the renaissance 文艺复兴时英国文学

Renaissance(14th—mid 17th

-It’s the rebirth of Greek and Roman cultures. It sprang first in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. Two features are striking of this movement. One is the thirst for the classical literature and the other is the keen interest in life and human activities.

The Renaissance

A thirsty curiosity for classical literature.Old manuscripts were dug out. There arose a general revival of the study of Greek and Latin authors.. While people learned to admire their works as models of literary form they also caught something very different in spirit from the medieval Catholic dogma.

So the love of classics was in fact also an expression of the general dissatisfaction with the Catholic and feudal ideas.

B. The keen interest in life and human activities. People ceased to look upon themselves as living only for God and a future world. Thinkers, artists, and poets showed their admiration for human beauty and human achievements. So arose humanism—the key-note of the Renaissance, reflecting the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. Ideas: both man and the world are hindered from infinite improvement by external checks; man could mould the world according to his desires, and attain happiness by removing all external checks by the exercise of human intellect.

The Chief Characteristics of the Background of the Renaissance

This is a greatest and most advanced revolution in the human history. This is the age the giants are needed and produced ------F. Engles

Here from Engels’analysis we may see the chief characteristics of the Renaissance: (1)Politically the feudal nobility lost their power and with the establishment of the great monarchies there was the centralization of power necessary for the development of the bourgeoisie;

(2)The Catholic Church was either substituted by Protestantism as a result of the so-called Reformation (as in Germany and England) or weakened in its dictatorship over men’s minds (as in Italy and France and Spain);

(3)Geographical discoveries opened up colonial expansion and trade routes to distant parts of the world and brought back gold and silver and other wealth and also broadened men’s mental horizons;

(4) In the countryside the peasants were terribly exploited and they either rose in uprisings or ran away and flocked to the cities and added to the proletariat there; (5) In the cities the merchants and the master artisans grew in wealth and in power and became the bourgeoisie while handicraft turned gradually into manufacture and the modern proletariat sprang up among the employed workers in the factories; and finally,

(6) Culturally, as the interest in God and in the life after death was transformed into the exaltation of man and an absorption in earthly life and as materialistic philosophy and scientific thought gradually replaced the church dogmas and religious mysticism of the Middle Ages, a totally new culture rose out of the revival of the old culture of

ancient Greece and Rome and out of the emergence of a new philosophy and science and art and literature through the exploration of the infinite capabilities of man . Examples

①Copernicus (哥白尼) asserted that the earth was not the center of the universe；

②The passionate Petrarch produced sonnets that influenced S hakespeare and many others；③Boccaccio(卜伽邱) wrote tales of eternal charm；④Marco Polo (马可波罗) made journeys into the remote kingdom of China；⑤Michelangelo （米开朗琪罗），Leonardo da Vinci (达芬奇)，Raphael (拉斐尔)，and Titian (提香) created paintings and sculptures that are invaluable treasures of the world．Humanism

Humanism is the key note of the Renaissance. The humanists put man at the center of their beliefs and hold that man is the measure of all things. By emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, they believed that man had not only the right to enjoy the beauty of life, but the ability to perfect and perform wonders. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are representatives of English humanists.

The Renaissance in England

Some major historic events:

a. The War of Roses (1455-1488) and the establishment of the dynasties of Henry VII and VIII—the centralized monarchy.

b. The Enclosure movement (“sheep devoured Men”)

c. The religious reformation, establishment of the Anglican Church

d. Flourishing in the Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)

e. defeating the Spanish Invincible fleet “Armada”in 1588 and the establishment of the hegemony（霸权）on the seas.

f. The geographical exploration and trade expansion brought about the growth of the cities and the development of the capitalist textile industry.

