英国文学简介 大纲 大学文学.doc

英国文学2一、Nice to meet you again!1. About the final exam of Vol. I2. Vol. II (key points)3. Teaching plan4. Teachers Hope5. Students reportFor your reference刘守兰编著，英美名诗解读常耀信著， 漫话英美文学，英国文学简史汪介之主编， 20世纪欧美文学史张伯香主编，英国文学教程陈嘉著，英国文学史杜瑞清著，英美文学与英语教学王佐良等主编，英国文学名篇选注罗经国编，新编英国文学选读浪漫主义时期文学（17981832） 18世纪末、19世纪初，英国诗风大变。苏格兰农民诗人罗伯特彭斯（Robert Burns, 1759-1796）给英国诗坛带来一股新鲜的气息。他的抒情诗自然生动、感情真挚，讽刺诗尖锐锋利、妙趣横生。威廉布莱克（William Blake, 1757-1827）是版画家兼诗人，想象奇特，极富个性。他的短诗意象鲜明，语言清新，后期的长诗内容比较晦涩。他在诗歌中建立起自己一套独特的神话体系，具有神秘主义色彩。布莱克的革命性、独创性和复杂性使他成为浪漫主义诗歌的先驱。 1798年，威廉华兹华斯（William Wordsworth, 1770-1850）与塞缪尔泰勒柯勒律治（Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834）合作出版了一本小诗集抒情歌谣集（Lyrical Ballads），其中大部分诗歌出自华兹华斯之手，用简朴的语言描写简朴的生活。抒情歌谣集的问世标志着英国浪漫主义文学的真正崛起。华兹华斯在1802年诗集再版时写的序中对诗歌作出了著名定义：“好诗是强烈感情的自然流溢”。浪漫主义是对新古典主义的反拨：诗歌内容不再是对现实的反映或道德说教，而是诗人内心涌出的真实感情；诗歌语言不是模仿经典作家去追求高雅精致，而是要贴近普通人的日常用语。浪漫主义诗人崇尚自然，主张返朴归真。 浪漫主义是一个比较笼统的概念，每个诗人各有其特征。同样是“湖畔派”诗人，华兹华斯将大自然视为灵感的源泉，自然美景能给人力量和愉悦，具有疗效作用，使人的心灵净化和升华，柯勒律治则赋予自然神奇色彩，擅长描绘瑰丽的超自然幻景。 乔治戈登拜伦（George Gordon Byron, 1788-1824）和波西比希雪莱（Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792-1822）属于革命诗人，但拜伦自我表现意识强烈，而雪莱深受柏拉图哲学影响，憧憬美丽的理想和理念。约翰济慈（John Keats, 1795-1821）一生追求美，是创造艺术美的天才诗人。19世纪20年代初，济慈、雪莱和拜伦相继英年早逝，英国浪漫主义诗歌由强转弱，风势渐衰。 English Romanticismas a historical phase of literature, is generally said to have began in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth & Coleridges Lyrical Ballads & to have ended in 1832 with Sir Walter Scotts death & the passage of the first Reform Bill in the Parliament. Historical & Cultural backgroundDuring this period, England had experienced profound economic & social change. The biggest social change in English history was the transfer of large masses of the population from the countryside to the towns. As a result of the Enclosures & the agricultural mechanization, the peasants were driven of their land; some emigrated to the colonies; some sank to the level of farm laborers & many others drifted to the industrial towns where there was a growing demand for labor. But the new industrial towns were no better than jungles, where the law was the survival of the fittest. The cruel economic exploitation caused large-scale workers disturbances in England. Influences of the Romantic Movement Romanticism constitutes a change of direction from attention to the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of the human spirit. In essence it designates a literary & philosophical theory which tends to see the individual as the very center of all life & all experience. It also places the individual at the center of art, making literature most valuable as an expression of his or her unique feelings & particular attitudes & valuing its accuracy in portraying the individuals experiences.Romanticism(1798-1832) A movement that flourished in literature, philosophy, music, and art in Western culture during most of the 19th cent., beginning as a result against classicism. Many varieties in many different times and places. Many of the ideas of English Romanticism were first expressed by the poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.It expressed a more or less negative attitude towards the existing social & political conditions that came with industrialization & the growing importance of the bourgeoisie. The Romanticists felt that the existing society denied people their essential human needs, so they demonstrated a strong reaction against the dominant modes of thinking of the 18th-century writers & philosophers. Where their predecessors saw man as a social animal, the Romantics saw him essentially as an individual in the solitary state & emphasized the special qualities of each individuals mind. Romanticism actually constitutes a change of direction from attention to the outer. The appearance of the Romantic Revival was marked by a strong protest against the bondage of Classicism, by a recognition of passion and emotion, and by a renewed interest in medieval literature.Romantic Movement Expressed a more or less negative attitude toward the existing social and political conditions that came with the industrialization and the growing importance of the bourgeoisie. The romantics saw both the corruption and injustice of the capitalism. They emphasized the special of each individual in the solitary state. Thus, Romanticism actually constitutes a change from attention to the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of human spirit. In essence it designates a literary and philosophical theory which tends to see the individual as the very center of all life and all experience.French Revolution (July 14,1789) 反映1830年革命的自由引导人民是德拉克罗瓦最具有浪漫主义色彩的作品之一。画家以奔放的热情歌颂了这次工人、小资产阶级和知识分子参加的革命运动。高举三色旗的象征自由神的妇女形象在这里突出地体现了浪漫主义特征。她健康、有力、坚决、美丽而朴素，正领导着工人、知识分子的革命队伍奋勇前进。强烈的光影所形成的戏剧性效果，与丰富而炽烈的色彩和充满着动力的构图形成了一种强烈、紧张、激昂的气氛，使得这幅画具有生动活跃的激动人心的力量。 