英国文学笔记总结

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英国文学笔记

英国文学笔记
who became a great portrayer of child life.
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After success of A Tale of Two Cites, his reputation was great. His concern for the oppressed poor, his sentiment (which sometime slipped into sentimentality), his flair for narrative, often melodramatic, and above all, his invention of comic character, combined to make him more popular than any other English novelist has ever been.
Master Humphrey’s Clock
In 1840 Dickens began a weekly paper, Master Humphrey’s Clock, patterned on Spectator and Tatler. The reader’s interests were less in the familiar essays than in the stories which Dickens was providing; gradually the paper became only the framework for the publication of two novels: the Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge. Barnaby Rudge is his first historical novel.

英国文学选读笔记重点

英国文学选读笔记重点

英国文学选读笔记重点一、引言英国文学是世界文学的重要组成部分,其丰富的历史背景、独特的文化传统和卓越的文学成就使其在世界文学史上占有重要地位。

在英国文学选读中,我们不仅可以欣赏到众多杰出的文学作品,还可以深入了解英国的历史、文化和社会背景。

二、重点作家及其作品莎士比亚莎士比亚是英国文学史上最伟大的作家之一,他的作品包括《哈姆雷特》、《奥赛罗》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》等。

莎士比亚的作品具有深刻的思想内涵和卓越的艺术表现力,是英国文学的经典之作。

简·奥斯汀简·奥斯汀是英国19世纪著名的女性作家,她的作品如《傲慢与偏见》、《理智与情感》等,以细腻的人物描写和精湛的心理分析而著称。

她的作品反映了当时英国社会的风俗习惯和道德观念,具有很高的社会价值。

狄更斯狄更斯是19世纪英国最著名的现实主义作家之一,他的作品如《双城记》、《雾都孤儿》等,以对社会问题的深刻揭示和对人性的深刻剖析而著称。

他的作品反映了当时英国社会的贫困、不公和阶级斗争,具有很高的社会意义。

三、重点主题爱情与婚姻爱情与婚姻是英国文学中的重要主题之一。

在许多作品中,作者通过描写爱情与婚姻的关系,探讨了人性的复杂性和生活的真谛。

例如,在简·奥斯汀的作品中,她通过对婚姻的思考,揭示了当时英国社会对婚姻的看法和期望。

社会问题社会问题是英国文学中的另一个重要主题。

许多作家通过描写社会问题,揭示了当时社会的矛盾和冲突。

例如,在狄更斯的作品中,他通过对贫困、不公和阶级斗争的描写,揭示了当时英国社会的种种问题。

人性与命运人性与命运是英国文学中的永恒主题。

许多作家通过描写人性的复杂性和命运的无常,探讨了人生的意义和价值。

例如,在莎士比亚的作品中,他通过对人性的深刻剖析和对命运的无奈揭示了人生的无常和无奈。

四、结语英国文学选读是了解英国文化和历史的重要途径之一。

通过对英国文学的学习和研究,我们可以更好地理解英国的历史、文化和社会背景,同时也可以提高我们的审美能力和文化素养。

英国文学史期末复习笔记

英国文学史期末复习笔记

英美文学史期末复习笔记英国美国1.伊丽莎白时期的文学 1.殖民地时期文学2.17世纪和18世纪的文学 2.浪漫主义文学3.浪漫主义时期 3.现实主义文学4.维多利亚时期 4.自然主义文学5.20世纪的小说与诗歌 5.20世纪20年代的诗歌与小说6.二战后的诗歌 6.二战后的诗歌与小说7.二战后的小说7.美国戏剧梳理8.少数族裔文学1.Definition of epicAn epic is a long narrative poem.2.Geoffrey Chaucer(1340-1400)杰弗里。

