英国文学笔记

• A Brief Outline of British Literature History
1. Medieval Literature (5 A.D. -1485) (中世纪文学)
Geoffrey Chaucer (1340—1400 )
2. The English Renaissance (1500-1625) (文艺复兴时期文学)
Thomas More （1478—1535）
Edmund Spenser（1552—1599）
Christopher Marlowe（1564—1593）
Francis Bacon （1561—1626）
William Shakespeare （1564—1616）
3. The Seventeenth century (17th century)( 17 世纪文学)
John Milton （1608—1674）
John Donne （1572—1631）
John Bunyan （1628—1688）
4. English Enlightenment and neo-Classicism (17th century -18th century ) (英国启蒙运动和新古典主义文学)
Alexander Pope （1688—1744）
Jonathan Swift （1667—1745）
Daniel Defoe （1660—1731）
Henry Fielding （1707—1754）
5. Romanticism in England (1798-1832) (浪漫主义时期文学)
Robert Burns （1759—1796）
William Blake （1757—1827）
William Wordsworth (1770—1850)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772—1834)
George Gordon Byron(1788—1824)
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)
John Keats (1795-1821)
6. English Realism (1830s-1918) (现实主义时期文学) /Victorian Age (1832—1901) Robert Browning (1821—1889)
Alfred Tennyson ( 1809—1892)
Jane Austen (1775—1817)
The Bronte Sisters
Charles Dickens (1812—1870)
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811—1863)
Thomas Hardy (1840—1928)
Joseph Conrad ( 1857—1924)
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
7. Modernism (1918-1945) (现代主义文学)
T.S. Eliot (1888—1965)
William Butler Yeats (1865—1939)
James Joyce (1882—1941)
Virginia Woolf (1882—1941)
D.H. Lawrence (1885—1930)
1. Medieval Literature (5 A.D. -1485) (中世纪文学)
Beowulf《贝奥武夫》: the national epic of the English people.
romance (浪漫传奇)：the most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England Theme: loyalty to king and lord
King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table《亚瑟王和他的圆桌骑士》
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》
★Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-- 1400)
Literary Position: The father of English poetry
Masterpiece: The Canterbury Tales 《坎特伯雷故事集》（Old English）
Literary Achievements: Heroic couplet (英雄双韵体)
2. The English Renaissance (1500-1625) (文艺复兴时期文学)
The word “Renaissance” means revival（复活）. The term originally indicates a revival of classical
(Greek and Roman) arts and sciences after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism（蒙昧主义）. Humanism: the essence of Renaissance
Edmund Spenser (1552-- 1599): "the poets' poet"
Masterpiece :The Faerie Oueene《仙后》
Thomas More （1478-1535）
Masterpiece: Utopia（乌托邦）
Christopher Marlowe (1564--1593): most gifted of the "University Wits"（大学才子派）. Masterpiece: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. 《浮士德博士的悲剧》
★Francis Bacon (1561-1626 )
Literary Position:
—the founder of modern science in England;
—one of the earliest essayist(散文家）in English language
Masterpiece : Essays《论说文集》
Of Studies (论读书)
★William Shakespeare(1564—1616)
Literary Position:
·“not of an age, but for all time”,
·the greatest giant of English language and poetic form,
·one of the founders of realism in world literature,
·o ne of the greatest writers in the world’s literature.
Literary Achievements:
38 plays (comedies(喜剧）, histories（历史剧）, tragedies（悲剧）, tragicomedies/romances
（悲喜剧）
2 narrative poems
154 sonnets (Sonnets 1-126 addressed to a young man, Sonnets 127-152 addressed to “Dark Lady”, Sonnets 153-154 addressed to Cupid, the God of love in Greek
mythology )
Plays(4 periods)