The House of Tudor, one of the English ruling dynasties (1485-1603), including Henry VII and his descendants Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

都铎王朝：英格兰统治王朝(1485-1603年），包括亨利七世及其后代亨利八世、爱德华六世、玛丽一世和伊丽莎白一世

Tudor Dynasty

Henry VII (acceded to throne in 1485)

Henry VIII (acceded to throne in 1509)

Edward VI (acceded to the throne in 1547)

Mary I (acceded to the throne in 1553 and ruled until 1557)

Queen Elizabeth I (acceded to the throne in 1558 and ruled until 1603)

The Reformation

(1) There is an inevitable conflict between the regime（统治）of the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of an absolute monarchy in England, Hence the far-reaching movement of the Reformation. (2) Under the reign of Henry Ⅷ, England witnessed some rapid social changes. Feudalism was on the decline, population increased fast, printing machines became popular, and intellectual knowledge was spreading rapidly. Henry Ⅷwas a strong king and he always had a

will of his own.

(3) One thing he did during his reign sowed the seed of trouble for England for many years to come. He wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, who had borne only one daughter, Mary. When the Pope in Rome refused to end their marriage, he rebelled by marrying Anne Boleyn without permission. He soon declared himself head of the English Church. So England was separated from Rome. During the reign of his successor, the child king Edward Ⅵ, the Protestant movement developed rapidly.

But he died young and the next monarch, Queen Mary, was a devout Catholic. Her attempts to restore Catholicism to England resulted in internal conflicts and much bloodshed. The bloody religious persecution came to a stop after the church settlement of Queen Elizabeth.

(4) The Protestant Reformation was in essence a political movement in a religious guise, a part of the long struggle of the bourgeois class for power.

Defeating the Spanish Invincible Fleet “Armada”

The War with Spain

Reason: Commercial Expansion

Time : 1588.5.28 –1588.7.29 –the end of Sep.,1588

Winner: the English bourgeoisie defeated the Spanish feudalism

The Spanish Armada was a fleet of warships that attempted to destroy the English fleet in 1588. The English defeated the Armada, however, by sending small boats to set a fire to float among the Spanish ships as they lay at anchor off the French coast near Calais. About 60 English ships sank two Spanish ships and damaged over 50 more. The crippled Armada then sailed back toward Spain, but heavy winds wrecked many more ships. Out of the original number of 130 ships in the Armada, only 67 returned to Spain.

the Hundred-year W ar with France

百年战争指1337年到1453年英法之间一场断断续续的战争，战争的起因既有领土因素又有经济因素。其他原因还有英国试图阻止法国帮助苏格兰人，以及不断觉醒的民族意识。

Consequences: The English's being driven out of France is regarded as a blessing for both countries. If the English had remained in France, the superior size and wealth of France would have hindered the development of a separate English national identity, while France was hindered so long as a foreign power occupied so much French territory.

The English Bible

The English translation of the Bible emerged as a result of the struggle between Protestantism and Catholicism; ★John Wycliffe (约翰·维克利夫, 1330-1384): Translated the first complete English Bible; ★William Tyndal (威廉·廷代尔) : Translated the New Testament and portions of the Old Testament. ★Authorized V ersion: In 1604 James I decided to have a new translation of the Bible. And in 1611 the Authorized V ersion appeared. It was under the auspices of James I, so, called King James Bible. It was the work of many learned scholars headed by Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (兰斯洛特·安德鲁斯主教) and was regarded as “the noblest monument of English prose.”.

★Social influence:

The new translation had an enormous impact on the English people. Within a short period of three years after its publication, the Bible had been printed 14 times, and it has been read by millions of people throughout the world ever since.

Influence on English language and literature:

Its style and brilliant language have profoundly influenced the succeeding generations of writers.

(1) Old English speech; (2) Extensive use of concrete terms and images (具体的词语和比喻);

(3) Straightforward (简单易懂的) phrases and sentences;

(4) Its simple，smooth，and rhythmic language has strongly influenced the English people；it enters into the style of the most ambitious English writers；and it forms a basic part of the English people's everyday speech．

★Example: Two different versions of the Twenty-third Psalm.

