英国文学史考研笔记.doc

一、History of English Nation and Early Literature1、The language of English 1）Old English 5th 11th century 2) Middle English 11th 15th century 3) Modern English 15th now 2、The Making of English Nation 1) Aborigines: Aborigines of Britain were Celts.（or Britons） (700 B.C.) 2)Roman conquest (1st century B.C.-5th century A.D.) In 55 B.C. Britain was invaded by Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror. The Roman occupation lasted for about 400 years. Christianity arrived England at that period. 3)Anglo-Saxon conquestEnglish conquest(5 C-8 C)Angles, Saxons and JutesAfter many conflicts between the many tribes, at 7th century, a united kingdom appeared. This kingdom used Old English, and the people was called English. The Anglo-Saxon period witnessed a transition from tribal society to feudalism.The Anglo-Sexons believed the Pagan Religion(old mythology of Northern Europe). They were called Pagans.(异教徒) They were Christianized in the 7th century.English literature began from this period. 4) Danish Invasion (8C11C)The danes dominated England for just 30 years, but the influence was deep. 5) Norman conquest(1066-1350) English blended with French and Latin, and Middle English came into being. The Norman Conquest marks the establishment of feudalism in England. Three effects of the Norman conquest: (a)the bringing of Roman civilization to England (b)the growth of nationality i.e. a strong centralized government (c)the new language and literature, which is proclaimed in Chaucer3、Early English Literature(5th century- 15th century) 1) Features: in oral form; close to religion; in poetry(epics) 2) Classification: Secular literature(世俗文学) Religious literature(宗教文学) 3) Masterpieces: The Song of Beowulf （national epic of England） It is the first long narrative poem in old English. It was written down in the 10th century. It told the struggle of primitive people against hostile force of nature under a mighty wise leader. Beowulf fighted with Grendel (a monster half-human), Grendels mother, and a firedrake(firedragon).4) Artistic Features: Alliteration; Compound word; Understatement and Metaphor.4、The Epic, Romance, Chivalry, Ballad and Alliteration Epic is a long narrative poem derived from ancient oral tradition. It narrates the deeds and the adventure of heroic and legendary of the past history of the nation. Usually its sublime in theme, characterization and style. The history of epic can be traced back to Homers Illiad and Odyssey.Romance is the most prevalent kind of literature in feudal England. Its a long composition in verse or in prose. It describes the life and adventure of noble heroes. It generally concerns knights and involves a large amount of miscellaneous adventures. It is chivalric in ideology. The Romance of King Arthur is comparatively the most important for the history of English literature. (the romances had nothing to do with the common people)Chivalry is a kind of religious moral and social laws and customs of Knights in the Middle Ages. According to it, the qualities of Knights involve courage, honor, courtesy, loyalty, devotion to the weak and helpless and to serve the women.Ballad is the stories narrated in songs with musical instruments. It has usually 4-line stanzas with the second and forth lines in rhyme or the couplet in rhyme. The represent of ballad is The Robin Hood Ballads. Alliteration: It has to do with the sound rather the sense of the words for effect. It is a device that repeats the same sound at frequent intervals and since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is also called “front rhyme”.二、Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)Chaucer was a transitional writer, father of English poetry, the greatest poet of Middle Ages and founder of the English Realism.As a forerunner of humanism he is drawn to everything that is earthly, tangible and human. He shows particular interest in the Italian human literature of the 14th century. There are Realistic spirits in his works. In contradistinction to the alliterative verse of the Anglo-Saxon poetry, Chaucer chose the metrical form which laid the foundation of the English tonico-syllabic verse. He is the first great poet who wrote in the English language. Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech.Masterpiece: The Canterbury TalesHeroic couplet: It is iambic pentameter rhyming in pairs. Heroic couplet was started by Geoffrey Chaucer and was perfected by Alexander Pope. It was a standard measure for all forms of poetry. Allegory: It is a figurative narrative or description, conveying a veiled moral teaching and symbolic meaning. In many cases, it is an extended metaphor, besides, the symbolic meaning is usually expressed through personification. The art of allegory reached its height in the middle ages, especially in the works of the Italian poet Dante and the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. It was prevalent also in Renaissance literature. The good example for this is Edmmund Spensers “The Fairy Queen”. Some modern authors also produced allegories, to name but a few, “Animal Farm” by George Onwell, “The Marble Faun” by Nathanrel Hawthorne , “Between the Acts” by Virginia Woolf and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding.三、Bishop Thomas Percy (1729-1811) was among the first to take interest in ballads. He published Reliques of Ancient English Poetry.四、The Renaissance（16世纪）一、文学知识Definitions of the Literary Terms:1. The Renaissance: It is a cultural and intellectual movement. It started in Italy in the late 13th century and gradually spread in Europe. The peak of Renaissance occurred at different time in different places. In England it was in 16th century. It was brought out by the growth of productive forces with the development of new forces of social relationships. It signified the beginning of disruption of feudal system. Its a great liberation of human thought. It became the movement against feudalism and the classical literature and culture. The second feature is keen interest in human activities. Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.2. Humanism: Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. It is a kind of literature and psychological system of thought. It tries to place the affairs of mankind at the center of their concerns. It originated in Italy during Renaissance and soon spread through out west Europe. It reflects the interest and new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists.二、文学分类和代表作家1、小说：1)Thomas More (1478-1535) an outstanding humanist in the early 16th centuryUtopia: The first book contains a long discussion on the social conditions of England. In the second book is described in detail an ideal communist society, Utopia.2)John Lyly(1553-1606): Eupheus大学才子：Thomas Kyd, John Lyly, Thomas Lodge, Thomas Deloney, Thomas Nashe, Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene.2、诗歌 lyrical poems:Sonnet: is a lyrical poem in 14 lines with 10 syllables in each line, usually in iambic pentameter. Its composed in definite rhyming scheme, of which the Petrarcan and Shakespearean are the principle. The Petrarcan sonnet was introduced into England by Thomas Wyatt and Earl of Surrey in the early 16th century. The rhyme pattern was abba abba cdcdcd/ cde cde. The rhyme pattern of Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg. Sonnet became a perfect English poetic medium in the hands of Shakespeare and Milton and so on. 1）Thomas Wyatt(1503-1542)first introduced the sonnet into English literature; Earl of Surrey2）Earl of Surrey(1527-1547)created blank verse; 3）Philip Sidney(1554-1586); 4）Edmund Spenser(1552-1599). the author of the greatest epic poem of the time The Fairy Queen; The Shepherds Calendar. He created a new stanza, called the Spenserian stanza, which is well suited to narrative verse. Spenserian stanza: Spenserian stanza was invented by Edmund Spenser. It is a stanza of nine lines, with the first eight lines in iambic pentameter & the last line in iambic hexameter, rhyming ababbcbcc.3、EssayFrancis Bacon(1561-1626) The founder of English materialist philosophy and modern science in England. He is the first English essayist.散文：Of Truth; Of Studies 4、戏剧A）Christopher Marlowe(1564-1593)Marlowe was the first great English Dramatist. In his plays, Marlowe used blank verse, which he molded into a superb instrument for expressing intense emotions. After his development of blank verse it became the standard medium for English dramatic & epic poetry.作品：Doctor Faustus; The Jew of Malta; TamburlaineB) Ben Jonson(1572-1637)作品：Every Man in His Humour; Volpone, or the Fox; The Alchemist; Bartholomew Fair.C）William Shakespeare(1564-1616)Generally, his dramatic career is divided into 4 periods.The First Period (1590-1594)-five historical plays & four comedies: Henry , part (1590)Henry , part (1590)Henry , part (1591)Richard (1592)Titus Andronicus (1593)The Comedy of Errors (1592)The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594)The Taming of the Shrew (1593)Loves Labors Lost (1594)The Second Period (1595-1600)-five historical plays, six comedies & two tragedies:Richard (1595)King John (1596)Henry , Part & Part (1597)Henry V (1598)A Midsummer Nights Dream (1595)The Merchant of Venice (1596)Much Ado About Nothing (1598)As You Like It (1599)Twelfth Night (1600)The Merry Wives of Winsor (1598)Romeo & Juliet (1595)Julius Caesar (1599)The Third Period (1601-1609)-Seven tragedies & two dark comedies:Hamlet Othello King Lear MacbethAntony & Cleopatra Troilus & Cressida Coriolonus Alls Well That Ends WellMeasure for MeasureThe Fourth Period (1609-1612)-Romantic tragic-comedies & two plays:Pericles Cymbeline The Winters Tale The TempestHenry The Two Noble KinsmenShakespeares authentic non-dramatic poetry consists of two long narrative poems: Venus & Adonis & The Rape of Lucrece & his sequence of 154 sonnets.五、The 17th CenturyPuritan Revolution: It refers to the bitter power struggle between the Parliament and the English Monarchy. The victory of the parliament side led to the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the temporal overthrow of the monarchy. The country became a republic founded by Cromwell and lasted for more than ten years. It ended with James II restoring monarchy in 1660. The revolution was led by the Parliament, the majority of which were puritans.Spiritual Gloom: The 17th century England witnessed frequent changes in ruling powers, and with the breaking of old ideas in politics and religion, came the confusion of peoples spiritual world, which called Spiritual Gloom. This prevalent feeling could be found in many authors works at that time. The best example is Robert Burtons “Anatomy of Melancholy”.1、John Donne(1572-1631)Donne is the leading figure of the 17th-century metaphysical school. His poems give a more inherently theatrical impression by exhibiting a seemingly unfocused diversity of experiences & attitudes, & a free range of feelings & attitudes, & a free range of feelings & moods. The mode is dynamic rather than static, with ingenuity of speech, vividness of imagery & vitality of rhythms, which show a notable contrast to the other Elizabethan lyric poems, which are pure, serene, tuneful, & smooth running. 