英专英国文学考试重点总结Summary of Chapter One 3

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英国文学史及选读复习要点总结概要

英国文学史及选读复习要点总结概要第一篇：英国文学史及选读复习要点总结概要《英国文学史及选读》第一册复习要点1.Beowulf: national epic of the English people;Denmark story;alliteration, metaphors and understatements(此处可能会有填空,选择等小题2.Romance(名词解释3.“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: a famous roman about King Arthur’ s story4.Ballad(名词解释5.Character of Robin Hood6.Geoffrey Chaucer: founder of English poetry;The Canterbury Tales(main contents;124 stories planned, only 24 finished;written in Middle English;significance;form: heroic couplet7.Heroic couplet(名词解释8.Renaissance(名词解释9.Thomas More—— Utopia 10.Sonnet(名词解释 11.Blank verse(名词解释12.Edmund Spenser “The Faerie Queene” 13.Francis Bacon “essays” esp.“Of Studies”(推荐阅读,学习写正式语体的英文文章的好参照,本文用词正式优雅,多排比句和长句,语言造诣非常高,里面很多话都可以引用做格言警句,非常值得一读14.William Shakespeare四大悲剧比较重要,此外就是罗密欧与朱立叶了,这些剧的主题,背景,情节,人物形象都要熟悉,当然他最重要的是Hamlet 这是肯定的。

英国文学(上)复习

Chapter I The Anglo-Saxon Period (450---1066)1.The Anglo-Saxon settlement in England (in the 4th and 5th centuries )---- Small kingdoms were combined into a united kingdom called England ；the three tribes(Angles, Saxon and Jutes) mixed into a whole people called English and the three dialect grew into a single language called Anglo-Saxon---Old English.--- The Anglo-Saxon period witnessed a transition from tribal society to feudalism. 2.“Beowulf” --- the national epic of the Anglo-Saxon and English people.--- a long poem of about 3,000 lines; a folk legend brought to England by the Anglo-Saxons and passed from mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before it was written down in the 10th century.3.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle--- an important history book as well as a piece ofliterary work (under the guidance of King Alfred)Chapter II The Norman Period (1066--1350)1.The Norman conquest under Duke William in 1066--- The Norman Conquest marks the establishment of feudalism in England2.Middle English--- The English language was greatly enriched by the Norman conquests and a large number of French words were absorbed.3.The Black Death(1348-1349)4.The Romance --- the most prevalent kind of literature in feudal England--- a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of knights.--- the content of romance :love, chivalry and religion--- there are many cycles of Arthurian romances, among which “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is most famous and still kept reading.5.“Piers Plowman”--- a long alliterative poem by William Langland--- the story takes the form of an allegory, but it gives a realistic picture of 14th century England.--- a bitter and incise satire directing at the social vices of the time.Chapter III The Age of Chaucer (1350--- 1400)1.The Hundred Year’s War (1337---1453)--- a series of wars fought between the English kings and the French kings for the French throne2.The peasant uprising of 1381--- the direct result of exploitation and oppression of the peasants by the feudal lords.3.Geoffrey Chaucer (1340---1400)--- “the father of English poetry” (by John Dryden) and the founder of English realistic literature: the greatest literate before Shakespeare--- important works:The Romaunt of the Rose,Troilus and Criseyde and The Canterbury TalesOthers: T he House of Fame,The Book of the Duchess4.About “The Canterbury Tales”--- Chaucer’s masterpiece and one of the monumental works in English literature--- a vivid and comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time--- written in heroic couplet；humor and satireChapter IV The Fifteenth Century (1400---1550)1.The War of the Roses (1455---1485)--- a series of civil wars fought between two great families for the English throne2.Popular Ballads--- one of the main stream of English literature in the 15th century: folk literature--- ballad meter: 4-line stanzas---“Robin Hood Ballads”, dealing with the famous outlaw Robin Hood and his menChapter V The English Renaissance (1550---1642)1.Historical background--- The reign of Queen Elizabeth: a period of peace and prosperity--- The defeat of Spanish fleet “Armada”(1588)--- The enclosure movement: bringing about the development in industry--- The Authorized Version of Bible or the King James Bible (Under the auspices of James I. 1611)--- The Renaissance and Humanism2.Thomas More (1478--- 1535)--- the greatest of the English humanists: the author of “Utopia”, a ideal state: “liberty, Fraternity and Equality”; written in the form of a conversation between More and a returned voyager: the existence of private property is pointed outas the source of all social evils and injustices.3.The Flowering of poetry1) Sir Thomas Wyatt and Earl of Surrey--- Both of them introduced sonnet form Italy to England, one of the most popular verse forms for th e next half century. Surrey, also wrote in his translation of Virgil’s “Aeneid”, the first English blank verse, the form of poetry to be masterly handled byShakespeare and Milton.2) Sir Philip Sidne y--- Well-known as a poet and critic of poetry: Astrophel and Stella --- a collection of love sonnets: Apology for Poetry --- one of the earliest English literary essays.3) Edmund Spenser --- “the Poets‟ poet”--- He had an exceptional command of language, of verbal music, of giving poetry an exalted and dream-like feeling.--- important works:The Shepherd‟s Calendar , Amoetti (a series of 88 sonnets printed with “Epitalamion”)“Faerie Queene” (dedicated to Queen Elizabeth: Spenser‟s masterpiece written in a special verse form which has since been called the Spenserian Stanza) 4) Michael Drayton--- a versatile poet; best known for his beautiful sonnet “Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part”5) William Shakespeare--- two narrative poems: Venus and Andonis ,The Rape of Lucrece--- a sequece of 154 sonnets (rhyming scheme: abab cdcd efef gg)6)George Chapman:famous for his translation of Homer4.The Flowering of Drama: the highest glory of the English Renaissance1)The early form of drama: miracle play, morality play, interlude and theclassical drama2)The university wits: a dramatic circle ; the immediate predecessors ofShakespeare; furnished the Elizabethan stage with a large part of its repertoire3)Thomas Kyd--- His The Spanish Tragedy, a tragedy of blood and revenge, anticipated Shakespeare‟s“Hamlet”4)Christopher Marlowe: the most gifted of “the university wits”--- important works: Tamburlaine , The Jew of Malta and Doctor Fanstus--- These plays show, in various ways, the spirit of the rising bourgeoisie, its insatiable appetite for power, money an knowledge.--- His masterpiece is Doctor Faustus , in which Dr. Faustus sells his soul to the devil (Mephistopheles) in return for the promise of eternal life.--- It is Marlowe who first made blank verse the principle instrument of English dr ama. He was also famous for his “mighty line”5)Robert Greene: one of the university wits; famous for his attack onShakespeare as “an up-start crow beautiful with our feathers”6)William Shakespeare (1564-1616)--- Plays in chronological order: (see History Book PP.67-68)---important works and their major characters:Henry VII and Henry V(History): Prince Henry, Sir John Falstaff “Romeo and Juliet” (Romantic Tragedy): Romeo, Juliet“Julius Caesar ”(Historical Tragedy): Caesar, Brutus, AntonyThe great comedies:The Merchants of Venice : Portia, Bassanio, Antonio, ShylockAs you like it : Rosalind , Orlando, Celia, Oliver, JacquesTwelfth Night : Viola, Oliva, Malvolio, Sir TobyMuch Ado About Nothing : Beatrice, Benedick, Malaprop, DogberryThe Great tragedies:Othello: Othello, Desdemona, IageKing Lear: king Lear, Corelia, Goneril, RegainMacbeth: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, MacduffHamlet: prince Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, PoloniusThe tragic-comedies or romances:The Tempest: Prospero, MirandaCymbelineThe Winter’s TaleShakespeare‟s character portrayal, plot construction, mastery of language as well as his humanist ideasChapter VI The Seventeenth Century (1603-1688)1.Historical background1) The outburst of the English Revolution(1642)2) Charles I was beheaded in 1649 and England became a commonwealth3) The split within the revolutionary camp and the restoration.4) The Glorious Revolution (1688) and England has become a country ofconstitutional monarchy2.Francis Bacon (1561-1626)--- the first great English prose writer; his essays began the long tradition of the English essay in the history of English literature; “the real progenitor of English materialism and experimental sciences of modern times ingeneral” (by Marx)--- Bacon‟s 58 essays were published in 1625. They are the author‟sreflections and comments, mostly on rather abstract subjects, such as “Of Truth” , “Of Friendship”, and “of Riches”. They are known for theirconciseness and brevity, simplicity and forcefulness, practicality andversatility.3. Metaphysical Poets1)The main themes are love, death and religion; characterized bymysticism in content and fantasticality in form. The chief representative of this school was John Donne.2)John Donne (1572-1631)--- His best-known poetry may be divided into two parts --- love poetry and religion poetry. His S ongs and Sonnets are arguments about love: the tone is direct, passionate; the discussion sophisticated. He had a great influence on modern poets such as T.S. Eliot and W.B.Yeats.3)George Herbert : the saint of the metaphysical schoolThe lyrics in The Temple use unusual imagery to express his religions experience4)Andrew Marvell: famous for his lyric “To his Coy Mistress”4. The Cavalier Poets:--- They were lyrical poets, and dealt chiefly with the theme of love and the theme of “Carpe diem”; marked by courtliness, urbanity and polish. The chief representative was Ben Jonson.5. Ben Jonson (1572-1637)1)the best-known contemporary and successor of Shakespeare; a dramatist, apoet laureate and a critic; famous for his comedies of Humor; the representative of the cavalier poets; the author of the beautiful lyric “ To Celia” starting with “Drink to me with thine eyes”2)His important works:“Every Man in His Humor” ,“ The Alchemist” and “Volpone”--- his masterpiece 3)He was an advocate of classic drama and took a firm stand for the “threeunities ”.6. Robert Herrick--- a follower of Ben Jonson, famous for his lyric “To the Virgins” starting with “Gather ye rose buds while ye may”7. John Milton (1608-1674)1)the greatest of all English epic poets; a master of blank verse; a stylistfamous for grand style; the greatest English revolutionary poet and pamphleteer (The revolutionary enthusiasm of the bourgeois revolution and the bitter hatred for the tyrant is best shown in the works of John Milton) 2)His important works:--- Hid prose writings are in the form of pamphlet and they are all for freedom and against tyranny.“Areopagitica” (A defense of the freedom of the press)(The Defense of the English People)“Pro Populo Anglicano Secunda”(The Second Defense of the English People)Both are written in Latin, in answer to the foreign royalists’ attacks upon the commonwealth and the revolution.--- a sequence of 24 sonnets; the best known: “To Mr. Cyriack Skinner Upon His Blindness”--- His major poetical works:“Paradise Lost ”,“Paradise Regained” and “Samson Agonists”8. John Bunyan (1628-1688)--- the greatest fiction writer of the 17th century; best remembered for “Pilgrim‟s Progress”. Though it has generally been read and appreciated as a religious book, it nevertheless contains behind the allegory a series of real examples which give a faithful picture of the English society in Bunyan‟s age. --- Bunyan is also known for his simple and lively prose style.9. John Dryden (1631-1700)--- the most distinguished literary figure of the Restoration Period poet, playwright and critic; the forerunner of the English classical school of the literature.--- His important works:“Absalom and Schitophel” (a long poem), “All for Love” (his best known play, )“An Essay of Dramatic Poesy” (his most famous prose work)--- He established the heroic couplet as one of the principal English verse forms, clarified the English prose and raised English literary criticism to a new level.Chapter VII The Eighteenth Century (1666-1798)1. The Enlightenment--- The 18th century marked the beginning of an intellectual movement in theEurope, known as the Enlightenment, which was, on the whole, an expression of struggle of the bourgeoisie against feudalism.--- The representatives of the Enlightenment in English literature were JosephAddison and Richard Steele (the essayists) and Alexander Pope (the poet) 2. Neo - classicism--- The classicists modeled themselves on Greek and Latin authors, and tried tocontrol literary creation by some fixed laws and rules drawn from Greek andLatin works. They emphasized reason rather than emotion, form rather than content. Most of their writings were didactic and satirical. As elegance,correctness and appropriateness were preferred; the poets found closedcouplet the only possible verse form for serious work. Their literary works mainly appeal to the middle class readers.3. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele--- Richard Steele started a paper “The Tatler”--- Joseph Addison collaborated with Steel in publishing “The Spectator”--- Humour, intimacy and elegance are the striking features of their familiar essays. In their hands, the English essay had completely established itself as a literary genre.4.Alexander Pope (1688---1744)--- the greatest English poet of the classical school in the first half of the 18thcentury; a great satirist; a rather sound critic; bringing the heroic couplet toperfection; Many commonplaces become household sayings under his pen.--- His important works:“An Essay on Criticism” (his masterpiece, a didactic poem in heroic couplets), “The Rape of the Lock”, “The Dunciad ” “An Essay on Man”--- Pope translate the entire “Iliad” and half of the “Odyssey”; he was also ane ditor of Shakespeare‟s plays5.Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)--- a versatile literary genius: the greatest lexicographer, critic, poet, dramatist; “the great charm of literature”; an outstanding representative of classical school.--- His major works:“A Dictionary of the English Language”,“Letter to Lord Chesterfield”, “Lives of the Poets” , “Vanity of Human Wishes”--- He also edited two periodicals, “The Rambler” and “The Idler”6.James BoswellHis “Life of Johnson” had become a classic of English biography.7.Daniel Defoe (1661-1731)--- a pioneer novelist of England; one of the forerunners of the English realistic novel;a true representative of the Enlightenment; a prolific writer on a great variety of subjects .--- His major works:“Robinson Crusoe” (his mas terpiece ),“Captain Singleton” “Moll Flanders” “Colonel Jacque”, “A Journal of the Plague Year”8.Samuel Richardson (16891761)--- an early representative of sentimental school; the first psycho-analytical novelist--- His works and central characters:“Pamela, or virtue Rewarded”: Pamela, Mr. B“Charissa Harlowe ”: Clarissa, Lovelace“Sir Charles Grandison”9.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)--- “the greatest genius of the age ” (by Addison); “a striking figure who towered above other writers by reason of his more profound imagination, mordant wit and emotional intensity”; a superb satirist (His satire is marked by an outward gravity, and an apparent calmness conceals his bitter irony); one of the greatest masters of English prose (His language is simple, clear and vigorous).--- important works:“The Battle of Books”, “A Take of a Tub”, “The Drapier‟s letters”, “A Modest Proposal”, “Gulliver‟s Travels” (His masterpiece)10.Henry Fielding (1707-1754)--- the real founder of the English realistic novel (He set up the theory of realism in literary creation ); a playwright of high standing; a political pamphleteer; a satirist (Satire abounds everywhere in his works); a master of style.--- His important works: 1) His plays : “Don Quixote in England”,“Pasquin” , “The Historical Register for 1736”2)His novels and central characters:“Joseph Andrews”: Joseph, Lady Booby, Parson Adams“Jonathan Wild the Great”: Jonathan Wild“The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling”: Tom Jones, Blifil, Sophia, Squire Western, Partiridge11.Tobias Smollett (1721-1771)--- He used the form of the picaresque novel (流浪汉小说)and even influenced Charles Dickens--- important works :“Roderick Random”, “Peregine Pickle” , “Humphry Clinker” (his best novel) urence Sterne (1713-1768)--- one of the oddest and most original of English novelist; a novelist of the sentimentalist school--- His literary career is represented by two works:“Tristram Shandy ”(a novel without a regular plot) and “A Sentimental Journey”13.Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)--- the most important English playwright of the 18th century; His plays are remembered for their verbal detriment and laughter which his well-planned scenes can create. His plays repudiate the high society for its vanity, great and hypocrisy.---important works and characters:“The Rivals” : Lydia, Captain Absolute, Mrs. Malaprop ( From her is derived the term “malapropism‟‟)“The School for Scandal” (his masterpiece, a great comedy of manners 风俗喜剧):Joseph Surface, Charles Surface, Lady Teazel, Lady Sneerwell14.Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)--- a poet, novelist, dramatist and essayist; one of the representatives of English sentimentalism--- his poems: “The Traveller” and “The Deserted Villag e”--- his novels and characters“The Vicar of Wakefield” : Dr. Primrose (the vicar), Thornahill, Sir William--- his plays:“The Good-Natured Man” (a comedy of character)“She stoops to Conquer” (a comedy of manners) : Marlow, Kate--- his essay : “The Citizen of the World”15.Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)--- His “ The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” is a remarkable product of the Enlightenment of the 18th century and the greatest historical work in English literature. Gibbon is also famous for his style, characterized by precision, lucidity ，economy and elegance.16.Sentimentalism in poetry--- Sentimentalism came into being in the middle of the 18th century. Dissatisfied with reason which classicists appealed to, sentimentalists appeal to sentiment. They turn to the countryside for their material in contrast to classicists who confined themselves to the clubs and drawing rooms of the city. Sentimentalism marks the midway and the transition from classicism to its opposite, Romanticism.--- Thomas Gray : “Elegy Written in a country churchyard” (a model of sentimentalist poetry)--- Edward Young: “Night Thoughts”--- Jame Thompson : “Seasons”--- George Crabble : “The Village”17.Pre-Romanticism in Poetry--- it arose in the latter half of the 18th century , marked by a strong protest against bondage of classicism and by a recognition of the claims of passion and emotion. It was ushered in by Percy(“Reliques of Ancient English Poetry”), Macpherson (“Ossian”) and Chatterton (Rowley Papers), and represented by Blake and Burns.18.William Blake (1757-1827)--- a Pre-Romantic or a forerunner of the Romantic poetry of the 19th century; a symbolist or a mystic (Some of his poems are obscure and can be interpreted only symbolically); politically a radical and supporter of the French Revolution;a prophetic writer looking forward to a time when the human spirit would be liberated from oppression.--- important works:“The Poetical Sketches”, “The Songs of Innocence”, “The Songs of Experience”, “The Prophetic Books”Which includes “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”, “The French Revolution”, “Milton ”and “Jerusalem”19.Robert Burns (1757-1796)--- the greatest poet Scotland has ever produced; a remarkable lyricist on the theme of love and friendship; a patriotic poet calling for national independence, liberty, equality and fraternity for all the people in the world; a satirist criticizing various social vices, a pe asant poet sharing his people’s feelings and drawing material f rom the folk legends and songs; a great master of language, expressing himself in simple and musical language.--- important works:“Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect”Best known for such poems as “A red, Red Rose”“A Man‟s a Man for a …That‟”, “Auld Lang Syne”, “My Heart‟s in the Highland”etc.。