乔叟the father of English poetry(literature) 英国文学之父the heroic couplet 英雄双韵体:a verse unit consisting of two rhymed(押韵)lines in iambic pentameter(五步抑扬格)AA BB CC DD EE代表作:The Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷的故事(英国文学史的开端)文艺复兴时期The Renaissance(1500-1660)1.the definition of RenaissanceRenaissance first rose in Italy in the 14th century and came to a flowering in the 15th and then in the 16th century it spread to other countries, notably France and thence to Germany and England and Spain and the other countries.核心:humanism :admire human beauty and human achievement.文艺复兴三杰:达芬奇,米开朗琪罗,拉斐尔2.William Shakespeare(1564-1616)He is actor, playwright;totally 37 playsFour great tragedies:Hamlet (哈姆雷特)Othello(奥赛罗)King Lear(李尔王)Macbeth(麦克白)Four great comedies:The Merchant of Venice 《威尼斯商人》A Midsummer Night’s Dream 《仲夏夜之梦》As You Like It 《皆大欢喜》Twelfth night 《第十二夜》Ben Johson dedicated a poem in praise of him:“…Soul of the age.He was not of an age, but for all time”.3.Sonnet(十四行诗)Sonnet is a lyric poem comprising 14 rhyming lines of equal length: iambic(抑扬格的) pentameters(五步格诗)in English. The English sonnet (also called the Shakespearen sonnet after its foremost practitinoner) comprises three quatrains (四行诗)and a final couplet(对句),rhyming ababcdcdefef. An important variant of this is the Spenserian sonnet (introduced by Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser ), which links the three quatrains by rhyme, in the sequence ababbabccdcdee. In either form, the turn comes with the final couplet, which may sometimes achieve the neatness of an epigram.4.metaphysical poetry(玄学派诗歌)The term “metaphysical poetry”is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry. The name given to a diverse group of 17th-century English poets whose work is notable for its ingenious (精致的)use of intellectual and theological concepts in surprising conceits(幻想), strange paradoxes, and far-reaching imagery, argumentative abruptness of rhythm and tone distinguishes his style from the conventions of Elizabethan love lyrics. T.S Eliot and others revived their reputation, stressing their quality of wit, in the sense of intellectual strenuousness and flexibility rather than smart humor.Its main features:①the diction is simple②The imagery is drawn from the actual life③The form is frequently that of an argument with the poet’s beloved, with God, or with himself.5.John Donne(1572-1631)View of poetry: A blend of emotion and intellectual ingenuity, characterized by conceit or "wit".The most striking feature of Donne’s poetry is its tang of reality, in the sense that it seems to reflect life in a real rather than a poetical world.Special features: Conceits;wit;imagery;dramatic and conversational style.代表作:the flea《跳蚤》6.Francis Bacon(1561-1626)He is the precursor of materialism英国唯物主义的始祖(马克思和恩格斯语);also the founder of modern science;the first British essayist.作品:Essays《随笔》(of studies is the most famous one of them)7.John MiltonDefense for the English People为英国人辩护;blank verse 素体诗作品:Paradise Lost失乐园Paradise Regained复乐园18世纪的启蒙主义文学1.the definition of enlightenmentA general term applied to the movement of intellectual liberation that develop in Western Europe from the late 17th Century to the late 18th century.(the period is often called the Age of Reason), especially in France and Switzerland.The enlightenment culminated(使达到顶峰) with the writings of Jeans-Jacques Rousseau and the Encyclopedia(百科全书), the philosophy of Immanuel(以马内利,基督的别称) Kant, and the political ideas of the American and French Revolutions while the forerunners in science and philosophy included Bacon, Descartes, Newton, and Locke. Its central idea was the need and the capacity of human reason to clearaway ancient superstition, prejudice, dogma and injustice.Literary features:①Classicism: As a critical term, classicism is a body of doctrine thought to be derived from or to reflect the qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture, particularly in literature, philosophy, art, or criticism. Classicism stands for certain definite ideas and attitudes, mainly drawn from the critical utterances of the Greek and Romans or developed through an imitation of ancient art and literature. ②Neoclassicism:it emphasized the classical artistic ideals of order, logic, proportion, restrained emotion, accuracy, good taste and decorum.③Sentimentalism came into being as the result of a bitter discontent among the enlightened people with social reality.4 Pre-romanticism: In the latter half of the 18th century, a new literary movement arose in Europe, called the Romantic Revival. It was marked by a strong protest against the bondage of Classicism, by a recognition of the claims of passion and emotion, and by a renewed interest in medieval literature. In England this movement showed itself in the trend of Pre-romanticism.Gothic novel is its most manifest expression.2.John Locke(1632-1704)one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers ;considered one of the first of the British empiricists经验主义者, following the tradition of Francis Bacon; best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer《荷马史诗》;He is the third most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,after Shakespeare and Tennyson.3.Daniel Defoe(1661-1731)代表作:The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (英国文学史第一部小说)Moll Flanders《摩尔. 佛兰德斯》Robinson Crusoe celebrates the 18th-century Western civilization’s material triumphs and the strength of human rational will to conquer the natural environment. Robinson, apparently, is cast as a typical 18th-century middle-class tradesman, the very prototype of the empire builder, the pioneer colonist.The hero is practical, diligent, shrewd, courageous and intelligent to overcome all kinds of obstacles. In another sense, Robinson is Everyman struggling to master nature.This novel is the representative of the English bourgeoisie at the earlier stages of its development.4.Jonathan Swift(1667-1745)乔纳森.斯威夫特作品:Gulliver’s Travels《格列佛游记》A Tale of a Tub 《木桶的故事》The Battle of Books 《书战》A Modest Proposal 《一个小小的建议》His writing features : Swift defines a good style as “proper words in proper places”. His language is always precise, simple, clear, vigorous as well as economical and concise.He is also a master satirist.5.Henry Fielding(1707-1754)The father of modern fiction(现代小说之父)代表作:《约瑟夫·安德鲁》Joseph Andrews《汤姆·琼斯》Tom Jones6.Oliver Goldsmith’s(1730-1774)代表作:The Vicar of Wakefield威克菲尔德的牧师The Deserted Village 荒村浪漫主义时期English Romanticism(1798-1830)1.the definition of RomanticismIt is generally said to have began in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth & Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads《抒情歌谣集》and to have ended in 1832 with Sir Walter Scott’s death and the passage of the first Reform Bill《改革法案》in the Parliament. English Romanticism is a revolt of the English imagination against the neoclassical reason. The French Revolution of 1789-1794 and the English Industrial Revolution exert great influence on English Romanticism.Romanticists show in their works their profound dissatisfaction with the social reality and their deep hatred for any political tyranny, economic exploitation and any form of oppression, feudal or bourgeois. In the realm of literature, they revol t against reason, rules, regulation, objectivity, common senses, etc. and emphasize the value of feelings, intuition, freedom, nature, subjectivism, individuality, originality, imagination, etc.2.two schools of Romanticism①The lake poets湖畔派诗人(escapist romanticists):William Wordsworth华兹华斯, Samuel Taylor Coleridge柯勒律治and Robert Southey骚塞.They three were known as Lake Poets because they lived and knew one another in the last few years of the 18th century in the district of the great lakes in Northwestern England.②The Satanic school撒旦派(active romanticists):Byron, Shelly, and Keats.3.William Blake(1757-1827)十九世纪英国浪漫派诗人、画家、雕刻家作品:Songs of Experience《经验之歌》Songs of Innocence《天真之歌》The Marriage of Heaven and Hell《天堂与地狱的婚姻》The Chimney Sweeper《扫烟囱的孩子》The Lamb《羊羔》4.Robert Burns(1759-1796)(苏格兰著名农民诗人)作品:“A Red, Red Rose”《红红的玫瑰》5.William Wordsworth(1770-1850)He focused on the nature, children, the poor, common people, in his poem, he aimed at simplicity and purity of the language, so he used ordinary words to express his personal feelings.1843年获得桂冠诗人(Laureate)称号代表作:The Daffodils《水仙花》The Solitary Reaper《孤独的收割者》6.George Gordon Byron(1788-1824)Influence:(to world)Byron has enriched European poetry with an abundance of ideas, images, artistic forms & innovations. He stands with Shakespeare & Scott among the British writers who exert the greatest influence over the mainland of Europe.(to china)His revolutionary zeal and democratic ideals, as shown in his stirring lyricThe Isles of Greece and Childe Harold, strongly impressed the Chinese youth who were then waging struggles to overthrow the old feudal system.代表作Don Juan《唐璜》, 1818-1823When we two parted《当我们分手》She walks in beauty《她走在美的光彩中》Byronic hero:a proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin. With immense superiority in his passions and powers,unconquerable wills and inexhaustible energies.(fiery passions unbending will, ideal of freedom, against tyranny(专制统治)and injustice, lonely fighters individualistic ends)7.Percy Bysshe Shelley(1792-1822)代表作:Ode To The West Wind《西风颂》Queen Mab 《麦布女王》8.John Keats(1795—1821)代表作:Ode to An Nightingale《夜莺颂》(“美即是真,真即是美”Beauty is truth, truth is beauty.是他的著名诗句。

英国文学简史 笔记整理

英国文学简史  笔记整理
L‘Allegro欢乐的人;Il Penseroso沉思的人;Comus科马斯;Lycidas列西达斯;Areopagitica论出版自由;Pro Populo Anglicano Defense为英国人民声辩; Pro Populo Anglicano Defense Secunda再为英国人民声辩;Paradise Lost失乐园;Paradise Regained复乐园;Samson Agonistes力士参孙
长篇小说:The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews,and of His Friend Mr Abraham Adams约瑟·安德鲁传;The Life of Mr Jonathan Wild the Great大伟人江奈生·魏尔德传;The History of Tom Jones,a Foundling汤姆·琼斯;Amelia阿美利亚
Christopher Marlowe克里斯托夫。马洛
Tamburlaine铁木耳大帝Dr.Faustus浮士德的悲剧The Jew of Malta马耳他的犹太人The Passionate Shepherd多情的牧羊人致情人
William Shakespeare莎士比亚1564-1616
The Tempest暴风风雨;The Two Gentlemen of Veronaz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 Lifeand 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 Julet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

