英国文学选读

Beowulf
A folk legend brought to England from N.E. Passed orally hundreds of years. Written down by a religious scholar in the 10th C. Considered as the national epic of the English people.
1. The Making of England
700BC 55BC-410AD 410-1012 1013-1043 1066

The Britons (a tribe of Celts) The Roman Conquest Anglos, Saxons, Jutes the Danish conquest the Norman conquest
Conquests and influences ----- Early period



ห้องสมุดไป่ตู้

The Roman conquest a. the roman civilization b. Christianity c. flourishing of towns along military roads The English conquest a. Three tribes --- old English b. Tribal society to feudalism
英国文学选读
任课教师：马玉
教学对象：英本10级
本课程教材版本说明
刘炳善

刘炳善（1927~2010）河南郑州人。中共 党员，享受国务院政府特殊津贴专家，中 国作家协会会员，国际莎士比亚协会会员， 中国莎士比亚研究会理事，中国译协资深 翻译家，外国文学专家，河南大学外语学 院博士研究生导师。
本课程教材版本说明

Features of old English literature
Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Pagan and Christian Oral form, no written manuscripts With Christianity, English language and culture were enriched

5. The English Ballads
A ballad is a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed. It is the most important department of English folk literature.
Conquests and influences ----- Medieval period
The Danish conquest (30 years) a. the Danish laws The Norman conquest a. the establishment of feudalism b. French words came into English

2. Anglo-Saxon poetry---Beowulf
Anglo-Saxons are the ancestors of today’s Englishmen. This is the beginning of English literature. Features: alliteration, metaphors and understatements The only great work: Beowulf
Early and Medieval English Literature Outline
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The Making of England Beowulf Feudal England William Langland The English Ballads Geoffrey Chaucer

Alliteration in Beowulf



“Thus made their mourning the men of Geatland, For their hero’s passing, his hearth-companions, Quoth that of all the kings of earth, Of men he was the mildest and most beloved, To his kin the kindest, keenest to praise.”
杨岂深

曾用名杨起森。1909年生。安徽怀宁人。 1931年毕业于复旦大学文学院。1939年起 在复旦大学任教，曾任复旦大学外文系主 任。现任复旦大学外文系英美文学教授、 外国文学学会常务理事、中国美国文学学 会副会长、上海外国文学学会副会长、修 订版《辞海》编委及外国文学分册主编。
History of English Literature

Understatement in Beowulf
not troublesome →very welcome need not praise →a right to condemn

Significance of Beowulf
It is considered as a national epic of the English people. The epic presents us a vivid picture of the life of Anglo-Saxon people and highly praises the brave and courageous spirit of the fighting against the vices. The epic reflects the situations of the pagan tribalism and of the era of the Christianized feudal society. The epic gives a vivid portrayal of a great national hero.

Features of Beowulf
Alliteration Metaphor Understatement

Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound within a line or a group of words. E.g. first and foremost saints and sinners
History of English Literature
The The The The The The The C.)

Middle Ages (5th C.-15th C.) Renaissance (15th C.-mid 17th C.) new classicism (mid 17th C.-1798) Romanticism (1798-1832) Victorian Age (1836-1901) modern period (the 1st half of 20th C.) postmodernism (the 2nd half of 20th
Plot of Beowulf
Part 1 his adventurous victory over the monster; he killed the monster’s mother when she revenged (young Beowulf) Part 2 victory-in-death over the fire dragon. (old Beowulf)

Epic

a long narrative poem in a dignified style about the deeds of a traditional or historical hero or heroes. typically, a poem like Beowulf, considered as expressing the early ideals and traditions of a people or nation called folk epic or national epic
4. Langland
William Langland is the conjectured author of the 14th C. English long poem Piers the Plowman. The poem sets forth a series of wonderful dreams, through which we can see a picture of feudal England.

3. Feudal England
4 types of literature Romance Ballad Religious writings Poem


Romance


It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero. It was the most prevailing kind of literature in feudal English. The central character of romances was the knight. The code of manners and morals of a knight is known as chivalry. Class nature: upper class Theme: loyalty to the king and lord. Le Morte D'Arthur (the Death of King Arthur) is a collection of stories about King Arthur, translated from French by Sir Thomas Malory.

Metaphor in Beowulf
Ring-giver →king Sea-wood →ship Soul-destroyer →monster

Understatement
Understatement is a form of speech which contains an expression of less strength than what would be expected. E.g. In a scene, an Army officer has just lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and responds, "Stings a bit."
坟墓周围，勇士们为逝去的国王唱起挽歌人们称你为世界 上最可亲，最可敬的国王 你对人们总是最仁爱，最热心，你最渴望的是人们对你的 赞扬
Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common. E.g. Life is a journey.