汇总英国文学期末考试必备讲义.doc

Chapter one1.The origin of the English people, their language and literature1)The settlement of the Anglo-Saxons on the island: the mid 5th century2)Seven kingdoms united into one called England: 7th century.The three tribes(Angles,Saxons and Jutes) mixed into a whole people called English.3)Their language: Anglo-Saxon, which is also called old English.4) English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England: a few relics are stillpreserved—poems and songs about the heroic deeds of old time.Beowulf: a folk legend brought to England from their continental homes (Denmark), reflecting the features of the tribal society of ancient times2.Norman Conquest and its impact on the English language1066: the end of Anglo-Saxon period and the establishment of feudalism in England.The general relation of Normans and Saxons was that of master and servant.Two languages were spoken: French and English. By the end of the 14th century English was again the dominant speech—different from the old Anglo-Saxon:Structure: EnglishCommon words: EnglishMore than 10 thousand French words were introduced – English synonyms.3.Literature of feudal England1). The romance: describing the life and adventure of noble heroes ---the English versions were translated from French or Latin.2). English ballads:a). In various English and Scottish dialectsb). Composed collectively\’]c). A variety of themesd). Mainly the literature of the peasants: the outlook of the English common people in thefeudal societye). The Robin Hood ballads4. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340? ----1400): read the introduction in your bookFather of English poetry, one of most greatest poets of England.Romance of rose（玫瑰奇缘）/the house of fame（声誉之宫）/the parliament of fowls(百鸟议会)The Canterbury tales5.Chaucer’s contribution to English literature1). His poetry traces out a path to the literature of English Renaissance, it reflects the changesof the second half of the 14th century2). As a forerunner of humanism, he praised man’s energy, intellect, quick wit and love of life3). Wide learning: a good knowledge of Latin, French and Italian. Studied philosophical worksof his time; an abundant knowledge of the world. No man could have been better equipped,socially and intellectually to be the founder of English poetry4). His language -----Middle English ----vivid and exact----good master of English ----makingthe dialect of London the foundation of modern English speech----establishing English as the literary language of the country.6.popular balladsBallads are anonymous narrative songs that have been preserved by oral transmission.Ballads are divided into several kinds:i.Historicalii.Legendaryiii.Fantasticaliv.Lyricalv.HumorousCharacter:Chapter TwoRenaissance: the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.1. Historical background of the English Renaissance1) The founding of the Tudor Dynasty which met the needs of the rising bourgeoisie.2) A kind of religious movement called Reformation was started: Protestantism — The LatinBible was translated into English: a great influence on the English language and lit erature. 3) English economy developed at a slow but steady pace. As a result of the Enclosure Movement,a large number of peasants became the forefathers of the modern English proletariat.4) Commercial expansion abroad and the establishment of colonies2. Chief characteristics of the Renaissance1)The interest in God and in the life after death was transformed into the exaltation of manand an absorption in earthly life.2) Materialistic philosophy and scientific thought replaced the church dogmas.3) A total new culture rose out of the revival of the old culture of ancient Greece and Rome; a new kind of art and literature emerged through the exploration of the infinite capabilities of man.Or:1) A thirsting curiosity for classical literature2) A keen interest in life and human activities3. English literature of the Elizabethan Period (second half of the 16th century)1) Many classical and Italian and French works were translated into English — Don Quixote2) Books on history and about new discoveries were written.3) The sonnet, an exact form of poetry, was introduced to England from Italy.4. Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)born in London of a merchant tailor's family;had a progressive scholar as his headmaster, who hold that "It is not a mind, not a b ody, that wehave to educate, but a man";entered Cambridge in 1569, graduated in 1573 with M.A. degree;started "The Faerie Queen" by 1580, dedicated it to the Queen in 1589;became private secretary of Lord Grey, the Queen's Lord Deputy in Ireland — stayed there for his remaining 19 years, carried out the tyrannical rule of the British government therewrote "The Shepherds' Calendar" in 1597;an Irish uprising broke out in 1599, his house was burnt down, he returned to London, died "for want of bread";his language: modern English — different from Chaucer's Middle English.8. Francis Bacon's life (1561-1626)born in London in 1561, father: Lord Keeper of the Seal; mother: well-educatedsent to Cambridge University at the age of 12;English ambassador in France after graduation;entered Gray's Inn to study law;member of parliament — more on the side of the bourgeoisie — offended Queen Elizabeth James I made him a Knight, gave one important office after another until he became Lord Chancellor;charged with bribery in 1621;The remaining years of his life were spent in literary, philosophical and scientific work.died of cold in 1626;9. Francis Bacon's works: three classes1) Philosophical works:"The Advancement of Learning" 1605, in English"Novum Organum" 1620, in Latin2) Literary works — 58 essays — the first English essayist dealing with a wide variety of subjects, such as love, truth, friendship, parents and children, studies, youth and age, garden, death and many others — won popularity for their clearness, brevity and force of expression3) Professional works: "Maxims of the Law and Reading on the Statute of Uses"Marx called him "the real father of English materialism and experimental sciences of modern times in general".12. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)family: born in Stratford-on-Avon in central England;father: a prosperous tradesman with 8 children;mother: daughter of a well-to-do farmer;education: the local grammar school 6 years, also learned Latin and a little Greekworked as a country schoolmaster at 14;married a farmer's daughter (8 years his senior);life as an actor and playwright;well acquainted with theatrical performances when still at Stratford;went to London in 1586-87, and worked at odd jobs in a theatre, became an acto r but was not successful;began to write for the stage — revising old plays and wrote new ones — a successful writer of both tragedies and comedies;His complete works include 37 plays, 2 narrative poems and 154 sonnetsdied on the 23rd of April, 1616.13. Shakespeare's career as a dramatist: 3 periods1s t period (1590-1600): 9 historical plays, 10 comedies, 1 tragedy — imbued with an optimisticatmosphere of humanism, describing the youth, love, and ideals of happiness of young peopleHenry Ⅵ, Richard Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Henry ⅣRomeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, A Mid-Summer Night's Dream, As You Like It 2nd period (1601-1608): reflecting the social contradictions of the age — a transition from greenyouth to maturity;Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Mecbeth3rd period (1609-1612): a general tone of conciliation and a falling off from his previous height, but optimistic faith in the future of humanityThe Tempest, The Winter's Tale, Henry ⅦShakespeare’s comedies reflected an optimistic spirit of the humanists at that time. They praised sincere friendship and true love, advocated equality between man and man, and repudiated the feudal moral and feudal system.His tragedies have shown us insurmountable contradictions between human ideal and social reality, and raised a series of questions about the state, moral, wealth, family and philosophy.十四行诗(the sonnet)是一种形式完整、格律严谨、以歌咏爱情为主的小诗，十三、四世纪盛行于意大利，其最主要的代表者为Petrarch（比德拉克）（1304-1374），十六世纪中叶由Thomas Wyatt传入英国，至莎士比亚一代而臻完美。

英专英国文学考试重点总结Summary of Chapter One 3教学文稿

Summary of Three Major Poets in 14th-Century EnglandChapter one1. Historical Background♦ The Normans conquered in 1066In 1066, William the Conqueror and his Norman warriors defeated the Anglo-Saxons and made themselves masters of England. The Norman Conquest ended the purely Anglo-Saxon period and started a new period in English history ---- the Medieval Period in England (1066-1485).In the medieval period, chivalry was the important code of behavior for the knights. It served as a law that bound the often-lawless warriors. Violating the code of chivalry could mean the loss of honor.2. Middle EnglishFor three centuries after the Norman Conquest, three languages were used side by side in England. Latin and French were the languages of the upper classes, spoken at courts and used in churches and schools.In the 14th century thousands of words and expressions were borrowed from French and Latin and Greek, and many inflectional forms of the words were dropped and formal grammar simplified.3. Religious LiteratureBy far the largest proportion of surviving Middle English literature is religious.4. Romance and the Influence of French LiteratureMedieval romance was a type of literature that became a popular form of literature in the Middle Ages.Romance, in the original sense of the word, means the vernacular (native) language, as opposed to Lain, and later it means a tale in verse, embodying the life and adventures of knights.In subject matters, romance naturally falls under three categories:(1) The matter of France(2) The matter of Rome(3) The matter of BritainThe influence of the Norman Conquest upon English language and literature:After the conquest, the body of customs and ideals known as chivalry was introduced by the Normans into England. The knightly code, the romantic interest in women, tenderness and reverence paid to Virgin Mary were reflected in the literature.With the coming of the Normans, the Anglo-Saxons sank to a position of abjectness. Their language was mad a despised thing. French words of Warfare and chivalry, art and luxury, science and law, began to come into the English language. Thus three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke French, the lower class spoke English, and the scholars and clergymen used Latin.The literature was varied in interest and extensive in range. The Normans began to write histories or chronicles. Most of them were written in Latin or French. The prevailing form of literature in the feudal England was the Romance.5. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)5.1 Historical background(1) The Hundred Years’ War(2) The peasant uprising of 13815.2 John Wycliff (1324? -1384)He was important because he was one of the first figures who demanded to reform the church in order to do away with the corruption and rottenness. He was also important because he was the man who translated the Bible into Standard English. 5.3 Geoffrey Chaucer’s LifeChaucer opened a brilliant page in English literature and had a profound influence on many important English poets. Chaucer is the father of modern English poetry. Chaucer’s poetry belongs to both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.5.4 Geoffrey Chaucer’s Major PoemsThe works of Chaucer are roughly divided into three periods, corresponding to the three periods in his life: the French period, the Italian period and the mature period.The French period refers to the period of French influence and it extends from 1360 to 1372. The outstanding poem of this period is The Book of the Duchess.The second period is from 1372 to 1386 when he wrote under the influence of the Italian literature. The most outstanding work is Troilus and Criseyde. Other poems of this period are The Parliament of Fowls, The House of Fame and The legend of Good Women.The third period covers the last fifteen years of his life. The Canterbury Tales was written in the years between 1387 and 1400. It has a general prologue and twenty-four tales that are connected by “links”. The Canterbury Tales(1378-1400) is Chaucer’s monumental success.5.5 The Function of the General Prologue to The Canterbury TalesThe General Prologue is usually regarded as the greatest portrait gallery in English literature. It is largely composed of a series of sketches differing widely in length and method, and blending the individual and the typical in varying degrees. The purpose of the General Prologue is not only to present a vivid collection of character sketches, but also to reveal the author’s intention in bringing together a great variety of people and narrative materials to unite the diversity of the tales by allotting them to a diversity of tellers engaged in a common endeavor, to set the tone for the story-telling ---- one of jollity which accords with the tone of the whole work; that of grateful acceptance of life, to make clear the plan for the tales, to motivate the telling of tales and to introduce the pilgrims and the time and occasion of the pilgrimage. The pilgrims are people from various parts of England. They serve as the representatives of various sides of life and social groups. Each of the pilgrims or narrators is presented vividly in the Prologue. Ranging in status from a knight to a humble plowman, the pilgrims are a microcosm of 14th century English society. On the other hand, there is also an intimate connection between the tales and the Prologue, both complementing each other. The Prologue provides a framework for the tales.5.6 The Significance of The Canterbury Tales(1) It gives a comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time.(2) The dramatic structure of the poem has been highly commended by critics.(3) Chaucer’s humor.(4) Chaucer’s contribution to the English language.5.7 Read and Discuss the first 18 lines of the General PrologueTwo topics for discussion(1) What is expressed in these opening lines of The Canterbury Tales?The magnificent eighteen-line sentence that opens the General Prologue is a superb expression of a double view of the Canterbury pilgrimage. The first eleven lines are a chant of welcome to the spring with its harmonious marriage between heaven and earth which mellows vegetations, pricks fouls and stirs the heart of man with a renewing power of nature. Thus the pilgrimage is treated as an event in the calendar of nature, an aspect of the general springtime surge of human energy which wakens man’s love of nature. But spring is also the season of Easter and is allegorically regarded as the time of the Redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with its connotations of religious rebirth, which wakens man’s love of God (divine love). Therefore, the pilgrimage is also treated as an event in the calendars of divinity, an aspect of religious piety, which draws pilgrims to holy places.(2) How does the author emphasize the transition from nature to divinity?The structure of this opening passage can be regarded as one from the whole Western tradition of the celebration of spring to a local event of English society, from natural forces in their general operation to a specific Christian manifestation. The transition from nature to divinity is emphasized by contrast between the physical vitality which conditions the pilgrimage and the spiritual sickness which occasions the pilgrimage, as well as by parallelism between the renewal power of nature and the restorative power of super nature (divinity).6. Sir Gawain and The Green KnightSir Gawain and the Green Knight was written about 1375-1400 and the poemlasts about 2,500 lines. Sir Gawain and the Green Knigh t brings the reader into a more remote world, a world that belongs to the Celtic legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.The story is a chivalrous romance based on an ancient legend of a Green Knight who challenges the courage of King Arthur’s knights.Artistically, the poem is a brilliant example of the wisdom of the minstrels of the Middle Ages. It contains several elements, which prepared ground for a new culture. These elements are:(1) A vivid portrayal of the hero Gawain and a fine analysis of his psychology.(2) A well-unified and exciting plot full of climaxes and surprises.(3) The three hunting scenes and the three bedchamber scenes are closely related with each other. The deer, the Boar and the fox is a cunning animal, so is Gawain as he takes the belt from the hostess in order to protect his own life, and in so doing, he violates the chivalric code of honesty.(4) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a mixture of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight combines alliterative verse with metrical verse.The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances. It has two main motifs in the story, one is the testing of faith, courage and purity, the other is the proving of human weakness for self-preservation. The two motifs provide the poem with unmistakable traits of chivalric romances, plus some strong Christian coloring. The poem reflects the ideal of feudal knighthood. A true knight should not only dedicate himself to the church but also possess the virtues of great courage, of fidelity to his promise, and of physical chastity and purity.7. William Langland (1332-1400)Piers Plowman has three versions. The A text has 2,567 lines. The B text, a revision and extension of the A text, is commonly accepted as the best form of the poem. It has about 7,277 lines. The C text is a substantial revision of the B text, but they are about the same length. Though the poem was popular, its author is little known.The poem consists of a series of dream visions interrupted with occasional wake-ups.The poem is a rich and realistic representation of the unhappy side of the life in feudal England at the second half of the 14th century: social injustices, the corruption of the church, the meaningless power struggle in the court, and the sufferings of the poor peasants.The poem is both allegorical and satirical. In the poem, the poet has several dream visions in which different religious and moral issues are brought into discussion. The poet suggests that honest work and devotion to religion is the way to lead one to heaven. The common people, through their hard work and religious observance, can become better individuals than those corrupt lords and rich people. With vivid imagination, the poet divides the way to Truth into three stages ---- Do Well, Do bet(ter), and Do Best.7.3 The Writing Features of the PoemThe writing features are:(1) Pier the Plowman is written in the form of a dream vision. The author tells his story under the guise of having dreamed of it.(2) The poem is an allegory which relates truth through symbolism.(3) The poet uses indignant satire in his description of social abuses caused by the corruption prevailing among the ruling classes, ecclesiastical and secular.(4) The poem is written in alliteration.(5) Its language is plain and direct, its images are clear as well as familiar.。

(完整版)常耀信英国文学简史笔记1-4章

英国文学简史重点笔记(1-4章)（南开大学出版社常耀信版）Chapter 1 The old English periodBeowulf作品特点及历史意义：1. The only organic whole poem to come out of the Anglo-Saxon period. 2. epic(史诗). 3. The story takes place in Scandinavia, there is no mention of England.作品概述：two part narrative-Beowulf’s fight with the sea-monsters Grendel and his mother; his killing a fiery dragon and his death.写作特点：1. Pagan story has an Christian overlay.2. using of kenning(一种描写手法)。

e.g.: sea is often “swan’s way” or “whale-path”3.conspicious occurrence of alliteration(头韵).4. story’s disgressive manner of narration.5. elevated tone.Chapter 2 Chaucer. The pre-Elizabethan Period. More Geoffrey Chaucer代表作：The Canterbury Tales作家：1. first preeminent English poet. 2. Chaucer was the first most significant poet in English literary history to write in Middle English. 3. a master of realism.作品：Canterbury Tales:主要内容：a collection of 20-odd stories, 4 fragments.作品特点：1. substance is from others, the telling isChaucer’s own. 2. enormous sense of humor. 3.loyalty toreality. Offers such a panorama (全景)of social life. 4.infinite (无限的)sense if humanity.Thomas More代表作：Utopia作家：a humanist. He witnessed the evils of the future of the world and sought to help mend things.作品：Utopia:主要内容：1. consist of two book with emphasis on book two in which the Utopian weal republic is described in detail. 2. book two has 9 sections: section 1: geographic contours. Section 2: city life. Section 3: administration of the country. Section4: lifestyle. Section5: family structure. Section6: utopia travel. Section 7: bondmen. Section 8: attitude towards war. Section 9: religion.作品特点：1. nothing private in Utopia, no one has anything, yet everyis rich. Offers best ideal social system possible. 2. someproblems: strict adherence to conformity; slave system; superpower politics; male-dominated.Chapter 3 The Elizabethan Age. Spenser. Sidney. Marlowe Edmund Spenser代表作：The Faerie Queene; The Shepheardes Calendar.作家：a non-dramatic poet; of Queen Elizabeth’s period; read and loved Chaucer andsaw him as his pattern in literary creation.作品：The Shepheardes Calendar: 主要内容：1. consists of 12 pastoral eclogues(田园牧歌)，one for each month of the year. 2. Dialoguesbetween shepherds or of soliloquies, the everyday life ofcountry people, their feelings and attitudes, and their simplelife of harmony with nature. 3. around with suchobservations on the religious strife and political turbulence ofhis day.作品特点：1. full of archaic(古代的) or“Chaucerian” words, bring into relief a rustic（乡村的，纯朴的）effect.2. The eclogues in the Calendarfall into three groups-plaintive, recreative, and moral.The Faerie Queene: 主要内容：1. praise of ElizabethⅠ’s England in itself.2. Consistent of six books and a fragment of the seventhbook. 3. tell respectively about the Red Cross Knight ofHoliness, the Knight of Temperance, the legend of chastity,that of friendship, the Knight of Justice, and the Knight ofCourtesy.作品特点：1. Courageous experimentation with themeters. Special rhyme scheme of the Spenserian sonnets ,and in the Spenserian stanza.Marlowe代表作：The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus; The Jew of Malta作家：The most preeminent figure among the University wits.作品：The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus: 主要内容：1. first part of the play tellsof Faustus’s dissatisfactionwith earthly knowledge and of hispart with the devil.2. second part about his satisfaction withhis newly acquired knowledge and power. 3.The third partsoul being dragged down to hell, tries to pray to God’s save.作品特点：1. famous both for itsthematic and formal features. 2. Thematically, Faustusrepresents the archetypal Renaissance humanist of 16thcentury, and a supreme specimen of Everyman for all time.3.Formally, uses some dramatic devices like the choruses.Chapter4Shakespeare主要作品：sonnets, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchantof Venice, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello,King Lear, Macbeth作品：sonnets: 154 in totalTheme: 1. love, passion, and sparks of wisdom. 2.clear vision of lifeand people. 3. Renaissance paean of man. 4. a faithful recordof the mood and tenor of the times.Style: grace in form, depth in thought, and vivacity in tone.Plays: first period: generally happy and cheerful. All dramas this period endhappily.Second period: frustration, tragic period. All his major tragedies werewritten within the space of a few years.Last period: acceptance of the inevitability of life.特点：1. highly moral. Evil be punished and good rewarded.2. wisdom and profound philosophy.3. tolerant of human foibles and faults4. avoids the use of just one color-pure black or white5. comic element alongside the serious.6. sense of individual worth.7. borrows from existing works but revises and makes themsubstantially and superior.Bacon代表作品：Essays作品特点：wisdom and his unique style.Intimate knowledge of human nature。

