英国文学史上笔记-The Middle Ages

The Middle AgesThe Anglo-Saxon Period (449~1066)Reference: 1) The literature of early period falls naturally into two divisions, Pagan and Christian.(异教徒文学和基督徒文学) Pagan represents the poetry which the Anglo-Saxons probably brought with them in the form of oral sagas (口头诗歌), the crude material out of which literature was slowly developed on English soil; Christian represents the writings developed under the teaching of the monks.(僧侣)2) Among the early Anglo-Saxon poets we may mention Caedmon(开德蒙the first important religious poet in English literature) who lived in the latter half of the 7th century and wrote a poetic paraphrase of the Bible; Cynewulf(琴涅武甫), the author of poems on religious subjects.Beowulf:the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons, represents the spirit of paganArtistic features: 1) Using alliteration押头韵（Definition of alliteration: a rhetorical device, meaning some words in a sentence begin with the same consonant sound）2) Using metaphor and understatement (Definition of understatement: expressing something in a controlled way. Understatement is a typical way for Englishmen to express their ideas. 保守的陈述)Things and Figures mentioned: Beowulf (the Teutonic hero) Hrothgar (the King of the Danes)Heorot 鹿厅Grendel (the half-human monster)Beacon (Beowulf墓上所建) Scyld 赛亚德Definitions of important literary terms:1．1)Epic (heroic poetry): An epic is a long oral narrative poem that operates on a grand scale and deals with legendary or historical events of national or universal significance. Most epics deal with the exploits(功勋)of a single individual and also interlace(交织、交错)the main narrative with myths, legends, folk tales and past events; there is a composite（复合的）effect, the entire culture of a country cohering in the overall experience of the poem. Epic poems are not merely entertaining stories of legendary or historical heroes; they summarize and express the nature or ideals of an entire nation at a significant or crucial period of its history. 史诗是长篇口头叙事诗，内容广泛，通常以重要传说或者重大历史事件为题材。

大部分的史诗歌颂个人的英雄事迹，同时也在叙述中插入神话、传说、民间故事以及历史事件；一个民族的整体文化与全诗所讲的经历紧密联系，造成一种复合的效果。

史诗不仅仅是愉悦人的传奇故事或者历史英雄事迹，它们总结以及表达了一个民族在其历史上一个重要或者关键时期的本质或者理想。

(简要地说就是：a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated.)2)Alliteration (head rhyme or initial rhyme): the repetition of the same sounds—usually initial consonants(辅音) of words or stressed syllables(音节)—in any sequence of neighbouring words. Now an optional and incidental(附带的) decorative effect in verse(诗) or prose(散文), it was once a required element in the poetry of Germanic languages (including old English and old Norse挪威语) and in Celtic verse (where alliterated sounds could regularly be placed in positions other than除了the beginning of a word or syllable). Such poetry, in which alliteration rather than rhyme is the chief principle of repetition, is known as alliterative verse; its rules also allow a vowel sound to alliterate with any other vowel.Other works: 1)Bede比德(excellent writer in Anglo-Saxon period)-<Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum>英吉利人教会史2) King Alfred the Great艾尔弗雷德大帝(英国散文之父)-<Anglo-Saxon Chronicle>盎格鲁撒克逊编年史The Anglo-Norman Period (1066~1350)Reference: 1)The literature which Normans brought to England is remarkable for its bright, romantic tales of love and adventure, in marked contrast with the strength and somberness(昏暗、暗淡) of Anglo-Saxon poetry.2)English literature at the Anglo-Norman period was a combination of French and Saxon elements.Works: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight （Alliteration）Things and Figures mentioned: Gawain(the knight) Arthur(the king) Camelot(Arthur’s palace)The Green Knight(a gigantic one) the magic green girdle(绿腰带) Definitions of important literary terms:1)Canto(诗章): a subdivision of an epic or other narrative poem, equivalent to a chapter in aprose work.2)Legend：A story or group of stories handed down through popular oral tradition, usuallyconsisting of an exaggerated or an unrealiable account of some actually or possibly historical person—often a saint,monarch, or popular hero. Legends are sometimes distinguishing from myths in that they concern human beings rather than gods, and sometimes they have some sort of historical basis whereas myths do not, but these distinctions are difficult to maintain consistantly. This term was originally applied to accounts of saints’ lives, but is now mainly applied to fanciful tales of warriors (eg. King Arthur and his knights), criminals(eg. Robin Hood), and other sinners; or more recently to those bodies of biographical rumour and embroidered anecdote surrounding dead film stars and rock musicians(eg. John Lennon)3)Arthurian Legend: A group of tales (in several languages) that developed in the Middle Agesconcerning Arthur, semi-historical king of Britans, and his knights. The legend is a complex weaving of ancient Celtic mythology(神话) with later traditions around a core of possible historical authenticity(真实性).Geoffery Chaucer 杰弗里•乔叟1340(?)~1400Reference: 1)首创“英雄双韵体”Heroic Couplet，英国文学史上首先用伦敦方言写作。