(精品)自考英美文学选读 教材全文翻译【整理】
自考英美文学选读 教材翻译
自考《英美文学选读》教材的中文翻译第一部分：英国文学上古及中世纪英国文学简介自从有人类历史记载以来,英伦三岛遭遇过三次外族入侵。
岛上最早的居民是凯尔特人,此后古罗马人、盎格鲁一萨克森人及法国诺曼底公爵纷至沓来,在英伦三岛各领风骚若干年。
古罗马人的入侵没有在这片土地上留下深远的影响,而后两者则不同了。
盎格鲁一萨克森人将日尔曼族语言及文化根植在岛上,而诺曼底人则带来了地中海文明的清新浪潮,所谓地中海文明包括希腊文化,罗马的法律,以及基督教。
正是这两次外族入侵所附带的文化影响为日后英国文学的兴起与发展提供了富足的源泉。
英国文学史的上古时期起于大约公元450年,止于1066年,即诺曼征服的那一年。
这一时期定盎格鲁一萨克森文明兴盛的时期。
这些日尔曼族部落来自北欧,带来了盎格鲁一萨克森语言,也就是现代英语的原形基础,除此之外,还带来了特别的诗歌传统。
他们的诗歌神韵中集合了粗狂豪勇的气度及悲情哀挽的风格。
总体来讲,流传至今的英国上古诗歌可分为两大类:宗教诗和世俗诗。
宗教诗的主题大多以《圣经》为基础。
比如《创世纪甲本》与《创世纪乙本》以及《出埃及记》都源于《圣经》的《旧约全书》;而《十字架之梦》则以《新约全书》为典故。
在《十字架之梦》这首诗中,耶稣基督被刻画成一位青年战士,勇往直前,拥抱死亡与胜利,而那善良的十字架自身则承受起基督所有的苦难与重负。
除了这些宗教诗歌,上古的英格兰诗人还创作了伟大的民族史诗《贝尔武夫》以及其它众多的短篇抒情诗。
这些世俗诗歌中虽然没有基督教教义,但它们唤起了盎格鲁一萨克森人对环境的严酷及人类命运的不幸的感知。
其中《流浪者,狄奥尔》、《航海者》和《妻子的抱怨》是当时世俗诗中的佼佼者。
诗文中的语气和基调深受北海恶劣气候的影响,生活惨淡无望,诗人的口气中带出大量宿命论的成份,尽管同时也显得勇敢而坚定。
《贝尔武夫》,英国上古诗歌的典型,在今天被誉为盎格鲁一萨克森的民族史诗。
尽管如此,诗中主人公及背景都与英国无关,这首叙事诗讲述的故事发生在北欧斯堪狄那维亚半岛。
自考英美文学选读-(中英文对照)
Part one: English LiteratureChapter1 The Renaissance period（14世纪至十七世纪中叶）文艺复兴1. Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.人文主义是文艺复兴的核心。
2. the Greek and Roman civilization was based on such a conception that man is the measure of all things.人文主义作为文艺复兴的起源是因为古希腊罗马文明的基础是以“人”为中心，人是万物之灵。
3. Renaissance humanists found in then classics a justification to exalt human nature and came to see that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development in the direction of perfection, and that the world they inhabited was theirs not to despise but to question, explore, and enjoy.人文主义者们却从古代文化遗产中找到充足的论据，来赞美人性，并开始注意到人类是崇高的生命，人可以不断发展完善自己，而且世界是属于他们的，供他们怀疑，探索以及享受。
4. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists.托马斯.摩尔，克利斯朵夫.马洛和威廉.莎士比亚是英国人文主义的代表。
自考《英美文学选读》（美）浪漫主义时期（4）
IV. Walt Whitman Whitman is a giant of American letters. His Leaves of Grass has always been considered a monumental work which commands great attention because of its uniquely poetic embodiment of American democratic ideals. He is the poet of the common people and the prophet and singer of democracy. ⼀。
⼀般识记 Whitman's life He was born in 1819 into a working-c1ass family and grew up in Brook1yn， New York. Son of a carpenter， Whitman left his schooling for good at eleven， and became an office boy. Later on he changed several jobs， one of which was in the printing office of a newspaper， which would be of great he1p in his literary career. By this early age he had a1ready shown his strong love for literature， reading a great deal on his own， especially the works of Shakespeare and Milton，and developed his potential for the writing career in the future. Before he was 17 years o1d he had already had his poems printed on a paper， although these early works were not comparable to his later and mature ones. However， Whitman did not become a professional writer directly henceforth， until an opportunity came up which sent him back to New York City，where he formal1y took up journalism and indulged himself in the excitement of the fast-growing metropolis. Feeling compe1led to speak up for something new and vital he found in the air of the nation， Whitman turned to the manual work of carpentry around 1851 or 1852， as an experiment to familiarize himself with the reality and essence of the life of the nation. At the same time， he widened his reading to a new scale and made it more systematic. After enriching himself simultaneously by these two very different， approaches， Whitman was ab1e to put forward his own set of aesthetic princip1es. Leaves of Grass was just the expression of these principles. ⼆。
自考英美文学选读 第一章 文艺复兴时期(英国)(课文翻译)
英美文学选读翻译（英语专业自考）第一部分：英国文学第一章文艺复兴时期文艺复兴标志着一个过渡时期,即中世纪的结束和现代社会的开始。
一般来说,文艺复兴时期是从十四世纪到十七世纪中叶。
它从意大利兴起,伴随着绘画、雕塑和文学领域的百花齐放,而后文艺复兴浪潮席卷了整个欧洲。
文艺复兴,顾名思义即重生、复苏,是由一系列历史事件激发推动的,其中包括对古希腊罗马文化的重新发现。
地理天文领域的新发现,宗教改革及经济发展。
因此,文艺复兴从本质上是欧洲人文主义者竭力摒弃中世纪欧洲的封建主义,推行代表新兴城市资产阶级利益的新思想,并恢复早期宗教的纯洁性,远离腐败的罗马天主教廷的一场运动。
文艺复兴浪潮影响到英国的速度比较慢,不仅因为英国远离欧洲大陆,而且还因为其国内的动荡不安。
乔叟去世后的一个半世纪是英国历史上最动荡不安的时期。
好战的贵族篡取了王位,使英国走上自我毁灭之路。
著名的玫瑰之战就是极好的例子。
后来理查三世的恐怖统治标志着内战的结束,在都铎王朝的统治下英国的民族情感又成长起来。
然而直到亨利八世统治期间(1509-1547),文艺复兴的春风才吹入英国。
在亨利八世的鼓励下,牛津的改革派学者和人文主义者们将古典文学引入英国。
基于古典文学作品及《圣经》的教育重获生机,而十五世纪就被广泛传阅的文学作品则更加流行了。
自此,英国的文艺复兴开始了。
英国,尤其是英国文学进入了黄金时代。
这个时期涌现出莎士比亚、斯宾塞、约翰逊、锡德尼、马洛、培根及邓恩等一大批文学巨匠。
但英国的文艺复兴并未使新文学与旧时代彻底决裂,带有十四、十五世纪特点的创作态度与情感依然贯穿在人文主义与改革时代。
人文主义是文艺复兴的核心。
它源于努力恢复中世纪产生的对古希腊罗马文化的尊崇。
人文主义作为文艺复兴的起源是因为古希腊罗马文明的基础是以"人"为中心,人是万物之灵。
通过这些对古代文化崭新的研究,人文主义者不仅看到了光彩夺目的艺术启明星,还在那古典作品中寻求到了人的价值。
自考《英美文学选读》（美）现代文学时期（2）
Chapter 3 The Modern Period ⼀。
识记 1.The historical and socio-cultural background of the American literature between the two World Wars： （1） The two World Wars： The twentieth century began with a strong sense of social breakdown. The two Wor1d Wars， especially the First World War （l914——l918）， became the emblem of all wars in the twentieth century， which means violence， devastation， blood and death， and made a big impact on the life of the American people and their literary writings. With all these wars the whole wor1d had undergone a dramatic social change， a transformation from order to disorder. America in this period was characterized by economic boom and material prosperity but social chaos， spiritual waste and and moral decay. Economically， with America's participation in Wor1d War I and the technological revolution， the United States had its booming industry and material prosperity. Socially， the world was disorderly and turbulent. There was a sense of unease and restlessness underneath. Spiritually and morally， there was a decline in moral standard and the first few decades of the twentieth century was best described as a spiritual wasteland. The censor of a great civilization being destroyed or destroying itself， social breakdown， and individual powerlessness and hopelessness became part of the American experience as a result of the First World War， with resulting feelings of fear， loss， disorientation and disillusionment. （2） The impact