英语专业八级英国文学知识总结

英语专业八级英国文学知识总结1 Old and Medieval Period1-1 the Anglo-Saxon PeriodBeowulfCaedmon –Caedmon’s HymnCynewulf – The Fates of the Apostles, Juliana, Elene1-2 the Middle English PeriodSir Gawain and the Green KnightThomas Marlory –Le Morte D’Arthur (The Death of King Arthur)William Langland – Piers the PlowmanGeoffrey Chaucer –The Canterbury T ales1-3 the 15th CenturyThe Robin Hood Ballads2 The Renaissance Period2-1 poemThomas WyattHenry HowardSir Philip Sidney – Astrophel and Stella, Apology for Poetry Edmund Spencer –The Shephearde’s Calendar, Epithalamion, The Faerie Queene 2-2 proseThomas More – UtopiaFrancis Bacon – A History of the Life and Reign of King Henry Ⅶ, The Advancement of Learning, Essays(Of Studies, Of Travel, Of Wisdom), The New AtlantisJohn Lyly—Eupheus2-3 dramaChristopher Marlowe –Tamburlaine, The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus, The Jew of MaltaWilliam Shakespeare – Comedies:A Midsummer Night’s Dr eam, As You Like It, Merchant ofVenice, The Twelfth NightTragedies:Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, The TempestHistorical plays:Henry Ⅳ, HenryⅤLong narrative poems:Venus and Adonis, The Rape of LucreceBen Johnson – V olpone3 The Period of Revolution and Restoration3-1 poets in Revolutionary PeriodJohn Milton –Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson AgonistesJohn Donne – The Sun Rising, The Songs and Sonnets, Holy Sonnets, A Hymn to God the Father, Death, Be not Proud, A Valediction: ForbiddingMourningGeorge Herbert – The Altar, Easter Wings3-2 prose writers in Revolutionary PeriodJohn Bunyan –The Pilgrim’s Progress, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, The Life and Death of Mr. Badman, The Holy War3-3 writers in RestorationJeremy Collier – A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English StageJohn Dryden –The Hind and the Panther, All for Love, Absalom and Achitophel, An Essay of Dramatic Poesy4 The Age of Enlightenment4-1 writers of Neo-ClassicismAlexander Pope – An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, Essay on Man Richard SteeleJoseph Addison – The Tattler, The SpectatorSamuel Johnson – The Dictionary of the English Language, The Lives of English Poets4-2 writers of Realistic TraditionDaniel Defoe –Robinson Crusoe, Captain Singleton, Colonel Jacque, Moll FlandersJonathan Swift – A Tale of a Tub, Predictions for the Year 1708, Vindication ofIsaac Bickerstaff, Gulliver’s Travels, The Drapier’s Letters, A Modest ProposalHenry Fielding – Plays:The Welsh Opera, Don Quixote in England, Pasqin, The HistoricalRegister for the Year 1736Novels:Joseph Andrew, Jonathan Wild and Great, The History of Tom Jones, a Founding, Amelia4-3 writers of Sentimental TraditionSamuel Richardson –Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, Clarissa Harlowe, SirRichardson’s GrandisonLaurence Sterne – Tristram Shandy, A Sentimental JourneyOliver Goldsmith –The Traveler, The Deserted Village, The Vicar of Wakefield Thomas Gray –Elegy Written in a Country Church YardEdward Young – From Night Thoughts4-4 English dramaJohn Gay –The Beggar’s OperaRichard Brinsley Sheridan –The Rivals, The School for Scandal5 The Age of Romanticism5-1 Pre-Romantic poetsJames Thomas – The SeasonsWilliam Collins – Ode to EveningWilliam Blake –Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, The Marriage ofHeaven and HellRobert Burns –My Heart’s in the Highlands, A Red, Red Rose, Auld Lang Syne 5-2 Lake poets (or the first generation) William Wordsworth –Lyrical Ballads (Lines Composed a Few Miles aboveTintern Abbey, Lines Written in Early Spring), AnEvening Walk, Lucy Poems, I Wandered Lonely as aCloud, The Excursion, To the Cuckoo, The SolitaryReaper, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways, To aHighland Girl, The PreludeSamuel Taylor Coleridge – The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Christable, KublaKhan, The Fall of the BastilleRobert Southey –Joan of Arc, Wat Tyler, The Inchcape Rock, The Battle ofBlenheim5-3 Romantic poets of the second generationGeorge Gordon Byron – Lyrical poems:She Walks in Beauty, When We Two Parted, HebrewMelodiesLong Poems:Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Don JuanPercy Bysshe Shelley – Prometheus Unbound, The Cenci, Ode to the West Wind,Ode to a Skylark, A Defense of Poetry, The Necessity OfAtheismJohn Keats –When I have a Fear, On Melancholy, On a Grecian Urn, To Psyche,To Autumn, Ode to a Nightingale5-4 prose writers of the Romantic AgeCharles Lamb – Tales from Shakespeare, Essays of Elia, Old ChinaWilliam Hazlitt – Literary critics:The Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays, Lectures on the EnglishPoets, Lectures on the English Comic Writers, Lectureson the Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth, TheSpirit of the AgeEssays:Table Talk, The Plan Speaker, Sketches and Essays Thomas De Quincey –The Confession of an English Opium-Eater, On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth5-5 English fiction in the Romantic AgeWalter Scott –The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, Marmion, The Lady of theLake, Waverley, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian,IvanhoeJane Austen –Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park,Persuasion, Northanger Abbey6 The Victorian Period6-1 Critical Realist novelists in Victorian AgeCharles Dickens – The Pickwick Paper, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The OldCuriosity Shop, American Notes, A Christmas Carol,Dombey and Son, David Copperfield, Bleak House, HardTimes, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities, GreatExpectations, Our Mutual FriendWilliam Makepeace Thackeray – The Book of Snobs, Vanity Fair, The Newcomes,The VirginiansCharlotte Bronte – Professor, Jane Eyre, Shirley, VilletteEmily Bronte – Wuthering HeightsAnne Bronte – Agnes Grey, The Tenant of the Wildfell HallMrs. Gaskell – Life of Charlotte Bronte, Mary BartonGeorge Eliot – Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner Thomas Hardy –Under the Greenwood Tree, The Return of the Native, TheMayor of Casterbridge, Tess of D’Urbervilles, Jude theObscure, Far from the Madding Growd6-2 Victorian poetryAlfred Tennyson –In Memoriam, Idylls of the King, Break, Break, Break,Crossing the Bar, Ulysses, Poems by Two Brothers, ThePrincessRobert Browning –Men and Women, My Last Duchess, Parting at Morning,Meeting at NightMatthew Arnold –On Translating Homer, Dover Beach, Essays in Criticism,Culture and Anarchy, Literature and Dogma7 The Modern Period7-1 novelistsJohn Galsworthy – The Forsyte Saga: The Man of Property, The Indian Summerof a Forsyte (interlude), In Chancery, Awakening(interlude), To LetA Modern Comedy: The White Monkey, The Silver Spoon,Swan SongKatherine Mansfield – In a German Pension, Bliss, The Garden Party, The Dove’sNest, Something Childish, Life of Ma Parker7-2 playwrightsOscar Wilde –An Ideal Husband, The Important of Being Earnest, The Picture ofDorain Gray, A Women of No Importance, LadyWindermere’s Fan, The Happy Prince and Other T ales Bernard Shaw –Widower’s Houses, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Man andSuperman, Major Barbara, Heartbreak House, Pygmalion John James Osborne – Look Back in AngerSamuel Beckett – Waiting for Godot7-3 poetsW. B. Yeats – Sailing to Byzantium, Leda and the Swan, The Second Coming, TheCountess Cathleen, The Land of Heart’s Desire, TheTower, Down by the Sally GardensT. S. Eliot –The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Gerontion, The Waste Land,Hollow Man, Ash Wednesday, Four Quartets, SweeneyAmong the Nightingales, Murder in the Cathedral, TheCocktail Party, The Confidential Clerk, The Sacred Wood,Essays on Style and Order, After Strange Gods7-4 the psychological fictionsD. H. Lawrence –Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, LadyChatterley’s Lover, The White Peapock, The Daughter ofthe Vicar, The Horse Dealer’s DaughterJames Joyce –Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses,Finnegans Wake, AradyVirginia Woolf – Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Waves, Orlando。

英国文学知识点总结

Part One Early and Medieval English literature& Masteipiece: “The Song of Beowulf "1・ Significance:■The national epic of the English people;■A folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe; ■Passedfrom mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before written down in the 10th century;■The most important and representative work of the Old English (the Anglo-Saxon )literature・2.Characters:Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes Grendel: a monster3.Plot:(1)Beowulf's fight with the monster Giendel in Hrothgar^s hall(2)Beowulf's slaying of GrendeVs mother in her lair(3)Beowulf's retiuii to his uncle, and his succession to the throne・(4)Beowulf's victoiy in death, fifty years later, over the fire diagon4.Features:■i. Position. The national epic and the first long poem in English ・■ii. Rhyme: The poem is written in alliterative verse in a line, with 4 accents in a line , three of which show alliteration( beginning with the same consonant sound)■iii. Rhetorics. A figurative language is used , which is called "kenning” or metaphor ・■iv. Structure*. It is written in inverted order with two parts in a line (as pause) & The Medieval English LiteratureI.Romance : (in prose or verse form)a.Subject matter (题材,话题,论题)(See the definition):The life and adventures of a noble hero , generally a knightb.Theme (主题)(See the definition)： The loyalty to the king and lord ・c.Three romance cycles (传奇故事系列)The Matter of France (about Charlemagne and his peers )The Matter of Rome (about Alexander the Great)The Matter of Britain(about the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table) d. The class nature of Romance :It's written far the upper classChivalry (骑士精神)is represented to show the quality of the knight : courage , honor , courtesy , loyalty and devotion to the helpless 、 the weakand women ・e. Masterpiece.•"Sir Gawiii and the Green Knight"《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》inalliterative verse.* Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)1.Position: i/4The father of English poetry''ii. The founder of English realism (by Gorky)iii・ The forerunner of humanism ・2.Contribution:i.He introduced the “heroic couplet” (the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter 抑扬格五音步)ii・ He is the first great poet who wrote in the cuirent English language ・ iii. He did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modem English speech .3.Literary Creation:Influenced by： Dante (1265-1321): "The Divine Comedy nPetrarch (1307-1374): (<SonnetsBoccaccio (1313-1375): Decameron n4.Masteipiece : “The Canterbuiy Tales，'i.Significance :a.A comprehensive picture of Chaucer's time a splendid realistic portrayal ・b.An artistic corridor of people from all walks of life in the medieval England :a)the gentle class: knight 、 squire , monk prioress (女修道院的院长), the oxford scholar ・b)the bui・gher class : tradesman , carpenter、weaver , the Wife of Bath , lawyerc.Realism and Humanism is revealed :The praise of maif s energy quick wit and love of life .The equal right of man and woman to pursue their happiness on earth and the opposition of the dogma of asceticism.ii・ Features:a.Structural features :a) A prologue and 24 tales b) All the tales are closely knitted by interspersing them with the talk ,the quarrels , opinions of the pilgrims and especially the judgment of the innkeeper ・b.Literary features :Heroic couplet : a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines .Tone : gentle satire and mild irony ・& The English Ballads (Popular Ballads)1.Literary Features :i. English folk literature in feudal society ・ii.In song , usually in 4-line stanza , with the 2nd and 4th lines rhymed ・iii.iambic trimeter / tetrameter 抑扬格三音步/四音步2.Themes :i. The struggle of young lovers against their feudal families・ii.T he conflict between love and wealth・iii.T he cruel effect of jealousy.iv.The border wars between England and Scotland.v.The matters of class struggle・3.Masterpieces:1)Robin Hood Ballads : gathered into a collection called "The Geste of Robin Hood”2)"Robin Hood and Allan -a - Dale" "Get up and Bar the DooF"'Sir Patrick Spans"Robin Hood■Status: a yeoman forced to be an outlaw/fugitive■Deeds: Greenwood of Sherwood Forest near Nottingham in the center of England■Hunting the King^s deer, robbing from the rich and distributing among the poor ■Friends and followers: the Merry Men (Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and the romantic minstrel Alan-a-Dale)■His enemy: the Sheriff of Nottingham■His wife: Maid Marian4.Linguistic characteristics:1)economy of words2) direct speech3) repetition4) easily to be song(2)& Romance■It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It has developed thecharacteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.■The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions. There is often mysteries and fantasies in romance・■Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance・ Characterization is standardized, while the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward・■The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world ・• Questions for consideration:1 ・ The features of the medieval English literature ?2.The significance of The Canterbury Tales ?3.The literary features of English ballads ?4.The differences between romance and balladPart II The English Renaissance&Literary influence of the Bible on English language:Household words from Bible:root of all evil 万恶之源clear as crystal 极其明白 a thorn in the flesh 眼中钉，肉中刺to cast pearls before swine明珠投暗a labor of love不计较报酬的工作eye for eye , tooth for tooth以眼还眼，以牙还牙The Development of Literaturei.The Beginning of the English Renaissancea.Geoffrey Chuuw（1340-1400） The forerunner of English Renaissanceb.William CaxH introducing printing to England in 1476 bringing a multitude of classical works ・& c. Thomas More（1478-1535） The first humanist in EnglandI.IntroductionGreat thinker and humanist in the RenaissanceII.Masteipiece: "Utopia "Utopia, from two Greek words meaning 44nowhere'\ is an island discovered on a voyage to the newly discovered Americas.It is an description of the ideal communist society and ideal commonwealth, where property is held in common and there is no poverty.Practical basis for the communist society:From everyone according to his capacities ,to everyone according to his 各尽所能,按需分配）B. Different Genres and their representatives: essay, poetry, dramaa.essayist: Francis Baconb.poets:Thomas Wyatt, HenryHoward,Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespearec.dramatists/playwrights: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson &]• Francis BaconA. Position and Contribution:He is the first great essayist ・ He is the founder of English materialist philosophy （唯物主义哲学）He is the founder of modern science inEngland .Inductive Method of Reasoning （归纳法）was stated in his essay “New Iiistmment^He represents the intellectual energy of the age ・B. Masteipiece:a.^Advancement of Learning^《科学的进展》b. "'New Instrument^新工具c. -Essays^《随笔集》Subjects : love truth 、friendship , parents and children , beauties , studies , riches , youth and ages , death etc .Features : clearness ,brevity and force of expression ・C・Wise Sayings:"Knowledge is power”"Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other."人们惧伯死亡，正如孩童惧于黑暗中行路：孩童心中的恐惧感随着听到的童话故事的增多而增长, 人们对死亡的惧怕亦是如此。