History Periods of Great Britain

The House of Roman(55BC—410AD)

The House of Anglo—Saxon(449—1066)

The House of Normandy (1066-1135)

The House of Blois (1135-1154)

The House of Plantaganet (1154-1399)

The House of Lancaster (1399-1461) and (1470-1471)

The House of Y ork (1461-1470) and (1471-1483)

The History of the British Royalty

The British Monarchy is one of the most famous and longest lasting monarchies. The modern monarchy dates from the Norman conquest when William the Conquerer defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Since that battle, England has been ruled by eight major dynasties, these are the Norman, Plantaganet, Lancaster, Y ork, Tudor, Stuart, Hannover, and Windsor. The only time during this period that England was without a monarch was between 1649-1660, when England was declared a Republic after the execution of Charles I.

The English Renaissance As a historical period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries, the Renaissance, which started in Italy and gradually spread over Europe, began to show its effect in England at the first half of the 16th century. Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.

By emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. Oxford and Cambridge became the center of English Renaissance. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English Renaissance.

The division of the English Renaissance

a. Beginning: the last years of the 15-th century---first half of the 16-th century

b. Flourishing: the Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)

c. Declining: the period of James I (1603-1625) early 17-th century A. At the beginning of the century: Utopia, More’s

masterpiece, written in the form of a conversation between More and a returned voyager, Hythloday; divided into 2 books: The 1st—a long discussion on the social conditions of England, the 2nd describes in detail an ideal communist society, Utopia. The name “Utopia”comes from 2 Greek words meaning “no place”and was adopted by More as the name of his ideal commonwealth. It has been since used to designate the ideal state. B. The 1st half of the century: lyrical poems by Thomas Wyatt, the first to introduce the sonnet into Eng lit. Earl of Surrey wrote the first English blank verse.

C. The 2nd half of the century: lyrical poetry became widespread in England. The outstanding lyrical and epic poets: Philip Sidney, Thomas Campion, and Edmund Spenser, the last, the “poet’s poet”, the author of the greatest epic poem of the time The Fairy Queen.

D. Modern English: The publication of Spenser’s first work The Shepherd’s Calendar marked the budding of the Renaissance flower, the language then to be called Modern English, to distinguish from the Middle English of Chaucer’s day.

E. Novel, drama, essay in the 2nd half of the century:

Novel: Another typical literary form—Romance written for the “gentle readers”. John Lyly’s Euphues (1580), the representative of such works, written in a peculiar style known as “Euphuism”(绮丽体), which consists of the use of balanced sentences and words alliterating, riming or identical, e.g. “the hot liver of a headless lover”.

Drama: The greatest, Christopher Marlowe, the most gifted of the “University wits”. Best plays: Tamburlaine (1587), Ambition; The Jew of Malta (1592), Greed for Wealth; Doctor Faustus (1588), Desire for Knowledge.

Essay:at the end of the century the great English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon wrote his famous philosophical and literary works.、

University Wits 大学才子

It is a group of playwrights and pamphleteers in the Elizabethan Age, of whom John Lily, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe, Robert Green, and Thomas Kyd, were the chief ones.

All these writers except Thomas Kyd took degrees from universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

William Shakespeare1564-1616

All the world 's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”

1) He was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon.

2) He once went to the local grammar school at seven.

3) At 14, he left school and became a teacher.

4) In 1582, he was married to Anne Hathaway.

5) He went to London and began writing in 1586 or 1587.

6) He later became part owner of the theatre Globe.

7) He returned to his native town in 1611.

8) He died on April 23, 1616 and was buried in Stratford Church.

Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies

Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth.

Shakespeare’s greatest comedies The Merchant of V enice

A Midsummer Night's Dream As Y ou Like It The Twelfth Night

Three Styles of Sonne t Petrarchan Style: abba abba cdecde/cdcdcd Spenserian Style: abab bcbc cdcd ee

Shakespearian Style: abab cdcd efef gg

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare Theme

The poet first sings high praise of the youth of his friend; then he believes his poetry will bring eternity to the one he loves and eulogizes (praises).

