英选名词解释.doc

BildungsromanIt is a popular genre of literature that focuses on the social and psychological maturity of its protagonist. It is popularly known today as a coming-of-age story. It typically follows a young character from innocence to self-awareness and emotional development. Although many of these books follow a basic template, there can be much individuation. The framework usually begins with the introduction of a smart and emotionally sensitive young person at home who then exits into the world where he or she faces conflicts and tests of character before discovering a proper place in the larger scheme of things. Very often this character must journey back to the home to prove his worth by showing he was capable of maturity. Other novels end more tragically with the death of the hero, sometimes even before he is able fulfills his great promise. Byronic hero The figure of the Byronic hero pervades much of his work, and Byron himself is considered to symbolize many of the characteristics of this literary figure. It can be traced from John Milton, and many authors and artists of the Romantic Movement show Byrons influence during the 19th century and beyond, including Charlotte and Emily Bronte. The Byronic hero presents an idealized, but flawed character whose attributes include: great talent; great passion; distaste for society and social institutions; a lack of respect for rank and privilege; being thwarted in love by social constraint or death; rebellion; exile; an unpleasant secret past; arrogance; overconfidence or lack of foresight; and, ultimately, a self-destructive manner.Heroic Couplet Heroic couplet is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry; it refers to poems constructed from a sequence of rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter lines. The rhyme is always masculine. Use of the heroic couplet was first pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer the Tales. Chaucers most common verse thyme scheme in the Tales, would be described as aa, bb, cc, dd because it rarely repeats a rhyme due to the pressures on the poet to keep the narrative moving.John MiltonMilton ranks second only to Shakespeare among English poets; his writings and his influence are an important part of the history of English literature, culture, and libertarian thought. He is best known for Paradise Lost, which is generally regarded as the greatest epic poem in the English language. Miltons prose works, are also important as a valuable interpretation of the Puritan revolution, and they have their place in modern histories of political and religious thought. Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe (1660-1731) English novelist, pamphleteer, and journalist, is most famous as the author of Robinson Crusoe (1719), a story of a man shipwrecked alone on an island. Along with Samuel Richardson, Defoe is considered the founder of the English novel. Other works are Moll Flanders(1722), A Journal Of The Plague Year (1722) and Captain Jack(1722). Sentimental Novel An 18th C or early 19th C novel emphasizing and focusing on an optimistic view of the essential goodness of human nature. Examples include Laurence Sternes A Sentimental Journey and Oliver Goldsmiths The Vicar of Wakefield.Gothic NovelA style of writing popular in the late 18th C which produced stories set in lonely frightening places. Its principal elements are violence, horror, and the supernatural. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Redcliffe are masterpieces of English of English Gothic novel. The Gothic novels have exerted great effect on the American literature, Hawthorn and Allen Poe in particular.sonnetThe term sonnet derives from the Italian word sonetto, meaning little song. By the 13th century, it had come to signify a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. One of the best-known sonnet writers is William Shakespeare, who wrote 154 of them. A Shakespearean, or English sonnet consists of 14 lines, each line contains ten syllables, and each line is written in iambic pentameter in which a pattern of a non-emphasized syllable followed by an emphasized syllable is repeated five times. The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG in which the last two lines are a rhyming couplet. The SonnetsThe Sonnets, is a collection of poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare that deal with such themes as love, beauty, politics, and mortality. They were probably written over a period of several years. All 154 poems appeared in a 1609 collection, entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS, comprising 152 previously unpublished sonnets and two (numbers 138 and 144) that had previously been published in a 1599 miscellany（杂记） entitled The Passionate Pilgrim. The Sonnets were published under conditions that have become unclear to history. Dramatic monologueis a piece of spoken verse within plays that are often linked to key themes of the play or offer great insight into the feelings of the speaker. Not to be confused with a soliloquy, dramatic monologues are features of conversation. They were favored by many poets in the Victorian period, in which a character in fiction or in history delivers a speech explaining his or her feelings, actions, or motives. The monologue is usually directed toward a silent audience, with the speakers words influenced by a critical situation. Gullivers Travelsis a novel that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the travelers tales literary sub-genre. It is Swifts best known full-length work, and a classic of English literature.The