英国文学史期末总结复习重点

英国文学史Part one: Early and Medieval English LiteratureChapter 1 The Making of England1. The early inhabitants in the island now we call England were Britons,a tribe of Gelts.2. In 55 ., Britain was invaded by Julius Caesar.The Roman occupation lasted for about 400 years.It was also during the Roman role that Christianity was introduced to Britain.And in 410 ., all the Roman troops went back to the continent and never returned.3. The English ConquestAt the same time Britain was invaded by swarms of pirates( 海盗). They were three tribes from Northern Europe: the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.And by the 7th century these small kingdoms were combined into a United Kingdom called England, or, the land of Angles.And the three dialects spoken by them naturally grew into a single language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English.4. The Social Condition of the Anglo-SaxonTherefore, the Anglo-Saxon period witnessed a transition from tribalsociety to feudalism.5. Anglo-Saxon Religious Belief and Its InfluenceThe Anglo-Saxons were Christianized in the seventh century.Chapter 2 Beowulf1. Anglo-Saxon PoetryBut there is one long poem of over 3,000 lines. It is Beowulf, the national epic of the English people. Grendel is a monster described in Beowulf.3. Analysis of Its ContentBeowulf is a folk lengend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from their continental homes. It had been passed from mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before it was written down in the tenth century.4. Features of BeowulfThe most striking feature in its poetical form is the use of alliteration, metaphors and understatements.Chapter 3 Feudal England1) The Norman Conquest2. The Norman ConquestThe French-speaking Normans under Duke William came in 1066. After defeating the English at Hastings, William was crowned as King of England.The Norman Conquest marks the establishment of feudalism in England.3. The Influence of the Norman Conquest on the English LanguageBy the end of the fourteenth century, when Normans and English intermingled, English was once more the dominant speech in the country.3) The Romance1. The Content of the RomanceThe most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England was the romance.4. Malory ’s Le Morte D ’ArthurThe adventures of the Knights of the Round Table at Arthur ’s courtChapter 5 The English Ballads2. The BalladsThe most important department of English folk literature is the ballad.A ballad is a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the secondand fourth lines rhymed.Of paramount importance are the ballads of Robin Hood.3. The Robin Hood BalladsChapter 6 Chaucer1. LifeGeoffrey Chaucer, the founder/father of English poetry.3. Troilus and CriseydeTroilus and Criseyde is Chaucer’s longest complete poem and his greatest artistic achievement.But the poet shows some sympathy for her, hitting that her fault springsfrom weakness rather than baseness of character.4. The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales is Chaucer ’s masterpiece and one of the monumental works in English literature.6. His LanguageChaucer’s language, now called Middle English, is vivid and exact.Chaucer’s contribution to English poetry lies chiefly in the fact thathe introduced from France the rhymed stanza of various types, especiallythe rhymed couplet of 5 accents in iambic meter (the “the heroic couplet ”)to English poetry, instead of the old Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse.The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucerdid much in making dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.Part Two: The English RenaissanceChapter 1 Old England in Transition1. The New MonarchyThe century and a half following the death of Chaucer was full of great changes.And Henry 7, taking advantage of this situation, founded the Tudor dynasty,a centralized monarchy of a totally new type, which met the needs of therising bourgeoisie and so won its support.2. The ReformationProtestantismThe bloody religious persecution came to a stop after the church settlementof Queen Elizabeth.3. The English BibleWilliam TyndallThen appeared the Authorized Version, which was made in 1611 under the auspices of James I and so was sometimes called the King James Bible.The result is a monument of English language and English literature.The standard modern English has been fixed and confirmed.4. The Enclosure Movement5. The Commercial ExpansionChapter 2 More1. LifeThomas More2. UtopiaUtopia is More ’s masterpiece, written in the form of a conversationbetween More and Hythlody, a returned voyager.The name “Utopia ”comes from two Greek words meaning “no place ”.3. Utopia , Book OneBook One of Utopia is a picture of contemporary England with forcibleexposure of the poverty among the laboring classes.4. Utopia , Book TwoIn Book Twowe have a sketch of an ideal commonwealth in some unknown ocean, where property is held in common and there is no poverty.Chapter 3 The Flowering of English Literature3. Edmund Spenser1) LifeThe Poet ’s Poet of the period was Edmund Spenser.In 1579 he wrote The Shepher’s Calendar, a pastoral poemin twelve books, one for each month of the year.2) The Faerie Queene (masterpiece)Spenser ’s greatest work, The Faerie Queene (published in 1589-1596), isa long poem planned in 12 books, of which he finished only 6.iambic feet Spenserian Stanza4. Francis Bacon (father/founder of English essay)the founder of English English materialist philosophyBacon is also famous for his Essays. When it included 58 essays.Bacon is the first English essayist.Chapter 4 Drama7. The PlaywrightsThere was a group of so-cal led “university wits ”(Lyly, Peele, Marlowe, Greene, Lodge and Nash).Chapter 5 Marlowe1. LifeThe most gifted of the “university wits ”was Christopher Marlowe.2. WorkMarlowe’s best includes three of his plays, Tamburlaine , The Jew of Malta and Doctor Faustus.3. Doctor FaustusMarl owe’s masterpiece is The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.5. Marlowe ’s Literary AchievementMarlowe was the greatest of the pioneers of English drama.It is Marlowe who first made blank verse (rhymeless iambic pentameter)the principal instrument of English drama.Chapter 6 Shakespeare1. LifeWilliam Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-on-Avon.After his death, two of his above-mentioned fellow-actors, Herminge and Condell, collected and published Shakespeare ’s plays in 1623. To this edition, which has been known as the First Folio.4. The Great ComediesA Midsummer Night ’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice , As You Like It and Twelfth Night have been called Shakespeare ’s “great comedies ”.6. The Great TragediesShakespeare created his great tragedies, Hamlet, Othello , King Lear and Macbeth.7. Hamletthe son of the Renaissance9. The Poems1) Venus and Adonis2) The Rape of Lucrece3) Shakespeare’s Sonnets10. Features of Shakespeare ’s DramaShakespeare and the Authorized Version of the English Bible are the two greatest treasuries of the English language.Shakespeare has been universally acknowledged to be the summit of the English Renaissance.Part Three: The Period of the English Bourgeois RevolutionChapter 1 The English Revolution and the Restoration5. The Bourgeois Dictatorship and the Restorationin 1688 Glorious Revolution6. The Religious Cloak of the English RevolutionPuritanism was the religious doctrine of the revolutionary bourgeoisieduring the English Revolution. It preached thrift, sobriety, hard work and unceasing labour in whatever calling one happened to be, but with no extravagant enjoyment of the fruits of labour.Chapter 2 Milton1. Life and WorkParadise Lost , Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes.2. Paradise Lost1) Paradise LostParadise Lost is Milton ’s masterpiece.blank verse.Chapter 3 Bunyan1. LifeThe Pilgrim ’s Progress was published in 1678.2. The Pilgrim ’s Progress1) The Pilgrim ’s Progress is a religious allegory.Chapter 4 Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poetsa school of poets called “Metaphysical ”by S amuel Johnson.by mysticism in content and fantasticality in formJohn Donne, the founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry.Chapter 6 Restoration Literature2. John DrydenThe most distinguished literary figure of the Restoration Period was John Dryden.Dryden was the forerunner of the English classical school of literaturein the next century.Part Four: The Eighteenth CenturyChapter 1 The Enlightenment and Classicism in English Literature1. The Enlightenment and 18th Century England2) The Enlightenment in EuropeThe 18th century marked the beginning of an intellectual movementin Europe, known as the Enlightenment, which was, on the whole, an expression of struggle of the bourgeoisie against feudalism. The enlighteners foughtagainst class inequality, stagnation, prejudices and other survivals of feudalism.3) The English EnlighternersThe representatives of the Enlightenment in English literature were Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, the essayists, and Alexander Pope, the poet.Chapter 2 Addison and Steele1. Steele and The TatlerRichard SreeleIn 1709, he started a paper, The Tatler , to enlighten, as well as to entertain, his fellow coffeehouse-goers.His appeal was made to “coffeehouses, ”that is to say, to the middle classes, for whose enlightenment he stood up.“Issac Bickerstaff ”2. Addison and The SpectatorThe general purpose is “to enliven morality with wit, and to temper witwith morality. ”They ushered in the dawn of modern English novel.Chapter 3 Pope1. LifeAlexander Pope, the most important English poet in the first half of the18th century.3. Workmanship and LimitationPope was an outstanding enlightener and the greatest English poet of the classical school in the first half of the 18th century.Pope is the most important representative of the English classical poery.But he lacker the lyrical gift.Chapter 4 Swift3. Bickersta f f Almanac (1708)Swift wrote his greatest work Gulliver ’s Travels in Ireland.Chapter 5 Defoe and the Rise of the English Novel1. The Rise of the English Novelthe realistic novel: Defoe, Swift, Richardson and FieldingSwift ’s world -famous novel Gulliver ’s Travel sDefoe’s Robinson Crusoe (the forerunner of the English realistic novel) Richardson: Pamela, Clarissa and Sir Charles GrandisonFielding was the real founder of the realistic novel in England.The novel of this period ⋯spoke the truth about life with an uncompromising courage. ”The novelists of this period understood that “the job of a novelist was to tell the truth about life as he saw it. ”(Ibid.)This explains the achievement of the English novel in the 18th century.4. Robinson Crusoe1) Today Defoe is chiefly remembered as the author of Robinson Crusoe, his masterpiece.Chapter 6 RichardsonSamuel RichardsonPamela was, in fact, the first English psycho-analytical novel.After Pamela, Richardson wrote two other novels: Clarissa Harlowe and Sir Charles Grandison .Clarissa is the best of Richardson ’s novel.Chapter 7 Fielding (the father of English novel)1. LifeHis first novel Joseph Andrews was published in 1742.His Jonathan Wild appeared in 1743. It is a powerful political satire.In 1749, he finished his great novel Tom Jones.Amelia was his last novel. It is inferior to Tom Jones, but has meritsof its own.3. Joseph Andrews4. Tom Jones1) The StoryFielding ’s greatest work is The History of Tom Jones , a Foundling . 6. Summary2) Fielding as the Founder of the English Realistic NovelAs a novelist, Fielding is very great. He is the founder of the English realistic novel and sets up the theory of realism in literary creation.He has been rightly called the “father of t he English novel. ”Chapter 10 Johnson1. LifeSamuel Johnson, lexicographer, critic and poet.2. Johnson ’s DictionaryIn 1755 his Dictionary was published.His Dictionary also marked the end of English writers ’reliance on the patronage of noblemen for support.Chapter 13 Sentimentalism and Pre-Romanticism in Poetry1. LifeThomas Gray2. Pre-RomanticismIn the latter half of the 18th century, a new literary movement arose in Europe, called the Romantic Revival.Pre-Romanticism was ushered in by Percy, Macpherson and Chatterton, and represented by Blake and Burns.Chapter 14 Blake1. LifeWilliam Blake2. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience4. Blake ’s Position in English LiteratureFor these reasons, Blake is called a Pre-Romantic or a forerunner of the Romantic poetry of the 19th century.Chapter 15 Burns1. LifeHis Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect were printed. (masterpiece)The Scots Musical Museum and Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs 2. The Poetry of Burns1) Burns is remembered mainly for his songs written in the Scottish dialecton a variety of subjects.3. Features of Burns ’PoetryBurns is the national poet of Scotland.Part Five: Romanticism in EnglandChapter 1 The Romantic Periodthe Industrial Revolution the French RevolutionAmid these social conflicts romanticism arose as a new literary trend.It prevailed in England during the period 1798-1832.These were the elder generation of romanticists, sometimes called escapist romanticists, including Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey, who have alsobeen called the Lake Poets.Active romanticists represented by Byron, Shelley and Keats.The general feature of the works of the romanticists is a dissatisfactionwith the bourgeois society, which finds expression in a revolt against oran escape from the prosaic, sordid daily life, the “prison of the actual ”under capitalism.Poetry, of course, is the best medium to express all these sentiments.The only great novelist in this period was Walter Scott.Scott marked the transition from romanticism to the period of realism which followed it.Chapter 2 WordsworthColeridgeIn 1798 they jointly published the Lyrical Ballads .The publication of the Lyrical Ballads marked the break with theconventional poetical tradition of the 18th century, ., with classicism,and the beginning of Romantic revival in England.The Preface of the Lyrical Ballads served as the manifesto of the English Romantic Movement in poetry.Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey have often been mentioned as the “Lake Poets”because they lived in the Lake District in the northwestern partof England.His deep love for nature runs through such short lyrics as Lines Writtenin Early Spring , To the Cuckoo, I WanderedLonely as a Cloud, My Heart LeapsUp, Intimations of Immortality and Lines Composeda FewMiles Above Tintern Abbey. The last is called his “lyrical hymn of thanks to nature ”.Wordsworth’s poetry is distinguished by the simplicity and purity of his language.Chapter 3 Coleridge and Southey1. ColeridgeColeridge ’s best poems, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner .Chapter 4 Byron1. LifeChilde Harold ’s PilgrimageHe finished Childe Harold , wrote his masterpiece Don Juan.2. Childe Harold ’s PilgrimageThis long poem contains four cantos. It is written in the Soenserianstanza.3. Don JuanByron remains one of the most popular English poets both at home and abroad.Chapter 5 Shelley4. Promethus UnboundShelley ’s masterpiece is Promethus Unbound, a lyrical drama in 4 acts.6. Lyrics on Nature and LoveOde to the West WindChapter 6 Keats2. Long PoemsKeats wrote five long poems: Endymion, Isabella , The Eve of St. Agnes , Lamia and Hyperion .5) The unfinished long epic Hyperion has been regarded as Keat ’s greatest achievement in poetry.3. Short Poems1) His leading principle is: “Beauty in truth, truth in beauty. ”3) Ode to Autumn , Ode on Melancholy , Ode on a Grecian Urn and Ode to a NightingaleChapter 10 Scott2. His Historical NovelsScott has been universally regarded as the founder and great master ofthe historical novel.According to the subjet-matter, the group on the history of Scotland, thegroup on English history and the group on the history of European countries.In fact, Scott ’s literary career marks the transition from romanticismto realism in English literature of the 19th century.Part Six: English Critical RealismChapter 2 DickensCharles Dickens critical realismDickens: Pickwick Papers , American Notes , Martin Chuzzlewit and Oliver Twist4) Dickens has often been compared Shakespeare for creative force and range of invention. “He and Shakespeare are the two unique popular classics that England has given to the world, and they are alike in being remembered notfor one masterpiece but for creative world. ”David CopperfieldChapter 3 Thackeray2. Vanity Fair : A Novel Without a HeroVanity Fair is Thackeray ’s masterpiece. characters: Amelia Sedley and Rebecca (Becky) SharpThackeray can be placed on the same level as Dickens, as one of the greatest critical realists of 19th-century Europe.Chapter 4 Some Women Novelists1. Jane Austen (1775-1817)She herself compared her work to a fine engraving madeupon a little pieceof ivory only two inches square.Jane Austen wrote 6 novels: Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility , Pride and Prejudice , Mansfield Park , Emma and Persuasion.2. The Bronte SistersCharlotte ’s maiden attempt at prose writing, the novel Professor , was rejected by the publisher, but her next novel Jane Eyre, appearing in 1847, brought her fame and placed her in the ranks of the foremost English realistic writers. Emily ’s novel Wuthering Heights appeared in 1847.Anne: Agnes Grey4. George EliotMary Ann Evansthree remarkable novels: AdamBede, The Mill on the Floss and Silas Marner 3) Silas Marner: Critical realism was the main current of English literaturein the middle of the 19th century.Part Seven: Prose-Writers and Poets of the Mid and Late 19th CenturyChapter 1 Carlylethe Victorian AgeChapter 3 Tennysonthe Victorian Age prose especially the novel1. Tennyson ’s Life and CareerAlfred Tennyson, the most important poet of the Victorian Age.In the same year (1850) he was appointed poet laureate in succession to Wordsworth.Chapter 7 Literary Trends at the End of the Century1. NaturalismNaturalism is a literary trend prevailing in Europe, especially in Franceand Germany, in the second half of the 19th century.2. Neo-RomanticismStevenson was a representative of neo-romanticism in English literature.Treasure Island (masterpiece)3. AestheticismAestheticism began to prevail in Europe at the middle of the 19th century.The theory of “art for art ’s sake ”was first put forward by the Frenchpoet Theophile Gautier.The two most important representatives of aestheticists in Englishliterature are Walter Pater and Oscar Wilde.2) Oscar Wilde dramatistLady Windermere’s Fan, 1893; A Woman of No Importance , 1894; An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest , 1895The Importance of Being Earnest is his masterpiece in drama.Part Eight: Twentieth Century English Literature(Modernism)Chapter 2 English Novel of Early 20th Century3. Henry JamesHe is regarded as the forerunner of the “stream of consciousness ”literature in the 20th century.Chapter 3 Hardy1. Life and WorkAmong his famous novels, Tess of the D’Urbervillies and Jude the Obscure.2. Tess of the D ’Urbervilliescharacters: Tess, Alec D ’Urbervillies and Angel ClareChapter 6 Bernard ShawChapter 8 Modernism in Poetry1. ImagismEzra PoundThe two most important English poets of the first half of 20th centuryare W. B. Yeats and T. S. Eliot.2. W. B. YeatsThe Wild Swans at Coole , Michael Robartes and the Dancer , The Tower and The Winding StairT. S. Eliot has referred to Yeats as “the greatest poet of ourage-certainly the greatest in this . English) language. ”3. T. S. EliotThe Waste Land (1922) is dignifying the emergence of Modernism.T. S. Eliot was a leader of the modernist movement in English poetry anda great innovator of verse technique. He profoundly influenced 20th-century English poetry between World Wars 1 and 2.Chapter 9 The Psychological Fiction1. D. H. LawrenceSons and Lovers (1913) , the first of Lawrence ’s important novel s, islargely autobiographical.This shows the influence of Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis, especiallythat of the “Oedipus complex. ”The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley ’s Lover3. James JoyceUlysses (1922)June 16, 1904character: Leopold BloomJames Joyce was one of the most original novelists of the 20th century.His masterpiece Ulysses has been called “a modern prose epic ”.His admirers have praised him as “second only to Shakespeare in hismastery of the English language. ”4. Virginia Woolf“high-brows ”the Bloomsbury GroupVirginia Wolf ’s first two novels, The Voyage Out and Night and Day .Jacob’s Room, Mrs. Dalloway , To the Lighthouse and Orlando PartNine: Poets and Novelists Who Wrote both before and after the Second WorldWarChapter 5 E. M. ForsterEdward Morgan Forster the Bloomsbury Groupfour novels: WhereAngels Fear to Tread, The Longest Journey, A Roomwitha View and Howards EndA Passage to India , published in 1924, is Forster ’s masterpiece . In 1927, Forster published a book on the theory of fiction, Aspects of the Novel .Chapter 10 William GoldingWilliam Gerald GoldingHis first novel Lord of the FliesChapter 11 Doris LessingGolden Notebook。

英国文学知识点总结

Part One Early and Medieval English literature& Masterpiece: “The Song of Beowulf ”1. Significance:⏹The national epic of the English people;⏹A folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe;⏹Passed from mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before written down in the 10th century;⏹The most important and representative work of the Old English (the Anglo-Saxon )literature.2. Characters:Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes Grendel: a monster3. Plot:(1) Beowulf’s fight with the monster Grendel in Hrothgar’s hall(2) Beowulf’s slaying of Grendel’s mother in her lair(3) Beowulf’s return to his u ncle, and his succession to the throne.(4) Beowulf’s victory in death, fifty years later, over the fire dragon4. Features:⏹i. Position: The national epic and the first long poem in English .⏹ii. Rhyme: The poem is written in alliterative verse in a line, with 4 accents in a line , three of which show alliteration( beginning with the same consonant sound )⏹iii. Rhetorics: A figurative language is used , which is called “kenning” or metaphor .⏹iv. Structure: It is written in inverted order with two parts in a line (as pause)& The Medieval English LiteratureI. Romance : (in prose or verse form)a.Subject matter (题材，话题，论题)（See the definition）：The life and adventures of a noble hero , generally a knightb. Theme (主题)（See the definition）：The loyalty to the king and lord .c. Three romance cycles (传奇故事系列)The Matter of France (about Charlemagne and his peers )The Matter of Rome (about Alexander the Great )The Matter of Britain(about the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table) d. The class nature of Romance :It’s written for the upper classChivalry （骑士精神）is represented to show the quality of the knight : courage , honor , courtesy , loyalty and devotion to the helpless , the weakand women .e. Masterpiece :“Sir Gawin and the Green Knight” 《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》in alliterative verse .* Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)1. Position: i.“The father of English poetry”ii. The founder of English realism (by Gorky)iii. The forerunner of humanism .2. Contribution:i.He introduced the “heroic couplet”(the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter抑扬格五音步)ii. He is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language .iii. He did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English speech .3. Literary Creation:Influenced by：Dante (1265-1321): “The Divine Comedy”Petrarch (1307-1374) : “Sonnets”Boccaccio (1313-1375): “Decameron”4. Masterpiece : “The Canterbury Tales”i. Significance :a. A comprehensive picture of Chaucer's time a splendid realistic portrayal .b. An artistic corridor of people from all walks of life in the medieval England :a) the gentle class: knight , squire , monk prioress (女修道院的院长), the oxford scholar .b) the burgher class : tradesman , carpenter , weaver , the Wife of Bath , lawyerc. Realism and Humanism is revealed :The praise of man’s energy quick wit and love of life .The equal right of man and woman to pursue their happiness on earth and the opposition of the dogma of asceticism.ii. Features:a. Structural features :a) A prologue and 24 tales b) All the tales are closely knitted by interspersing them with the talk ,the quarrels , opinions of the pilgrims and especially the judgment of the innkeeper .b. Literary features :Heroic couplet : a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines .Tone : gentle satire and mild irony .& The English Ballads (Popular Ballads)1. Literary Features :i. English folk literature in feudal society .ii. In song , usually in 4-line stanza , with the 2nd and 4th lines rhymed .iii. iambic trimeter / tetrameter 抑扬格三音步/四音步2. Themes :i. The struggle of young lovers against their feudal families.ii. The conflict between love and wealth.iii. The cruel effect of jealousy.iv. The border wars between England and Scotland.v. The matters of class struggle.3. Masterpieces:1) Robin Hood Ballads : gathered into a collection called “The Geste of Robin Hood”2) “Ro bin Hood and Allan –a –Dale” “Get up and Bar the Door”“Sir Patrick Spans”Robin Hood⏹Status: a yeoman forced to be an outlaw/fugitive⏹Deeds: Greenwood of Sherwood Forest near Nottingham in the center of England⏹Hunting the King’s deer, robbing from the r ich and distributing among the poor⏹Friends and followers: the Merry Men (Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and the romantic minstrel Alan-a-Dale)⏹His enemy: the Sheriff of Nottingham⏹His wife: Maid Marian4. Linguistic characteristics:RomanceIt uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.⏹The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions. There is often mysteries and fantasies in romance.⏹Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance. Characterization is standardized, while the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward.⏹The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world.•Questions for consideration:1. The features of the medieval English literature ?2. The significance of The Canterbury Tales ?3. The literary features of English ballads ?4. The differences between romance and balladPart II The English Renaissance&Literary influence of the Bible on English language:Household words from Bible:root of all evil万恶之源clear as crystal极其明白a thorn in the flesh眼中钉，肉中刺to cast pearls before swine明珠投暗a labor of love 不计较报酬的工作eye for eye , tooth for tooth 以眼还眼，以牙还牙The Development of Literaturei. The Beginning of the English Renaissancea. Geoffrey Chaucer（1340-1400）The forerunner of English Renaissanceb.William Caxton introducing printing to England in 1476 bringing a multitude of classical works .& c. Thomas More (1478-1535) The first humanist in EnglandI. IntroductionGreat thinker and humanist in the RenaissanceII. Masterpiece: “Utopia”Utopia, from two Greek words meaning “nowhere”, is an island discovered on a voyage to the newly discovered Americas.It is an description of the ideal communist society and ideal commonwealth, where property is held in common and there is no poverty.Practical basis for the communist society:From everyone according to his capacities ,to everyone according to his need”各尽所能，按需分配)B. Different Genres and their representatives: essay, poetry, dramaa. essayist: Francis Baconb.poets:Thomas Wyatt, HenryHoward,Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespearec. dramatists/playwrights: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson&1. Francis BaconA. Position and Contribution:He is the first great essayist . He is the founder of English materialist philosophy （唯物主义哲学）He is the founder of modern science in England .Inductive Method of Reasoning (归纳法) was stated in his essay “New Instrument”He represents the intellectual energy of the age .B. Masterpiece:a. “Advancement of Learning”《科学的进展》b. “New Instrument” 新工具c. “Essays” 《随笔集》Subjects : love truth , friendship , parents and children , beauties , studies , riches , youth and ages , death etc .Features : clearness ,brevity and force of expression .C. Wise Sayings:“Knowledge is power”“Men fear death, as chi ldren fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other. “人们惧伯死亡，正如孩童惧于黑暗中行路：孩童心中的恐惧感随着听到的童话故事的增多而增长，人们对死亡的惧怕亦是如此。