英国文学笔记

英国文学笔记

Chapter1 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。

5. Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet into England.怀亚特将彼特拉克的十四行诗引进英国。

英国文学史笔记总结部分

英国文学史笔记总结部分

English Literature 英国文学史笔记The Development of English LiteratureFrom the academic angle, English literature can be divided into seven periods:1. Early and Medieval English literature;2. The English Renaissance;3. The 17th C. – The Period of Revolution and Restoration;4. The 18th Century –The Age of Enlightenment5. Romanticism in England in the 1st half of the 19th century;6. The Victorian Age;7. The 20th Century Literature –Modernism and Post-ModernismChapter1 Literature of Old and Medieval Period(449—1485)1) Anglo-Saxon Period /Old English Period (449-1066)The main literary contribution of this period is the Epic, and its masterpiece is the national epic The Song of Beowulf, which is a long poem of 3182 lines about the deeds of the Teutonic (条顿)hero Beowulf in the 6th century. It is the oldest poem in the English language and the oldest surviving epic in Anglo-Saxon literature.2)The Anglo-Norman Period /Middle English Period (1066-1485)The literature of this period is greatly influenced by the Norman Conquest (1066). After the conquest, the customs and ideals known as chivalry was introduced by the Normans into England and can be reflected in literature, such as the knightly code, the romantic interest in women , tenderness and reverence paid to Virgin Mary etc.. The prevailing form of literature in the Feudal England was Romance (传奇,骑士文学).The most famous Romance was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.㈠Definitions of Literary Terms1. Couplet(对句): a couplet is two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.2. Iambic pentameter: each line has five feet of iambs; in each foot, there is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.3.Heroic Couplet(英雄偶句/双韵体): two consecutive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter. (an iambic pentameter couplet). The form was introduced into English by Geoffrey Chaucer and was widely used subsequently, reaching a height of popularity in the works of Alexander Pope.4. Blank Verse(无韵体,素体诗): unrhymed iambic pentameter.5. Epic(史诗): A long narrative poem on the adventures and great deeds of heroes.6. Frame story: a narrative that provides the framework within which a number of different stories, which may or may not be connected, can be told. (The Canterbury Tales isa collection of stories in a frame story)7. Romance: A tale in verse, embodying the life and adventures of knights. The content of Romance was usually about love, chivalry and religion.㈡Geoffrey Chaucer (about1340—1400) 杰弗里•乔叟“The Founder (Father) of English poetry‖A Londoner of bourgeois origin, the most important and influential poet in medieval England, established English as a courtly language. Geoffrey’s Chaucer’s works are often categorized in three chronological periods (the French period, the Italian period and the English period).Ⅰ.Chaucer’s Contributions①. He introduced from French the ―heroic couplet‖ to English poetry.②. He is the first important poet to write in the current English language.③. Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English language.Ⅱ.Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous work :The Canterbury Tales (1387—1400)《坎特伯雷集》an unfinished series of stories told by a group of pilgrims(about 29), who came from all layers of society(a knight, a prioress, a plowman, a merchant, a clerk, the wife from Bath, etc.), journeying from London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury. ―The General Prologue‖ told us Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. But Chaucer had actually completed only 23 stories.Scholars are uncertain about the order of the tales, and The Canterbury Tales has been passed down in several handwritten manuscripts.Ⅲ. Other works:1)The French period (to 1372): Book of Duchess (1369) 《公爵夫人之书》2)The Italian period (1372—1385): House of Fame (1379—1384) 《声誉之宫》The Parliament of Fowls (1377—1382) 《百鸟会议》The Legend of Good Women 《贤妇传说》Troilus and Criseyde (1382—1385) 《特洛伊罗斯与克丽西达》3)The English period (1387—1400): The Canterbury Tales (1387—1400) Chapter 2 Literature of English Renaissance(1485—1616)The Renaissance as a cultural movement embraced all Western Europe roughly from the 14th century to the 17th century. It first sprang in Florence of Italy and then spread to the rest of Europe (to Germany and Spain and England). ―Renaissance‖, French for ―rebirth‖, refers to the revival of interest in ancient Roman and Greek culture.During this period, the classical arts and learning were discovered again and widely studied , so the term Renaissance originally indicated a revival of classical (Roman and Greek) arts and learning after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism , it also marked the beginning of bourgeois revolution .In the Renaissance period, scholars and educators called themselves humanists and began to emphasize the capacities of the human mind and the achievements of human culture, in contrast to the medieval emphasis on God and contempt for the things of this world. So humanism became the keynote of the English Renaissance. And the greatest humanist is Thomas More, the author of Utopia. The representatives in literature are Shakespeare and Bacon. The former has the greatest contribution in drama an d sonnets while the latter’s essays are condensed and witty.代表人物:1) Thomas More(1478—1535)托马斯•莫尔Utopia 乌托邦2) Thomas Wyatt 托马斯•怀亚特He introduced sonnet into English literature引入十四行诗的第一人sonnet(十四行诗):form of poetry intricately rhymed(间隔押韵) in 14 lines iambic pentameter3) Edmund Spenser(1522—1599)埃德蒙•斯宾塞“the poet’s poet”(诗人中的诗人) English poet whose long allegorical poem(寓言性浪漫史诗) The Faerie Queene 《仙后》is one of the greatest in the English language. It was written in what cameto be called the Spenserian stanza.Spenserian stanza:A nine-line stanza with the following rhyme scheme: ababbcbcc. The first eight lines are written in iambic pentameter. The last line is written in iambic hexameter4) Christopher Marlowe (1564—1593)克里斯托弗•马洛“the most gifted writer of the University Wits”“the forerunner of English drama”“The Father of English Tragedy” (one-man tragedy) The greatest pioneer of English drama who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama.blank verse(无韵体:不押韵的五步抑扬格) 是十六世纪英国戏剧的主要表现形式。

英国文学知识点整理

英国文学知识点整理不同的分类,会有交叉。

有交叉,才能理解,才能清晰,才能快速记忆,这才是真正的笔记。

(一)各个时期的文学创作术语中世纪文学时期Medieval Literature英雄双韵体the heroic couplet【特点】两行两行押韵,也被称作五步抑扬格iambic pentameter【创始人】杰弗里·乔叟Geoffrey Chaucer文艺复兴时期Renaissance十四行诗sonnet【特点】1韵律:一行隔一行押韵一节中的最后一行又与下一节的第一行押韵第四节只有两行独自押韵,一共十四行。

