《英国文学史及选读》PPT课件.ppt

英国文学史及选读,British Literary History and Selected Readings,Self-introduction,雷艳妮 Mobile:Aim of the Course,Let students know about the history of British literature, from the old English period in the fifth century to the twentieth century. Through close reading, the students will learn how to understand, appreciate, analyze and evaluate specific literary works.,Plan of the Course,Two terms to deal with this course For each term, we deal with one volume of the textbook For each week, we deal with one chapter Read a lot after class,Reference books about literary history,刘炳善编著, 英国文学简史(A short History of English Literature), 郑州：河南人民出版社，1993年版。 陈嘉著，英国文学史（A History of English Literature), 北京：商务印书馆，1982年版。 Sanders, Andrew. The Short Oxford History of English Literature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.,Reference Books about Selected Readings,杨岂深，孙铢主编，英国文学选读（Selected Readings in English Literature)第1，2，3册，上海：上海译文出版社，1981年版。 Norton Anthology of English Literature.,Chapter I Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066),Historical background Beowolf,Historical Background,Britain includes Scotland, Wales, Ireland as well as England Britain was originally inhabited by primitive Celtic tribes known as Britons.,Major Invasions,By the Romans: 43 A. D.-the early fifth century By the English (the tribes of Anglo,Saxons and Jutes):in the middle of the fifth century By the Normans: by Norman-French invaders in 1066.,Roman Conquest,In the middle of the first century B.C., Roman troops led by Julius Caesar invaded Britain, then Claudius conquered it in A. D. 43 and Britain became a Roman province till the beginning of the fifth century. Then in early 5th century, the Roman garrisons in Britain withdrew.,English Invasion,In the mid-5th century, the tribes of Anglo, Saxons and Jutes (later known simply as Anglo-Saxons) migrated to England from the European continent, or more specifically from western Denmark and the northwest coast of Germany.,Norman Conquest,The Normans from Normandy in northern France came to invade England in 1066. Under the leadership of William the Duke of Normandy who claimed the succession to the English throne, they succeeded in defeating the English troops and conquering the whole of England.,After the Norman Conquest,After the Norman conquest, for over 300 years, French was used dominantly in Britain. By the end of the fourteenth century, when Normans and English intermingled, English was once more the dominant speech in the country.,Change in Language,Before Roman Conquest, the Britons speak Celtic language. In the Roman period, Latin The Anglo-Saxons speak Old English, which belongs to the Germanic language family.,Middle English or Medieval English,In the three centuries after 1066 the language had undergone gradual but radical and extensive changes. Not only were borrowed in the course of time thousands of words from French and through French from Latin and also Greek, but many old inflectional forms of native English words had been dropped and former grammar of the past had become considerably simplified.,Middle English or Medieval English,The English language in this transitional stage from old English to modern English, through some four centuries (from 12th to 15th) of development and change, has generally been known as Middle English.,Beowulf,The first great English literary work National epic of the Anglo-Saxons The poem was composed in the oral form, sung by the bards at the end of the sixth century The story took place in Scandinavia. It contains 3183 lines of alliterative verse, being the longest of the early Anglo-Saxon poems preserved.,Grendel,Grendel is the first monster that appears in the poem and becomes the symbol of “fallen mankind”. He is a descendant of Cain, who committed the first murder in the Bible when he killed his brother Abel. Grendel is an extreme example of evil and corruption,Structure of Beowulf,Three adventures 1. fight with Grendel 2. fight with Grendels mother 3.fight with a dragon. Beowulf is now an aged king,The Influence of Christianity,Beowulf is a link between two traditions, the pagan and the Christian. The virtue of courage in war and the acceptance of feuds between men and countries as a fact of life stem from the older pagan tradition. Beowulf is buried in accordance with pagan ritual (cremation).,The Epic Poem,Beowulf is part of the tradit