book became tremendously popular as soon as it was published. Since then, it has never been out of print.Historical fictionthe story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the person uses real life events by adding a fictional character. Historical fiction may center on historical or on fictional characters, but usually represents an honest attempt based on considerable research (or at least serious reading) to tell a story set in the historical past as understood by the authors contemporaries. Allegoryis generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language: it may be addressed to the eye, and is often found in realistic painting, sculpture or some other form of mimetic, or representative art.Though it is similar to other rhetorical comparisons, an allegory is sustained longer and more fully in its details than a metaphor, and appeals to imagination, while an analogy(类比） appeals to reason or logic. The fable or parable is a short allegory with one definite moral.Sentimentalist fictionalso called novel of sentiment or novel of sensibility), an emotionally extravagant(奢侈的) novel of a kind that became popular in Europe in the late 18th century. In the field of prose fiction the 18th century, sentimentalism had its most outstanding expression. There were three novelists who followed this tradition in novel writing. They are Samuel Richardson , Oliver Goldsmith and Laurence Sterne .Partly inspired by the emotional power of Samuel Richardsons Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740), the sentimental novels of the 1760s and 1770s exhibit the close connections between virtue and sensibility, in repeatedly tearful scenes; a characters feeling for the beauties of nature and for the griefs of others is taken as a sign of a pure heart. Realistic fiction attempts to portray the world as it is. It contains no fantasy, no supernatural elements, and it usually depicts ordinary people going about the business of daily living, with all its joys, sorrow, successes, and failuresThe Age of Enlightenmentis a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy ldtmsi: for authority.Developing more or less simultaneously in Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy, the movement spread through much of Europe, including Russia.it was a value system rather than a set of shared beliefs, there are many contradictory trains to follow. In his famous essay What is Enlightenment? (1784), IMMANUEL KANT described it simply as freedom to use ones own intelligence. Classicism,Classicism is an attitude that is guided by admiration of the qualities of formal balance, proportion, decorum（端庄得体） and restraint(克制） attributed to the major works of ancient Greek and Roman literature. It is a force which is often present in post-medieval European and European influenced traditions, however, some periods felt themselves more connected to the classical ideals than others, particularly the Age of Reason, the Age of Enlightenment and some movements in Modernism.Neoclassicism（It is the codified form (整理形式） of Classicism. In a more general sense, often employed in contrast with Romanticism.) In literary criticism, this term refers to the revival of the attitudes and styles of expression of classical literature. It is generally used to describe a period in European history beginning in the late seventeenth century and lasting until about 1800. In its purest form, Neoclassicism marked a return to order（整齐）, proportion（协调）, restraint（克制）, logic, accuracy, and decorum（得体）. Though its origins were much earlier, Neoclassicism dominated English literature from the Restoration in 1660 until the end of the eighteenth century, when the publication of Lyrical Ballads (1798) by Wordsworth and Coleridge marked the full emergence of Romanticism. To a certain extent Neoclassicism represented a reaction against the optimistic, high-spirited, and enthusiastic Renaissance view of man as a being fundamentally good and possessed of an infinite potential for spiritual and intellectual growth. Neoclassical theorists, by contrast, saw man as an imperfect being, inherently sinful, whose potential was limited. They replaced the Renaissance emphasis on the imagination,The picaresque novelis a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts in realistic and often humorous detail the adventures of a playful hero of low social class who lives by his or her wits in a corrupt society. As indicated by its name, this style of novel originated in Spain, where it was possibly influenced by Arabic literature, flourished in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and continues to influence modern literature. comic novel（A comic novel is a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative; sometimes, above all other considerations.）Augustan literatureis a style of English literature produced during the reigns of Queen Anne, King George I, and George II in the first half of the 18th century, ending in the 1740s with the deaths of Pope and Swift. It is a literary epoch（时代） that featured the rapid development of the novel, an explosion in satire, the transformation of drama from political satire into melodrama（情节剧）, and an evolution toward poetry of personal exploration.SatireSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although, in practice, it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to reprimand by means of ridicule, mockery, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent to bring about improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humor in itself so much as an attack on something of which the