大英三summary

大英三summaryUnit1 R1In the fall of our final year, our mood changed. The relaxed atmosphere had disappeared, and the peer group pressure to work hard was strong. Meanwhile, at the back of every mind was what we would do next after graduation. As for me, I wanted to travel, and I wanted to be a writer. I braced myself for some resistance to the idea from my father, who wanted me to go to law school, and follow his path through the life. However, he supported what I wanted but made me think about it by watch the crabs. The cage was full of crabs. One of them was trying to escape, but each time it reached the top the other crabs pulled it back. In the end it gave up lengthy struggle to escape and started to prevent other crabs from escaping. By watching crabs my father told me not to be pulled back by others, and to get to know himself better.Unit 1 R2Life is short. We never quite know when we become coffin dweller or trampled ash in rose garden of some local cemetery. So there’s no point in putting our dreams on the back of burner until the right time arrives. Now is the time to do what we want to do. Make the best of our short stay and fill our life with the riches on offer so that when th e reaper arrives we’ve have achieved much instead of regrets.Unit2 R1The extract from Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams by Sylvia Plath is a combination of her real life and imaginary life in her childhood. In the real life, Plath was a winner of the prize for drawing the best Civil Defense signs, lived by an airport and hadan Uncle who bore resemblance to Superman. In her imagination, the airport was her Mecca and Jerusalem because of her flying dreams. Superman fulfilled her dream at the moment.David Stirling, a bookish boy, also worship Superman. During the recess at school, he and the author played Superman games. Compared with their school-mates who played the routine games, they felt they were outlaws but had a sense of windy superiority. They also found a stand-in, Sheldon Fein, who later invented tortures.Unit 2 R2Historically, childhood has undergone enormous transformations in terms of children’s responsibilities and parental expectations.Culturally, childhood is socially constructed. The interplay of history and culture leads to different understanding of childhood, consequently it is advisable not to impose ideas from one culture to understand childhood in another culture.Unit 3 R1For the sake of clarity, we split up the process of listening to music into three hypothetical planes. Firstly, the sensuous plane. It’s a kind of brainless but attractive state of mind engendered by the mere sound appeal of the music. Secondly, the expressive plane. It’s when we believe each piece of music has a theme, which mirrors a different world of feeling, such as gaiety, sadness. Thirdly, the musical plan. It’s the ability to experience different musical elements, such as melodies,the rhythms, the harmonies, the tone colors, etc. We usually listen to music on all three planes.Unit 3 R2The painting Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s masterworks. It shows a striking youngwoman wearing an exotic costume and a turban, peering over her shoulder straight out at the viewer. As the name implies, it uses a pearl earring for a focal point.It has been referred to as the Mona Lisa of the north, because, like Leonardoda Vinci’s painting, it appears to be a simple likeness of a woman with an enigmatic smile, yet which contains levels of meanings and questions. So much mystery in the painting contributes to its worldwide popularity and generates a thoroughly rewarding novel and a well-composed film.Unit4 R1In today’s American jobs are not what they used to be. Not long ago, when a father was asked about his job he could answer in terms that a child could come to grips with. Nowadays, when the parent take his offspring to his place of business in glass buildings that are really incomprehensive to children. What’s more, It’s safe bet t hat even grown men have trouble visualizing what other men does in their jobs with his day. Therefore, it’s not difficult to imagine a poor child may answer ”mulling over” after it beats me the mysteries of work, when his friend asks him of his father’s jo b.Unit 4 R2Living in a world of unprecedented/dazzling change. There has never been anything quite like it. However, we are just ignorant of/about deeper historical patterns, take globalization for example, from historical context point of view, the world is almost meaningless. We simply do not live in a age of great technological innovation for all our enthusiasm about internet and ipod. With staggering 90 percent of all web traffic is local, we are always be the internet has opened up the world. As the Chinese curse runs “May you live in interesting time “, it canbring chaos and anxiety in the wakeUnit5 R1When a young black man arrives in a crowed and expensive restaurant, the head waiter makes him sit in the least comfortable place, even though a table has been booked for him and a “Ms Rogers”. When Ms Rogers arrives, the waiter realizes that she is a well-known senator; and Ms Rogers realizes that her friend has been treated badly because of the color of his skin. The waiter realizes his mistake too, and tries to make up for it, but it is too lateUnit 5 R2The writer uses stories about doing business between Swedes and Saudis to illustrate the differences between an individualist and a collectivist approach the business. They have different concepts of the role of personal relationship in business. The Swedes believe the business is done with a company while the Saudis think it should be done with a person they know and trust. Then the writer compares the characteristics of the collectivist and those of the individualist.In most collectivist societies, the families are usually extended families while in the individualist societies, nuclear families are prevalent. People consider themselves as part of a “we”group or in-group in the collectivist societies. In contrast, the individualists think of themselves as “I”, their personal identity which is distinct from other peoples. A practical and psychological dependence relationship develops between the person and their in-group in the collectivist societies. However, rarely do people depend on a group in the individualist societies.Unit 6 R1The text from Last Man Down offers an eyewitness accountof a defining historical event of 9/11 attack from the perspective of Richard Picciotto, a firefighter; his story is that a man, a hero, and a tragic event that inspired the nation. His recount is not one of death and destruction, but acelebration of life and its unpredictable nature.Unit6 R2The passage offers a hero. She is a woman of power and privilege who still wanted to devote herself to the causes she believed in.Living in a male-dominated world, Eleanor Roosevelt showed growing concern for women’s issues, along with those for labor issues, youth and civil rights issues.Eleanor Roosevelt created new First Lady Profile. She held a press conference for the female only. She was a great supporter of FDR, her wheel-bound husband , whose career as the US President offered her opportunity to come into her own.After FDR’s departure, she still held public post s to use her power for her beliefs.Anna Eleanor Roosevelt never ran on a par with men, she set the pace.。

自考英语：英美文学选读要点总结精心整理下载版[3]

自考英语：英美文学选读要点总结精心整理下载版[3] 英国】Chapter3 The Romantic Period (1798-1832)浪漫主义1.This urgency was provoked by two important revolutions: the French Revolution of 1789-1794 and the English Industrial Revolution which happened more slowly, but with Astonishing consequences.英国面临着新的发展动力:是1789-1794年的法国资产阶级大革命,是同时期英国内部的工业革命.2.In 1832, the Reform Bill was enacted, which brought the Industrial capitalists into power.1832年“改革法案”在议会通过并实施。

3.The Romantic Movement, whether in England, Germany or France, expressed a more or less negative forward the existing social.浪漫主义运动,无论是在英国,德国还是法国,都表现相互对工业革命时期现存的社会经济制度及城市资产阶级的上升的否定态度。

4. The Romantics demonstrated a strong reaction against the dominant modes of thinking of the 18th-century writers and philosophers. Where their predecessors saw man as a social animal, the Romantics saw him essentially as an individual in the solitary state.文学家摒弃了18 世纪盛行的文学及哲学基调---理性,古典主义文学家认为人是社会性的动物,浪漫主义文学家认为人应该是独立自由的个体.5. Thus, we can say that Romanticism actually constitutes a changeof direction from attention to the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of the human spirit.因此,们还可以说浪漫主义其实是将人们的注意力从外部世界—社会文明转移到内部世界---人类自己的精神实质。

英国文学复习总结

英国文学复习总结详解Part one:Early and medieval English literature1.Beowulf《贝奥武甫》------the national epic of the English people ,it is also the epic of the Anglo-Saxon.(P3)2.The name of the terrible monster------Grendel(格伦德尔)(P3)3.the most striking feature in its poetical form is the use of alliteration(头韵)，others are metaphor （暗喻）and understatement(保守陈述)(P5)4The Norman Conquest （诺曼征服）marks the establishment of feudalism in England. (P6)5.The romance(传奇文学)(P8)The most popular of literature in fedual England was the romance. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero.The hero of the romance was the the knight, a man of noble birth, skilled in the use of weapons.It was written for the noble class(贵族的文学) Romances falls into three cycles :“matters of Britain”( adventures of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table),“matters of France” (Emperor Charlemagne and his peers)“matters of Rome”. (Alexander the Great and so forth)6. William Langland威廉·朗兰------ Piers the Plowman《耕者皮尔斯》(P11)7.The ballads(民谣)(P17)The most important department of English folk literature is the ballad.It is a story told in song ,usually in 4-line stanzas[ˈstænzə],with the second and fourth lines rhymed.It was written for common people(平民文学). The subjects of ballads are various in kind,as the struggle of young loves against their feudal-minded families,the conflict between love and wealth ,the cruelty of envy,the criticism of the civil war,and the matters of class struggle. The most famous ballads are the ballads of Robin Hood.8. Geoffrey Chaucer’ Contributions<1>Father of English poetry in 14th century.Chaucer introduces from France the rhymed stanzas of various types instead of the old Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse,especially the rhymed couplet of 5 accents in iambic meter(the heroic couplet) to English poetry.(P26)<2>Chaucer is the first great poet who wrote in the English language. His production of so much excellent poetry is an important factor in establishing English as the literary language of the country.He did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.(P26)<3>the founder of English realism(P23)The Prologue(序言)suppies a miniature of the English society of C haucer’s time<4>. he forerunner of humanisim (P24 倒数第二行)9. Geoffrey Chaucer died in 1400 and was buried in Westminster Abbey（威斯敏斯特教堂）thus founding the “Poets’ Corner”..(P20)10.The Romaunt of the Rose(translated from Franch)《玫瑰传奇》Troilus and Criseyde(adapted from the Italian)《特洛勒斯和克莱西》10. Geoffrey Chaucer 杰弗里·乔叟------The Canterbury Tales《坎特伯雷故事集》The tales of the Knight,the Pardoner（卖赎罪券者），the Nun’s Priest (尼姑的牧师)，the Wife of Bath,together with the Prologue,are the best of the whole collection.(P24)（了解一下）Part two:The English renaissance1.historical background1.The Reformation(宗教改革)2. the Authorized Version(钦定版圣经)3. The Enclosure movement（圈地运动） 4 The commercial expansion（贸易扩张）5 The war with Spain（与西班牙战争）6Renaissance（文艺复兴）7 Humanism（人文主义）（P27-30）2.Thomas More托马斯·莫尔 Utopia《乌托邦》Utopia is More's masterpiece, written in the form of a conversation between More and a returned sailor.It is divided into two books.(P37)Book I of " Utopia" is a picture of contemporary social conditions of England.BookⅡwe have a picture of an ideal commonwealth (Utopia )in some unknown ocean.(P37)3. Thomas Wyatt(托马斯·韦阿特): He first introduced the sonnet into England from Italy.Surrey(萨里)，in his tranlation Virgil’s Aeneid《埃涅伊德》,wrote the first English blank verse(无韵诗)，later masrerly handled by Shakepeare and Milton.4 Philip Sidney(菲利普·锡德尼)Astrophel and Stella《爱星者与星星》Apology for Poetry《为诗辩护》5.WalterRaleigh(华尔特·罗利) Discovery of Guiaana《发现圭亚那》,Historty of the world6."the poets' poet" of the period was Edmund Spenser.T he Shepherd’s Calendar《牧羊人日记》，Epithalamion《新婚颂歌》，masterpiece The Faerie Queen 《仙后》7. The Faerie Queen《仙后》（P42）<1>Spenser’s grestest work,is a long poem planned in 12 books,he only finished 6.the work was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth.<2>each guest has a knight,each knight represents a virtue(美德),as Holiness（圣洁）,Temperance(温和)，Chastity(贞洁)，Friendship,Justice （正义）and Courtesy(谦恭).<3>The knight as a whole symbolize England,the evil figures stand for his enemies,as King Philip of Spain,Mary Queen of Scots(both Catholics) or church of Rome.<4>The thoughts of the poem are nationalism,humanism,puritanism<5>The Faerie Queen is written in a special verse form ,consisits of 8 iambic pentameter lines followed by a ninth line of six iambic feet (an alexandrine亚历山大诗行),with the rhyme scheme abab bcbc c , the form called "Spenserian Stanza"(斯宾塞诗节) （P43）8.John Lyly（约翰·黎里）------Euphues《优弗依斯》was written in a peculiar style known as "Euphuism"（优弗依斯体或绮丽体）(P44)9. Francis Bacon（弗朗西斯·培根）the founder of English materialist philosophy(唯物主义) and modern science（P45）<1>Advancement of Learning《学问的演进》<2> New Instrument《新工具》---a statement of what is called the Inductive Method (归纳法)<3>Eassy《随笔》These essays cover a wide variety of subjects, such as love, truth, friendship, parents and children, beauty, studies, riches, youth and age, garden, death and many others. （P46）Of study《论读书》10.The Miracle Play(奇迹剧)(P46)The miracle were simply plays based on Bible stoies,such as the creation of the world,Noah(诺亚)and the flood, and the birth co Christ.They were at first performed in the churches.But after the actors introduced secular(世俗)and even commercial elements into the performance,it was forbidden inside the church ,so it got into the market place.11.Morality play(道德剧)(P47)A morality presented the conflict of good and evil with allegorical persons,such as Mercy(怜悯)，Peace,Hate,Folly and so on.They contended for the possession of one’s soul.The morality was dreary performance with endless speech-making of those abstract characters.so into the plays Vice(恶习)who was the predecessor of the modern clown.12.The Interlude(插剧)13.The classical drama------comedy and tragedy14."University Wits"(大学才子) They were Lyly, Peele, Marlowe, Greene,Lodge and Nash). wrote for the stage of the time.15. Christopher Marlowe(克里斯托弗·马洛)t he most gifted of the "University Wits".（P50）Marlowe's best plays : Tamburlaine the Grea《帖木儿大帝》t, The Jew of Malta《马耳他的犹太人》and Doctor Faustus《浮士德博士》.（P51）The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is Marlowe' s masterpiece.The doctor sold his soul to Devil so he may live 24 years in all voluptuousness.(P53)Marlowe's Literary Achievement（P55）<1>Marlowe was the greatest of the pioneers of English drama. He reformed the English drama and perfected the language and verse of dramatic works.<2>He first made blank verse(unrhymed iambic pentameter) the principal instrument of English drama.<3>Marlowe's dramatic achievement lies chiefly in his epical and at times lyrical verse.<4>His works paved the way for the plays of the greatest English dramatist –Shakespeare - whose achievements were the monument of the English Renaissance.16 Ben Jonson（本·琼森）--- V olpone, or the Fox, 《福尔蓬奈，或狐狸》The Alchemist.《炼金术士》，Every Man in His Humour《个性互异》，Bartholomew Fair《巴梭罗缪市集》（P94）William Shakespeare1. Shakespeare’s career may be divided into four major phrases which represent respectively his early, mature, flourishing, and late periods.（P60）详见课本2.His great ComediesA Midsummer Night's Dream《仲夏夜之梦》，The Merchant of Venice《威尼斯商人》，As You Like It《皆大欢喜》，Twelfth Night《第十二夜》are Shakespeare’s great comedies.3.The Character Analysis of Shylock 夏洛克人物形象分析He is greedy. He accumulates as much wealth as he can 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.他是贪婪的，竭尽全力敛财；他也是残忍的，为了复仇，宁愿割安东尼奥一磅肉用来偿还欠款。

英语专业英国文学史总复习

1) the Renaissance 2) the rise of humanism 3) Thomas More (1478-1535), Utopia (“no place”): his masterpiece; in the form of a conversation between More and a returned voyager; 4）lyrical poems: (the first half of the 16th century) Thomas Wyatt (1503?--1542) was the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature. (the second half of the 16th century) Edmund Spencer (15521599) , “the Poets’ poet”, and his The Faerie Queen 5) Prose: Francis Bacon (1561-1626): 6) Novel: John Lyly (1553?-1606) and Thomas Loge (1558?-1625): dealing with court life and gallantry 7)Drama: A) Chirstopher Marlowe (1564-1593): B) Ben Johnson (1572-1637): “Every man in his humor”, He praised Shakespeare “he was not of an age, but for all time!” C) Robert Greene (1560?-1592): Ｄ) William Shakespeare: (1564-1616)

