Topics for discussion

1.Say something about Neoclassicism and its representation in English literature.
English Neoclassical movement, predicated upon and derived from both classical and contemporary French models, (see Boileau's L'Art Poetique (1674) and Pope's "Essay on Criticism" (1711) as critical statements of Neoclassical principles) embodied a group of attitudes toward art and human existence — ideals of order, logic, restraint, accuracy, "correctness," "restraint," decorum, and so on, which would enable the practitioners of various arts to imitate or reproduce the structures and themes of Greek or Roman originals. Though its origins were much earlier (the Elizabethan Ben Jonson, for example, was as indebted to the Roman poet Horace as Alexander Pope would later be), Neoclassicism dominated English literature from the Restoration in 1660 until the end of the eighteenth century, when the publication of Lyrical Ballads (1798) by Wordsworth and Coleridge marked the full emergence of Romanticism. For the sake of convenience the Neoclassic period can be divided into three relatively coherent parts: the Restoration Age (1660-1700), in which Milton, Bunyan, and Dryden were the dominant influences; the Augustan Age (1700-1750), in which Pope was the central poetic figure, while Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, and Smollett were presiding over the sophistication of the novel; and the Age of Johnson(1750-1798), which, while it was dominated and characterized by the mind and personality of the inimitable Dr. Samuel Johnson, whose sympathies were with the fading Augustan past, saw the beginnings of a new understanding and appreciation of the work of Shakespeare, the development, by Sterne and others, of the novel of sensibility, and the emergence of the Gothic school — attitudes which, in the context of the development of a cult of Nature, the influence of German romantic thought, religious tendencies like the rise of Methodism, and political events like the American and French revolutions—established the intellectual and emotional foundations of English Romanticism.To a certain extent Neoclassicism represented a reaction against the optimistic, exuberant, and enthusiastic Renaissance view of man as a being fundamentally good and possessed of an infinite potential for spiritual and intellectual growth. Neoclassical theorists, by contrast, saw man as an imperfect being, inherently sinful, whose potential was limited. They replaced the Renaissance emphasis on the imagination, on invention and experimentation, and on mysticism with an emphasis on order and reason, on restraint, on common sense, and on religious, political, economic and philosophical conservatism. They maintained that man himself was the most appropriate subject of art, and saw art itself as essentially pragmatic — as valuable because it was somehow useful — and as something which was properly intellectual rather than emotional.
2. Discuss the social and historical elements that promoted the birth of the modern novel in England in the 18th century.
During the Age of Sensibility, literature reflected the worldview of the Age of Enlightenment (or Age of Reason) – a rational and scientific approach to religious, social, political, and economic issues that promoted a secular view of the world and a general sense of progress and perfectibility. Led by the philosophers who were inspired by the discoveries of the previous century (Newton) and the writings of Descartes, Locke and Bacon.
They sought to discover and to act upon universally valid principles governing humanity, nature, and society. They variously attacked spiritual and scientific authority, dogmatism, intolerance, censorship, and economic and social restraints. They considered the state the proper and rational instrument of progress. The extreme rationalism and skepticism of the age led naturally to deism;
the same qualities played a part in bringing the later reaction of romanticism. The Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot epitomized the spirit of the age.
During the end of the 18th century, Horace Walpole's 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, created the Gothic fiction genre, that combines elements of horror and romance. The pioneering gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe introduced the brooding figure of the gothic villain which developed into the Byronic hero. Her most popular and influential work The Mysteries of Udolpho1794, is frequently cited as the archetypal Gothic novel. Vathek 1786 by William Beckford, and The Monk 1796 by Matthew Lewis, were further notable early works in both the gothic and horror literary genres.
3. Give an analysis of English Romantic poetry with illustration from the poets we have discussed.
4. Make comment on Jane Austen’s attitude towards marriage and love.
Austen depicts the views of love and marriage in a time that matrimony to a gentleman of wealth was the goal of most women‘s lives: ‗A lady‘s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment‘. We can see the importance of marriage from the start of the novel, Its influence over the characters and events of the novel is hinted at in the ironic opening sentence: ‗It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife‘. Through Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays the commonly held beliefs about marriage at the time. She does this through her use of characters and their individual views on marriage and love. Society‘s view of marriage is evident through the many characters who express monetary views of the sacred institution.
Firstly, in theme, most of Jane Austen‘s novels reflect the process of the change of the attitude towards the marriage. As we all know, in Austen‘s novel Sense and Sensibility, one of the heroine, Elinor Dashwood, is quite sensible. She thinks very highly of a man whose worthiness in her eyes only increases when she learns why he cannot marry her. However, another heroine, Marianne Dashwood, is very sentimental at the beginning. So she trusts her senses and falls in love with a man who in truth is not as good as he seems and finally is abandoned. Through the different fates of these two sisters, Jane Austen shows us her early attitude towards the marriage that to marry according to sense will end in failure while with ration will succeed. Such a theme reflects that at first Jane Austen inherits the traditional enlightening thoughts. However, her minds change in her later novels, especially in her novels Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. In these novels, sentiment becomes upper hand and attains success in the end. For example, at the very beginning of the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen wrote, ―It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.‖ And the hero and theroine are the very sensible people. Mr. Darcy, from a noble family, has a strong sense of family status and turns up his nose at the vulgarity of Bennet family. And Elizabeth Bennet is also very sensitive to her family background and becomes instantly prejudiced against Mr. Darcy, despite his good looks and great wealth. However, with the gradual deep intercourse and understanding between these two people, they fall in love with each other and finally smash the bonds of the ration and social pressure and marry. So this novel shows the victory of the sentiment, for it is just thanks to the deep love that makes these two people from different class status successfully marry. This reflects that Jane Austen‘s creating thoughts begins to change from the rationalism to the
romanticism. Her last novel Persuasion also displays such a change. Therefore, we can say that it is just through the conflict between the ration and sentiment in the novels that Jane Austen accomplishes the transition from the rational literature to the romantic literature.
Moreover, her development from rationalism to the romanticism also reflects in her new concept
of marriage. That is she advocates the only base of marriage should be the true love, not the family backgrounds and economic base. This vividly reflects in the scene of Elizabeth Bennet refusing Mr. Collins‘ proposal. When Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, she answers,
―I thank you again and again for the honor you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it.‖
These words show Elizabeth the determination that she prefers to keep single in all her life rather than to marry to Mr. Collins without love, and therefore, establish a romantic character.
5. Make comment on William Wordsworth’s literary theory of poetry.
Wordsworth's poems initiated the Romantic era by emphasizing feeling, instinct, and subjectivity above formality and mannerism. The themes that run through Wordsworth's poetry, and the language and imagery he uses to embody those themes, remain remarkably consistent throughout, adhering largely to the tenets Wordsworth set out for himself. Wordsworth argues that poetry should be written in the natural language of common speech, rather than in the lofty and elaborate dictions He argues that poetry should offer access to the "emotions recollected in tranquillity". Nature plays a vital role in the creation of Wordsworth's poetry. Nature acts as Wordsworth's muse. Wordsworth was a pantheist, h .
6. What are the major features of Gothic novels?
Characteristics of the Gothic novel
All Gothic novels introduce an element of terror, suspense and mystery. They generally incorporate many of the following:
∙cliff-hanger chapter endings
∙supernatural elements such as ghosts, magicians, werewolves, monsters and devils
∙ a medieval setting, often with a castle, dungeons, ruins, or a monastery
∙mad characters
∙merciless, flamboyant villains
∙persecuted damsels
∙curses which pass down the generations
∙dark secrets
∙the Inquisition。