of Marxism， Freudianism and European modern art on American modern literature： Between the mid-l9th century and the first decade of the 20th century， there had been a big flush of new theories and new ideas in both social and natural sciences， as well as in the field of art in Europe， which played an indispensable ro1e in bringing about modernism and the modernistic writings in the United States. a. Marxism and Freudianism Apart from Darwinism， which was still a big influence over the writers of this period， the two thinkers whose ideas had the greatest impact on the period were the German Karl Marx and the Austrian Sigmund Freud. Marx was a sociologist who believed that the root cause of all behavior was economic， and that the leading feature of the economic life was the division of society into antagonistic classes based on a relation to the means of production. Freud propounded an idea of human beings themselves as grounded in the "unconscious" that controlled a great deal of overt behavior， and made the practice of the psychoanalysis which emphasizes the importance of the unconscious or the irrationa1 in the human psyche. William James， an American psychologist famous for his theory of "stream of consciousness，" and Carl Jung， a Swiss psychiatrist， noted for his "collective unconscious" and "archetypal symbol" as part of modern mythology. Their theories，plus Freud's interpretation of dreams， have infused modern American literature and made it possible for most of the writers in the modern period to probe into the inner world of human reality. b. European modern art： The implications of modern European arts to modern American writings can also be strong1y felt in the American literature between the wars， even thereafter. In painting， both the French Impressionist and the German Expressionist artists avoided the representation of external reality and depicted the human rea1ity in a rather subjective point of view. This highly personal vision of the world is self-evident in the works by writers such as William Faulkner， Eugene O'Neill， etc. Cubism， another school of modern painting popular in the early 20th century with its emphasis on the formal structure of a work of art， especially its emphasis on the multiple-perspective viewpoints， had provided the writers with more than one way to explain the reality and engaged the readers in creating order out of fragmentation as we1l. Composers like Igor Stravinsky similar1y produced music in a "modern" mode， featuring dissonance and discontinuity rather than neat formal structure and appealing total harmonies. （3）The expatriate movement There was a spiritual crisis in the modern period， but a full blossoming of literary writings. The expatriate movement，also called the second American Renaissance， is the most recognizable literary movement that gave rise to the twentieth century American literature. When the First World War broke out， many young men volunteered to take part in "the war to end Wars" only to find that modern warfare was not as glorious or heroic as they thought it to be. Disillusioned and disgusted by the frivolous， greedy， and heedless way of life in America， they began to write and they wrote from their own experiences in the war. Among these young writers were the most prominent figures in American literature， especially in modern American 1iterature. They were basically expatriates who 1eft America and formed a community of writers and artists in Paris， involved with other European novelists and poets in their experimentation on new modes of thought and expression. These writers were later named by an American writer， Gertrude Stein， also an expatriate， "The Lost Generation." 2. The historical and socio-cultural background of the American literature after the World War Ⅱ： What happened immediately after the Second World War in the United States and other parts of the world exerted a tremendous influence on the mentality of Americans. It changed man's view of himself and the world as well. First of all， the dropping of an atomic bomb over Hiroshima in Japan shocked the whole world and made possible the destruction of the Western civilization. Then a mutual fear and hostility grew between the Eastern and Western courtries with the Cold War， the effect of which could be felt in the form of McCarthyism in the Unites States. Besides， the Korean War and the Vietnam War broadened the gap between the government and the people. The assassination of John F. Kennedy，and of Martin Luther King， spokesman of the American Civil Rights Movement， the resignation of Nixon because of the Water-Gate scandal， etc. intensified the terror and tossed the whole nation again into the grief and despair. The impact of these changes and upheavals on the American society is emotional. People start to question the role of science in human progress and the fear of the misuse of modern science and technology is spreading. They no longer believe in God but start to reconsider the nature of man and man's capacity for evil. They begin to think of life as a big joke or an absurdity. The world is even more disintegrating and fragmentary and people are even more estranged and despondent. ⼆。
《英美文学选读》自学资料 (全)
