英美文学资料5
英美文学欣赏最新版教学课件英国文学Unit 5 Charles Dickens
英美文学欣赏（第四版）
他的主要作品有：《匹克威克外传》 (The Posthumous Papers of Pickwick Club, 1836-1837)、《雾都孤儿》 (Oliver Twist, 1838)、《大卫·科波菲尔》(David Copperfield, 1849)、《艰难时世》（Hard Times, 1854）、《双城记》 (A Tale of Two Cities, 1854)、《远大前程》(Great Expectations, 1860)等。
作品欣赏
英美文学欣赏（第四版）
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—
to this place—then fair to look upon, with not a trace of this day’s disfigurement. 那时这里已是一片美景，全没了今天的扭曲和丑恶。
英美文学考研复习资料重要作品整理文学流派解析
英美文学考研复习资料重要作品整理文学流派解析英美文学是世界上最为重要的文学流派之一，它涵盖了从古典到现代的各种文学作品。
本文将为您整理英美文学考研复习资料中的一些重要作品，并对其中代表性的文学流派进行解析。
一、文学流派解析1. 古典主义文学古典主义文学是英美文学史上的重要流派之一，其诞生于17世纪，充分借鉴了古希腊罗马文学的风格和理念。
代表作品包括约翰·米尔顿的《失乐园》，这部史诗被视为英国文学史上最伟大的作品之一，展现了古典主义文学的典型特征。
2. 浪漫主义文学浪漫主义文学兴起于18世纪末至19世纪初，追求个性、情感和自然的恢弘力量。
其中的重要作品有威廉·华兹华斯的《賓納山诗集》和塞缪尔·泰勒·柯勒律治的《孤独的旅行者》，这两部作品以描绘自然风光和表达人内心情感为主要特点。
3. 现实主义文学现实主义文学盛行于19世纪中叶至20世纪初，追求真实和客观的描写方式，反映社会问题和人民生活。
查尔斯·狄更斯的《雾都孤儿》和托马斯·哈代的《傲慢与偏见》是现实主义文学的代表作品，揭示了当时英美社会的不公与剥削。
4. 自然主义文学自然主义文学是现实主义文学的延伸，强调人的行为和命运受到自然和社会环境的决定。
斯蒂芬·克莱恩的《追逐》和杰克·伦敦的《野性的呼唤》是自然主义文学的经典之作，通过对人性的观察呈现了残酷的现实。
5. 现代主义文学现代主义文学兴起于20世纪初，以对传统文学形式的反叛和对意识流的运用为特点。
弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫的《到灯塔去》和詹姆斯·乔伊斯的《尤利西斯》是现代主义文学中的杰作，以其独特的叙事结构和思想深度引领了当时文学的新潮流。
二、重要作品整理1. 威廉·莎士比亚的《哈姆雷特》《哈姆雷特》是莎士比亚最著名的戏剧之一，被誉为西方文学史上最伟大的作品之一。
它通过对主人公哈姆雷特的心理描写，探讨了复仇、死亡和道德的问题，展现了莎士比亚独特的戏剧艺术和人物塑造能力。
英美文学选读复习资料
英美文学选读复习资料英美文学选读复习资料一、英国文学1、文艺复兴时期：莎士比亚的戏剧《哈姆雷特》、《李尔王》、《麦克白》等，以及弥尔顿的《失乐园》。
2、17世纪：约翰·多恩的玄学派诗歌，以及约翰·班扬的《天路历程》。
3、18世纪：启蒙时期，亨利·菲尔丁和理查逊的小说，以及亚历山大·蒲柏的讽刺诗歌。
4、19世纪：浪漫主义时期，包括拜伦、雪莱、济慈等人的诗歌，以及简·奥斯汀、爱米莉·勃朗特等的小说。
5、维多利亚时期：查尔斯·狄更斯、乔治·艾略特、托马斯·哈代等作家的小说，以及马修·阿诺德、约翰·罗斯金等人的诗歌。
二、美国文学1、浪漫主义时期：包括华盛顿·欧文的《睡谷传说》、爱伦·坡的短篇小说、以及纳撒尼尔·霍桑的《红字》。
2、现实主义时期：包括马克·吐温的《汤姆·索亚历险记》、亨利·詹姆斯的小说、以及艾米莉·狄金森的诗歌。
3、20世纪：包括F.斯科特·菲茨杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》、欧内斯特·海明威的《老人与海》、杰克·凯鲁亚克的《在路上》等文学作品。
三、文学术语和概念1、象征主义：通过象征性的符号或形象来表达某种思想或情感。
2、叙事视角：从特定的角度来描述故事，常见的有第一人称、第二人称、第三人称等。
3、意象主义：通过形象和比喻来表达情感和思想。
4、文艺复兴：欧洲历史上的一次文化运动，强调人文主义和古希腊罗马文化。
5、玄学派：17世纪英国的一种文学流派，强调诗歌中的哲学思考和神秘主义。
6、悲剧：一种戏剧类型，通常表现英雄人物的悲惨命运。
7、喜剧：一种戏剧类型，通常表现幽默、讽刺等轻松愉快的主题。
8、自然主义：一种文学流派，强调对自然和社会现实的客观描写。
9、超验主义：一种哲学思想，强调个人经验和直觉，反对传统权威。
英美文学史复习笔记5篇
英美文学史复习笔记5篇第一篇：英美文学史复习笔记英美文学复习时期划分——Early & Medieval literature 包括The Anglo-Saxon Period 和The Anglo-Norman Period ——Renaissance 文艺复兴——Revolution & Restoration 资产阶级革命与王权复辟——Enlightenment 启蒙运动——Romantic Period 浪漫主义时期——Critical Realism 批判现实主义——20th Modernism 现代主义传统诗歌主题：nature, life, death, belief, time, youth, beauty, love, feelings of different kinds, reason(wisdom), moral lesson, morality.修辞名称：meter格律, rhyme韵, sound assonance谐音, consonance和音, alliteration头韵, form of poetry诗歌形式, allusion典故, foot音步, iamb抑扬格, trochee扬抑格, anapest抑抑扬格, dactyl扬抑抑格, pentameter五音步文学体裁：诗歌poem,小说novel,戏剧novel起源：Christianity 基督教Bible圣经myth神话The Romance of king Arthur and his knights亚瑟王和他的骑士（笔记）一、1、The Anglo-Saxon period(496-1066)这个时期的文学作品分类：（pagan异教徒）（Christian基督徒）2、代表作：The song of Beowulf《贝奥武甫》(national epic)（民族史诗）采用了隐喻手法3、Alliteration押头韵（写作手法）例子：of man was the mildest and most beloved.To his kin the kindest, keenest for praise.二、The Anglo-Norman period(1066-1350)Canto 诗章受到法国影响English literature is also a combination of French and Saxon elements.1、romance传奇文学 Arthurian romances亚瑟王传奇2、代表作：Sir Gawain and the Green Knight(高文爵士和绿衣骑士)是一首押头韵的长诗 knighthood 骑士精神三、Geoffrey Chaucer(1340-1400)杰弗里。
自考英美文学选读_重点总结【英国】Chapter 5 The Modern Period现代时期
【英国】Chapter 5 The Modern Period现代时期1. The once sun-never-set Empire finally collapsed.日不落帝国终于日薄西山了。
2. Arthur Schopenhauer, a pessimistic philosopher, started a rebellion against rationalism, stressing the importance of will and intuition.德国哲学家亚瑟.叔本华的悲观主义与反理性哲学强调了人的意愿与直觉的重要性。
3. Friedrich Nietzsche advocated the doctrines of power and superman and by completely rejecting the Christian morality.尼采继承了叔本华的理论后，更进一步的反叛理性主义与基督教精神，推崇强权与霸权。
4. Henry Bergson established his irrational philosophy, which put the emphasis on creation, intuition, irrationality and unconsciousness.亨利.伯格森在前人基础上创立了非理性哲学，强调创造力，直觉，非理性与无意识。
5. The appalling shock of the First World War severely destroyed people’s faith in the Victorian values.一战的毁灭性灾难摧垮了人们对维多利亚道德标准的信奉。
6. The French symbolism, appearing in the late 19th century, heralded modernism.19世纪晚期法国的象征主义预示了现代主义的诞生。
英美文学选读复习资料
英美文学选读复习资料英美文学选读复习资料英美文学是指英国和美国的文学作品，包括小说、诗歌、戏剧等。
这些作品代表了英美文化的精髓，对于理解这两个国家的历史、社会和文化有着重要的意义。
在学习英美文学时，我们需要掌握一些重要的作品和作家，以及他们的主要思想和风格。
首先，我们来看看英美文学的起源。
英国文学可以追溯到中世纪，最早的英国文学作品是史诗《贝奥武夫》。
这部作品讲述了一个英雄的故事，强调了勇气、荣誉和忠诚的重要性。
这种史诗的传统在英国文学中一直延续到今天，影响了许多作家，如莎士比亚和狄更斯。
莎士比亚是英国文学的巅峰之作。
他的戏剧作品包括悲剧、喜剧和历史剧，涵盖了各种主题和情感。
莎士比亚的作品具有深刻的人物描写和复杂的情节，他的语言也非常美丽和富有表现力。
莎士比亚的作品对于理解人性和社会问题有着重要的启示，被广泛地研究和演出。
在美国文学方面，最早的作品可以追溯到殖民地时期。
这些作品主要是宗教文学，反映了殖民地居民的信仰和价值观。
其中最著名的作品是《普利茅斯植民者的历史》，它记录了普利茅斯植民者在美洲建立殖民地的经历。
这些作品对于理解美国的宗教和政治历史有着重要的意义。
美国文学的巅峰时期是19世纪，这个时期出现了许多重要的作家和作品。
其中最著名的是马克·吐温的《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》。
这部小说以一个少年的视角描写了美国南方的奴隶制度和种族歧视，对于美国社会的问题提出了尖锐的批评。
这部小说被认为是美国文学的经典之作，对于后来的作家产生了重要的影响。
除了莎士比亚和吐温，还有许多其他重要的英美作家和作品。
例如，英国的狄更斯和奥斯汀，美国的海明威和福克纳。
这些作家的作品涉及了各种不同的主题和风格，从社会问题到个人成长，从浪漫主义到现实主义。
他们的作品代表了英美文学的多样性和丰富性。
在学习英美文学时，我们不仅需要了解这些作家和作品，还需要理解它们的背景和文化内涵。
英美文学反映了英国和美国的历史、社会和价值观，它们是这两个国家文化遗产的重要组成部分。
英美文学重点知识归纳
英美文学重点知识归纳1. 英美文学的定义英美文学是指英国和美国的文学作品，包括小说、诗歌、戏剧、散文等。
英美文学具有悠久的历史，涵盖了从古代文学到现代文学的各个时期和流派。
2. 英美文学的时期和流派2.1 古代英美文学古代英美文学包括早期安格鲁-撒克逊文学、中世纪文学和文艺复兴时期文学。
其中，早期安格鲁-撒克逊文学以史诗《贝奥武夫》为代表，中世纪文学以《坎特伯雷故事集》为代表，文艺复兴时期文学以莎士比亚的戏剧作品为代表。
2.2 浪漫主义文学浪漫主义是英美文学的一个重要流派，包括诗人拜伦、雪莱和济慈等人的作品。
浪漫主义文学强调个体的感情和想象力，关注自然、爱情、自由等主题。
2.3 现实主义文学现实主义是英美文学的另一个重要流派，出现于19世纪后期。
代表作家包括狄更斯、托尔斯泰和马克·吐温等人。
现实主义文学揭示社会问题，关注人性的复杂性和社会的不公平。
2.4 现代主义文学现代主义是20世纪英美文学的主要流派，代表作家有弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫、塞缪尔·贝克特和詹姆斯·乔伊斯。
现代主义文学对传统的文学形式进行了颠覆和重塑，追求形式上的创新和思想上的深度。
3. 英美文学的重要作家和作品3.1 威廉·莎士比亚（William Shakespeare）威廉·莎士比亚是英国文学史上最伟大的戏剧家和诗人之一。
他的代表作品包括《哈姆雷特》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》和《麦克白》等。
3.2 简·奥斯汀（Jane Austen）简·奥斯汀是19世纪英国小说家，被誉为英国小说的经典作家。
她的代表作包括《傲慢与偏见》、《理智与情感》和《艾玛》等。
3.3 弗朗西斯·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德（F. Scott Fitzgerald）弗朗西斯·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德是20世纪美国作家，代表作品有《了不起的盖茨比》。
他被认为是美国“爵士时代”的象征之一。
《英美文学选读》自学资料 (全)
强人总结《英美文学选读》自学资料 (全)American LiteratureChapter one : The romantic periodI. Emerson’s transcendentalism and his attitude toward nature:1.Transcendentalism—it is a philosophic and literary movement that flourish in New England, as a reaction against rationalism and Calvinism. It stressed intuitive understanding of god without the help of the church, and advocated independence of the mind.2. Emerson’s transcendentalism:The over-soul—it is an all-pervading power goodness, from which all things come and of which all are a part. It is a supreme reality of mind, a spiritual unity of all beings and a religion. It is a communication between an individual soul and the universal over-soul. And he strongly believe in the divinity and infinity of man as an individual, so man can totally rely on himself.3.His toward nature:Emerson loves nature. His nature is the garment of the over-soul, symbolic and moral bound. Nature is not something purely of the matter, but alive with God’s presence. It exercise a healthy and restorative influence on human beings. Children can see nature better than adult.II. Hawthorne’s Puritanism and his black vision of man:1. Puritanism—it is the religious belief of the Puristans, who had intended to purify and simplify the religious ritual of the church of England.2. his black vision of man—by the Calvinistic concept of original sin, he believed that human being are evil natured and sinful, and this sin is ever present in human heart and will pass one generation to another.3. Young Goodman Brown—it shows that everyone has some evil secrets. The innocent and naïve Brown is confronted with the vision of human evil in one terrible night, and then he becomes distrustful and doubtful. Brown stands for everyone ,who is born pure and has no contact with the real world ,and the prominent people of the village and church. They cover their secrets during daily lives, and under some circumstances such as the witch’s Sabbath, they become what they are. Even his closed wife, Faith, is no except ion. So Brown is aged in that night.III. The symbolism of Melville’s Mobby-Dick1.The voyage to catch the white whale is the one of the mind in quest of the truth and knowledge of universe.2. To Ahab, the whale is an evil creature or the agent of an evil force that control the universe. As to readers, the whale is a symbol of physical limits, or a symbol of nature. It also can stand for the ultimate mystery of the universe and the wall behind which unknown malicious things are hiding.IV. Whitman and his Leaves of Grass :1. Theme: sing of the “en-mass” and the self / pursuit of love, happiness, and ***ual love / sometimes about politics (Drum taps)2. Whitman’s originality first in his use of the poetic form free verse (i.e. poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme),by means of which he becomes conversational and casual.3.He uses the first person pronoun “I” to stress individualism, and oral language to acquire sympathy from the common reader.Chapter two : The realistic periodI. The character analysis and s ocial meaning of Huck Finn in Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainHuck is a typical American boy with “a sound heart and a deformed conscience”. He appears to be vulgar in language and in manner, but he is honest and decent in es sence. His remarkable raft’s journey down on the Mississippi river can be regarded as his process of education and his way to grow up. At first, he stands by slavery, for he clings to the idea that if he lets go the slave, he will be damned to go to hell. And when the “King” sells Jim for money, Huck decides to inform Jim’s master. After he thinks of the past good time when Jim and he are on the raft where Jim shows great care and deep affection for him, he decide to rescue Jim. And Huck still thinks he is wrong while he is doing the right thing.Huck is the son of nature and a symbol for freedom and earthly pragmatism. Through the eye of Huck, the innocent and reluctant rebel, we see the pre-Civil War American society fully exposed. Twain contrasts the life on the river and the life on the banks, the innocence and the experience, the nature and the culture, the wilderness and the civilization.II. Daisy Miller by Henry James1. Theme: The novel is a story about American innocence defeated by the stiff, traditional values of Europe. James condemns the American failure to adopt expressive manners intelligently and point out the false believing that a good heart is readily visible to all. The death of Daisy results from the misunderstanding between people with different cultural backgrounds.2. The character analysis of Daisy: She represents typical American girl, who is uninformed and without the mature guidance. Ignorance and parental indulgence combine to foster he assertive self-confidence and fierce willfulness. She behaves in the same daring naive way in Europe asshe does at home. When someone is against her, she becomes more contrary. She knows that she means no harm and is amazed that anyone should think she does. She does not compromise to the European manners.3. The character analysis of Winterbourne: He is a Europeanized American, who has live too long in foreign parts. He is very experience and has a problem understanding Daisy. He endeavors to put her in sort of formula, i.e. to classify her.III. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser:1. Theme: The author invented the success of Carrie and the downfall of Hurstwood out of an inevitable and natural judgment, because the fittest can survive in a competitive, amoral society according to the social Darwinism.2. The character analysis of Carrie: S he follows the right direction to a pursuit of the American dream, and the circumstances and her desire fora better life direct to the successful goal. But she is not contented, because with wealth and fame, she still finds herself lonely. She is a product of the society, a realization of the theory of the survival of the fittest.3. The character analysis of Hurstwood: He is a negative evidence of the theory of the survival of the fittest. Because he is still conventional and can not throw away the social morals, he is not fitted to live in New York.Chapter three : The Modern PeriodI. Ezra Pound and his theory of Imagism1. The principles: a. direct treatment of the thing; b. to use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation; c. to compose in the sequence of the musical; d. to use the language of common speech and the exact word; e. to create new rhythms; f. absolutely freedom in the choice of subject.2. Imagism is to present an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time. An imagistic poem must present the object exactly the way the thing is seen. And the reader can form the image of the object through the process of reading the abstract and concrete words.II. Frost and his poetry on nature:Frost is deeply interested in nature and in men’s relationship to nature. Nature appears as an explicator and a mediator for man and serve as the center of reference of his behavior. Peace and order can be found in Frost’s poetical natur al world. With surface simplicity of his poems, the thematic concerns are always presented in rich symbols. Therefore his work resists easy interpretation.III. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his The Great Gatsby1. Theme: Gatsby is American Everyman. His extraordinary energy and wealth make him pursue the dream. His death in the end points at the truth about the withering of the American Dream. The spiritual and moral sterility that has resulted from the withered American Dream is fully revealed in the article. However, although he is defeated, the dream has gave Gatsby a dignity and a set of qualities. His hope and belief in the promise of future makes him the embodiment of the values of the incorruptible American Dream .2. The character analysis of Gatsby: Gatsby is great, because he is dignified and ennobled by his dream and his mythic vision of life. He has the desire to repeat the past, the desire for money, and the desire for incarnation of unutterable vision on this material earth. For Gatsby, Daisy is the soul of his dreams.He believe he can regain Daisy and romantically rebels of time. Although he has the wealth that can match with the leisured class, he does not have their manners. His tragedy lies in his possession of a naive sense and chivalry.IV. Ernest Hemingway’s artistic features:1. The Hemingway code heroes and grace under pressure:T hey have seen the cold world ,and for one cause, they boldly and courageously face the reality. They has an indestructible spirit for his optimistic view of life. Whatever is the result is, the are ready to live with grace under pressure. No matter how tragic the ending is, they will never be defeated. Finally, they will be prevail because of their indestructible spirit and courage.2.The iceberg technique:Hemingway believe that a good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action. The one-eighth the is presented will suggest all other meaningful dimensions of the story. Thus, Hemingway’s language is symbolic and suggestive.V. The character analysis of Emily in A Rose for Emily:Emily is a symbol of old values, standing for tradition, duty and past glory. But she is also a victim to all those she cares and embrace. The source of Emily’s strangeness is from her born pride and self-esteem,the domineering behavior of her father and the betrayal of her lover. Barricaded in her house, s he has frozen the past to protect her dreams. Her life is tragic because the defiance of the community, her refusal to accept the change and her extreme pride have pushed her to abnormality and insanity.English LiteratureChapter One The Renaissance PeriodI. Shakespeare’s sonnets1. With a few exceptions, Shakespeare writes his sonnets in the popular English form of three quatrains and a couplet. The couplet usually ties the sonnet to one of the general themes, leaving the quatrains free to develop the poetic intensity.2. The sonnet’s most common themes concern the destructive effects of time, the quickness of physical decay, and the loss of beauty, vigor, and love. Although the poems celebrate life, they are always with a keen awareness of death.3. His sonnet 18 expresses that beautiful things can rely on the force of literature to reach eternity. Literature is created by man, thus it declares man’s eternity. The poem shows the mighty self-confidence of the newly class. The vivid, variable and rich images reflect the lively and adventurous spirits of those who were opening new world.II. Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice1. Theme(1) Justice vs. mercy: Shakespeare suggests that all men should be merciful. There is a further aspect of justice—the injustice revealed in the Christians’ treatment of the Jews.(2) Appearance vs. reality: e.g. superficial or external beauty vs. moral or spiritual beauty or truth (in the case of three caskets); the letters of law vs. the spirit of the law.(3) Commercial or material values vs. love: True love is much more worthwhile than money and material values. Antonio epitomizes true love in his friendship for Bassanio.2. The character analysis of ShylockShylock is a Jewish usurer, and he is a tragic-comic character.He is comic because he finally becomes the one punished by his own evil deed. He is avaricious. He accumulates as much wealth as he can and he even equates his lost daughter with his lost money. He is also cruel. In order to revenge, he would rather claim a pound of flesh from his enemy Antonio than get back his loan.He is tragic, because he is the victim of the society. As a Jew, he is not treated equally by the society. The law is harsh to him. He has to make as much money as he can in order to protect him. He is abused by Antonio, so he wants to get revenge.III. The character analysis of HamletHamlet is a scholar and a warrior. His father has been killed by his uncle, Claudius, who then take the throne and marries his mother. Hamlet is informed by the ghost of his father to take revenge, but the weakness of indecisiveness or indetermination in his character always delay his action, and finally leads to his tragic fall of death. Hamlet is not a man of action, but a man of thinking at first. He hesitates at some crucial moments. At last when he is forced to take some actions, he does kill Claudius gloriously, but he also sacrifices his own life.IV. Donne and his “The Sun Rising”1. Metaphysical poet: He wrote poems by using unconventional and surprising conceits and full of wit and humor, but sometimes the logic argument and conceits become pervasive. The language is colloquial but powerful, creati ng unorthodox images on the reader’s mind.2. His “The Sun Rising”: In this poem, the love’s wedding room has been intruded by sun and the man takes offence at the intrusion. He attack the sun as an unruly servant, and finally he allow the sun to enter the ir chamber and warm them. The poem’s true subject is the lady—his true emotional love. Every insult to the sun is a compliment to the lady.V. Milton’s Paradise Lost :1.Structure: The story is taken from the Old Testament. It extends chronologically from the exaltation of Christ before the creature of universe to the second coming of Christ. Geographically, it ranges over the entire world.2. The character analysis of Satan:He has the strength, the courage and the capacity for leadership, but he devoted all those qualities to evil. His defiance of God shows his egoistic pride, his false conception of freedom, and his alienation from all good. His own evil and damnation give him potentially tragic dimensions. Therefore, Satan is enveloped in dramatic irony because he fight in ignorance of the unshakable power of God and goodness.3.Features: Parallel and contrastThe central conflict and contrast between good and evil are intensified by the contrast between heaven and hell, light and darkness, love and hate, reason and passion, etc.Chapter Two The Neo-classical PeriodI. The allegorical meaning of “The Vanity Fair” in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s ProgressThe Vanity Fair refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that all they are concerned is to buy and sell everything they can. It allegorically represents vanity both in the society and in people’s heart, so people are spiritually lost. However, the pilgr ims refuse to buy any of the things in the Vanity Fair. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weakness and social evils. Christians’ refusal shows that they are one step nearer the Celestial City.II. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism and th e characteristics of his own poetry1. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism is best shown in his An Essays on Criticism. He emphasizing that literary works s hould be judged by classical rules of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion and good taste. He calls on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance. He advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of conceit or the external beauty of language, but to pay special attention to true wit which is best set in a plain style.2. Pope’s poem strictly follows his idea of neoclassicism. He developed a satiric, concise, smooth, graceful and well-balanced style, and finally brought to its last perfection of the heroic couplet.II. The social satire of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s TravelsThe account of Lilliputian life, especially the games for people at court, alludes to the similar ridiculous practices or tricks in the English government. The description of the competition in the games before the royal members leads to the fact that the success of those government officials such as the Prime Minister lies not in their being any wiser or better but in their being more dexterous in the game. This alludes to the practices in England. And the pompous words singing of the Lilliputian emperor ridicule the aristocratic arrogance and vanity.V. Henry Fielding and his Tom JonesIt is a good example of “comic epic in prose”. Fielding describes the fight between Molly and the villagers and her fistfight with Goody Brown in the grand style of the Homeric epic. He first of all calls on the Muses to assist him in recounting the fight as if it were of great historical importance. Like Homer who would list names of gods involved in the battle, he lists the names of the villagers. He treats Molly as a great hero at battle, an “Amazonian heroine”. Besides, he uses a mock-epic tone and seems very solemn about what he is describing. He uses formal words and refined language. Finally, he makes use of different figures of speech, particularly, irony and hyperbole.V. Thomas Gray and his “Elegy Written in a County Church”In the poem, Gray presents a picture of the quiet and solitary county at dusk through the sounding of the curfew, the home-coming plowman, the tinkling of bells under the necks of the cattle, the moping owl, the narrow cell (grave), etc.. He bemoans the fate of those common laborers who are now buried in the graves, tries to imagine how they had lived as loving parents and hardworking people, and praise their homely joys. He then express his contempt for those noblemen who once lived a pompous life, and despised the poor, but have ended up in a way no better than the ordinary folk. We can see Gray’s sympathy for the poor and contempt for the rich.Chapter Three The Romantic PeriodI. Wordsworth and his “I wandered lonely as a cloud”The poem is crystal clear and lucid. Below the immediate surface, we find that all the realistic details of the flowers, the trees, the waves, the wind, and all the realistic details of the active joy, are absorbed into an over-all concrete metaphor, the recurrent image of the dance. The flowers, the stars, the waves are units in this dancing pattern of order in diversity, of linked eternal harmony and vitality. Through the revelation and recognition of his kinship with nature, the poet himself becomes as it were a part of the whole cosmic dance.II. Shelley and his “Ode to the West Wind”In the poem, Shelley eulogizes the west wind as a powerful phenomenon of nature that is both destroyer and preserver. The wind enjoys boundless freedom and has the power to spread messages far and wide. The keynote in the poem is Shelley’s ever-present wish for himself and his fellow men to share the freedom of the west wind, remembering meanwhile his own and common human miseries. And the dominant mood is that of hope rather than despair, as the poet is hoping for the realization of the freedom and joy. The optimism expressed in the last two lines show the poet’s critical attitude toward the ugly social reality and his faith in a bright future for humanity.III. John Keats and his “Ode on a Grecian Urn”In the poem Keats shows the contrast between the permanence of art and the transience of human passion. The poet has absorbed himself into the timeless beautiful scenery on the Grecian urn: the lovers, musicians and worshippers carved on the urn, and their everlasting joys. They are unaffected by time, stilled in expectation. This is the glory and the limitation of the world conjured up by and object of art. The urn celebrates but simplifies intuitions of joy by defying our pain and suffering. But at last, the urn presents his ambivalence about time and the nature of beauty.IV. The character analysis of Elizabeth in Jane Austen’s Pride and PrejudiceElizabeth is a beautiful young lady in the Bennets. She is intelligent, contrasting her empty-minded, snobbish and vulgar mother. She is a women of distinct character. She is not passive, but pursue her true love bravely. She turns down Mr. Collin’s marriage proposa l and seeking her happiness with Darcy, the one she possesses true affection for her. She is also courageous. When Darcy’s aunt lady comes to force her into a promise of never consenting to marry Darcy, she boldly challenges her authority, contempt and arrogance. On the whole, Elizabeth is a typical image of the good, attractive lady in the 19th century.Chapter Two The Neo-classical PeriodI. The allegorical meaning of “The Vanity Fair” in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s ProgressThe Vanity Fair refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that all they are concerned is to buy and sell everything they can. It allegorically represents vanity both in the society and in people’s heart, so people are spiritually lost. However, the pilgr ims refuse to buy any of the things in the Vanity Fair. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weakness and social evils. Christians’ refusal shows that they are one step neare r the Celestial City.II. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism and the characteristics of his own poetry1. Pope’s point of view on poetry criticism is best shown in his An Essays on Criticism. He emphasizing that literary works s hould be judged by classical rules of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion and good taste. He calls on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance. He advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of conceit or the external beauty of language, but to pay special attention to true wit which is best set in a plain style.2. Pope’s poem strictly follows his idea of neoclassicism. He developed a satiric, concise, smooth, graceful and well-balanced style, and finally brought to its last perfection of the heroic couplet.III. The social satire of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s TravelsThe account of Lilliputian life, especially the games for people at court, alludes to the similar ridiculous practices or tricks in the English government. The description of the competition in the games before the royal members leads to the fact that the success of those government officials such as the Prime Minister lies not in their being any wiser or better but in their being more dexterous in the game. This alludes to the practices in England. And the pompous words singing of the Lilliputian emperor ridicule the aristocratic arrogance and vanity.IV. Henry Fielding and his Tom JonesIt is a good example of “comic epic in prose”. Fielding describes the fight between Molly and the villagers and her fistfight with Goody Brown in the grand style of the Homeric epic. He first of all calls on the Muses to assist him in recounting the fight as if it were of great historical importance. Like Homer who would list names of gods involved in the battle, he lists the names of the villagers. He treats Molly as a great hero at battle, an “Amazonian heroine”. Besides, he uses a mock-epic tone and seems very solemn about what he is describing. He uses formal words and refined language. Finally, he makes use of different figures of speech, particularly, irony and hyperbole.V. Thomas Gray and his “Elegy Written in a County Church”In the poem, Gray presents a picture of the quiet and solitary county at dusk through the sounding of the curfew, the home-coming plowman, the tinkling of bells under the necks of the cattle, the moping owl, the narrow cell (grave), etc.. He bemoans the fate of those common laborers who arenow buried in the graves, tries to imagine how they had lived as loving parents and hardworking people, and praise their homely joys. He then express his contempt for those noblemen who once lived a pompous life, and despised the poor, but have ended up in a way no better than the ordinary folk. We can see Gray’s sympathy for the poor and contempt for the rich.Chapter Three The Romantic PeriodI. Wordsworth and his “I wandered lonely as a cloud”The poem is crystal clear and lucid. Below the immediate surface, we find that all the realistic details of the flowers, the trees, the waves, the wind, and all the realistic details of the active joy, are absorbed into an over-all concrete metaphor, the recurrent image of the dance. The flowers, the stars, the waves are units in this dancing pattern of order in diversity, of linked eternal harmony and vitality. Through the revelation and recognition of his kinship with nature, the poet himself becomes as it were a part of the whole cosmic dance.II. Shelley and his “Ode to the West Wind”In the poem, Shelley eulogizes the west wind as a powerful phenomenon of nature that is both destroyer and preserver. The wind enjoys boundless freedom and has the power to spread messages far and wide. The keynote in the poem is Shelley’s ever-present wish for himself and his fellow men to share the freedom of the west wind, remembering meanwhile his own and common human miseries. And the dominant mood is that of hope rather than despair, as the poet is hoping for the realization of the freedom and joy. The optimism expressed in th e last two lines show the poet’s critical attitude toward the ugly social reality and his faith in a bright future for humanity.III. John Keats and his “Ode on a Grecian Urn”In the poem Keats shows the contrast between the permanence of art and the transience of human passion. The poet has absorbed himself into the timeless beautiful scenery on the Grecian urn: the lovers, musicians and worshippers carved on the urn, and their everlasting joys. They are unaffected by time, stilled in expectation. This is the glory and the limitation of the world conjured up by and object of art. The urn celebrates but simplifies intuitions of joy by defying our pain and suffering. But at last, the urn presents his ambivalence about time and the nature of beauty.IV. T he character analysis of Elizabeth in Jane Austen’s Pride and PrejudiceElizabeth is a beautiful young lady in the Bennets. She is intelligent, contrasting her empty-minded, snobbish and vulgar mother. She is a women of distinct character. She is not pass ive, but pursue her true love bravely. She turns down Mr. Collin’s marriage proposal and seeking her happiness with Darcy, the one she possesses true affection for her. She is also courageous. When Darcy’s aunt lady comes to force her into a promise of never consenting to marry Darcy, she boldly challenges her authority, contempt and arrogance. On the whole, Elizabeth is a typical image of the good, attractive lady in the 19th century.Chapter Four The Victorian PeriodI. The features of Charles Dickens1. His critical realism: While sticking to the principle of faithful representation of the 18th-century realist novel, he carried the duty to the criticism of the society and the defense of the mass.2. He is a master storyteller. With his first senten ce, he engages the reader’s attention and holds it to the end.3. What he writes is mainly the middle and lower-middle class life in London.4. He is a master of language with a large vocabulary and an adeptness with the vernacular.5. He is a great humorist as well as a great painter of pathos. He always mingles the two to make his fictional world realistic.6. His characters are not only true to life but also large than life. There are both individual characters and type characters.II. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre1. Theme: The novel sharply criticizes the religious hypocrisy of charity institutions like Lowood School, where girls are trained to be humble slaves. It rebukes the social discrimination and false convention about love and marriage. Besides, the novel is a moral fable. It tells us that people have to go through all kinds of physical or moral tests to obtain their final happiness.2. The character analysis of Jane Eyre: Jane Eyre is an orphan child with a fiery spirit and a longing to love and be loved. She is poor and plain, but she dares to love her master, a man superior to her in many ways, as a little governess. She is brave enough to declare to the man her love for him. She cuts a completely new women image. She represents those middle-class working women who are struggling for recognition of their basic rights and equality as a human being.III. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Height1. The novel is an extraordinary moving love story: the passion between Heathcliff and Catherine is the most intense, beautiful, and the most horrible passions ever found among human beings.2. It is also a work of critical realism. Heathcliff is abused, rejected and distorted by the society only because he is a poor orphan of obscure parents. He suffers all kinds of inhuman treatment after the death of his benefactor. He loves Catherine dearly but forced to be separated from her. So, Heathcliff’s cruel revenge upon his enemies is justified in a way.3. The author makes clear that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of social status, and it is cruel and destructive to break genuine, natural human passions. Although Catherine and Edgar’s marriage is ideal in the eyes of the whole neighborhood, her love for Heathcliff is hard and everlasting.IV. Robe rt Brouning’s “My Last Duchess”Dramatic Monologue can best bring out the Duke’s character in a dramatic way. The Duke is extremely cruel to kill his newly-married wife just because his jealousy. He is addressing to a character who exists but remains silent in the poem. He is showing off to this silent character about his wife’s beauty and his own power to destroy it. He justifies his own deed as a trifle matter. However, as audience, we may fee l strongly the contrary. His arrogance, cruelty and hypocrisy are fully exposed. What he says and what we feel form a sharp contrast and achieve an dramatic effect.V. George Eliot’s MiddlemarchGorge Eliot pays great attention to the mutual effect between the inner world of the character and the outer world of the environment. Dorothea had wanted to escape the common meaningless life of the gentle ladies and enter some noble cause by marrying Casaubon. But her voluntary help, companionship and tenderness are ignored by her husband, she is forced into the idle life.When Dorothea got up, Mr. Casaubon was in library. Looking through the windows at the white landscape and cloudy sky, she felt a dullness and lifelessness. The furniture, the book, and everything in the house too looked lifeless and shrunk to her. The gloomy environment found ready response from her inner heart. Her great disappointment with her marriage is here joined together with the outer dreary and lifeless environment to make up a pathetic picture.Chapter Five The Modern PeriodI. The feat ures of Shaw’s plays:1. Problem plays: He took the modern social issues as his subject with the aim of directing social reforms. Most of his plays are concerned with political, economic, or religious problems.2. In his characterization, he makes the tricks of showing up one character vividly at the expense of another. His characters are the representatives of ideas, which shift and alter during the play.。
英美文学选读要点整理
英美文学选读要点整理英美文学是指主要产生于英国和美国的文学作品。
这些作品普遍被认为是世界文学史上的经典之作，它们不仅反映了当时人们的思想、风俗和历史背景，而且对后世的文学创作和思想影响深远。
本文将对英美文学的一些经典作品和代表人物展开介绍，以便读者了解基本要点。
一、莎士比亚戏剧威廉·莎士比亚是英国文学中最伟大的戏剧家之一，他的戏剧作品为后世文学创作和人类思想发展做出了重要贡献。
《哈姆雷特》、《麦克白》、《李尔王》、《奥赛罗》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》等都是经典之作，其传世的主题和人物追求真理、权力、爱情、自由等，至今仍然在全球范围内广为演出和阅读。
二、乔治·爱留信的小说乔治·爱留信是19世纪英国小说的代表人物之一，她的作品关注现实、自由与平等等问题，无论在文学、政治、社会观点上均有着极高的分量。
《简爱》、《呼啸山庄》、《租户人生》等作品都曾引发社会议题的讨论，一些作品甚至被认为标志着英国小说的“新浪潮”。
三、查尔斯·狄更斯的小说查尔斯·狄更斯是19世纪英国最著名的小说家之一，他的作品关注社会中下层人民的生活、权利和不公平，以及对社会的批判。
他的作品被认为是英国小说的巅峰之一，如《呼啸山庄》、《人间喜剧》等均建立了极高的声誉。
四、海明威的小说海明威是20世纪美国最著名的小说家之一，他的作品具有天才的文学技巧和特立独行的风格。
《老人与海》、《太阳也辉煌》、《对一个没有人问津的人说话》等作品，都标志着他的文学成就。
他的作品关注人物的生命意义，对现代文化产生了深远的影响。
五、弗兰纳·奥康纳的短篇小说弗兰纳·奥康纳是20世纪美国南方最著名的小说家之一，她的短篇小说关注信仰、教育和人的本性等问题。
她的作品以强烈的宗教信仰和犀利的文学抨击而著名，如《下海湾》、《一朵草地》、《歌者猝死》等作品，刻画出各种虚伪、愚昧和堕落的形象。
英美文学常识
英美文学英国文学1.William ShakespeareShakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon in 1564. When he was about 14 years old, he had to leave school to help support his family. In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 8 years older than him. Later he went to London and became an actor and writer. In 1612 he retired from the stage and returned to his hometown and died in 1616. During the 22 years of his literary career, he produced 37 plays, 154 sonnets (十四行诗)and some long poems.Shakespeare produced 16 comedies. His main comedies are: A Midsummer Night’s Dream（《仲夏夜之梦》）, As You Like It（《皆大欢喜》）, Merchant of Venice（《威尼斯商人》）, The Twelfth Night（《第十二夜》）Merchant of VeniceThe story tells us that Shylock, the moneylender of Jew, is disliked by all good men, especially by Antonio, a young merchant of Venice, Bassano, the friend of his friend for help. Antonio has no money and goes to Shylock , who pretends to be kind, but asks Antonio to sign a bond. When the day to pay the debts comes, Antonio cannot pay the money and the Jew demands the pound of flesh as said in the bond. In court, a young doctor, Portia in disguise saves Antonia.Shakespeare wrote 11 tragedies, among which the most famous are: Romeo and Juliet（《罗密欧与朱丽叶》）, Hamlet（《哈姆雷特》）, Othello（《奥赛罗》）, King Lear（《李尔王》）, Macbeth （《麦克白》）, The Tempest（《暴风雨》）.HamletThe whole play shows how Hamlet, who represents good and justice, fights against his uncle in whom all the evil things can be seen. This play is regarded as the summit of Shakespeare’s art. The famous line in the play “to be , or not to be” by Hamlet is often quoted by people.OthelloThe story took place in Venice and Cyprus. The hero Othello is a splendid general. Iago, a very bad man envies Othello’s happiness. He tells Othello that his wife betrayed hi. Othello strangles his wife and later kills himself.King LearKing Lear, one of the British kings, wants to divide his kingdom into three parts and bestows each daughter a part. The first two daughters tell him that they love him more than words could express, while the youngest daughter refuses to flatter him. The old king, angry with the youngest daughter, divides the kingdom into two parts and the elder daughters get them. Later, the old king is treated badly and driven out of the two elder daughters’ houses. The youngest daughter comes to fight her sisters but is killed. At last, the king dies of grief and sorrow. Some critics have said that King Lear is Shakespeare’s greatest achievement, which is the most complex in plot and most painful. Among Shakespeare’s 10 historical plays, Henry IV and Henry V are two remarkable ones.Besides the 37 plays, Shakespeare wrote some long poems and 154 sonnets.He was one of the founders of realism in English literature. His plays are mirrors of his age.2.John MiltonMilton is the greatest writer of the 17th century. In his life and literary career the two dominant historical movements of Renaissance and Refo0rmation combine and receive their most intense and intelligent expression. He towers over his age just as Shakespeare towers over the Elizabethan age and Chaucer over the Medieval Age.Milton was born in London. He went to Cambridge University and got B.A. and M.A. there. Milton was married to Mary Powell in 1642 but she left him six weeks later. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, Milton began his masterpiece Paradise Lost（《失乐园》）. Before his death, he published two other works Paradise Regained（《复乐园》）and Samson Agonists（《力士参孙》）, but neither is successful as Paradise Lost.Paradise LostParadise Lost is Milton’s masterpiece and the greatest English epic. In the poem, God is no better than a selfish despot, who is cruel and unjust in punishing Satan（撒旦）, the rebel. Adam and Eve embody Milton’s belief in the powers of man. Satan is the real hero of the poem.3.Daniel DefoeDefoe was a novelist who has been regarded as the discoverer of the modern novel. His strong creative spirit in novel writing won him the title “Father of English and European Novels”. Defoe was the son of a London butcher. When he was nearly 60 years old, he returned to writing novels. His first novel The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe was a great success and Defoe became a well-known writer all over Europe.Robinson CrusoeThe story is told in the first person singular. At the beginning, we see Crusoe’s career as a sailor, a merchant and a slave owner. On the voyage to Africa, he met a shipwreck and found himself cast by the sea weaves upon the shore of an uninhabited island. He managed the livelihood there by himself. He built a shelter, grew barley and rice and fought against savages. Later he rescued one savage and named him Friday, who became his faithful servant. Finally an English ship came and took him to Europe, thus Crusoe ended his 28-year life on the island. Afterwards, he returned to England and got married. At last, he ailed back to the island and established a colony there. Crusoe represented the English bourgeoisie at the early stage of its development.4.Jonathan SwiftSwift was born in Dublin. After graduation from Dublin University, he went to England and became the secretary to Sir William Temple who treated him badly. During this period, he began to write. Later, in order to join the struggle of the Irish people against their English