British literature

Epic: Epic is a long poem about the deeds of heroes, often of national signification. Alliteration: In alliterative verse, certain accented words in a line begin with the same consonant sound. There are generally four accents in a line, three of which show alliteration.)Part One: The Definition of Renaissance1.The Rise of bourgeoisie soon showed its influence on the sphere of cultural life,thus arising an intellectual movement known as Renaissance. It sprang first in Italy in the 14th century and then spread all over Europe.2.It stressed the importance of learning, esp, classical literature of Greece andRome. The writers adhered to science, and objected to ignorance and superstitions.3.The key-note of Renaissance is humanism.1.Hamlet1)To be or not to be, this is the questionA: These lines are quoted from “Hamlet” by W. Shakespeare.2)Analyze the character Hamlet3)Hamlet is a humanist, a man who is free from medieval prejudicesand superstitions. He has an unbound love for the world rather than forheaven. He cherished a profound respect for man, and a firm belief inman’s power over destiny. He loves good and hates evil. He cares fornothing but human worth and shows a contempt for rank and wealth.His intellectual genius is outstanding. He is a close observer of menand manners. Hamlet’s tragedy expresses the crisis of humanism at thattime.In brief, Hamlet is a hero of the Renaissance. His learning, wisdom,noble nature, limitation and tragedy are all representative of thehumanists at the turn of the 16th and the 17th century.2) Analysis of the character PortiaPortia is the most ideal woman character created by W. Shakespeare—a woman of Renaissance—beautiful, courteous, prudent and cultured.She is brave and more important, she is independent, In addition, she has optimistic spirit, even in the face of the most powerful enemy, for she is confident of her intellect and ability. She gets happiness from the true love and the true friendship and is ready to defend them with her wit. To a great extent, she is even cleverer and more capable than all the male characters in the play.All in all, Portia embodies all the elements of humanism, that is to say, love for the world and the happy life. Through Portia, Shakespeare expresses his belief in humanism and his confidence in the victory of the rising bourgeoisie.3)Analysis of the character ShylockA. Shylock, a Jewish usurer, Shakespeare shows us everything of Shylock’s meanness, greed and cruelty. In addition to being a greedy money-lender, he has suffered much in the hands of the Christians. His revolting bond is counterbalanced by Antonio’s arrogant treatment of him. So his loud protest against racialdiscrimination cannot be altogether ignored.6. The definition of SonnetSonnet is an exact form of poetry in 14 lines of iambic pentameter intricately rhymed. It was introduced to England from Italy by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard.1.Paradise Lost1)ThemesA.The central theme is the heroic revolt of Satan against God’s authority.Through this poem, John Milton shows his extreme hatred of the darkEnglish society during the Restoration Period. Meanwhile, John Miltonpraises Satan’s rebellious idea and indomitable fighting spirit.2)Analysis of SatanA.Satan is a courageous rebel. He loves liberty by nature and revolts theabsolute monarchy—God. He is brave enough to challenge the authoritiesof God. Facing the powerful ruler—God, he is unbending andencouraging his followers to go on struggling. Shrewd and firm, he is aborn leader. In short, Satan is the real hero who dares to rise against Godstanding for feudal despots in the 17th century. Moreover, John Miltonsings of Satan’s rebellious idea and unyielding spirit, which is actuallythe poet’s spirit.I.Definition of The Enlightenment Movement or The Age of Reason in England1.The Enlightenment Movement was a bourgeois intellectual and culturalmovement which spread all over Europe in the 18th century. It was an expression of struggle of the bourgeoisie against feudalism, the enlighteners fighting against class inequality, prejudices and other survivals of feudalism.2.The enlighteners believed in the power of reason and social science. Reasonwas the only thing to depend on; the use of reason could bring about the improvement in society. Everything should be measured by reason. So the nature of the Enlightenment Movement was rationalism, and the 18th century was called the Age of Reason.3.The representatives of the Enlightenment Movement in English literaturewere Richard Steele, Joseph Addison and Alexander Pope, who cleared away the feudal ideals with bourgeois ideology.parison between Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s TravelsChapter Five Romantic PeriodI.Definition of Romanticism(1798—1832)1) At the turn of the 18th and 19th century Romanticism appeared in England under the impetus of Industrial Revolution and French Revolution, in 1798, the publication of the “Lyrical Ballads” By William Wordsworth and Samuel T. Coleridge marking its beginning.2) The Romantic poets love nature, praise the beauty of nature, and even combine themselves with it. They break away from Classicism and advocate the power of emotion and feelings, as Wordsworth