文学名词解释及相关内容
Ballad:
A story told in verse and usually meant to be sung. In many countries, the folk ballad was one of the earliest forms of literature. Folk ballads have no known authors. They were transmitted orally from generation to generation and were not set down in writing until centuries after they were first sung. The subject matter of folk ballads stems from the everyday life of the common people. Devices commonly used in ballads are the refrain, incremental repetition, and code language. A later form of ballad is the literary ballad, which imitates the style of the folk ballad.
Enlightenment:
With the advent of the 18th century, in England, as in other European countries, there sprang into life a public movement known as the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment on the whole, was an expression of struggle of the then progressive class of bourgeois against feudalism. The social inequality, stagnation, prejudices and other survivals of feudalism. They attempted to place all branches of science at the service of mankind by connecting them with the actual deeds and requirements of the people.
启蒙主义：启蒙主义是在18世纪在英国发生的。总体上，启蒙主义是当时的资产阶级对封建主义，社会的不平等、死寂、偏见和其他的封建残余的一种反对。通过将科学的各个分支与人民的日常生活和需要联系起来，启蒙主义者们努力将他们变成为人民大众服务的工具
46. Epic:
A long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. Many epics were drawn from an oral tradition and were transmitted by song and recitation before they were written down.
史诗：讲述英雄事迹并反映出这些英雄事迹的社会价值观的长篇叙事诗。在成为之前，很多史诗都来自于口头传统并通过歌唱和背诵流传。
Metaphysical poetry:
The poetry of John Donne and other 17th century poets who wrote in a similar style. Metaphysical poetry is characterized by verbal wit and excess, ingenious structure, irregular meter, colloquial language, elaborate imagery, and a drawing together of dissimilar ideas.
玄学诗：约翰?多恩的诗或17世纪其他诗人写的相同风格的诗。玄学诗多使用巧智，结构精巧，韵律多变，语言口语化，意象奇特，把不同的事物进行并置。
Couplet:
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. A heroic couplet is an iambic pentameter couplet.
Iambic pentameter: A poetic line consisting of five verse feet, with each foot an iamb—that is, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Iambic pentameter is the most common verse line in English poetry.
Heroic Couplet
refers to lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs: aa, bb, cc, and so on. The adjective “heroic” was applied in the later seventeenth century because of the frequent use of such couplets in heroic poems and
dramas. This verse form was introduced into English poetry by Geoffrey Chaucer. From the age of John Dryden through that of Samuel Johnson, the heroic couplet was the predominant English measure for all the poetic kinds; some poets, including Alexander Pope, used it almost to the exclusion of other meters.
heroic couplet refers to lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs: aa, bb, cc, and so on.It is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry; it refers to poems constructed from a sequence of rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter lines. The rhyme is always masculine. Use of the heroic couplet was first pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Legend of Good Women and the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer is also widely credited with first extensive use of iambic pentameter
Renaissance: The term originally indicated a revival of classical (Greek and Roman) arts and sciences after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism.
Renaissance名词解释
Generally speaking， Renaissance refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th century. The word “Renaissance” means revival （复兴）， specifically in this period of history， revival of interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture. Renaissance， in essence （从实质上讲）， was a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts （试图） to get rid of conservatism （保守主义思想） in feudalist Europe and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie （资产阶级）， to lift the restrictions （禁忌） in all areas placed by the Roman church authorities.（权利威信）
1. Ode: is a single, complex and often lengthy lyric poem, often in the form of a lengthy ceremonious address to a person or abstract entity, written in a dignified formal style on some lofty or serious matter.
2. Terza rima: a verse form consisting of a sequence of interlinked tercets rhyming aba bcb cdc ded. Thus the second line of each tercet provides the rhyme for the first and third lines of the next, the sequence closes with one line rhyming with the middle line of the last tercet. The form was invented by Dante Alighieri for his Divine Comedy
1. 1). It expresses Shelley’s optimistic belief that the old world must go, a new world must come with the spring, faden with fresh sweet promises for suffering humanity. It anticipates the political triumph.
2). The poet asks the wind to work in him, restoring him to spiritual health and creative vigor.
2. 1) regeneration which follows the destruction and death of winter
2) the wind of spirit and inspiration
3) the destructive and revolutionary energies that had been seen in Europe
4) an abstract expression or manifestation of the spirit within nature
Pride and Prejudice
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. ”
It is a truth universa
lly acknowledged, that a single man in posses-sion of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may beon his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in theminds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightfulproperty of some one or other of their daughters.