oppressors, he wrote some pamphlets concerning Ireland. In A Modest Proposal, with bitter irony, Swift suggested that the poor Irish peasants fatten their one-year-old children and sell them as food to the rich, which is a most powerful blow at the English government.In the period when he was closely linked with the Irish people, he wrote his masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels(《格列佛游记》). Gulliver's Travels (1726, amended 1735), is a novel by Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travellers' tales" literary sub-genre. It is Swift's best known full-length work, and a classic of English literature.5.William BlakeBlake’s main works includes:Songs of Innocence（《天真之歌》）: This collection contains poems written for children of which the best-known poem is The Lamb（《羊羔》）.Songs of Experience（《经验之歌》）: This collection is much mature and is Blake’s most important work. The best-known poems in this collection are The Tiger（《老虎》）, London （《伦敦》）and The Chimney-Sweeper（《扫烟囱的孩子》）. This poem in this collection shows that the poet’s eyes are open to the evils and vices of the world.6.Robert BurnsRobert Burns’ poetry falls into several groups according to the subject matter.Most of Burn’s poems are lyrics on love and friendship. They have a great charm of simplicity. They are very musical and can be sung. His best known lyrics are A Red, Red Rose（《红红的玫瑰》）, Auld Lang Syne（《旧日美好时光》）.Burns wrote some poems to express his hatred for the oppression of the ruling class and his love for freedom.Burns is the greatest songwriter in the world. He is the national poet of Scotland. Most of his poems and songs were written in Scotch dialects. He was the people’s poet.7.William WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth was born and grew up in the Lake District. The natural beauty and grandeur of this area was a major source of inspiration for Wordsworth throughout his life. In 1787, he attended Cambridge University. In 1797, he was introduced to Samuel Taylor Coleridge and became close friends. Their friendship is one of the most important and fruitful friendships in English literature. Later, he accepted the office of a distributor of stamps and was made “Poet Laureate”(桂冠诗人). He died in 1850 when he was 80 years old.8.George Gordon ByronByron was educated in Cambridge University, where he led an unbalanced life. In 1815, Byron married Annabella but quarreled with her bitterly. After the birth of their daughter, she left him. Byron left England in 1816 due to the scandals and never returned. In 1824, Byron died of fever in Greece.Byron wrote a lot of lyrical poems. They deal with nature and love. The best-known pieces are She Walks in Beauty（《她走在美的光影里》）, When We Two Parted（《昔日依依别》）and Hebrew Melodies（《希伯来歌曲》）. Byron is chiefly known for his two long poems, one is Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage(《恰尔德哈罗尔德游记》), the other is Don Juan which is his masterpiece. The story of the poem takes place in the latter part of the 18th century. Don Juan（《唐璜》）is a Spanish youth of aristocratic birth. The long poem describes Don Juan’s adventures in may countries.Byron is one of the most excellent representatives of English Romanticism. His literary career was closely associated with the struggle and progressive movement of his age. His poems are favorites of the British workers.9. Percy Bysshe ShelleyShelley went to Oxford University but was expelled after six months .expelled after six months. He had two marriages and the second one was happy. Later his first wife died and Byron was compelled to leave England in 1818 and spent all the rest of his life in Italy, where he met. Byron. In 1822, he was drowned.Prometheus Unbound (《解放的普罗米修斯》) is Shelly’s masterpiece. The story is taken from Greek mythology. According to Greek myth, Prometheus steals fire from Heaven and is punished by Zeus , who chains him to a rock. Finally Zeus is overthrown and Hercules sets Prometheus free.Shelly’s short poems on nature and love form an important part of his literary output. His best love lyrics: Ode to the West Wind（《西风颂》）and Ode To a Skylark（《云雀颂》）. “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” is a famous line in Ode to the West Wind.Shelly loved the people and hated their oppressors and exploiters. Byron called him “the best and least selfish man I ever knew”.10. John KeatsKeats was of very humble origin. In 1817, he published his first volume of poems and in 1818 appeared his second volume. Keats’ personal life was quite unhappy. He died in Rome at the age of 26.His famous works are Ode to a Nightingale（《夜莺颂》）, Ode on a Grecian Urn （《希腊古瓮颂》）and Ode to Autumn（《秋颂》）. Therefore, ode is his main form of poetry,Keats sought to express beauty in all his poems. His leading principle is “Beauty is truth, truth beauty”. His poetry is distinguished by sensuousness and the perfection of form.11. Charles DickensCharles Dickens was the son of a navy clerk. When he was fifteen, he left school and entered a lawyer’s office. In 1834, his lifework of writing began. The novel Pickwick Papers（《匹克维克外传》）brought him into the first rank of the most popular novelists of his day. The rest of his life was work without rest.His main novels in his life are:Pickwick Papers,Oliver Twist（《雾都孤儿》）,The Old Curiosity Shop （《老古玩店》）Dombey and Son （《董贝父子》）,David Copperfield （《大卫科波菲尔》）Great Expectations （《远大前程》）,A tale of Two Cities （《双城记》）12. The Bronte SistersThe Bronte Sisters are Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte and Anne Bronte. They were all talented writers and all of them died young. They were all lovers of literature and read a lot.Charlotte Bronte’s Masterpiece Jane EyreThis novel tells the story of and orphan girl called Jane Eyre. Maltreated by her aunt Mrs. Wood, she goes to a charity school named Lowood. Later, Jane becomes a governess in the family of a squire Mr. Rochester. The squire falls in love with her, however, before their wedding, Jane learns that Rochester has got a mad wife. Shocked by the news, Jane flees from the house and stays in a parson’s house. A great misfortune befalls Rochester, whose house is destroyed in a fire and hebecomes blind. Hearing this Jane hurries back and becomes his wife.In the novel, Jane Eyre maintains that women should have equal rights with men. Charlotte also aims to criticize the bourgeoisie educational system.Emily Bronte’s Masterpiece Wuthering HeightsThe novel deals with the story of the hero Heathcliff who is gipsy. He is picked up by Mr. Earnshaw and brought up together with his children. Heathcliff and the daughter of the family Miss Catherine have loved each since their childhood. But the love is crushed by Catherine’s brother, Hindley. Unable to bear Hindley’s insult, Heathcliff joins the army. Three years later he becomes a rich man, but finds that his sweetheart has already been married to another man. Later, Heathcliff becomes the master of the family and takes revenge upon the next generation. He treats Hindley’s son Hareton very cruelly and compels Catherine’s daughter Cathy to marry his own sick child. Finally, he sees the futility of revenge and Hareton and Cathy are married.Wuthering Heights is a powerful attack on the bourgeoisie marriage system.Agnes Grey is the masterpiece by Anne Bronte.13. Thomas HardyHardy was born in Dorset, which he called Wessex in his novels. His principle novels are the Wessex novels. Among his famous novels, the best-known are Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure（《无名的裘德》）.Tess of the D’Urbervilles（《德伯家的苔丝》）The heroine Tess is a poor dairymaid who has been seduced by Alex D’Urbervilles, a wealthy villain, and gives birth to a child. Later she falls in love with a man called Angel Clare. On their wedding night, the honest girl confesses to her husband that she has been seduced and given birth to a child. Her husband cannot accept the fact and goes abroad. Some years later, her husband returns and wants her to come back to him. Tess murders her seducer and is thus arrested and hanged.The tragedy of Tess is an exposure of the wicked oppressors represented by Alex.14. Jane AustenJane Austen was the first English woman novelist.Austen was born in Hampshire, a small town in southwest England. She was educated at home and led a quiet life. Austen wrote altogether 6 novels, among which the important ones are Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma.Jane Austen was popular all through the 19th century. She died in 1817 at the age of 42.Pride and PrejudiceThe novel is Jane Austen’s masterpiece. The central character of the novel is Elizabeth Bennet, one of the daughters in the Bennets.Elizabeth meets a young man Darcy and has prejudice against him because he has nothing but pride. After may twists and turns, misunderstanding disappear and they are happily united.The plot is very simple, but Austen has woven vivid pictures of everyday life of English country society. Her novels show a wealth of humor, wit and delicate satire. Her dialogues are admirably true to life.15. Oscar WildeOscar Wilde is the representative among the writers of aestheticism and decadence.The Picture of Dorian Grey （《多利安格雷的小巷》）is a typical decadent novel describing the author’s aesthetic view and immorality. It tells the story of a handsome but immoral young man whose immorality leaves no trace in his own appearance but is reflected in his portrait, which becomes more and more ugly. Happy Prince （《快乐王子》）is another important work by Wilde.16. William Butler YeatsYeats was an Irishman whose father was a painter. By the time he moved to London in 1887, his goals as an artist were fixed. In 1903, due to disappointment in love, he was resolved to make great poetry. In 1921, Yeats became a senator in the Irish Free State. In 1923, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature.His major poems include Sailing to Byzantium（《驶向拜占庭》）, the Second Coming （《基督再临》）and Leda and the Swan（《丽达与天鹅》）.17. Alexander PopePope was the representative writer of the neo-classical school. He was a master in satire and heroic couplet. His major works included An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock（《夺发记》）, Essay on Man（《论人类》）. Pope exerted much influence upon the other writers of the age. He occupied a prominent place in the literary world of his time. The early period of the 18th century has often been named after him as the “Age of Pope”. His influence on Bryon was great.美国文学1.Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin was one of the most important American thinkers during the revolutionary period. he stood as the epitome of the Enlightenment and as the versatile embodiment of rational man of the period.Franklin was born in Boston. At the age of 12, he became an apprentice to his brother James, a printer. In 1722, at only 16, he became the editor of a newspaper. In 1723, he went Philadelphia where he rose to prominence. The outbreak of the Revolution called him to attend the Second Continental Congress, then to be chosen a member of the committee to draft the Declaration of IndependenceIn his lifetime, Franklin was well known principally as an accomplished scientist , natural philosopher, statesman and literary man. His reputation as a great man of letters rested chiefly upon his two masterpiece: Poor Richard’s Almanac（《穷查理历书》）and Autobiography（《自传》）.2.Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman is a great democratic poet. He is the first great American poet to use free verse in poetry. Whitman was born on a farm in Long Island, New York. In 1838, he began editing his own weekly newspaper, the Long Islander. From that time on, he was principally a newspaperman in several cities. The publication of Leaves of Grass in 1855 marked the birth of truly American poetry, which changed Whitman from a conventional, undistinguished man into one of America’sgreatest and most original poets.Whitman’s great contribution to American literature is his use of free verse. He developed a poetic style of originality, which was devoid of conventional rhyme and meter（韵律）. Not only the form of his free verse but also his thought of democracy have been influential in world literature. Leaves of Grass（《草叶集》）Leaves of Grass has attained almost universal acceptance as America’s greatest book of poems. It has been praised as “Democratic Bible” and as American Epic. It is the lifelong work of Whitman and its themes are multiple.The ideas Whitman expresses in his Leaves of Grass are democratic ones besides his singing of science, labor and nature and can be summarized as the realization of liberty, equality and fraternity.Song of Myself （《自我之歌》）is the most famous poem in the collection.3.Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe has been held among the greatest poets and the most popular of American authors due to his great literary success. He is the first American professional writer and the first writer of detective story in the world. He had a short life of poverty, anxiety and fantastic tragedy.Poe was born in Boston orphaned at 2 and adopted by John Allan, a tobacco exporter. His Poems appeared in 1831, which consisted some of his best poems , like To Helen（《致海伦》）. In 1847 his wife died, he drank heavily and became addicted to the use of opium. In 1849, he was picked up unconscious on the street of Baltimore and died the following day at age of 40.His best famous poems are The Raven （《乌鸦》）and Annabel Lee （《安娜贝尔李》）and his most famous novel is The Fall of the House of Usher（《厄谢府的倒塌》）.4.Henry David ThoreauHis masterpiece was Walden, or Life in the Woods（《瓦尔登湖，或林中生活》）. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self reliance. Thoreau did not intend to live as a hermit, for he received visitors regularly, and returned their visits. Rather, he hoped to isolate himself from society to gain a more objective understanding of it. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of town, about two miles (3 km) from his family home.5.Mark TwainAs one of America’s first and foremost realists and humorists, Mark Twain, the penname of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, usually wrote about his own personal experiences and things he knew about from firsthand experience. At the heart of Twin’s achievement is his creation of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, who embody the mystic America.Twain was born in a village in Missouri and grew up in the river town of Hannibal. The town which was immortalized as St. Petersburg in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In 1857, Twain was attracted by the river life of the Mississippi and became a steamboat pilot. It was from this work that he got the idea of his pen name, which was a nautical term.At the age of 72, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Literature by Oxford University. In 1910, he died in Connecticut.Most of Mark Twin’s works are filled with humor. A droll sarcasm is often directed against worldly sham and pretense of any kind. The most popular of his books are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer（《汤姆索亚历险记》）and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Life on the Mississippi （《在密西西比河上》）depicts a unique kind of life that existed before the Civil War in America. It is historically interesting and valuable. The Prince and the Pauper（《王子和贫儿》）is a historical romance.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn（《哈克贝里费恩历险记》）Narrated by Huck , the sequel begins with its unschooled hero under the motherly protection of Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. His father kidnaps him and imprisons him in a lonely cabin. Huck escapes to Jackson’s island where he meets Miss Watson’s runaway slave Jim. They start their way on a raft and thus begin with their adventures along the Mississippi River.At last, Jim is set free in Miss Watson’s will and Huck decides to go on with his adventure for he doesn’t want to have the so-called “civilized” life.Huckleberry Finn is a veritable recreation of living models. All the characters have prototypes in real life. Though a local book, it touches upon the human situation in a general, indeed universal was: humanitarianism ultimately triumphs.The style of the book is quite simple. The book is written in the colloquial style, in the general speech of uneducated Americans. The book has become a masterpiece, the one book from which, as Earnest Hemingway noted, “all modern American literature comes.”6.Earnest HemingwayEarnest Hemingway was born in 1898 at Oak Park, Illinois. In World War I, he joined an American ambulance unit, was seriously wounded but fascinated by the war. War and death later comprise a major part of his subject matter.In 1923, he published The Sun Also Rises（《太阳照样升起》）. Financial success came in 1929 with A Farewell to Arms（《永别了武器》）. This novel is a masterpiece in which the author deals with the war directly. Its emotional impact is great and its war scenes are raw, vivid and true. In the late 1930s, with the outbreak of the Spanish War, Hemingway sailed for Spain and in 1940, For Whom the Bell Tolls（《丧钟为谁而鸣》）, his own favorite novel appeared. With The Old Man and The Sea（《老人与海》）, he was awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize. In 1954, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.On July 2, 1961, he killed himself with a gun, just as his father did.Indigenous to almost all of Hemingway’s novels is the concept of the Hemingway hero, who is usually a man of decidedly masculine tastes, sensitive and intelligent. And usually he is a man of action and of few words. The Hemingway hero stands for a whole generation, who possesses a kind of despairing courage. It is this courage that enables a man to behave like a man, to assert his dignity in face of dignity. Behind the formulation of the concept of hero lies the basic disillusionment of the American public.Hemingway’s style of writing is striking, characterized by short and terse sentences, simple diction often filled with emotion, vivid colloquialism and the simplicity of statements.A Farewell to ArmsLieutenant Henry was a young American attached to an Italian ambulance unit on the Italian front.He was introduced to Catherine Barkley. He liked the girl, but was not in love with her. At the front, Henry was wounded and was taken to a field hospital. Henry and Catherine stayed together and Catherine was pregnant.Henry returned to the front. Later he escaped and made his farewell to arms. He met Catherine and they ran away to Switzerland. Unfortunately Catherine died when giving birth to the child. Henry left the hospital helplessly and hopelessly.7.Francis Scott FitzgeraldFitzgerald was the leader of the Jazz Age and one of the best American writers of the 20th century. He attended Princeton University, while left in 1917 and enlisted in the army. In an army camp he met Zelda Sayre and fell love with her who became the model for most the pretty heroines of his later fiction. In 1921, Fitzgerald and Zelda were married and settled on Long Island and led an extravagant life. In 1925, he published his third novel The Great Gatsby（《了不起的盖茨比》）, a masterpiece related with irony and disillusionment of the American Dream. In 1934, he published his second masterpiece Tender Is the Night（《夜色温柔》）.The Great GatsbyThe story is told in the first person by Nick Caraway, a quiet young Midwesterner. In 1922, Nick leaves home to do business in New York City. He rents a small house in West Egg and next door to his house is the enormous house of Mr. Gatsby. On evening, Nick dines with a distant cousin, Daisy and gets to know her husband Tom and Jordan Baker, an attractive young golfer.Nick is invited to one of Gatsby’s parties and learns that Daisy and Gatsby were in love before. The reunion takes place and Nick has become involved with Jordan Baker. Tom later finds that his wife is in love with Gatsby and makes a conspiracy to have Gatsby killed.In the end of the story, Gatsby is shot to death by a man and Nick is in charge of his funeral. Although he wants to provide him with a decent funeral, no one wants to attend except for his father and servants. Nick realizes that the rich are careless and destructive.8.Jack LondonHis most important works include The Call of the Wild（《野性的呼唤》）, Love of Life（《热爱生命》）and Martin Eden（《马丁伊登》）.9.Arthur MillerHis masterpiece is Death of a Salesman（《推销员之死》）.The play attempts to raise a counterexample to Aristotle's characterization of tragedy as the downfall of a great man: though Loman certainly has hamartia, a tragic flaw or error, his downfall is that of an ordinary man. In this sense, Miller's play represents a democratization of the ancient form of tragedy; the play's protagonist is himself obsessed with the question of greatness, and his downfall arises directly from his continued misconception of himself--at age 63--as someone capable of greatness, as well as the unshakable conviction that greatness stems directly from personal charisma or popularity.。
英美文学资料汇总精选
一，中世纪文学（约5世纪---1485）1. 英国最初的文学是口头的。
2. 5世纪中叶，盎格鲁，撒克逊，朱特三个日耳曼部落开始从丹麦以及现在的荷兰一带地区迁入不列颠。
3. 盎格鲁，撒克逊时代最重要的一部古英语文学作品是《贝奥武夫》，它被认为是英国的民族史诗。
主题：反映了7、8世纪不列颠的生活风貌，呈现出新旧生活方式的混合，兼有氏族时期的英雄主义的封建时期的理想，体现了非基督日耳曼文化和基督教文化两种不同的传统。
4. 1066年，威廉公爵率领法国的诺曼底人，征服英格兰。
法国文化占据主导地位，法语成为宫廷和上层贵族社会的语言。
5.1066年阶段这一时期的文学形式是浪漫传奇。
典型是亚瑟王和圆桌骑士的故事。
6. 传奇文学（主人公：高贵的骑士的冒险和爱情故事）是英国封建社会发展到成熟阶段的一种社会理想的体现。
7. 14世纪以后，英语开始恢复使用，杰弗里乔叟（Geoffrey Chaucer,1343-1400）的出现标志着以本土文学为主流的英国书面文学历史的开始。
乔叟首创英雄诗行，即五步抑扬格双韵体，被誉为“英国诗歌之父”。
他推动了英语作为英国统一的民族语言的进程。
二：文艺复兴时期文学（15世纪后期----17世纪初）1.英国的文艺复兴发生在15世纪末。
2.文艺复兴时期的思想体系是人文主义：以人为本，反对中世纪以神为中心的世界观，提倡积极进取、享受现世欢乐的生活理想。
3.该时期典型人物：英国托马斯莫尔（Thomas More，1478--1535），作品《乌托邦》（Utopia），内容：社会平等，财产公有，人们和谐相处的理想国。
4.《乌托邦》（Utopia）开创了英国哲理幻想小说传统的先河。
5.该时期典型人物：埃德蒙斯宾塞（Edmund Spenser,1552--1599）的长诗《仙后》（The Faerie Queen），主题歌颂女王，宣扬人文主义思想。
文学特色：创造了有音乐性的“斯宾塞诗体”（Spens—erian）。
英美文学重点知识归纳
英美文学重点知识归纳一、英美文学的概念和特点英美文学是指英国和美国的文学作品，包括小说、诗歌、剧本等。
它具有以下几个特点：1.多元化：英美文学以其丰富多样的风格和流派而闻名。
从古典主义到浪漫主义，从现代主义到后现代主义，英美文学不断演变和发展，展示了人类思想和情感的多样性。
2.自由和开放性：英美文学强调个体的自由和独立思考，在作品中反映了社会、政治和文化的变革。
自由主义和个人主义的精神贯穿在英美文学的历史中。
3.注重个人感受和情感表达：英美文学注重个人感受和情感表达，通过描写人物内心的矛盾和困惑，展示了人性的复杂和多样性。
二、英美文学的重要时期和代表作品1. 文艺复兴时期（16世纪）文艺复兴时期是英美文学的重要里程碑，代表作品有：•威廉·莎士比亚的剧作《哈姆雷特》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》等，深刻地反映了人性的复杂性和命运的无常。
•约翰·米尔顿的史诗《失乐园》，通过对上帝、撒旦和亚当夏娃的描写，揭示了人类的原罪和思想的自由。
2. 浪漫主义时期（18世纪末至19世纪初）浪漫主义时期是英美文学的重要发展阶段，代表作品有：•威廉·华兹华斯的诗集《抒情诗选集》，强调对自然和个人感受的表达，展现了对自由和灵魂的渴望。
•简·奥斯汀的小说《傲慢与偏见》，通过对社会等级和女性地位的描写，呈现了封建社会的弊端。
3. 现代主义时期（20世纪初至中期）现代主义时期是英美文学的革命性时期，代表作品有：•弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫的小说《至灵之泉》，以流动的意识流体式叙述，探索了心灵的迷茫和现代社会的困惑。
•T·S·艾略特的诗集《荒原》，通过对现代社会的批判和对个体灵魂的探索，反映了人类在现代社会中的孤独和迷失。
三、英美文学的重要作家和代表作1. 威廉·莎士比亚（1564-1616）威廉·莎士比亚是英国文学史上最伟大的剧作家之一，代表作品有：•《哈姆雷特》：探讨了人性的矛盾和命运的无常，是世界戏剧史上最重要的作品之一。
英美文学选读第五章笔记Modern period
第五章I.Multiple choice1.Contrary to the traditional romance of aristorcrats(貴族),the modernEnglish novel gives a realistic presentation of life of : the common Englishpeople2.the middle of the 18th century was predominated by a newly rising literaryform, that is modern English novel, which gives a realistic presentation oflife of the common English people3.who is the first :Angry young ManOsborne4.George Bernard Shaw is considered to be the best –known englishdramatist since Shakespeare5.George Bernard Shaw’s play Mrs. Warren’s prefession （沃倫夫人的職業）is a realistic exposure of the economic exploitation of women in theEnglish society 對婦女經濟上的壓迫6.the following comments on George Bernard Shaw are ture excepteA.george bernard Shaw’s career as dramatist began in 1892 . when hisfirst play Widowers’s houses was put on by the Independent TheaterSociety他的第一部戲“鰥夫的房產”由“獨立劇社”上演B.Shaw began his his literary career by writing novels soon after hissettling down in LondonC.Shaw’s writings reflect the combination of realism and naturalismD.Shaw’s plays can be termed as problems plays倒轉錯位7.Galsworthy was a conventional writer, having inherited the fine traditionsof the great victorial novelists of the critical realism such as Dickens andThackeray高爾斯華綏是傳統型作家，繼承了維多利亞時期文學家的優良風格8.in ―the Forsyte Saga‖費爾塞特世家by John Galsworthy , a typicalforsyte has a remarkable characteristic---a strong sense of property弗爾塞特家族盛行的佔有欲與唯利是圖，這種佔有欲深刻影響到家族內的人際關系，同時也反映出當時的英國社會人與人之間赤裸裸的金錢關系9.sailing to byzantium written by Yeats is a poem exploring the problem ofdeath, love, old age and art駛向拜佔庭，葉芝揭示了死亡，愛情，衰老與藝術的問題，拜佔庭這個城市座落在東方與西方的交界處，成了時光流逝的場所，同時靈魂的顯現出沒又象征了煉獄與天堂這兩個對立事物的統一，一旦脫離凡塵或曰死去，詩中的老者便進入長青知識的紀念碑，進入永恆的世界，在這裡，藝術是亙古不變的10.in the lake istle of Innisfree伊尼斯弗利的湖中沙洲, william butler yeatsexpresses his desire to escape into a fairyland11.we can find the allusion to Helen(海倫) and the Trojan war特洛伊bywillian bulter yeats ----Leda and the Swan 麗達同天鵝12.the waste land荒原by T.S.Eliot is hailed as a landmark and a model ofthe 20th century English poetry荒原是埃略特最重要的獨立詩篇，被益為20世紀英國詩歌的代表與典范，可與華茲華斯的“抒情歌謠集”相媲美，這首詩對修辭與文體風格進行了大膽的革新，不僅全面展現了現代西方社會物質上的錯亂和精神上的頹敗，而且反映出戰後一代人中盛行的幻滅與絕望13.the yellow fog that rubs its back upon the windowpanes黃色的霧在窗玻璃上擦著它的背The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the windowpanes黃色的煙在窗玻璃上擦著它的嘴Linked its tongue into the corners of the evening把它的舌頭舔進黃昏的角落裡Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains徘徊在快要幹涸的水坑上The stanza is taken from T.S. Eliot’s the love song of J.Alfred prufrock (J.A.布魯富勞克的情歌)Love song of J.A Prufrock ：它講述了一位上了年紀的男人對求婚問題的深思不定，全詩的形式是戲劇獨白，暗示了虛假的情歌與主人公自已承認的無法直面愛情及無聊的上流社會生活之間諷刺性對照，Prufrock ,詩中主人公是個神經質，自以為是，不講羅輯以及優柔寡斷的人物，他是一個悲劇性角色，被陷在理想毀滅與欲望得不到滿足的痛苦中,詩歌的背景是一個彬彬有禮的社會，如同蒲柏的“奪發記”中描寫的上流社會的---茶點聚會極為重要的大事，打牌是排譴空虛的唯一途徑, 這首詩是反浪漫主義的，詩中的比喻與意象都不十會優美，氣氛也陰沉如地獄14.Which of the following best describes the speaker of the love song ofJ.Alfred prufrock ---He is a man of inactivity15.Sons and Lovers by wrence established his position as novelist16.Women in Love by Lawrence is considered to be better-structured novel17.the lawrence trilogy 勞倫斯的三部曲refer toA collier’s Friday night 礦工的周五夜晚The daughter in law 兒媳The widowing of Mrs. Holroyed 守寡的霍爾羅德夫人三部作品的背景都是諾丁漢姆郡的工人階層，主要戲劇沖突都是無知粗暴的酒鬼父親或丈夫與厭倦粗俗但飽受挫折從而望子成龍的母親或是妻子這間的矛盾18.Which of the following writings is not the novel of D.H. Lawrence’sA.Sons of loversB. A portrait of the artist as a young man乔伊斯第一部长篇小说《艺术家年轻时代的肖像》C.The white peacock---處女作D.The rainbow19.Ulysses憂利西斯by James Joyce is a prime example of modernism inliteratureJoyce 真正的代表作是Ulysses, 這部小說是現代主義文學的首要典范，這部小說之奇特使人懷疑根本不是“小說”，因為它缺乏傳統小說所有的要素，沒有故事，沒有情節，沒有動作，人物塑造也僅有一點點，總體說來Ulysses 隻寫了一個人在都柏森一天之內的生活20.in the english history, James joyce is the most outstandingstream-of-consciousness 意識流novelist21.at last she spoke to me, when she addressed the first words to me I was soconfused that I did not know what to answer, she asked me was I going to araby, I forget wheter I answered yes or no, it would be a splendid bazaar, she said , she would love to gothe passage is taken from James Joyce’s Dubliners22.which of the following is not true according to James Joyce?A.Ulysses has become a prime example of modernism in literatureB.Joyce is regarded as the most stream-of-consciousness novelistC.Joyce is a realistic writer in english literature historyD.His novel ―a portrait of the artist as a young man‖ is naturalisticaccount of the hero’s bitter experiences and his final artistic andspiritual liberation1916年，Joyce 第一部長篇小說“藝術家年輕時代的肖像”出版，小說的題目暗示角色塑造有自傳的成份。
英美文学知识点总结中文
英美文学知识点总结中文在英美文学中，有许多重要的知识点值得我们学习和了解。
以下将总结一些重要的知识点，帮助我们更好地理解和欣赏英美文学的精髓。
**一、文学流派与时代**：1. 古典主义文学：古希腊罗马时期为主要影响力，强调文学作品的规范和纯净，代表作品包括约翰·米尔顿的《失乐园》。
2. 文艺复兴文学：以人文主义思想为主要影响力，追求人性的完美和思想的启蒙，代表作品包括莎士比亚的《哈姆雷特》。
3. 浪漫主义文学：强调个人情感和想象力，对自然和生活充满热情和梦幻，代表作品包括华盛顿·欧文的《伊凡霍》。
4. 现实主义文学：强调真实生活和社会问题的揭示，代表作品包括查尔斯·狄更斯的《雾都孤儿》。
5. 自然主义文学：强调环境和遗传对人的影响，以客观的观察和描写为特点，代表作品包括艾米莉·布朗特的《呼啸山庄》。
**二、主要作家与作品**：1. 莎士比亚（1564-1616）：英国文学史上最伟大的戏剧家，代表作品包括《哈姆雷特》、《麦克白》等。
2. 约翰·米尔顿（1608-1674）：英国古典主义诗人，代表作品为《失乐园》。
3. 卢瑟福·特瑞斯（1784-1859）：美国浪漫主义诗人，代表作品包括《稻草人》、《被偷窃的桃子》等。
4. 查尔斯·狄更斯（1812-1870）：英国现实主义小说家，代表作品包括《雾都孤儿》、《大卫·科波菲尔》等。
5. 艾米莉·布朗特（1818-1848）：英国自然主义小说家，代表作品为《呼啸山庄》。
**三、重要作品与分析**：1. 《哈姆雷特》：是莎士比亚创作的悲剧戏剧，以丰富的内心独白和对人生意义的探索而著称。
2. 《失乐园》：是约翰·米尔顿的史诗作品，以亚当和夏娃的堕落为中心，探讨了宗教、自由与命运等人性议题。
3. 《稻草人》：是卢瑟福·特瑞斯的代表诗歌之一，以对自然界的赞美和对工业革命的反思为主题。
英美文学简介
(一）美国文学的历史不长，但发展较快，20世纪以来，在世界上的影响越来越大。
我国早在19世纪70年代就翻译了朗费罗的《人生颂》（A Psalm of Life）.1901年，林抒翻译出版了第一部美国小说--斯托夫人的《黑奴吁天录》（Uncle Tom's Cabin，今译《汤姆叔叔的小屋》），在读者中引起极大的震动，使他们从黑奴身上看到自己亡国灭种的危险。
根据小说改编的话剧对我们的话剧运动的发展起很大的作用。
五四运动前后，惠特曼对郭沫若等诗人、奥尼尔对曹禺、洪深等戏剧家都产生过影响。
马克·吐温、辛克莱、德莱塞等人都曾受到鲁迅等左翼作家的好评。
改革开放以来，美国文学对我国新时期的作家们有着巨大的吸引力。
盛行一时的朦胧诗恐怕就是在美国及西方现代派诗歌的影响下产生的。
海明威、福克纳及塞林格等人几乎成为我们年轻一代作家文学创作的楷模。
至于在世界上，埃德加·爱伦·坡曾被法国象征派诗人称为他们的诗歌之父，福克纳对法国的萨特和加级以及拉丁美洲的加西亚·马尔克斯的影响也是有目共睹的事实。
美国作家喜爱的描写少年初涉人世，寻求生活道路和人生真谛的"成长小说"形式受到加拿大女作家的欣赏，也正在被我国的儿童文学作家所采用。
美国作家的探索、试验、创新的精神也激励着世界各国的作家不断革新，超越前人。
今天，在改革开放的时代，在我们加强跟美国的交往的时候，我们有必要学一点美国文学，了解他们的文化以促进与美国人民的交流、沟通和理解，同时也借以丰富我们的知识，充实我们的文化修养，提高我们的精神素质。
（二）严格地说，美国文学的形成应从美国立国开始。
但实际上，在此以前一二百年的殖民时期的文学虽然并不发达，主要以模仿为主，没有自己鲜明的特色，但那时的政治、经济和社会的发展对美国文学的形成还是有很大的影响。
例如，由于殖民者大量屠杀原来居住在北美大陆的印第安人，使他们的文化和民间口头文学的传统受到致命的摧残，因此美国文学没有英国《贝奥武甫》那样的口头文学遗产。
英美文学复习资料
英美文学复习资料英美文学复习资料英美文学是世界文学史上的重要组成部分，包含了许多经典的文学作品和作家。
通过复习英美文学，我们可以更好地了解西方文化和思想，同时也能够提升自己的语言表达能力和文学素养。
本文将为大家提供一些英美文学复习资料，希望对大家的学习有所帮助。
一、英国文学1. 莎士比亚的四大悲剧：《哈姆雷特》、《奥赛罗》、《李尔王》和《麦克白》。
这些作品被誉为世界文学的瑰宝，展现了莎士比亚独特的戏剧才华和对人性的深刻洞察。
2. 简·奥斯汀的小说：《傲慢与偏见》、《理智与情感》等。
奥斯汀以细腻的笔触和幽默的描写，刻画了当时英国社会的风貌和女性的处境，成为英国文学的代表作家之一。
3. 查尔斯·狄更斯的小说：《雾都孤儿》、《双城记》等。
狄更斯以其对社会问题的关注和对人性的揭示而闻名，他的作品揭示了当时英国社会的黑暗面，对社会改革产生了深远影响。
4. 弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫的小说：《达洛维夫人》、《到灯塔去》等。
伍尔夫以其独特的意识流写作风格和对女性问题的关注，开创了现代主义小说的新篇章。
二、美国文学1. 马克·吐温的小说：《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》、《汤姆·索亚历险记》等。
吐温以其幽默风趣和对美国社会的讽刺洞察而受到广泛赞誉，他的作品展现了美国南方的风土人情和对奴隶制度的批判。
2. 埃米莉·迪金森的诗歌：迪金森的诗歌充满了哲思和深度，她以其独特的写作风格和对生死、爱情等主题的探索而成为美国文学的重要代表。
3. 威廉·福克纳的小说：《喧哗与骚动》、《押沙龙，押沙龙！》等。
福克纳以其复杂的叙事结构和对南方社会的描绘而被誉为美国文学的巨匠，他的作品展现了南方社会的衰落和黑暗。
4. 托尼·莫里森的小说：《亲爱的》、《宠儿》等。
莫里森以其对种族、性别和身份问题的关注而成为美国文学的重要代表，她的作品揭示了美国社会的不公和歧视。
三、阅读技巧和复习建议1. 阅读经典作品时，要注重对文本细节的理解和分析。
英美文学readingreport5篇
英美文学readingreport5篇Reading report on Pride and Prejudice (I)(Chapter1——Chapter12)The first sentence in this book impressed me. It says: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”. The meaning is very clear: the foundation of the marriage at that time is not emotion but possession.As far as I considered, people can’t divide people just by rich and poor. As a sa ying goes”all men are created equal.”Everyone is equal on every aspect .Also,one cannot distinguish good and bad just because the beautiful and ugly appearance. Pride and prejudice are our common weakness and shortcomings. Every person actually is easy to be driven by his own subjective impression. So it can comment easily to other people under incorrectness, then it will cause misunderstandings between each other. A person’s first impression can affect many things. But that is not to say the impression would never change, the deeper you get to understand someone, the more objective points you will have on him or her. Just like Elizabeth, after she read the letter from Darcy, she realized that she misunderstood him all the time. How foolish she was, she felt ashamed. Eventually, she changed her opinion towards him. On the other hand, Darcy noticed that if his pride existed, there will be no happy marriage between him and Elizabeth, he changed himself, and he was no longer pride and became gentle and attentive.As the saying goes, "Men cannot be judged by their looks." Whether life or anything else, one cannot see its essence only from the appearance.Reading report on Pride and Prejudice (II)(Chapter13——Chapter24)A sentence in chapter 18 is interesting. Darcy told Elizabeth: “Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends— whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain.”The undertone is very clear: Mr. Wickham was not reliable.” And I think that Darcy was a little jealous.By the way, what he said seemed quite reasonable. Many things come easily, but also lose easily. Only when we know how hard-won the thing is will we cherish it. However people always treasure the ones that haven’t obtained, but forget t he ones thathave already had. We won＇t be conscious of how important something is until themoment we lose it. Why do not we cherish all now have, as long as think about it, you'll know that your life is very good, love their families, teachers and classmates.In fact, our life is very simple. He who is in constant pursuit of happiness will never find it because happiness is not something tangible that one can easily grab butrather a state