古英语时期英国文学

奥林匹斯神族
• 十二主神 • 宙斯（Zeus）：克洛诺斯和瑞亚之子；掌管天界， 是第三任神王；以贪花好色著名。 • 赫拉（Hera）：宙斯的姐姐和夫人，美丽的天后； 婚姻的保护神，尤其是已婚的女人的保护者。 • 波塞冬（Poseidon）：宙斯的兄弟；掌管大海；脾 气暴躁，贪婪。 • 哈得斯（Hades）：宙斯的兄弟；掌管冥府，同时 也是财富之神；有一顶可以隐身的帽子；残忍，可怕， 但很守信。 • 德墨忒耳（Demeter）：克洛诺斯和瑞亚之女，宙 斯的姐姐；农业女神。 • 阿瑞斯（Ares）：宙斯与赫拉之子；战争之神；粗 暴而嗜血，但并非真正的勇士。 • 雅典娜（Athena）：宙斯与美狄丝结合的产物；智 慧女神和女战神；她是智慧，理智和纯洁的化身。
• 泰坦或提坦（Titans)，是希腊神话中曾 统治世界的古老的神族，这个家族是天 穹之神乌拉诺斯和大地女神盖亚（盖娅 ）的子女，他们曾统治世界，但被宙斯 家族推翻并取代。 • 该亚（Gaea）：大地女神，紧随夜之女 神出现的神，世界的缔造者之一，创造 了大地，海洋和天空。 • 乌拉诺斯（Uranus）：天之神。该亚的 长子和丈夫，第一任神王。被他儿子推 翻。 • 克洛诺斯（Cronus）：该亚与乌拉诺斯 的十二个泰坦儿女中最年幼者。和平之 神。
太阳神阿波罗& 爱与美之神阿佛罗狄忒
（维纳斯）
希腊人和特洛伊人的战争
• The period of Old English literature(古英语文学) extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England. The Germanic tribes（日耳曼部落） from the Northern Europe brought with them not only the Anglo-Saxons language (the basis of Modern English), but also a specific poetic tradition, which is both bold and strong, mournful and elegiac in spirit. Old English poets produced the national epic poem（史诗）, Beowulf, and a number of more or less lyrical poems（抒情诗） of shorter length, which do not contain specific Christian doctrines but evoke the Anglo-Saxons sense of the harshness of circumstance and the sadness of the human lot.
Selected Readings in English & American Literatures
• Celts---- the early inhabitants of England • It has been conquered three times: by the Romans（罗马人）, the Anglo-Saxons（盎格 鲁-撒克逊人）, and the Normans（诺曼底人）. • The Anglo-Saxons brought to England the Germanic（日耳曼民族的） language and culture, while the Normans brought a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization, which includes Greek culture, Roman law, and the Christian religion. It is the cultural influences of these two conquests that provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature.
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阿波罗（Apollo）： 宙斯和勒托之子，和阿耳忒 弥斯是双生兄妹；太阳神；全名为福玻斯·阿波罗（ Phoebus Apollo）。 阿佛洛狄忒（Aphrodite）： 爱，美和欲望之神 ；从海中的泡沫中生出。 赫尔墨斯（Hermes）： 宙斯和迈亚之子；众神中 最快者；盗窃者的守护神，商业之神，黄泉的引导者 。 阿耳忒弥斯（Artemis）： 宙斯和勒托之女，与 阿波罗是双生兄妹；美丽的女猎神和月神，青年人的 保护神。 赫淮斯托斯（Hephaestus）： 宙斯与赫拉之子， 神中唯一丑陋者，但老婆却是爱与美之神阿佛洛狄忒 ；火和锻造之神，为众神制造武器和铠甲；铁匠和织 布工的保护神。
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Hale Waihona Puke Baidu
The barren period in literary creation---- In the early part of the period, i.e. from 1066 up to the mid-14th century, there was not much to say about literature in English. • But in the second half of the 14th century, English literature started to flourish with the appearance of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, and others. In comparison with Old English literature, Middle English literature （中古英语文学） deals with wider range of subjects, tones and genres. Popular folk literature （民间文学） also occupies an important place in this period.
• Beowulf(贝奥武夫), a typical example of the Old English poetry, is regarded today as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. However, the hero and setting of Beowulf have nothing to do with England, for the story took place in Scandinavia. The poem was originally in an oral form（口述形 式）, sung by the bards (minstrels) at the end of the 6th century. Beginning and ending with the funeral of a great king, Beowulf describes the exploits of the Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, in fighting against the monster Grendel, his revengeful mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. In these sequences Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but also as a protector of the people.
• Thematically the poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. The poem is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends. For instance, the battle between Beowulf and the Dragon symbolically represents that phase of Winter and Summer myth in which the Summer God, here embodied by Beowulf, fights his last battle against the Winter Dragon in order to rescue the treasures of earth, that is, the golden corn and ruddy fruits. Having given them back to men, Beowulf himself dies of the Winter's breath.