1. First period (1592-1594): His apprenticeship in plays.
Historical plays: King Henry VI《亨利六世》, Richard Ⅲ《查理三世》
Comedies: Love’s Labour’s Lost 《爱的徒劳》
2. Second period (1595-1600): Mature period, a marked increase in the knowledge of humanism
Romeo and Juliet《罗密欧和朱丽叶》
(4大喜剧):A Midsummer Night’s Dream《仲夏夜之梦》
The Merchant of Venice《威尼斯商人》
As You Like It《皆大欢喜》
Twelfth Night《第十二夜》
3. Third period (1601-1608): Flourishing period, a period of gloomy and depression
(4大悲剧):Hamlet《汉姆雷特》
Othello《奥赛罗》
King Lear《李尔王》
Macbeth《麦克白》
4. Fourth period (1608-1612): The period of romantic drama in the form of tragicomedies
Reconciliation plays: The Winter’s Tale《冬天的童话》, The Tempest《暴风雨》
3. The Seventeenth century (17th century)( 17 世纪文学) Historical background
1. The English revolution（英国革命）and the Restoration（王朝复辟）.
·Causes: the conflict between the monarch and Parliament; the persecution of the Puritans
2. The bourgeois Dictatorship and the Restoration
·Glorious Revolution—a bloodless revolution
·The constitutional monarchy.
★John Milton (1608—1674)
Literary Position
·A master of the Blank verse
·The greatest English revolutionary poet of the 17th century
·One of the greatest poets of the English language
Literary Achievements
Poems
·Paradise Lost《失乐园》(1667): his masterpiece——The greatest epic in English literature.
·Paradise Regained (1671) 《复乐园》
·Samson Agonistes (1671) 《力士参孙》
Paradise Lost《失乐园》
—John Milton 1. Introduction
·Long epic in 12 books
·Written in blank verse
·Based on Genesis《创世纪》in the Old Testament
·Dramatizes the Biblical account of humanity’s banishment.
2. Theme
—Milton’s aimed purpose: “justify the ways of God to man”（昭示天道对人的公正）—Real purpose: Challenge the restored monarch
·God — tyrannical, represents the king
·Satan — rebelling against monarch
·Love between Adam and Eve — human pursuit for happiness, the spirit of Renaissance
3. Writing features
—Milton style: Sonority洪亮, Eloquence雄辩, Majesty尊严, Grandeur壮美
·The blank verse
·Long and involved sentences
★John Donne (1572-1631)
Literary Position
—founder of Metaphysical School（玄学派）
—the greatest of the metaphysical poets.
Literary Achievements
Songs and Sonnets 《歌和十四行诗》
The Flea《跳蚤》
Holy Sonnets《圣十四行诗》: Holy Sonnet 10
Features of metaphysical poetry:
—conceits（奇喻）
—strange paradoxes（悖论）
—far-fetched （牵强的）imagery
John Bunyan (1628-1688):
Masterpiece: The Pilgrim’s Progress《天路历程》
4. English Enlightenment and neo-Classicism (17th century -18th century )
(英国启蒙运动和新古典主义文学) (1688-1798)
Historical Background
1. Comparatively peaceful development under the constitutional monarchy
·A compromise between Tory and Whig
·The leading navel power in Europe
2. The Industrial Revolution 工业革命
·Unprecedented technical innovations
·Rapid growth of industry and commerce
The Enlightenment
An intellectual movement in Europe began in the late 17th and 18th centuries and ended with the French revolution of 1789
18th century : Age of Reason/ Age of Enlightenment
1. Importance—a lasting heritage for the 19th and 20th century
—it marked a key stage in the decline of the church and the growth of modern secularism(世俗主义)
—it served as the model for political and economic liberalism.
2. The development of Poetry: neo-Classicism 新古典主义
3. Characteristic of neo-Classicism
1). Emphasizing reason rather than emotion, form rather than content.
2). Didactic and satirical
3). Heroic Couplet (英雄双韵体)
4). Town poetry writing for the rising bourgeoisie
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
Literary Position
—an outstanding enlightener
—The greatest and the most important representative of the English classical poetry.