例一:abab bcbc cdcd ee例二:abab bcbc efef gg 2行数:十四行【创始人】威廉·莎士比亚William Shakespeare斯宾塞诗体Spenserian【特点】1韵律:韵律复杂,具有音乐性2行数:每节九行【创始人】埃德蒙·斯宾塞Edmund Spenser 素体诗blank verse没有押韵道德剧Morality Play神秘剧Mystery Play奇迹剧Miracle Play抑扬格四音步iambic tetrameter书信体意识流stream of consciousness(二)各种荣誉称谓"之父"称号Title作家主要作品时代流派英国诗歌之父Father of English Poetry杰弗里·乔叟Geoffrey Chaucer坎特伯雷故事集The Canterbury TalesMedieval Literature 十四世纪英国小说之父Father of English Novels丹尼尔·笛福Daniel Defoe鲁宾逊漂流记The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson CrusoeEnlightenment 18世纪Realistic西欧历史小说之父The Father of Western European Historical Novel沃尔特·司各特Walter Scott密得洛西恩监狱The Heart of MidlothianRealistic Literature十九世纪Romanticism桂冠诗人Poet Laureate约翰·德莱顿John Dryden阿尔弗雷德·丁尼生Alfred Tennyson【作品】记忆方式伊诺克·阿登。