英国文学史及选读考试重点

Chapter 1 Old English Literature (450 – 1066)Beowulf(1) National epicBeowulf is the first great English literary work and is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons.Chapter 2 Middle English Literature (1066 -- the 14th century)Major ContentA. Medieval romanceSubjects: Matter of France; Matter of Rome; Matter of BritainB. The Popular Ballads:Definition(1) A narrative song, or an oral form of verse.(2) Composed by common people during a long period of time.(3) An important stream of the Medieval folk literature.C. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?-1400)Messenger of Humanism; The first important realistic writer; “Father” of English poetry and Master of the English language:masterpiece: The Canterbury TalesChapter 3 Renaissance (from 14th c. to mid-17th c.)1. Renaissance(1) It marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world (from 14th c. to mid-17th c.).(2) "Renaissance" means rebirth or revival.(3) The combination of Christian (Britain’s tradition) and Greek tradition s.(4) It is stimulated by events like the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture (culture), the new discoveries in geography and astronomy (science), the religious reformation (religion) and the economic expansion (economy).(5) To get rid of old feudalist ideas and introduce new ideas of the rising bourgeoisie, to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.2. Humanism(1) To exalt human elements or stress the importance of human interests, as opposed to the supernatural, divine elements—or as opposed to the grosser赚钱的机器, animal elements.（否定旧的）(2) To see human beings as glorious creatures capable of individual development.（肯定新的2、3、4、5）(3) To emphasize the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life.(4) To believe that man does not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. （2、3的总结）(5) To express the rebellious spirit against the tyranny of feudal rule and religious domination. Representatives: More, Marlowe, Shakespeare（同renaissance一样，最后落脚到封建主义与资本主义的对立）Elizabethan PoetryI. Major Forms of Elizabethan Poetry1.Sonnet(1) A lyric poem of 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme,(形式)(2)Expressing different aspects of a single thought, mood, or feeling,（内容）(3) Iambic pentameter is essentially the meter, but here again certain poets have experimentedwith hexameter and other meters.（方法）2. Blank verse3. heroic coupletII. Selected readings (Discussion)1. Sonnet 18 (by Shakespeare)William Shakespeare(1564-1616)1. Four great tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth2. HamletContrast(a)Hamlet and Claudius: Each tries to probe into the mind of the other.Whether the king is guiltyWhether Hamlet is mad(b) MadnessReal madness v. Feigned madness (Ophelia – Hamlet)(c) Different attitudes toward vengeance(复仇):Hamlet thinks too much, delays too long.Laertes acts too rashly, thinks too little.Fortinbras is a man of both action and thoughts.(d) Inner conflict in Hamlet’s mind:strong urge to revenge vs. disillusioned view of human lifemakes him weakCould you explain Hamlet’s hesitation in action to kill his uncle from the perspective of Oedipus Complex?The study, Hamlet and Oedipus,was written by Sigmund Freud‘s colleague and biographer Ernest Jones. In particular, Jones explains Hamlet’s mysterious delay in action as a consequence of the Oedipus Complex: the son continually postpones the act of revenge because of the impossibly complicated psychodynamic(心理动力的) situation in which he finds himself. Though he hates his fratricidal(杀兄弟的) uncle, he nevertheless unconsciously identifies with him—for, having killed Hamlet's father and married his mother, Claudius has carried out what are Hamlet's own unconscious wishes.In addition, marriage to Hamlet's mother gives the uncle the unconscious status of the father—destructive impulses towards whom provoke great anxiety and meet with repression.John Donne (1572-1631)Special features(1) Conceits: (A fanciful poetic image, especially an elaborate or exaggerated comparison 奇思妙想) – metaphysical conceits refer to bringing together things that are primary unlike(2) Wit: (聪敏机智）-- the centre of Donne’s poetic method, such as the dialectical arrangementof a poem, logical reasoning, dramatic plot(3) Imagery: drawn form his interests, revealing the width of his intellectual exploration(4) Dramatic and conversational style:(5) metric skills: violating conventional and metrical regularities of rhythm and stress(1) The Flea(2) “Death, Be Not Proud”John MiltonII. His worksA. Early poetic works:LycidasB. middle prose pamphletsAreopagitican.《论出版自由》C. last great poemsParadise LostParadise RegainedSamson AgonistesParadise lostPlotsThe story it related (12 books in all)1. The fall of the angels, the tortures andthe struggles they made upon the God.2. God creates the Adam and Eve.3. Man’s disobedience.4. The banishment of Adam and Eve, theirloss of paradise .Major characters analysisSatan (Lucifer) :1. he is the first character to whom the reader is introduced, and the most complex. It has been suggested that Satan is the true "epic hero" of the piece, largely because of his epic language and heroic energy.2. he hold the self-centered perspective , arrogant, boldness and diligence in fighting with god .Adam & Eve1. Strong, intelligent, and rational character possessed of a remarkable relationship with God .2. Innocent and impulsive ,dedicative to their love .3. with the spiritual purity , her capacity for emotion, and forbearance .God1.omnipotent(全能的）character who knows everything before it happens .2. unknowable to mankind and to some extent lacks emotion and depth .Themes1.The Importance of Obedience to God .Paradise Lost presents two moral paths that one can take after disobedience:(1) The downward spiral of increasing sin and degradation, represented by Satan.(2) the road to redemption, represented by Adam and Eve.2. The Hierarchical Nature of the UniverseThe layout of the universe—with Heaven above, Hell below, and Earth in the middle—presents the universe as a hierarchy based on proximity （亲近）to God and his grace .This spatial hierarchy leads to a social hierarchy of angels, humans, animals, and devils, To obey God is to respect this hierarchy.Humankind must now experience pain and death, but humans can also experience mercy, salvation, and grace in ways they would not have been able to had they not disobeyed.On the other side, it also gives individual human beings the opportunity to redeem（救赎）themselves by true repentance and faith.Chapter4 The Neo-classical PeriodFeaturesNeo-classicism (last decades of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century)(1) Models on the classical literature of the ancient Greek and Roman writers like Homer,Virgil, Horace, Ovid, etc. and in the contemporary French writers such as Voltaire and Diderot.(2) A partial reaction against the fires of passion blazed in the late Renaissance, especially inthe Metaphysical poetry.(3) Stresses on the classical artistic ideals of order, logic, proportion, restrained emotion,accuracy, good taste and decorum.(4) Neo-classical writers are: John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Joseph Addison,Richard Steele, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Edward Gibbon, etc.(5) It had a lasting wholesome influence upon the literature of the coming generation.Alexander Pope (1688-1744)Major worksAn Essay on Criticism (1711), The Rape of the Lock (1712-14),The Dunciad (1728-42), The Essay on Man (1733-34)Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)I. Major WorksA Tale of a Tub (1704) The Battle of Books (1704)“A Modest Proposal” (1730) Gulliver's Travels (1726)II. Analysis of Gulliver's Travels (1726)(1) ThemeIt is a satire on the 18th-century English society, touching upon the political, religious, legal, military, scientific, philosophical as well as literary institutions. It takes great pains to bring to light the wickedness of the then English society, with its tyranny, its political intrigues and corruption, its aggressive wars and colonialism, its religious disputes and persecution, and its ruthless oppression and exploitation of the common people.(2) Narrative features(A) Both a fantasy and a realistic work of fiction.(B) The language is very simple, unadorned, straightforward and effective.(C) An apparent innocence and honesty of the hero and his account, the direct, truthful, detailed presentation of people and things encountered set off the biting satire and a desperate indignation of the writer.(D) Tidy structural arrangement. The four seemingly independent parts are linked up by the central idea of social satire and make up an organic whole.(E) From outward-homeward-bound motif to a darkening gradation of incident and a growingperversion of the hero; on one hand, from a chance shipwreck to man-made misfortunes and intended mutinies. The hero's attitude towards mankind changes from firm belief to doubt, further doubt, and finally to dislike.The Rise of the English Novel and DefoeDaniel Defoe (1660-1731)1. Features of his Novels(1) Picaresque tradition(2) Autobiographical form and first person narration(3) Journalistic style with great detail and specific time and space(4) LanguageDiction: plain, smooth, easy, direct, and colloquial but never coarseSyntax: long, rambling sentences without strong pauses to give his style an urgent, immediate, breathless quality, but the units of meaning are small and clear with frequent repetition so that the writing gives an impression of simple lucidity.2. A Brief Analysis of Robinson Crusoe(1) Story: a Alexander Selkirk who once stayed alone on the uninhabited island Juan Fernandez for 5 years(2) Different levels of meaning(a) Adventurous story; (b) Moral tale; (c) Commercial account; (d) Puritan fable; (e)Myth of modern civilization.(3) Theme:(a) It celebrates the strength of human rational will to conquer the natural environment.(b) Robinson is the very prototype of the empire builder, the pioneer colonist. His success was due to the sturdy qualities in his character, to his own unaided efforts, to his courage and patience, to his practical skill, and to his intelligent persistence.Chapter 5 The Romantic Period(The Romantic Movement starts in 1798 and ends in 1832)1. Definitions:Romanticism: Romanticism is a term applied to literary and artistic movements of the late 18th and early 19th century. It can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified classicism in general and late 18th-century neoclassicism in particular. It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism in general. Inspired in part by the libertarian ideals of the French Revolution, the romantics believed in a return to nature and in the innate goodness of humans, as expressed by Jean Jacques Rousseau. They emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. They also showed interest in the medieval, exotic, primitive, and nationalistic. Critics date English literary romanticism from the publication of William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads in 1798 to the death of Sir Walter Scott and the passage of the first reform bill in the Parliament in 1832.2. Romantic poets:a. William Blake (1757-1827)Poetical Sketches (1783) (a collection of youthful verse with notes of joy, laughter and love) Songs of Innocence(1809) (presenting a happy and innocent world, though not without itsevils and sufferings)Songs of Experience(1794) (painting a different world, a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy tone)Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790) (marking Blake's entry into maturity)b.William Wordsworth (1770-1850)c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)Major worksPoems: a. the demonic poemse.g. (1) “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”; (2) “Christabel”; (3) “Kubla Khan”b. the conversational poemse.g. “Frost at Midnight” “Dejection : an Ode”d. George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)e. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)"Ode to the West Wind” (1819f. John Keats (1795-1821)Odes: The odes are generally regarded as Keats's most important and mature works.“Ode on a Grecian Urn”g. Jane Austen (1775-1817)William Wordsworth (1770-1850)All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings which originates from emotion recollected in tranquility.I. Major works(1) Lyrical Ballads (1798)(2) Prelude, or Growth of a Poet’s Mind (1850)II. Selected readings(1) “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”Main ideaThe poem is crystal clear and lucid. By recounting a little episode, the poet gives a description of the scene and of the feelings that match it. Then he abstracts the total emotional value of the experience and concludes by summing that up. Below the immediate surface, we find that all the realistic details of the flowers, the trees, the waves, the wind, and all the accompanying sensations of active joy, are absorbed into an over-all concrete metaphor, the recurrent image of the dance, which appears in every stanza. 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.Paraphrase(1)I, alone, walked slowly around the valleys and hills, like a lonely cloud moving slowly over. Suddenly, I saw bundles and bundles of golden daffodils growing beside the lake or under the trees. In the breeze, the daffodils moved lightly and quickly as if they were dancing. Paraphrase(2)The yellow flowers fluttered and danced without a stop just like the stars that shine and change their light in the Milky Way. These flowers grew in a long line that extended without an end along the edge of a bay. I had a quick look at the ten thousand flowers when they moved their heads asthey were dancing lively.Paraphrase(3)The waves in the lake next to the daffodils also danced together; but the joyful daffodils danced better than the glimmering waves. I was very cheerful because I have such pleasant companions. And I couldn't help looking steadily and admir ing at the daffodils for a long time, but I didn’t realize at that moment that the scene of the dancing daffodils had brought me something to be cherished forever.Paraphrase(4)Very often, when I recline on my couch, feeling empty or thinking deeply and sadly, dancing daffodils emerge in my mind and inspire my solitary heart. This is the very happiness and comfort for me, a lonely being. Thus my heart, dancing with the golden daffodils, will be full of satisfaction and happiness.George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)Major works(1) Childe Harold's Pilgrimage(2) Don JuanThe Byronic Hero(1) A proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin.(2) With immense superiority in his passions and powers.(3) To right all the wrongs in a corrupt society.(4) Rise single-handedly against tyrannical rules with unconquerable wills and inexhaustibleenergies.Percy Bysshe Shelley(1792-1822)1. Major works(1) Queen Mab (1813) (2) Prometheus Unbound (1819)(3) lyrics: "Ode to the West Wind” (1819)“The cloud” “To a Skylark” (1820)(4) Adonais (1821) (5) In Defence of Poetry (1822)"Ode to the West Wind"Ode: The ode is a lyric poem of some length, dealing with a lofty(崇高的) theme in a dignified manner. (praising and glorifying an individual,Commemorating纪念an event, or describing nature intellectually rather than emotionally).Themes(1) The cycle of the seasons(2) Destroyer and preserver(3) Wind sweeps across the land.(4) Wind sweeps across the sky.(5) Wind sweeps across the ocean.(6) Wind and man:Young: tameless, radical, brave, passionate, energetic, courageous, with strong imagination Old: tamed, conservative, inactive, indifferent, cold, loss of imaginationJane Austen (1775-1817)1. Characteristics of her works(1) Chief InterestMain concern is about human beings in their personal relations, human beings with theirfamilies and neighbors.(2) Narrownessthe range of experience.The subject matter, the character range, the moral setting, physical setting and social setting, and plots are all restricted to the provincial or village life of nineteenth-century England, absolute accuracy and sureness by never stepping beyond the limits of her knowledge.3. The Works of Jane AustinSense and Sensibility (1811),Pride and Prejudice (1813),Mansfield Park (1814),Emma (1816)Persuasion and Northanger Abbey (published posthumously by her brother in 1818)4. Pride and Prejudice (First Impressions )(1) Themesgood judgment (pride and prejudice)love and marriage(a) those who marry for money, position and property,(b) those who marry just for passion(c) and those who marry for love which is based on consideration of t he person’s personalmerit as well as his economical and social status.(3) Selected readingMain idea:The selection is the first chapter of the novel, in which the parents of the Bennet girls are busy considering the prospects of their daughters’ marri ages shortly after hearing of the arrival of a rich unmarried young man, Mr. Bingley, as their neighbor.In this selection, we can find mild satire in the author’s seemingly matter-of-fact description of the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, in the vivid portrait of the husband and the wife, and, specifically, in the opening sentence. The relationship of the husband and wife and their attitude towards each other are also subtly presented.Mrs. Bennet, an empty-headed woman, is simple and naive, eager to talk with any slight encouragement. Mr. Bennet is a man of intricate character and quick wit. His teasing tone and sarcastic humor are just beyond his wife’s understanding.Homework1. The characterization in Pride and PrejudiceHow many types of characters have been portrayed in this novel? Who are they? What are their characteristics?2. Austen’s Marital View reflected in Pride and Prejudice.Chapter 6The Victorian Period(Reign of Queen Victorian from 1836 to 1901)Major ContentA.Charles Dickens (1812-1870)1. Major works: Early period: The Pickwick Papers; Oliver Twist; David CopperfieldLate Period: Bleak House; A Tale of Two Cities; Great Expectations2. Special FeaturesB. William M. Thackeray (1811-1863)1. Some features of his works2. V anity FairC. Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)Jane EyreD. Emily Bronte (1818-1848)Wuthering HeightsE. Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)F. Robert Browning (1812-1889)“My Last Duchess”G. George Eliot (1819-1880)Middlemarch(1872)H. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)The Victorian Period and DickensCharles Dickens (1812-1870)Major worksThe Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great ExpectationsAnalysis of Great Expectations(1) StoryPip, Joe Gargery, Miss Havisham, Estella , Magwitch, Biddy, Satis House(2) Themes(a) A novel about "great expectations", or dreams and disillusions.(b) The personal development of Pip from a innocent, honest boy to a vain, selfish, snobbish young gentleman. The painful experience in the struggle to grow up, to “climb up” or to succeed in the commercialized world.The Bildungsroman("novel of formation") is a genre of the novel which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. The genre arose during the German Enlightenment.A Bildungsroman tells about the growing up or coming of age of a sensitive person who is looking for answers and experience. Usually in the beginning of the story there is an emotional loss which makes the protagonist leave on his journey.Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)“All his novels present the losing struggle of individuals against the obscure power which moves the universe.1. Major worksThe Return of the Native (1878) , The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) Tess of D’Urbervilles (1891) Jude the Obscure (1896).2. A brief analysis of Tess of D’Urbervilles(1) The storyMajor characters: Alec, Tess, Angel Clare (a triangle)(2) ThemesA.determinism(a) Tess, a pure woman, wages a loosing battle against the evil society 纯真的少女vs.邪恶的社会(b) Once a thief, always a thief. Once a victim, always a victim. Although Tess is a beautiful, innocent, honest, sweet-natured, and hard-working country girl, she can not avoid being played with by fate.Determinism & NaturalismDeterminism refers to the belief or theory that human actions and events are controlled by and result from causes that determine them. Characters who illustrate determinism act without free will in accordance with forces beyond their control.Naturalism: A post-Darwinism movement in the late 19thcentury that tried to apply the “laws” of scientific determinism to fiction. The naturalists went beyond the realists’ insistence on the objective presentation of the details of everyday life and insisted that materials of literature should be arranged to reflect a deterministic universe in which a person is a biological creature controlled by this environment and heredity. There is an emphasis of chance or coincidence and the character’s p assivity in naturalistic works, and the toner is rather pessimistic. Major writers of British literature include Hardy and Gissing.B. Criticism of social conventions of VictorianEngland (ideas of social class as well as thesexual double standard);A Patriarchal Society(男权制的社会): men dominating women(3) Structure(a)A cyclical pattern, divided into three parts. The first part is a prelude, telling how Tess leaves home and encounters Alec. She was seduced by Alec and comes back home disgraced. This is the first cycle, beginning in May and ending in August.(b) The second part is the main love story meeting with Angel at Talbothays. It begins in May, reaches its climax at the turning of the year and ends in the following winter.(c) The last part represents her decline. Forced by poverty, Tess returns to Alec until Angel comes to claim her. In shame and anger, Tess kills Alec, and is finally arrested and executed. This part starts in winter and ends in spring.Chapter 7 The Modern Period( the early decades of 20th century, before WWWI)A. Joseph ConradHeart of Darkness (1902)B. Oscar Wilde (Art for Art’s sake)Major works: The importance of Being EarnestC. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)Greatest dramatist in modern time in British literary history, won Nobel Prize in 1925.Major Works: PygmalionD.Virginia WoolfA novelistMajor Works: Mrs. Dalloway, The Waves, To the LighthouseStream of Consciousness is a narrative mode that se eks to portray an individual’s point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character’s thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.。

英国文学考试重点(上下两册)

