英美文学简明教程

Old and Medieval English Literature（中世纪英语时期文学）I Understanding and application: (理解应用)1. England’s inhabitants are Celts. And it is conquered by Romans（罗马）, Anglo Saxons (盎格鲁撒克逊人)and Normans（日耳曼）. The Anglo-Saxons brought the Germanic language and culture to England, while Normans brought the Mediterranean civilization（地中海文明）, including Greek culture（古希腊文化）, Rome law（罗马法律） and the Christian religion（基督教）. It is the cultural influence of these two conquests that provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature.2. The old English literature（古英语文学） extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England.3. The old English poetry(古英语诗) that has survived can be divided into two groups: The religious group and the secular one(宗教类和世俗类)4. Beowulf（贝尔武夫）: a typical example of Old English poetry is regarded as the national epic(民族史诗) of the Anglo-Saxons. It is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends.一、Geoffery Chaucer 杰弗里•乔叟1343~1400(首创“双韵体”，英国文学史上首先用伦敦方言写作。

约翰·德莱顿（John Dryden）称其为“英国诗歌之父”。

代表作《坎特伯雷故事集》。

)The father of English poetry.Writing style: wisdom, humor, humanity.作品：①<The Canterbury Tales>坎特伯雷故事集：first time to use ‘heroic couplet’(双韵体) by middle English②<Troilus and Criseyde>特罗勒斯与克丽西德③<The House of Fame>声誉之堂④<The book of the Duchess>公爵夫人之书⑤<The Parliament of Fowls>百鸟议会1.Heroic couplet（英雄双韵体）: Heroic couplet is a rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter. itis the most common English meter, in which each foot contains an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable can unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one .2.“The Father of English poetry”:（乔叟的贡献）①Chaucer introduced from Francethe rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace it. ②In The Romaunt of the Rose (玫瑰传奇), he first introduced to the English the octosyllabic couplet (八音节对偶句).③In The Legend of Good Women, he used for the first time in English heroic couplet. ④Andin his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, he employed heroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature. ⑤His art made him one of the greatest poets in English; John Dryden called him “the father of English poetry”.Chapter 1: The Renaissance Period文艺复兴The Renaissance:The Renaissance marks a transition from the medieval to the modern world. Generally, it refers to the period between the 14th & 17th centuries. It first started in Italy, with the flowering of painting, sculpture & literature. From Italy the movement went to embrace the rest of Europe. The Renaissance, which means "rebirth" or "revival," is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, such as:①The re-discovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture 古罗马和古希腊文化的发掘②The new discoveries in geography & astrology地理天文大发现, the religious reformation & the economic expansion席卷欧洲的宗教改革.③The Renaissance, therefore, in essence is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers & scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, & to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.2. Humanism: （人文主义）Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. Renaissancehumanists 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 perfections, 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. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists.1.Edmund Spencer(斯宾塞): The poets’ poet.（后人称之为“诗人的诗人”。

）The first tobe buried in the Poet’s corner of Westerminster Abbey①Spenser's most important work & masterpiece is <The Faerie Queen>仙后(for Queen Elizabeth) , his great allegory The theme is not “Arms and the man”, bu t something more romantic “Fierce wars and faithfull loves”.Artistic features:1. Using Spenserian StanzaSpenserian Stanza斯宾塞诗节:a stanza of nine lines ababbcbcc. Eight lines in iambic pentameter, and last line in iambic hexameter.②<The Shepherds Calendar>牧人日历The theme is to lament over the loss of Rosalind.③<Amoretti>爱情小唱3. 领会His Influence Main qualities of Spenser's poetry①a perfect melody②a rare sense of beauty③a splendid imagination④a lofty moral purity & seriousness⑤a dedicated idealismChristopher Marlowe(克里斯托弗·马洛), he is the most outstandingdramatist among the group “University Wits”大学才子. He is acknowledged as the greatest tragedy writer before William Shakespeare.Tamburlaine, Parts I &II 《铁木耳大帝，第一部和第二部》The Tragical History of Doctor Eaustus(浮士德医生) generally considered his best play The Jew of Malta(马耳他岛的犹太人)Edward II《爱德华二世》non-dramatic poetry “Hero & Leander The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”《多情的牧羊人致情人歌》His Achievements & InfluenceAchievements: Marlowe's greatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse（素体诗）& made it the principal medium of English drama.His second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama.The theme of his works is the praise of the Renaissance spirit.His influence: A man of wide learning, Marlowe was one of the extra ordinary poets & playwrights of his time. "Marlowe's mighty line," as Ben Jonson called his blank verse, was one of the most important contributions to the art of English literature.Blank verse素体诗：written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. which was mastery handled by Shakespeare and Milton。