英国文学复习笔记整理

英国文学复习笔记整理1 Although Geoffrey Chaucer was essentially a medieval writer, he bore marks of humanism and anticipated a new era of literature to come.2 Romance, which uses narrative verse or prose to tell stories of Knightly adventures or other heroic deeds, is a popular literary form in the medieval period.The Renaissance PeriodEdmund Spencer / Christopher Marlowe / William ShakespeareFrancis Bacon / John Donne / John Milton1. Renaissance: between 14th and mid-17th century.2. Renaissance means rebirth or revival is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, such as:The rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture,The new discoveries in geography and astrology,The religious reformation and the economic expansion.3. The Renaissance, therefore in essence is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and Scholars made attempt to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in Medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the purity of the rising bourgeoisie, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.The religious reformation in the early 16th-century England was a reflection of the class struggles waged by the rising bourgeoisie against the feudal class and its ideology4. Humanism is the essence of the RenaissanceThe essence of humanism is to emphasize human qualities(1) Capable of individual development in the direction of perfection.(2) They inhabited was theirs not to despise by to question, explore and enjoy.(3) Tomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representative of the English humanist.5 Metaphysical poetry:Metaphysical is characterized by passionate thought succession of concentrated image, exercise of elaborate ingenuity and “wit”, John Donne was the famous of the Metaphysical poet. The Metaphysical Poets were men of learning and to show their learning was their endeavor.Edmund SpenserMasterpiece: The Faerie Queene (allegory)Christopher Marlowe (University wits)1 Important plays: Tambulaine, Dr.Faustus, The Jew of Malta2 Marlowe voiced the supreme desire of the man of the Renaissance of infinite powers and authority(1) Perfected the blank verse.(2)Creation of the Renaissance hero to English drama, it embodies Marlowe’s ideal of human dignity and capacity.3Dr.Faustus: aspiring for knowledge, the play’s dominant moral is human rather than religious,it celebrates the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness, it also reveals man’s frustration in r ealizing the high aspiration in a hostile moral order and the confinement to time is the cruelest fact of man’s condition.4 The statement that a man gained the whole world but lost his own soul makes a good summary of the main plot of The Tragic History of Doctor FaustusWilliam Shakespeare1.Works: 154 sonnets, 38 plays, 2 long poemsComedy: Merchant of Venice.2 4 great tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, MacbethEach portrays some noble hero, who face the injustice of human fate is closely connected with the fate of the whole nation; each hero has his weakness of nature.Hamlet, the melancholic scholar-prince, faces the dilemma between action and mind:Othello’s inner weakness is made use of by the outside evil force;old King Lear who is unwilling to totally give up his power makes himself suffer from treachery(背叛) and infidelity(失真)Macbeth’s lust for power stirs up his ambition and leads him to incessant crime.3 statements best illustrates the theme of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 :The)2 Novum Organum: most impressive display of Beacon’s intellect. The argument is for the use of inductiveness of reason in scientific study.3 Beacon suggests the inductive reasoning,i.e. proceeding from the particular to the general, in place of the Aristotelian method, the deductive reasoning, i.e. proceeding from the general to the particular.4 Beacon’s essays are famous for their brevity, compactness and powerfulness.John DonneMetaphysical poetryThe most striking feature of Donn e’s poetry is precisely its tang of reality, in the sense that it seems to reflect life in a real rather than a poetical world.Donne frequently applies conceits.John MiltonThree major poetical works:Paradise lost, Paradise Regained, Samson AgonistsThe freedom of the will is the key tone of Milton’s creed.Paradise LostThe epic is the masterpiece of John MiltonThe story is drawn from the Old Testament of the Bible, which tells how Satan, after being defeated in his rebel against God, tempts Adam and Eve to eat the apples for the Forbidden Tree, and causes the Fall of Man. The Neoclassic PeriodJohn Bunyan / Alexander Pope / Daniel Defoe / Jonathan SwiftHenry Fielding / Samuel Johnson / Richard Brinsley SheridanTomas Gray1 Between the return of the Stuarts to the English throne in 1660 and the full assertion of Romanticism which came with the publication of lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge in 17982 Enlightenment or the Age of reasonThe Enlightenment movement was a progressive intellectual movement, which flourished in France and swept the whole Western Europe at the timeIts propose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas. The enlightenment celebrated reason or rationality, equality and science. They called for a reference to order, reason and rule, yield place to “eternal truth” “eternal justice” and “natural equality”They believed that human beings were limited, dualistic and imperfect literature at the time, heavily didactic and moralizing.They believed in self-restraint, self-reliance and hard work. To work, to economize and to accumulate wealth constitutes the whole meaning of their life. This aspect of social life is best-formed in the realistic novels of the 18th century.3 In the field of literature, they believed that the artistic should be order, logic, restrained emotion and accuracy. Seek proportion, unity, harmony and grace in literary expression, in an effort to delight, instruct and correct human beings.4 Neoclassicism. In English literature and, the stylistic trend between the Restoration and the advent of romanticism at the beginning of the 19th century is referred to as Neoclassicism.5 Heroic: It is a pair of rhymed lines of iambic pentameter. The form was introduced into English by Chaucer and widely used subsequently.John Bunyan1. Masterpiece: The pilgrim’s progress2.The “vanity fair” symbolizes human wor ld; for all that comth is vanityeverything and anything in this world is vanity, having no value and no meaning.3.In The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Banyan describes The Vanity Fair in asatirical tone.The phrase "to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and to seek salvation through constant struggles with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils" may well sum up the implied meaning ofThe Pilgrim’s ProgressAlexander Pope1 Pope, a very sensitive man, would strike back hard, and in the constant verbal battles he developed a style of biting satire.2 He was one of the first to introduce rationalism to England, but was not entirely blind to the rapid moral, political and cultural deterioration.3 For him the supreme values were order-cosmic order, political order, social order, aesthetic order, and this emphasis an order expression in all of his works. Pope made his name as a great poet with the publication of an Essay on Criticism in 1711.4 Pope strongly advocated Neoclassicism, emphasizing that literary works should be judged by classical rule of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion, good taste and decorum.Daniel DefoeMasterpiece: Robinson CrusoeHis language is smooth, easy, colloquial (口语的)and most vernacular. Defoe glorifies human labor and the puritan fortitude. It refers the enterprising sprit of the middle class.Jonathan Swift1. Chief works:A Tale of a Tub, The battle of the books, The Drapier’s letters, Gulliver’s Travel and a modest proposal.2. Swift is almost unsurpassed in the writing of simple, direct, precise prose. He defined a good style as “proper words in proper places” clear, simple, concrete, diction, uncomplicated sentence structure and economy and concise use of language mark all his writing-essay, poems and novels.3. As a whole, the book is one have the most effective and devastating criticism and satires of all aspects in the then English and European lifesocially, politically, religiously, philosophically, scientifically and morally.Henry Fielding1. Masterpiece: A History of Tom Jones, a Foundling2. Fielding has been regarded by some as “Father of the English Novel” for his contribution to the establishment of the form of the modern novel.3. Fielding’s lang uage is easy, unlabored and familiar but extremely vivid and vigorous.4. Of all the 18th century novelist, he was the first to set out both in theory and practice. To write specially a “comic epic in poem” the first to give the modern novels its structure and story; he use epistolary form and “the third-person narration”.5. In planning his stories, he tries to retain the grand, epical of the classical works but at the same time keeps faithful to his realistic presentation of common life as it is.Samuel Johnson1. Lexicographer: the author of the first English dictionary by an English man---A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)2. To the Right Honorable the Earl of----Chesterfield3. He was particularly fond of moralizing, and didacticism. His language in characteristically general, often Latinate and frequently polysyllabic. Richard Brinsley Sheridan1 Masterpiece: The school for scandal.2 Sheridan has the only important English dramatist of the 18th century; important link between Shakespeare and Bernard Shaw.3 In his play, morality is the constant theme.He is much concerned with the current moral issue and harshly at the social life of the day.Tomas Gray1. His masterpiece, “Elegy in a Country Churchyard” was published in 1751; the poem once and for all established his fame as the leader of the sentimental poetry of the day especially”the Graveyard School”2. In his poem, Gray reflects on death, the sorrow of life and the mysteries of hum a touch of his Personal Melancholy.3. His poems, as a whole are mostly devoted to a sentimental lamentation or mediation on life, past and present. His poems are characterized by an exquisite sense of form. His style is sophisticated and allusive. His poems are often marked with the trait of a highly artificial diction and a distorted word order.Romantic PeriodWilliam Blake / William Wordsworth / Samuel Taylor Coleridge George Gordon/ ByronPercy/ Bysshe Shelley /John Keats / Jane Austen1. Major Romantic Points(1) A rebellion against neo-classicism(2) Express on imagination(3) Priorities been given to passion, emotion and feeling(4) Being close to nature for its purity while the society is corrupting5) Tremendous interest in something remote in term of space and time(6) Favor of modernism(7) Supremacy of freedom2 Romantic Period began in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s lyrical Ballads and have ended in 1852 with Sir Walter Scott’s death and the passage of the first Reform Bill in the Parliament. 