英国modern.doc

Charpter 5-The Modern Period(英国)Historical background:1.The 1st World War tremendously weakened the British Empire and brought about great sufferings to its people as well2. The 2nd World War marked the last stage of the disintegration of the British Empire. Cultural background: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels put forward the theory of scientific socialism Einsteins theory of relativity provided entirely new ideas for the concepts of time and space. Freuds analytical psychology drastically altered our conception of human nature. Henry Bergson established his irrational philosophy, which put the emphasis on creation, intuition, irrationality and unconsciousness. Modernismtheoretical base and theme Modernism takes the irrational philosophy and the theory of psycho-analysis as its theoretical base. The major themes of the modernist literature are the distorted, alienated and ill relationships between man and nature, man and society, man and man, and man and himself. The modernist writers concentrate on the private and the subjective. They are mainly concerned about the inner being of an individual.definitionModernism is a reaction against realism. It rejects rationalism; it excludes from its major concern the external, objective material world; by advocating a free experimentation on new forms and new techniques in literary creation, it casts away almost all the traditional elements in literature such as story, plot, character, chronological narration, etc. As a result, the works created by the modernist writers are often labeled as anti-novel, anti-poetry and anti-drama.Stream of consciousness It is a literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they develop. With the notion that multiple levels of consciousness existed simultaneously in the human mind, that ones present was the sum of his past, present and future, and that the whole truth about human beings existed in the unique, isolated, and private world of each individual, writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf concentrated all their efforts to digging into the human consciousness. Literature: 1. Poetry: The poetry in the early years of the 20th century was a continuation of the Victorian poetry.In the 1920s, the early poems of Pound and Eliot and Yeats matured poetry marked the rise of “modern poetry” which was a revolution against the conventional ideas and forms of the Victorian poetry. The 1930s is called “the red thirties”. In the 1950s, there was a return of realistic poetry again. In the 1960s, there was no significant poetic movement.2. Novels The realistic novels in the early 20th century were the continuation of the Victorian tradition, yet its exposing and criticizing power against capitalist evils had been somewhat weakened both in width and depth. (John Galsworthy).In the 1930s, novelists enriched the traditional ways of creation by adopting some of the modernist techniques, but the novels were (1) touched by a pessimistic mood (mans loneliness) (2) there rose a few working-class writers.In the mid-1950s and early 60s, there appeared “the Angry Young Men”. Kinsley Amis, John Wain, John Braine, Alan Sillitoe.The first three decades were golden years of the modernist novel. (James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence)3. Drama The greatest dramatists in the last decade of the 19th century were Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw.The Irish National Theater Movement began in the early 20th century. Sean OCasey.The 1930s witnessed a revival of poetic drama in England. (T.S.Eliot)The English dramatic revolution came in the 1950s, developing in two directions: the working-class drama and the Theater of Absurd. (Look Back in Anger of John Osborne, Waiting for Godot of Samuel Beckett)Modernism（删）The term Modernism usually refers to the early part of the twentieth century sometimes beginning with the First World War in 1914, and continuing through the 1930s or so perhaps up to the Second World War. Some of the most influential Modernist writers tried some radical experiments with form: poets like Pound and Eliot working in free verse, for instance, and novelists like Joyce, Woolf, and Stein experimenting with stream of consciousness and elaborate language games.Waiting for Godot, Becketts most famous workpremiered in Paris in 1953, and the theater was changed forever, its limits and conventions dashed to bits. What audiences found on their innocent night out was a set consisting simply of a scruffy, barren little tree beside an equally barren country road. And there they were, Vladimir and Estragon, a pair of destitutes from the fringes of vaudeville, patiently, and not so patiently, waiting for Godot. And how long will they wait? Why, as long as it takes; until he comes; or until the end, if he doesnt come; or forever. And so it goes, this classic of twentieth-century theater, a tragicomedy in two acts, during which nothing changes, nothing happens (twice), time passes, and Godot never comes. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Points of view: 1. Politically, Shaw was a reformist. 2. Artistically, Shaw was against the credo of “art for arts sake”. 3. Structurally and thematically, he followed the great traditions of realismHis major works: Widowers House (1892), his first play, is a grotesquely realistic exposure of slum landlordism. Mrs. Warrens Profession (1893), about the economic oppression of women. Special features: 1. Problem plays:As a realistic dramatist, he took the modern social issues as his subjects with the aim of directing social reforms. Most of his plays are concerned with political, economic, moral, or religious problems, and thus, can be termed as problem plays. 