英美文学史BritishLiteratu.doc

A Brief Introduction to Literature1. Definition in letters (liter-: a Latin root, meaning letter) either be written down or be passed from mouth to mouth written / oral literature of artistic value 2. 4 Genres in Literature Poetry (the oldest genre)Comparison: poetry: rhymed + image / implication (meaningful) verse: in rhymed language Old English Poetry: Beowulf (an epic, containing 3182 lines)(epic not the record of history; a long narrative poem； deal with legendary or historical events of significance; contain a hero)Medieval English Poetry: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Drama (the 2nd genre)3 kinds of dramas: comedy (optimistic), tragedy (pessimistic), tragi-comedycomedy aim to amuse & end happily tragedy concerned with harshness & injustice of life tragi-comedy blend, usu. a serious story with a happy ending Essay (the 3rd genre) Comparison: essay: literary genre prose: language not rhymed / rhymeless 4 kinds of essays according to the purpose and method in turning out an English essay: Narration, Description, Exposition, Argumentation Fiction (the youngest genre) . Old English Literature (450-1066 A. D.) 1. History Before entering upon the study of English literature, it is necessary to know something about the English people. The English people are of a mixed blood. The early inhabitants were Britons, a tribe of Celts. It was from the Britons that the island got its name of Britain, the land of Britons. Since historical times England has been conquered three times. It was conquered respectively by the Romans, the English, and the Normans. 3 Conquests: the Roman Conquest The Romans had ruled England for almost 4 centuries, but they had left not so much influence. When the Roman Empire declined, its troops left England and thus ended the Roman occupation in Britain. the English Conquest Britain was invaded by swarms of pirates. They were 3 tribes from Northern Europe: the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes. The 3 tribes mixed into a whole people called English, and the 3 dialects spoken by them naturally grew into a single language which is called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, which is quite different from the English we know today. the Old English Period the Norman Conquest The French-speaking Normans came in 1066. William was crowned as king of England. （William, the Conqueror）After the conquest, 3 languages coexisted in England. Old English was spoken only by the common English people. French became the official language used by the king and the Norman lords. Latin was used by the clergymen and scholars. 2. Old English Literature (450-1066 A. D.) English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. (a new people & a new language) Old English Poetry Form: alliterative verses In each line most stressed words begin with the same soundContent: 2 groups of poetryReligious Poetry Its mainly on biblical themes. The function of art was not simply to release feeling but to teach others and enhance devotion. Secular Poetry It does not contain specific Christian doctrine. It evokes senses of the harshness of circumstance and the sadness of people. Beowulf story: 3 fights or adventures in 2 partsIt describes the exploits of a hero, Beowulf, in destroying the monster Grendel, Grendels mother, and a fire dragon. In these sequences Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but also as a savior of the people. The whole story ends with the funeral of Beowulf. theme: the search for order in a chaotic world . Medieval English Literature (1066-14th century)1. Geoffrey Chaucer the Father of English poetry He introduced the rhymed stanzas to replace the old English alliterative verse. He introduced the heroic couplet. （heroic couplet : the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter Hes the first person who wrote in English, thus helping to establish English as literary language of the country. the Founder of English Realism works The Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷故事集 Troilus and Criseyde 特罗勒斯和科丽西德2. William Langland 威廉兰格伦Piers the PlowmanPortraits of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride 骄， Lechery 淫， Envy 妒， Wrath 怒， Avarice 贪婪， Sloth 懒，Glutton 贪吃3. John Gower 高尔 / 高厄Confessio Amantis 一个情人的忏悔4. Romance 骑士文学 / 骑士传奇 the most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England. Form: a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose Content: describing the life and adventures of a noble hero the central character of romances: the knight, a man of noble birth skilled in the use of weapons chivalry 骑士精神 the spirit of romance,the code of manners and morals of a knight, such as loyalty, bravery, generosity, and concern for the weak and poor . Renaissance (14thmid-17th century) 1. Renaissance in general History Renaissance marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world. It first started in Florence and Venice of Italy, with the flowering of painting, sculpture and architecture. The movement was from Italy to the rest of Europe. DefinitionRenaissance rebirth and revival of Greek and Roman civilization the essence of Renaissance: Humanism The greatest English humanist was Thomas More. Utopia is Mores masterpiece. 