强人总结《英美文学选读》自学资料 (全)American LiteratureChapter one : The romantic periodI. Emerson’s transcendentalism and his attitude toward nature:1.Transcendentalism—it is a philosophic and literary movement that flourish in New England, as a reaction against rationalism and Calvinism. It stressed intuitive understanding of god without the help of the church, and advocated independence of the mind.2. Emerson’s transcendentalism:The over-soul—it is an all-pervading power goodness, from which all things come and of which all are a part. It is a supreme reality of mind, a spiritual unity of all beings and a religion. It is a communication between an individual soul and the universal over-soul. And he strongly believe in the divinity and infinity of man as an individual, so man can totally rely on himself.3.His toward nature:Emerson loves nature. His nature is the garment of the over-soul, symbolic and moral bound. Nature is not something purely of the matter, but alive with God’s presence. It exercise a healthy and restorative influence on human beings. Children can see nature better than adult.II. Hawthorne’s Puritanism and his black vision of man:1. Puritanism—it is the religious belief of the Puristans, who had intended to purify and simplify the religious ritual of the church of England.2. his black vision of man—by the Calvinistic concept of original sin, he believed that human being are evil natured and sinful, and this sin is ever present in human heart and will pass one generation to another.3. Young Goodman Brown—it shows that everyone has some evil secrets. The innocent and naïve Brown is confronted with the vision of human evil in one terrible night, and then he becomes distrustful and doubtful. Brown stands for everyone ,who is born pure and has no contact with the real world ,and the prominent people of the village and church. They cover their secrets during daily lives, and under some circumstances such as the witch’s Sabbath, they become what they are. Even his closed wife, Faith, is no except ion. So Brown is aged in that night.III. The symbolism of Melville’s Mobby-Dick1.The voyage to catch the white whale is the one of the mind in quest of the truth and knowledge of universe.2. To Ahab, the whale is an evil creature or the agent of an evil force that control the universe. As to readers, the whale is a symbol of physical limits, or a symbol of nature. It also can stand for the ultimate mystery of the universe and the wall behind which unknown malicious things are hiding.IV. Whitman and his Leaves of Grass :1. Theme: sing of the “en-mass” and the self / pursuit of love, happiness, and ***ual love / sometimes about politics (Drum taps)2. Whitman’s originality first in his use of the poetic form free verse (i.e. poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme),by means of which he becomes conversational and casual.3.He uses the first person pronoun “I” to stress individualism, and oral language to acquire sympathy from the common reader.Chapter two : The realistic periodI. The character analysis and s ocial meaning of Huck Finn in Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainHuck is a typical American boy with “a sound heart and a deformed conscience”. He appears to be vulgar in language and in manner, but he is honest and decent in es sence. His remarkable raft’s journey down on the Mississippi river can be regarded as his process of education and his way to grow up. At first, he stands by slavery, for he clings to the idea that if he lets go the slave, he will be damned to go to hell. And when the “King” sells Jim for money, Huck decides to inform Jim’s master. After he thinks of the past good time when Jim and he are on the raft where Jim shows great care and deep affection for him, he decide to rescue Jim. And Huck still thinks he is wrong while he is doing the right thing.Huck is the son of nature and a symbol for freedom and earthly pragmatism. Through the eye of Huck, the innocent and reluctant rebel, we see the pre-Civil War American society fully exposed. Twain contrasts the life on the river and the life on the banks, the innocence and the experience, the nature and the culture, the wilderness and the civilization.II. Daisy Miller by Henry James1. Theme: The novel is a story about American innocence defeated by the stiff, traditional values of Europe. James condemns the American failure to adopt expressive manners intelligently and point out the false believing that a good heart is readily visible to all. The death of Daisy results from the misunderstanding between people with different cultural backgrounds.2. The character analysis of Daisy: She represents typical American girl, who is uninformed and without the mature guidance. Ignorance and parental indulgence combine to foster he assertive self-confidence and fierce willfulness. She behaves in the same daring naive way in Europe asshe does at home. When someone is against her, she becomes more contrary. She knows that she means no harm and is amazed that anyone should think she does. She does not compromise to the European manners.3. The character analysis of Winterbourne: He is a Europeanized American, who has live too long in foreign parts. He is very experience and has a problem understanding Daisy. He endeavors to put her in sort of formula, i.e. to classify her.III. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser:1. Theme: The author invented the success of Carrie and the downfall of Hurstwood out of an inevitable and natural judgment, because the fittest can survive in a competitive, amoral society according to the social Darwinism.2. The character analysis of Carrie: S he follows the right direction to a pursuit of the American dream, and the circumstances and her desire fora better life direct to the successful goal. But she is not contented, because with wealth and fame, she still finds herself lonely. She is a product of the society, a realization of the theory of the survival of the fittest.3. The character analysis of Hurstwood: He is a negative evidence of the theory of the survival of the fittest. Because he is still conventional and can not throw away the social morals, he is not fitted to live in New York.Chapter three : The Modern PeriodI. Ezra Pound and his theory of Imagism1. The principles: a. direct treatment of the thing; b. to use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation; c. to compose in the sequence of the musical; d. to use the language of common speech and the exact word; e. to create new rhythms; f. absolutely freedom in the choice of subject.2. Imagism is to present an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time. An imagistic poem must present the object exactly the way the thing is seen. And the reader can form the image of the object through the process of reading the abstract and concrete words.II. Frost and his poetry on nature:Frost is deeply interested in nature and in men’s relationship to nature. Nature appears as an explicator and a mediator for man and serve as the center of reference of his behavior. Peace and order can be found in Frost’s poetical natur al world. With surface simplicity of his poems, the thematic concerns are always presented in rich symbols. Therefore his work resists easy interpretation.III. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his The Great Gatsby1. Theme: Gatsby is American Everyman. His extraordinary energy and wealth make him pursue the dream. His death in the end points at the truth about the withering of the American Dream. The spiritual and moral sterility that has resulted from the withered American Dream is fully revealed in the article. However, although he is defeated, the dream has gave Gatsby a dignity and a set of qualities. His hope and belief in the promise of future makes him the embodiment of the values of the incorruptible American Dream .2. The character analysis of Gatsby: Gatsby is great, because he is dignified and ennobled by his dream and his mythic vision of life. He has the desire to repeat the past, the desire for money, and the desire for incarnation of unutterable vision on this material earth. For Gatsby, Daisy is the soul of his dreams.He believe he can regain Daisy and romantically rebels of time. Although he has the wealth that can match with the leisured class, he does not have their manners. His tragedy lies in his possession of a naive sense and chivalry.IV. Ernest Hemingway’s artistic features:1. The Hemingway code heroes and grace under pressure:T hey have seen the cold world ,and for one cause, they boldly and courageously face the reality. They has an indestructible spirit for his optimistic view of life. Whatever is the result is, the are ready to live with grace under pressure. No matter how tragic the ending is, they will never be defeated. Finally, they will be prevail because of their indestructible spirit and courage.2.The iceberg technique:Hemingway believe that a good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action. The one-eighth the is presented will suggest all other meaningful dimensions of the story. Thus, Hemingway’s language is symbolic and suggestive.V. The character analysis of Emily in A Rose for Emily:Emily is a symbol of old values, standing for tradition, duty and past glory. But she is also a victim to all those she cares and embrace. The source of Emily’s strangeness is from her born pride and self-esteem,the domineering behavior of her father and the betrayal of her lover. Barricaded in her house, s he has frozen the past to protect her dreams. Her life is tragic because the defiance of the community, her refusal to accept the change and her extreme pride have pushed her to abnormality and insanity.English LiteratureChapter One The Renaissance PeriodI. Shakespeare’s sonnets1. With a few exceptions, Shakespeare writes his sonnets in the popular English form of three quatrains and a couplet. The couplet usually ties the sonnet to one of the general themes, leaving the quatrains free to develop the poetic intensity.2. The sonnet’s most common themes concern the destructive effects of time, the quickness of physical decay, and the loss of beauty, vigor, and love. Although the poems celebrate life, they are always with a keen awareness of death.3. His sonnet 18 expresses that beautiful things can rely on the force of literature to reach eternity. Literature is created by man, thus it declares man’s eternity. The poem shows the mighty self-confidence of the newly class. The vivid, variable and rich images reflect the lively and adventurous spirits of those who were opening new world.II. Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice1. Theme(1) Justice vs. mercy: Shakespeare suggests that all men should be merciful. There is a further aspect of justice—the injustice revealed in the Christians’ treatment of the Jews.(2) Appearance vs. reality: e.g. superficial or external beauty vs. moral or spiritual beauty or truth (in the case of three caskets); the letters of law vs. the spirit of the law.(3) Commercial or material values vs. love: True love is much more worthwhile than money and material values. Antonio epitomizes true love in his friendship for Bassanio.2. The character analysis of ShylockShylock is a Jewish usurer, and he is a tragic-comic character.He is comic because he finally becomes the one punished by his own evil deed. He is avaricious. He accumulates as much wealth as he can and he even equates his lost daughter with his lost money. He is also cruel. In order to revenge, he would rather claim a pound of flesh from his enemy Antonio than get back his loan.He is tragic, because he is the victim of the society. As a Jew, he is not treated equally by the society. The law is harsh to him. He has to make as much money as he can in order to protect him. He is abused by Antonio, so he wants to get revenge.III. The character analysis of HamletHamlet is a scholar and a warrior. His father has been killed by his uncle, Claudius, who then take the throne and marries his mother. Hamlet is informed by the ghost of his father to take revenge, but the weakness of indecisiveness or indetermination in his character always delay his action, and finally leads to his tragic fall of death. Hamlet is not a man of action, but a man of thinking at first. He hesitates at some crucial moments. At last when he is forced to take some actions, he