realistic portrayal of human characters and relations.No wonder that Shakespeare's works were so fondly cherished by the greatest minds of mankind，and among them by Karl Marx，who regarded Aeschylus and Shakespeare as "the two greatest dramatic geniuses the world has ever known.‖ It is well known in what high esteem Shakespeare was held by such giants of world literature as Milton，Goethe，Stendhal，and Pushkin.Works of Shakespeare.During the twenty-two years of his literary work he produced 38 plays，2 narrative poems and 154 sonnets. His literary work may be divided into three major periods: the first period from 1590 to 1600，the second from 1601 to 1608，and the third from 1609 to 1612.The first period:1590 The Second Part of King Henry VThe Third Part of King Henry V1591 The First Part of King Henry V1592 The Life and Death of King Richard IIIThe Comedy of Errors《错误的喜剧》1593 Titus AndronicusThe Taming of the Shrew（驯悍记）1594 The Two Gentlemen of Verona（维洛那二绅士）Love's Labor‘s Lost（爱的徒劳）Romeo and Juliet（罗密欧与朱丽叶）1595 The Life and Death of Richαrd IIA Midsummer Night's Dream（仲夏夜之梦）1596 The Life and Death of King JohnThe Merchant of Venice（威尼斯商人）1597 The First Part of King Henry IVThe Second Part of King Henry IV1598 Much Ado About Nothing（无事烦恼）The Merry Wives of Windsor（温莎的风流娘儿们）The Life of King Henry V1599 The Life and Death of Julius CaesarAs You Like It（皆大欢喜）1600 Twelfth Night, or, What You Will（第十二夜）The second period:1601 Hamlet，Prince of Denmark （哈姆莱特）1602 Troilus and CressidaAll's Well That Ends Well. （终成眷属）1604 Measure for Measure（一报还一报）Othello，the Mooe of Venice（奥赛罗）1605 King Lear（李尔王）The Tragedy of Macbeth（麦克白）1606 Antony and Cleopatra1607 The Tragedy of CriolanusTimon of Athens1608 Pericles，Prince of TyreThe third period:1609 Cymbeline, King of Britain （辛白林）1610 The Winter's Tale（冬天的故事）1612 The Tempest（暴风雨）The Life of King Henry VIIIShakespeare had also written poems: Venus an Adonis(1592)，Lucrece (1592-1593)，and Sonnets (1593-1598). Among these works, Hamlet is considered to be the summit of Shakespeare‘s art. The whole tragedy is permeated with the spirit of Shakespeare‘s own time. Hamlet is the profoundest expression of Shakespeare's humanism and his criticism of contemporary life.My understanding: It is a flourishing time of English literature.Part IV The 17th Century :The period of revolution and restorationSocial background: The 17th century was one of the most tempestuous periods in English history. It was a period when absolute monarchy impeded the further development of capitalism in England and the bourgeoisie could no longer bear the sway of landed nobility. The contradictions between the feudal system and the bourgeoisie had reached its peak and resulted in a revolutionary outburst.Main trend of literature: In this period in literature also the Puritan Age was one of confusion，due to the breaking up of old ideals. The Puritans believed in simplicity of life. They disapproved of the sonnets and the love poetry written in the previous period. The Bible became now the one book of the people. The Puritan influence in general tended to suppress literary art.Special forms of literature:In this period in the absence of any fixed standard of literary criticism there was nothing to prevent the exaggeration of the "metaphysical" poets，who are the literary parallels to religious sects like the Anabaptists（浸礼教徒）. Poetry took new and startling forms in Donne and Herbert，and prose became as somber as Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy.Major writer and master works and their style and language features:John Donne (1572?-1631) is a more thoroughly characteristic figure of the early seventeenth century. His religious poems and his magnificent sermons reached astounding heights of subtlety and intensity. The searchings of soul andthe horrified fascination with which he contemplated the processes of dissolution and the awful event of death are rendered with amazing intellectual ingenuity and imaginative power. His prose style, involuted and ornate, cumulative and Ciceronian, is one of the more glorious monuments to the spirit of the early seventeenth century.John Milton (1608-1774) is a great English poet. John Milton was the child of the Renassance, inherited all its culture, and the most profoundly educated man of his age. His greatest work Paradise Lost presents the author‘s views in an allegoric(比喻的，寓言的) religious form. The basic idea in this poem is: the exposure of reactionary forces of his time and passionate appeal for freedom. The poem is on the biblical legend of imaginary progenitors of the human race—Adam and Eve, and involves God and his eternal adversary, Satan. His another poem is Paradise Regained. John Bunyan (1628-1688) is a great prose writer. His most important work is The Pilgrim’s Progress, written in the old-fashioned, medieval form of allegory and dream.My understanding: It is a time of revolution and restoration.Part V The 18th Century：The Age of English Enlightenment in EnglandSocial background: After the tempestuous events of the 17th century, England entered a period of a comparatively peaceful development.Main trend of literature: With the advent of the 18th century，in England，as in other European countries，there sprang into life a public movement known as the Enlightenment（启蒙运动）The Enlightenment on the whole，was an expression of struggle of the then progressive class of bourgeoisie against feudalism. The enlighteners fought against