★The Rise of Fiction
Daniel Defoe
Jonathan Swift
Henry Fielding ※ Fiction
The mainstream of 18th century literature, & The rise and growth of realistic novel —the most prominent achievement of 18th century English literature
★Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)
Literary Position
—Father of English novel
Literary Achievements:
—— Robinson Crusoe (1719)《鲁宾逊漂游记》
·Defoe’s masterpiece
·The first English novel in a real sense
·The first English realistic novel
Robinson Crusoe
—Daniel Defoe 1. Theme:
—to sing the praises of human labor
—to celebrate the strength of human rational will to conquer the natural environment
—to beautify colonialism & Negro slavery
2. Plot:
run away from home → become a sailor → a planter in Brazil → to an uninhabited island because of shipwreck → made a living there all by himself → save a negro named Friday who beca me his servant → back to England → visit the remote island again and Friday was killed
3. Robinson Crusoe’s characterization:
typical of the rising English bourgeois class, practical, diligent, a restless curiosity to know more about the world and a desire to prove individual power in the face of social and natural challenges; shrewd, care about money and good at managing; courageous and intelligent to overcome all kinds of obstacles
★Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Literary Position
—one of the greatest masters of English Prose
—a master satirist（讽刺作家）
Style of Swift’s prose:
simple, clear and vigorous. His famous saying
“Proper words in proper places, makes the true definition of a style” influenced a lot later writers.
Literary Achievements
Books
·The Battle of Books《书籍之战》
·A Tale of Tub 《一个桶子的故事》
·Guliver’s Travels《格列佛游记》
——his masterpiece: a satire on the whole English society of the 18th century. Pamphlets
·The Draper’s Letters《一个布商的书信》
·A Modest Proposal《一个温和的建议》
——(A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being
a Burden to Their Parents)
Guliver’s Travels《格列佛游记》
—Jonathan Swift Plot:
Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput
Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag
Part III: A V oyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and Japan
Part IV: A V oyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms
Henry Fielding (1707-1754)
Literary Achievements
·The History of Tom Jones, A Founding 《弃儿汤姆·琼斯》
Literary Position
·—The founder of English realistic novel-setting up the theory of realism in literary position.
5. Romanticism in England (1798-1832) (浪漫主义时期文学)
Pre-Romanticism: Latter half of the 18th century
Robert Burns
William Blake 1. Romantic revival
·A strong protest against the bondage of Classicism (=Formalism)
·A recognition of the claims of passion and emotion.
2. Representatives
·Robert Burns (1759-1796) 罗伯特·彭斯
·William Blake (1757-1827) 威廉·布莱克
★Robert Burns (1759-1796)
Literary position
—the national poet of Scotland
—A poet of the peasants, a poet of the people
Literary Achievements
Poems chiefly in the Scottish Dialect《苏格兰方言诗集》
A Red, Red Rose《一朵红红的玫瑰》,
Auld Long Syne《昔日时光》
A Man's A Man for A‘ That".《无论何时都要保持尊严》
My Heart ’s in the Highlands《我的心在高原》.
Theme
·Love and friendship
·The natural beauty of his native Scotland
·The life and label of the common people
·The patriotism of his compatriots and their struggle for liberty
Features of his poetry
Scottish dialect
★William Blake
Literary Position
—a Pre-Romantic or a forerunner（先驱）of the Romantic poetry of the 19th century Literary Achievements:
Songs of Innocence《天真之歌》
Songs of Experience《经验之歌》
Songs of Innocence《天真之歌》
·Written for children, express the poet’s delight in life.
·a lovely volume of poems, presenting a happy and innocent world without evils and sufferings
To depict the happy condition of a child before it knows anything about the pains of experience. ·Simple without being naïve, childlike without being childish, innocent, everything seems to be in harmony.
e.g. The Lamb《羔羊》
Songs of Experience《经验之歌》
·Much mature work
·The atmosphere is no longer sunny but sad and gloomy.
·Presenting a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy tone.
e.g. The Tiger《老虎》
The Age of Romanticism (1798-1832)
Political and social factors
1. The American and French revolution: an upsurge of national liberation and democratic
movements
American revolution (1775-1783)—The formation of the independent United States.
