英国文学简史汉语版
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版
《英国文学简史》是刘炳善教授所著的一本英国文学史专业书籍，涵盖了从中世纪到现代的英国文学发展历程。
本书在中文读者中具有广泛影响和较高的学术价值。
本书主要分为三个部分，第一部分是中世纪的英国文学，主要包括由传说和史诗构成的古代英格兰文学、以基督教为主题的中世纪文学和由英法文学相互影响形成的中古英语文学。
其中，史诗《贝奥武夫》、《绿骑士》等被视为中世纪英国文学的杰作，为之后的文学创作提供了丰富的源泉。
第二部分是文艺复兴时期的英国文学，这一时期英国文学经历了以人文主义为特色的文艺复兴，文学形式更加多样化和精致化。
该时期的代表作品有《十四行诗》、《伊丽莎白一世》和《尤里西斯》等。
另外，威廉·莎士比亚是文艺复兴时期英国最杰出的文学家之一，他的戏剧作品《哈姆雷特》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》等至今仍被广泛演出与研究。
第三部分是现代英国文学，该时期从19世纪末开始，这一时期的文学形式多元化、题材广泛，代表作品有狄更斯的《双城记》、王尔德的《道林·格雷的画像》、毛姆的《月亮与六便士》等。
而且，20世纪的英国文学家更加注重试验和探索，如乔伊斯的《尤利西斯》、沃尔夫的《海浪》、休斯的《鹰》等。
整本书对英国文学的演进和发展进行了详细而全面的描述，准确地呈现了英国文学的核心价值和独特魅力。
在中文读者中，该书被视为英国文学史研究的经典之作，为英国文学爱好者和专业学者提供了绝佳的参考资料。
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版.doc
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版2010-09-09 21：00第一部分：早期和中世纪英国文学第一章：英国的组成1、大不列颠人(英国人)在开始学习英国文学史之前，了解一下英国这个民族是很必要的。
英国这个民族是一个混血族。
早期居住在这个岛上的居民是凯尔特人的一个部落，我们现在称它为大不列颠人。
大不列颠人把这个岛屿命名为大不列颠岛，凯尔特人是其原始居民。
他们分为几十个小部落，每个部落都以小屋群居为主。
"最古老的凯尔特人法律今天归结起来显示出氏族任然充满着生命力"。
英国人曾生活在部落社会。
2、罗马人的占领在公元前55年，大不列颠岛被罗马征服者凯撒入侵，而这是的凯撒刚刚占领了高卢。
但是罗马人刚登上大不列颠岛海岸时，就遭到了在首领领导下的大不列颠人的狮子般疯狂的反击，随着罗马将领来来往往的这个世纪，直到公元78年英国从被于罗马帝国完全征服过。
伴随着罗马人的侵略占领，罗马式的生活方式也开始融入英国。
罗马式剧院和澡堂很快的在城镇中兴起。
而这些高雅的文明只不过是罗马侵略者的娱乐享受方式罢了，大不列颠人民却像奴隶一样被压迫着。
罗马人的占领持续了将近400年，在这期间，罗马人因其军事目的在岛上修建了后来被称之为罗马路的纵横交错的公路，这些公路在后期发展中起到了很大的作用。
沿着这些公路开始建立起大量的城镇，伦敦就是其中之一，开始成为重要的贸易中心城市。
罗马的占领也带来了基督教文化。
但是在15世纪初期，罗马帝国处于逐渐的衰落阶段。
公元410年，所有罗马军队撤回欧洲大陆再也没有返回。
因此，也标志这罗马人占领的结束。
3、英国人的占领同时，大不列颠也被成群的海盗给侵略着。
他们是来自北欧的三个部落：盎格鲁人，撒克逊人和朱特人民族。
这三个部落在大不列颠海岸登路，把大不列颠人民赶到西部和北部，然后自己定居下来。
朱特人占领了岛屿东南部的肯特。
撒克逊人占领了岛屿南部地区，并建立起像韦塞克斯，埃塞克斯和东萨塞克斯这样的小王国。
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版2010-09-09 21:00第一部分:早期和中世纪英国文学第一章:英国的组成1、大不列颠人(英国人)在开始学习英国文学史之前，了解一下英国这个民族是很必要的。
英国这个民族是一个混血族。
早期居住在这个岛上的居民是凯尔特人的一个部落，我们现在称它为大不列颠人。
大不列颠人把这个岛屿命名为大不列颠岛，凯尔特人是其原始居民。
他们分为几十个小部落，每个部落都以小屋群居为主。
"最古老的凯尔特人法律今天归结起来显示出氏族任然充满着生命力"。
英国人曾生活在部落社会。
2、罗马人的占领在公元前55年，大不列颠岛被罗马征服者凯撒入侵，而这是的凯撒刚刚占领了高卢。
但是罗马人刚登上大不列颠岛海岸时，就遭到了在首领领导下的大不列颠人的狮子般疯狂的反击，随着罗马将领来来往往的这个世纪，直到公元78年英国从被于罗马帝国完全征服过。
伴随着罗马人的侵略占领，罗马式的生活方式也开始融入英国。
罗马式剧院和澡堂很快的在城镇中兴起。
而这些高雅的文明只不过是罗马侵略者的娱乐享受方式罢了，大不列颠人民却像奴隶一样被压迫着。
罗马人的占领持续了将近400年，在这期间，罗马人因其军事目的在岛上修建了后来被称之为罗马路的纵横交错的公路，这些公路在后期发展中起到了很大的作用。
沿着这些公路开始建立起大量的城镇，伦敦就是其中之一，开始成为重要的贸易中心城市。
罗马的占领也带来了基督教文化。
但是在15世纪初期，罗马帝国处于逐渐的衰落阶段。
公元410年，所有罗马军队撤回欧洲大陆再也没有返回。
因此，也标志这罗马人占领的结束。
3、英国人的占领同时，大不列颠也被成群的海盗给侵略着。
他们是来自北欧的三个部落:盎格鲁人，撒克逊人和朱特人民族。
这三个部落在大不列颠海岸登路，把大不列颠人民赶到西部和北部，然后自己定居下来。
朱特人占领了岛屿东南部的肯特。
撒克逊人占领了岛屿南部地区，并建立起像韦塞克斯，埃塞克斯和东萨塞克斯这样的小王国。
刘炳善《英国文学简史》完整版笔记(免费)
英国文学简史完全版A Concise History of British LiteratureChapter 1 English Literature of Anglo-Saxon PeriodI. Introduction1. The historical background（1）Before the Germanic invasion（2）During the Germanic invasiona. immigration;b. Christianity;c. heptarchy.；d. social classes structure: hide-hundred; eoldermen （lord）–thane - middle class （freemen）- lower class （slave or bondmen: theow）;e. social organization: clan or tribes.f. military Organization;g. Church function: spirit, civil service, education;h. economy: coins, trade, slavery;i. feasts and festival: Halloween, Easter; j. legal system.2. The Overview of the culture（1）The mixture of pagan and Christian spirit.（2）Literature: a. Poetry: two types; b. prose: two figures.II. Beowulf.；1. A general introduction.2. The content.3. The literary features.（1）the use of alliteration（2）the use of metaphors and understatements （3）the mixture of pagan and Christian elements III. The Old English Prose1. What is prose（1）The Venerable Bede'（2）Alfred the GreatChapter 2 English Literature of the Late Medieval Ages 1. The Historical Background.（1）The year 1066: Norman Conquest.（2）The social situations soon after the conquest.A. Norman nobles and serfs;B. restoration of the church.（3）The 11th century.A. the crusade and knights.B. dominance of French and Latin;;（4）The 12th century.A. the centralized government;B. kings and the church （Henry II and Thomas）;（5）The 13th century.A. The legend of Robin Hood;B. Magna Carta （1215）;C. the beginning of the ParliamentD. English and Latin: official languages （the end）（6）The 14th century.a. the House of Lords and the House of Commons—conflict between the Parliament and Kings;!b. the rise of towns.c. the change of Church.d. the role of women.e. the Hundred Years' War—starting.f. the development of the trade: London.g. the Black Death.h. the Peasants' Revolt—1381.i. The translation of Bible by Wycliffe.（7）The 15th century.a. The Peasants Revolt （1453）|b. The War of Roses between Lancaster and Yorks.c. the printing-press—William Caxton.d. the starting of Tudor Monarchy（1485）2. The Overview of Literature.（1）the stories from the Celtic lands of Wales and Brittany—great myths of the Middle Ages.（2）Geoffrye of Monmouth—Historia Regum Britanniae—King Authur.（3）Wace—Le Roman de Brut.（4）The romance.（5）the second half of the 14th century: Langland, Gawin poet, Chaucer. II. Sir Gawin and Green Knight.`1. A general introduction.2. The plot.III. William Langland.1. Life2. Piers the PlowmanIV. Chaucer1. Life2. Literary Career: three periods（1）French period（2）Italian period》（3）master period3. The Canterbury TalesA. The Framework;B. The General Prologue;C. The Tale Proper.4. His Contribution.（1）He introduced from France the rhymed stanza of various types.（2）He is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language.（3）The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.V. Popular Ballads.$VI. Thomas Malory and English ProseVII. The beginning of English Drama.1. Miracle Plays.Miracle play or mystery play is a form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching its height in the 15th century. The simple lyric character of the early texts was enlarged by the addition of dialogue and dramatic action. Eventually the performance was moved to the churchyard and the marketplace.2. Morality Plays.A morality play is a play enforcing a moral truth or lesson by means of the speech and action of characters which are personified abstractions – figures representing vices and virtues, qualities of the human mind, or abstract conceptions in general.3. Interlude.The interlude, which grew out of the morality, was intended, as its name implies, to be used more as filler than as the main part of an entertainment. As its best it was short, witty, simple in plot, suited for the diversion of guests at a banquet, or for the relaxation of the audience between the divisions of a serious play. It was essentially an indoors performance, and generally of an aristocratic nature.Chapter 3 English Literature in the Renaissance Historical BackgroundII. The Overview of the Literature （1485-1660）￥Printing press—readership—growth of middle class—trade-education for laypeople-centralization of power-intellectual life-exploration-new impetus and direction of literature.Humanism-study of the literature of classical antiquity and reformed education.Literary style-modeled on the ancients.The effect of humanism-the dissemination of the cultivated, clear, andsensible attitude of its classically educated adherents.1. poetryThe first tendency by Sidney and Spenser: ornate, florid, highly figured style.The second tendency by Donne: metaphysical style—complexity and ingenuity.The third tendency by Johnson: reaction——Classically pure and restrained style.The fourth tendency by Milton: central Christian and Biblical tradition.2. Drama#a. the native tradition and classical examples.b. the drama stands highest in popular estimation: Marlowe – Shakespeare –Jonson.3. Prosea. translation of Bible;b. More;c. Bacon.II. English poetry.1. Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard （courtly makers）（1）Wyatt: introducing sonnets.（2）Howard: introducing sonnets and writing the first blank verse.：2. Sir Philip Sidney—poet, critic, prose writer（1）Life:a. English gentleman;b. brilliant and fascinating personality;c. courtier.（2）worksa. Arcadia: pastoral romance;b. Astrophel and Stella （108）: sonnet sequence to Penelope Dvereux—platonic devotion.Petrarchan conceits and original feelings-moving to creativeness—building of a narrative story; theme-love originality-act of writing.c. Defense of Poesy: an apology for imaginative literature—beginning of literary criticism.,3. Edmund Spenser（1）life: Cambridge - Sidney's friend - “Areopagus” – Ireland - Westminster Abbey.（2）worksa. The Shepherds Calendar: the budding of English poetry in Renaissance.b. Amoretti and Epithalamion: sonnet sequencec. Faerie Queen:l The general end——A romantic and allegorical epic—steps to virtue.l 12 books and 12 virtues: Holiness, temperance, justice and courtesy.l Two-level function: part of the story and part of allegory （symbolic meaning）l Many allusions to classical writers.,L Themes: puritanism, nationalism, humanism and Renaissance Neoclassicism—a Christian humanist.（3）Spenserian Stanza.III. English Prose1. Thomas More（1）Life: “Renaissance man”, scholar, statesman, theorist, prose writer, diplomat, patron of artsa. learned Greek at Canterbury College, Oxford;b. studies law at Lincoln Inn;c. Lord Chancellor;d. beheaded.（2）Utopia: the first English science fiction.$Written in Latin, two parts, the second—place of nowhere.A philosophical mariner （Raphael Hythloday）tells his voyages in which he discovers a land-Utopia.a. The part one is organized as dialogue with mariner depicting his philosophy.b. The part two is a description of the island kingdom where gold and silver are worn by criminal, religious freedom is total and no one owns anything.c. the nature of the book: attacking the chief political and social evils of his time.d. the book and the Republic: an attempt to describe the Republic in a new way, but it possesses an modern character and the resemblance is in externals.e. it played a key role in the Humanist awakening of the 16th century which moved away from the Medieval otherworldliness towards Renaissance secularism.f. the Utopia（3）the significance.a. it was the first champion of national ideas and national languages; it created a national prose, equally adapted to handling scientific and artistic material.<b. a elegant Latin scholar and the father of English prose: he composed works in English, translated from Latin into English biography, wrote History of Richard III.2. Francis Bacon: writer, philosopher and statesman（1）life: Cambridge - humanism in Paris –knighted - Lord Chancellor –bribery - focusing on philosophy and literature.（2）philosophical ideas: advancement of science—people: servants and interpreters of nature—method: a child before nature—facts and observations: experimental.（3）“Essays”: 57.a. he was a master of numerous and varied styles.b. his method is to weigh and balance maters, indicating the ideal course of action and the practical one, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each, but leaving the reader to make the final decisions. （arguments）IV. English Drama1. A general survey.（1）Everyman marks the beginning of modern drama.~（2）two influences.a. the classics: classical in form and English in content;b. native or popular drama.（3）the University Wits.2. Christopher Marlowe: greatest playwright before Shakespeare and most gifted of the Wits.（1）Life: first interested in classical poetry—then in drama.（2）Major worksa. Tamburlaine;b. The Jew of Malta;c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.)（3）The significance of his plays.V. William Shakespeare1. Life（1）1564, Stratford-on-Avon;（2）Grammar School;（3）Queen visit to Castle;（4）marriage to Anne Hathaway;（5）London, the Globe Theatre: small part and proprietor;（6）the 1st Folio, Quarto;（7）Retired, son—Hamlet; H. 1616.—2. Dramatic career3. Major plays-men-centered.（1）Romeo and Juliet——tragic love and fate（2）The Merchant of Venice.Good over evil.Anti-Semitism.（3）Henry IV.National unity.Falstaff.（4）Julius Caesar|Republicanism vs. dictatorship.（5）HamletRevengeGood/evil.（6）OthelloDiabolic characterjealousygap between appearance and reality.（7）King LearFilial ingratitude$（8）MacbethAmbition vs. fate.（9）Antony and Cleopatra.Passion vs. reason（10）The TempestReconciliation; reality and illusion.3. Non-dramatic poetry（1）Venus and Adonis; The Rape of Lucrece.（2）Sonnets:a. theme: fair, true, kind.<b. two major parts: a handsome young man of noble birth; a lady in dark complexion.c. the form: three quatrains and a couplet.d. the rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.VI. Ben Jonson1. life: poet, dramatist, a Latin and Greek scholar, the “literary king” （Sons of Ben）:（1）the idea of “humor”.（2）an advocate of classical drama and a forerunner of classicism in English literature.3. Major plays（1）Everyone in His Humor—“humor”; three unities.；（2）Volpone the FoxChapter 4 English Literature of the 17th Century Historical Background II. The Overview of the Literature （1640-1688）1. The revolution period（1）The metaphysical poets;（2）The Cavalier poets.（3）Milton: the literary and philosophical heritage of the Renaissance merged with Protestant political and moral conviction2. The restoration period.（1）The restoration of Charles II ushered in a literature characterized by reason, moderation, good taste, deft management, and simplicity. （school of Ben Jonson）（2）The ideals of impartial investigation and scientific experimentation promoted by the newly founded Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge （1662）were influential in the development of clear and simple prose as an instrument of rational communication.！（3）The great philosophical and political treatises of the time emphasize rationalism.（4）The restoration drama.（5）The Age of Dryden.III. John Milton1. Life: educated at Cambridge—visiting the continent—involved into the revolution—persecuted—writing epics.2. Literary career.（1）The 1st period was up to 1641, during which time he is to be seen chiefly as a son of the humanists and Elizabethans, although his Puritanism is not absent. L'Allegre and IL Pens eroso （1632）are his early masterpieces, in which we find Milton a true offspring of the Renaissance, a scholar of exquisite taste and rare culture. Next came Comus, a masque. The greatest of early creations was Lycidas, a pastoralelegy on the death of a college mate, Edward King.（2）The second period is from 1641 to 1654, when the Puritan was in such complete ascendancy that he wrote almost no poetry. In 1641, he began a long period of pamphleteering for the puritan cause. For some 15 years, the Puritan in him alone ruled his writing. He sacrificed his poetic ambition to the call of the liberty for which Puritans were fighting.（3）The third period is from 1655 to 1671, when humanist and Puritan have been fused into an exalted entity. This period is the greatest in his literary life, epics and some famous sonnets. The three long poems are the fruit of the long contest within Milton of Renaissance tradition and his Puritan faith. They form the greatest accomplishments of any English poet except Shakespeare. In Milton alone, it would seem, Puritanism could not extinguish the lover of beauty. In these works we find humanism and Puritanism merged in magnificence.3. Major Works；（1）Paradise Losta. the plot.b. characters.c. theme: justify the ways of God to man.（2）Paradise Regained.（3）Samson Agonistes.4. Features of Milton's works.（1）Milton is one of the very few truly great English writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an important prose writer. The two most essential things to be remembered about him are his Puritanism and his republicanism.（2）Milton wrote many different types of poetry. He is especially a great master of blank verse. He learned much from Shakespeare and first used blank verse in non-dramatic works.（3）Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style noted for its dignity and polish, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.;（4）Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.Bunyan1. Life:（1）puritan age;（2）poor family;（3）parliamentary army;（4）Baptist society, preacher;（5）prison, writing the book.2. The Pilgrim Progress（1）The allegory in dream form.|（2）the plot.（3）the theme.V. Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets.1. Metaphysical PoetsThe term “metaphysical poetry” is commonly used to designate the works of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. Pressured by the harsh, uncomfortable and curious age, the metaphysical poets sought to shatter myths and replace them with new philosophies, new sciences, new words and new poetry. They tried to break away from the conventional fashion of Elizabethan love poetry, and favoured in poetry for a more colloquial language and tone, a tightness of expression and the single-minded working out of a theme or argument.2. Cavalier PoetsThe other group prevailing in this period was that of Cavalier poets. They were often courtiers who stood on the side of the king, and called themselves “sons” of Ben Jonson. The Cavalier poets wrote light poetry, polished and elegant, amorous and gay, but often superficial. Most of their verses were short songs, pretty madrigals, love fancies characterized by lightness of heart and of morals. Cavalier poems have the limpidity of the Elizabethan lyric without its imaginative flights. They are lighter and neater but less fresh than the Elizabethan's.VI. John Dryden.1. Life:（1）the representative of classicism in the Restoration.·（2）poet, dramatist, critic, prose writer, satirist.（3）changeable in attitude.（4）Literary career—four decades.（5）Poet Laureate2. His influences.（1）He established the heroic couplet as the fashion for satiric, didactic, and descriptive poetry.（2）He developed a direct and concise prose style.（3）He developed the art of literary criticism in his essays and in the numerous prefaces to his poems.Chapter 5 English Literature of the 18th CenturyI. Introduction~1. The Historical Background.2. The literary overview.（1）The Enlightenment.（2）The rise of English novels.When the literary historian seeks to assign to each age its favourite form of literature, he finds no difficulty in dealing with our own time. As theMiddle Ages delighted in long romantic narrative poems, the Elizabethans in drama, the Englishman of the reigns of Anne and the early Georges in didactic and satirical verse, so the public of our day is enamored of the novel. Almost all types of literary production continue to appear, but whether we judge from the lists of publishers, the statistics of public libraries, or general conversation, we find abundant evidence of the enormous preponderance of this kind of literary entertainment in popular favor.（3）Neo-classicism: a revival in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of classical standards of order, balance, and harmony in literature. John Dryden and Alexander Pope were major exponents of the neo-classical school.（4）Satiric literature.（5）SentimentalismII. Neo-classicism. （a general description）1. Alexander Pope￥（1）Life:a. Catholic family;b. ill health;c. taught himself by reading and translating;d. friend of Addison, Steele and Swift.（2）three groups of poems:e. An Essay on Criticism （manifesto of neo-classicism）;f. The Rape of Lock;g. Translation of two epics.（3）His contribution:|h. the heroic couplet—finish, elegance, wit, pointedness;i. satire.（4）weakness: lack of imagination.2. Addison and Steele（1）Richard Steele: poet, playwright, essayist, publisher of newspaper.（2）Joseph Addison: studies at Oxford, secretary of state, created a literary periodical “Spectator” （with Steele, 1711）（3）Spectator Club.（4）The significance of their essays.a. Their writings in “The Tatler”, and “The Spectator” provide a new code of social morality for the rising bourgeoisie.b. They give a true picture of the social life of England in the 18th century.《c. In their hands, the English essay completely established itself as a literary genre. Using it as a form of character sketching and story telling, they ushered in the dawn of the modern novel.3. Samuel Johnson—poet, critic, essayist, lexicographer, editor.（1）Life:a. studies at Oxford;b. made a living by writing and translating;c. the great cham of literature.（2）works: poem （The Vanity of Human Wishes, London）; criticism （The Lives of great Poets）; preface.（3）The champion of neoclassical ideas.III. Literature of Satire: Jonathan Swift.1. Life:·（1）born in Ireland;（2）studies at Trinity College;（3）worked as a secretary;（4）the chief editor of The Examiner;（5）the Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin.2. Works: The Battle of Books, A Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, Gulliver's Travels.3. Gulliver's Travels.Part I. Satire—the Whig and the Tories, Anglican Church and Catholic Church.Part II. Satire—the legal system; condemnation of war.Part III. Satire—ridiculous scientific experiment.（Part IV. Satire—mankind.IV. English Novels of Realistic tradition.1. The Rise of novels.（1）Early forms: folk tale – fables – myths – epic – poetry – romances –fabliaux – novella - imaginative nature of their material. （imaginative narrative）（2）The rise of the novela. picaresque novel in Spain and England （16th century）: Of or relating to a genre of prose fiction that originated in Spain and depicts in realistic detail the adventures of a roguish hero, often with satiric or humorous effects.b. Sidney: Arcadia.c. Addison and Steele: The Spectator.（plot and characterization and realism）（3）novel and drama （17the century）~2. Daniel Defoe—novelist, poet, pamphleteer, publisher, merchant, journalist.）（1）Life:a. business career;b. writing career;c. interested in politics.（2）Robinson Crusoe.a. the story.b. the significance of the character.c. the features of his novels.d. the style of language."3. Henry Fielding—novelist.（1）Life:a. unsuccessful dramatic career;b. legal career; writing career.（2）works.（3）Tom Jones.a. the plot;b. characters: Tom, Blifil, Sophia;c. significance.（4）the theory of realism.\（5）the style of language.V. Writers of Sentimentalism.1. Introduction2. Samuel Richardson—novelist, moralist （One who is unduly concerned with the morals of others.）（1）Life:a. printer book seller;b. letter writer.（2）Pamela, Virtue Rewarded.a. the storyb. the significance、Pamela was a new thing in these ways:a）It discarded the “improbable and marvelous” accomplishments of the former heroic romances, and pictured the life and love of ordinary people.b）Its intension was to afford not merely entertainment but also moral instruction.c）It described not only the sayings and doings of characters but their also their secret thoughts and feelings. It was, in fact, the first English psycho-analytical novel.3. Oliver Goldsmith—poet and novelist.A. Life:a. born in Ireland;b. a singer and tale-teller, a life of vagabondage;c. bookseller;d. the Literary Club;、e. a miserable life;f. the most lovable character in English literature.B. The Vicar of Wakefield.a. story;b. the signicance.VI. English Drama of the 18th century1. The decline of the drama2. Richard Brinsley SheridenA. life.B. works: Rivals, The School for Scandals.&C. significance of his plays.a. The Rivals and The School for Scandal are generally regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw, and as true classics in English comedy.b. In his plays, morality is the constant theme. He is much concerned with the current moral issues and lashes harshly at the social vices of the day.c. Sheridan's greatness also lies in his theatrical art. He seems to have inherited from his parents a natural ability and inborn knowledge about the theatre. His plays are the product of a dramatic genius as well as of a well-versed theatrical man.d. His plots are well-organized, his characters, either major or minor, are all sharply drawn, and his manipulation of such devices as disguise, mistaken identity and dramatic irony is masterly. Witty dialogues andneat and decent language also make a characteristic of his plays. Chapter 6 English Literature of the Romantic AgeI. Introduction1. Historical Background2. Literary Overview: RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism:;（1）The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings（2）The creation of a world of imagination（3）The return to nature for material（4）Sympathy with the humble and glorification of the commonplace （5）Emphasis upon the expression of individual genius（6）The return to Milton and the Elizabethans for literary models （7）The interest in old stories and medieval romances（8） A sense of melancholy and loneliness（9）The rebellious spiritII. Pre-Romantics@1. Robert Burns（1）Life: French Revolution（2）Features of poetrya. Burns is chiefly remembered for his songs written in the Scottish dialect.b. His poems are usually devoid of artificial ornament and have a great charm of simplicity.c. His poems are especially appreciated for their musical effect.d. His political and satirical poems are noted for his passionate love for freedom and fiery sentiments of hatred against tyranny.（3）Significance of his poetryHis poetry marks an epoch in the history of English literature. They suggested that the spirit of the Romantic revival was embodied in this obscure ploughman. Love, humor, pathos, the response to nature –all the poetic qualities that touch the human heart are in his poems, which marked the sunrise of another day – the day of Romanticism.2. William Blake；（1）life: French Revolution（2）works.l Songs of Innocencel Songs of Experience（3）featuresa. sympathy with the French Revolutionb. hatred for 18th century conformity and social institutionc. attitude of revolt against authorityd. strong protest against restrictive codes（4）his influence)Blake is often regarded as a symbolist and mystic, and he has exerted a great influence on twentieth century writers. His peculiarities of thought and imaginative vision have in many ways proved far more congenial to the 20th century than they were to the 19th.III. Romantic Poets of the first generation1. Introduction2. William Wordsworth: representative poet, chief spokesman of Romantic poetry（1）Life:a. love nature;b. Cambridge;c. tour to France;d. French revolution;e. Dorathy;]f. The Lake District;g. friend of Coleridge;h. conservative after revolution.（2）works:a. the Lyrical Ballads （preface）: significanceb. The Prelude: a biographical poem.c. the other poems（3）Features of his poems.a. ThemeA constant theme of his poetry was the growth of the human spirit through the natural description with expressions of inward states of mind.$b. characteristics of style.His poems are characterized by a sympathy with the poor, simple peasants, and a passionate love of nature.3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: poet and critic（1）Life:a. Cambridge;b. friend with Southey and Wordsworth;c. taking opium.（2）works.l The fall of Robespierrel The Rime of the Ancient Mariner·l Kubla Khanl Biographia Literaria（3）Biographia Literaria.（4）His criticismHe was one of the first critics to give close critical attention to language.In both poetry and criticism, his work is outstanding, but it is typical of him that his critical work is very scattered and disorganized.IV. Romantic Poets of the Second Generation.1. Introduction2. George Gordon Byron（1）Life:a. Cambridge, published poems and reviews;，b. a tour of Europe and the East;c. left England;d. friend with Shelley;e. worked in Greece: national hero;f. radical and sympathetic with French Revolution.（2）Works.l Don Juanl When We Two Partedl She Walks in Beauty（3）Byronic Hero.^Byron introduced into English poetry a new style of character, which as often been referred to as “Byronic Hero” of “satanic spirit”. People imagined that they saw something of Byron himself in these strange figures of rebels, pirates, and desperate adventurers.（4）Poetic style: loose, fluent and vivid3. Percy Bysshe Shelley: poet and critic（1）Life:a. aristocratic family;b. rebellious heart;c. Oxford;d. Irish national liberation Movement;e. disciple of William Godwin;f. marriage with Harriet, and Marry;,g. left England and wandered in EUrope, died in Italy;h. radical and sympathetic with the French revolution;i. Friend with Byron（2）works: two types – violent reformer and wanderer （3）Characteristics of poems.a. pursuit of a better society;b. radian beauty;c. superb artistry: imagination.（4）Defense of Poetry.4. John Keats.{（1）Life:a. from a poor family;。
英国文学简史
英国文学简史笔记一.早中世纪文学：Early and Medieval English Literature (约5 世纪-1485)The an cestor: Celts凯尔特人).Life style: Primitive life(原始生活).Language: Celtic (凯尔特语)(Britons大不列颠语).最早的英国史：1. Roman Co nquest. (55BC--410AD)---Julius Caesar.2. An glo-Saxon Con quest. (450--1066)---A nglos, Saxo ns. Jutes 朱特人).3. Norman Conquest. (1066--1350).中期英国史：1.Romanee罗曼史)：love, chivalry(骑士精神),religion;2.3 major themes: (1).Matter of Fran ee;(2) .Matter of Greece and Rome;(3) .Matter of Brita in. nguage: 3 Ian guage.文学作品：I.Geoffrey Chaucer杰弗里。
乔叟):Chaucer's works:(1) . The Canterbury Tales(坎特伯雷故事集);(2) . The Wife of Bath (巴斯夫人)；(3) . Roma nee of the Rose 玫瑰传奇);⑷.The House of the Fame 声誉殿堂);(5) .The Parliament of Fowls (百鸟会议);(6) .Troilus and Cressie特洛伊斯和克莱西德).Chaucer's contribution to the English language:(1) . The " father of En glish poetry";(2) . He introdueer from France and Italy the rhymed (押韵的)stanzas of various types, especially the rhymed couplet of 5 acce nts in iambic meter ( heroic couplet抑扬格、五音步诗),instead of the Old English alliterative(头韵的)verse;(3) . For the first time in English literature, he presented to us a comprehensive realistic picture( 现实主义)of the English society of life in his masterpiece" The Canterbury Tales(坎特伯雷故事集)";(4) . He was the first En glish poet who wrote in En glish, thus establishi ng En glish as the literature Ian guage;(5) , He did much in making the London dialect(方言)the foun dati on for moder n En glish Ian guage.Chaucer's social significance:(1) . Influeneed by the early Italian Renaissanee, Chaucer affirmed man's right to pursue earthly happ in ess and opposed asceticism, praised man's en ergy, in tellect, and love of life;(2) . Mean while, he also exposed and satirized the social evils, esp.,the religious abuses.2. The Song of Beowulf 贝奥武甫，a here)3. The English Ballads (大众民谣):a story told in song.; in various Englishand Scottish dialects.---- Robin Hood （罗宾汉）,who is strong, brave, clever, ten der-hearted and affect ion ate深情的）.二、文艺复兴时期文学：The English Renaissanee （15世纪后期-17世纪初）文艺复兴时期形成的思想体系被称为人文主义.几个过渡时期：1. The Hun dred Year's War: 1337--1453;2. The wars of the Rose（玫瑰战争/蔷薇战争）:源于两个皇族所选的家微。
英国文学史简介(中文版)
Early and Medieval English Literature(449-1485)英国中世纪文学史大致可分为盎格鲁-撒克逊（The Anglo-Saxon Period,449-1066）和中古英语（The Middle English Period,1066-1485）两个时期。
公元前八九世纪高卢（Gaul,今法国）人迁入不列颠岛，成为英国最早的居民。
公元1世纪至410年，英伦三岛为罗马人占领。
449年开始，北欧日耳曼部族的朱特人（Jutes）、盎格鲁人（Angles）和撒克逊人（Saxons）陆续入侵不列颠。
他们的语言——盎格鲁-撒克逊语（Anglo-Saxon）或古英语（Old English）——也开始广为传播。
597年，奥古斯丁（Saint Augustine,?-604）率40余名修士来到英格兰传教，基督教开始在不列颠岛盛行。
盎格鲁-撒克逊时代最重要的文学作品是长达3 000多行的头韵史诗《贝奥武甫》（Beowulf,700-750）,讲述了一个斯堪的纳维亚的民间传说。
古英语散文的杰出代表是比德（the Venerable Bede,673-735）的《英吉利人民宗教史》（Ecclesiastical History of the English People,731-732）,其中包括英国第一宗教诗人开德蒙（Caedmon）充满神奇色彩的生平事迹。
该作品用拉丁文写成，后译成英文，是了解早期英国历史的珍贵史料。
公元891年，韦塞克斯(Wessex)国王艾尔弗雷德（Alfred，849-901）开始组织修士汇编《盎格鲁-撒克逊编年史》(The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle),后人一直续编至1154年。
这是第一部用英语写成的散文巨著，文风简约、质朴，对英国散文的发展产生了深远的影响。
1066年，诺曼底公爵威廉（William,Duke of Normandy）打败英军，夺得王位，成为英国威廉一世（William I）,史称“诺曼征服”（the Norman Conquest）.此后今300年的时间里，法语一直是英国统治阶层的语言，教会学者用拉丁文写作，英语只在民众中通用，以至于在12世纪之前几乎没有用英文写成的文学作品。
英国文学简史 刘炳善著(1-3单元)
Part oneConquests & InfluencesA. Early period:1.The Roman conquest:(1)The Roman civilization 文明；文化(2)Christianity (基督教)(3)Flouring (兴旺) of towns along military roads2. The English conquest:(1)Three tribes English old English (the Angles, Saxons and Jutes)(2)Tribal society-feudalism (社会封建制度)B. Medieval period:1.The Danish conquest2.The Norman conquest(1)The French-Speaking Normans under Duke William came in 1066(2)Establishment of feudalism (封建制度)(3)French words came to EnglishAnglo-Saxon Poetry (499-1066)1.Anglo-Saxons: the ancestors of today’s Englishmen2.The beginning of history of English literature3.Features: alliteration (头韵) & rhymes metaphors (押韵的比喻) and understatements (轻描淡写)4.The only great work: BeowulfBeowulf1.A national epic (史诗般的作品) of the English people.2.Pagan (异教徒的) poetry & No representative figure (没有代表性人物)3.A folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxon from Northern Europe.4.Praises man’s energy, intellect and love of life; and exposes the social vices. (社会的黑暗面)Features of Beowulf1.Alliteration2.Metaphors (隐喻)3.Understatements (保守的陈述)The significance of Beowulf1.This glorious (辉煌的) 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.2.The epic reflects the situations the pagan tribalism (部落文化) and of the era (时代) of the Christianized (基督教化) feudal society.3.The epic gives the vivid portrayal (写照) of a great national hero, strong and courageous peopleand his kinfolk. (亲属)Feudal England1.The chief features of the society was division into two classes: Landlords and peasants.2.The peasants’ rising shook the feudal system in England to the root.The Romance1.The code of manners and morals of a knight is known as chivalry (骑士精神).2.The English versions of romances were translated from French or Latin.3.The romance of King Arthur is the most important for the history of English literature.4.The romance’s culmination (顶点) in <Sir Gawain and the Green Knight> (metrical romance)5.The romance’s summing up in Thomas Malory’s <Le Morte D’Arthur> (in English prose散文)6.<Le Morte D’ Arthur >(i. E. the Death of King Arthur ) is a collection of stories about King Arthur, translated from French by Sir Thomas Malory.Langland<Piers the plowman> written by William Langland shows the existence of English popular literature.The English BalladsBallad: a story told in song, usually in four-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed.The various ballads of Robin Hood are gathered into a collection called: The Geste of Robin HoodChaucer一.Chaucer’s Literary CareerThe three periods of Chaucer’s career1.Works translated from French, as <The Romaunt of the Rose>2.Works adapted from the Italian, as <Troilus and Criseyde>3.<The Canterbury Tales> which is purely English二.The Canterbury Tales’ Social Significance(参考)1.A true-to-life picture of Chaucer’s time2.Taking the stand of the rising bourgeoisie, Chaucer affirms men’s rights to pursue their earthly happiness and opposes the dogma of asceticism preached by the church3.As a forerunner of humanism, he praises man’s energy, intellect and love of life4.Attack social evils of his time三.The Wife of Bath四.Chaucer’s LanguageChaucer’s language, now called Middle English, is vivid and exact. He is a master ofworld-pictures. His verse (诗) is among the smoothest in English. There are pages where, in spite of trifling (微不足道的) differences in spelling and grammar, hardly a single word will offer difficulties to a man of tolerable (可容忍的) reading in modern English.五.Chaucer’s Contribution1.He introduced heroic couplet to English poetry, instead of the old Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse.2.He was the first great poet who wrote in English language (Middle English) , thus establishing English as the literary language.3.He did much in making the London dialect the foundation for modern English language.名词解释1.AlliterationAlliteration is regular repetition of the same sounds---usu. Initial consonants of words or of stressed syllables----in Old and Middle English verse:’ Kindest to kinsmen and keenest for fame’in Beowulf Alliteration is also known as ‘initial rhyme’ or ‘head rhyme’.2.EpicA long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated.3.Ballada story told in song, usually in four-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed.4.Heroic CoupletA traditional form for English poetry: it reflects to rhymed iambic pentameter lines in pairs. Use of the heroic couplet was first pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.-Part twoOld English in Transition (过渡；转变)一.The Reformation (文化精神领域改革) （详细见书P27）二.The English BibleThen appeared the Authorized Version, which was made in 1611 under the auspices of James Ⅰand so was sometimes called the King James Bible.The result is a monument (不朽的作品) of English language and English literature.名词解释：1.Help-mate2.Peacemaker3.Tender mercy4.Loving flesh5.Root of all evil三.The Enclosure Movement (圈地运动)四.The Renaissance (文艺复兴) and Humanism （人道主义）A.Renaissance1.The Renaissance: an intellectual movement sprang first in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe.2.People had a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature.3.People showed the keen interest in the activities of humanity.4.People ceased to look upon themselves as living only for God and a future world.5.Humanism is the essence（本质）of the Renaissance.6.The Renaissance, therefore, is a history period in which the Europe humanist thinkers and scholars tried to get rid of those old feudalistic ideas in Medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that express the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman catholic church.B.Humanism1.Humanism emphasized the dignity and potential of the individual and the worth of life in this world.2.Man is the measure of all things.3.Man has ability to perfect themselves, to develop the individual.4.Man should enjoy the present life.MoreThomas More was born in a middle-class family. His father was a prominent (杰出的) lawyer, and later a judge.<Utopia>Utopia is More’s masterpiece, written in the form of a conversation between More and Hythloday, a returned voyager (航海者).The name ‘Utopia’ comes from two Greek words meaning ‘no place’ and was adopted by More as the name of his ideal commonwealth.The Flowering of English Literature1.Sir Philip SidneySir Philip Sidney is well-known as a poet and critic of poetry.His collection of love sonnets (十四行诗), Astrophel and Stella, was published in 1591, after his death.2.Edmund Spenser--’The Fairy Queen’The faerie Queeene is a long poem planned in twelve books, of which he finished only six.It is an allegorical work dedicated to Queen Elizabeth Ⅰ.Largely symbolic, the poem follows several knights in their adventures to test their virtues: Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice, Courtesy.Dominating thoughts: nationalism, humanism, and puritanism.Spenser’s position in English literatureSpenser has held his position as a model of poetical art among the Renaissance English poets, and his influence can be traced in the works of Milton, Shelley and Keats.3.Francis BaconBacon was the founder of modern science in England. It began with a survey of the accomplishments of science up to his time and an examination of the reasons why it has not achieve more.The English version of his part forms his Advancement of Learning.Then followed his New Instrument.Bacon is also famous for his Essays.Drama1.The Miracle Play2.The Morality PlayA morality presented the conflict of good and evil with allegorical personages, such as Mercy, Peace, Hate, Folly and so on.3.The InterludeThen there arouse a new kind of drama called ‘Interlude’, a short performance slipped into a play to enliven the audience after a solemn scene.4.The playwrightsThere was a group of so-called ‘university wits’ (Lyly, Peele, Marlowe, Greene, Lodge and Nash) wrote for the stage of the time.MarloweThe most gifted of the ‘university wits’ was Christopher Marlowe.Marlowe was the son of a shoemaker in Canterbury.Marlowe’s best includes three of his plays, Tamburlaine (对权利的贪婪), The Jew of Malta (对钱的贪婪), and Doctor Faustus (对知识的贪婪)Marlowe’s Literary AchievementIt is Marlowe who first made blank verse (rhymeless iambic pentameter) the principal instrument of English drama. His blank verse is a living thing; it is vigorous, fluid and precise.His work paved the way for the plays of the greatest English dramatist Shakespeare---whose achievement were the monument of the English Renaissance.Shakespeare四大悲剧/喜剧悲剧：《Hamlet》《Othello》《King Lear》《Macbeth》喜剧：《A Midsummer Night’s Dream 》《As You Like It》《Twelfth Night》《The Merchant Of Venice》Shakespeare lived in an age when the old feudal social and economic order was being destroyed and a new capitalist society was being born and when London took a leading part in that destruction and that new birth.In 1593 and 1594, Shakespeare published his two narrative poem Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His Sonnets were printed in 1609.Scholars have had to work out the chronological (按时间顺序的) order of his plays, based on three kinds of evidence:A.External evidenceB.Internal evidenceC.Stylistic evidencePeriods of Shakespeare’s Dramatic CompositionⅠ.The period of his apprenticeship in play-writingⅡ.Mature period,mainly a period of ‘great comedies’ and mature historical playsⅢ.The period of ‘great tragedies’ and ‘dark comedies’Ⅳ,The period of romantic drama.。
英国文学简史汉语版
《英国文学简史》由以下八个部分66章组成，从早期、中世纪英国文学一直到二十世纪英国文学。
Part 1:Early And Medieval English LiteraturePart 2: The English RenaissancePart 3: The Period Of The English Bourgeois RevolutionPart 4:The Eighteenth CenturyPart 5: Romanticism In EnglandPart 6: English Critical RealismPart 7: Prose-Writers And Poets Of The Mid And Late 19th Century一、中世纪文学（约5世纪—1485）二、文艺复兴时期文学三、17世纪文学四、启蒙时期文学五、浪漫主义时期文学六、现实主义时期文学七、现代主义文学时期一、中世纪文学（约5世纪—1485）英国最初的文学同其他国家最初的文学一样，不是书面的，而是口头的。
故事与传说口头流传，并在讲述中不断得到加工、扩展，最后才有写本。
公元5世纪中叶，盎格鲁、撒克逊、朱特三个日耳曼部落开始从丹麦以及现在的荷兰一带地区迁入不列颠。
盎格鲁—撒克逊时代给我们留下的古英语文学作品中，最重要的一部是《贝奥武甫》（Beowulf），它被认为是英国的民族史诗。
《贝奥武甫》讲述主人公贝尔武甫斩妖除魔、与火龙搏斗的故事，具有神话传奇色彩。
这部作品取材于日耳曼民间传说，随盎格鲁-撒克逊人入侵传入今天的英国，现在我们所看到的诗是8世纪初由英格兰诗人写定的，当时，不列颠正处于从中世纪异教社会向以基督教文化为主导的新型社会过渡的时期。
因此，《贝奥武甫》也反映了7、8世纪不列颠的生活风貌，呈现出新旧生活方式的混合，兼有氏族时期的英雄主义和封建时期的理想，体现了非基督教日耳曼文化和基督教文化两种不同的传统。
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版
《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版《英国文学简史》刘炳善中文版2010-09-09 21:00第一部分:早期和中世纪英国文学第一章:英国的组成1、大不列颠人(英国人)在开始学习英国文学史之前，了解一下英国这个民族是很必要的。
英国这个民族是一个混血族。
早期居住在这个岛上的居民是凯尔特人的一个部落，我们现在称它为大不列颠人。
大不列颠人把这个岛屿命名为大不列颠岛，凯尔特人是其原始居民。
他们分为几十个小部落，每个部落都以小屋群居为主。
"最古老的凯尔特人法律今天归结起来显示出氏族任然充满着生命力"。
英国人曾生活在部落社会。
2、罗马人的占领在公元前55年，大不列颠岛被罗马征服者凯撒入侵，而这是的凯撒刚刚占领了高卢。
但是罗马人刚登上大不列颠岛海岸时，就遭到了在首领领导下的大不列颠人的狮子般疯狂的反击，随着罗马将领来来往往的这个世纪，直到公元78年英国从被于罗马帝国完全征服过。
伴随着罗马人的侵略占领，罗马式的生活方式也开始融入英国。
罗马式剧院和澡堂很快的在城镇中兴起。
而这些高雅的文明只不过是罗马侵略者的娱乐享受方式罢了，大不列颠人民却像奴隶一样被压迫着。
罗马人的占领持续了将近400年，在这期间，罗马人因其军事目的在岛上修建了后来被称之为罗马路的纵横交错的公路，这些公路在后期发展中起到了很大的作用。
沿着这些公路开始建立起大量的城镇，伦敦就是其中之一，开始成为重要的贸易中心城市。
罗马的占领也带来了基督教文化。
但是在15世纪初期，罗马帝国处于逐渐的衰落阶段。
公元410年，所有罗马军队撤回欧洲大陆再也没有返回。
因此，也标志这罗马人占领的结束。
3、英国人的占领同时，大不列颠也被成群的海盗给侵略着。
他们是来自北欧的三个部落:盎格鲁人，撒克逊人和朱特人民族。
这三个部落在大不列颠海岸登路，把大不列颠人民赶到西部和北部，然后自己定居下来。
朱特人占领了岛屿东南部的肯特。
撒克逊人占领了岛屿南部地区，并建立起像韦塞克斯，埃塞克斯和东萨塞克斯这样的小王国。
刘炳善《英国文学简史》完整版笔记(免费)
英国文学简史完全版A Concise History of British LiteratureChapter 1 English Literature of Anglo-Saxon PeriodI.Introduction1. The historical background（1） Before the Germanic invasion（2） During the Germanic invasiona. immigration;b. Christianity;c. heptarchy.d. social classes structure: hide-hundred; eoldermen （lord）–thane - middle class （freemen） - lower class （slave or bondmen: theow）;e. social organization: clan or tribes.f. military Organization;g. Church function: spirit, civil service, education;h. economy: coins, trade, slavery;i. feasts and festival: Halloween, Easter; j. legal system.2. The Overview of the culture（1） The mixture of pagan and Christian spirit.（2） Literature: a. poetry: two types; b. prose: two figures.II.Beowulf.1. A general introduction.2. The content.3. The literary features.（1） the use of alliteration（2） the use of metaphors and understatements（3） the mixture of pagan and Christian elementsIII.The Old English Prose1.What is prose?2.figures（1）The Venerable Bede（2）Alfred the GreatChapter 2 English Literature of the Late Medieval AgesI.Introduction1. The Historical Background.（1） The year 1066: Norman Conquest.（2） The social situations soon after the conquest.A. Norman nobles and serfs;B. restoration of the church.（3） The 11th century.A. the crusade and knights.B. dominance of French and Latin;（4） The 12th century.A. the centralized government;B. kings and the church （Henry II and Thomas）;（5） The 13th century.A. The legend of Robin Hood;B. Magna Carta （1215）;C. the beginning of the ParliamentD. English and Latin: official languages （the end）（6） The 14th century.a. the House of Lords and the House of Commons—conflict between the Parliament and Kings;b. the rise of towns.c. the change of Church.d. the role of women.e. the Hundred Years' War—starting.f. the development of the trade: London.g. the Black Death.h. the Peasants' Revolt—1381.i. The translation of Bible by Wycliff.（7） The 15th century.a. The Peasants Revolt （1453）b. The War of Roses between Lancasters and Yorks.c. the printing-press—William Caxton.d. the starting of Tudor Monarchy（1485）2. The Overview of Literature.（1） the stories from the Celtic lands of Wales and Brittany—great myths of the Middle Ages.（2）Geoffrye of Monmouth—Historia Regum Britanniae—King Authur.（3） Wace—Le Roman de Brut.（4） The romance.（5） the second half of the 14th century: Langland, Gawin poet, Chaucer.II.Sir Gawin and Green Knight.1. a general introduction.2. the plot.III.William Langland.1. Life2. Piers the PlowmanIV.Chaucer1. Life2. Literary Career: three periods（1） French period（2） Italian period（3） master period3. The Canterbury TalesA. The Framework;B. The General Prologue;C. The Tale Proper.4. His Contribution.（1） He introduced from France the rhymed stanza of various types. （2） He is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language.（3） The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.V. Popular Ballads.VI.Thomas Malory and English ProseVII.The beginning of English Drama.1. Miracle Plays.Miracle play or mystery play is a form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching its height in the 15th century. The simple lyric character of the early texts was enlarged by the addition of dialogue and dramatic action. Eventually the performance was moved to the churchyard and themarketplace.2. Morality Plays.A morality play is a play enforcing a moral truth or lesson by means of the speech and action of characters which are personified abstractions –figures representing vices and virtues, qualities of the human mind, or abstract conceptions in general.3. Interlude.The interlude, which grew out of the morality, was intended, as its name implies, to be used more as a filler than as the main part of an entertainment. As its best it was short, witty, simple in plot, suited for the diversion of guests at a banquet, or for the relaxation of the audience between the divisions of a serious play. It was essentially an indoors performance, and generally of an aristocratic nature.Chapter 3 English Literature in the Renaissance I.A Historical BackgroundII. The Overview of the Literature （1485-1660）Printing press—readership—growth of middle class—trade-education for laypeople-centralization of power-intellectual life-exploration-new impetus and direction of literature.Humanism-study of the literature of classical antiquity andreformed education.Literary style-modeled on the ancients.The effect of humanism-the dissemination of the cultivated, clear, and sensible attitude of its classically educated adherents. 1. poetryThe first tendency by Sidney and Spenser:? ornate, florid, highly figured style.The second tendency by Donne: metaphysical style—complexity and ingenuity.The third tendency by Johnson: reaction——Classically pure and restrained style.The fourth tendency by Milton: central Christian and Biblical tradition.2. Dramaa. the native tradition and classical examples.b. the drama stands highest in popular estimation: Marlowe –Shakespeare – Jonson.3. Prosea. translation of Bible;b. More;c. Bacon.II.English poetry.1. Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard （courtly makers）（1） Wyatt: introducing sonnets.（2） Howard: introducing sonnets and writing the first blank verse.2. Sir Philip Sidney—poet, critic, prose writer（1） Life:a. English gentleman;b. brilliant and fascinating personality;c. courtier.（2） worksa. Arcadia: pastoral romance;b. Astrophel and Stella （108）: sonnet sequence to Penelope Dvereux—platonic devotion.Petrarchan conceits and original feelings-moving to creativeness—building? of a narrative story; theme-love originality-act of writing.c. Defense of Poesy: an apology for imaginative literature—beginning? of literary criticism.3. Edmund Spenser（1） life: Cambridge - Sidney's friend - “Areopagus” –Ireland - Westminster Abbey.（2） worksa. The Shepherds Calendar: the budding of English poetry in Renaissance.b. Amoretti and Epithalamion: sonnet sequencec. Faerie Queene:l The general end——A romantic and allegorical epic—steps to virtue.l 12 books and 12 virtues:? Holiness, temperance, justice and courtesy.l Two-level function: part of the story and part of allegory （symbolic meaning）l Many allusions to classical writers.l Themes: puritanism, nationalism, humanism and Renaissance Neoclassicism—a Christian humanist.（3） Spenserian Stanza.III.English Prose1. Thomas More（1）Life: “Renaissance man”, scholar, statesman, theorist, prose writer, diplomat, patron of artsa. learned Greek at Canterbury College, Oxford;b. studies law at Lincoln Inn;c. Lord Chancellor;d. beheaded.（2） Utopia: the first English science fiction.Written in Latin, two parts, the second—place of nowhere.A philosophical mariner （Raphael Hythloday） tells his voyages in which he discovers a land-Utopia.a. The part one is organized as dialogue with mariner depicting his philosophy.b. The part two is a description of the island kingdom where gold and silver are worn by criminal, religious freedom is total and no one owns anything.c. the nature of the book: attacking the chief political and social evils of his time.d. the book and the Republic: an attempt to describe the Republic in a new way, but it possesses an modern character and the resemblance is in externals.e. it played a key role in the Humanist awakening of the 16th century which moved away from the Medieval otherworldliness towards Renaissance secularism.f. the Utopia（3） the significance.a. it was the first champion of national ideas and national languages; it created a national prose, equally adapted to handling scientific and artistic material.b. a elegant Latin scholar and the father of English prose: he composed works in English, translated from Latin into English biography, wrote History of Richard III.2. Francis Bacon: writer, philosopher and statesman（1） life: Cambridge - humanism in Paris – knighted - Lord Chancellor – bribery - focusing on philosophy and literature. （2）philosophical ideas: advancement of science—people:servants? and interpreters of nature—method: a child before nature—facts and observations: experimental. （3）“Essays”: 57.a. he was a master of numerous and varied styles.b. his method is to weigh and balance maters, indicating the ideal course of action and the practical one, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each, but leaving the reader? to make the final decisions. （arguments）IV.English Drama1. A general survey.（1） Everyman marks the beginning of modern drama.（2） two influences.a. the classics: classical in form and English in content;b. native or popular drama.（3） the University Wits.2. Christopher Marlowe: greatest playwright before Shakespeare and most gifted of the Wits.（1） Life: first interested in classical poetry—then in drama. （2） Major worksa. Tamburlaine;b. The Jew of Malta;c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.（3） The significance of his plays.V. William Shakespeare1. Life（1） 1564, Stratford-on-Avon;（2） Grammar School;（3） Queen visit to Castle;（4） marriage to Anne Hathaway;（5） London, the Globe Theatre: small part and proprietor; （6） the 1st Folio, Quarto;（7） Retired, son—Hamnet; H. 1616.2. Dramatic career3. Major plays-men-centered.（1） Romeo and Juliet——tragic love and fate（2） The Merchant of Venice.Good over evil.Anti-Semitism.（3） Henry IV.National unity.Falstaff.（4） Julius CaesarRepublicanism vs. dictatorship.（5） HamletRevengeGood/evil.（6） OthelloDiabolic characterjealousygap between appearance and reality. （7） King LearFilial ingratitude（8） MacbethAmbition vs. fate.（9） Antony and Cleopatra.Passion vs. reason（10） The TempestReconciliation; reality and illusion.3. Non-dramatic poetry（1） Venus and Adonis; The Rape of Lucrece.（2） Sonnets:a. theme: fair, true, kind.b. two major parts: a handsome young man of noble birth; a lady in dark complexion.c. the form: three quatrains and a couplet.d. the rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.VI.Ben Jonson1. life: poet, dramatist, a Latin and Greek scholar, the “literary king” （Sons of Ben）2.contribution:（1）the idea of “humour”.（2） an advocate of classical drama and? a forerunner of classicism in English literature.3. Major plays（1） Everyone in His Humour—“humour”; three unities.（2） Volpone the FoxChapter 4 English Literature of the 17th Century I.A Historical BackgroundII.The Overview of the Literature （1640-1688）1. The revolution period（1） The metaphysical poets;（2） The Cavalier poets.（3） Milton: the literary and philosophical heritage of the Renaissance merged with Protestant political and moral conviction2. The restoration period.（1） The restoration of Charles II ushered in a literature characterized by reason, moderation, good taste, deft management, and simplicity. （school of Ben Jonson）（2） The ideals of impartial investigation and scientific experimentation promoted by the newly founded Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge （1662）were influential in the development of clear and simple prose as an instrument of rational communication.（3） The great philosophical and political treatises of the time emphasize rationalism.（4） The restoration drama.（5） The Age of Dryden.III.John Milton1. Life: educated at Cambridge—visiting the continent—involved into the revolution—persecuted—writing epics.2. Literary career.（1） The 1st period was up to 1641, during which time he is to be seen chiefly as a son of the humanists and Elizabethans, although his Puritanism is not absent. L'Allegre and IL Pens eroso （1632） are his early masterpieces, in which we find Milton a true offspring of the Renaissance, a scholar of exquisite taste and rare culture. Next came Comus, a masque. The greatest of early creations was Lycidas, a pastoral elegy on the death of a college mate, Edward King.（2） The second period is from 1641 to 1654, when the Puritan was in such complete ascendancy that he wrote almost no poetry. In 1641, he began a long period of pamphleteering for the puritan cause. For some 15 years, the Puritan in him alone ruled his writing. He sacrificed his poetic ambition to the call of the liberty for which Puritans were fighting.（3） The third period is from 1655 to 1671, when humanist and Puritan have been fused into an exalted entity. This period is the greatest in his literary life, epics and some famous sonnets. The three long poems are the fruit of the long contest within Milton of Renaissance tradition and his Puritan faith. They form the greatest accomplishments of any English poet except Shakespeare. In Milton alone, it would seem, Puritanism could not extinguish the lover of beauty. In these works we findhumanism and Puritanism merged in magnificence.3. Major Works（1） Paradise Losta. the plot.b. characters.c. theme: justify the ways of God to man.（2） Paradise Regained.（3） Samson Agonistes.4. Features of Milton's works.（1） Milton is one of the very few truly great English writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an important prose writer. The two most essential things to be remembered about him are his Puritanism and his republicanism.（2）Milton wrote many different types of poetry. He is especially a great master of blank verse. He learned much from Shakespeare and first used blank verse in non-dramatic works. （3） Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style noted for its dignity and polish, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.（4） Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.IV.John Bunyan1. life:（1） puritan age;（2） poor family;（3） parliamentary army;（4） Baptist society, preacher;（5） prison, writing the book.2. The Pilgrim Progress（1） The allegory in dream form.（2） the plot.（3） the theme.V. Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets.1. Metaphysical PoetsThe term “metaphysical poetry” is commonly used to designate the works of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. Pressured by the harsh, uncomfortable and curious age, the metaphysical poets sought to shatter myths and replace them with new philosophies, new sciences, new words and new poetry. They tried to break away from the conventional fashion of Elizabethan love poetry, and favoured in poetry for a more colloquial language and tone, a tightness of expression and the single-minded working out of a theme or argument.2. Cavalier PoetsThe other group prevailing in this period was that of Cavalier poets. They were often courtiers who stood on the side of the king, and called themselves “sons” of Ben Jonson. The Cavalier poets wrote light poetry, polished and elegant, amorous and gay, but often superficial. Most of their verses were short songs, pretty madrigals, love fancies characterized by lightness of heart and of morals. Cavalier poems have the limpidity of the Elizabethan lyric without its imaginative flights. They are lighter and neater but less fresh than the Elizabethan's.VI.John Dryden.1. Life:（1） the representative of classicism in the Restoration. （2） poet, dramatist, critic, prose writer, satirist. （3） changeable in attitude.（4） Literary career—four decades.（5） Poet Laureate2. His influences.（1） He established the heroic couplet as the fashion for satiric, didactic, and descriptive poetry.（2） He developed a direct and concise prose style.（3） He developed the art of literary criticism in his essays and in the numerous prefaces to his poems.Chapter 5 English Literature of the 18th Century I.Introduction1. The Historical Background.2. The literary overview.（1） The Enlightenment.（2） The rise of English novels.When the literary historian seeks to assign to each age its favourite form of literature, he finds no difficulty in dealing with our own time. As the Middle Ages delighted in long romantic narrative poems, the Elizabethans in drama, the Englishman of the reigns of Anne and the early Georges in didactic and satirical verse, so the public of our day is enamored of the novel. Almost all types of literary production continue to appear, but whether we judge from the lists of publishers, the statistics of public libraries, or general conversation, we find abundant evidence of the enormous preponderance of this kind of literary entertainment in popular favour.（3）Neo-classicism: a revival in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of classical standards of order, balance, and harmony in literature. John Dryden and Alexander Pope were major exponents of the neo-classical school.（4） Satiric literature.（5） SentimentalismII.Neo-classicism. （a general description）1. Alexander Pope（1）Life:a.Catholic family;b.ill health;c.taught himself by reading and translating;d.friend of Addison, Steele and Swift.（2）three groups of poems:e.An Essay on Criticism （manifesto of neo-classicism）;f. The Rape of Lock;g.Translation of two epics.（3）His contribution:h.the heroic couplet—finish, elegance, wit, pointedness;i.satire.（4） weakness: lack of imagination.2. Addison and Steele（1） Richard Steele: poet, playwright, essayist, publisher of newspaper.（2） Joseph Addison: studies at Oxford, secretary of state, created a literary periodical “Spectator” （with Steele,（3） Spectator Club.（4） The significance of their essays.a. Their writings in “The Tatler”, and “The Spectator” provide a new code of social morality for the rising bourgeoisie.b. They give a true picture of the social life of England in the 18th century.c. In their hands, the English essay completely established itself as a literary genre. Using it as a form of character sketching and story telling, they ushered in the dawn of the modern novel.3. Samuel Johnson—poet, critic, essayist, lexicographer, editor.（1）Life:a.studies at Oxford;b.made a living by writing and translating;c.the great cham of literature.（2） works: poem （The Vanity of Human Wishes, London）; criticism （The Lives of great Poets）; preface.（3） The champion of neoclassical ideas.III.Literature of Satire: Jonathan Swift.（1）born in Ireland;（2）studies at Trinity College;（3）worked as a secretary;（4）the chief editor of The Examiner;（5）the Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin.2. Works: The Battle of Books, A Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, Gulliver's Travels.3. Gulliver's Travels.Part I. Satire—the Whig and the Tories, Anglican Church and Catholic Church.Part II. Satire—the legal system; condemnation of war.Part III. Satire—ridiculous scientific experiment.Part IV. Satire—mankind.IV.English Novels of Realistic tradition.1. The Rise of novels.（1）Early forms: folk tale –fables –myths –epic –poetry –romances –fabliaux –novelle - imaginative nature of their material. （imaginative narrative）（2）The rise of the novela.picaresque novel in Spain and England （16th century）: Of or relating to a genre of prose fiction that originated in Spainand depicts in realistic detail the adventures of a roguish hero, often with satiric or humorous effects.b.Sidney: Arcadia.c. Addison and Steele: The Spectator.（plot and characterization and realism）（3） novel and drama （17the century）2. Daniel Defoe—novelist, poet, pamphleteer, publisher, merchant, journalist.）（1）Life:a.business career;b.writing career;c.interested in politics.（2） Robinson Cusoe.a. the story.b. the significance of the character.c. the features of his novels.d. the style of language.3. Henry Fielding—novelist.（1）Life:a.unsuccessful dramatic career;b.legal career; writing career.（2） works.（3） Tom Jones.a.the plot;b.characters: Tom, Blifil, Sophia;c.significance.（4） the theory of realism.（5） the style of language.V. Writers of Sentimentalism.1. Introduction2. Samuel Richardson—novelist, moralist （One who is unduly concerned with the morals of others.）（1）Life:a.printer book seller;b.letter writer.（2） Pamela, Virtue Rewarded.a.the storyb.the significancePamela was a new thing in these ways:a）It discarded the “improbable and marvelous” accomplishments of the former heroic romances, and pictured the life and love of ordinary people.b） Its intension was to afford not merely entertainment but also moral instruction.c） It described not only the sayings and doings of characters but their also their secret thoughts and feelings. It was, in fact, the first English psycho-analytical novel.3. Oliver Goldsmith—poet and novelist.A. Life:a.born in Ireland;b.a singer and tale-teller, a life of vagabondage;c.bookseller;d.the Literary Club;e.a miserable life;f.? the most lovable character in English literature.B. The Vicar of Wakefield.a.story;b.the signicance.VI.English Drama of the 18th century1. The decline of the drama2. Richard Brinsley SheridenA. life.B. works: Rivals, The School for Scandals.C. significance of his plays.a. The Rivals and The School for Scandal are generally regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare andthose of Bernard Shaw, and as true classics in English comedy.b. In his plays, morality is the constant theme. He is much concerned with the current moral issues and lashes harshly at the social vices of the day.c. Sheridan's greatness also lies in his theatrical art. He seems to have inherited from his parents a natural ability and inborn knowledge about the theatre. His plays are the product of a dramatic genius as well as of a well-versed theatrical man.d. His plots are well-organized, his characters, either major or minor, are all sharply drawn, and his manipulation of such devices as disguise, mistaken identity and dramatic irony is masterly. Witty dialogues and neat and decent language also make a characteristic of his plays.Chapter 6 English Literature of the Romantic Age I.Introduction1. Historical Background2. Literary Overview: RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism:（1） The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings（2） The creation of a world of imagination（3） The return to nature for material（4）Sympathy with the humble and glorification of the commonplace（5） Emphasis upon the expression of individual genius （6） The return to Milton and the Elizabethans for literary models（7） The interest in old stories and medieval romances （8） A sense of melancholy and loneliness（9） The rebellious spiritII.Pre-Romantics1. Robert Burns（1） Life: French Revolution（2） Features of poetrya. Burns is chiefly remembered for his songs written in the Scottish dialect.b. His poems are usually devoid of artificial ornament and have a great charm of simplicity.c. His poems are especially appreciated for their musical effect.d. His political and satirical poems are noted for his passionate love for freedom and fiery sentiments of hatred against tyranny.（3） Significance of his poetryHis poetry marks an epoch in the history of English literature. They suggested that the spirit of the Romantic revival wasembodied in this obscure ploughman. Love, humour, pathos, the response to nature – all the poetic qualities that touch the human heart are in his poems, which marked the sunrise of another day – the day of Romanticism.2. William Blake（1） life: French Revolution（2） works.l Songs of Innocencel Songs of Experience（3） featuresa. sympathy with the French Revolutionb. hatred for 18th century conformity and social institutionc. attitude of revolt against authorityd. strong protest against restrictive codes（4） his influenceBlake is often regarded as a symbolist and mystic, and he has exerted a great influence on twentieth century writers. His peculiarities of thought and imaginative vision have in many ways proved far more congenial to the 20th century than they were to the 19th.III.Romantic Poets of the first generation1. Introduction2. William Wordsworth: representative poet, chief spokesman of Romantic poetry（1） Life:a.love nature;b.Cambridge;c.tour to France;d.French revolution;e.Dorathy;f.? The Lake District;g.friend of Coleridge;h.conservative after revolution.（2） works:a. the Lyrical Ballads （preface）: significanceb. The Prelude: a biographical poem.c. the other poems（3） Features of his poems.a.ThemeA constant theme of his poetry was the growth of the human spirit through the natural description with expressions of inward states of mind.b.characteristics of style.His poems are characterized by a sympathy with the poor, simplepeasants, and a passionate love of nature.3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: poet and critic（1） Life:a.Cambridge;b.friend with Southey and Wordsworth;c.taking opium.（2） works.l The fall of Robespierrel The Rime of the Ancient Marinerl Kubla Khanl Biographia Literaria（3） Biographia Literaria.（4） His criticismHe was one of the first critics to give close critical attention to language. In both poetry and criticism, his work is outstanding, but it is typical of him that his critical work is very scattered and disorganized.IV.Romantic Poets of the Second Generation.1. Introduction2. George Gordon Byron（1） Life:a.Cambridge, published poems and reviews;b.a tour of Europe and the East;c.left England;d.friend with Shelley;e.worked in Greece: national hero;f.? radical and sympathetic with French Revolution.（2） Works.l Don Juanl When We Two Partedl She Walks in Beauty（3） Byronic Hero.Byron introduced into English poetry a new style of character, which as often been referred to as “Byronic Hero” of “satanic spirit”. People imagined that they saw something of Byron himself in these strange figures of rebels, pirates, and desperate adventurers.（4） Poetic style: loose, fluent and vivid3. Percy Bysshe Shelley: poet and critic（1） Life:a.aristocratic family;b.rebellious heart;c.Oxford;d.Irish national liberation Movement;e.disciple of William Godwin;f.? marriage with Harriet, and Marry;g.left England and wandered in EUrope, died in Italy;h.radical and sympathetic with the French revolution;i.? Friend with Byron（2） works: two types – violent reformer and wanderer （3） Characteristics of poems.a.pursuit of a better society;b.radian beauty;c. superb artistry: imagination.（4） Defense of Poetry.4. John Keats.（1） Life:a.from a poor family;b.Cockney School;c.friend with Byron and Shelley;d.attacked by the conservatives and died in Italy.（2） works.（3） Characteristics of poemsa.loved beauty;b.seeking refuge in an idealistic world of illusions and dreams.。
英国文学简史+概述
English Literature: A ReviewPre-Renaissance Period:Beowulf, the first national epic of England：alliteration, metaphor and understatement.Norman Conquest in 1066 marked the establishment of feudal society in England, and William the conqueror passed the Doomsday book, and the conquest also started the dominance of French in England as the official language for more than 200 years.The class conflict in feudal England became so severe that in 1381 there was a great peasant rising.Romance became a dominant literary form in feudal England for the lords, and the chief representative work of this genre is King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. The definition can be briefly summed us as ―Any imagination literature that is set in an idealized world and that deals with a heroic adventures and battles between good characters and villains or monsters,‖ and a term is closely associated with Romance of this period, that is Chivalry. The Arthur Series ended with Malory‘s Le Morte D’Arthur.Ballad is the major literary genre for the peasants, and the most popular work is Robin Hood Series. The definition is ―A story told in verse and usually meant to be sung. In many countries, the folk ballad was one of the earliest forms of literature. Folk ballads have no known authors. They were transmitted orally from generation to generation and were not set down in writing until centuries after they were first sung. The subject matter of folk ballads stems from the everyday life of the common people. Devices commonly used in ballads are the refrain, incremental repetition, and code language. A later form of ballad is the literary ballad, which imitates the style of the folk ballad.‖Langland is said to be the author of Piers the Plowman.Chaucer: founder of English poetry, introduced Heroic Couple into English literature and also the first major poet to write in English. He also did a lot in standardizing English the language by using London dialect in his works. His major works are Troilus and Criseyde, The canterbury Tales.Thomas More: Utopia《乌托邦》Francis Bacon: Essays《论说文集》或《随笔》：―Knowledge is power‖----Bacon Edmund Spencer: Faerie Queen《仙后》―Our sweetest songs are those that sing of saddest feelings.‖ --- Spencer―Ode to the West Wind‖: If winter comes, can spring be far behind? --- Percy Bysshe Shelley★Chapter 1 RenaissanceThe Renaissance:The Renaissance is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.Humanism (人文主义)Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. ―Man is the measure of all things.‖ Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists.Mainstream of Literary FormsIn the early stage of the Renaissance, poetry and poetic drama were the most outstanding literary forms and they were carried on especially by Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. The Elizabethan drama, in its totality, is the real mainstream of the English Renaissance.Edmund Spenser: the Poets‘ poet for his idealism, love of beauty and exquisite melody Edmund recorded his laments over the loss of Rosalind in The Shepherd’s Calendar. (牧人日记). The Faerie QueeneFive main qualities of Spenser's poetry1) a perfect melody;2) a rare sense of beauty;3) a splendid imagination;4) a lofty moral purity and seriousness5) a dedicated idealism.Spenserian Stanza：A nine-line stanza with the following rhyme scheme: ababbabcc. The first eight lines are written in iambic pentameter. The ninth line is written in iambic hexameter and is called an alexandrine.Francis Bacon:the first major English essayist; founder of English materialist philosophy Bacon‘s essays are famous for their brevity, compactness and powerfulness―Of Studies‖Of Studies is the most popular of Bacon‘s 58 essays. It analyzes what studies chiefly serve for, the different ways 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 learningChristopher Marlowe:the most gifted of the "University Wits", composed six plays.Dr. Faustus (German legend of a magician)Dr. Faustus is the greatest of Marlowe‘s plays, in which the old German legend is freely reshaped. Faustus is a great scholar who has a strong desire to acquire all kinds of knowledge. He is bored of his present study on the academic curriculum and turns to black magic. By conjuration he calls up Mephistophilis, the Devil's servant. Faustus makes a bond to sell his soul to the Devil in return for twenty-four years of life in which he may have the services of Mephistophilis to give him everything he desires.“The passionate Shepherd to his love”This poem is considered to be one of the most beautiful lyrics in English literature. It derives from the pastoral tradition, in which the shepherd enjoys an ideal country life, cherishing a pastoral and pure affection for his love. Strong emotion is conveyed through the beauty of nature where lovers are not disturbed by worldly concernMarlowe’s AchievementsMarlowe's greatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse (无韵体诗)and made it the principal medium of English drama.Marlowe‘s second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama. (Mind his three major plays: Doctor Faustus---thirst for knowledge; The Jew of Malta---thirst for wealth; Tamburline---thirst for power)William Shakespeare (1564-1616):Dramatist, actor, and poetMain works: 37 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems (Venus and Adonis, and The Rape of Lucrece),4 Great Tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth (Romeo and Juliet)4 Great Comedies:A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As you like It, Twelfth Night.Comments on Shakespeare:Carl Marx: ―Aeschylus and Shakespeare are the two gre atest dramatic genius the world has ever known.‖Ben Jonson: ―He does not belong to one time, but belongs to all times.‖William Shakespeare’s writing featureA play in the play.Borrow plots from other stories such as Roman, Greek and ancient myth.Several threads running through the play.Combination of tragic and comic elements.William Shakespeare’s writing style1. Tremendous vocabulary (16,000 words, invented words)2. Literary devices (alliteration, simile, metaphor)3. Use poetry in his playWilliam Shakespeare’s humanistic ideas1. Against cruelty and anti-natural character of civil wars2. Against religious persecution, racial discrimination, social inequality.3. Hates rebellion and despises democracyThemes in Shakespeare’s son nets1. Express love and praise to a young man2. Immortalize beauty through verses3. Friendship or betrayal of friendshipSonnetOrigin: ItalyMost famous and influential sonneteer: Petrach(Petrachan Sonnets: 8 lines: abbaabba; 6 lines: cdecde, sometimes cdcdcd. No closing couplet)Selected Reading of Shakespeare:1. Sonnet 18:a. Ladies in the eyes of Shakespeare are not good and beautiful. His wife is 8 years older than him.b. Iambic pentameter: A poetic line consisting of five verse feet, with each foot an iamb—that is, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Iambic pentameter is the most common verse line in English poetry.c. Main ideas:i. Quatrain 1: praise the beauty of the young manii. Quatrain 2: changes in life and natureiii. Quatrain 3: ―your‖ beauty will last foreveriv. Couplet: ―your‖ beauty will live in my poem. An Immortal beautyd. His sonnet 18 expresses that beautiful things can rely on the force of literature to reach eternity. Literature is created by man, thus it declares man‘s eternity. The poem shows the mighty self-confidence of the newly class. The vivid, variable and rich images reflect the lively and adventurous spirits of those who were opening new world.2. The character analysis of HamletHamlet is a scholar and a warrior.His father has been killed by his uncle, Claudius, who then takes the throne and marries his mother. Hamlet is informed by the ghost of his father to take revenge, but the weakness of indecisiveness or indetermination in his character always delay his action, and finally leads to his tragic fall of death. (The reason might also be explained through the employment of Oedipal Complex 恋母情节)Hamlet is not a man of action, but a man of thinking at first. He hesitates at some crucial moments. At last when he is forced to take some actions, he does kill Claudius gloriously, but he also sacrifices his own life.Other important details: Sidney: Apology for Poetry.★Chapter 2 The Revolution and the Neoclassical Period (1600-1798)The age of reason and enlightenment.It‘s a turbulent period.1660 The Restoration 1665 The Great Plague --- Black Death. 70,000 died, 2/3 homeless.1688 The Glorious Revolution. British colonies (Abroad); Acts of Enclosure （圈地运动）(At home); The Enlightenment Movement （启蒙运动）James II exiled abroad. The persecution of Protestants. James II‘s daught er Marry and her husband William turned back to England as figurehead (King and Queen) without power. Power was in the Parliament. England became the first capitalist country with Constitutional monarchy, which marked the end of feudal society.Industrial Revolution (romantic period) --- at the 2nd half of 18cPreparations for the revolution1. money --- by trading companies, e.g. East India Company--- by money investment2. goods, materials --- colonies, e.g. India, North America3. manpower --- ―Act of Enclosure‖. The landless and homeless peasant s began to work in cities--- the invention of textile machineIn the revolution, Bourgeois (middle class) became the main class in the society. Bankers, landlords, slave traders, merchants, colonists controlled the economy of the country at the time. They believed in self-reliance and hard working.The Giants of the Enlightenment MovementVoltaire 伏乐泰, Mosteiqeu 孟德斯鸠, Dierot 狄德罗, Rousseau 卢梭.The Enlightenment MovementThe 18th century England is known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason.The Enlightenment Movement was a progressive intellectual movement which purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas. The enlighteners celebrated reason or rationality, equality and science. They held that rationality or reason should be the only, the final cause of any human thought and activities. They called for a reference to order, reason and rules. They believed that when reason served as the yardstick for the measurement of all human activities and relations, every superstition, injustice and oppression was to yield place to ―eternal truth,‖ ―eternal justice‖ and ―natural equality‖.Great writers like John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele, the two pioneers of familiar essays, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Henry Fielding and Samuel Johnson.NeoclassicismIn the field of literature, the Enlightenment Movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works. This tendency is known as neoclassicism.According to the neoclassicists, all forms of literature were to be modeled after the classical works of the ancient Greek and Roman writers. They believed that the artistic ideals should be order, logic restrained emotion and accuracy, and that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity. This belief led them to seek proportion, unity, harmony and grace in literary expression, in an effort to delight, instruct and correct human beings, primarily as social animals. Thus a polite, urbane, witty, and intellectual art developed.John Milton (1608-1674)1608 Born in London. A Catholic family. 1625 Educated in Cambridge. 1649 Appointed Latin Secretary to Cromwell‘s Council of State. 1652 Became totally blind.3 periods in John Milton’s life1. English revolution1649 Charles I beheaded. Cromwell took the power1660 Restoration. Charles II took the power2. Political ideas: express his political ideas in pamphlets3. Poem: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes.Paradise LostParadise Lost is a long epic divided into 12 books. The theme is the ―Fall of Man‖, i.e. man‘s disobedience and the loss of Paradise.The original story is taken from Genesis. Adam and Eve are originally in innocent spiritual love. They are punished by God because they eat the apple of the Tree of Knowledge seduced by a serpent. Since they eat the apple, they begin to make love. God thinks they are not innocent. They committed sin. God drives Adam and Eve out of Eden.Satan is punished by God to suffer from fire. He knows that he can‘t win God by power, so hewins God by cheating. He seduced Eve to eat the apple.John Bunyan (1628-1688)Throughout his life, he only read one book the Bible. His most famous work is The Pilgrim’s Progress, from which Thackeray got a title for his novel---Vanity Fair.B unyan’s purpose of writing The Pilgrim’s Pro gress1. Urge people to abide by Christian doctrine2. To seek salvation through struggling with his own weakness and social evilsT he content of The Pilgrim’s Pro gress is about Christianity. The title means ―life is a journey‖. It‘s a metaphor.Form of The Pilgrim’s Pro gress: Allegory1. A story in verse or prose with double meanings or meanings at two levels.2. Higher lever – concerning moral, religious, or political ideas. Lower level – your understanding of the story.3. Main characters in the story Christian, Faithful, Hopeful.4. The description of the story is realistic religious allegory.The allegorical meaning of ―The Vanity Fair‖ in John Bunyan‘s The Pilgrim’s Progress▲The Vanity Fair refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that all they are concerned is to buy and sell everything they can. It allegorically represents vanity both in the society and in people‘s heart, so people are spiritually lost. However, the pilgrims refuse to buy any of the things in the Vanity Fair. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weakness and social evils. Christians‘ refusal shows that they are one step nearer the Celestial City.John Donne (1572-1631): founder of Metaphysical SchoolMetaphysical poetry--- is commonly used to name the work of the 17th-century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.metaphysical poets--- are the poets in the 17c England who often unconventionally use conceits and wit. The imagery is draw from everyday life. The form is the form of argument (with God, lover, himself). The diction is simple and the language is colloquial but powerful. John Donne is the leading of ―metaphysical school‖. Other Metaphysical poets like Andrew Marvell: ―To His Coy Mistress‖; George Herbert: ―the saint of the Metaphysical School‖, ―The Altar‖.John Donne‘s major work1. Songs and Sonnets, wrote before 1600, 55 love poems.2. The Elegies and Satires, his elegies wrote for love whereas others wrote for mourning dead people.3. Holy Sonnets & Sermons, Sonnets wrote about God, problem of death and life. Sermons are Christian preaching.He wrote poems by using unconventional and surprising conceits and full of wit and humor, but sometimes the logic argument and conceits become pervasive. The language is colloquial but powerful, creating unorthodox images on the reader‘s mind.John Donne is famed for 3 things1. A great visitor of ladies2. A great frequenter of plays3. A great writer of conceited versesAt his time, John Donne was famed as a preacher. Today, he is famed as a lyric poet. John Donne compared parting love to compass, flea compared to the union of lovers.John Donne‘sconceit can be seen from his ―Go catching the falling star‖ in which he listed many impossible things---the most impossible thing is a woman‘s faith and heart.Alexander Pope (1688-1744)Alexander Pope‘s major work1711 An Essay on Criticism. The poem is a manifesto of English neoclassicism. It‘s expressed Pope‘s aesthetic theories of poetry. The poem is divided into 3 parts with 744 lines.Part I: bewailing the lack of true taste in critics; praising the ancients like Homer, VirgilPart II: enumerating dangers of criticism; referring to literary scene of his dayPart III: giving rules for criticism; tracing the history of literary criticism.The poem is a comprehensive study on literary criticism. It was written in heroic couplet as Pope is a master in heroic couplet.Heroic couplet is 2 lines with the same rhymes, same length. 10 syllables, 5 stressed, 5 unstressed. Heroic couplet was first used by Chaucer.1712 The Rape of Lock（劫发记）is based on a real event. Bellina is as beautiful woman as a Goodness. She is admired by all the people around her.A Baron cut a small amount of Bellina‘s hair. In Bellina‘s opinion, it‘s an offence. Baron just cut her hair for fun and admiration. So hatred is aroused between the two families. They become enemies. In this poem, Pope satirizes the idle, meaningless life of middle-class people.1728 The Dunciad (群愚史诗)is consisted of 4 books. It’s the best satire of Pope. It‘s a very famous satirical poem about against personal enemies. Pope tries to attack on all personal enemies.1733-34 An Essay on Man. Pope gained his fame as a poet. It includes 4 epistles (letters). People review his philosophical and political views as an enlightener.◆Pope‘s point of view on poetry criticism and the characteristics of his own poetry1. Pope‘s point of view on poetry criticism is best shown in his An Essays on Criticism. He emphasizing that literary works should be judged by classical rules of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion and good taste. He calls on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance. He advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of conceit or the external beauty of language, but to pay special attention to true wit which is best set ina plain style.2. Pope‘s poem strictly follows his idea of neoclassicism. He developed a satiric, concise, smooth, graceful and well-balanced style, and finally brought to its last perfection of the heroic couplet.Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)1719, his first novel Robinson Crusoe was published. It‘s based on a true story published on a newspaper. (Alexander is a Scottish who lives in an uninhabited island for 5 years.) The story is about the hero‘s life on the island. The first part is about the career of Robinson Crusoe. The body of the novel is about his life on the island after the shipwreck. The story reveals the essence of British colonialism.The themes of Robinson‘s Crusoea. man‘s struggles against natureb. Glorification of the bourgeois men who has the courage and will to face hardship and determination to improve his livelihood.c. Glorification of labor (Robinson lives on his own hands)The style of Robinson‘s Crusoea. Realistic style, true to life, in detailsb. Smooth, simple, colloquial languagec. Long sentences are loose; short sentences are plain, easy to understandd. presents facts in order, the meaning is clearIn the following years, Defoe wrote another 4 novels: Captain Singleton (1720), Moll Flanders (1722), Colonel Jack(1722) and Roxana(1724). Defoe wrote them in the same pattern. The feature of the pattern:a. Traces the personal history of the titular hero or heroine of a low origin. After some ups and downs, he/she finally gets prosperity.b. Deals with moralizing, repentance, and revolutions to be good.c. Expresses the struggles for mere existence. Show the conflicts between existence and social environment.d. Blames the society for driving people to sinning.Daniel Defoe‘s satirical poems1701, The True-Born Englishman, in the poem, Defoe defended King William, which won him the friendship of the King. He attacked the racial and family pride of the aristocrats in England.1703, A Hymn to the Pillory. He voiced his anger over the shameful punishment, courageous attack on the injustice of England‘s legal system. He was cheered by people as a hero to defend himself.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)1704, Swift published the satire, The Battle of the Books,which wrote about the quarrels between the Ancients and the Moderns. The Ancients were compared to bee. The Moderns were compared to spider. In literate theory, bee represents good - ―bring honey‖; spider represents selfish.1704, A Tale of a Tub attacks on religion or Christianity. In the satire, the father represents the God. His 3 sons indicate the 3 branches of Christianity: Roman Catholic, English Church, and Dissenters.The Battle of the Books, and A Tale of a Tub established Swift’s name as a satirist.1713, he was appointed the Dean of St. Patrick‘s Cathedral in Dublin.1724, Swift published the satire, The Drapier’s Letters to attack the event. The exchange of new coin is canceled.Gulliver’s Travels1726, his wife died. It‘s a heavy blow on him. He wrote and published his greatest satirical work, Gulliver’s Travels. The story is divided into 4 parts.Part I. Travels in Lilliput is a mini picture of modern English society.Two parties: High Heel and Low Heel indicates the Tories and the Whigs. Here, Swift satirizes the two parties. The war between Lilliput and its neighboring country about how to break eggs (big/small end). Big end – Roman Church. Small end – English Church. Swift satires the party and church fights are meaningless.Part II. Travels in BrobdingnagPart III. A show of the cruelty of the English ruling class. The Flying Island rules the below countriesPart IV. It’s the sharpest and bit terest satire. In this part, human beings are reduced to animals.A wiser creature governs human beings. Gulliver wants to be a horse rather than a man. It shows how mean the human beings are.▲■The social satire of Jonathan Swift‘s Gulliver’s TravelsThe account of Lilliputian life, especially the games for people at court, alludes to the similar ridiculous practices or tricks in the English government. The description of the competition in the games before the royal members leads to the fact that the success of those government officials such as the Prime Minister lies not in their being any wiser or better but in their being more dexterous in the game. This alludes to the practices in England. And the pompous words singing of the Lilliputian emperor ridicule the aristocratic arrogance and vanity.A Modest Proposal1729, the publication of the pamphlet A Modest Proposal. It‘s a greatest and bitterest satire.The theme of A Modest Proposala. The poor Irish people were forced to sell their one-year-old child for the rich people for food.b. English King allowed French King to recruit soldiers from Ireland to solve the problem of over population.c. Some politicians suggested sending Irish people to Australia to be concentrated servants because of over population.d. Swift lists some terrible scenes in the prose: a beggar mother followed by children in rugs; poor parents sell children. It’s a satire against the English ruling class and the cruelty of English landlords.Henry Fielding (1707-1754)1707 Fielding was born in an aristocratic family. His great grandfather was an Earl. (Duke 公, Marquis 侯, Earl 伯, Viscount子, Baron男)He received his education in the Eton Public School1730-37 He produced 25 plays of different times. His ballads, satires were also very successful. (Shakespeare wrote 37 plays)Henry Fielding wrote 4novels in his life. Henry Fielding is regarded as “Father of English Novel”.1742 The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews. The hero Joseph Andrews is the servant of Mr. B‘s uncle and is the cousin of Pamela.Samuel Richardson’s Pamela is a collection of letters written by herself and her parents. Pamela is a very beautiful and clever girl. Mr. B‘s mother is very fond of her and teaches her knowledge. After the mother died, Pamela wants to go home, but Mr. B as a noble man seduces her, doesn‘t allow her to go home and imprisons her. Pamela write letters and sends the letters by a servant of Mr. B. Mr. B falls in love with Pamela through reading her letters. The novel persuades people to be virtuous.Henry Fielding‘s aims of writing the Adventures of Joseph Andrews：Part I, Fielding tries to attack Pamela. He thinks Pamela‘s chastity is pretentious and untrue. She uses her chastity to seduce Mr. B.Part II. Joseph Andrews meets his friend Parson Adams. Both of them travel through England. Fielding tries to give a panoramic view of England.Part I. It was first intended as a burlesque of the conventional virtue of false sentimentality.Part II. Fielding adopted ―comic epic in prose‖--- to write common people in form of great novel. Epic is used to describe great figures and heroes. He gave a vivid picture of English life.Major achievement: the description of Parson Adams. Adams is an absent-minded, vain man, so he is a ridiculous person, easy to be cheated.1743 Jonathan Wild the Great, Jonathan is a notorious criminal of the London underworld. He is a real person. He is hanged in 1725. Jonathan is described as a great man. He never participated in any crime, but he orders other people to commit crimes. He commands crime.Henry Fielding compared Jonathan to Prime Minister Walpole. The story is a political satire.Tom Jones1749 Tom Jones is a deserted child, namely, a foundlingTom Jones, the full title being The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, is generally considered Fielding‘s masterpiece. The novel consists of 18 books, each with an essay before it. Tom, the titular hero of the story, is a boy found in Mr Allworthy‘s house and brought up there with the kind old man's nephew Blifil. The latter, a hypocritical, wicked man, is envious of Mr Allworthy'sfondness for the fou ndling and of Tom‘s intimacy with the beautiful Sophia, daughter of the well-off squire Western. He plays some tricks so that Mr Allworthy drives Tom out of the house. Tom, intending to go to sea, wrongly takes the road to London, and Sophia, in rebellion against her father‘s desire that she be married to Blifil, marches out for London too, accompanied by her maid. The two young man, especially Tom, have many adventures on the road, but in the end, after some misunderstanding between them, they are happily united. So they go through a long journey and give a panoramic view of 18c‘s English life.In this novel, social evils are presented: cruelty, moral degeneracy, deceit, and hypocrisy. It‘s showed Fielding‘s view about human nature. Henry Fielding thinks that human nature is a combination of good and evil.The writing feature of Tom Jones --- ―comic epic in prose‖, displays a kind of classic epic form. The novel contains 18 books in 3 sections.Section 1: life in the countrysideSection 2: life on the highwaySection 3: life in London▲■Henry Fielding and his Tom JonesIt is a good example of ―comic epic in prose‖.Fielding describes the fight between Molly and the villagers and her fistfight with Goody Brown in the grand style of the Homeric epic. first of all, He calls on the Muses to assist him in recounting the fight as if it were of great historical importance.Like Homer who would list names of gods involved in the battle, he lists the names of the villagers. He treats Molly as a great hero at battle, an ―Amazonian heroine‖.Besides, he uses a mock-epic tone and seems very solemn about what he is describing. He uses formal words and refined language.Finally, he makes use of different figures of speech, particularly, irony and hyperbole.▲■Significance:Tom Jones brings its author the name of the "Prose Homer".The panoramic view it provides of the18th-century English country and city life with scores of different places and a whole gallery of about 40 characters is superb.The language is one of clarity and suppleness. And last of all, the plot construction is excellent. Its eighteen books of epic form are divided into three sections, 6 books each, clearly marked out by the change of scenes: in the country, on the highway and in London. By this, Fielding has indeed achieved his goal of writing a "comic epic in prose."AmeliaHenry Fielding‘s writing style1. Comic epic in prose:the grand style of classic epic in the depiction of common, ridiculous people.2. He started the third person narration. The narrator is a kind of all knowing God.3. The characters are vivid, convincing and true to life,4. His language is easy, familiar, vivid but vigorous.5. The content is noted for the theatrical devices: suspense, coincidence, surprise.What is ―comic epic in prose‖?1.The description in a grand style of classic epic. ―Classic epic‖ has:(a) a great hero(b) calls on Muses(c) give a list of names of gods(d) Compare small fights to great wars.2. Use verified language to narrate a small fight.3. Different figure of speech esp. irony, hyperboleSamuel Johnson (1709-1784)He had a hand in all the different branches of literary activities. He was a poet, dramatist, prose romancer, biographer, essayist, critic, lexicographer者and publicist.。
英国文学简史（中文版）.doc
英国文学简史（刘炳善）第一章中世纪文学第一节古英语文学一从“不列颠”到“英格兰”与欧洲大陆隔海相望的不列颠岛上，很早就居住着克尔特人。
他们当中的布里顿族，在大约公元前５世纪进入不列颠，“不列颠”一词便来源于克尔特人的“布里顿”一词，意为“布里顿人的国度”。
克尔特人的口头文学历史悠久、丰富多彩，内容有多神教的神话故事和英雄传说，其中亚瑟王的故事不断流传、扩展，成为英国和西方文学的创作素材的一大源泉。
公元前５５年开始，罗马人由侵略到逐渐征服了不列颠，把不列颠划为罗马帝国的一个省，并带入了罗马文明。
他们的许多军事要塞发展成为今天的重要城市，他们修建的大道有的到十八世纪还是交通要道。
在古英语文学中保存下来的一首短诗《废墟》中，一位生活在七世纪的诗人凭吊被撒克逊人摧毁的罗马人的城镇，寻觅当时当地大厅浴堂的盛况而不可得。
罗马的势力维持到５世纪初期。
北欧的日耳曼人的骚扰不列颠的同时也大举入侵罗马帝国，罗马人不得不从４０１年起撤回本土，专心御敌，９年后罗马帝国皇帝宣布放弃对不列颠的主权。
罗马人在统治不列颠的３５０年中，对不列颠的语言文学没有产生很大的影响。
五世纪中期，日耳曼人中的盎格鲁、撒克逊、朱特等部落从欧陆渡海来到不列颠。
他们遭到了当地居民猛烈的反抗，大约１５０年后才征服不列颠南部、中部的大部分地区。
一些土著克尔特人沦为奴隶，又有一些克尔特人被驱赶到北部、西部的山区、威尔士、苏格兰，甚至渡海到爱尔兰、布列塔尼半岛。
盎格鲁人把不列颠称为“盎格兰”，这便是“英格兰”一词的由来。
克尔特的不列颠被盎格鲁—撒克逊的英格兰所替代。
盎格鲁—撒克逊人在征服和国家形成过程中，氏族制度逐渐解体，封建制度逐渐形成，多神教也逐渐为基督教所代替。
盎格鲁—撒克逊语便是古英语，英国文学史就是从五世纪盎格鲁—撒克逊族的征服开始的。
二来自北欧祖先的史诗：《贝奥武甫》如同许多民族，盎格鲁—撒克逊人的诗歌来源于人民的口头集体创作，反映了远占部落人们的生产劳动、对自然与社会现象的幻想性解释。
第五讲 英国文学简史
– Rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture – New discoveries in geography and astronomy – Religious reformation – Economic expansion
4. To get rid of those old feudalist ideas and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie
Renaissance in England ---originally ---originally indicated a revival of classical (Greek and Roman) arts and sciences. ---modeled ---modeled on the ancients, while expressing humanism, emancipating men from the tyranny and church. ---stressed ---stressed on the value of individual, his creativity, wisdom and a positive attitude towards life. ----everybody ----everybody was entitled to pursue the earthly happiness All in all, the two features of the Renaissance are: the thirsting curiosity fo the classical literature; the keen interest in the activities of humanity.
刘炳善《英国文学简史》完整版笔记(免费)(最新整理)
英国文学简史完全版A Concise History of British LiteratureChapter 1 English Literature of Anglo-Saxon PeriodI. Introduction1. The historical background（1）Before the Germanic invasion（2）During the Germanic invasiona. immigration;b. Christianity;c. heptarchy.d. social classes structure: hide-hundred; eoldermen （lord）– thane - middle class （freemen）- lower class （slave or bondmen: theow）;e. social organization: clan or tribes.f. military Organization;g. Church function: spirit, civil service, education;h. economy: coins, trade, slavery;i. feasts and festival: Halloween, Easter; j. legal system.2. The Overview of the culture（1）The mixture of pagan and Christian spirit.（2）Literature: a. Poetry: two types; b. prose: two figures.II. Beowulf.1. A general introduction.2. The content.3. The literary features.（1）the use of alliteration（2）the use of metaphors and understatements（3）the mixture of pagan and Christian elementsIII. The Old English Prose1. What is prose?2.figures（1）The Venerable Bede（2）Alfred the GreatChapter 2 English Literature of the Late Medieval Ages I.Introduction 1. The Historical Background.（1）The year 1066: Norman Conquest.（2）The social situations soon after the conquest.A. Norman nobles and serfs;B. restoration of the church.（3）The 11th century.A. the crusade and knights.B. dominance of French and Latin;（4）The 12th century.A. the centralized government;B. kings and the church （Henry II and Thomas）;（5）The 13th century.A. The legend of Robin Hood;B. Magna Carta （1215）;C. the beginning of the ParliamentD. English and Latin: official languages （the end）（6）The 14th century.a. the House of Lords and the House of Commons—conflict between the Parliament and Kings;b. the rise of towns.c. the change of Church.d. the role of women.e. the Hundred Years' War—starting.f. the development of the trade: London.g. the Black Death.h. the Peasants' Revolt—1381.i. The translation of Bible by Wycliffe.（7）The 15th century.a. The Peasants Revolt （1453）b. The War of Roses between Lancaster and Yorks.c. the printing-press—William Caxton.d. the starting of Tudor Monarchy（1485）2. The Overview of Literature.（1）the stories from the Celtic lands of Wales and Brittany—great myths of the Middle Ages.（2）Geoffrye of Monmouth—Historia Regum Britanniae—King Authur.（3）Wace—Le Roman de Brut.（4）The romance.（5）the second half of the 14th century: Langland, Gawin poet, Chaucer. II. Sir Gawin and Green Knight.1. A general introduction.2. The plot.III. William Langland.1. Life2. Piers the PlowmanIV. Chaucer1. Life2. Literary Career: three periods（1）French period（2）Italian period（3）master period3. The Canterbury TalesA. The Framework;B. The General Prologue;C. The Tale Proper.4. His Contribution.（1）He introduced from France the rhymed stanza of various types.（2）He is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language.（3）The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.V. Popular Ballads.VI. Thomas Malory and English ProseVII. The beginning of English Drama.1. Miracle Plays.Miracle play or mystery play is a form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching its height in the 15th century. The simple lyric character of the early texts was enlarged by the addition of dialogue and dramatic action. Eventually the performance was moved to the churchyard and the marketplace.2. Morality Plays.A morality play is a play enforcing a moral truth or lesson by means of the speech and action of characters which are personified abstractions – figures representing vices and virtues, qualities of the human mind, or abstract conceptions in general.3. Interlude.The interlude, which grew out of the morality, was intended, as its name implies, to be used more as filler than as the main part of an entertainment. As its best it was short, witty, simple in plot, suited for the diversion of guests at a banquet, or for the relaxation of the audience between the divisions of a serious play. It was essentially an indoors performance, and generally of an aristocratic nature.Chapter 3 English Literature in the Renaissance I.A Historical Background II. The Overview of the Literature （1485-1660）Printing press—readership—growth of middle class—trade-education for laypeople-centralization of power-intellectual life-exploration-new impetus and direction of literature.Humanism-study of the literature of classical antiquity and reformed education.Literary style-modeled on the ancients.The effect of humanism-the dissemination of the cultivated, clear, and sensible attitude of its classically educated adherents.1. poetryThe first tendency by Sidney and Spenser: ornate, florid, highly figured style. The second tendency by Donne: metaphysical style—complexity and ingenuity.The third tendency by Johnson: reaction——Classically pure and restrainedstyle.The fourth tendency by Milton: central Christian and Biblical tradition.2. Dramaa. the native tradition and classical examples.b. the drama stands highest in popular estimation: Marlowe – Shakespeare – Jonson.3. Prosea. translation of Bible;b. More;c. Bacon.II. English poetry.1. Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard （courtly makers）（1）Wyatt: introducing sonnets.（2）Howard: introducing sonnets and writing the first blank verse.2. Sir Philip Sidney—poet, critic, prose writer（1）Life:a. English gentleman;b. brilliant and fascinating personality;c. courtier.（2）worksa. Arcadia: pastoral romance;b. Astrophel and Stella （108）: sonnet sequence to Penelope Dvereux—platonic devotion.Petrarchan conceits and original feelings-moving to creativeness—building of a narrative story; theme-love originality-act of writing.c. Defense of Poesy: an apology for imaginative literature—beginning of literary criticism.3. Edmund Spenser（1）life: Cambridge - Sidney's friend - “Areopagus” – Ireland - Westminster Abbey.（2）worksa. The Shepherds Calendar: the budding of English poetry in Renaissance.b. Amoretti and Epithalamion: sonnet sequencec. Faerie Queen:l The general end——A romantic and allegorical epic—steps to virtue.l 12 books and 12 virtues: Holiness, temperance, justice and courtesy.l Two-level function: part of the story and part of allegory （symbolic meaning）l Many allusions to classical writers.L Themes: puritanism, nationalism, humanism and Renaissance Neoclassicism—a Christian humanist.（3）Spenserian Stanza.III. English Prose1. Thomas More（1）Life: “Renaissance man”, scholar, statesman, theorist, prose writer, diplomat, patron of artsa. learned Greek at Canterbury College, Oxford;b. studies law at Lincoln Inn;c. Lord Chancellor;d. beheaded.（2）Utopia: the first English science fiction.Written in Latin, two parts, the second—place of nowhere.A philosophical mariner （Raphael Hythloday）tells his voyages in which he discovers a land-Utopia.a. The part one is organized as dialogue with mariner depicting his philosophy.b. The part two is a description of the island kingdom where gold and silver are worn by criminal, religious freedom is total and no one owns anything.c. the nature of the book: attacking the chief political and social evils of his time.d. the book and the Republic: an attempt to describe the Republic in a new way, but it possesses an modern character and the resemblance is in externals.e. it played a key role in the Humanist awakening of the 16th century which moved away from the Medieval otherworldliness towards Renaissance secularism.f. the Utopia（3）the significance.a. it was the first champion of national ideas and national languages; it created a national prose, equally adapted to handling scientific and artistic material.b. a elegant Latin scholar and the father of English prose: he composed works in English, translated from Latin into English biography, wrote History of Richard III.2. Francis Bacon: writer, philosopher and statesman（1）life: Cambridge - humanism in Paris – knighted - Lord Chancellor – bribery - focusing on philosophy and literature.（2）philosophical ideas: advancement of science—people: servants and interpreters of nature—method: a child before nature—facts and observations: experimental.（3）“Essays”: 57.a. he was a master of numerous and varied styles.b. his method is to weigh and balance maters, indicating the ideal course of action and the practical one, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each, but leaving the reader to make the final decisions. （arguments）IV. English Drama1. A general survey.（1）Everyman marks the beginning of modern drama.（2）two influences.a. the classics: classical in form and English in content;b. native or popular drama.（3）the University Wits.2. Christopher Marlowe: greatest playwright before Shakespeare and most gifted of the Wits.（1）Life: first interested in classical poetry—then in drama.（2）Major worksa. Tamburlaine;b. The Jew of Malta;c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.（3）The significance of his plays.V. William Shakespeare1. Life（1）1564, Stratford-on-Avon;（2）Grammar School;（3）Queen visit to Castle;（4）marriage to Anne Hathaway;（5）London, the Globe Theatre: small part and proprietor;（6）the 1st Folio, Quarto;（7）Retired, son—Hamlet; H. 1616.2. Dramatic career3. Major plays-men-centered.（1）Romeo and Juliet——tragic love and fate （2）The Merchant of Venice.Good over evil.Anti-Semitism.（3）Henry IV.National unity.Falstaff.（4）Julius CaesarRepublicanism vs. dictatorship.（5）HamletRevengeGood/evil.（6）OthelloDiabolic characterjealousygap between appearance and reality.（7）King LearFilial ingratitude（8）MacbethAmbition vs. fate.（9）Antony and Cleopatra.Passion vs. reason（10）The TempestReconciliation; reality and illusion.3. Non-dramatic poetry（1）Venus and Adonis; The Rape of Lucrece.（2）Sonnets:a. theme: fair, true, kind.b. two major parts: a handsome young man of noble birth; a lady in dark complexion.c. the form: three quatrains and a couplet.d. the rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.VI. Ben Jonson1. life: poet, dramatist, a Latin and Greek scholar, the “literary king” （Sons of Ben）2.contribution:（1）the idea of “humor”.（2）an advocate of classical drama and a forerunner of classicism in English literature.3. Major plays（1）Everyone in His Humor—“humor”; three unities.（2）Volpone the FoxChapter 4 English Literature of the 17th Century I.A Historical BackgroundII. The Overview of the Literature （1640-1688）1. The revolution period（1）The metaphysical poets;（2）The Cavalier poets.（3）Milton: the literary and philosophical heritage of the Renaissance merged with Protestant political and moral conviction2. The restoration period.（1）The restoration of Charles II ushered in a literature characterized by reason, moderation, good taste, deft management, and simplicity. （school of Ben Jonson）（2）The ideals of impartial investigation and scientific experimentation promoted by the newly founded Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge （1662）were influential in the development of clear and simple prose as an instrument of rational communication.（3）The great philosophical and political treatises of the time emphasize rationalism.（4）The restoration drama.（5）The Age of Dryden.III. John Milton1. Life: educated at Cambridge—visiting the continent—involved into the revolution—persecuted—writing epics.2. Literary career.（1）The 1st period was up to 1641, during which time he is to be seen chiefly as a son of the humanists and Elizabethans, although his Puritanism is not absent. L'Allegre and IL Pens eroso （1632）are his early masterpieces, in which we find Milton a true offspring of the Renaissance, a scholar of exquisite taste and rare culture. Next came Comus, a masque. The greatest of early creations was Lycidas, a pastoral elegy on the death of a college mate, Edward King.（2）The second period is from 1641 to 1654, when the Puritan was in such complete ascendancy that he wrote almost no poetry. In 1641, he began a long period of pamphleteering for the puritan cause. For some 15 years, the Puritan in him alone ruled his writing. He sacrificed his poetic ambition to the call of the liberty for which Puritans were fighting.（3）The third period is from 1655 to 1671, when humanist and Puritan have been fused into an exalted entity. This period is the greatest in his literary life, epics and some famous sonnets. The three long poems are the fruit of the long contest within Milton of Renaissance tradition and his Puritan faith. They form the greatest accomplishments of any English poet except Shakespeare. In Milton alone, it would seem, Puritanism could not extinguish the lover of beauty. In these works we find humanism and Puritanism merged in magnificence.3. Major Works（1）Paradise Losta. the plot.b. characters.c. theme: justify the ways of God to man.（2）Paradise Regained.（3）Samson Agonistes.4. Features of Milton's works.（1）Milton is one of the very few truly great English writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an important prose writer. The two most essential things to be remembered about him are his Puritanism and his republicanism.（2）Milton wrote many different types of poetry. He is especially a great master of blank verse. He learned much from Shakespeare and first used blank verse in non-dramatic works.（3）Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style noted for its dignity and polish, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.（4）Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.IV.John Bunyan1. Life:（1）puritan age;（2）poor family;（3）parliamentary army;（4）Baptist society, preacher;（5）prison, writing the book.2. The Pilgrim Progress（1）The allegory in dream form.（2）the plot.（3）the theme.V. Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets.1. Metaphysical PoetsThe term “metaphysical poetry” is commonly used to designate the works of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. Pressured by the harsh, uncomfortable and curious age, the metaphysical poets sought to shatter myths and replace them with new philosophies, new sciences, new words and new poetry. They tried to break away from the conventional fashion of Elizabethan love poetry, and favoured in poetry for a more colloquial language and tone, a tightness of expression and the single-minded working out of a theme or argument.2. Cavalier PoetsThe other group prevailing in this period was that of Cavalier poets. They were often courtiers who stood on the side of the king, and called themselves “sons” of Ben Jonson. The Cavalier poets wrote light poetry,polished and elegant, amorous and gay, but often superficial. Most of their verses were short songs, pretty madrigals, love fancies characterized by lightness of heart and of morals. Cavalier poems have the limpidity of the Elizabethan lyric without its imaginative flights. They are lighter and neater but less fresh than the Elizabethan's.VI. John Dryden.1. Life:（1）the representative of classicism in the Restoration.（2）poet, dramatist, critic, prose writer, satirist.（3）changeable in attitude.（4）Literary career—four decades.（5）Poet Laureate2. His influences.（1）He established the heroic couplet as the fashion for satiric, didactic, and descriptive poetry.（2）He developed a direct and concise prose style.（3）He developed the art of literary criticism in his essays and in the numerous prefaces to his poems.Chapter 5 English Literature of the 18th CenturyI. Introduction1. The Historical Background.2. The literary overview.（1）The Enlightenment.（2）The rise of English novels.When the literary historian seeks to assign to each age its favourite form of literature, he finds no difficulty in dealing with our own time. As the Middle Ages delighted in long romantic narrative poems, the Elizabethans in drama, the Englishman of the reigns of Anne and the early Georges in didactic and satirical verse, so the public of our day is enamored of the novel. Almost all types of literary production continue to appear, but whether we judge from the lists of publishers, the statistics of public libraries, or general conversation, we find abundant evidence of the enormous preponderance of this kind of literary entertainment in popular favor.（3）Neo-classicism: a revival in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of classical standards of order, balance, and harmony in literature. John Dryden and Alexander Pope were major exponents of the neo-classical school.（4）Satiric literature.（5）SentimentalismII. Neo-classicism. （a general description）1. Alexander Pope（1）Life:a. Catholic family;b. ill health;c. taught himself by reading and translating;d. friend of Addison, Steele and Swift.（2）three groups of poems:e. An Essay on Criticism （manifesto of neo-classicism）;f. The Rape of Lock;g. Translation of two epics.（3）His contribution:h. the heroic couplet—finish, elegance, wit, pointedness;i. satire.（4）weakness: lack of imagination.2. Addison and Steele（1）Richard Steele: poet, playwright, essayist, publisher of newspaper.（2）Joseph Addison: studies at Oxford, secretary of state, created a literary periodical “Spectator” （with Steele, 1711）（3）Spectator Club.（4）The significance of their essays.a. Their writings in “The Tatler”, and “The Spectator” provide a new code of social morality for the rising bourgeoisie.b. They give a true picture of the social life of England in the 18th century.c. In their hands, the English essay completely established itself as aliterary genre. Using it as a form of character sketching and story telling, they ushered in the dawn of the modern novel.3. Samuel Johnson—poet, critic, essayist, lexicographer, editor.（1）Life:a. studies at Oxford;b. made a living by writing and translating;c. the great cham of literature.（2）works: poem （The Vanity of Human Wishes, London）; criticism （The Lives of great Poets）; preface.（3）The champion of neoclassical ideas.III. Literature of Satire: Jonathan Swift.1. Life:（1）born in Ireland;（2）studies at Trinity College;（3）worked as a secretary;（4）the chief editor of The Examiner;（5）the Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin.2. Works: The Battle of Books, A Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, Gulliver's Travels.3. Gulliver's Travels.Part I. Satire—the Whig and the Tories, Anglican Church and Catholic Church.Part II. Satire—the legal system; condemnation of war.Part III. Satire—ridiculous scientific experiment.Part IV. Satire—mankind.IV. English Novels of Realistic tradition.1. The Rise of novels.（1）Early forms: folk tale – fables – myths – epic – poetry – romances – fabliaux – novella - imaginative nature of their material. （imaginative narrative）（2）The rise of the novela. picaresque novel in Spain and England （16th century）: Of or relating to a genre of prose fiction that originated in Spain and depicts in realistic detail the adventures of a roguish hero, often with satiric or humorous effects.b. Sidney: Arcadia.c. Addison and Steele: The Spectator.（plot and characterization and realism）（3）novel and drama （17the century）2. Daniel Defoe—novelist, poet, pamphleteer, publisher, merchant, journalist.）（1）Life:a. business career;b. writing career;c. interested in politics.（2）Robinson Crusoe.a. the story.b. the significance of the character.c. the features of his novels.d. the style of language.3. Henry Fielding—novelist.（1）Life:a. unsuccessful dramatic career;b. legal career; writing career.（2）works.（3）Tom Jones.a. the plot;b. characters: Tom, Blifil, Sophia;c. significance.（4）the theory of realism.（5）the style of language.V. Writers of Sentimentalism.1. Introduction2. Samuel Richardson—novelist, moralist （One who is unduly concerned with the morals of others.）（1）Life:a. printer book seller;b. letter writer.（2）Pamela, Virtue Rewarded.a. the storyb. the significancePamela was a new thing in these ways:a）It discarded the “improbable and marvelous” accomplishments of the former heroic romances, and pictured the life and love of ordinary people. b）Its intension was to afford not merely entertainment but also moral instruction.c）It described not only the sayings and doings of characters but their also their secret thoughts and feelings. It was, in fact, the first English psycho-analytical novel.3. Oliver Goldsmith—poet and novelist.A. Life:a. born in Ireland;b. a singer and tale-teller, a life of vagabondage;c. bookseller;d. the Literary Club;e. a miserable life;f. the most lovable character in English literature.B. The Vicar of Wakefield.a. story;b. the signicance.VI. English Drama of the 18th century1. The decline of the drama2. Richard Brinsley SheridenA. life.B. works: Rivals, The School for Scandals.C. significance of his plays.a. The Rivals and The School for Scandal are generally regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw, and as true classics in English comedy.b. In his plays, morality is the constant theme. He is much concerned with the current moral issues and lashes harshly at the social vices of the day.c. Sheridan's greatness also lies in his theatrical art. He seems to have inherited from his parents a natural ability and inborn knowledge about the theatre. His plays are the product of a dramatic genius as well as of a well-versed theatrical man.d. His plots are well-organized, his characters, either major or minor, are all sharply drawn, and his manipulation of such devices as disguise, mistaken identity and dramatic irony is masterly. Witty dialogues and neat and decent language also make a characteristic of his plays. Chapter 6 English Literature of the Romantic AgeI. Introduction1. Historical Background2. Literary Overview: RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism:（1）The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings（2）The creation of a world of imagination（3）The return to nature for material（4）Sympathy with the humble and glorification of the commonplace （5）Emphasis upon the expression of individual genius（6）The return to Milton and the Elizabethans for literary models （7）The interest in old stories and medieval romances（8） A sense of melancholy and loneliness（9）The rebellious spiritII. Pre-Romantics1. Robert Burns（1）Life: French Revolution（2）Features of poetrya. Burns is chiefly remembered for his songs written in the Scottish dialect.b. His poems are usually devoid of artificial ornament and have a great charm of simplicity.c. His poems are especially appreciated for their musical effect.d. His political and satirical poems are noted for his passionate love for freedom and fiery sentiments of hatred against tyranny.（3）Significance of his poetryHis poetry marks an epoch in the history of English literature. They suggested that the spirit of the Romantic revival was embodied in this obscure ploughman. Love, humor, pathos, the response to nature – all the poetic qualities that touch the human heart are in his poems, which marked the sunrise of another day – the day of Romanticism.2. William Blake（1）life: French Revolution（2）works.l Songs of Innocencel Songs of Experience（3）featuresa. sympathy with the French Revolutionb. hatred for 18th century conformity and social institutionc. attitude of revolt against authorityd. strong protest against restrictive codes（4）his influenceBlake is often regarded as a symbolist and mystic, and he has exerted a great influence on twentieth century writers. His peculiarities of thought and imaginative vision have in many ways proved far more congenial tothe 20th century than they were to the 19th.III. Romantic Poets of the first generation1. Introduction2. William Wordsworth: representative poet, chief spokesman of Romantic poetry（1）Life:a. love nature;b. Cambridge;c. tour to France;d. French revolution;e. Dorathy;f. The Lake District;g. friend of Coleridge;h. conservative after revolution.（2）works:a. the Lyrical Ballads （preface）: significanceb. The Prelude: a biographical poem.c. the other poems（3）Features of his poems.a. ThemeA constant theme of his poetry was the growth of the human spirit through the natural description with expressions of inward states of mind.b. characteristics of style.His poems are characterized by a sympathy with the poor, simple peasants, and a passionate love of nature.3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: poet and critic（1）Life:a. Cambridge;b. friend with Southey and Wordsworth;c. taking opium.（2）works.l The fall of Robespierrel The Rime of the Ancient Marinerl Kubla Khanl Biographia Literaria（3）Biographia Literaria.（4）His criticismHe was one of the first critics to give close critical attention to language. In both poetry and criticism, his work is outstanding, but it is typical of him that his critical work is very scattered and disorganized.IV. Romantic Poets of the Second Generation.1. Introduction2. George Gordon Byron（1）Life:a. Cambridge, published poems and reviews;b. a tour of Europe and the East;c. left England;d. friend with Shelley;e. worked in Greece: national hero;f. radical and sympathetic with French Revolution.（2）Works.l Don Juanl When We Two Partedl She Walks in Beauty（3）Byronic Hero.Byron introduced into English poetry a new style of character, which as often been referred to as “Byronic Hero” of “satanic spirit”. People imagined that they saw something of Byron himself in these strange figures of rebels, pirates, and desperate adventurers.（4）Poetic style: loose, fluent and vivid3. Percy Bysshe Shelley: poet and critic（1）Life:a. aristocratic family;b. rebellious heart;c. Oxford;d. Irish national liberation Movement;e. disciple of William Godwin;f. marriage with Harriet, and Marry;g. left England and wandered in EUrope, died in Italy;h. radical and sympathetic with the French revolution;i. Friend with Byron（2）works: two types – violent reformer and wanderer （3）Characteristics of poems.a. pursuit of a better society;b. radian beauty;c. superb artistry: imagination.（4）Defense of Poetry.4. John Keats.（1）Life:a. from a poor family;b. Cockney School;c. friend with Byron and Shelley;d. attacked by the conservatives and died in Italy.（2）works.（3）Characteristics of poemsa. loved beauty;b. seeking refuge in an idealistic world of illusions and dreams. V. Novelists of the Romantic Age.。
刘炳善英国文学简史完整版笔记精编WORD版
刘炳善英国文学简史完整版笔记精编W O R D版IBM system office room 【A0816H-A0912AAAHH-GX8Q8-GNTHHJ8】英国文学简史完全版A Concise History of British LiteratureChapter 1 English Literature of Anglo-Saxon PeriodI. Introduction1. The historical background（1） Before the Germanic invasion（2） During the Germanic invasiona. immigration;b. Christianity;c. heptarchy.d. social classes structure: hide-hundred; eoldermen （lord）– thane - middle class （freemen） - lower class （slave or bondmen: theow）;e. social organization: clan or tribes.f. military Organization;g. Church function: spirit, civil service, education;h. economy: coins, trade, slavery;i. feasts and festival: Halloween, Easter; j. legal system.2. The Overview of the culture（1） The mixture of pagan and Christian spirit.（2） Literature: a. Poetry: two types; b. prose: two figures. II. Beowulf.1. A general introduction.2. The content.3. The literary features.（1） the use of alliteration（2） the use of metaphors and understatements（3） the mixture of pagan and Christian elementsIII. The Old English Prose1. What is prose?2.figures（1）The Venerable Bede（2）Alfred the GreatChapter 2 English Literature of the Late Medieval Ages I.Introduction 1. The Historical Background.（1） The year 1066: Norman Conquest.（2） The social situations soon after the conquest.A. Norman nobles and serfs;B. restoration of the church.（3） The 11th century.A. the crusade and knights.B. dominance of French and Latin;（4） The 12th century.A. the centralized government;B. kings and the church （Henry II and Thomas）;（5） The 13th century.A. The legend of Robin Hood;B. Magna Carta （1215）;C. the beginning of the ParliamentD. English and Latin: official languages （the end）（6） The 14th century.a. the House of Lords and the House of Commons—conflict between the Parliament and Kings;b. the rise of towns.c. the change of Church.d. the role of women.e. the Hundred Years' War—starting.f. the development of the trade: London.g. the Black Death.h. the Peasants' Revolt—1381.i. The translation of Bible by Wycliffe.（7） The 15th century.a. The Peasants Revolt （1453）b. The War of Roses between Lancaster and Yorks.c. the printing-press—William Caxton.d. the starting of Tudor Monarchy（1485）2. The Overview of Literature.（1） the stories from the Celtic lands of Wales and Brittany—great myths of the Middle Ages.（2） Geoffrye of Monmouth—Historia Regum Britanniae—King Authur.（3） Wace—Le Roman de Brut.（4） The romance.（5） the second half of the 14th century: Langland, Gawin poet, Chaucer.II. Sir Gawin and Green Knight.1. A general introduction.2. The plot.III. William Langland.1. Life2. Piers the PlowmanIV. Chaucer1. Life2. Literary Career: three periods （1） French period（2） Italian period（3） master period3. The Canterbury TalesA. The Framework;B. The General Prologue;C. The Tale Proper.4. His Contribution.（1） He introduced from France the rhymed stanza of various types.（2） He is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language.（3） The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.V. Popular Ballads.VI. Thomas Malory and English ProseVII. The beginning of English Drama.1. Miracle Plays.Miracle play or mystery play is a form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching its height in the 15th century. The simple lyric character of the early texts was enlarged by the addition of dialogue and dramatic action. Eventually the performance was moved to the churchyard and the marketplace.2. Morality Plays.A morality play is a play enforcing a moral truth or lesson by means of the speech and action of characters which are personified abstractions – figures representing vices and virtues, qualities of the human mind, or abstract conceptions in general.3. Interlude.The interlude, which grew out of the morality, was intended, as its name implies, to be used more as filler than as the main part of an entertainment. As its best it was short, witty, simple in plot, suited for the diversion of guests at a banquet, or for the relaxation of the audience between the divisions of a serious play. It was essentially an indoors performance, and generally of an aristocratic nature.Chapter 3 English Literature in the Renaissance I.A Historical BackgroundII. The Overview of the Literature （1485-1660）Printing press—readership—growth of middle class—trade-education for laypeople-centralization of power-intellectual life-exploration-new impetus and direction of literature. Humanism-study of the literature of classical antiquity and reformed education.Literary style-modeled on the ancients.The effect of humanism-the dissemination of the cultivated, clear, and sensible attitude of its classically educated adherents.1. poetryThe first tendency by Sidney and Spenser:? ornate, florid, highly figured style.The second tendency by Donne: metaphysical style—complexity and ingenuity.The third tendency by Johnson: reaction——Classically pure and restrained style. The fourth tendency by Milton: central Christian and Biblical tradition.2. Dramaa. the native tradition and classical examples.b. the drama stands highest in popular estimation: Marlowe – Shakespeare – Jonson.3. Prosea. translation of Bible;b. More;c. Bacon.II. English poetry.1. Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard （courtly makers）（1） Wyatt: introducing sonnets.（2） Howard: introducing sonnets and writing the first blank verse.2. Sir Philip Sidney—poet, critic, prose writer（1） Life:a. English gentleman;b. brilliant and fascinating personality;c. courtier.（2） worksa. Arcadia: pastoral romance;b. Astrophel and Stella （108）: sonnet sequence to Penelope Dvereux—platonic devotion. Petrarchan conceits and original feelings-moving to creativeness—building?of a narrative story; theme-love originality-act of writing.c. Defense of Poesy: an apology for imaginative literature—beginning?of literary criticism.3. Edmund Spenser（1） life: Cambridge - Sidney's friend - “Areopagus” – Ireland - Westminster Abbey.（2） worksa. The Shepherds Calendar: the budding of English poetry in Renaissance.b. Amoretti and Epithalamion: sonnet sequencec. Faerie Queen:l The general end——A romantic and allegorical epic—steps to virtue.l 12 books and 12 virtues:? Holiness, temperance, justice and courtesy.l Two-level function: part of the story and part of allegory （symbolic meaning）l Many allusions to classical writers.L Themes: puritanism, nationalism, humanism and Renaissance Neoclassicism—a Christian humanist.（3） Spenserian Stanza.III. English Prose1. Thomas More（1）Life: “Renaissance man”, scholar, statesman, theori st, prose writer, diplomat, patron of artsa. learned Greek at Canterbury College, Oxford;b. studies law at Lincoln Inn;c. Lord Chancellor;d. beheaded.（2） Utopia: the first English science fiction.Written in Latin, two parts, the second—place of nowhere.A philosophical mariner （Raphael Hythloday） tells his voyages in which he discovers a land-Utopia.a. The part one is organized as dialogue with mariner depicting his philosophy.b. The part two is a description of the island kingdom where gold and silver are worn by criminal, religious freedom is total and no one owns anything.c. the nature of the book: attacking the chief political and social evils of his time.d. the book and the Republic: an attempt to describe the Republic in a new way, but it possesses an modern character and the resemblance is in externals.e. it played a key role in the Humanist awakening of the 16th century which moved away from the Medieval otherworldliness towards Renaissance secularism.f. the Utopia（3） the significance.a. it was the first champion of national ideas and national languages; it created a nationalprose, equally adapted to handling scientific and artistic material.b. a elegant Latin scholar and the father of English prose: he composed works in English, translated from Latin into English biography, wrote History of Richard III.2. Francis Bacon: writer, philosopher and statesman（1） life: Cambridge - humanism in Paris – knighted - Lord Chancellor – bribery - focusing on philosophy and literature.（2） philosophical ideas: advancement of science—people: servants? and interpreters of nature—method: a child before nature—facts and observations: experimental.（3）“Essays”: 57.a. he was a master of numerous and varied styles.b. his method is to weigh and balance maters, indicating the ideal course of action and the practical one, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each, but leaving the reader? to make the final decisions. （arguments）IV. English Drama1. A general survey.（1） Everyman marks the beginning of modern drama.（2） two influences.a. the classics: classical in form and English in content;b. native or popular drama.（3） the University Wits.2. Christopher Marlowe: greatest playwright before Shakespeare and most gifted of the Wits.（1） Life: first interested in classical poetry—then in drama.（2） Major worksa. Tamburlaine;b. The Jew of Malta;c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.（3） The significance of his plays.V. William Shakespeare1. Life（1） 1564, Stratford-on-Avon;（2） Grammar School;（3） Queen visit to Castle;（4） marriage to Anne Hathaway;（5） London, the Globe Theatre: small part and proprietor;（6） the 1st Folio, Quarto;（7） Retired, son—Hamlet; H. 1616.2. Dramatic career3. Major plays-men-centered.（1） Romeo and Juliet——tragic love and fate（2） The Merchant of Venice.Good over evil.Anti-Semitism.（3） Henry IV.National unity.Falstaff.（4） Julius CaesarRepublicanism vs. dictatorship.（5） HamletRevengeGood/evil.（6） OthelloDiabolic characterjealousygap between appearance and reality.（7） King LearFilial ingratitude（8） MacbethAmbition vs. fate.（9） Antony and Cleopatra. Passion vs. reason（10） The TempestReconciliation; reality and illusion.3. Non-dramatic poetry（1） Venus and Adonis; The Rape of Lucrece.（2） Sonnets:a. theme: fair, true, kind.b. two major parts: a handsome young man of noble birth; a lady in dark complexion.c. the form: three quatrains and a couplet.d. the rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.VI. Ben Jonson1. life: poet, dramatist, a Latin and Greek scholar, the “literary king” （Sons of Ben）2.contribution:（1）the idea of “humor”.（2） an advocate of classical drama and? a forerunner of classicism in English literature.3. Major plays（1） Everyone in His Humor—“humor”; thr ee unities.（2） Volpone the FoxChapter 4 English Literature of the 17th Century I.A Historical BackgroundII. The Overview of the Literature （1640-1688）1. The revolution period（1） The metaphysical poets;（2） The Cavalier poets.（3） Milton: the literary and philosophical heritage of the Renaissance merged with Protestant political and moral conviction2. The restoration period.（1） The restoration of Charles II ushered in a literature characterized by reason, moderation, good taste, deft management, and simplicity. （school of Ben Jonson）（2） The ideals of impartial investigation and scientific experimentation promoted by the newly founded Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge （1662） were influential in the development of clear and simple prose as an instrument of rational communication.（3） The great philosophical and political treatises of the time emphasize rationalism.（4） The restoration drama.（5） The Age of Dryden.III. John Milton1. Life: educated at Cambridge—visiting the continent—involved into the revolution—persecuted—writing epics.2. Literary career.（1） The 1st period was up to 1641, during which time he is to be seen chiefly as a son of the humanists and Elizabethans, although his Puritanism is not absent. L'Allegre and IL Pens eroso （1632） are his early masterpieces, in which we find Milton a true offspring of the Renaissance, a scholar of exquisite taste and rare culture. Next came Comus, a masque. The greatest of early creations was Lycidas, a pastoral elegy on the death of a college mate, Edward King.（2） The second period is from 1641 to 1654, when the Puritan was in such complete ascendancy that he wrote almost no poetry. In 1641, he began a long period of pamphleteering for the puritan cause. For some 15 years, the Puritan in him alone ruled his writing. He sacrificed his poetic ambition to the call of the liberty for which Puritans were fighting.（3） The third period is from 1655 to 1671, when humanist and Puritan have been fused into an exalted entity. This period is the greatest in his literary life, epics and some famous sonnets. The three long poems are the fruit of the long contest within Milton of Renaissance tradition and his Puritan faith. They form the greatest accomplishments of any English poet except Shakespeare. In Milton alone, it would seem, Puritanism could not extinguish the lover of beauty. In these works we find humanism and Puritanism merged in magnificence.3. Major Works（1） Paradise Losta. the plot.b. characters.c. theme: justify the ways of God to man.（2） Paradise Regained.（3） Samson Agonistes.4. Features of Milton's works.（1） Milton is one of the very few truly great English writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an important prose writer. The two most essential things to be remembered about him are his Puritanism and his republicanism.（2） Milton wrote many different types of poetry. He is especially a great master of blank verse. He learned much from Shakespeare and first used blank verse in non-dramatic works.（3） Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style noted for its dignity and polish, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.（4） Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.IV.John Bunyan1. Life:（1） puritan age;（2） poor family;（3） parliamentary army;（4） Baptist society, preacher;（5） prison, writing the book.2. The Pilgrim Progress（1） The allegory in dream form.（2） the plot.（3） the theme.V. Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets.1. Metaphysical PoetsThe term “metaphysical poetry” is commonly used to designate the works of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. Pressured by the harsh, uncomfortable and curious age, the metaphysical poets sought to shatter myths and replace them with new philosophies, new sciences, new words and new poetry. They tried to break away from the conventional fashion ofElizabethan love poetry, and favoured in poetry for a more colloquial language and tone, a tightness of expression and the single-minded working out of a theme or argument.2. Cavalier PoetsThe other group prevailing in this period was that of Cavalier poets. They were often courtiers who stood on the side of the king, a nd called themselves “sons” of Ben Jonson. The Cavalier poets wrote light poetry, polished and elegant, amorous and gay, but often superficial. Most of their verses were short songs, pretty madrigals, love fancies characterized by lightness of heart and of morals. Cavalier poems have the limpidity of the Elizabethan lyric without its imaginative flights. They are lighter and neater but less fresh than the Elizabethan's.VI. John Dryden.1. Life:（1） the representative of classicism in the Restoration.（2） poet, dramatist, critic, prose writer, satirist.（3） changeable in attitude.（4） Literary career—four decades.（5） Poet Laureate2. His influences.（1） He established the heroic couplet as the fashion for satiric, didactic, and descriptive poetry.（2） He developed a direct and concise prose style.（3） He developed the art of literary criticism in his essays and in the numerous prefaces to his poems.Chapter 5 English Literature of the 18th CenturyI. Introduction1. The Historical Background.2. The literary overview.（1） The Enlightenment.（2） The rise of English novels.When the literary historian seeks to assign to each age its favourite form of literature, he finds no difficulty in dealing with our own time. As the Middle Ages delighted in long romantic narrative poems, the Elizabethans in drama, the Englishman of the reigns of Anne and the early Georges in didactic and satirical verse, so the public of our day is enamored of the novel. Almost all types of literary production continue to appear, but whether we judge from the lists of publishers, the statistics of public libraries, or general conversation, we find abundant evidence of the enormous preponderance of this kind of literary entertainment in popular favor.（3） Neo-classicism: a revival in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of classical standards of order, balance, and harmony in literature. John Dryden and Alexander Pope were major exponents of the neo-classical school.（4） Satiric literature.（5） SentimentalismII. Neo-classicism. （a general description）1. Alexander Pope（1）Life:a. Catholic family;b. ill health;c. taught himself by reading and translating;d. friend of Addison, Steele and Swift.（2）three groups of poems:e. An Essay on Criticism （manifesto of neo-classicism）;f. The Rape of Lock;g. Translation of two epics.（3）His contribution:h. the heroic couplet—finish, elegance, wit, pointedness;i. satire.（4） weakness: lack of imagination.2. Addison and Steele（1） Richard Steele: poet, playwright, essayist, publisher of newspaper.（2） Joseph Addison: studies at Oxford, secretary of state, created a literary periodical “Spectator” （with Steele, 1711）（3） Spectator Club.（4） The significance of their essays.a. Their writings in “The Tatler”, and “The Spectator” provide a new code of social morality for the rising bourgeoisie.b. They give a true picture of the social life of England in the 18th century.c. In their hands, the English essay completely established itself as a literary genre. Using it as a form of character sketching and story telling, they ushered in the dawn of the modern novel.3. Samuel Johnson—poet, critic, essayist, lexicographer, editor.（1）Life:a. studies at Oxford;b. made a living by writing and translating;c. the great cham of literature.（2） works: poem （The Vanity of Human Wishes, London）; criticism （The Lives of great Poets）; preface.（3） The champion of neoclassical ideas.III. Literature of Satire: Jonathan Swift.1. Life:（1）born in Ireland;（2）studies at Trinity College;（3）worked as a secretary;（4）the chief editor of The Examiner;（5）the Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin.2. Works: The Battle of Books, A Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, Gulliver's Travels.3. Gulliver's Travels.Part I. Satire—the Whig and the Tories, Anglican Church and Catholic Church.Part II. Satire—the legal system; condemnation of war.Part III. Satire—ridiculous scientific experiment.Part IV. Satire—mankind.IV. English Novels of Realistic tradition.1. The Rise of novels.（1）Early forms: folk tale – fables – myths – epic – poetry – romances – fabliaux –novella - imaginative nature of their material. （imaginative narrative）（2）The rise of the novela. picaresque novel in Spain and England （16th century）: Of or relating to a genre of prose fiction that originated in Spain and depicts in realistic detail the adventures of a roguish hero, often with satiric or humorous effects.b. Sidney: Arcadia.c. Addison and Steele: The Spectator.（plot and characterization and realism）（3） novel and drama （17the century）2. Daniel Defoe—novelist, poet, pamphleteer, publisher, merchant, journalist.）（1）Life:a. business career;b. writing career;c. interested in politics.（2） Robinson Crusoe.a. the story.b. the significance of the character.c. the features of his novels.d. the style of language.3. Henry Fielding—novelist.（1）Life:a. unsuccessful dramatic career;b. legal career; writing career.（2） works.（3） Tom Jones.a. the plot;b. characters: Tom, Blifil, Sophia;c. significance.（4） the theory of realism.（5） the style of language.V. Writers of Sentimentalism.1. Introduction2. Samuel Richardson—novelist, moralist （One who is unduly concerned with the morals of others.）（1）Life:a. printer book seller;b. letter writer.（2） Pamela, Virtue Rewarded.a. the storyb. the significancePamela was a new thing in these ways:a） It discarded the “improbable and marvelous” accomplishments of the former heroic romances, and pictured the life and love of ordinary people.b） Its intension was to afford not merely entertainment but also moral instruction.c） It described not only the sayings and doings of characters but their also their secret thoughts and feelings. It was, in fact, the first English psycho-analytical novel.3. Oliver Goldsmith—poet and novelist.A. Life:a. born in Ireland;b. a singer and tale-teller, a life of vagabondage;c. bookseller;d. the Literary Club;e. a miserable life;f.?the most lovable character in English literature.B. The Vicar of Wakefield.a. story;b. the signicance.VI. English Drama of the 18th century1. The decline of the drama2. Richard Brinsley SheridenA. life.B. works: Rivals, The School for Scandals.C. significance of his plays.a. The Rivals and The School for Scandal are generally regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw, and as true classics in English comedy.b. In his plays, morality is the constant theme. He is much concerned with the current moral issues and lashes harshly at the social vices of the day.c. Sheridan's greatness also lies in his theatrical art. He seems to have inherited from his parents a natural ability and inborn knowledge about the theatre. His plays are the product of a dramatic genius as well as of a well-versed theatrical man.d. His plots are well-organized, his characters, either major or minor, are all sharply drawn, and his manipulation of such devices as disguise, mistaken identity and dramatic irony is masterly. Witty dialogues and neat and decent language also make a characteristic of his plays.Chapter 6 English Literature of the Romantic AgeI. Introduction1. Historical Background2. Literary Overview: RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism:（1） The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings（2） The creation of a world of imagination（3） The return to nature for material（4） Sympathy with the humble and glorification of the commonplace （5） Emphasis upon the expression of individual genius（6） The return to Milton and the Elizabethans for literary models （7） The interest in old stories and medieval romances（8） A sense of melancholy and loneliness（9） The rebellious spiritII. Pre-Romantics1. Robert Burns（1） Life: French Revolution（2） Features of poetrya. Burns is chiefly remembered for his songs written in the Scottish dialect.b. His poems are usually devoid of artificial ornament and have a great charm of simplicity.c. His poems are especially appreciated for their musical effect.d. His political and satirical poems are noted for his passionate love for freedom and fiery sentiments of hatred against tyranny.（3） Significance of his poetryHis poetry marks an epoch in the history of English literature. They suggested that the spirit of the Romantic revival was embodied in this obscure ploughman. Love, humor, pathos, the response to nature – all the poetic qualities that touch the human heart are in his poems, which marked the sunrise of another day – the day of Romanticism.2. William Blake（1） life: French Revolution（2） works.l Songs of Innocencel Songs of Experience（3） featuresa. sympathy with the French Revolutionb. hatred for 18th century conformity and social institutionc. attitude of revolt against authorityd. strong protest against restrictive codes（4） his influenceBlake is often regarded as a symbolist and mystic, and he has exerted a great influence on twentieth century writers. His peculiarities of thought and imaginative vision have in many ways proved far more congenial to the 20th century than they were to the 19th.III. Romantic Poets of the first generation1. Introduction2. William Wordsworth: representative poet, chief spokesman of Romantic poetry（1） Life:a. love nature;b. Cambridge;c. tour to France;d. French revolution;e. Dorathy;f.?The Lake District;g. friend of Coleridge;h. conservative after revolution.（2） works:a. the Lyrical Ballads （preface）: significanceb. The Prelude: a biographical poem.c. the other poems（3） Features of his poems.a. ThemeA constant theme of his poetry was the growth of the human spirit through the natural description with expressions of inward states of mind.b. characteristics of style.His poems are characterized by a sympathy with the poor, simple peasants, and a passionate love of nature.3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: poet and critic（1） Life:a. Cambridge;b. friend with Southey and Wordsworth;c. taking opium.（2） works.l The fall of Robespierrel The Rime of the Ancient Marinerl Kubla Khanl Biographia Literaria（3） Biographia Literaria.（4） His criticismHe was one of the first critics to give close critical attention to language. In both poetry and criticism, his work is outstanding, but it is typical of him that his critical work is very scattered and disorganized.IV. Romantic Poets of the Second Generation.1. Introduction2. George Gordon Byron（1） Life:a. Cambridge, published poems and reviews;b. a tour of Europe and the East;c. left England;d. friend with Shelley;e. worked in Greece: national hero;f.?radical and sympathetic with French Revolution.（2） Works.l Don Juanl When We Two Partedl She Walks in Beauty（3） Byronic Hero.Byron introduced into English poetry a new style of character, which as often been referred to as “Byronic Hero” of “satanic spirit”. People imagined that they saw something of Byron himself in these strange figures of rebels, pirates, and desperate adventurers.（4） Poetic style: loose, fluent and vivid3. Percy Bysshe Shelley: poet and critic（1） Life:a. aristocratic family;b. rebellious heart;c. Oxford;d. Irish national liberation Movement;e. disciple of William Godwin;f.?marriage with Harriet, and Marry;g. left England and wandered in EUrope, died in Italy;h. radical and sympathetic with the French revolution;i.?Friend with Byron（2） works: two types – violent reformer and wanderer （3） Characteristics of poems.a. pursuit of a better society;b. radian beauty;c. superb artistry: imagination.（4） Defense of Poetry.4. John Keats.（1） Life:a. from a poor family;b. Cockney School;c. friend with Byron and Shelley;d. attacked by the conservatives and died in Italy.（2） works.（3） Characteristics of poems。
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《英国文学简史》由以下八个部分66章组成，从早期、中世纪英国文学一直到二十世纪英国文学。
Part 1:Early And Medieval English LiteraturePart 2: The English RenaissancePart 3: The Period Of The English Bourgeois RevolutionPart 4:The Eighteenth CenturyPart 5: Romanticism In EnglandPart 6: English Critical RealismPart 7: Prose-Writers And Poets Of The Mid And Late 19th Century一、中世纪文学（约5世纪—1485）二、文艺复兴时期文学三、17世纪文学四、启蒙时期文学五、浪漫主义时期文学六、现实主义时期文学七、现代主义文学时期一、中世纪文学（约5世纪—1485）英国最初的文学同其他国家最初的文学一样，不是书面的，而是口头的。
故事与传说口头流传，并在讲述中不断得到加工、扩展，最后才有写本。
公元5世纪中叶，盎格鲁、撒克逊、朱特三个日耳曼部落开始从丹麦以及现在的荷兰一带地区迁入不列颠。
盎格鲁—撒克逊时代给我们留下的古英语文学作品中，最重要的一部是《贝奥武甫》（Beowulf），它被认为是英国的民族史诗。
《贝奥武甫》讲述主人公贝尔武甫斩妖除魔、与火龙搏斗的故事，具有神话传奇色彩。
这部作品取材于日耳曼民间传说，随盎格鲁-撒克逊人入侵传入今天的英国，现在我们所看到的诗是8世纪初由英格兰诗人写定的，当时，不列颠正处于从中世纪异教社会向以基督教文化为主导的新型社会过渡的时期。
因此，《贝奥武甫》也反映了7、8世纪不列颠的生活风貌，呈现出新旧生活方式的混合，兼有氏族时期的英雄主义和封建时期的理想，体现了非基督教日耳曼文化和基督教文化两种不同的传统。
公元1066年，居住在法国北部的诺曼底人在威廉公爵率领下越过英吉利海峡，征服英格兰。
诺曼底人占领英格兰后，封建等级制度得以加强和完备，法国文化占据主导地位，法语成为宫廷和上层贵族社会的语言。
这一时期风行一时的文学形式是浪漫传奇，流传最广的是关于亚瑟王和圆桌骑士的故事。
《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》（Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 1375-1400）以亚瑟王和他的骑士为题材，歌颂勇敢、忠贞、美德，是中古英语传奇最精美的作品之一。
传奇文学专门描写高贵的骑士所经历的冒险生活和浪漫爱情，是英国封建社会发展到成熟阶段一种社会理想的体现。
14世纪以后，英国资本主义工商业发展较快，市民阶级兴起，英语逐渐恢复了它的声誉，社会各阶层普遍使用英语，为优秀英语文学作品的产生提供了条件。
杰弗利·乔叟（Geoffrey Chaucer, 1343-1400）的出现标志着以本土文学为主流的英国书面文学历史的开始。
《坎特伯雷故事》（The Canterbury Tales）以一群香客从伦敦出发去坎特伯雷朝圣为线索，通过对香客的生动描绘和他们沿途讲述的故事，勾勒出一幅中世纪英国社会千姿百态生活风貌的图画。
乔叟首创英雄诗行，即五步抑扬格双韵体，对英诗韵律作出了很大贡献，被誉为“英国诗歌之父”。
乔叟的文笔精练优美，流畅自然，他的创作实践将英语提升到一个较高的文学水平，推动了英语作为英国统一的民族语言的进程。
二、文艺复兴时期文学（15世纪后期—17世纪初）相对于欧洲其他国家来说，英国的文艺复兴起始较晚，通常认为是在15世纪末。
文艺复兴时期形成的思想体系被称为人文主义，它主张以人为本，反对中世纪以神为中心的世界观，提倡积极进取、享受现世欢乐的生活理想。
托马斯·莫尔（Thomas More, 1478-1535）是英国最主要的早期人文主义者，他的《乌托邦》（Utopia）批评了当时的英国和欧洲社会，设计了一个社会平等、财产公有、人们和谐相处的理想国。
Utopia现已成为空想主义的代名词，但乌托邦是作者对当时社会状况进行严肃思考的结果。
《乌托邦》开创了英国哲理幻想小说传统的先河，这一传统从培根的《新大西岛》（The New Atlantis）、斯威夫特的《格列佛游记》（Gulliver's Travels）、勃特勒的《埃瑞璜》（Erewhon）一直延续到20世纪的科幻小说。
文艺复兴时期诗歌创作繁荣，埃德蒙·斯宾塞（Edmund Spenser, 1552-1599）的长诗《仙后》（The Faerie Queene）歌颂女王，宣扬人文主义思想。
他创造的“斯宾塞诗体”每节诗有九行，韵律复杂，具有柔和动听、萦绕耳际的音乐性。
弗兰西斯·培根（Francis Bacon, 1561-1626）是这一时期最重要的散文家，他对文学的主要贡献是《论说文集》（Essays），共58篇。
这些文章题材广泛，内容涉及哲学、宗教、政治制度以及婚姻、爱情、友谊、园艺、读书等，文笔典雅，略带古风而又明白畅达。
英国戏剧起源于中世纪教堂的宗教仪式，取材于圣经故事的神秘剧和奇迹剧在14、15世纪英国舞台上占有主导地位，随后出现了以抽象概念作为剧中人物的道德剧。
到了16世纪末，戏剧进入全盛时期。
克里斯托弗·马洛（Christopher Marlowe, 1564-1593）冲破旧的戏剧形式的束缚，创作了一种新戏剧。
《帖木儿大帝》（Tamburlaine）、《浮士德博士的悲剧》（The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus）、《马耳他岛的犹太人》（The Jew of Malta）等剧作反映了文艺复兴时期那种永无止境的探索精神和极端的个人主义精神。
马洛将戏剧情节集中于一个主要角色的做法、他对人物性格的分析以及他的素体诗戏剧对白，对英国戏剧的发展做出了不可磨灭的贡献。
英国文艺复兴时期最杰出的作家是威廉·莎士比亚（William Shakespeare, 1564-1616），他的全部作品包括两首长诗，154首十四行诗和38部（一说39部）戏剧。
莎士比亚的主要剧作有喜剧《仲夏夜之梦》（A Midsummer Night's Dream）、《威尼斯商人》（The Merchant of Venice），悲剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》（Romeo and Juliet）、《哈姆莱特》（Hamlet）、《奥赛罗》（Othello）、《李尔王》（King Lear）、《麦克白》（Macbeth），历史剧《亨利四世》（Henry IV），传奇剧《暴风雨》（The Tempest）等。
莎士比亚塑造了性格鲜明的人物形象，展现了封建制度和资本主义制度交替时期波澜壮阔的历史画面，宣扬了人文主义和个性解放。
他的剧作思想内容深刻，艺术表现手法精湛，历经几个世纪，长演不衰。
莎士比亚是语言大师，他娴熟地运用英语，将英语的丰富表现力推向极致。
与莎士比亚同时或稍后还有一批剧作家在进行创作，本·琼森（Ben Johnson, 1572-1637）是其中最主要的作家，莎士比亚曾在他的喜剧《人人高兴》（Every Man in His Humor）中扮演角色。
琼森的讽刺喜剧《狐狸》（Volpone）、《练金术士》（The Alchemist）揭露了当时社会人们追逐金钱的风气，喜剧性很强。
三、17世纪文学1603年伊丽莎白女王去世后，英国国王与议会矛盾日趋激烈，政局动荡。
1649年1月国王查理一世被送上断头台，同年5月，英国宣布为共和国。
约翰·弥尔顿（John Milton, 1608-1674）积极投入资产阶级革命，曾任共和国政府拉丁秘书，写了不少文章捍卫共和国。
1660年，查理二世回国复辟，弥尔顿一度被捕入狱，在朋友帮助下才得免一死，获释回家。
在双目失明的状态下，他完成了长诗《失乐园》（Paradise Lost）和《复乐园》（Paradise Regained）、诗剧《力士参孙》（Samson Agonistes）。
这些作品反映了王政复辟后弥尔顿内心的痛苦以及对资产阶级革命始终不渝的态度，文体雄伟庄严。
17世纪英国诗歌另外的一支是玄学派诗歌，代表诗人有约翰·邓恩（John Donne, 1572-1631）和安德鲁·马韦尔（Andrew Marvell, 1621-1678）。
玄学派诗歌的特点是采用奇特的意象和别具匠心的比喻，揉细腻的感情与深邃的思辩于一体。
玄学派诗歌在18和19世纪一直为世人所忽视，直到20世纪初，才从历史的尘封中重见天日，对现代主义诗风产生很大影响。
王政复辟时期最受人欢迎的作家是约翰·班扬（John Bunyan, 1628-1688），他的《天路历程》（The Pilgrim's Progress）采用梦幻的形式讲述宗教寓言，但揭开梦幻的面纱，展现在读者面前的是17世纪英国社会的一幅现实主义图景。
查理二世复辟后，被清教徒关闭的剧院重新开放，英国戏剧获得新生。
这一时期出现的风俗喜剧是当时戏剧的最高成就，威廉·康格里夫（William Congreve, 1670-1729）的《以爱还爱》（Love for Love）、《如此世道》（The Way of the World）等剧作是风俗喜剧的代表作品。
17世纪下半叶，约翰·德莱顿（John Dryden, 1631-1700）驰骋文坛，集桂冠诗人、散文家、剧作家于一身。
德莱顿关于戏剧创作和舞台艺术的论述构成英国戏剧史上第一组有分量的戏剧评论，他那简洁明朗的散文文体影响了18世纪许多作家的文风。
四、启蒙时期文学（17世纪后期—18世纪中期）1688年的“光荣革命”推翻复辟王朝，确定了君主立宪制，建立起资产阶级和新贵族领导的政权，英国从此进入一个相对安定的发展时期。
18世纪初，新古典主义成为时尚。
新古典主义推崇理性，强调明晰、对称、节制、优雅，追求艺术形式的完美与和谐。
亚历山大·蒲柏（Alexander Pope, 1688-1744）是新古典主义诗歌的代表，他模仿罗马诗人，诗风精巧隽俏，内容以说教与讽刺为主，形式多用英雄双韵体，但缺乏深厚感情。
18世纪英国散文出现繁荣，散文风格基本建立在新古典主义美学原则之上。
理查德·斯梯尔（Richard Steele, 1672-1729）与约瑟夫·艾迪生（Joseph Addison, 1672-1719）创办《闲谈者》（Tatler）与《观察者》（Spectator）刊物，发表了许多以当时社会风俗、日常生活、文学趣味等为题材的文章，他们清新秀雅、轻捷流畅的文体成为后人模仿的典范。