of mind. True happiness lies in contentment.Another sentence in chapter18 impressed me. Elizabeth said “It is particu larly incumbent on those who never change their opinion, to be secure of judging properly at first.”I think this sentence is suitable for the kind of people who is stubborn. Just like me.Reading report on Pride and Prejudice (III)(Chapter25——Chapter36)In chapter31, there is a sentence which impressed me.Elizabeth said: “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”It showed that Elizabeth had the special character, which people did not have in the18th century.It is often says, different personalities bring us different kinds of result. And as a general rule, pleasant and humble personality will definitely give better result. Fate changes if we change our personality. A simple example is Elizabeth. She struggled for her own happiness, which needs courage and persistence. And she was strong-minded and makes her own decisions. And this is the same with girls today. She exceeded her time with her thought.Generally speaking, one’s first impression can affect many things indeed, but it does not mean that the impression would never change. The deeper you get to understand someone, the more objective points you will have on him or her.As Elizabeth, after she read the letter from Darcy, she realized that she misunderstood him all the time. How foolish she was, she felt ashamed. Eventually, she changed her opinion towards him. On the other hand, Darcy noticed that if his pride existed, therewill be no happy marriage between him and Elizabeth, he changed himself, and he was no longer pride and became gentle and attentive.Reading report on Pride and Prejudice (IV)(Chapter37——Chapter48)There a sentence in chapter40 is impressive. It said:" Mr. Darcy has not authorized me to make his communication public. On the contrary, every particular relative to his sister was meantto be kep t as much as possible to myself”It showed that Darcy was a very helpful and kind-hearted man.And Elizabeth just was attracted by this kind of character. She is motivated by her feelings not by material things.As far as I considered, one cannot distinguish good and bad just because the beautiful and ugly appearance. Elizabeth hated Darcy because of Darcy's arrogance generating by wealth and Wicker’s rumors. Without complete understanding, she prejudice against him. As the saying goes, "Men cannot be judged by their looks." Whether study, life or anything else, one cannot see its essence only from the appearance.After reading the book, I could not help asking myself: Is it another fairy tale of another Cinderella? Could it be possible that a noble man like Darcy would marry a humble girl in reality? Could there be a man just as handsome, gentle and considerate as Mr. Darcy? I may easily tell it is rarely possible!However, literature can do us a great favor when our dreams can not realize. That is to say, when the need in reality can not be satisfied or the dream cannot be lived out, literature is another way of continuing our dreams.Reading report on Pride and Prejudice (V)(Chapter49——Chapter61)It’s a romantic love story indeed, but at the same time, the author didn’t confine her aim just to telling love stories. In fact, in most cases, the marriage in her book was not the result of love, but the result of economic needs.There a sentence in chapter 59 is interesting. Elizabeth told Jane: “It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeinghis beautiful grounds at Pemberley.” This sentence obvious is a joke. Because, when Elizabeth loathed Darcy, she had already known that he had a lot of property. Therefore, she changed her mind just because of the garden, which seems very funny.Money, love, appearance and so on are considered when involved with marriage. Elizabeth and Darcy consider more about morality than simply the financial factor as well as the appearance of each other. Therefore, even though there is still gap between their social statuses, the marriage of them is sweet and happy.As far as I am concerned，girls are supposed to struggle for their own happiness, which needs courage and persistence. They ought to be strong-minded and make their own decisions. And this is the same with girls today.However, in modern society, although the marriages of economic needs have decreased rapidly, the concept of “money determines everything” is still rooted in some people’s mind.A lot of parents try hard to inte rfere their children’s marriages. Education background, possessions, jobs remains the main reason that ma y influence one’s marriage. Marry for money is still a big problem in our society.。
英美文学资料
哈珀·李：美国文学的女性之声
• 哈珀·李的小说作品 • 《杀死一只知更鸟》：以斯库特·芬奇为主人公，讲述美国南 方一个小镇的种族歧视与正义
艾伦·金斯堡：美国垮掉派代表
• 艾伦·金斯堡的诗歌作品 • 《嚎叫》：以“我”为主人公，讲述美国青年对现实社会的愤 怒与不满
英04美现代文学：新兴流派与作 品
魔幻现实主义：跨文 化的文学现象
• 魔幻现实主义作品 • 加西亚·马尔克斯的《百年孤独》：以布恩迪亚家族为主人公， 讲述一个家族七代人的传奇故事 • 爱德华·斯诺登的《斯诺登文件》：以爱德华·斯诺登为主人公， 讲述一个揭秘者的逃亡与生活
后现代主义：颠覆传统的文学 风格
• 后现代主义作品 • 托马斯·品钦的《万有引力之虹》：以二战时期的德国为背景， 讲述一个美军士兵与德国女子的爱情故事 • 约瑟夫·海勒的《第二十二条军规》：以二战时期的美国为背 景，讲述一个美国空军士兵在战争中的荒诞生活
英美文学的地域特点与差异
英国文学的地域特点
• 浓郁的哥特式风格：以恐怖、神 秘为主要题材 • 讽刺与幽默：以讽刺社会现象、 幽默地描绘人物为主要手法 • 深刻的人文关怀：关注人性、道 德和社会问题
美国文学的地域特点
• 浓厚的民主气息：以民主、自由 为主题 • 独特的拓荒精神：以西部拓荒、 边疆生活为题材 • 多元的文化融合：吸收各种文化 元素，形成多元化的文学风格
英美文学的历史背景
• 英国：公元1066年诺曼征服，形成统一的中央政权 • 美国：1776年独立战争，成为一个独立的国家
英美文学的社会背景
• 英国：资产阶级民主制度的确立，工业革命的影响 • 美国：民主与自由的价值观，多元文化的交融
英美文学的发展阶段
英国文学的发展阶段
英美文学 知识点总结
英美文学知识点总结英美文学是指在英国和美国国家领土内产生的文学作品，包括英国文学与美国文学。
英美文学史是人类文明史的一个重要组成部分，包括从古典到现代的文学作品，涵盖了从莎士比亚到奥斯卡·王尔德等众多作家的作品。
英美文学的知识点众多，具有深刻的历史、文化和社会背景，下面将总结英美文学知识点，帮助读者更好地了解和学习英美文学。
1. 英国文学的起源和发展英国文学的起源可追溯至中世纪，早期的英国文学作品包括《贝奥歌》、《坎特伯雷故事集》等。
而随着文艺复兴的到来，英国文学迎来了新的发展时期，莎士比亚、斯宾塞等众多作家的作品为英国文学的繁荣与发展奠定了基础。
18世纪的启蒙运动影响了英国文学的发展方向，霍华德、斯威夫特等作家的作品在英国文学史上留下了重要的痕迹。
2. 美国文学的诞生与发展美国文学的起源较晚，17世纪移民新英格兰书信文学是美国文学的开端。
18世纪，美国文学开始迈入现代化阶段，风格多样的文学作品层出不穷。
19世纪的浪漫主义运动、现实主义运动以及自然主义运动，都为美国文学的繁荣与发展贡献了力量。
3. 英美文学的经典作品在英美文学史上，有许多经典作品，这些作品对后世文学产生了深远的影响。
如莎士比亚的《哈姆雷特》、奥斯卡·王尔德的《风华绝代》、简·奥斯汀的《傲慢与偏见》、查尔斯·狄更斯的《雾都孤儿》等。
4. 英美文学的主题和风格英美文学作品的主题和风格多种多样，既有对家国情怀的歌颂，也有对人性命运的探索。
从文艺复兴时期的骑士文学到现代主义文学，英美文学作品的风格也是千姿百态。
5. 英美文学的流派英美文学的作品涉及的流派众多，包括戏剧、小说、诗歌、散文等。
在戏剧方面，莎士比亚的作品是最具代表性的；在小说方面，狄更斯的作品是最为典型的；在诗歌方面，弗罗斯特的作品是最为著名的。
6. 英美文学的影响英美文学对全球文学产生了深远影响，从语言、风格、主题等方面都对其他国家的文学产生了影响。
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。
II. Major works
Thanatopsis To a Waterfowl Translated works: The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer
III. Thanatopsis
Thanatopsis, written by William Cullen Bryant at the age of 17, is considered to be a masterpiece of American poetry. The title is from the Greek thanatos ("death") and the suffix -opsis (literally, "sight"); it has often been translated as "Meditation upon Death." Due to the unusual quality of the verse and Bryant's age when first published in 1890 by the North American Review, Richard Henry Dana, then associate editor at the Review, initially doubted its authenticity, saying to another editor, "No one, on this side of the Atlantic, is capable of writing such verses." Although the bulk of the poem was written at age 16, Bryant added the introductory and concluding lines 10 years later in 1821.
III. Thanatopsis
This poem offers a democratic reconciliation with death as the great equalizer and a recognition that the “still voice” of God is embodied in all processes of nature. During a busy life as a lawyer and editor of the New York Evening Post, Bryant wrote accomplished, elegant, and romantic descriptions of a nature suffused with spirit. Thanatopsis remains one of the most widely referenced pieces of American verse, and is included in a collection called The 100 Best Poems of all Time edited by Leslie Pockell.
III. Thanatopsis
The second stanza speaks of the comfort one may hope for in death. It refers to death as a "couch" that is greater than any other, and it claims that one will not lie in death alone. The poem reminds the reader that through death all will be forever connected with the greatest men of all time around the world. It then describes how Nature is beautiful with "The hills/ Rockribbed and ancient as the sun..." etc. Then it portrays even the duller parts of the world (Old Ocean's gray and melancholy waste") as decoration of man's final resting place. The end of the second stanza ensures the reader that the dead alone reign supreme in Nature.
III. Thanatopsis
Bryant first wrote this poem when he was about 17, after reading the British "graveyard poets" (e.g. Thomas Gray, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" and Robert Blair, "The Grave") and William Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads. In particular, there are parallels to Wordsworth’s Lucy Poems, especially "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal":
III. Thanatopsis
A slumber did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Rolled round in earth's diurnal course, With rocks, and stones, and trees.
I. A brief biography
At first an associate editor, he became editor in 1829 and remained in that post until his death. 3) As the driving force of this liberal and literate paper, he was strongly anti-slavery; a founder of the Republican Party. 4) In 1860, Bryant founded New York Medical College. 5) In his later years, Bryant focused on translating and analyzing Ancient Greek and Latin works, such as The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer.
William Cullen Bryant (1794---1878)
Thanatopsis To a Waterfowl
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)
William Cullen Bryaiam Cullen Bryant's Homestead
III. Thanatopsis
2. Detailed analysis The title Bryant chose for this poem is rather fitting, being that "thanatopsis" is the contemplation of death. He begins by telling the reader that if one is in communion with Nature, then she will give him a message. This message will tell him how to live his life, and it will be unique to everyone else who is in communion with Nature. By receiving this message, he is somewhat connected to everyone in the world who has also received a message.
III. Thanatopsis
Anyone who is in tune with Nature will be comforted (by Nature), and each one will be different from the last person. Later in the first stanza, the poet advises that if one is down and are fear-ridden, he should go out and enjoy Nature, who will cause him to realize happiness, because in the end, all will join Nature in its beauty through Death.
I. A brief biography
William Cullen Bryant was an American Romantic poet and journalist. 1) Born in Cummington, Massachusetts 2) Educated at Williams College, he went on to study law at Worthington and Bridgewater and was admitted to the bar in 1815. Bryant worked as a lawyer in Northampton, Plainfield, and Great Barrington until 1825 when he married and moved to New York City and worked for the New York Review and then the New York Evening Post.