does kill Claudius gloriously, but he also sacrifices his own life.IV. Donne and his “The Sun Rising”1. Metaphysical poet: He wrote poems by using unconventional and surprising conceits and full of wit and humor, but sometimes the logic argument and conceits become pervasive. The language is colloquial but powerful, creati ng unorthodox images on the reader’s mind.2. His “The Sun Rising”: In this poem, the love’s wedding room has been intruded by sun and the man takes offence at the intrusion. He attack the sun as an unruly servant, and finally he allow the sun to enter the ir chamber and warm them. The poem’s true subject is the lady—his true emotional love. Every insult to the sun is a compliment to the lady.V. Milton’s Paradise Lost :1.Structure: The story is taken from the Old Testament. It extends chronologically from the exaltation of Christ before the creature of universe to the second coming of Christ. Geographically, it ranges over the entire world.2. The character analysis of Satan:He has the strength, the courage and the capacity for leadership, but he devoted all those qualities to evil. His defiance of God shows his egoistic pride, his false conception of freedom, and his alienation from all good. His own evil and damnation give him potentially tragic dimensions. Therefore, Satan is enveloped in dramatic irony because he fight in ignorance of the unshakable power of God and goodness.3.Features: Parallel and contrastThe central conflict and contrast between good and evil are intensified by the contrast between heaven and hell, light and darkness, love and hate, reason and passion, etc.Chapter Two The Neo-classical PeriodI. The allegorical meaning of “The Vanity Fair” in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s ProgressThe Vanity Fair refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that all they are concerned is to buy and sell everything they can. It allegorically represents vanity both in the society and in people’s heart, so people are spiritually lost. However, the pilgr ims refuse to buy any of the things in the Vanity Fair. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weakness and social evils. Christians’ refusal shows that they are one step nearer the Celestial City.II. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism and th e characteristics of his own poetry1. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism is best shown in his An Essays on Criticism. He emphasizing that literary works s hould be judged by classical rules of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion and good taste. He calls on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance. He advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of conceit or the external beauty of language, but to pay special attention to true wit which is best set in a plain style.2. Pope’s poem strictly follows his idea of neoclassicism. He developed a satiric, concise, smooth, graceful and well-balanced style, and finally brought to its last perfection of the heroic couplet.II. The social satire of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s TravelsThe account of Lilliputian life, especially the games for people at court, alludes to the similar ridiculous practices or tricks in the English government. The description of the competition in the games before the royal members leads to the fact that the success of those government officials such as the Prime Minister lies not in their being any wiser or better but in their being more dexterous in the game. This alludes to the practices in England. And the pompous words singing of the Lilliputian emperor ridicule the aristocratic arrogance and vanity.V. Henry Fielding and his Tom JonesIt is a good example of “comic epic in prose”. Fielding describes the fight between Molly and the villagers and her fistfight with Goody Brown in the grand style of the Homeric epic. He first of all calls on the Muses to assist him in recounting the fight as if it were of great historical importance. Like Homer who would list names of gods involved in the battle, he lists the names of the villagers. He treats Molly as a great hero at battle, an “Amazonian heroine”. Besides, he uses a mock-epic tone and seems very solemn about what he is describing. He uses formal words and refined language. Finally, he makes use of different figures of speech, particularly, irony and hyperbole.V. Thomas Gray and his “Elegy Written in a County Church”In the poem, Gray presents a picture of the quiet and solitary county at dusk through the sounding of the curfew, the home-coming plowman, the tinkling of bells under the necks of the cattle, the moping owl, the narrow cell (grave), etc.. He bemoans the fate of those common laborers who are now buried in the graves, tries to imagine how they had lived as loving parents and hardworking people, and praise their homely joys. He then express his contempt for those noblemen who once lived a pompous life, and despised the poor, but have ended up in a way no better than the ordinary folk. We can see Gray’s sympathy for the poor and contempt for the rich.Chapter Three The Romantic PeriodI. Wordsworth and his “I wandered lonely as a cloud”The poem is crystal clear and lucid. Below the immediate surface, we find that all the realistic details of the flowers, the trees, the waves, the wind, and all the realistic details of the active joy, are absorbed into an over-all concrete metaphor, the recurrent image of the dance. The flowers, the stars, the waves are units in this dancing pattern of order in diversity, of linked eternal harmony and vitality. Through the revelation and recognition of his kinship with nature, the poet himself becomes as it were a part of the whole cosmic dance.II. Shelley and his “Ode to the West Wind”In the poem, Shelley eulogizes the west wind as a powerful phenomenon of nature