英国文学复习要点

英国文学复习要点：英语及英语文学历史演变1. After the Norman Conquest, three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke French. It was Normans and Anglo-Saxons, the two conquests that provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature. The Germanic tribes from Europe who overrun to England in the 5th century brought with them the Old English, or Anglo-Saxon language, which is the basis of Modern English.2.Geoffrey Chaucer, the “father of English poetry” and one of the greatest narrative poets of England,was born in London in about 1340s. Among the great Middle English poets, Geoffrey Chaucer is known for his production of The Canterbury Tales.文艺复兴，人文主义3.The following historical events do directly help to stimulate the rising of the RenaissanceMovement, they are the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman culture,The Glorious revolution and the religious reformation and the economic expansion.4.The most significant idea of the Renaissance is humanism. The essence of humanism is toemphasize human qualities.5.William Shakespeare has been called the summit of the English Renaissance. Shakespeare’s fourgreatest tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.“To be, or not to be—that is the question” is a line taken from Hamlet.6.In English poetry, a fourteen-line poem is called sonnet.7.In English poetry, the two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter are called heroic couplet.8. A stressed syllable followed by a unstressed syllable is best for literature term Iambic:9.Sonnet 18---------William ShakespeareShall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimed;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed;But thy eternall sumer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.Understanding the poem: The poetic form (rhyme and meter) of first stanza is abab, second is cdcd, third is efef, heroic couplet is gg. The word “this” in the last line refers to the poem.10."Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. " is taken from Francis Bacon’s "OfStudies".笛福和斯威夫特11.Daniel Defoe has been regarded as “Father of the English Novel” for his contribution to theestablishment of the form of the modern novel.12.Robinson Crusoe is described as a typical English middle-class man of the eighteenth century, thevery prototype of the empire builder, the pioneer colonist. The theme of Robinson Crusoe: Man’s struggles against nature; glorification（赞颂）of labor and glorification of the bourgeois（资本家）men who has the courage and will to face hardship and determination to improve his livelihood.13.Bitter satire is a typical feature of Jonathan Swift's writings. You may have met the term "Yahoo"on internet, but you may also have met it in English literature .It is found in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.The yahoos depicted by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels are hairy, wild, low and despicable(卑劣的；可鄙的) creatures, who resemble human beings not only in appearance but also in some other ways.浪漫主义诗人1：布莱克，彭斯，华兹华斯，柯勒律治14.In his poem “Tyger, Tyger,”William Blake expresses his perception of the “fearful symmetry（对称（性）；整齐，匀称）“of the big cat. The phrase “fearful symmetry“suggests the harmony of the two opposite aspects of God’s creation. The first line of William Blake’s well-known poem "The Tyger" reads, "Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright”. The word “bright” suggests eyes.15. A Red Red Rose----Robert BurnsO, my Luve's like a red, red roseThat's newly sprung in June;O, my Luve's like the melodie,That's sweetly play'd in tune.As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,So deep in luve am I;And I will luve thee still, my dear,Till a' the seas gang dry.Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,And the rocks melt wi' the sun;I will luve thee still, my dear,While the sands o' life shall run.And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!And fare-thee-weel, a while!And I will come again, my Luve,Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile!16.The publication of Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge marks the beginning of theRomantic Movement in England. William Wordsworth, a romantic poet, advocated: the use of everyday language spoken by the common people; the expression of the spontaneous（自发的；自然的；无意识的）overflow（洋溢）of powerful feelings and the use of humble（简陋的）and rustic（乡村的）life as subject matter（主旨）. Among the Romantic poets, William Wordsworth is regarded as a “worshipper of nature”17.Poets’ obsession with death is fascinating. Some of them died at very early age. WilliamWordsworth (=William Blake)lived the longest life compared with second period of romantic poets Byron, Shelley and Keats.18.I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud--------William WordsworthI wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay.Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in springhtly dance.The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed---and gazed---but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.Understanding the poem: the poetic form (rhyme and meter) of first stanza is ababcc, second is dedeff, third is ghghii, last stanza is jkjkll. This poem employed simile（明喻；直喻）as its figure of speech.19.Kubla Khanor A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment.-------Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1798In Xanadu did Kubla khanA stately pleasure-dome decree:Where Alph, the sacred river, ranThrough caverns measureless to manDown to a sunless sea.So twice five miles of fertile groundWith walls and towers were girdled round:And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossom'd many an incense-bearing tree;And there were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.Bub oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!A savage place! as holy and enchantedAs e'er heneath a waning moonwas hauntedBy woman wailing for her demon-lover!And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pantswere hreathing,A mighty fountain momently was forced:Amid whose swift half-intermitted burstHuge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail:And'mid these dancing rocks at once and everIt flung up momently the sacred river.Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,Then reached the caverns measureless to man,And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voeces prophesying war!The shadow of the dome of pleasureFloated midway on the waves;Where was heard the mingled measureFrom the fountain and the caves.It was a miracle of rare device,A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!A damsel with a dulcimerIn a vesion once I saw:It was an Abyssinian maid,And on her dulcimer she played,Singing of Mourt Abora.Could I revive Within meHer symphony and song,To such a deep delight' twould win me,That with music loud and long,I would build that dome in air,That sunny dome! those caves of ice!And all should cry, Beware! Beware!And all should cry, Beware! Beware!His flashing eyes, his floating hair!Weave a circle round him thrice,And close your eyes with holy dread,For he on honey-dew hath fed,And drunk the milk of Paradise.浪漫主义诗人2: 拜伦，雪莱，济慈20.Some critics think that some of Byron’s poems show his individual heroism and pessimism.“Byronic hero” is a figure of proud, humble origin and rebellious.24. She Walks in Beauty------by George Gordon ByronShe walks in beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies;And all that's best of dark and brightMeet in her aspect and her eyes:Thus mellowed to that tender lightWhich heaven to gaudy day denies.One shade the more, one ray the less,Had half impaired the nameless graceWhich waves in every raven tress,Or softly lightens o'er her face;Where thoughts serenely sweet expressHow pure, how dear their dwelling place.And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,The smiles that win, the tints that glow,But tell of days in goodness spent,A mind at peace with all below,A heart whose love is innocent!Understanding of poem: Simile is the figure of speech employed in this poem. From first line of the poem, we can figure out the color of the lady’s dress is black.21.When a Man Hath No Freedom to Fight for at Home------George Gordon ByronWhen a man hath no freedom to fight for at homeWhen a man hath no freedom to fight for at home,Let him combat for that of his neighbours;Let him think of the glories of Greece and of Rome,And get knock’d on his head for his labours.To do good to mankind is the chivalrous plan,And is always as nobly requited;Then battle for freedom wherever you can,And,if not shot or hang’d,you’ll get knighted.Understanding of poem: according to the poet, a man should fight for freedom. Here in this poem, home refers to the country of poet: England/ Britain/UK22.Sailing to Byzantium, When You Are Old and Leda and the Swan are written by William ButlerYeats. It is generally regarded that Keats's most important and mature poems are in the form of ode （颂诗，颂歌）. In his Ode on a Grecian Urn,“Beauty is truth, truth beauty” is regarded as an epigrammatic（警句（式）的，讽刺短诗（般）的）line.23.In P. B. Shelley's poem "Ode to the West Wind", “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind!” isan epigrammatic line. Perhaps we can describe the west wind are swift, proud and wild.狄更斯24.Dickens always takes life of himself or life around him as the materials of his novels.A Tale ofTwo Cities takes the French Revolution as the background. David Copperfield is often regarded as the semi-autobiography of Charles Dickens in which the early life of the hero is largely based on the author’s early life. He was one of the representatives of English critical realism, who found their expressions chiefly in the form of novel.奥斯丁25.Sense and Sensibility is Jane Austen’s first novel. Pride and Prejudice is the most popular of hernovels, which is originally drafted as First Impressions. In this novel, the author explores the relationship between great love and realistic benefits. Main characters in this novel are Darcy and Elizabeth; Bingley and Jane. After reading the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice from page72-80, we may find Mr. Darcy has a prejudice of the Bennet family. And it seems that Mrs. Bennet is a woman of simple character and poor understanding.勃朗特姐妹26. Charlotte Bronte: Jane EyreThemes of novel1.Independence of women:Jane is seen as a woman struggling for her independence.Because of the early death of her parents during her early age, Jane has gone through many kinds of bitterness. After growing up,she becomes the family teacher of Mr.Rochester's children, represents those middle class working women who are struggling for recognition of their basic rights and equality as human beings.2. Love and marriageIt tells a story of true love, disinterested and pure, between Jane and Rochester. Jane listened to the call of her inner world. Once caught it, she pursued it-- she fell in love with her master bravely. Shecherished everything around her: the people, the plant, the animal and the whole nature. Besides Mr. Rochester, she was kind to her friends, her cousins, her students and the servants, even to the dog and the moorland. To her hostile enemy, Jane gave the same mercy: Mrs. Reed, her daughters and son, the evil mad woman of Mr. Rochester. Jane thinks love should be set up on the basis of equal spirit, and should confined in social status, wealth and appearance. She loves Rochester with her pureness and simplicity, only because he became to treat her equally and take her as a friend.In their wedding, Jane find that he had married a mad woman. Although Jane flees from him, she always knows her love is Rochester. She goes back as Rochester turns blind and disabled. Finally, we can see their marriage is not