作品：poems Death Be Not Proud; Go and Catch a Falling Star; The Ecstacy; A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. Metaphysical poetry: It is a term invented by John Dryden and adopted by Samuel Johnson as a designation of certain 17th century poetry. These poets were addicted to witty conceits and far-fetched imagery. They stressed the highly intellectual convictions and the genuine poetic quality and introduced reasoning and argument into poetry. Sometimes these poems are too obscure to be understood. The best example of this group are John Donne, George Herbert and Andrew Marwell.2、John Milton(1608-1674)John Milton, English poet & prose writer. Milton was one of the greatest poets in the English language & one of the towering figures in all literature. His masterpiece, Paradise Lost, is considered the unsurpassed English epic poem. He is also famous for his graceful lyric poems, such as Lycidas, LAllegro.Miltons literary achievements can be divided into three groups: the early poetic works: Lycidas, LAllegrothe middle prose pamphlets the last great poems. In 1652 he suffered great personal tragedy with the total loss of his eyesight & the death of his wife & infant son.Paradise Lost ; Paradise Regained ; Samson Agonistes . Among the three, the first is the greatest, indeed the only generally acknowledged epic in English literature since Beowulf; & the last one is the most perfect example of the verse drama after the Greek style in English. Puritanism: Puritans wanted to purify the religious belief and practice. The wished to restore the simplicity of church practice and the authority of the Bible to theology. They were a group of people of hasher sect, looking upon themselves as chosen people. They renounced a life of joy of this world and embraced the eternal bliss of Heaven. Therefore, they opposed the art and pleasure at large. They were much more concerned with authority than with democracy. Puritans built a life of their own that was in harmony with their religion. It was one that stressed hardworks, thrifty and sobriety. The puritan value dominated much of the early American culture and writing. 3、John Bunyan（1628-1688）John Bunyans The Pilgrims Progress is the outstanding 17th-century English religious literature. For more than 200 years this book was second in popularity only to the Bible. Bunyan did not attempt to portray the political confusion & social upheaval of 17th-century England. His concern was rather the study of mans spiritual life.Bunyan chiefly wrote four prose works - Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners ； The Life & Death of Mr. Badman； The Holy War ； The Pilgrims Progress。六、The Neoclassical Period （18th century）Definitions of literary terms1) 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 flourished in France & swept through the whole Western Europe at the time. The movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance of the 15th & 16th centuries. Its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modem philosophical & artistic ideas. The enlighteners celebrated reason or rationality, equality & science. They called for a reference to order, reason & rules & advocated universal education. Famous among the great enlighteners in England were those great writers like John Dryden, Alexander pope & so on.2) NeoclassicismIn England, neoclassicism is initiated by John Dryden, culminated in Alexander Pope and continued by Samuel Johnson. It was a reaction against the fire of passions that blazed in the later Renaissance. It found its literary artistic model in the classical literature of ancient Greek and Latin authors, such as Homer, Virgil, Horace. The neoclassicists have their artistic ideas: order, logic, symmetry, restraint, accuracy, good taste, good sense, decorum and so on. In drama, they follow the Three Unities closely.1、Richard Steele(1672-1729) and Joseph Addison(1672-1719)The Tatler ; The Spectator (the earliest periodicals)2、Samuel Johnson（1709-1784）Samuel Johnson, commonly called Dr. Johnson, was one of the greatest figures of 18th-century English literature. He was the last great neoclassicist enlightener in the late 18th century. He had a hand in all the different branches of literary activities. He was a poet, dramatist, prose romancer, biographer, essayist, critic, lexicographer & publicist.His major works :poems: London, & The vanity of Human Wishesa romance: The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia ; a tragedy: Irenehundreds of essays in the two periodicals :The Rambler & The Idler; English dictionary :A Dictionary of the English Language 英国传记文学双星：Life of Johnson by James BoswellThe Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Cleghon Gaskell3、Alexander pope（1688-1744）poetPope is one of the fore-most satirists in world literature as well as a great poet. Popes mock-heroic poem The Rape of the Lock is one of the finest examples of English comic verse. As a representative of the Enlightenment, Pope was one of the first to introduce rationalism to England. He was the greatest poet of his time.His major works1). The Rape of the LockA delightful burlesque of epic poetry, it ridicules the manners of the English nobility. The poem is based on an actual incident in which a young nobleman stole a lock of a ladys hair.2) An Essay on CriticismHis first important work, An Essay on Criticism was a long didactic poem in heroic couplets. In this work, he reflected the neo-classical spirit of the times by advocating good taste, common sense & the adherence to classical rules in writing & criticism. The whole poem is written in a plain style, hardly containing any imagery or eloquence &therefore makes easy reading.3） The DunciadGenerally considered Popes best satiric work, The Dunciad goes deep in meaning & works at many levels. Its satire is directed at Dullness in general, & in the course of it all the literary men of the age. Poets mainly who had made Popes enemies, are held up to ridicule. But the poem is not c