that is both destroyer and preserver. The wind enjoys boundless freedom and has the power to spread messages far and wide. The keynote in the poem is Shelley’s ever-present wish for himself and his fellow men to share the freedom of the west wind, remembering meanwhile his own and common human miseries. And the dominant mood is that of hope rather than despair, as the poet is hoping for the realization of the freedom and joy. The optimism expressed in the last two lines show the poet’s critical attitude toward the ugly social reality and his faith in a bright future for humanity.III. John Keats and his “Ode on a Grecian Urn”In the poem Keats shows the contrast between the permanence of art and the transience of human passion. The poet has absorbed himself into the timeless beautiful scenery on the Grecian urn: the lovers, musicians and worshippers carved on the urn, and their everlasting joys. They are unaffected by time, stilled in expectation. This is the glory and the limitation of the world conjured up by and object of art. The urn celebrates but simplifies intuitions of joy by defying our pain and suffering. But at last, the urn presents his ambivalence about time and the nature of beauty.IV. The character analysis of Elizabeth in Jane Austen’s Pride and PrejudiceElizabeth is a beautiful young lady in the Bennets. She is intelligent, contrasting her empty-minded, snobbish and vulgar mother. She is a women of distinct character. She is not passive, but pursue her true love bravely. She turns down Mr. Collin’s marriage proposa l and seeking her happiness with Darcy, the one she possesses true affection for her. She is also courageous. When Darcy’s aunt lady comes to force her into a promise of never consenting to marry Darcy, she boldly challenges her authority, contempt and arrogance. On the whole, Elizabeth is a typical image of the good, attractive lady in the 19th century.Chapter Two The Neo-classical PeriodI. The allegorical meaning of “The Vanity Fair” in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s ProgressThe Vanity Fair refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that all they are concerned is to buy and sell everything they can. It allegorically represents vanity both in the society and in people’s heart, so people are spiritually lost. However, the pilgr ims refuse to buy any of the things in the Vanity Fair. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weakness and social evils. Christians’ refusal shows that they are one step neare r the Celestial City.II. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism and the characteristics of his own poetry1. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism is best shown in his An Essays on Criticism. He emphasizing that literary works s hould be judged by classical rules of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion and good taste. He calls on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance. He advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of conceit or the external beauty of language, but to pay special attention to true wit which is best set in a plain style.2. Pope’s poem strictly follows his idea of neoclassicism. He developed a satiric, concise, smooth, graceful and well-balanced style, and finally brought to its last perfection of the heroic couplet.III. The social satire of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s TravelsThe account of Lilliputian life, especially the games for people at court, alludes to the similar ridiculous practices or tricks in the English government. The description of the competition in the games before the royal members leads to the fact that the success of those government officials such as the Prime Minister lies not in their being any wiser or better but in their being more dexterous in the game. This alludes to the practices in England. And the pompous words singing of the Lilliputian emperor ridicule the aristocratic arrogance and vanity.IV. Henry Fielding and his Tom JonesIt is a good example of “comic epic in prose”. Fielding describes the fight between Molly and the villagers and her fistfight with Goody Brown in the grand style of the Homeric epic. He first of all calls on the Muses to assist him in recounting the fight as if it were of great historical importance. Like Homer who would list names of gods involved in the battle, he lists the names of the villagers. He treats Molly as a great hero at battle, an “Amazonian heroine”. Besides, he uses a mock-epic tone and seems very solemn about what he is describing. He uses formal words and refined language. Finally, he makes use of different figures of speech, particularly, irony and hyperbole.V. Thomas Gray and his “Elegy Written in a County Church”In the poem, Gray presents a picture of the quiet and solitary county at dusk through the sounding of the curfew, the home-coming plowman, the tinkling of bells under the necks of the cattle, the moping owl, the narrow cell (grave), etc.. He bemoans the fate of those common laborers who arenow buried in the graves, tries to imagine how they had lived as loving parents and hardworking people, and praise their homely joys. He then express his contempt for those noblemen who once lived a pompous life, and despised the poor, but have ended up in a way no better than the ordinary folk. We can see Gray’s sympathy for the poor and contempt for the rich.Chapter Three The Romantic PeriodI. Wordsworth and his “I wandered lonely as a cloud”The poem is crystal clear and lucid. Below the immediate surface, we find that all the realistic details of the flowers, the trees, the waves, the wind, and all the realistic details of the active joy, are absorbed into an over-all concrete metaphor, the recurrent image of the dance. The flowers, the stars, the waves are units in this dancing pattern of order in diversity, of linked