英美文学_概括版_

自考英美文学资料 英国文学 An introduction to old and medieval English literature: 1. England was conquered by the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Normans. 2. Language & culture influence: The Anglo-Saxons brought to England the Germanic language and culture, while the Normans (most influence) brought a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization, which include Greek culture, Roman law, and the Christian religion. 3. The period of old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England. 4. The Anglo-Saxons language is the basis of modern English. 5. The old English poetry can be divided into two groups: the religious group (宗教诗) and the secular one (世俗诗). 6. Beowulf（贝奥武甫(八世纪初的一篇古英语史诗; 该史诗中的主角)）, a typical example of old English poetry, is regarded today as the national epic (民族史诗) of the Anglo-Saxons. Literary position: The poem was originally in an oral form, it is written down in the 10th century. Thematically 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. 7. The Norman conquest starts the medieval period in English literature, which is from 1066 up to the mid-14th century. 8. Romance (骑士抒情诗)，a popular literary form in the medieval period) uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds, whose motifs（主题, 主旨） of the quest is for truth, beauty and kindness. 9. Chaucer(乔叟): whose masterpiece is The Canterbury Tales《坎特伯雷故事集》. The famous character of his works is the Wife of Bath. Chaucer employed the heroic coupletverse form (英雄双韵诗形式) with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature. He is the father of English poetry. 英国文学 The Renaissance Period(文艺复兴时期) 1. It refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries. 2. Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance: man is the measure of all things. 3. Renaissance humanists found in the 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. Thus, by emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. Ideas: entitled to enjoy freedom, life and happiness; potential to achieve wonders, great things. 4. In the early stage of the Renaissance, poetry and poetic drama were the most outstanding literary forms and they were carried on especially by Shakespeare and Ben Johnson. The poetry is mostly written by John Donne, George Herbert. The Elizabethan drama is the real mainstream of the English Renaissance. 5. Francis Bacon(弗朗西斯·培根), the first important English essayist, is the founder of modern science in England. 6. Edmund Spenser (埃德蒙•斯宾塞) 6.1 He is the poets’ poet. He was buried beside his master Chaucer. 6.2 His masterpiece is The Faerie Queene(仙后). Its purpose is to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline. This poem is written in form of verse and allegory. Its unifying characters are Arthur, the Redcrosse and Gloriana, the Fairy Queen. The theme is not Arms and the man, but something more romantic --- fierce wars and faithful loves. 6.3 The five main qualities of Spenser’s poetry are: a perfect melody; a rare sense of beauty; a splendid imagination; a lofty moral purity and seriousness; a dedicated idealism. 6.4 Spenser stanza: a stanza of nine lines, with the first eight lines in iambic(短长格)pentameter(五步格诗), and the last line in iambic hexameter(六步格的诗), rhyming ABABBCBBCC. 7. Christopher Marlowe(克里斯托夫•马洛) 7.1 He is a man of letters, playwright, and dramatist. He is praised as University Wits. 7.2 His the most important plays are Tamburlaine(帖木耳大帝), Dr. Faustus(浮士德博士的悲剧), and The Jew of Malta(马耳他的犹太人). The character feature of his works is usually passionate and energetic. Tamburlaine focuses the power. The dominant moral (meaning/message) of Dr. Faustus is human rather than religious. The theme is to celebrate the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness; it also reveals man’s frustration in realizing the high aspirations in a hostile moral order. 7.3 His greatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse (素体诗：不押韵，iambic, pentameter). He employed hyperbole (夸张法)as his major figure of speech to achieve the blank verse with mighty lines. His second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama. 7.4 The general characteristics of Marlowe’s heroes: such a hero is always individualistic(个人主义的) and full of ambition, facing bravely the challenge from both gods and men. He embodies Marlowe’s humanistic ideal of human dignity and capacity. He is against conventional morality and contrives to obtain heaven on earth through his own efforts. With the endless aspiration for power, knowledge, and glory, the hero interprets the true Renaissance spirit. 8. William Shakespeare(威廉•莎士比亚) 8.1 He is one of the most remarkable playwrights and poets the world has ever known. He creates 38