2. Characterization:A. One feature is that he makes the trick of showing up one character vividly at the expense of another. Usually he would take an unconventional character, a person with the gift of insight and freedom, and impinge it upon a group of conventional social animals, so as to reveal stock notions, prejudices and dishonesties.B. Another feature is that Shaws characters are the representatives of ideas that shift and alter during the play. The inversion, a device, is an integral part of an interpretation of life. 3. A strong sense of comedy:The comic effects in Shaws play are achieved through his witty dialogues, sharp satires and vivid portrayal of characters. 4. Style:Shaws language is easy, witty and forceful. The plot of his play is usually the disregarded backbone to one long, unbroken conversation, which often takes primacy over mere story. Action is reduced to a minimum, while the dialogue and the interplay of the minds of the characters maintain the interest of the audience. Selected reading: Act II of Mrs. Warrens Profession 1.Theme:A. There are two possible interpretations of the play. The first polarizes around Mrs. Warren with the revelation that guilt for prostitution lies more upon the social system than immoral woman. In the play, Shaw shows clearly that all human sufferings are consequences of the cruel economic exploitation, which is pursued shamelessly by the so-called respectable members of the society. In this sense, the play is not only moral, but also has a strong realistic theme. B. The second polarizes around Vivie. Vivie starts out in ignorance of the evil and corrupt world and progresses through a series of temptations, which put her in a better understanding of the capitalist world. Each in its way is a dodge from reality and violates her sense of justice. Only by reflecting them, can Vivie achieve her ultimate salvation in the fervent pursuit of freedom and independence as a new woman. On this level, the play is a spiritual triumph for the heroine who experiences a journey from illusion to reality. Summary:1. Literary ideas: evolutionary socialism2. His works: 50 plays3. Selected reading: Mrs. Warrens Profession(1893)4. Theme: economic oppression of women5.characteristics: “problem plays” 1) structure: realism: order, logic, plays do not work by plots, but by conversation. 2) characterization: a. showing up one at the expense of another; b. individuals representing ideas 3) language: witty, conversation 4) style: satirical, ironical 5) device: inversion of theatrical situation.John Galswortyhy(1867-1933) Points of view and features: Politically, John Gaslworthy was a bourgeois liberal and a reformist. He was a moralist and a critic whose primary aim as a writer was not to create a society but to criticize the existing one Artistically, Galsworthy was a conventional writer He was also successful in his attempt to present satire and humor in his writing. His major works:1. His novels:From the Four Winds (1897).The Forsyte Saga: The 1st trilogy: The Man of Property (1906), In Chancery (1920) and To Let (1921). The 2nd, A Modern Comedy (1929) The 3rd, End of the Chapter (1934)2. PlaysGalsworthys plays dramatized ethical problems arising from social issues with considerable theatrical virtues. The silver Box, Strife (1909), and The Skin Game (1920).Selected reading: Chapter 13 of The Man of Property. The theme of this novel is that of the predominant possessive instinct of the Forsytes and its effects upon the personal relationships of the family with the underlying assumption that human relationships of the contemporary English society are merely an extension of property relationships. Characteristics 1. documentary precision2. Characterization: posessiveness3. clear and straightforward language.4. satire and humorWilliam Butler Yeats (1865-1939)Points of view:1. Politically, Yeats was a moderate nationalist. Surely he had his national pride and his hatred for English oppression. 2. Religiously, not content with any dogma in any of the established religious institutions he built up for himself a mystical system of beliefs. He believed that history, and life, followed a circular, spiral pattern consisting of long cycles which repeated themselves over and over on different levels3. Literally, Yeats disagreed with the idea of “art for arts sake”. He came to see that literature should not be an end in itself but the expression of conviction and the garment of noble emotion. The aims that Yeats was fighting for as a poet and a playwright were to write about Ireland for an Irish audience and to recreate a specifically Irish literature. Three periods of his poetic career and works 1. Yeats began his poetic career in the romantic tradition. The major themes are Celtic legends, local folktales, or stories of the heroic age in Irish history. He has achieved suggestive patterns of meaning by a careful counterpointing of contrasting ideas or images. The overall style is very delicate with natural imagery, dream-like atmosphere and musical beauty. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” 2. The first two decades of the 20th century were a period of transition to Years. The early passive and dreamy mood was replaced by anger, disillusion and bitter satire. His style is both simple and rich, colloquial and formal, with a quality of metaphysical wit and symbolic vision, which indicates that Yeats has already been on his way to modernist poetry. “No Second Troy” 3. Yeats reached the last stage of his poetic creation when he was over fifty. The scorn so pervasive before was gone. His concern has turned to the great subjects of dichotomy, such as, youth and age, love and war, body and soul, and life and art. Yeats has developed a tough, complex and symbolical style. “Sailing to Byzantium” , “Leda and the Swan”.His plays:1. The Countess Cathleen, it is an Irish myth about a noblewoman who sells her soul to the devil in order to save starving peasants. 