简明英国文学史
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2.1 Life 2.2 Major Poems and Comments
Literature thrived in 14th-century English with three
major poets as its dominant figures: Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, and the anonymous “Gawain-poet”. Chaucer stood out as a giant of the three. He opened a brilliant page in English literature and had a profound influence on many important English poets. Chaucer is the father of modern English poetry.
Chaucer’s original plan was to write 120 stories. But
Chaucer only completed twenty-two. The Canterbury Tales cover an extraordinary variety of stories but the best part of it are the Prologue, the tales of the Knight, the Miller, the Franklin, the Pardoner, the Nun’s Priest, the Wife of Bath, and the Parson. Chaucer’s stories are deeply rooted in the real life of 14th-century England. Without a good understanding of the people’s feelings and desires, Chaucer could have never created this brilliant piece of literature.
The Knight’s Tale is told by the knight, an excellent
man who has served King Edward III in many campaigns in Europe. Asia and Africa. His narrates a chivalrous romance of love and battles. The Wife of Bath is Chaucer's most impressive presentation of bold, impertinent and independent women. She is very manipulative in her personal life.
Though the poem was popular, its author is little
known. Even the name itself of the author is uncertain. The poem consists of a series of dream visions interrupted with occasional wake-ups.
The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387-1400) is Chaucer’s
monumental success. Whenever Chaucer‘s name is mentioned, The Canterbury Tales is remembered. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. For most people, they can arrive at some understanding of the poet’s attitude towards many of the social issues of 14th-century England. The Canterbury Tales is influenced by Boccaccio’s Decameron. But the poem is more care fully structured. The poem present twenty-four tales, not all of them finished.
In Chaucer's day England was still medieval, but in
Italy the renaissance had begun, so Chaucer's poetry belongs to both the middle ages and the renaissance. The Norman invasion of England in 1066 had an enormous impact on English social life. These rapid social changes were vividly reflected in many of Chaucer's poems. Chaucer’s family background, his education and his career.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
17.
18. 19.
20.
21. 22. 23. 24.
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The Nun’s Priest’s Tale The Wife or Bath’s Tale The Friar’s Tale The Summoner’s Tale The Clerk’s Tale The Merchant’s Tale The Squire’s Tale The Franklin’s Tale The Physician's Tale The Pardoner’s Tale The Second Nun’s Tale The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale The Manciple’s Tale The Parson’s Tale
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7.
8. 9.
10.
The Knight’s Tale The Miller’s Tale The Reeve’s Tale The Cook’s Tale The Man of Law’s Tale The Shipman’s Tale The Prioress’ T ale The Rime of Sir Thopas The Tale of Melibeus The Monk’s Tale
3.1 The Vision of Piers Plowman (c. 1362) 3.2 Comments
Chaucer’s achievement is monumental and he made
other poets of his time seem less prominent. However, they deserve our attention. William Langland presented in The Vision of Piers Plowman a social protest from the viewpoint of a common man. The poem enjoyed wide popularity. More than fifty manuscripts of the poem still exist today in different libraries and institutions. Piers Plowman has three versions. The A text has 2567 lines. The B text, a revision and extension of the A text, is commonly accepted as the best form of the poem. It has about 7277 line. The C text is a substantial revision of the B text.
While Chaucer was mainly writing for the court,
Langland wrote mainly for the common people. This is obvious not only because Langland's poem deals with many down-to- earth subject matters, but also because its linguistic features mark the poem as an outstanding piece of literature that belong to the common people. Its language is plain and direct. Its images are clear as well as familiar. The style met the taste of the general public of his time.
The poem is a rich and realistic representation of the
unhappy side of the life in feudal England at the second half of the 14th century: social injustices, the corruption of the church, the meaningless power struggle in the court, and the sufferings of the poor peasants. The poem is both allegorical and satirical. In the poem, the poet has several dream-visions in which different religious and moral issues are brought into discussion. The poem suggests that honest work and devotion to religion is the way to lead one to heaven.
The Book of the Duchess is Chaucer’s first major work.
The poem blends the conventional literary form of allegory with a lively realism and psychological exploration. Troilus and Criseyde(c.1385) is Chaucer's great achievement. The poem is an adaptation of Boccaccio’s II Filostrato (The Lover-Stricken). It tells the love story between Troilus and Criseyde. But it largely reshaped and developed by Chaucer. The depiction of the subtle and complex character of Criseyde in particular makes the poem an in-depth study of human psychology.