A. characters: are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual and emotional qualities by inferences from the dialogue and the action.
B. characters in the novel
C. Plot __everyday life of simple country society.
The story centers around the heroine Elizabeth and the hero Darcy and her sister Jane and his friend Bingley.
D. Three kinds of motivations or attitudes towards marriage :
1. The marriage is merely for fortune, money and social rank.
2. The tendency to marry for beauty, attraction and passion regardless of economic conditions or personal merits.
3. Ideal marriage __ a love match with considerations of the lover’s personal merits and economic conditions.
Define the Following Terms
1. Irony: A contrast or an incongruity between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected and what actually happens.
Three kinds of irony:
1) verbal irony
2) dramatic irony
3) irony of situation
2. Flat character: A flat character is built around “ a single idea or quality ” and is presented without much individualizing detail, and therfore can be fairly adequately described in a single phrase or sentence
3. Round character: A round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity; such a character therefore is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in real life, and like real persons, is capable of surprising us.
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Main Works: 6 novels: 1、Northanger Abbey, 2、Persuasion (appearing posthumously in 1818), 3、Sense and Sensibility 1811, 4、Pride and Prejudice 1813, 5、Mansfield Park 1814, 6、Emma 1815.
Themes: daily life of middle-class in the countryside.
Style: simple, clean and declarative words, no slang, no cant, corruption of the world, detailed and vivid description, cheerful, light and easy tone, use misunderstanding and disjunction as comic effect, simple delicate analysis of the characters, humorous, mild irony toward genteelism of English gentlemen and women, show the beauty and charm of commonplace things
When Lemuel Gulliver sets off from London on a sea voyage, little does he know the many incredible and unbelievable misadventures awaiting him. Shipwrecked at sea and nearly drowned, he washes ashore upon an exotic island called Lilliput-where the people are only six inches tall! Next he visits a land of incredible giants called Brobdingnagians. They are more than sixty feet tall! He travels to Laputa, a city that floats in the sky,
and to Glubbdubdrib, the Island of Sorcerers. His final voyage brings him into contact with the Yahoos-a brutish race of subhumans-and an intelligent and virtuous race of horse, the Houyhnhnms.
First published in 1726, Gulliver's Travels remains one of the most exciting fantasy adventures ever written.
Characteristics of the Renaissance Period
The word "Renaissance" is the French word for "rebirth." The Renaissance refers to the rebirth of humanism during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in Europe. The Renaissance period was a time of rebirth of humanism and new discoveries in fine arts, music, literature, philosophy, science and technology, architecture, religion and spirituality.
Literature
o In the early Renaissance, particularly in Italy, writers focused mostly on translating and studying classic Latin and Greek works. Many writers attempted to take the styles of ancient writers like Aristotle or Homer and apply them to their own works. Literature of the Renaissance focused largely on religion, classic antiquity, scholarship and politics. Sonnets also became a popular style of poetry. Some of the most famous Renaissance writers were William Shakespeare, Giovanni Boccaccio and Christopher Marlowe.
The Renaissance Period
In 1453, the Turks seized Constantinople which had been the center of Mediterranean civilization for a thousand years. When Constantinople fell to the hands of the Turks, many of its Greek teachers fled with their libraries to Italy and taught in Italian universities. The Englishmen who studied in Italy brought the new learning back with them to the monasteries at Oxford and Cambridge and from there Greek and Roman culture were spread to other places.
Renaissance is a French word which means “rebirth” in English. In the 15th and 16th centuries, scholars in western European countries had a keen interest in the Greek and Latin culture. That is , the art and science of ancient Greece and Rome were being born again after long years of neglect.
The Renaissance first started in Italy, with the flowering of painting, sculpture and literature. It did not arrive in England till the last part of 15th C and the early years of 16th C.
Two striking features: a curiosity for classical literature; the keen interest in life and human activities.
Humanism is the key-note of the Renaissance.
I. Historical and cultural background:
II. Stages of the Renaissance
1. Historical background:The 16th C was a period of the breaking up of feudal relations and the establishing of the foundations of capitalism.
A. The War of the Roses not only weakened feudalism but actually killed off most of the feudal nobility in England that prevented the centralization of political power. Henry VII and Henry VIII laid the foundations of monarch.
B. Economic development
(a). At abroad, Queen Elizabeth encouraged exploration and travel, which stimulated the commercial expansion.
(b). The war with Spain:In 1588, En
glish navy destroyed the Spanish fleet “Armada”.
(c). At home, the Enclosure Movement: there was an intensification of economic exploitation of the peasants, including the large-scale enclosure of common land, which caused violent peasant uprisings.