said, “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” They adhere to the emancipation of individuality andpursue freedom ardently, fighting against oppression and exploitation.3) They often employ fantastic imagination, exaggeration in their poetry.4) The representatives of Romanticism are William Wordsworth, Samuel T. Coleridge, Percy B. Shelley, George G. Byron, and John Keats.II. William Wordsworth1.W. Wordsworth’s position in English literary historyW. Wordsworth was an important poet in the sense that he reacted against the stagnant poetic diction of neo-classicism of the 18th century and started the new tradition of romanticism by glorifying the world of nature and by the use of the simple language of the common people. In the heyday of Victorian morality Wordsworth was naturally very highly praised for his moral and philosophical speculations in his later poetry, but his fame rests chiefly upon his early poems on liberty, on simple rustic life in the countryside, and on nature.1)the theme is to be incidents and situations chosen from common life(generally “low and rustic life”)2)the language used is to be a selection of language really used by men3)regarding the treatment of the theme, ordinary things are to be presented inan unusual way (to throw over them a certain coloring of imagination)4)the poet is to trace in the chosen incidents and situations the primary lawsof human nature ( meaning the finding of the universal significance inhuman society)3.Selected reading: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud4. Lyric: a poem that expresses a strong personal feeling in a songlike poem.2. “Ode to the West Wind”1)Theme of “Ode to the West Wind” auther is Percy B.ShelleyA. The poet praises the west wind, which sweeps away the dead leaves mercilessly and meanwhile scatters the winged seeds to “their dark wintry bed”. The west wind, “Destroyer and preserver”, sym bolizes the revolutionary forces that destroy the old world and establish a new happy world at the same time.B. The west wind brings “Angels of rain and lightning”, which suggests the coming of the revolutionary storm. During the coming of the revolutionary storm, the poet would like to fight bravely at the cost of his life like the west wind, trying to awaken the oppressed people by spreading the revolutionary thoughts, which expresses the poet’s passionate spirit of revolt and desire for struggle.C. “O,Wind, if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” The last line of the verse shows Shelley’s firm belief in the happy future and the final triumph of the people. 2) Artistic features: The poet employs various writing techniques, such as metaphor, personification, contrast, etc. The language is vivid, clear, fresh, full of color and imagination.4. “Prometheus Unbound”1)Theme of “Prometheus Unbound”A. “Prometheus Unbound” is a lyrical drama by PercyB. Shelley.C. Prometheus bound becomes Prometheus unbound, this symbolizing the victory of mankind over tyranny and oppression.Chapter SixThe Victorian Age / Critical Realism in EnglandI.The Victorian Age (Victorianism) (1832—1901)1.From the 1830s the struggle between workers and capitalists became thefundamental contradiction in English society. In spite of the parliamentary reform in 1832, the living conditions of the workers did not grow better but became steadily worse. The great misery of the workers led to working-class movements, such as Chartist Movement.2. Ideologically, the Victorians experienced fundamental changes. The rapiddevelopment of science and technology, new inventions and discoveries in geology, astronomy, biology and anthropology drastically shook people’s religious convictions. Darwin’s The Origin of Species(1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) shook the theoretical basis of the traditional faith. On the other hand, Utilitarianism was widely accepted and practiced. Almost everything was put to the test by the criterion of utility, that is, the extent to which it could promote the material happiness.3. Using humor and satire, the 19th-century critical realistic novelists exposed theevils of society, sympathized the people of lower strata. But owing to their class limitation, they coul dn’t find a correct way to solve the social problems.1.The representatives of critical realism are Charles Dickens, William M. Thackeray,the Bronte sisters, Mrs. Gaskell and George Eliot.2.In short, the 19th-century realistic novels are the epic of the bourgeois society.II.The Critical RealismDuring Victorian Age, the struggle between the workers and the capitalists became the fundamental contradiction in English society. In this period appeared English critical realism. The major contribution of the critical realists lies in their novels. The writers expose the evil of the ruling class and criticize the dark aspects existing in society and human nature. They cherish profound love for the common people, showing sincere sympathy for them. But owing to their own class limitations they fail to find out the correct way to solve the social problems. The use of humor and satire is the prevailing feature of the English realistic novels.The representatives are Charles Dickens and W. M. Thackeray.III.Charlotte Bronte1.Theme