Literature thrived in 14th-century English with three
major poets as its dominant figures: Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, and the anonymous “Gawain-poet”. Chaucer stood out as a giant of the three. He opened a brilliant page in English literature and had a profound influence on many important English poets. Chaucer is the father of modern English poetry.
Chaucer’s original plan was to write 120 stories. But
Chaucer only completed twenty-two. The Canterbury Tales cover an extraordinary variety of stories but the best part of it are the Prologue, the tales of the Knight, the Miller, the Franklin, the Pardoner, the Nun’s Priest, the Wife of Bath, and the Parson. Chaucer’s stories are deeply rooted in the real life of 14th-century England. Without a good understanding of the people’s feelings and desires, Chaucer could have never created this brilliant piece of literature.
The Knight’s Tale is told by the knight, an excellent
man who has served King Edward III in many campaigns in Europe. Asia and Africa. His narrates a chivalrous romance of love and battles. The Wife of Bath is Chaucer's most impressive presentation of bold, impertinent and independent women. She is very manipulative in her personal life.
Though the poem was popular, its author is little
known. Even the name itself of the author is uncertain. The poem consists of a series of dream visions interrupted with occasional wake-ups.
The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387-1400) is Chaucer’s
monumental success. Whenever Chaucer‘s name is mentioned, The Canterbury Tales is remembered. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. For most people, they can arrive at some understanding of the poet’s attitude towards many of the social issues of 14th-century England. The Canterbury Tales is influenced by Boccaccio’s Decameron. But the poem is more care fully structured. The poem present twenty-four tales, not all of them finished.
In Chaucer's day England was still medieval, but in
Italy the renaissance had begun, so Chaucer's poetry belongs to both the middle ages and the renaissance. The Norman invasion of England in 1066 had an enormous impact on English social life. These rapid social changes were vividly reflected in many of Chaucer's poems. Chaucer’s family background, his education and his career.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
17.
18. 19.
20.
21. 22. 23. 24.
wenku.baidu.com
The Nun’s Priest’s Tale The Wife or Bath’s Tale The Friar’s Tale The Summoner’s Tale The Clerk’s Tale The Merchant’s Tale The Squire’s Tale The Franklin’s Tale The Physician's Tale The Pardoner’s Tale The Second Nun’s Tale The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale The Manciple’s Tale The Parson’s Tale
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7.
8. 9.
10.
The Knight’s Tale The Miller’s Tale The Reeve’s Tale The Cook’s Tale The Man of Law’s Tale The Shipman’s Tale The Prioress’ T ale The Rime of Sir Thopas The Tale of Melibeus The Monk’s Tale
3.1 The Vision of Piers Plowman (c. 1362) 3.2 Comments
Chaucer’s achievement is monumental and he made
other poets of his time seem less prominent. However, they deserve our attention. William Langland presented in The Vision of Piers Plowman a social protest from the viewpoint of a common man. The poem enjoyed wide popularity. More than fifty manuscripts of the poem still exist today in different libraries and institutions. Piers Plowman has three versions. The A text has 2567 lines. The B text, a revision and extension of the A text, is commonly accepted as the best form of the poem. It has about 7277 line. The C text is a substantial revision of the B text.
While Chaucer was mainly writing for the court,
Langland wrote mainly for the common people. This is obvious not only because Langland's poem deals with many down-to- earth subject matters, but also because its linguistic features mark the poem as an outstanding piece of literature that belong to the common people. Its language is plain and direct. Its images are clear as well as familiar. The style met the taste of the general public of his time.
The poem is a rich and realistic representation of the
unhappy side of the life in feudal England at the second half of the 14th century: social injustices, the corruption of the church, the meaningless power struggle in the court, and the sufferings of the poor peasants. The poem is both allegorical and satirical. In the poem, the poet has several dream-visions in which different religious and moral issues are brought into discussion. The poem suggests that honest work and devotion to religion is the way to lead one to heaven.
The Book of the Duchess is Chaucer’s first major work.
The poem blends the conventional literary form of allegory with a lively realism and psychological exploration. Troilus and Criseyde(c.1385) is Chaucer's great achievement. The poem is an adaptation of Boccaccio’s II Filostrato (The Lover-Stricken). It tells the love story between Troilus and Criseyde. But it largely reshaped and developed by Chaucer. The depiction of the subtle and complex character of Criseyde in particular makes the poem an in-depth study of human psychology.