3. It was in effect a revolt of the English imagination against the neoclassical reason, which prevailed from the days of Pope to those of Johnson1. Jean-Roseau: exploration new idea about Nature, society, Education.4The Romantic Movement expressed a more or less negative attitude the existing social and political conditions that came with industrial lization and the growing importance of the bourgeoisie.5 Thus, we can say that Romanticism actually constitutes a change of direction attention to the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of the human spirit6 Nature to Wordsworth is a source of mental cleanliness and spiritual understanding.7 Poetry has been traditionally regarded as an art governed by rules; but for Romantics, Poetry should be free from all rules.8 Gothic novels: its principal elements are violence, horror and supernatural, which strongly appeal to the reader’s emotion.9 How is Romanticism different from Neoclassicism? Provide brief evidence from the literary works you know best.a. Neoclassicists upheld that artistic ideals should be order, logic, restrained emotion and accuracy, and that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity, and thus, literary expressions should be of proportion, unity, harmony and grace. Pope’s An Ess ay on Criticism advocates grace, wit ( usually though satire/ humor ), and simplicity in language (and the poem itself is a demonstration of those ideals, too); Fielding’s Tom Jones helped established the form of novel; Gray’s Elegry Written in a country C hurchyard” displays elegance in style, unified structure, serious tone and moral instructions.b. Romanticism tended to see the individual as the very center of all experience, including art, and thus, literary work should be “spontaneous overflow of stron g of feeling”and no matter how fragmentary those experience were ( Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” or “The Solitary Reaper,) 0r Coleridge’s “ Keble Khan”), the value of the work link lied in the accuracy of presenting those unique feelings and particular altitude.c. In a word, Neoclassicism emphasized rationality and form but Romanticism attached great importance to the individual’s mind ( emotion, imagination, temporary experience.)William Blake1 (1)The songs of Innocence is a lovely volume poems, presenting a happy and innocent world, though not without its evil and sufferings. (2) The songs of Experience paints a different world, a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repress with melancholy tone(3) The two books hold the similar subject-matter, but the tone, emphasis and conclusion differs.2 Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790) marks his entry into maturity.Blake explains the relationship of the contraries.“without contraries, there is no progression.The marriage to Blake means the reconciliation of the contraries, not the subordination of the one to the other.3 Blake writes his poem in plain and direct language, his poem often carries the lyric beauty with immense compressing of meaning. He distrusts the abstractness and tends to embody his views with visual images; symbolism in wide range is also a distinctive feature of his poetry.William WordsworthThe poetic view of William Wordsworth can be best understood from his remark about poetry, that is, "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings."William Wordsworth, a romantic poet, advocated all the followingA.the use of everyday language spoken by the common peopleB. the expression of the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelingC. the use of humble and rustic life as subject matter1 William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, the three man known as the “Lake Poets”2 Wordsworth is regarded as a “worshiper of nature”3 Wordsworth thinks that common life is the only subject of literary interest.4 Wordsworth see the word freshly, sympathetically and naturally.5 The most important contribution Wordsworth has made is that he has not only started the modern poetry of the growing inner self,but also changed the course of English poetry by using ordinary speech of the language and by advocating a reform to nature.Samuel Taylor Coleridge1 Coleridge’s portion (work) was to deal with super nature thing for he was more interested in something remote strange on foreign.2 Two divers group: the demonic and the conversational(1) The demonic group: beyond the control of reason. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner “Christabel” “Kubl a Khan”(2) The conversational group: “Frost at Midnight”3 Coleridge is one of the first critics to give close critical affection to language, maintaining that the true end of poetry is to give pleasure “through the medium of beauty”4 He was recognized as a lyrical poet and literary critic of the first rank. His poetic themes range from the super nature to the domestic.His treatises, lectures, and compelling conversational powers made him one of the most influential English literary critics and philosophers of the 19th century.George Gordon Byron1 Masterpiece: Don Juan, Childe Ha rold’s Pilgrima ge“I awake on e morning and found myself famous.”2 Byron invests in Juan the moral positives like courage, generosity and franknessThe unifying principal in Don Juan is the basic ironic theme of appearance and reality.3 Byron has enriched European poetry with an abundance of ideas, images, artistic forms and innovation.4 Byronic heroThe creation of the Byronic hero is Byron’s chief contribution to English Poetry, such a hero is a proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin. Passionate and powerful, he is to right all the wrongs in a corrupt society and he would fight single-handedly against all the misdoings, political, religious moral. Thus this figure is a rebellious individual social systems and customs. Because Byron’s poetry is one of t he experiences on the whole, such a hero is more or less a surrogate of himself; He appears first in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and then further develops in later works such as the “Oriented Tale” “Manfred” and “Don Juan”.Percy Bysshe Shelley1 In 1813 he published his first long serious work. Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem.2 Masterpiece “The Cenci” “Prometheus unbounded”Lyrics: “The Cloud” “To a Skylark” “Adonais”3 He held a life-long aversion to cruelty, injustice, authority, institutional religion and the formal shames of respectable society, condemning war, tyranny and exploitation.4 Shelley expressed his love for freedom and his hatred toward tyranny in several of his lyrics such as: Ode to Liberty,” “Ode to Naples,” “Sonnet: England in 1819” and so on.5 Best of all the well-known lyric pieces is his “Ode to the west win d” it is rhapsodic and declamatory.6 Shelley’s style abounds in personification and metaphor and other figure of speech, which describe vividly what we see and feel, or express what passionately moves us.John Keats1. Work: Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St.Agnes2. The Odes are generally regarded as Keats’s most important and mature works.Ode on Melancholy, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale, Ode to Psyche3. Keats’s poetry is always sensuous, colorful and rich in imagery, which expresses the acuteness of his senses,sights, sound, scent, taste and felling are all taken in to give an entire understanding of an experience of others either human or animal.4."Beauty is truth, truth beauty."is taken from John Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn5 Ode on a Grecian Urn" shows the contrast between the (permanence. ) of art and the (transience ) of human passion.Jane Austen1 Works: Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Northanger Abbey2 And in style, she is a neoclassicism advocator,upholding those traditional ideals of order, reason, proportion and gracefulness in novel writing.The Victorian PeriodCharles Dickens / Charlotte Bronte / Emily Bronte/Alfred Tennyson / Robert Browning1. The Victorian Period roughly coincides with the reign of Queen Victorian from 1836 to 1901, the most glorious in the English history. (Inthis period, the novel became the most widely read and the most vital and challenging expression of progressive thought, criticism of the society and the defense of the mass. ----they are all concerned about the fate of common people.)2 Towards the mid-19th century, England had reached it’s highly point of development as a world power.3 Darwin’s The origin of species and The De scent of Man shook theoretical basic of traditional faith. Utilitarianism was widely accepted and practiced.4 Famous novelists like Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Mrs. Gaskell and Anthony Trollope.5 typical feature of the English Victorian literature is that writers becamegreatest critical realist writers of the Victorian Age2 In language, he is often compared with Shakespeare for his adeptness with the vernacular and large vocabulary with which he brings out manya wonderful verbal picture of man and scene.3 His humor and wit seem inexhaustible; character portrayal is the most distinguished feature of his work.4 His best-depicted characters are those innocent, virtuous, persecuted helpless child characters.5 Dickens work are also characterized by a mingling of humor and pathos. He seems to believe that life is itself a mixture of joy and grief.The Victorian Age was largely and age of (epic prose),eminently represented by Dickens and Thackeray.The Bronte sistersCharlotte Bronte1 Masterpiece: Jane Eyre2 The success of the novel is also due to its introduction to the English novel the first governess heroine, Jane Eyre, description of her intense feeling and her thought and inner conflicts brings her to the heart of the audience.Emily Bronte1 Masterpiece: Wuthering Heights2 As a love story, this is one of the most misery: the passion between Heathcliff and Cathrine proves the most intense, the most beautiful and at the same time, the most horrible passion are to be found in human being.Alfred Tennyson1. His poetry voices the doubt and the faith, the grief and the joy of English people in an age of fast social change.2. In 1850, Tennyson was appointed the poet laureate.3. Tennyson is a real artist. He has the natural power of linking visual picture with musical expression, and these two with the feelings.Robert Browning1 Dramatic MonologueA kind of narrative poem in which one character speaks to one or more listeners whose reply is not given in the poem. The occasion is usually a crucial one in the speaker’s life, and the dramatic monologue reads the speaker’s personality as well as the incident that is the subject of the poem; a n experience of a dramatic monologue is “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning.2“My Last Duchess”: this dramatic monologue is the duke’s speech addressed to the agent who comes to negotiate the marriage. In this talk about “Last Duchess” the du ke reveals himself as a self-conceited, cruel and tyrannical man. The poem is written is heroic couplet,but with no regular metrical system. In reading, it sounds like bland verse.George Eliot (pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans)1 her popular novels, Adam Bede, The Mill on the floss ,Silas Marner, all drawn from her lifelong knowledge of English country life and notable for their realistic details , pungent characterization and high moral tone.11。