French revolution of 1789—“Liberty, equality and fraternity”
2. The Industrial Revolution
Intellectual Background--Shift from emphasis on reason to instinct and emotion
General characteristic features (style)
1.Subjectivism
2.Spontaneity
3.Singularity
4.Simplicity: everyday language spoken by the rustic people
5. A dominating note of melancholy
6. A freer verse form
★ Romantic Poetry
1. Lake poets (湖畔派诗人)—the passive or escapist romanticists: Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Southey
—detesting the real world, escaping from the reality.
2. Revolutionary poets(革命派诗人)—(Active or radical) romanticists:Byron, Shelley, Keats
—striving to strengthen man’s will to live and raise him up against the darkness in the world.
Lake Poets (湖畔派诗人)
William Wordsworth
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Robert Southey ★William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
Literary Position
—Poet Laureate 桂冠诗人（1843）
—the best and the most famous romantic poet
—A great poet of nature
Literary Achievements
Lyrical Ballads (1798) 《抒情歌谣集》:
The Prelude (1850) 《序曲》：
—Wordsworth’s autobiographical poem.
Major works:
I wondered lonely as a cloud 《我好似一朵流云独自漫游》
Lucy Poems 《露西》
The Solitary Reaper 《孤独的收割女》
Major concern
1. Nature
2. The life of ordinary people
Poetic features
—Simplicity and purity of his language.
Lyrical Ballads (1798)《抒情歌谣集》
—William Wordsworth
1. Written by Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
2. Marked the break with the conventional poetic tradition of 18th century classicism, and the
beginning of romanticism in English poetry
3. The preface serves as the manifesto of the English romantic movements in poetry.
4. The principle of poetry: “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling.”——“所有好诗都是强烈感情的自然流露.”
—William Wordsworth ★Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Literary position
—Poet, critic, and philosopher of Romanticism.
Literary Achievement
·The Rime of the Ancient Mariner(1798)《古舟子吟》
·Kubla Khan (1816)《忽必烈汗》
Robert Southey (1774-1843)
Revolutionary Poets （革命派诗人）
George Gordon Byron
Percy Bysshe Shelley
John Keats ★George Gordon Byron (1788—1824)
Life
➢born in a noble family
➢inherited the baronial title
➢graduated from Cambridge University
➢entered House of Lords
➢strongly criticized by those conservatives and at last left England
➢stayed in Italy and then Greece
➢died in Greece at 36
Literary Position
—one of the most excellent representatives of English Romanticism.
—His literary career was closely linked with the struggle and progressive movements of his age. Major Works
·Child Harold’s Pilgrimage《恰尔德·哈罗德游记》
—One of his most readable books
·Don Juan《唐璜》
—His masterpiece
Byronic Heroes
—The men with fiery and unbending will express the poet’s own ideal of freedom.
— The men who rise against tyranny and injustice
Don Juan 《唐璜》
—George Gordon Byron 1. Hero of the long poem:
Don Juan, a Spanish young man born in a noble family; strange adventures he has experienced (Greece, Turkey, Russia and England);
2. A panorama of the whole Europe and a strong satire
★Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)
Literary Position
—The great poet of revolutionary romanticism in England.
—The most wonderful lyric poet England has ever produced
Major Works
·Prometheus Unbound《解放了的普罗米修斯》—lyrical drama
·Ode to the West Wind《西风颂》
Artistic Features
— Lyrics intensity
·Lyrics on politics
·Lyrics on nature
·Lyrics on love
— Revolutionary ardency
— Optimistic idealism
—Image（意象）& symbol（象征）
Ode to the West Wind《西风颂》
—It made Shelley the greatest English lyrical poet, and is the lyric of lyrics.
1. Main idea
The old world must go, a new word must come with the Spring, laden with fresh sweet promises for suffering humanity.
2.
1). Stanza Ⅰ
West wind is
·Blowing over the land
·Driving dead leaves away
·Carrying the seeds to wintry bed so that they would grow up next year.