1、The Anglo-Saxon Period盎格鲁撒克逊时期(strength & somberness)The literature of this period falls naturally into two divisions---pagan 异教and Christian基督教Cynewulf 基涅武甫the author of poem on religious subject 宗教诗Caedmon 凯德蒙the father of English song 用诗歌的形式译圣经The Song of Beowulf can be justly termed England's national epic and its hero Beowulf--- one of the national heroes of the English people.作者不明Grendel格伦德尔-a monster half-humanThe only existing manuscript of the 10th century and was not discovered until 1705.The whole epic consists of 3182 lines and is to be decided into 2 parts with an interpolation between the two.The forefathers of the Jutes2、The Anglo-Norman Period盎格鲁-诺曼底时期（bright，romantic tales of love and adventure English language became)The three chief effects of the conquest were: 1. the bringing of Roman civilization to England 2. the growth of nationality 3. the new language and literature, which were proclaimed in ChaucerThree classes: the Matter of France, the Matter of Greece and Rome, the Matter of BritainKing Arthur「亚瑟王」Sir Gawain and the Green Knight高文骑士和绿衣骑士3、Geoffrey Chaucer杰弗里•乔叟(首创heroic couplet)，the ＂father of English poetry" and one of the greatest narrative poets of England. It is characteristic that his allegories and symbols are already tinged with realistic images.English tonico-syllabic verseLondon dialectThe Canterbury Tales坎特伯雷故事集（本应有32个香客，128个故事，最终只完成了24个）Prologue总引is a splendid masterpiece of realistic portrayal, the first of its kind in the history of English literature. In this poem Chaucer's realism, trenchant irony and freedom of views reached such a high level of power that it had no equal in all the English literature up to the 16th century. His work is permeated with buoyant free-thinking, so characteristic of the age of Renaissance whose immediate forerunner Chaucer thus became.4、The Renaissance 文艺复兴The term Renaissance originally indicated a revival of classical(Greek and Roman) arts and sciences after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism蒙昧主义They held their chief interest not in ecclesiastical knowledge, but in man, his environment and doings and bravely fought for the emancipation of man from the tyranny of the church and religious dogmas.Thus Wyatt 怀亚特was the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature.Christopher Marlowe made blank verse无韵体诗William Shakespeare was one of the first founder of realism. Hamlet is the profoundest expression of Shakespeare’s humanism and his criticism of contemporary life. “to be or not to be”.Francis Bacon培根his work of three classes: philosophical, literary, professional works. The largest and important works Maxims of the law and Reading on the Statute of Uses. Of Truth & Of studies5、Revolution & RestorationMetaphysical poets玄学诗Restoration（witty and clever, but on whole immoral and cynical）John Milton约翰弥尔顿（文艺复兴之子）his greatest work Paradies lost presents the his views in an allegoric religious form. Paradies lost(12 books marked for its intricate and contradictory composition, based on the bible legend of the imaginary progenitors of the human race, Adam, Eve, Satan)John Bunyan班扬The Pilgrim’s Progress天路历程written in the old-fashion, medieval form of allegory and dream.6、Enlightenment (man)Three main divisions: the reign of so-called classism, the revival of romantic poetry, the beginning of the modest novel. Prose rather than poetry.代表人物Joesph Addison& Richard SteelePope( elaborate heroic couplets) Henry Field and Tobias George Smollet are the real founders of bourgeois realistic novel. The most outstanding personality of the epoch of Enlightenment in England was Jonathan Swift---Gulliver’s Travels. -(Lilliput) Sentimentalism---Laurence Sterne Pre-romanticism“Gothic Novel”Daniel Defoe Robinson Crusoe7、The Romantic PeriodWilliam Blake and Robert Burns represented the spirit of what is usually called Pre-Romanticism.William Wordsworth’s Lyrical BalladsThe most important and decisive factor in the development of literature is economics. It was greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution.Thus, a new class, proletariat, had sprung into existence.The Revolution proclaimed the natural rights of man and the abolition of class distinctions.“liberty, equality and fraternity”The Reform Bill of 1832 shifted the center of political power to the middle class.Romanticism beginning with the publication of Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads, ending with Walter Scott’s death.The 18th century was distinctively an age of prose.Poetry is the highest form of literary expressionColeridge and Southey, Wordsworth, so-called Lake PoetsThe great literary impulse the age is the impulse of Individualism in a wonderful variety of forms.Byron拜扬（Don Juan）Percy Bysshe Shelley雪莱（To the skylark-waking or asleep; teach me half the gladness）John Keats (Ode on a Grecian Urn-beauty is truth, truth beauty) Walter Scott (the father of Europe historical novel) Jane Austen (pried and prejudice) 8、The Victorian AgeCritical realismThe greatest English realist of the time was Charles Dickens(Oliver Twist雾都孤儿）.Another critical realist - William Makepeace Thackeray was a no less severe exposer of contemporary society. Thackeray’s novels mainly contain a satirical portrayal of the upper strata of society.Chartist literature宪章文学, the struggle of the proletariat for its rightsR. Browning, humanismCharlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre简爱) Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights呼啸山庄）9、The 20th Century LiteratureThe first disturbing factor was imperialism帝国主义Another factor that influenced literature for the worse was a widespread demand for social reform of every kind.Thomas Hardy (Tess of the D’Urebervilles)wrence (Oedipus complex 恋母情结）“art for art’s sake”with Oscar Wilde奥斯卡维尔德Anti-realistic art and literature反现实文学Oscar Wilde is the most conspicuous 颓废派writer and poet of the English decadence.Virginia Woolf & James Joyce are novelist of Stream-of-consciousness。

英专英国文学考试重点总结Summary of Chapter One 3讲解学习

英专英国文学考试重点总结S u m m a r y o fC h a p t e r O n e3Summary of Three Major Poets in 14th-Century EnglandChapter one1. Historical Background♦ The Normans conquered in 1066In 1066, William the Conqueror and his Norman warriors defeated the Anglo-Saxons and made themselves masters of England. The Norman Conquest ended the purely Anglo-Saxon period and started a new period in English history ---- the Medieval Period in England (1066-1485).In the medieval period, chivalry was the important code of behavior for the knights. It served as a law that bound the often-lawless warriors. Violating the code of chivalry could mean the loss of honor.2. Middle EnglishFor three centuries after the Norman Conquest, three languages were used side by side in England. Latin and French were the languages of the upper classes, spoken at courts and used in churches and schools.In the 14th century thousands of words and expressions were borrowed from French and Latin and Greek, and many inflectional forms of the words were dropped and formal grammar simplified.3. Religious LiteratureBy far the largest proportion of surviving Middle English literature is religious.4. Romance and the Influence of French LiteratureMedieval romance was a type of literature that became a popular form of literature in the Middle Ages.Romance, in the original sense of the word, means the vernacular (native) language, as opposed to Lain, and later it means a tale in verse, embodying the life and adventures of knights.In subject matters, romance naturally falls under three categories:(1) The matter of France(2) The matter of Rome(3) The matter of BritainThe influence of the Norman Conquest upon English language and literature:After the conquest, the body of customs and ideals known as chivalry was introduced by the Normans into England. The knightly code, the romantic interest in women, tenderness and reverence paid to Virgin Mary were reflected in the literature.With the coming of the Normans, the Anglo-Saxons sank to a position of abjectness. Their language was mad a despised thing. French words of Warfare and chivalry, art and luxury, science and law, began to come into the English language. Thus three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke French, the lower class spoke English, and the scholars and clergymen used Latin.The literature was varied in interest and extensive in range. The Normans began to write histories or chronicles. Most of them were written in Latin or French. The prevailing form of literature in the feudal England was the Romance.5. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)5.1 Historical background(1) The Hundred Years’ War(2) The peasant uprising of 13815.2 John Wycliff (1324? -1384)He was important because he was one of the first figures who demanded to reform the church in order to do away with the corruption and rottenness. He was also important because he was the man who translated the Bible into Standard English. 5.3 Geoffrey Chaucer’s LifeChaucer opened a brilliant page in English literature and had a profound influence on many important English poets. Chaucer is the father of modern English poetry. Chaucer’s poetry belongs to both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.5.4 Geoffrey Chaucer’s Major PoemsThe works of Chaucer are roughly divided into three periods, corresponding to the three periods in his life: the French period, the Italian period and the mature period. The French period refers to the period of French influence and it extends from 1360 to 1372. The outstanding poem of this period is The Book of the Duchess.The second period is from 1372 to 1386 when he wrote under the influence of the Italian literature. The most outstanding work is Troilus and Criseyde. Other poems of this period are The Parliament of Fowls, The House of Fame and The legend of Good Women.The third period covers the last fifteen years of his life. The Canterbury Tales was written in the years between 1387 and 1400. It has a general prologue and twenty-four tales that are connected by “links”. The Canterbury Tales(1378-1400) is Chaucer’s monumental success.5.5 The Function of the General Prologue to The Canterbury TalesThe General Prologue is usually regarded as the greatest portrait gallery in English literature. It is largely composed of a series of sketches differing widely in length and method, and blending the individual and the typical in varying degrees. The purpose of the General Prologue is not only to present a vivid collection of character sketches, but also to reveal the author’s intention in bringing together a great variety of people and narrative materials to unite the diversity of the tales by allotting them to a diversity of tellers engaged in a common endeavor, to set the tone for the story-telling ---- one of jollity which accords with the tone of the whole work; that of grateful acceptance of life, to make clear the plan for the tales, to motivate the telling of tales and to introduce the pilgrims and the time and occasion of the pilgrimage. The pilgrims are people from various parts of England. They serve as the representativesof various sides of life and social groups. Each of the pilgrims or narrators is presented vividly in the Prologue. Ranging in status from a knight to a humble plowman, the pilgrims are a microcosm of 14th century English society. On the other hand, there is also an intimate connection between the tales and the Prologue, both complementing each other. The Prologue provides a framework for the tales.5.6 The Significance of The Canterbury Tales(1) It gives a comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time.(2) The dramatic structure of the poem has been highly commended by critics.(3) Chaucer’s humor.(4) Chaucer’s contribution to the English language.5.7 Read and Discuss the first 18 lines of the General PrologueTwo topics for discussion(1) What is expressed in these opening lines of The Canterbury Tales?The magnificent eighteen-line sentence that opens the General Prologue is a superb expression of a double view of the Canterbury pilgrimage. The first eleven lines are a chant of welcome to the spring with its harmonious marriage between heaven and earth which mellows vegetations, pricks fouls and stirs the heart of man with a renewing power of nature. Thus the pilgrimage is treated as an event in the calendar of nature, an aspect of the general springtime surge of human energy which wakens man’s love of nature. But spring is also the season of Easter and is allegorically regarded as the time of the Redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with its connotations of religious rebirth, which wakens man’s love of God (divine love). Therefore, the pilgrimage is also treated as an event in the calendars of divinity, an aspect of religious piety, which draws pilgrims to holy places.(2) How does the author emphasize the transition from nature to divinity?The structure of this opening passage can be regarded as one from the whole Western tradition of the celebration of spring to a local event of English society, from natural forces in their general operation to a specific Christian manifestation. The transition from nature to divinity is emphasized by contrast between the physical vitality which conditions the pilgrimage and the spiritual sickness which occasions the pilgrimage, as well as by parallelism between the renewal power of nature and the restorative power of super nature (divinity).6. Sir Gawain and The Green KnightSir Gawain and the Green Knight was written about 1375-1400 and the poem lasts about 2,500 lines. Sir Gawain and the Green Knigh t brings the reader into amore remote world, a world that belongs to the Celtic legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.The story is a chivalrous romance based on an ancient legend of a Green Knight who challenges the courage of King Arthur’s knights.Artistically, the poem is a brilliant example of the wisdom of the minstrels of the Middle Ages. It contains several elements, which prepared ground for a new culture. These elements are:(1) A vivid portrayal of the hero Gawain and a fine analysis of his psychology.(2) A well-unified and exciting plot full of climaxes and surprises.(3) The three hunting scenes and the three bedchamber scenes are closely related with each other. The deer, the Boar and the fox is a cunning animal, so is Gawain as he takes the belt from the hostess in order to protect his own life, and in so doing, he violates the chivalric code of honesty.(4) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a mixture of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight combines alliterative verse with metrical verse.The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances. It has two main motifs in the story, one is the testing of faith, courage and purity, the other is the proving of human weakness for self-preservation. The two motifs provide the poem with unmistakable traits of chivalric romances, plus some strong Christian coloring. The poem reflects the ideal of feudal knighthood. A true knight should not only dedicate himself to the church but also possess the virtues of great courage, of fidelity to his promise, and of physical chastity and purity.7. William Langland (1332-1400)Piers Plowman has three versions. The A text has 2,567 lines. The B text, a revision and extension of the A text, is commonly accepted as the best form of the poem. It has about 7,277 lines. The C text is a substantial revision of the B text, but they are about the same length. Though the poem was popular, its author is little known.The poem consists of a series of dream visions interrupted with occasional wake-ups.The poem is a rich and realistic representation of the unhappy side of the life in feudal England at the second half of the 14th century: social injustices, the corruption of the church, the meaningless power struggle in the court, and the sufferings of the poor peasants.The poem is both allegorical and satirical. In the poem, the poet has several dream visions in which different religious and moral issues are brought into discussion. The poet suggests that honest work and devotion to religion is the way to lead one to heaven. The common people, through their hard work and religious observance, can become better individuals than those corrupt lords and rich people. With vivid imagination, the poet divides the way to Truth into three stages ---- Do Well, Do bet(ter), and Do Best.7.3 The Writing Features of the PoemThe writing features are:(1) Pier the Plowman is written in the form of a dream vision. The author tells his story under the guise of having dreamed of it.(2) The poem is an allegory which relates truth through symbolism.(3) The poet uses indignant satire in his description of social abuses caused by the corruption prevailing among the ruling classes, ecclesiastical and secular.(4) The poem is written in alliteration.(5) Its language is plain and direct, its images are clear as well as familiar.。