of Jane Eyre1)Jane Eyre,C. Bronte’s masterpiece, tells the story of an orphan girl namedJane Eyre. She is ill-treated by her aunt Mrs. Reed and then is sent toLowood Charity School, which is really a prison for poor orphans.Maltreated by the authorities of the school and living a half-starved life, Janestays there for eight long years. Here the author criticizes the bourgeoissystem of education, the aim of which is to bring up obedient slaves for therich.2) C. Bronte sings of Jane Eyre as a noble-minded, new woman, who is inpursuit of independence and equality, heart and soul. She tries to find a joband works as a governess in order to live by her own hands. She alsomaintains that women should have equal rights with men.3)Also in the novel the author shows her sympathy for the sufferings of thepoor people. Yet her realism was colored by petty-bourgeois philanthropy. C.Bronte believes that by the improvement of the school system and teaching,most of the evils of capitalism can be removed. Therefore, owing to her classlimitations she can’t find the correct way to solve the social problems.2.Analysis of the character Jane EyreJane Eyre is an orphan girl, who is ill-treated by her aunt Mrs. Reed and then is sent to Lowood Charity School, which is really a prison for poor orphans. Maltreated by the authorities of the school and living a half-starved life, Jane stays there for eight long years. So to speak, Jane is a victim of the bourgeois system of education, the aim of which is to bring up obedient slaves for the rich. Though afflicted with the bourgeois system of education, she is a noble-minded, new woman, who is in pursuit of independence and equality, heart and soul. She tries to find a job and works as a governess in order to live by her own hands. She also maintains that women should have equal rights with men. She puts emphasis on the equality between men and women in love and marriage. She loves Rochester who really loves her, respects her demand for equal rights of women to men, and turns down the proposal of Rivers who uses her as a tool for serving him in delivering sermons and wants to marry her.3.Theme on marriageThe theme on marriage is that true love is the basis of marriage. An ideal marriage is based on the physical, mental, and social equality between man and woman concerned, guided by passionate love as well as moral principles and religion.1)The novel evolves around the love story of Jane Eyre and Rochester. Jane is arebellious, independent, passionate, kind woman; Rochester is also kind, generous and passionate, and a man of depth. Both of them are unconventional and look down upon the conventional viewpoints on love and marriage. So there exists an affinity between them.2)Rochester does not choose the beautiful Miss Ingram to be his wife for the latterloves him for what he has, not for what he is. Jane rejects John Rivers because Rivers wants her for the sake of religion.3)The novel attacks the marriage system of the capitalist society, which requires thatmarriage should be based on social status.4.Artistic features of Jane Eyre1)Jane Eyre has both realistic and romantic features.2)It is written in the first person and in a temporal order, thus giving readers asense of reality and kindness.3)The plot of the novel is simple, and most of the sentences are short, with theresult that the novel is easy for common readers to understand.4)The writer employs many writing techniques, such as contrast andsymbolism.5)In writing Jane Eyre, C. Bronte draws a great deal from her own lifeexperiences. For example, She successfully depicts the horrors of LowoodSchool in the light of her own miserable life in a charity school.1.Theme of Wuthering Heights1)The novel is a powerful attack on the bourgeois marriage system. The innocentlove between Heathcliff and Catherine is poisoned by class prejudice founded on wealth. The novel shows that true love in a class society is impossible of attainment.The writer sympathizes the victims of the bourgeois marriage system, but she cannot find a correct way to solve the social problem because of class limitations.2.Analysis of the character Heathcliff1)Wuthering Heights deals mainly with the story of Heathcliff, a gipsy waif,picked up by Mr. Earnshaw in the street. Heathcliff is a rebel against the bourgeois matrimonial system. His pure love is crushed by the class prejudice of the bourgeoise. So he is at first the oppressed, then he decides to have his revenge on his oppressors, but in the end, having had his revenge, he turns the oppressor.1.D ickens’s stylistic features1)The most distinguishing feature of Dickens’s fictional art is his successfulcharacter-portrayal. Not only are the major characters in his novels very carefully delineated and given distinctive individual characteristics, but in almost every one of his twenty-odd works of fiction we inevitably come across several rather minor figures who create in the reader’s mind strongimpressions of their personalities so that they are remembered long afterwards.Some of Dickens’s characters are really such “typical characters under typical circumstances” that they become proverbial or are representative of a whole group of similar persons, as for instance Mr. Podsnap and