Rhyme scheme: iambic pentameter, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg

Shall I︱compare ︱thee to ︱ a sum ︱mer’s day ︱?

Thou art ︱more love ︱ly and ︱more tem ︱perate ︱

Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare Theme

The poet first complains of his miseries and dissatisfaction caused by misfortune, then shows us his great joy at the thought of his friend and his sweet love. And his state of mind changes from the abyss of miseries to the crest of joy because of the sweet love/friendship.

Analysis of Hamlet’s character and his revenge

Hamlet, a frail and weak-minded youth? A thought-sick dreamer? A man active in thought but passive and slow in action? Why does he delay taking revenge for his father? These are the important factors to understand Hamlet’s character and the play (It is called “a play in play ”).

1) Hamlet, a humanist, a man free from medieval prejudices and superstitions; has an unbounded love for the world rather than for heaven; cherishes a profound reverence for man, and a firm belief in man’s power over destiny.

2) His intellectual is outstanding. A close observer of men and manners. Through the infidelity of his mother, the servility of the courtiers, the falsehood of his school fellows, and finally the crime of his uncle, discovers the world wicked and unjust. His observation of the world is summed up in a bitter sentence: “Denmark is a prison”.

3) Melancholy is the key-note of his character. a) REVENGE: The triple wrongs: murder, usurpation, incest. By meditation he knows revenge is easy, but not merely personal one. His mere revenge upon his uncle would in no way solve the problems that trouble and upset him; to expose the roots of the evil and to establish a reign of justice. He has to consider the fate of his country, not merely his personal wrongs. He said “The time is out of joint: --- O cursed spite, /That ever I was born to set it right!”

b) PURPOSE: delay killing Claudius to kill the soul as well as the body: Responsibility--then the abrupt death of the king might cause panic to the people and danger to the state, so he considers not his personal wrong but the fate, the future of his country.

Story of “The Merchant of Venice

Comedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, performed about 1596-97, printed in a quarto edition from "foul papers" in 1600. Much less lighthearted than Shakespeare's other comedies, the work is a serious study of love and marriage and of the abuse of wealth.

Bassanio, a noble but penniless V enetian, asks his wealthy merchant friend Antonio for a loan so as to impress and woo the heiress Portia in Belmont. Antonio, whose money is invested in foreign ventures, borrows the sum from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender (usurer), on the condition that if the loan cannot be repaid in three months, Antonio will forfeit a pound of flesh. Meanwhile, Bassanio has met the terms of Portia's father's will by selecting from three caskets the one that contains her portrait, and he and Portia get married. News arrives that Antonio's ships have been lost on the sea.

Unable to collect on his loan, Shylock attempts to use justice to enforce a terrible, murderous revenge on Antonio--he wants the pound of flesh Antonio scornfully assured him. His plan is foiled by Portia, disguised as a lawyer, who turns the tables on Shylock by a legal quibble: he must take flesh only, and if any blood is spilled Shylock must die. Thus, the contract is canceled, and Shylock is ordered to give half of his estate to Antonio, who agrees not to take the money if Shylock converts to Christianity and restores his disinherited daughter Jessica, who has married a Christian, to his will. Shylock has little choice but to agree. The play ends with the news that, in fact, some of Antonio's ships have returned safe. (see also Index: Bassanio (fictional character, Antonio (fictional character, "The Merchant of V enice", Portia (fictional character, "The Merchant of V enice", Shylock (fictional character) Among the play's several notable secondary characters is Lancelot Gobbo, who when the play begins is in the service of Shylock. He decides to serve Bassanio instead. The Merchant of V enice introduced two expressions to the English language: "a pound of flesh," to signify an extortionate payment or bargain, and "shylock," to indicate an extortionate creditor. The character of Shylock has been the subject of modern scholarly debate over whether the playwright displayed anti-Semitism or religious tolerance in his characterization, for, despite his stereotypical usurious nature, Shylock is depicted as understandably full of hate, having been both verbally and physically abused by Christians, and he is given one of Shakespeare's most eloquent speeches ("Hath not a Jew eyes? . . . "

Analysis of Shylock He is greedy, miserly, fierce and malicious;

He is adept at scheming and sets a trap artfully;

He pockets insults and watches for a chance to take revenge;

He is eloquent and unyielding;

He defends his rights and interests and national dignity.