eternal harmony and vitality. Through the revelation and recognition of his kinship with nature, the poet himself becomes as it were a part of the whole cosmic dance.II. Shelley and his “Ode to the West Wind”In the poem, Shelley eulogizes the west wind as a powerful phenomenon of nature that is both destroyer and preserver. The wind enjoys boundless freedom and has the power to spread messages far and wide. The keynote in the poem is Shelley’s ever-present wish for himself and his fellow men to share the freedom of the west wind, remembering meanwhile his own and common human miseries. And the dominant mood is that of hope rather than despair, as the poet is hoping for the realization of the freedom and joy. The optimism expressed in th e last two lines show the poet’s critical attitude toward the ugly social reality and his faith in a bright future for humanity.III. John Keats and his “Ode on a Grecian Urn”In the poem Keats shows the contrast between the permanence of art and the transience of human passion. The poet has absorbed himself into the timeless beautiful scenery on the Grecian urn: the lovers, musicians and worshippers carved on the urn, and their everlasting joys. They are unaffected by time, stilled in expectation. This is the glory and the limitation of the world conjured up by and object of art. The urn celebrates but simplifies intuitions of joy by defying our pain and suffering. But at last, the urn presents his ambivalence about time and the nature of beauty.IV. T he character analysis of Elizabeth in Jane Austen’s Pride and PrejudiceElizabeth is a beautiful young lady in the Bennets. She is intelligent, contrasting her empty-minded, snobbish and vulgar mother. She is a women of distinct character. She is not pass ive, but pursue her true love bravely. She turns down Mr. Collin’s marriage proposal and seeking her happiness with Darcy, the one she possesses true affection for her. She is also courageous. When Darcy’s aunt lady comes to force her into a promise of never consenting to marry Darcy, she boldly challenges her authority, contempt and arrogance. On the whole, Elizabeth is a typical image of the good, attractive lady in the 19th century.Chapter Four The Victorian PeriodI. The features of Charles Dickens1. His critical realism: While sticking to the principle of faithful representation of the 18th-century realist novel, he carried the duty to the criticism of the society and the defense of the mass.2. He is a master storyteller. With his first senten ce, he engages the reader’s attention and holds it to the end.3. What he writes is mainly the middle and lower-middle class life in London.4. He is a master of language with a large vocabulary and an adeptness with the vernacular.5. He is a great humorist as well as a great painter of pathos. He always mingles the two to make his fictional world realistic.6. His characters are not only true to life but also large than life. There are both individual characters and type characters.II. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre1. Theme: The novel sharply criticizes the religious hypocrisy of charity institutions like Lowood School, where girls are trained to be humble slaves. It rebukes the social discrimination and false convention about love and marriage. Besides, the novel is a moral fable. It tells us that people have to go through all kinds of physical or moral tests to obtain their final happiness.2. The character analysis of Jane Eyre: Jane Eyre is an orphan child with a fiery spirit and a longing to love and be loved. She is poor and plain, but she dares to love her master, a man superior to her in many ways, as a little governess. She is brave enough to declare to the man her love for him. She cuts a completely new women image. She represents those middle-class working women who are struggling for recognition of their basic rights and equality as a human being.III. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Height1. The novel is an extraordinary moving love story: the passion between Heathcliff and Catherine is the most intense, beautiful, and the most horrible passions ever found among human beings.2. It is also a work of critical realism. Heathcliff is abused, rejected and distorted by the society only because he is a poor orphan of obscure parents. He suffers all kinds of inhuman treatment after the death of his benefactor. He loves Catherine dearly but forced to be separated from her. So, Heathcliff’s cruel revenge upon his enemies is justified in a way.3. The author makes clear that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of social status, and it is cruel and destructive to break genuine, natural human passions. Although Catherine and Edgar’s marriage is ideal in the eyes of the whole neighborhood, her love for Heathcliff is hard and everlasting.IV. Robe rt Brouning’s “My Last Duchess”Dramatic Monologue can best bring out the Duke’s character in a dramatic way. The Duke is extremely cruel to kill his newly-married wife just because his jealousy. He is addressing to a character who exists but remains silent in the poem. He is showing off to this silent character about his wife’s beauty and his own power to destroy it. He justifies his own deed as a trifle matter. However, as audience, we may fee l strongly the contrary. His arrogance, cruelty and hypocrisy are fully exposed. What he says and what we feel form a sharp contrast and achieve an dramatic effect.V. George Eliot’s MiddlemarchGorge Eliot pays great attention to the mutual effect between the inner world of the character and the outer world of the environment. Dorothea had wanted to escape the common meaningless life of the gentle ladies and enter some noble cause by marrying Casaubon. But her voluntary help, companionship and tenderness are ignored by her husband, she is forced into the idle life.When