英国文学简史笔记(完整版)

Chapter 1伊丽莎白统治之前的时代分为三个阶段:古英语(安格鲁撒克逊)时期,中世纪英语(安格鲁诺曼)时期,伊丽莎白统治前时期。

大不列颠岛相继被卡尔特人、罗马人和安格鲁撒克逊人占据。

【 The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period 】✧sign: the Stonehenge(巨石阵)prehistoric monumental pile of stones Celts(凯尔特人)were probably the first inhabitants of the British Isles in recorded history.One of their tribes, the Britons(不列颠人), came over in the 5th century BC. 亚瑟王传奇 Arthurian legends 500 yearsRoman Conquest, Julius Caesar(尤里乌斯凯撒) 55BC500 yearsAnglo-Saxon Conquest, 5th centuryIn 597 AD the Anglo-Saxons began to be converted to Christianity.pagan elements/regular elementsreligion elementsIn the second half of the 7th century, the first English poet, Caedmon byname, began to sing.Another century passed, Beowulf.In the 9th century, King Alfred decided that literature should be writtenin the vernacular(方言) of Old English.✧With the arrival of St. Augustine in 597 AD and the subsequent spread of Christianinfluence and classical learning, heathen poetry was maneuvered out of the scene.a time of intermingling(过渡时期) of the pagan with the Christian components in poetry.1. Thenational epic of English people, a pagan poem2. An epic of well over 3000 lines.3. The greatest epic ever left by the ancient Germanic tribes.4. The most ancient ever since the demise of the Greek andRoman literatures.5. The only organic whole poem to come out of the Anglo-Saxonperiod.6. The story takes place in Scandinavia, no mention ofEngland.7. Anglo Saxon’s early life in Englandth century hero, Beowulf. It is basicallya two-part narrative——Beowulf’s fight with the sea-monstersGrendel and his mother in the first part, and his killing a fierydragon and his death in the second.1.human desire for some super power to conquer nature.2.great tradition of realism(现实主义传统)Versification:1.Pagan story has an Christian overlay(覆盖物,表面).(作诗法)The mixture of pagan and Christian elements2. using of kenning(一种描写手法)e.g.: sea is often ‚swan’s way‛ or ‚whale-path.3. conspicious occurrence of alliteration(头韵).4. narrator of the poem, the ‚I‛ is aminstrel/scop/gleeman(吟游诗人)5. story’s digressive manner of narration.6. elevated tone(提高的音调).7. the use of metaphors and understatements✧Then the pagan was superseded(超过) by the religious spirit, and minstrels(吟游诗人) gave way to learned men.✧Caedmon(凯德蒙): the first known poet in English literary history.✧The Ecclesiastical History of England(英格兰教会史)by the venerable Bede(比得).欧洲最早的编年史:Anglo-Saxon Chronicle(编年史)founded by King Alfred the Great (阿尔弗雷德大帝).【 Medieval(中世纪)Literature: a brief introduction 】✧☑In 1066, ____, with his Norman army, succeeded in invading and defeating England.A. William the ConquerorB. Julius CaesarC. Alfred the GreatD. Claudius☑After the Norman Conquest, three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke _____.A. FrenchB. EnglishC. LatinD. SwedishThe changes and replacement of dynasty and government:The Norman line of kings90 years1154 Angevin kingsKing Henry Ⅱ and his descendants 245 years1399 The House of Lancaster✧William the Conqueror grabbed Anglo-Saxon land by force and gave it tohis nobles and followers.A historical record of Anglo-Saxon institutions, customs, and way oflife(十字军东征)A serious of wars between Christians and the Muslims (1096-1270)The first communication between east and west(大宪章)King John was forced to recognize the rights of the powerful barons.(男爵)(Duke公 Marquis侯 Count伯 Viscount子 Baron爵)Norman and Anglo-Saxon elements began to coalesce into one nation, andthe English language started to revive.The emergence of nation(民族兴起)✧传奇:The Growth of the Arthurian Legends(亚瑟王传奇)Not put down on paper until 1147 Geoffrey of Monmouth came out with hisLatin Historia Reugm Britanniae.Be enriched by a good number of later writers.1205 Layamon wrote his cast verse work of 32,000 lines Brut in English.The beginning of the revival of English as a literary medium骑士文学:Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:(《高文爵士和绿骑士》)or prose.☑The prevailing form of Medieval English literature is ____.A. novelB. dramaC. romanceD. essay☑The story of ___ is the culmination of the Arthurian romances.A. Sir Gawain and the Green KnightB. BeowulfC. Piers the PlowmanD. The Canterbury Tales☑The theme of ____ to king and lord was repeatedly emphasized in romances.A. loyaltyB. revoltC. obedienceD. mockeryA famous roman about King Arthur’s storyA 4-part work of 2,530 lines in 101 sections.knightly virtues: loyalty, valor(勇猛),rectitude(正直),and integrity.One Christmas(故事发生的时间)1.某年圣诞节,亚瑟王在自己的宫廷里举行宴会。

英国文学笔记整理

英国文学笔记整理英国文学史考试要点听课笔记(2006)1、it is ―Beowulf‖,the national epic of the English people.《贝奥武夫》(Beowulf),又译贝奥武甫,完成于西元八世纪,约750年左右的英雄叙事长诗,长达3000行。

故事的舞台位于北欧的斯堪的纳维亚半岛。

是以古英语记载的传说中最古老的一篇,在语言学方面也是相当珍贵的文献。

贝奥武夫(Beowulf)乃现存古英文文学中最伟大之作,也是欧洲最早的方言史诗。

该诗中并未提及英国,但学者相信该诗约於西元七二五年左右在英国完成。

全诗凡三千一百八十二行,以斯堪地那维亚的英雄贝奥武夫的英勇事迹构成主要内容。

虽然历史上并未证实确有贝奥武夫其人,但诗中所提及的许多其他人物与事迹却得到印证。

Features of ―Beowulf‖:The most striking feature i n its poetical form is the use of alliteration. Other features of ―Beowulf‖ are the use of metaphors and of understatements.本诗原以西撒克逊方言写成,押头韵而不押尾韵,用双字隐喻而不用明喻。

全诗内容分为两部分:第一部分描叙丹麦霍格国王(King Hrothgurs)宏伟的宫殿,在前后十二年中,半人半魔的妖怪格兰戴(Grendel)每晚出没捉食霍格的战士。