2. Cathleen ni Houlihan, It is a forceful play of patriotism, in which Cathleen a poor and mysterious old woman, who symbolizes Ireland, calls on the young people to assist her in recovering her land from strangers and promises glory to those ho make sacrifice in their fight.Characteristics in his playsExperimenting with techniques borrowed from the Japanese Noh plays, such as the use of masks, of ritualized actions, and of symbolic language together with the combination of music and danceSelected readings: “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”a.Structurally, the poem consists of three quatrains of iambic pentameter, with each stanza rhymed abab. Innisfree is an inlet in the lake in Irish legends. Here the poet is referring to a place for hermitage.b. Thematically, Tired of the life of his day, Yeats sought to escape into an ideal “fairy-land” where he could live calmly as a hermit and enjoy the beauty of nature.C. Stylistically, the poem is closely woven, easy, subtle and musical. The clarity and control of the imagery give the poem a haunting quality. No Second TroyWHY should I blame her that she filled my daysWith misery, or that she would of lateHave taught to ignorant men most violent ways,Or hurled the little streets upon the great.Had they but courage equal to desire?What could have made her peaceful with a mindThat nobleness made simple as a fire,With beauty like a tightened bow, a kindThat is not natural in an age like this,Being high and solitary and most stern?Why, what could she have done, being what she is?Was there another Troy for her to burn?Leda And The SwanA SUDDEN blow: the great wings beating stillAbove the staggering girl, her thighs caressedBy the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.How can those terrified vague fingers pushThe feathered glory from her loosening thighs?And how can body, laid in that white rush,But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?A shudder in the loins engenders thereThe broken wall, the burning roof and towerAnd Agamemnon dead.Being so caught up,So mastered by the brute blood of the air,Did she put on his knowledge with his powerBefore the indifferent beak could let her drop? When You Are Old -To Maud Gonne When you are old and gray and full of sleep And nodding by the fire, take down this book And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep How many loved your moments of glad grace And loved your beauty with love false or true But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you And loved the sorrows of your changing face 1. His poetic works: 3 periods 1) romantic tradition, theme: Celtic legends, local folktales, stories of the heroic age in Irish history.style: natral imagery, dream-like atmosphere and music beauty. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” 2) transition: realistic themes: human problems. Style: satire, metaphysical wit and symbolic vision. “No Second Troy” 3) modern: theme: dichotomy. Style: tough, complex and symbolical.2. Drama: techniques from Japanese Noh plays: the use of masks, of ritualized action, of symbolci language together with music and dance. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) T.S. Eliot is both a poet, verse dramatist and a prose write.When he was young, he was radical, satiric and explorative. His conversion to Anglicanism in 1927 made him in favor of the divine order against the anarchic chaos.Major works: Poems: “Gerontion”, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, Four QuartetsPlays: Murder in the Cathedral, The Family Reunion, The Cocktail Party, The Confidential Clerk, The Elder Statesman1.Four Quartets (1944)Based on the Christian dogmas of incarnation and resurrection, it is concerned with the quest for the immortal element, the stillness within time or history. The Wasteland (1922) A. It has been hailed as a landmark and a model of the 20th century English poetry, comparable to Wordsworths Lyrical Ballads. B.Theme:It is a poem concerned with the spiritual breakup of a modern civilization in which human life has lost its meaning, significance and purpose. The poem has developed a whole set of historical, cultural and religious themes; but it is often regarded as being primarily a reflection of the 20th-century peoples disillusionment and frustration in a sterile and futile society. C. Structure:The poem is 433 lines long and is divided into five sections, which are not logically constructed or connected.Selected reading: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” 1. Theme, the poem presents the meditation of an aging young man over the business of proposing marriage. The poem is in a form of dramatic monologue, suggesting an ironic contrast between a pretended “love song” and a confession of the speakers incapability of facing up to love and to life in a sterile upper-class world. 2. Characterization: Prufrock, the protagonist of the poem, is neurotic, self-important, illogical and incapable of action. He is a kind of tragic figure caught in a sense of defeated idealism and tortured by unsatisfied desires.3. The setting of the poem resembles the “polite society” of Popes “The Rape of the Lock”, in which a tea party is a significant event and a game of cards is the only way to stave off boredom.4. Structure, the poem seems to be formless. Yet the poem is strictly coherent in terms of its thematic meaning. 5. The language is leisurely, sometimes merely repetitious, yet somehow, we recognize that this seeming commonplaceness in the choice of language actually demonstrates eloquently the poets superb craftsmanship. 6. And the images, those of hard, gritty objects and evasive hellish atmosphere, though very frequently diffused, they convey the shifts and movements of the entire mood of the whole poem. The complications of Prufrock involve from the poems beginning a more direct transformation of the dramatic monologue than does Gerontion when the pronouns that I uses suggest the presence of an unspecified list