based on social status and wealth, but on a feeling of mutual admiration and respect.3. Self-RelianceThroughout the novel, Jane Eyre struggles against the cruelty and injustice inflicted upon her. With constant sufferings in life, which were believed to be unbearable for most of us, Charlotte struggled to live her noble life, taking her responsibility in family and society, starving friendship and pursuing her career.In the last paragraph of Jane Eyre, what kind of changed relationship can we infer from text? Simply, we can say Jane become the support and guidance of Rochester with equal and respected love. The last paragraph of this excerpt describes a scene of Jane and Mr. Rochester’s subtle movements for expressing their love. ―Then he stretched his hand out to be led. I took that dear hand, held it a moment to my lips, then let it pass around my shoulder: being so much a lower of stature than he, I served both for his prop and guide, we enter the wood, and wended homeward.‖From just all these words, we may easily see the sincere love and forgiveness and support to Mr. Rochester. All the way, Jane holds the unchangeable views of respect, of love, of freedom and of equality, no matter when she is his governess or she refuses to his marriage or now she is his wife. In the past she and Rochester, She of course knows their great disparity of social status, a rich village manor owner（庄园主）and a low-grade governess（女家庭教师）. Nevertheless, there exists all along a standpoint in her mind, they were born equal.Jane’s love is invariably loyal and faithful to Rochester by rejecting John River’s proposal. When he has terribly suffered the fire, she still accepts him, which is really a vowed love. Rochester as well expresses his deep love to Jane. This was her perfect love view, an equal love, a hundred-percent love, a respected love, and self-giving（无私的；舍已为人的）love.Now they are equal spouses in status and also economy and love. For this moment Jane holds him to homeward, acting as both his prop and guide, which does not only means to guide his walk but also means she will support him and is willing to guide him to the happy life, no more his previous cold life. She hopes in the future they can carry each other as now.27. Bronte sisters维多利亚时代，维多利亚诗人28. Alfred Tennyson has the title “Poet Laureate”.The Eagle-------- Alfred TennysonHe clasps the crag with crooked hands;Close to the sun in lonely lands,Ringed with the azure world, he stands.The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;He watches from his mountain walls,And like a thunderbolt he falls.Understanding the poem: this poem use personification as its figure of speech, so He here suggests the Eagle. The word “crawls” employed to describe the sea for it is wrinkled.29.The typical feature of Robert Browning's poetry is the dramatic monologue, which could be easilyfound in his poem My Last Duches s.哈代30. A typical feature of the English Victorian literature is that writers became social and moral critics,exposing all kinds of social evils.31.Thomas Hardy believes that man’s fate is predeterminedly tragic, driven by a combined force of‘nature”, both inside and outside. Tess of the D’Urbervilles, one of Thomas Hardy’s best known novels, portrays man as having no control over his own fate, or what we called Fatalism. From Hardy’s opinion, Tess is the victim of society.32.The Theme of Tess of the D’UrbervillesThe tragic fate of Tess and her family is not that of an individual or family,but it is symbolic of the breakdown of English peasantry（农民阶级）, which is the consequence of so called industrial revolution at the end of 19th century.It is also an attack on the moral conventions of the Victorian society and the hypocritical (虚伪的)morality that caused the tragedy.Tess is also a victim of fate and the embodiment(化身)of Christian charity现代主义Features of Modernism: elevate the individual and inner being over the social being; portray the distorted and alienated（疏远的）relationships between man and his environment; To advocate a conscious break with the past.现代主义剧作家，王尔德（Oscar Wilde）33.Art for art sake20世纪诗人，艾略特34.T. S. Eliot’s most important single poem, The Waste Land has been hailed as a landmark and amodel of the 20th-century English poetry.劳伦斯35. The major concern of D. H. Lawrence's fiction lies in the tracing of the psychological development of his characters and in his energetic criticism of the dehumanizing effect of the capitalist industrialization on human nature.乔伊斯36. Stream of consciousnessThe psychoanalytic method of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and intuitive直观的; 直觉的and semi-mystical philosophy of Henri Bergson (1859-1941) also contributed to both the form and content of stream of consciousness fiction. Stream of consciousness , which presents the character in the random, seemingly unorganized fashion in which the thinking process occurs, has the following characteristics. Stream-of-consciousness can be the best one for the modernists’ literature.Although James Joyce did not invent the technique of Stream of consciousness fiction, no other writer in England used it so systematically or such profound深厚的; 意义深远的effect. He worked tirelessly to perfect this technique through careful use of words, to convey precisely and subtly to the reader what was the inner, mental state of his characters. James Joyce and Virginia Woolf are regardedas the representatives of this writing skill.37. James Joyce is regarded as the most prominent stream-of-consciousness novelist. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses and Dubliners are some of James Joyce famous works. His novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is a naturalistic account of the hero’s bitter experiences and his final artistic and spiritual liberation. Ulysses has become a prime example of modernism in literature.威廉戈尔丁38. Lord of Flies is William Golding’s dystopia反乌托邦novel.。