·Both a destroyer and preserver
—A destroyer of old, useless, decaying things, such as dead leaves.
—A preserver of new, life-going things, such as seeds.
2). Stanza Ⅱ
West wind is
·Sweeping in the sky
·Gathering the loose clouds
·Preparing a storm with black rain, lightening and hail
·Calling the dirge of the dying year
3). Stanza Ⅲ
West wind is
·Moving across the sea
·From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean
·Becoming stronger and stronger
·Even frightening the sea vegetation
4). Stanza Ⅳ
The poet compares “I” to and with the west wind
·“if”s
·Poetic inspiration
·The poet’s personality
5). Stanza Ⅴ
The poet’s wishes
·To share the spirit of the west wind
·To use his poem to quicken a new birth and awaken the earth
The poet’s prophecy
·If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
3. West wind: A symbol
·Strength, power
·Change of season
·Approaching revolution
·The poet’s personality
·The poetic inspiration
·A revolutionary spirit
·The destroyer of the old world
·the preserver of the new world
·Hope for the new life
★John Keats (1795—1821)
Literary Achievement
Short Poems—of the numerous short poems by Keats, the most important are his sonnets and odes.
·Ode on Melancholy《忧郁颂》
·Ode to Nightingale《夜莺颂》
·Ode to Autumn《秋颂》
·Ode on a Grecian Urn《希腊古瓮颂》
Features
1. A clean split with 18th century classicism.
Byron & Shelley: attempted to remold the contemporary society with both poetry and
political action.
Keats: restricted his application of the principle of liberty to the sphere of Art.
2. Beauty in truth, truth in beauty. （美即现实，现实即美）
Keats found beauty in nature, in literature, esp. poetry, and in human struggle for liberty.
6. English Realism (1830s-1918) (现实主义时期文学) /The Victorian Age
(1832—1901)
Charles Dickens
William Makepeace Thackeray
The Brontë Sisters Historical background
1. The Victorian Age
—First Period (1832-1848): a time of social unrest
—The mid-Victorian Period (1848-1870): The heyday of the Victorian Age
—The last period: (1870-1901): The decay of Victorian values
2. The end of poetry poem
3. The rise of novels
—Novel: dominant literary genre
Critical Realism
1. Appeared in 19th century and flourished in 1840s and early 50s
2. Representatives
Charles Dickens
Thackeray
The Brontë Sisters
3. Basic characteristics
❖To expose and criticize the evil and injustice of capitalist society
❖To satirize the ruling classes and show sympathy for the common people
❖Essentially democratic and humanistic attitude
❖Aiming at social reform rather than revolution.
★Charles Dickens (1812—1870)
Literary Position
— The greatest and outstanding representative of English critical realism
Literary Achievements: Three periods
—The 1st period (1836-1841): Naïve optimism, “Virtue will triumph in long run.”
·Sketches By Boz 《博兹特写集》
·The Pickwick Papers 《匹克威克外传》
·Oliver Twist 《雾都孤儿》
·Nicholas Nickleby《尼古拉斯·尼克尔贝》
·The Old Curiosity Shop 《老古玩店》
—The 2nd period (1842-1850): period of excitement and irritation, his naïve optimism about capitalism was profoundly shaken.
·American Note《美国札记》
·Martin Chuzzlewit《马丁·朱述儿维特》
·Dombey and the Son《董贝父子》
·David Copperfield 《大卫·科波菲尔》
—The 3rd period (1851-1870): a Period of steadily intensifying pessimism, his loss of hope for English bourgeois
·Bleak House 《荒凉山庄》
·Hard Times《艰难时世》
·Little Dorrit《小杜丽》
·A Tale of Two Cities 《双城记》
·Great Expectation 《远大前程》/《孤星血泪》
·Our Mutual Friend《我们共同的朋友》
Features of Dickens's Novels
·Character Sketches & Exaggeration( grotesque characters)
·Broad Humor & Penetrating Satire
·Complicated & Fascinating Plot
·The Power of Exposure
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)
Literary Position
·One of the outstanding representatives of English critical realism.