class inequality，stagnation，prejudices and other survivals of feudalism. They attempted to place all branches of science at the service of mankind by connecting them with the actual deeds and requirements of the people.And the new literature current—that of Sentimentalism appeared. Sentimentalism in literature is ―emotion run wild,‖ with emphasis on feeling rather on events and circumstances which produced the feeling.Another conspicuous trend in the English literature of the later half of the 18th century was the so-called pre-romanticism. It originated among the conservative groups of men of letters as a reaction against Enlightenment and found its most manifest expression in the "Gothic novel"，the term arising from the fact that the greater part of such romances were devoted to the medieval times.Special forms of literature: Neo-classicism (poetry and prose), realistic novel and the gothic novel.Major writer and master works and their style and language features:Enlighteners fell into two groups — the moderate group and the radical group. Moderate enlighteners supported the principles of the existing social order and considered that partial reforms would be sufficient. In this group may be included chiefly Alexander Pope(1688-1744), Joseph Addison(1672-1719) and Richard Steele(1672-1729), Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) and Samuel Richardson(1689-1761). They tried to work out a standard of moral conduct, which could be more suitable to the existing social conditions. Radical enlighteners struggled for more resolute democratization in the management of the government, and defended the interests of the exploited masses, the peasants and the working people in the cities. The representative writers of this group are Jonathan Swift(1667-1745), Henry Fielding(1707-1754), Tobias George Smollet(1721-1771), Oliver Goldsmith(1730-1774) and Richard Brinsley Sheridan(1751-1816). They stressed the discrepancy between what they called "the proper, moral standards"and the bourgeois-aristocratic society of their age.Alexander Pope (1688-1744)①An Essay on Criticism (1711)②The Rape of the Lock (1712-14)③Essay on Man (1733-34)④The Dunciad (1728)2. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and Richard Steele (1672-1729)①The Tatler②The SpectatorDaniel Defoe (1660-1731)①Robinson Crusoe1719②Captain Singleton—a novel of adventure, 1720③Moll Flanders—written in the form of autobiography, 1722④Colonel Jacque—a novel of adventure, 1722三、Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) The Battle of the Books (1704), and A Tale of a Tub (1704). The former is a satirical dialogue on the comparative merits of ancient and modern writers. It mainly attacks on pedantry in literary world of the time. The latter is a prose satire written in the form of a parable and a sharp attack on the disputes among the different sects of the Christian religion.Among the pamphlets he wrote about Ireland, the best-known pieces are The Drapier' s Letters and A Modest Proposal Swift‘s tragic live affairs were recorded in his poem Cadenus and Vanessa and Journal to Stella. Before his death, Swift published a poem On the Death of Dr. Swift.Henry Fielding (1707-1754)①Joseph Andrews1742②Jonathan Wild the Great1743.③The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling 1749④Amelia 1751William Blake (1757-1827)①Songs of Innocence1789②Songs of Experience1794③The Marriage of Heaven and HellRobert Burns (1759-1796)Most of Burns‘s poems are lyrics on love and friendship. They have a great charm of simplicity. His best-known lyrics are A Red, Red Rose, and Auld Lang Syne.③Burns wrote some poems to express his hatred for the oppression of the ruling class and his love for freedom. A best-known poem of this kind is A Man's A Man for That.④Burns wrote some patriotic poems, in which he expresses his deep love for his motherland; such as My Heart's inthe Highlands.⑤Burns wrote some verse-tales which he based on old Scottish legends. In these poems, he sings of the heroic spirit of the Scottish people in their struggle against their oppressors. The best example of these poems is John Barleycorn.⑥Burns wrote a number of poems on the theme of revolution, such as The Tree of Liberty and A Revolutionary Lyric.⑦Burns also achieve success in the field of satire. E.g. The Toadeater.⑧Poems like The Jolly Beggars are characterized by humor and lightheartedness.Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)①The Rivals②The School for ScandalFeaturesSheridan‘s dramatic techniques are largely conventional; th ey are exploited to the best advantage. His plots are well organized; his characters, either major or minor, all sharply drawn; and his manipulation of such devices as disguise, mistaken identity and dramatic irony is masterly. Witty dialogues and neat and decent language also make a characteristic of his plays.My understanding: The age of English Enlightenment in England。
英国文学上册Unit One The Abglo-Saxon Period
Question Is text a neutral term?
You must make sure that your reading is supported by what is in the text itself, not what you think is in the text.
A love affair?
“The relation between reader and story read is like a love affair. In both cases, it is a matter of giving yourself without reservation to the other.”
A pleasant cooperation
Readers and writers are able to compare and contrast texts with their world experiences, facilitating critical thinking with reference to complex ideas.