He is also a victim of racial discrimination

and religious persecution (sympathy).

Analysis of Portia

As we can see, Portia finds a legal flaw by her wisdom, attends the trial as a lawyer, and then defends Antonio successfully and Shylock gets his life again thanks to the mercy and kindness of the Duke.

She is beautiful, kind, friendly, wise, experienced, calm, cultured, independent, with justice, and gracious.

Life of Francis Bacon(1561-1626)

Born into a noble family, he was son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Seal,

and of the learned Ann Cook, sister-in-law to Lord Burleigh, greatest of Queen Elizabeth’s statesmen.

At 12,he went to Cambridge; at 16, he took up law.

At 17, he was in France in the train of the English ambassador.

Appointed Lord Chancellor in 1618 ,Bacon was removed from office 3 years later for accepting a bribe from a litigant. Alexander Pope summed up his character as follows: If parts allure thee, think how Bacon shines, the wisest, brightest and meanest of mankind while Ben Johnson declares him to be “one of the greatest man and most worthy of admiration that had been in many ages.”

In 1626, he died in London.

His works:Three types: the philosophical, the literary, and the professional works. 1) Philosophical works:

Advancement of Learning学术的进展;

Novum Organum (The New Instrument) 新工具; New Atlantis新大西岛;

2) Literary works:

Essays随笔(Of Truth; Of Friendship; Of Studies; Of Wisdom for a Man’s Self)

3) Professional works:

Maxims of the Law法律箴言Reading on the Stature of Uses谈使用法则

Mottos by Francis Bacon

Seek not proud riches, but such as thou mayest get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly.

不要寻求令人称羡的财富，应当追求这样的境界：对财富正当地获取，清醒地使用，愉快地施舍并能知足地放弃。

It is impossible to love and be wise. 要恋爱而又要理智是不可能的。

This passion hath his floods, in very times of weakness; which are great prosperity, and great adversity; though this latter hath been less observed: both which times kindle love, and make it more fervent, and therefore show it to be the child of folly 当人心最软弱的时候，爱情最容易入侵，那就是当人得意春风，忘乎所以和处境窘困孤独凄零的时候，虽然后者未必能得到爱情。人在这样的时候最急于跳入爱情的火焰中由此可见，“爱情”实在是“愚蠢”的儿子

In beauty, that of favor, is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor 形体之美要胜于颜色之美，而优雅行为之美又胜于形体之美

There is no man that imparteth his joys to his friends, but that he joyeth the more; and no man that imparteth is griefs to his friends, but he grieveth the less. 与友分享欢乐者,无不欢乐倍增;与友分担哀伤者,无不哀伤减半

Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set 美德好比宝石，在朴素背景的衬托下反而更华丽。

Y oung men are fitter to invent than to judge, fitter for execution than for counsel, fitter for new projects than for settled business年轻人适合发明甚于评价，适合执行而甚于决策；适合从事新项目甚于固定职业。

Wives are young men’s mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses. 妻子是年轻时的情人，中年时的伴侣，老年时的陪护。

Essay

An essay is a short composition in prose that undertakes to discuss a matter, express a point of view, persuade us to accept a thesis on any subject, or simply to entertain. Francis Bacon’s Essays has been recognized as an important landmark in the development of English prose.