托马斯莫尔，乌托邦2. the English RenaissanceThe English Renaissance was a period of poetry and drama. Sir Philip Sidney 菲利普锡德尼爵士 Apology for Poetry 诗辩 Edmund Spenser 埃德蒙斯宾塞 Hes regarded as the “poets poet” of the period for the rhyme and beauty in his poems. The Faerie Queene 长诗仙后 the Spenserian Stanza “斯宾塞诗节” (9-line stanza) L1-L8 : in iambic pentameter 抑扬格五音步 （10音节） L9 : in iambic hexameter 抑扬格六音步 （12音节） rhyme scheme : abab bcbc c (3 rhymes) Christopher Marlowe 克里斯托弗马洛 Marlowe was the most gifted of the “university wits.” University Wits were a group of late 16th century English playwrights who graduated from either Oxford or Cambridge. They were looked upon as the literary elite of the day and often ridiculed other playwrights like Shakespeare who did not have the benefit of a university education. It was Marlowe who first made blank verse the principal instrument of English drama, so that there appeared verse dramas. Comparison : blank verse : written in rhymeless iambic pentameter free verse : a kind of poetry that lacks regular meter or pattern and may or may not rhyme. Its lines may be of different lengths and may switch abruptly from one rhythm to another. Representative plays: Tamburlaine 帖木耳大帝/帖木儿 Dr. Faustus 浮士德博士的悲剧 The Jew of Malta 马耳他的犹太人 William Shakespeare the summit of the English RenaissanceBen Johnson said of Shakespeare that he was “not of an age, but for all time.”Works: 37 plays, 2 narrative poems, & 154 sonnets 4 great comedies: A Midsummer Nights Dream 仲夏夜之梦 The Merchant of Venice 威尼斯商人 As You Like It 皆大欢喜 Twelfth Night 第十二夜 4 great tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear 2 narrative poems: Venus and Adonis 维纳斯与阿多尼斯 The Rape of Lucrece 鲁克丽丝受辱记 Sonnet a lyric poem of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter iambic: an unstressed syllable comes first, followed by a stressed syllable pentameter: 5 feet (A foot is a combination of a stressed syllable and an unstressed syllable)2 kinds of Sonnets: the English Sonnet: 3 quatrains and a concluding couplet the rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg the Italian Sonnet: 2 parts, i.e. the octave (the first 8-line part) & the sestet (the second 6-line part) the rhyme scheme: abba abba, cde cde / cdc dcd Francis Bacon 弗朗西斯培根 Francis Bacon is the first English essayist. Essays 论说文集. the Period of the English Bourgeois Revolution / the Puritan Revolution the Age of Milton 英国资产阶级革命/清教徒革命时期（1642-1649） 17th C. Puritanism was the religious doctrine of the revolutionary Bourgeoisie during the English Bourgeois Revolution. It shows extreme strictness in moral or religious matters. It preached thrift, sobriety, hard work and unceasing labor, but with no extravagant enjoyment of the fruits of labor. 1. Metaphysical poets 玄学派诗人 Metaphysical poetry is commonly used to name the work of the 17th-century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. 玄学派诗歌 Generally speaking, metaphysical poetry is characterized by mysticism in content and fantasticality in form. (mystical & fantastic) 内容神秘，形式荒诞 John Donne 约翰邓恩The Flea 跳蚤之歌2. John Milton Milton wrote his only love poem, a sonnet, On His Deceased Wife. elegy: Lycidas 挽歌莱西达斯 3 epics: Paradise Lost 失乐园 Paradise Regained, 复乐园Samson Agonistes 力士参孙 Areopagitica Paradise Lost Based upon the Old Testament, theme: a call to resist tyranny and to continue the fight for freedom;call on people to fight against monarchySamson AgonistesSimilarities between Milton & Samson: an unwise marriage persecuted / wronged by enemies blindness unconquerable3. John Bunyan 约翰班扬 The Pilgrims Progress the most successful religious allegory The most famous scene in the book is Vanity Fair. For William Makepeace Thackeray, the title of his novel Vanity Fair was taken from Bunyans The Pilgrims Progress. The Age of Enlightenment 启蒙时代 1. Neoclassicism 新古典主义 It represented a reaction against the Renaissance view of man. Renaissance: Man is the measure of all things. Neoclassicism: Man is imperfect, sinful by nature. Mans potential is limited, Man is subject to certain disciplines. Three Unities in Neoclassical Dramas Unity of action (realistic events following a single plotline & a limited number of characters) Unity of Time (The events should be limited to at most a single day.) Unity of Space (The play must take place in a single setting or location.) Literary features of the Neoclassical Period stress reason emotion / sentiment stress form content form: Three Unities / heroic couplet content: Most writings are didactic or satirical. teaching/moralizing / instructive a literature by / about / for the city people (writer / content / theme) neglect of nature and country life(1) John Dryden a poet laureate An Essay of Dramatic Poesy 散文论戏剧诗歌 All for Love 悲剧 一切为了爱 (3) Alexander Pope 亚历山大蒲柏 the greatest English poet of the Neoclassical period An Essay on Criticism 论批评/ 批评论 The Rape of the Lock 夺发记 2. Daniel Defoe 丹尼尔笛福 Characteristics of his novels: the sense of reality the lifelikeness of the characters the ordinary language of the ordinary peopleeasy, free, and very plain(1) An Essay Upon Projects 论开发 (2) Robinson Crusoe 鲁滨逊漂流记 theme: eulogize labor and mans indefatigable efforts to conquer nature beautify colonialism (duality of the bourgeoisie) (2) Captain Singleton 辛格尔顿船长 (3) Moll Flanders 摩尔弗兰德斯 3. Jonathan Swift 乔纳森斯威夫特 (1) A Tale of a Tub 桶的故事 (2) The Battle of the Books 书的战斗/书战 (3) A Modest Proposal 一个小小的建议 (4) Gullivers Travels 小说 格列佛游记 It consists of 4 voyages, respectively to Lilliput, to Brobdingnag, to Laputa and other strange lands, and to the country of the Houyhnhnms. to Lilliput (The inhabitants are 6 inches high.)The English political parties and religious dissension are satirized in the description of the wearers of high heels and low heels, and of the controversy on the fantastic question whether eggs should be broken at the big or small end.the Tory party & the Whig party (heels)the Catholi