C. The great 16th C religious reformation: King Henry VIII declared the breaking with Rome, confiscated the property of Church and proclaimed himself head of Church of England. In this way, the new bourgeois nobility was enriched.
2. Cultural background
A. Humanism suggests any attitude, which tends to exalt the human element to stress the importance of human interests, as opposed to the supernatural and divine elements. According to humanist, it was against human nature to sacrifice the happiness of this life for an after life. They argued that man should be given full freedom to enrich their intellectual and emotional life. In religion they demanded the reformation of the church. In art and literature, instead of singing praise to God, they sang in praise of man and of the pursuit of happiness in this life.
B. The development of the age gave a new direction to literature. William Caxton first introduced printing into England. The number of presses and number of printed books quickly increased.
II. Stages of the Renaissance
The beginning & The flowering period
The beginning: Last years of 15th C—first half of 16th C
1. Thomas More
2. Thomas Wyatt
3. Henry Howard
1. Thomas More (1478-1535): One of the forerunners of humanism
Major Works Utopia—imaginary place in which everything is perfect
2. Thomas Wyatt He was the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature.
Sonnet：The sonnet is a poetic form which has been used in English since the mid-sixteenth century. The basic form is fourteen lines, each of ten syllables, and usually in iambic pentameter.
3. Henry Howard：He was the first to introduce the blank verse （rhyme-less iambic pentameter） into English literature.
The Flowering Period of Renaissance
1. Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) He best represented the spirit of the Elizabethan Age. In many ways he stood for the Renaissance ideal of “the complete man.”
His Works : Astrophel and Stella (1591) 《爱星者与星》: a sequence of 108 sonnets. Its publication made sonnet sequence a popular literary form in England.
Apology for Poetry: Sidney defended the uses of poetry. According to him, poetry has a superiority over philosophy and history. It is one of the first important critical works on poetry written in English
2. Edmund Spenser: poet’s poet
The Faerie Queen: epic & masterpiece
Purpose: dedicated to the Queen Elizabeth. Gloriana, the queen of Fairyland in the poem, represents both glory and Queen Elizabeth.
Spenserian Stanza: The epic is written in a special verse form that consists of eight iambic pentameter lines followed by a ninth line of iambic hexameter, with the rhyme scheme ababbcbcc
Spenser’s sonnets：Amoretti (little lo
ves, little love poems) 《爱情小唱》: 89 sonnets
3. Christopher Marlowe (1564-93)
“University wits”: a group of Oxford and Cambridge graduates came to London with the ambition to become professional writers. They were eager to put what they had learned at universities before the public. They worked as poets, prose-writers and playwrights. This group, later known as the “University Wits,” consists of a group of talented young writers.
A. Robert Greene(1560-1592)
B. John Lyly(1554-1606) : his comedies are considered the best of the kind before Shakespeare. “euphuism”
C. Thomas Nashe(1567-1601)
D. Thomas Lodge(1558-1625)
E. Thomas Kyd(1558-1594): Spanish Tragedy
F. George Peele(1556-1597)
G. Christopher Marlowe: the most outstanding dramatist—Major Dramas:
Tamburlaine: thirsty for power
The Jew of Malta: thirsty for money and wealth.
The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus: masterpiece: It is based on a German legend, but in Marlowe’s hand the humanist color of the story becomes more striking. The major feature of Dr. Faustus’s character is a thirst for knowledge.
Comment: Marlowe created Renaissance hero for English drama. Such a hero is always individualistic and full of ambition, facing bravely the challenge from both gods and men. He embodies Marlowe’s humanistic ideal of human dignity and capacity. With the endless aspiration for power, knowledge, and glory, the hero embodies the true Renaissance spirit.
Contribution
1. He established himself as the first great English dramatist and the most important Elizabethan dramatist before Shakespeare. He reformed the English drama and perfected the language and verses of dramatic works.
2. He first made blank verse (rhymeless iambic pentameter) the principal instrument of English drama.
3. His works paved the way for the plays of the greatest English dramatist—Shakespeare—whose achievements were the monument of the English Renaissance.
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
I. Life
II. Masterpiece: Essays
Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark.
All colors will agree in the dark.
Wives are young men’s mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men’s nurses.
There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise.
To choose time is to save time.
For knowledge itself is power.
Features
Precision Clearness Brevity force
Contribution
1. Bacon was the founder of English materialist philosophy.
2. Bacon was the founder of modern science in England.
3. Bacon is the first English essayist.