author strongly disapproves, using the weapon of wit.ParodyA parody in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at（取笑） an original work, its subject, or author, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation. Parody may be found in art or culture, including literature, music and cinema. English RomanticismEnglish Romanticism begins in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges The Lyrical Ballads and ends in 1832 with Walter Scotts death. William Blake and Robert Burns also belong to this literary genre, though they live prior to the Romantic period.English Romanticism is a revolt of the English imagination against the neoclassical reason. The French Revolution of 1789-1794 and the English Industrial Revolution exert great influence on English Romanticism. The romanticists express a negative attitude towards the existing social or political conditions. They place the individual at the center of art, as can be seen from Lord Byrons Byronic Hero. The key words of English Romanticism are nature and imagination. They argue that poetry should be free from all rules.A Shakespearean comedyis one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeares other plays. Shakespearean comedies tend to also include:A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders Separation and re-unification Mistaken identities A clever servant Heightened tensions, often within a family Multiple, intertwining plots Frequent punning Lake poetsWordsworth, Coleridge and Southey were known as Lake Poets because they lived and knew one another in the last few years of the 18th century in the district of the great lakes in Northwestern England. The former two published The Lyrical Ballads together in 1798, while all three of them had radical( 激进的),inclinations in their youth but later turned conservative and received pensions and poet laureateships from the aristocracy. Gothic novelGothic novel is a type of romantic fiction that predominates in the late 18th century and continues to show its influence in early 19th century. Its principal elements are violence, horror, and the supernatural. Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley and The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) by Ann Radcliffe are masterpieces of English gothic novel.William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds greatest dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet and the “Bard(吟游诗人） of Avon (or simply The Bard). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.Jane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose realism, biting（尖锐的） social commentary and masterful use of free indirect speech, mockery(嘲笑）, and irony（反讽） have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature.It is Austen who first gave the novel its modern character through the treatment of everyday life. Although Austen was widely read in her lifetime, she published her works anonymously. The most urgent concern of her young, well-bred heroines is courtship（求爱）, and finally marriage. Austens best-known books include Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma (1816). Virginia Woolf called her the most perfect artist among women.Francis Bacon, (22 January 1561 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist(法理学家）, and author. He served both as Attorney General （首席检察官)and Lord Chancellor（英上议院的大法官） of England. He remained extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific revolution. He has been called the most powerful mind of modern times.Free indirect speechis a style of third-person narration which combines some of the characteristics of third-person report with first-person direct speech. (It is also referred to as free indirect discourse, free indirect style. Chartist movementChartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century between 1838 and 1848. It takes its name from the Peoples Charter of 1838, which stipulated the six main aims of the movement as:Suffrage（选举权） for all men age 21 and over Equal-sized electoral districts Voting by secret ballot An end to the need for a property qualification for Parliament Pay for Members of Parliament Annual election of Parliament 诗歌分析The EagleThe poem, consisting of only two stanzas, is one of pure imagery. In the first stanza the eagle sits on some high mountain cliff in some deserted area, and in the second stanza he suddenly swoops down in flight.The first description is of an eagle sitting at the side of a mountain, while digging its talons into the rock. The eagle, a bird of prey, of strength, size, gracefulness, keen vision and power of flight, is pictured as lonely and small against its surroundings. Although the eagle is alone and small against nature, it majestic stereotype is maintained by the placement of the bird at great height or as the poem states,” Close to the sun”. By bringing the sun in to describe how high up in the air the eagle is, he uses exaggeration to associate the eagle with a sense of grand brilliance. This association makes the eagle seem, like the sun, more powerful than anything of this earth. The second depiction is a comparison of the eagle to a thunderbolt falling from the mountain.The words clasps, crag, and crooked associate the eagle with age. Tennyson uses alliteration in this short fragment to convey a sense of the eagles situation and eagles hard, sharp life. Tennyson makes the association of the eagles claws with human hands, he lets us know that the story of the eagle is not just a study of an animal in its natural environment, but that, symbolically, he is telling us about human bein