此时恰巧瑞典南部济兹(Geats)王子贝奥武夫率家臣来访,协助除害。

国王当晚设宴款待,熟料妖怪格兰戴又复出现,捉食一名济兹战士,贝奥武夫与之格斗,贝氏扭断其臂,妖怪落荒而逃,因受重伤致死。

第二天晚上,格兰戴的母亲前来为其子复仇,其后贝氏把她在一湖泊的洞穴中杀死。

第二部分描叙贝奥武夫返国,被拥为王,前后五十年,举国大治。

最后贝奥武夫以垂老之年,杀一喷火巨龙,但其个人亦因而身受重创,终於身死。

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English LiteratureWhat is literature?It is an art that uses language as a medium. This art is something imaginative, fictional and created to reflect life or record human dreams or human ideas .Literary Periods449-1485 The Old (Anglo-Saxon) and Medieval (Middle)English Literature1485-1603 English Literature in the Renaissance Period1603-1660 English Literature in the Seventeenth Century1660-1798 English Literature in the Eighteenth Century1798-1832 English Literature in the Romantic Period1832-1901 English Literature in the Victorian Age1901- English Literature of the Twentieth CenturyThe social, political and ideological conditions of each period of English LiteratureThe prevailing literary trends and schools of the timeLiterary TermsExample :genre---a type or class of literatureIn English literature, the main generic division today is into poetry, drama and the novel, but in earlier times the major genres were recognized asepic, tragedy, lyric, comedy and satire.(Literary Terms and Criticism by John Peck and Martin Coyle)mode---a recognized type or kind of work within a genre, such as the sonnet or the realistic novel.Do you agree that these definitions of the genres or of the modes can help us to identify what is distinctive about specific works of literature? Why or why not?Another popular division:1 Fiction: it is referred to as creative or figurative expression of life.four genres ---novels, short stories, plays and poems.2 non-fiction(essay): it is referred to a literal expression of life or discursive writing. description, narration, exposition , and argumentation. What is poetry?Poetry is a kind of writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through its meaning, sound, and rhythm. Types of Poetry1 lyric poetryIt expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet elegies, odes, and sonnets2 Narrative PoetryIt tells a story or presents a narrative3 Dramatic PoetryIt is written in the form of a speech of an individual character to an imaginary audienceThe Anglo-Saxon Period(449-10661 Anglo-Saxon Conquest1.1 The making of Englandthree tribes :Angles, Saxons and JutesAnglo-Saxon Conquest ( the 5th century)Angles-the east midland-kingdom of East AnglesSaxons- the southern part of the island EnglandJutes - the southeastern corner of the islandAnglo-Saxon ConquestAnglo-Saxons---- Angles, Saxons and JutesEnglishmenLanguage---- the Old English (foundation)The history of English literature beganCharacteristics of Anglo-Saxon Literature or the Old English LiteratureGeneral Characteristicsa verse literature in oral form/ unknown creators /a written form long after its compositionThe two divisions of Anglo-Saxon 1literatureTwo divisions: pagan , Christian (textbook)English Poetry in Anglo-Saxon periodthe pagan poetry (Beowulf) ,the religious poetry ( see textbook)2.2.3 English Prose in Anglo-Saxon periodAnglo-Saxon PoetryWhat is the oldest surviving epic in British literature?written by an anonymous scribe (an unknown scribethe national epic of the English peopledescribes the adventures of a great Scandinavian hero Beowulf of the sixth century3182 linesa written form long after its compositionWhat are the main incidents of the poem Beowulf?The Subject Matter of The Song of BeowulfFour incidents of the poemBeowulf’s fight with the monster Grendel in Hrothgar’s hall. Beowulf’s slaying of Grendel’s mother in her lair.Beowulf’s return in glory to his uncle, and his succession to the throne. Beowulf’s victory in death over the fire dragon fifty years later Metaphor:a figure of speech that makes a comparison between twothings that are basically dissimilar.understatement :A figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than the occasion warrants.“not troublesome” for very welcome“need not praise” for a right to condemn.The Anglo-Norman Period(1066-1350)The Norman ConquestDuke William /1066 /Hastings/the King of England /the establishment of feudalism in England/the feudal social structure /the pyramid in Egypt /King William - barons and knightsThe influence of the Norman Conquest on the English Language Three languages existed in England at that time:the Normans spoke Frenchthe lower class spoke Englishthe scholars and clergymen used LatinMany French words were adopted into the English language.Example: calf, swine and sheep for the animalsveal, pork, mutton are the French for the flesh The influence of the Norman Conquest on the English Literature chivalry (ideal knight’s charact eristics) was introduced by the Normans into England.The prevailing form : Romance.In romance, the chivalric love, faith and courage of the Middle Ages in Europe is always emphasized.The Romances in the Anglo-Norman PeriodThe essential features of the Romance1 It lacks general resemblance to reality.2 The central character was always the knight. He was devoted to the church and the king.3The theme of loyalty to king and lord was repeatedly emphasized. The devotion to a fair lady was also emphasized.4 The adventures are remote from our ordinary life.5 It exaggerates the vices of human nature and idealizes the virtue. Romance Cycles1The matters of France deal with the adventures of Charles the Great and his peers.2 The matters of Roman deal with the tales from Greek and Roman sources.3 The matters of Britain mainly deal with the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round.The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances.Sir Gawain and the Green KnightAbout the storywritten in the late fourteenth centuryfour sections, 2530 lines, from Celtic legendtwo stories:the testing at Bercilak’s castlethe beheading of the Green Knight at the beginning and the return blow at the endSir Gawain and the Green KnightComments on the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the culmination of the Arthurian romancesin form---combination of French and Saxon elementtwo main motifs :the testing of faith, courage and puritythe proving of human weakness for self-preservationSir Gawain and the Green KnightThe story well toldthe careful interweaving of one episode with anothersuspense and surprisethe psychological analysislanguage is simple and straightforwardShortcomings:superstition and supernatural elementsthe heroic adventures of Sir Gawain -- for adventure’s sake.epic: It is a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. The oldest surviving epic in British literature is The Song of Beowulf. alliteration : It is mainly a poetic device. It refers to the repetition of consonants, especially at the beginning of words. In alliterative verse, certain accented words in a line begin with the same consonant sound. In Old English poetry alliteration was a regular element of each line. romance: It was the prevailing form of literature in the Middle Ages. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the best of the medieval romances.IntroductionThe Romances---an epitome of the Middle Agesthe Norman Conquest ->feudalism in Englandthe romance-> the noble classsongs and ballads > the English common peoplefolk songs-(oral , existed long before the Norman Conquest , continued after it)ballad: a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed.Joined by the audienceIn various English and Scottish dialectsThe origin is obscureBe handed down orally for many generationsThe subjects of balladsThe struggle of young lovers against their feudal-minded familiesThe conflict between love and wealthThe matters of class struggle etc.The Ballads of Robin Hooda legendary outlawlived during the reign of Richard Ithe leader of a band of outlawslived in the deep forestattacked the richhelped the poor people.waged war against the bishops and archbishops.“Popular ballads portray Robin Hood as a tireless enemy of the Norman oppressors, the idol of the country folk and champion of the poor and needy, as a man who readily responds to anyone’s call for help. And in gratitude for this poetic emotion, the people have made an almost saintlike hero out of a man who was probably no more than a common outlaw.”(Gorky)在民谣中,罗宾汉被刻画成为了一个与诺曼压迫者进行无休止斗争的反抗者,农民心中的偶像,贫民眼里的勇士,一个随时会去帮助他人的好汉。

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