The study of Literature can provide students with a fresh and creative angle with which to approach their studies in particular and their l literature change
英国文学 Anglo-Saxon时期
• The sun • woman
Rhyme schemes
• • • • 1. one line, one sentence 2. two parts in one line 3. no end rhymes 4. four stresses for each line
Cross-cultural comoparison
Representative work
Beowulf 1 Beowulf severely buffeted the monster Grendel 2 Beowulf killed the monster’s mother 3. Beowulf came back to his country triumphgntly and succeeded the throne 4. Beowulf slew the dragon and sacrificed himself
The origin of myths and legends
• 1. human v.s. nature: • sea, forest, animals • dense swamp fog • harsh winter • • 2. the blending of myth and legend
French
政府： government,authority,sovereign,parl iament,treaty,alliance,mayor,etc． 宗教： clergy,cardinal,parson,vicar,commu nion,faith,etc． 法律： bar,judge,suit,jury,evidence,defend ant,verdict,etc． 陆、海军： army,battle,spy,enemy,captain,arch er,etc．
英国文学 Chapter1：Anglo-Saxon Time
The rule of Roman empire (55 B.C. —— 410): Julius Caesar The invasion of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes beginning about 450 A.D About 500A.D the fight between Saxons and the Celtic king, a legendary figure, King Arthur. The natives were defeated and they produced a body of oral stories revolving around the legendary king and his knights.
Beginning from the later part of the 8th century, the Danes, or the Vikings invaded. And in the second half of the 9th century King Alfred the Great of Wessex (849——899) led the AngloSaxon kings to defeat the invaders by uniting their forces. Such battles inspired The Battle of Maldon, the last of the Old English epic poems in tenth century.
4) the qualities the heroes in such poems possess: physically strong spiritually determined brave and selfless, ready to defend their people love of honor
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Basic Critical Approaches to Literature
Text-Oriented Approaches: New
Criticism Author-Oriented Approaches: Psychoanalytic Reader-Oriented Approaches: Reader Response Context-Oriented Approaches: Feminist /Marxist / New Historicist
Critical reading
Critical reading, which is reading the text
closely and thinking about it as you go, is self-conscious, reflective and analytical.
Debate on the ―death of the author‖
Definitions of literature change
They describe and clarify a reality, they do
not create the reality they describe.
Classical works
Mass-market romance novels
literary works?
What makes us treat something as
literature?
How do we know when something is
literature?
Would it be easier to ask ―what isn't
literature‖?
Online literature
Does it really matter what ―literature‖ is?
Does everyone have to agree?
What purposes does literature serve? What distinguishes literature from non-
from the writer's background and circumstances, but also from the reader's language skills as well as the perspective in which the reader receives it.
ideology, just like it follows generic conventions as well as changing them.
It has social and political effects.
Literature is the creation of another world, a
Whether a text should be read on its own or
whether the author's perspective should form part of the analysis?
The Importance of Source
There are as many interpretations as there
the movement of a language‖.
Text - the linguistic structure Work - the whole product
when we refer to something as a ―text‖, we
mean its linguistic structure or the signs that convetion.
Generally, most people have their own ideas
of what literature is.
the true, the good & the beautiful
The common definition of literature,
particularly for university courses, is that it covers the major genres of poetry, drama, and novel/fiction. The term also implies literary quality and distinction, concerned with finding beauty, an elevated use of language, emotional effects and moral sentiments.
a long journey of quest
The quest to discover a definition for
―literature‖ is a road that is much travelled, though the point of arrival, if ever reached, is seldom satisfactory.
English Literature （上） 2012.8
Unit One
Part I Introduction
What is Literature?
Literature is a term used to describe written
or spoken material. Broadly speaking, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.
How To Read A Text
not just to read it, but to read it well
to read it twice the first time - to satisfy curiosity
the second reading - more critical
Literature is as literature does.
In exploring ideas about what literature is, it
is useful to look at some of the things that literature does.
Literature is something that reflects society,
is like a love affair. In both cases, it is a matter of giving yourself without reservation to the other.‖
---- J. Hillis Miller
Distance yourself
However, once you have wholly yielded to
the text, you need to distance yourself again and cast your critical eye over it in order to be insightful and analytical. And always have the other eye on your own response to the text, because more often than not, your response is the key to how the text works.
A pleasant cooperation
Readers and writers are able to compare
and contrast texts with their world experiences, facilitating critical thinking with reference to complex ideas.
The study of Literature can provide students
with a fresh and creative angle with which to approach their studies in particular and their lives in general.
world that we can only see through reading literature.
Reasons for the study of English Literature
English literature can introduce students to a
range of aspects, not only of the English language but also of English culture.
the main body of matter in a manuscript,
book, newspaper, etc., as distinguished from notes, appendixes, headings, illustrations, etc.
Question
Is text a neutral term?