·A great satirist
Literary Achievements
·Vanity Fair《名利场》——his masterpiece
·
★The Brontë Sisters
·Charlotte Brontë—Jane Eyre《简·爱》
·Emily Brontë—Wuthering Heights《呼啸山庄》
·Anne Brontë—Agnes Grey《艾格尼斯·格雷》
Themes of Jane Eyre
—The criticism of the bourgeois system of education
—Jane Eyre, the heroine of the novel, maintains that women should have equal rights with men.
★Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Literary Position
—The first important English woman novelist
—One of the greatest novelists of the 19th and 20th centuries
Literary Achievements
Six Novels
·Northanger Abbey《诺桑觉寺》
·Sense and Sensibility 《理智和情感》
·Pride and Prejudice 《傲慢和偏见》
·Mansfield Park 《曼斯菲苑林》
·Emma 《艾玛》
·Persuasion 《劝导》
Writing Characteristics
— Chief interests
The relationship between men & women in love
— Artistic features
·Subtlety of observation 细致入微的观察
·Depth of psychological penetration 深刻的心理分析
·Delicacy of touch 细腻的笔触
Pride and Prejudice《傲慢和偏见》
——Jane Austen’s best-known novel 1. Theme
—Love and marriage
—Darcy’s pride against Elizabeth’s prejudice
2. Feature
—Irony
·Verbal irony in dialogue and situation
·Dramatic irony
—Witty and delightful dialogues
The Victorian Poets(维多利亚诗人)
Lord Alfred Tennyson
Robert Browning
Matthew Arnold
"The Big Three"★Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)
Literary Position
—Poet Laureate（桂冠诗人）
—The representative or spokesperson of the age
Literary Achievements
In Memoriam A. H. H 《悼念》
—131 short poems
—as a lament (哀悼）for the death of his friend Hallam
—a discussion of the relations between religion and science
❖eg. Break Break Break 《溅吧，溅吧，溅吧》
★Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Literary Position
—The most innovative poet of the Age
Literary Achievements
—dramatic monologue (戏剧独白)
(his contribution to English poetry)
e.g. My Last Duchess 《我的公爵夫人》
★Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)
Literary Position
—a poet and a literary critic
Major Works :
Dover Beach 《多佛海滩》
—Challenges to the validity of long-standing theological and moral precepts have shaken the faith of people in God and religion
★Thomas Hardy (1840—1928)
Literary Position
—the last important novelist and poet of the 19th century
—a naturalistic(自然主义的）and a critical realist writer
※ Wessex Novel
—The novels describing the characters and environment
·Romances and Fantasies罗曼史和幻想
·Novels of ingenuity爱情和阴谋故事
·Novels of character and environment性格和环境小说（大多为悲剧）
Literary Achievements
—6 “Wessex novels”
·Under the Greenwood Tree《绿荫下》
·Far From the Madding Crowd 《远离尘嚣》
·The Return of the Native 《还乡》
·The Mayor of Casterbridge 《卡斯特桥市长》
·Tess of the D’Urbervill es 《德伯家的苔丝》
·Jude the Obscure 《无名的裘德》
Characteristics of Hardy’s Novels
▪1)determinism/fatalism(宿命论）
▪2) naturalism（自然主义）
▪3)symbolism（象征主义）.
Modernist dramatists
Oscar Wilde
George Bernard Shaw
Aestheticism
Oscar Wilde Aestheticism (唯美主义)
➢ A literary and artistic tendency of the late 19th century
➢Pre-Raphaelites — the predecessor
➢Slogan:Art for Art’s Sake为艺术而艺术
➢Art is self-sufficient and need no moral or practical purpose. The pursuit and enjoyment of beauty is the chief purpose of life.
➢ A kind of escapism (逃避主义) in essence.
★Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
Literary Position
—A spokesman for Aestheticism(唯美主义)
Literary Achievements
The Picture of Dorian Gray《道林·格雷画像》
The Importance of Being Earnest《认真的重要性》
– his masterpiece
Writing Feature
—Witty paradoxes and epigrams in the dialogue
—Cleverly constructed plots
The Importance of Being Earnest《认真的重要性》
—Oscar Wilde
1. three-act play
2. Major characters:
—John (Jack) Worthing: a double identity
·Jack: a very serious and upright young man in the country
·Ernest: a dandy pursues a life of pleasure in the city of London.
3. Name “Ernest”
—A wordplay (pun) upon Earnest-seriousness —Beneath the frivolity there lies seriousness.
★George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Life
·Born in Dublin, Ireland
·Mother: a talented musician
·Fabian Society (费边社)
·Negative about the theory of “Art for Art’s Sake”
Literary Position
—An outstanding realistic dramatist and satirist
— It was Shaw who gave English drama a new lease of life.
— In 1925 he received the Nobel Prize for literature.
Literary Achievements
·Widowers' Houses《鳏夫的房产》
·Mrs. Warren’s Profession《华伦夫人的职业》
·Arms and the Man 《武器和武士》
·Candida 《康蒂妲》
·Major Barbara 《巴巴拉少校》
·Pygmalion《卖花女》
·Heartbreak House 《伤心之家》
·The Apple Cart 《苹果车》
·Too True to be Good 《真像毕露》
Subjects concern
·Slum landlordism
—(Widowers' Houses) ·Prostitutes and prostitution
—(Mrs. Warren’s Profession) ·Attack on Victorian conventions, such as home, romantic love, military glory, and idealism
—(Arms and the Man) ·Inequality between social classes and censure of middle class morality
—(Pygmalion) ·Pre-war spiritual poverty in Europe and the shallow Victorian work ethic
—(Heartbreak House) Features of writing
·Witty remarks, surprise, and paradox
·Caricature(讽刺画,漫画) types
·The rich suggestive classic myths as underpinning metaphors
·Poignant satire
Pygmalion《卖花女》
——George Bernard Shaw —This play…
·Based on classical myth
·plays on the complex business of human relationships in a social world
·A satire on middle-class morality
★Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)
Literary Position
—one of the greatest novelists in the English language
—a forerunner of modernism
Literary Achievements
The Nigger of the "Narcissus"《水仙号上的黑家伙》
Lord Jim《吉姆老爷》
Heart of Darkness《黑暗之心》
Heart of Darkness《黑暗之心》
1. The double meaning of Heart of Darkness
African hinter land and colonizers’ dark side
2.Features : narrative structure(叙事结构）
a lot of symbolism （大量象征手法）
3. Themes: Conrad bitterly satirizes the inhumanity of imperialism and colonialism.
7.Modernism (1918-1945) (现代主义文学)
Poets:
T. S. Eliot (1888-1865)
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)★T. S. Eliot (1888-1865)
Literary Position
—a leader of the modernist movement in English poetry
—a great innovator of verse technique
—He profoundly influenced 20th century English poetry between World War I and II.
—In 1948 he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Literary Achievements
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock《阿尔弗雷德·普罗弗洛克的情歌》
—The first masterpiece of modernism in English
·The Hollow Men《空心人》
—An impressive picture of the spiritual and emotional aridity of modern men
·The Waste Land《荒原》
—A landmark in English poetry, ending the Romantic period signifying the emergence of Modernism. It gave a picture of the spiritual ruins of Europe shortly after the end of World War I, and expressed the disillusionment of a generation of intellectuals. Poetry techniques:
Images
Symbols
literary allusions（典故）/references（文献）
★William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
Literary Position
·one of the twentieth century's key English-language poets
The leader of the “ Irish Renaissance ”(爱尔兰文艺复兴运动)
·Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923
·“The greatest poet of our time—certainly the greatest in this language.”
——T.S. Eliot
Major Works
·The Wild Swans as Coole《库勒的野天鹅》
·The Winding Stair《旋梯》
·The Tower《塔》
Poetry Concern
—His early poetry
·Romanticism, sometimes with elements of mysticism
·Often dealt with Irish themes。