Podsnappery, Bounderby and Gradgrind, Dombey, Monsieur and Madame Defarge, Micawber and Uriah Heep.2)The penetrating effect of satire is frequently achieved by Dickens with thesuccessful use of irony or obvious exaggeration, generally applied to objects of ridicule, Dickens is not especially known for the construction of plot in his novels.3)Yet another thing about Dickens’s art in prose fiction is his adroit use oflanguage. Dickens is never careful about details, Dickens is one of the truly great masters in the whole development of English literature.2.Theme of “Oliver Twist”In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens bitterly exposes the terrible conditions in the English workhouse and the cruelty, corruption of the oppressors, and their agents under the mask of philanthropy. At the same time, the author also feels sympathy for the miseries of the lower class. In the novel the author vividly depicts the London underworld, among which Oliver Twist is the only one who emerges happy and successful in the end. However, as a result of his petty-bourgeois outlook, Dickens doesn’t know what or who is responsible for such miseries and even cherishes illusions about the rich and the idle, thus showing his class limitation.1. Theme revealed by “Tess of the D’Urbervilles”In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy truthfully portrays the tragic lot of a pure country girl Tess who is ruined by the bourgeois society, which is responsible for the miseries and sufferings of the ordinary people. At the same time, the author criticizes the injustice of the state law and the prejudice of the society. In addition, the author shows his deep sympathy for the oppressed and the weak. But owing to his class limitations, he can’t find out a correct way to solve the social problem. As a result of his petty-bourgeois outlook, he can’t understand that it is not fate, but the unfavorable conditions of capitalism, should be responsible for the tragic lives of the people.2. An analysis of the character TessTess is an innocent, pure girl. She longs for good, for true love. In a word, Tess is a victim of the bourgeois society, which is responsible for the miseries and sufferings of the ordinary people.II. ModernismModernism in English literature prevailed during the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. It was a movement of experiments in writing. While modernist poetry arose as a break with the 19th-century Romanticism, modernist fiction represented a trend away from the tradition of the 19th-century Realism. Modernist fiction laid emphasis on the description of the characters’psychological activities, hence modernist fiction was also called modern psychological fiction. Alienation and loneliness are the basic themes of modernism. One of its pioneers is David H. Lawrence, who wrote novels under the influence of Freud’s theory of psychological analysis.1.The themes of “Sons and Lovers”“Sons and Lovers”, Lawrence’s first major work, is considered one of the revolutionary novels of the 20th century for its subject matter. With many-layered richness, “Sons and Lovers” contains some of Lawrence’s most characteristic themes: the dehumanizing effect of the bourgeois industrialization; the complexity of human relationships, especially those between husband and wife, mother and son, and man and woman; the emotional possession of one person by another; and the usual account of the spiritual liberation of the protagonist in search for identity and fulfillment as an artist.IV. Stream of consciousnessIn the 20th century a number of writers adopted the stream-of-consciousness method in writing novels. Stream of consciousness is a literary device which depicts the continuous flow of a person’s thoughts and feelings in his mind during the waking time. In doing so, the writers abandon the conventional usages of plot structure, characterization and description. In English literature James Joyce and Virginia Woolf are the two best-known novelists of this school.1.V. Woolf’s styleWoolf’s style has been highly praised for its richness, its lucidity, and its transparentness; but the most praised feature of her style is the quality of lyric poetry. Actually, Woolf’s main quest in style is for poetry and subtlety, for she holds that the complex inner thoughts and feelings of the characters can berendered only by the use of brilliantly evocative prose-poetry. Her novels usually operate on two planes: one is the plane of prose, on which the narrator presents a detached view of life with an elegant, somewhat ironic style; the other is the plane of poetry, on which the character s’ private meditations are revealed with a copious, hallucinatory tone that produces a strong poetic effect. “Between the Acts”is considered to be the most lyrical of all her books, not only in feeling but also in style. The historical pageant is written chiefly in verse; even the narrative passages are composed of a language heightened by various poetic devices which strengthen the emotional intensity. Thus, Woolf makes a special contribution to the novel of subjectivity by developing a rich and buoyant style of lyrical poetry with sharpened images, central symbols, profound allusions, and varied rhythms.。