Dorothea got up, Mr. Casaubon was in library. Looking through the windows at the white landscape and cloudy sky, she felt a dullness and lifelessness. The furniture, the book, and everything in the house too looked lifeless and shrunk to her. The gloomy environment found ready response from her inner heart. Her great disappointment with her marriage is here joined together with the outer dreary and lifeless environment to make up a pathetic picture.Chapter Five The Modern PeriodI. The feat ures of Shaw’s plays:1. Problem plays: He took the modern social issues as his subject with the aim of directing social reforms. Most of his plays are concerned with political, economic, or religious problems.2. In his characterization, he makes the tricks of showing up one character vividly at the expense of another. His characters are the representatives of ideas, which shift and alter during the play.。
自考英美文学选读_第二章_新古典主义时期(英国)(课文翻译)
英美文学选读翻译（英语专业自考）第一部分：英国文学第二章新古典主义时期这里我们所称的新古典主义时期是指介于1660年英国斯图亚特王朝复辟与以华滋华斯和科勒律治1798年合作出版的《抒情歌谣集》为创始标志的浪漫主义时期之间的英国文学时代。
英国社会在新古典主义时期充满了动荡与变革,其中1660年英皇查理二世复辟,1665年一场瘟疫,仅在伦敦就夺去了七万人的生命,而伦敦一场火灾摧毁了大片城区,三分之二的市民无家可归,1689年英国发生了"光荣革命",清教徒玛丽公主与她荷兰裔的丈夫奥兰治公爵威廉取代了英皇詹姆士二世登上王位,从此确立了君主立宪制正体。
在这一时期,议会与专制君主不断斗争,而当时凌驾于议会与政府之上的两大党派,托利党与辉格党之间的矛盾也层出不穷,此外不同的宗教教派,辟如罗马天主教廷与英国国教及不信奉国教者,还有统治阶级与劳动人民之间,也都存在着尖锐的冲突。
总之,这一时期是矛盾与价值观分歧的时期。
而18世纪,英国的国力又得到长足发展。
在海外,英国殖民地扩展到北美、印度和西印度群岛,由此产生的不断增长的殖民地财富与贸易为英国开辟了广阔市场,原先那种小规模的家庭手工业生产方式便远远不够了。
市场不仅需要英国产品,更需要英国标准化的产品。
在国内,"圈地运动"使大片土地都集中到越来越少的大地主手中,成千上万的小农场主与雇农都被赶出家园,成为城市里的雇佣工人。
英国工业革命因此得到了雄厚的基础一一本国劳动力从家庭中解放出来,以及从殖民地掠夺来的资本积累。
到18世纪中期,英国已成为世界上第一个最强大的资本主义国家,号称"世界工厂",它的产品涌入全球各地的市场。
随着经济迅速发展,英国资产阶段或曰中产阶级也发展壮大了,成为革命的主力军,多由城市人口组成,比如商人、产业主及贩奴者、殖民者等其它人员。
工业革命的方兴未艾使越来越多的人口加人这一行列。
这个阶级在当时是进步的,是区别于封建贵族的新生力量。
(完整word版)新大纲自考《英美文学选读》笔记总结背完必过
《英美文学选读》笔记背完必过Part One: English LiteratureAn Introduction to Old and Medieval English LiteratureI Understanding and application: (理解应用)1. England’s inhabitants are Celts. And it is conquered by Romans, Anglo Saxons and Normans. The Anglo-Saxons brought the Germanic language and culture to England, while Normans brought the Mediterranean civilization, including Greek culture, Rome law and the Christian religion. It is the cultural influence of these two conquests that provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature.2. The old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England.3. The old English poetry that has survived can be divided into two groups: The religious group and the secular one4. Beowulf: a typical example of Old English poetry is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. It is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends.5. After the Norman’s conquest, three languages co-existed in England. French is the official language that is used by king and the Norman lords. Latin is the principal tongue of church affairs and in universities. Old English was spoken only by the common English people.6. In the second half of 14th century, English literature started to flourish with the appearance of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and others II Recite: (识记再现)1. Romance:①It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period.②It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.③The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions. There are often mysteries and fantasies in romance.④Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance.Characterization is standardized, While the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward.⑤The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world.2. Heroic couplet:Heroic couplet is a rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter. It is Chaucer who used it for the first time in English in his work The Legend of Good Woman.3. The theme of Beowulf:The poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. The poem is an example of the mingling of the nature myths and heroic legends.4. The Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales:The Wife of Bath is depicted as the new bourgeois wife asserting her independence. Chaucer develops his characterization to a higher artistic level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions.5. Chaucer’s achievement:①He presented a comprehensive realistic picture of his age and created a whole gallery of vivid characters in his works, especially in The Canterbury Tales.②He anticipated a new ear, the Renaissance, to come under the influence of the Italian writers.③He developed his characterization to a higher level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions.④He greatly contributed to the maturing of English poetry. Today, Chaucer’s reputation has been securely established as one of the best English poets for his wisdom, humor and humanity.6. “The F ather of English poetry”:Originally, Old English poems are mainly alliterative verses with few variations.①Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace it.②In The Romaunt of the Rose (玫瑰传奇), he first introduced to the English the octosyllabic couplet (八音节对偶句).③In The Legend of Good Women, he used for the first time in English heroic couplet.④And in his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, he employed heroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature.⑤His art made him one of the greatest poets in English; John Dryden called him “the father of English poetry”.【例题】The work that presented, for the first time in English literature, a comprehensive realistic picture of the medieval English society and created awhole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life is most likely ______________.(0704)A. William Langland’s Piers PlowmanB. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury TalesC. John Gower’s Confession AmantisD. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight【答案】B【解析】(P4.para.2)本题考查的是中世纪时期几位诗人作品的创作主题和创作范围。