文艺复兴时期文学

His Masterpiece: The Faerie Queene
epic poem original plan: 12 books, only 6 finished dedicated to Queen Elizabeth theme： theme：fierce wars and faithful love 6 knights represent 6 virtues: Holiness (圣洁) Temperance (温和) (圣洁 圣洁) (温和 温和) Chastity (贞洁) Friendship (友谊) (贞洁 贞洁) (友谊 友谊) Justice (公正) (公正 公正) Courtesy (守礼) (守礼 守礼)
Thomas More (1477-1535) (1477the greatest of the English humanist his masterpiece Utopia written in Latin in the form of a conversation “Utopia” comes from two Greek words meaning Utopia” “no place”. place” divided into 2 books: Book I is a picture of contemporary social conditions of England. The author severely criticizes English society and exposes social evils. BookⅡoffers us a good BookⅡ picture of an ideal society called Utopia in some unknown ocean. In this society property is held in common and there is no poverty.
有只须读其部分者，有只须大体涉猎者，少数则 须全读，读时须全神贯注，孜孜不倦。书亦可请 人代读，取其所作摘要，但只限题材较次或价值 不高者，否则书经提炼犹如水经蒸馏、淡而无味 矣。 读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。 因此不常作笔记者须始能无知而显 有知。读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人 周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修 辞之学使人善辩：凡有所学，皆成性格。 (王佐 良译）
The dominating thoughts of the poem:
nationalism, humanism and Puritanism
Writing Features of The Faerie Queene
The long poem is written in the form of allegory. It has sweet melody and its lines are very musical. Spenser invented a new verse form for this poem. The verse form has been called "Spenserian Stanza" since his day. Each stanza has nine lines, each of the first eight lines is in iambic pentameter form, and the ninth line is an iambic hexameter line. The rhythm scheme c. is abab bcbc c.
Writing Style of Bacon's Essays
Bacon's essays are noted for heir clearness, brevity and force of expression. Bacon's chief expression. concern is to express his thought with clearness and in as few words as possible. His sentences are short, pointed, incisive, and often of balanced structure. Many of them have structure. become wise old sayings. Generally Speaking, Bacon's literary style has three prominent qualities: directness, terseness, and forcefulness.
Characteristics of His Poetry
a perfect melody a rare sense of beauty a splendid imagination a lofty oral purity and seriousness a delicate realism. It is his idealism, his love of beauty and his exquisite melody that make him known as “ the Poet’s Poet.”
John Lyly (1553-1606) (1553Euphues Lyly was one of "the university wits". He wrote poetry, court comedies and prose romances. As a prose writer, he was famous for his prose romance Euphues. Euphues. The work Euphues contains two parts. The first is entitled "Euphues or the Anatomy of Wit"; the second part is called "Euphues and His England", a satire on England.
Quotes of Bacon
Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark, and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other. Studies serve for delight. Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. All colors will agree in the dark. Children sweeten labors, but they make misfortunes more bitter. A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
Symbolism in The Faerie Queene
Faerie Queene→ Queen Elizabeth Queene→ The knights as a whole→ England whole→ The evil figures→ the enemies of England figures→
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) (1561the founder of English materialist philosophy and modern science England’s first essayist
Bacon's Works
3 kinds of works: philosophical works: Advancement of Learning 《学术的推进》，New Instrument 学术的推进》 《新工具》 新工具》 literary works: Essays 《论说文集》The 论说文集》 final edition of the Essays published in 1625 contained 58 pieces. Among them, the famous Studies, pieces are Of Studies, Of Travel and Of Wisdom. Wisdom. professional works: Maxims of the law
Edmund Spencer (1552(1552-1599)
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the poet’s poet the greatest nonnondramatic poet of the Elizabethan Age
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His major works
The Shepherd‘ s Calendar (牧人月历/日历)： 牧人月历/日历) consists of 12 pastoral poems, one for each month of the year The Faerie Queene (仙后) 仙后) Amoretti (爱情小诗)：89 sonnets 爱情小诗) Epithalamion (婚曲) 婚曲)
Of Study
Some books are to be tasted ,others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others, to be reads, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy and extracts made of them by others, but that would be only in the less important argument and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have more cunni3ng, to seem to know that he doth not ,histories make men wise, poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend .