英国文学史及选读课件 1 History and Anthology

1832
1901
Unit 1 AngloThe Anglo-Saxon Period
(449 - 1066)
Basic Background
1. The formation of Britain:
Time Before B. C. 55 --B. C. 55 Romans Invasion (Julius Caesar) Celts Albion main events names of population Celts names of Britain Albion
epic
• An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. • 史诗：用严肃或庄重的语言写成的叙事 长诗，歌颂传奇中或历史上英雄的丰功 伟绩
Anglia AngleAngle-land England
2. Social Background:
• 1）The Anglo-Saxons were in the later Anglostages of tribal society, and feudalism封建制 度 assumed definite shape. • 2) Agriculture developed and trade expanded.
Timeline of British literature
17th century; 18th century (the Neoclassical period 新 古 典 主 义 时 期 , Enlightenment, the rise of novel )→ 4. 19th century (Romanticism 浪 漫 主 义 , Victorian age, Realism) → 5. 20th century (Naturalism 自 然 主 义 , Modernism, Post-modernism) 3.
Literary genres体裁
Fiction (narrative fiction叙述虚构 ): novel, novella中篇小说, short story, myth, parable 寓言, romance, epic史诗 Poetry images, sound, figurative language Drama Poetic form → daily language Nonfiction非小说类散文文学 prose散文 : news report, feature articles, text-books, historical and biographical works
Beowulf is not simply a man of great military bravery but he is forever eager to help others in distress痛苦,忧虑,贫困,不幸 , and in his last adventure with the dragon he shows himself a worthy有价值的;可尊敬的 leader ready to sacrifice his own life for the welfare of his people.
Alliteration:
“head rhyme首韵 ”
“Thus made their mourning the men of Geatland, For their hero’s passing, his hearth-companions Quoth that of all the kings of earth, Of men he was the mildest and most beloved, To his kin the kindest, keenest to praise.”
Its characters:
Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes Grendel: a monster
Its Plot故事情节 :
1) Beowulf’s fight with the monster Grendel in Hrothgar’s hall 2) Beowulf’s slaying杀死，宰杀，杀戮 of Grendel’s mother in her lair(野兽的)窝,穴 3) Beowulf’s return in glory to his uncle, and his succession to the throne王座,御座;宝座 4) Beowulf’s victory in death, fifty years later, over the fire dragon
3. Literature:
• 1) Two divisions:
• Pagan literature: Anglo-Saxon’s Oral sagas英雄传奇 • Christian literature: writings developed under the teaching of the monks after the introduction of Christianity基督教；基督精神 into England
: 8th. Century poems on religious subjects
3). Beowulf
Beowulf --- the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons • a. origin: • existed in its oral form as early as the 6th century written down in the 7th or 8th century. The only existing manuscript was written by an unknown scribe(尤指古代印刷术发明之前 的)抄写员 at the beginning of the 10th. Century.
• 2) Two poets:
• a. Caedmon凯德蒙(公元7世纪盎格鲁-撒克逊基督教诗人)： latter half of 7th. Century Paraphrase of the Bible • b. Cynewulf 基涅武甫(盎格鲁-撒克逊诗人, 生活在公元9 世纪诺森伯里亚
或麦西亚, 其古英语诗稿于10世纪被发现, 有《埃琳娜》、《使徒们的命运》、《基督升 天》和《朱莉安娜》等)
Romans withdrawal From Britain for Germanic (Teutonic) invasion of Rome Germanic (Teutonic) AngloInvasion or AngloSaxon Conquest
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A. D. 449
Anglos/ Saxons/ Jutes/ Celts
• 3) The Anglo-Saxons were heathens异教徒 Anglo(pagans无宗教信仰者 ) upon their first arrival in England. • In A. D. 597, the first missionaries传教士 led by St. Augustine came to England from Rome and converted使皈依;使改变信仰 King Ethelbert of Kent, and within a century (in 7th century) all England was Christianized.
• d. significance: Beowulf towers above高于，优于 all other literary works Anglo-Saxon period chiefly because it is a powerful poem about a people’s hero written in true epic style.
Outline of History of English literature
The Middle Ages 1485 The Renaissance The Neoclassicism
449
1660Biblioteka 1798The Romanticism The Victorian Age
The 20th Century
What is literature?
• “written compositions that tell stories, dramatize situations, express emotions, and analyze and advocate拥护;提倡;主张 ideas.” • Development: oral → written →printed
Its features:
The use of alliteration The use of metaphors and understatements轻描淡写 The mixture of pagan and Christian elements
Alliteration
• Alliteration is the repetition of consonants, esp. at the beginning of words or stressed syllables音节 .
Why study literature?
• • • • Help us grow Help us understand the world Clarify our own identity Improve our language competence能力,胜任
,称职
What are we going to learn in this course?
• Syllabus教学纲要 for this course see the contents of the textbook
Timeline时间轴 of British literature
1. Tribal部落的,种族的 society of the Celts凯尔特人 → the Roman conquest → Anglo-Saxons盎格鲁 撒克逊人 → the Norman诺曼底人 Conquest (the old and Medieval中世纪的 period) → 2. mid-15th to early 17th c. (the Renaissance) →
A. D. 43
Romans Conquest (Claudius)
Romans/Celts
A Roman Province
1. The formation of Britain:
Time main events names of population names of Britain
A. D. 410
• b. content: • It contains 3182 lines of alliterative头韵的 , 头韵体的 verse诗句,诗行;诗节 and it is the longest of the early Anglo-Saxon poems preserved.
• c. a brief summary of the story: • see the textbook
History and Anthology of British Literature
Today’s Schedule
• introduction What is literature? Why do we study British literature? What are we going to know in this course? • Unit 1: The Anglo-Saxon Period Anglo-