In Francis Bacon’s Essays, one sees a glorious literary world –lofty, marvelous, terse, pithy, full of wisdom and practicality. Here, Bacon endeavors to “study the simple natures of such things as ambition, beauty, studies, wisdom, revenge, love”and the like. These themes are grave, serious and instructive, and “they come home to men’s business and bosoms”because they must have “recorded experiences derived from history and his own observations.”

Of Studies

It is the most popular of Bacon’s 58 essays. It analyzes what studies chiefly serve for, the different way adopted by different people to pursue studies, and how studies exert influence over human character. Forceful and persuasive, compact and precise, Of Studies reveals to us Bacon’s mature attitude towards learning.

Summary of the content of “Of studies

This essay deals with the uses and abuses of studies, the proper and improper ways to pursue one’s studies and different effects of different books upon the formation of human character.

Stylistic Features of “Of Studies”1Conciseness of expressions

2Simplicity of diction

3Trio structure

4Rhetoric devices

A. metaphor

B. simile

C. parallelism

D. climax

5close logical reason

Writing Style of Bacon's Essays

Bacon's essays have a literary style peculiar to their own. They are noted for heir clearness, brevity and force of expression. Bacon’s chief concern is to express his thought with clearness and in as few words as possible. His sentences are short, pointed, incisive, and often of balanced structure. Many of them have become wise old sayings. Generally Speaking, Bacon's literary style has three prominent qualities: directness, terseness, and forcefulness.

Bacon’s Importance to Literature

He was the first English writer to pay attention to the audience to whom he was writing.

He wrote the greatest tracts on education in the English language, Advancement of Learning.

He and Newton represent the advancement of science during the 17th century. In fact, Bacon devised the inductive method of doing research.

He introduced the essay as a literary form into the English language.

His Achievements

As a literary man, Bacon is the first English essayist, whose Essays won him a high place in the history of English literature. As a philosopher, he is the founder of

English materialistic philosophy. He advocates the inductive method of reasoning. In his famous plea for progress, Bacon demands three things: 1) the free investigation of nature, 2) the discovery of facts instead of the blind belief in theories 3) the verification of results by experiment rather than by argument. In our day, these are the ABC of science, but in Bacon's time they were revolutionary, Marx called him "the real father of English materialism & experimental science of modern times in general."

读书足以怡情，足以博采，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其博采也，最见于高谈阔论之中；其长才也，最见于处世判事之际。

练达之士虽能分别处理细事或一一判别枝节，然纵观统筹，全局策划，则舍好学深思者莫属。读书费时过多易惰，文采藻饰太盛则矫，全凭条文断事乃学究故态。

读书补天然之不足，经验又补读书之不足，盖天生才干犹如自然花草，读书然后知如何修剪移接，而书中所示，如不以经验范之，则又大而无当

有一技之长者鄙读书，无知者羡读书，唯明智之士用读书，然书并不以用处告人，用书之智不在书中，而在书外，全凭观察得之。

读书时不可存心诘难作者，不可尽信书上所言，亦不可只为寻章摘句，而应推敲细思。

书有可浅尝者，有可吞食者，少数则须咀嚼消化。换言之，有只需读其部分者，有只须大体涉猎者，少数则须全读，读时须全神贯注，孜孜不倦。书亦可请人代读，取其所作摘要，但只限题材较次或价值不高者，否则书经提炼犹如水经蒸馏，淡而无味。

读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。因此不常做笔记者须记忆力特强，不常讨论者须天生聪颖，不常读书者须欺世有术，始能无知而显有知。

读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩；凡有所学，皆成性格。

人之才智但有滞碍，无不可读适当之书使之顺畅，一如身体百病，皆可借相宜之运动除之。滚球利睾肾，射箭利胸肺，慢步利肠胃，骑术利头脑，诸如此类。如智力不集中，可令读数学，盖演题需全神贯注，稍有分散即须重演；如不能辩异，可令读经院哲学，盖是辈皆吹毛求疵之人；如不善求同，不善以一物阐证另一物，可令读律师之案卷。如此，头脑中凡有缺陷，皆有特效可医。