英国文学笔记整理

英国文学笔记整理【Chapter 1】The Anglo-Saxon Period (450 - 1066)1.Norman Conquest ，10662.Beowulf has 3183 lines, 两个国家：the Danes, the Geats形式：alliterative verse / head rhyme 头韵【Chapter 3】The Age of Chaucer (1350-1400)1.Historical backgroundChaucer and William Langland and the writer of Sir Gawain were contemporaries.But he deserves a period of his own.Two historical events which their influence can be detected in the writings of Chaucer andLangland: The Hundred Years’ War from the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) to the reign of Henry VI (1421-1471), or from 1337-1453; the peasant uprising of 1381, the reign of King Richard II.The French language was gradually replaced by the native tongue.William Langland and another writer John Wycliff expressed people’s hatred for the church and the government.2.John Wycliff 约翰·威克里夫One of the first figures who demanded to reform the church.Translated the Bible into standard English. Fixed a national standard for English prose to replace various dialects. Father of English prose.3.William Langland威廉·兰格伦作品：Piers Plowman《农夫皮尔斯》, or The Vision of Piers Plowman, another alliterative poem besides Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Giving a realistic picture of the 14th centuryEngland.The form of allegory, a story or description in which the characters and events symbolize some deeper underlying meaning, and serve to spread moral teaching. An allegory has a double meaning. A primary or surface meaning, and a secondary meaning, or underlying meaning. In an allegory, abstract qualities or ideas, such as patience, purity or truth, are personified as characters in the story.4.Geoffrey Chaucer 乔叟Died on Oct 25, 1400, buried in the Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey.Works divided into 3 periods, corresponding to the 3 periods of his life.(1) 1360-1372, wrote under the influence of the French literature, even translated French poems himself. Poem The Book of the Duchess, much of conventional romance elements in it.(2) 1372-1386, under the influence of the Italian literature. Troilus and Cryseyde, adapted from a long poem by Boccaccio （薄伽丘）, the writer of The Decameron《十日谈》. The Parliament of Fowls and The House of Fame.(3) the last 15 years of his life. The Canterbury Tales between 1387 and 1400. A general prologue and 24 tales that are connected by “links”.（本该有120个故事，只完成了24个）The Canterbury Tales is written in London dialectThere are 31 people in total （算上乔叟和店主）The prologue and most of the tales are written in heroic couplet（英雄双韵体）, i.e. ,a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter （五音步抑扬格）lines.The significance of The Canterbury Tales:(1)A comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time. Theyrepresent the whole range of 14th century society except the very top and the very bottom. All persons connected with the church are drown with touches of gentle irony and mild satire, with the exception of the poor parson. It should be noted that each character is not only a typical representative of the class to which he or she belongs, but also has an individual character of his or her own.(2)The dramatic structure of the poem has been highly commended by critics. This kind of a collection of tales put together was not rare in history. For example, Boccacio’s The Decameron. But in The Decameron stories are loosely connected and there is no relation between the story and the story teller. In The Canterbury Tales, stories are cleverly woven together by links between the stories. Most of the stories are related to the personalities of the tellers.(3)Chaucer’s humour: Humour is a characte ristic feature of the English literature. Although he was associated with proud and important personages at court he must always have been conscious of the fact that he did not belong to that society. This explains his gentle satire and mild irony. But his satire can be the bitterest in the portrayal of the pardoner and the summoner.(4)Chaucer’s contribution to the English language: Ever since the Norman conquest, the French language was the language of the court and the upper classes, and Latin was the language of the learned and the church. Chaucer wrote in the London dialect of his day, which he handled dexterously. He proved that the English language is a beautiful language and can be easily handled to express different moods. In so doing, Chaucer greatly increased the prestige of the English language.【Chapter 4】The Fifteenth Century (1400-1550)Historical events:1.The Hundred Year’s War2.The War of the Roses (1455-1485)The War of the Roses, or the Thirty Years’ War, was a series of civil wars fought between the two great families, both of which claimed the right to the English throne.The House of Lancaster →red rose The House of York →white rose3.The discovery of America and the new sea routes4.Reformation of the ChurchPopular BalladsIn the field of literature, folk literature, especially ballads, became an important feature in the 15th century. A ballad is a narration poem that tells a story.★Basic characteristics:1.The beginning is often abrupt.2.There are strong dramatic elements.3.The story is often told through dialogue and action.4.The theme is often tragic, though there are a number of comic ballads.5.※It contains four-line stanzas. The odd numbered lines have four feet each and the even numbered lines have three feet each. Rhymes fall on the even numbered lines. And there is often a refrain at the end of each stanza.Of special significance are the Robin Hood Ballads.Sir Thomas MalorySir Thomas Malory, the author of The Death of Arthur（亚瑟王之死），was important in the fact that it was he who finally compiled together the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table which were scattered in a number of Frenchromances and made great contribution to the development of English prose.It is interesting to note that Robin Hood and King Arthur were both revived at a time when the medieval spirit of chivalry was dying fast and the feudal order was rapidly becoming a thing of the past.Early English PlaysIn ancient Greece and Rome, drama was one of the most popular forms of entertainment. But the Roman Catholic Church prohibited dramatic performances. It was not until the 9th and the 10th centuries that the Catholic Church allowed some of dramatic performance to be used as part of religious services. For example, on Christmas the clergymen would put on a liturgy（礼拜仪式）of the birth of Christ. By the 14th century, the liturgy had developed into mystery plays and miracle plays.mystery plays →based on stories from the Biblemiracle plays →based on the lives of Christian saints【Chapter 5】The English Renaissance (1550-1642)HumanismRenaissance began in the 14th century in Italy and later spread to France, Spain, the Netherlands, and England. It’s ideal was humanism. Renaissance is a French word which means “rebirth” in English.★★★1.With the spreading of the Greek and Roman culture, there appeared a number of humanist scholars who took great interest in the welfare of human beings.2.According to them, it was against human nature to sacrifice the happiness of his life for an after life.3.They argued that man should be given full freedom toenrich their intellectual and emotional life.4.In religion, they demanded the reformation of the church.5.In art and literature, instead of singing praise to God, they sang in praise of man and of the pursuit of happiness in this life.6.Humanism shattered the shackles of spiritual bondage of man’s mind by the Roman Catholic Church and opened his eyes to “a brave new world” in front of him.Edmund SpenserSpenser’s first important work is The Shephearde’s Calender（牧羊人日记）, a pastoral poem in 12 parts, one for each month of the year.His major achievement, The Faerie Queen, is an unfinished allegorical romance. According to Spenser’s original plan there should be 12 books, each telling the adventures of one of the 12 knights despatched by the Faerie Queen, Gloria, who represents Glory and Queen Elizabeth in particular. However, Spenser only completed 6 of the books, in which the six virtues of Truth, Temperance, Friendship, Justice, Chastity, and Coutesy are presented.Spenserian stanza:九行一节，前八行均为五音步抑扬格，第九行为六个音节The seven deadly sins: Pride（傲慢）,Wrath（暴怒）,Sloth （懒惰）,Greed（贪婪）,Envy（嫉妒）,Gluttony（暴食）, Lust（淫欲）Christopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe was the most prominent of the University Wits.His first play Tamburlaine the Great (1587)（帖木儿大帝）is about the story of Timur the Tartar(1336-1405). The central figure Tamburlaine represents the Renaissance desire for infinite powerand authority. He is not only ruthlessly cruel and brutal in punishing his enemies, but also violently passionate in love.The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus (1592)（浮士德博士的悲剧）,adapted from a popular old German legend, is sort of companion to Tamburlaine in reflecting the Renaissance desire for infinite knowledge. Tired with the scholastic study of the four subjects of Medieval knowledge, that is , Theology, Philosophy, Medicine, and Law, Dr.Faustus turns to magic book and signs a contract with the devil Mephistopheles. He sells his soul to the devil on the condition that the latter will satisfy every demand of his for a period of 24 years.As a dramatist, Marlowe has limitations. His plot construction is loose and his characters are merely embodiments （具体化）of ideas. But Marlowe is the only dramatist of the time who is ever compared with Shakespeare.Ben Jonson coined the phrase “Marlowe’s magic lines”. The blank verse（无韵诗）, i.e. , unrhymed iambic pentameter, used in his dramas, was the chief verse form used by Shakespeare.William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in all during his life.Shakespeare’s writing career may be roughly divided into four stages.1.The early years were years of his apprenticeship, dating from 1592 to 1594.2.The second period is a period of rapid growth and development, dating from 1595 to 1600.3.The third period is a period of gloom and depression, dating from 1601 to 1608.4.The fourth period is a period of restored serenity, from 1608 to 1612.★★★Shakespeare’s achievements:1.Shakespeare represented the trend of history in giving voice to the desires and aspirations of the people.2.Shakespeare’s humanism: More important than his historical sense of his time, Shakespeare in his plays reflects the spirit of his age.3.Shakespeare’s characterization: Shakespeare was most successful in his characterization. In his plays, he described a great number of characters, ranging from kings to crowns, rascals, and grave-diggers; from lunatics to ghosts; from lovers to man-haters.4.Shakespeare’s originality: Shakespeare drew most of his materials from sources that were known to his audience. But his plays are original because he instilled into the old materials a new spirit that gives new life to his plays.5.Shakespeare as a great poet: Shakespeare was not only a great dramatist, but also a great poet. Apart from his sonnets and long poems, his dramas are poetry.6.Shakespeare as a master of the English language: It is estimated that he had a command of about 15,000 words. He was especially successful in handling the different meanings of the same word, or words having the same sound but different meanings.A sonnet （十四行诗）is a poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter with various rhyming schemes. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets altogether in number. The 154 sonnets fall into two groups, divided at sonnet 126. The first group was addressed to a Mr. W. H.. The second group was addressed to a dark lady.The metrical form（韵律形式）of Shakespeare’s sonnets isdifferent from that of Petrarach’s（彼特拉克）. Italian Sonnet British SonnetOctave前八行abba abba （提出问题） 3 quatrains（四行诗）abab cdcd efefSestet 后六行cde cde （作出回答） a couplet（双行诗）gg【Chapter 6】The Seventeenth Century (1603-1688)Francis BaconThough Bacon was Shakespeare’s contemporary, he is generally regarded as the chief figure in English prose in the first half of the 17th century and his essays began the long tradition of the English essay in the history of English literature.As a philoso pher, Bacon is praised by Marx as “the progenitor of English materialism”（英国唯物主义的始祖）. because he stressed the importance of experience, or experiment, which is in direct opposition to the superstitution and scholasticism of the Middle Ages.Bacon’s 58 essa ys were publisher in 1625. They are the author’s reflections an comments, mostly on rather abstract subjects, such as “Of Truth”, “Of Friendship”, and “Of Riches”. They are known for their conciseness, brevity, simplicity, and forcefulness.Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier PoetsDuring the reign of Charles I, there were two schools of poets, metaphysical poets（玄学派诗人）and cavalier poets （骑士派诗人）.The main themes of the metaphysical poets are love, death, and religion. The chief representative of this school was John Donne.The cavaliers were royalists, whose poetry was marked by courtliness, urbanity, and polish. The chief representative of thecavaliers was Ben Jonson, who besides being a poet, was also a playwright.John Donne作品：Songs and Sonnets, a collection of his 55 love lyrics, was published after his death in 1633.Donne’s love lyrics may be classified into two groups. The poems of one group takes a negative attitude towards love, and those of the other group take a positive attitude towards love.John MiltonThe revolutionary enthusiasm of the bourgeois revolution （资产阶级革命）and the bitter hatred for the despotic ruler is best known in the works of John Milton.In 1665, after seven years’arduous labour in darkness, he finished Paradise Lost, which gave vent to his indignation against Charles II. The story of the epic is based on Genesis. The central theme of the poem deals with the Christian story of “ the fall of man ”. Evidently, the poet intended to write it as a epic and imitated the style of Homer’s epic.Milton’s purpose for writing Paradise Lost, as he puts it very clearly at the beginning of the poem, is to “assert eternal Providence and justify the ways of God to man.”There can hardly be any doubt that Milton’s own sentiments in the days of the Restoration are expressed in the powerful first speech made by Satan excerpted here. But it should be made clear that Milton as a Puritan did not have the least intention of making God a real tyrant to be hated and revenged upon. The rebellions speech by Satan was an outpouring of the poet’s personal hatred for the restored monarch at the time. On the whole, the characters o Satan and his followers are condemned in the epic.In the love between Adam and Eve, Milton voices his enthusiasm for humanistic elements.Characteristics of Milton’s style:1.The blank verse, i.e. , the unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter, is used throughout the epic and is characterized by its employment of long and involved sentences, which run on many lines with a variety of pauses, and achieving sometimes an oratorical and sometimes an elaborately logical effect. This richness of poetical style has frequently been called “Miltonic Style”./doc/975668172.html,ton’s style is also commonly said to be Latinate. Milton uses more elaborate patterns drawn from Latin. He is very fond of using inversion.3.Another characteristic of his style is the use of allusions to other works, especially the classic works.John BunyanAs Milton was the chief Puritan poet, so Bunyan was the chief puritan writer of prose.The Pilgrim’s Progress is written in the old fashioned medieval form of allegory and drama. The book opens with the author’s dream in which he sees a man “ with a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back”. The man is Christian the Pilgrim, the book is the Bible, and the burden on his back is the weight of worldly cares and concerns. It tells how Christian starts his pilgrimage from his home to the Kingdom of Heaven, and of his experiences and adventures on his journey.The book’s most significant aspect is its satire, which without doubt is directed at the ruling classes. Especially well known is the description of the Vanity Fair. The punishment of Christian and Faithful for disdaining things in the Vanity Fair mayha ve its significance in alluding to Bunyan’s repeated arrests and imprisonment for preaching. After all, like Milton, Bunyan in his book is preaching his religious views. He satirizes his society which is full of vices that violate the teaching of the Christian religion. However, his Puritanism weakens the effect of his social satire by exhorting his readers to endure poverty with patience in order to seek the “ Celestial City ”. Besides, the use of allegory in most of his works makes his satirical pictures less direct and more difficult to see. His books are more often read as religions books than as piercing exposures of social evils.Bunyan is known for his simple and lively prose style. Everyday idiomatic expressions and biblical language enables him to narrate his story and reveal his ideas directly and in a straightforward way.【Chapter 7】The Eighteenth Century (1688-1798)Neo-classicism★★★The characteristics of neo-classicism:1.People emphasized reason rather than emotion, form rather than content.2.As reason was stressed, most of the writings of the age were didactic and satirical.3.As elegance, correctness, appropriateness and restraint were preferred, the poet found closed couplet the only possible verse form for serious work.4.It is almost exc lusively a “ town ” poetry, catering to the interests of the “ society ” in great cities.5.It is entirely wanting in all those elements that are related with the “ romantic ”.Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe is known as a pioneer novelist of England, and also a prolific writer of books and pamphlets on a great variety of subjects.He never stopped his creative activities until at the age of 60, with the publication of Robinson Crusoe, a long imaginative literary masterpiece, he was finally recognized as a major English novelist. Robinson Crusoe is based on a real accident.In Moll Flanders, Defoe introduces, for the first time, a lowly woman as the subject of literature.Jonathan SwiftThe Battle of Books is a satire on the controversy among literary people concerning the values of the ancients and moderns.A Tale of the Tab is a satire on the various churches of his time.A Modest Proposal is a more bitter satire on the policy of the English government towards the Irish people.Swift’s masterpiece is Gulliver’s T ravels. The book contains four parts that deal with the four voyages of its hero to strange places. The form of travel literature was popular in his time as there were many books of voyage and travel. Among them were Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.Alexander Pope。

英国文学史重难点概括

Main Points for English Literature一、Old English : 450-1066Beowulf二、Medieval English : 1066 - middle 14th centuryGeoffrey Chaucer - the father of English poetryThe Canterbury Tales first time to use heroic couplets三、The Renaissance - rebirth or revivalHumanism - the essence of the Renaissance, the dignity of human being & the importance of the present life1.Edmund Spenser - the poets‟poetThe Shepherd’s Calendar ; The Faerie Queene2.Christopher Marlowe - University Wits, the pioneer of English dramaBlank verse, hyperbole夸张The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus: the human passion for knowledge, power and happinessThe Passionate Shepherd to His Love: pastoral life3.William Shakespeare - above all writers in the past and in the present timeFour tragedies - Hamlet, Othello, King Lear & MacbethSonnet 18: eternal or immortal beautyThe Merchant of Venice :to praise the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, to idealize Portia a heroine of great beauty, wit and loyalty, to expose the insatiable greed and brutality.Hamlet: hesitate between fact and fiction, language and action, too sophisticated to degrade his nature to the conventional role of a stage revenger. To be, or not to be - to live on in this world or to die; to suffer or to take action. Soliloquy or monologue - fully reveal the inner conflict of the characters4.Francis Bacon - brevity, compactness & powerfulness, his essays is an important landmark in the development of English rose.Inductive method is in place of deductive method.Of Studies : uses and benefits of study - studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Studies perfect nature, and are perfected by experience. Different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies - studies and experience are complementary to each other. The correct attitude to reading books - to weigh and consider. How studies exert influence over human character - reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.5.John DonneMetaphysical poetry - break away from love poetry, a seemingly unfocused diversity of experiences and attitudes, and a free range of feelings andmoods.Donne frequently applies conceits and syllogistic forms.The Sun Rising: the busy sun is always ready to interfere with other things and everywhereDeath, Be Not Proud: whatever you are, you can not escape from death. When you are living, you are always in the shadow of death. Death only lasts a moment, our life after death is eternal. The more pleasure the death gives people, not only the pleasure of the rest & the sleep, because “whom the gods love die young”. Though death is usually considered powerful, it actually provides a rest for a man‟s body and a birth for his soul.6.John MiltonParadise Lost: the only generally acknowledged epic in English literature since Beowulf. The conflict is between human love and spiritual duty. In heaven, Satan led a rebellion against God with his unconquerable will.Paradise RegainedSamson Agonistes: the most perfect example of the verse drama after the Greek style in English.四、Neoclassicism - a revival of interest in the old classical works, order, logic, restrained emotion & accuracyEnlightenment - a progressive intellectual movement, reason (rationality), equality & scienceGothic novel - mystery, horror & castles1.John BunyanThe Vanity Fair from The Pilgrim’s Progress：a religious allegory, pursue the truth2.Alexander PopeAn Essay on Criticism：a poem written in heroic couplets, criticize the present poem lack of true taste & call on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance, “true wit”is best set in a plain (simple & clear) style.3.Daniel Defoe - the first writer study of the lower-class peopleRobinson Crusoe：praise the human labor and the Puritan fortitude.4.Jonathan Swift - a master satirist. In his opinion, human nature is seriously and permanently flawed.A Modest ProposalGulliver’s Travels, four parts - Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Flying Island & Houyhnhnm5.Henry Fielding - Father of English novel,Prose Homer,Comic epic in proseThe History of Tom Jones, a Foundling6.Samuel Johnson - first combine an English dictionary, last neoclassicist enlightenerA Dictionary of the English LanguageTo the Right Honorable the Earl of Chesterfield7.Richard Brinsley Sheridan - the only important English dramatist of the 18th centuryThe Rivals and The School for Scandal are regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw.8.Thomas Gray-- The Graveyard SchoolElegy Written in a Country Churchyard五、The romantic period --began with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge‟s Lyrical BalladsRomantic - emotion over reason, spontaneous emotion, a change from the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of the human spirit, poetry should be free from all rules, imagination, nature, commonplace1.William Blake –engraverThe Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Innocence a happy and innocence world from children‟s eyeThe Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Experience a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy tone from men eyes Childhood, paradoxes, a pairing of oppositesThe Tyger2.William Wordsworth - the leading figure of the English romantic poetry, simple, spontaneous, worshiper of nature “Lake Poets” - William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge & Robert Southey. He defines the poet as a “manspeaking to men”, and poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, which originates in “emotion recollected in tranquility”.I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud the poet is very cheerful with recalling the beautiful sights. In the poem on the beauty of nature, the reader is presented a vivid picture of lively and lovely daffodils and poet‟s philosophical ideas and mystical thoughts.Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 the sonnet describes a vivid picture of a beautiful morning in London, silent, bright, glittering, smokeless & mildly. It is so touching a sight that the poet expressed his religion piety for nature.She Dwelt Among the Untrodden WaysThe Solitary Reaper thanks to poet‟s rich imagination, the mass of associations, this commonplace happening becomes a striking event, the poet succeeds in making the reader‟s share his emotion. The poem also shows the poet‟s passionate love of nature.3.Samuel Taylor Coleridge - supernatural, remote Poet can be divided into two groups - the demonic (supernatural) & the conversational.The demonic group includes 3 masterpieces - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Chrisabel, Kubla Khan4.George Gordon Byron-“Byronic hero” is a proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin, against tyrannical rules or moral principles. Such a hero appears first in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.Song for the Luddites “will die fighting, or live free”the Luddites destroyed the machines in their protest against unemployment. The poet‟s great sympathy of the workers in their struggle against the capitalists is clearly shown.The Isles of Greece from Don Juan (the masterpiece of Byron, a long satirical poem), song by a Greek singer at the wedding of Don Juan and Haidee. “Fill high the bowl with Samian wine”?5.Percy Bysshe ShelleyMen of EnglandOde to the West Wind: terza rima, destructive-constructive potential, hopeful, ‟I fall upon the tho rns of life! I bleed!‟, ‟If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?‟6.John Keatsfour great odes - Ode on Melancholy, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale, Ode to PsycheOde on a Grecian Urn the contrast between the permanence of art and thetran sience of human passion, “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter”, “Beauty is truth, truth is beauty”.7.Jane AustenPride and Prejudice六、The Victorian Period: Critical realistsDarwin‟s The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man shook the traditional faith, everything is created by God. Utilitarianism was widely accepted and practiced Critical realists were all concerned about the fate of the common people1.Charles Dickens - one of the greatest critical realist writers of the Victorian AgeCharacter-portrayal is the most distinguishing feature of his works. A mingling of humor and pathos.A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist2.The Bronte Sisters - Charlotte, Emily & Anne Emily, a rather reserved and simple girl, was very much a child of nature.Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights3.Alfred Tennyson - invents dramatic monologue, Poet Laureate, a real artistBreak, Break, Break: the death of his best friend, his sadness feeling are contrasted with the carefree, innocent joys of the children and the unfeeling movement of the ship and the sea wavesCrossing the Bar: we can feel his fearlessness towards death, his faith in God and an afterlife. ‟Crossing the bar‟ means leaving this world and entering the next worldUlysses: not endure the peaceful commonplace everyday life, old as he is, he persuades his old followers to go with him and to set sail again to pursue a new world and new knowledge, dramatic monologue, ‟Myself not least, but honour‟d of them all‟ means I am not the least important, but honoured by all of them4.Robert Browning - the most original poet, who improve and mature the dramatic monologueThe Ring and the Book: his masterpieceMy Last Duchess: this dramatic monologue is the duke‟s speech addressed to the agent who comes to negotiate the marriage, the duke is a self-conceited, cruel and tyrannical manMeeting at Night /Parting at Morning5.George Eliot:As a woman of exceptional intelligence and life experience, she shows a particular concern for the destiny of womenMiddlemarch: a sharp contrast is set between the cold, lifeless, dull house and Dorothea who is full of youthful life and vigor6.Thomas Hardy - both a naturalistic and a critical realist writer. Local-colored, Wessex …novels of character and environment‟Tess of the D’Urbervilles: experience is as to intensity, and not as to duration七、The Twentieth Century: ModernismThe writer concentrated on the private than on the public, more on the subjective than on the objective. They are mainly concerned with the inner being of an individual.1.“T he Angry Young Men” with lower-middle-class or working class background. Kingsley Amis, John Wain, John Braine and Alan Sillitoe were the major novelists in this group. Osborne, the first “Angry Young Man”2.James Joyce is the most outstanding stream-of-consciousness novelist;All have the same setting: Ireland, especially Dublin, and the same subject: the Irish people and their life.“stream of consciousness”: literary approach to the presentation of psychological aspects of characters. Ulysses.3.William Butler Yeats--poet, the leader of the Irish National Theater Movement.4.George Bernard shaw-dramatist (leading playwright, considered to be the best-known English dramatist since Shakespeare)早期Widowers’ Houses ;Candida; Mrs. Warren’s Profession; Caesar and Cleopatra中期Man and Superman晚期Back to Methuselah;The Apple Cart5.John Galsworthy: A conventional writer, having inherited the traditions of Victorian novelists of the critical realism.Play: The Silver BoxNovels: The Forsyte Saga(trilogy:The Man of Property;In Chancery; To Let--The three are masterpieces of critical realism in the early 20th century) ;A Modern Comedy6.T.S.Eliot: one of the important verse dramatistsThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: dramatic monologue, an ironic contrastThe Waste Land: the most famous poem，is a poem concerned with the spiritual breakup of a modern civilization in which human life has lost its meaning, significance and purpose.7.D. H. Lawrence: rich symbolism and complex narrativeAutobiographical novel :Sons and LoversMasterpieces:The Rainbow; Women in Love。

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