Romantic Period The Industrial Revolution. The American Revolution & the French Revolution Accession of Queen Victoria Reform Bill, 1832 Blakes Poetic Sketches Scotts Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border Dates: The Publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges Lyrical Ballads in 1798-Sir Walter Scotts death in 1832; Thinking: J.J. Rousseau , Thomas Paine French revolution Liberty Equality Fraternity American revolution -Declaration of Independence Life Liberty Pursuit of happiness Jean-Jacques Rousseau “Man was born free”, Rousseau wrote in 1762. He thought that civilization fills “man” with unnatural wants and seduces him away from his true nature and original freedom. Rousseau is credited with the idea of the “Noble Savage” who is uncorrupted by artifice and society. In mile (1762) he describes the education of a free being who is encouraged to develop through self expression the natural nobility and liberty of the spirit. Romanticism (the Romantic Movement), a literary movement, and profound shift in sensibility, which took place in Britain and throughout Europe 1770-1848. Intellectually it marked a violent reaction to the Enlightenment. Politically it was inspired by the revolutions in America and France and popular wars of independence in Poland, Spain, Greece, and elsewhere. Emotionally it expressed an extreme assertion of the self and the value of individual experience (the egotistical sublime), together with the sense of the infinite and transcendental. Socially it championed progressive causes, though when these were frustrated it often produced a bitter, gloomy, and despairing outlook. Features of Romanticism Emphasis on feeling, imagination, intuition and subjectivism Love for nature Belief in individuality and freedom Glorification of the commonplace Interest in the past, the unusual, the unfamiliar, the bizarre or the picturesque Feeling of loneliness Subjectivism/spontaneity/singularity奇异/worship of nature/simplicity/melancholy/feelings and emotionsThe essence of the movement is: Glorification of instinct and emotion A deep veneration崇拜尊敬 of nature A flaming zeal燃烧的热情 to remake the world Representatives Lake poets: (earlier) Passive romanticists: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey Later, younger,Active romanticists: George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats. Prose writers: William Hazlitt, Charles Lamb, Thomas De Quincey Novelists: Walter Scott: historical novels Ivanhoe, 12th c. feudal England (romantic atmosphere and realistic depiction of historical events and background and common peoples life) Jane Austen (realistic)William Wordsworth(1770-1850) 1798: Lyrical Ballads (with Coleridge) Beginning of the movement-end(1832, death of Sir Walter Scott) + Coleridge and Robert Southey-lake poets Sister : DorothyMain works Lyrical Ballads Lucy Poems Ode on Intimation of Immortality Ode on Duty The Excursion The preludeComments The representative of the Passive Romantic poets, who expressed the deepest aspirations of the English Romanticism. He saw nature and man with new eyes. His poetry is distinguished by the simplicity and purity of his language. It was his theory that the language spoken by the peasants when purified from its defects was the best of all. Nearly all of his good poetry was written during the first decade of his literary career (1798-1807), when he still kept his early political enthusiasm. His later writings were full of mysticism and many of them unreadable. “他收集夏日明媚的阳光让它们在冬日里放出光芒。” 乔治 布兰代斯（评论家） “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey 1. his physical enjoyment of nature as a boy; 2. his passion for beauty and sublimity; 3. understanding of natures tranquil influence on the spirit; 4. deep communion with nature as a spiritual presence. I Wandered Lonely as a cloud It shows not only his joy at the sight of the beautiful daffodils but also reflects the philosophical depth of his mind under the enchantment of nature. Lyrics as a master hand in searching and revealing the feelings of the common people: “Lucy poems” (She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways); “The Solitary Reaper” Simplicity and purity of language. Preface to Lyrical Ballads: Manifesto For all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. It takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility. The principal object, then, proposed in these poems was to choose incidents and situations from common life, and to relate or describe them, throughout, as far as was possible in a selection of language really used by men, and, at the same time, to throw over them a certain colouring of imagination. Read and Appreciate She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways I Travelled Among Unknown Men I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Sonnet: London, 1802 The Solitary Reaper Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: a strange story in the form of a ballad; a combination of the natural and the supernatural, the ordinary and the extraordinary. Kubla Khan: a dream poem, leaving only the 45-line fragment. After Khubilai took over China, his biggest accomplishment seems to have been several failed attempts to conquer the rest of the world. He did, however, build a beautiful palace complete with lush gardens and a bevy of Hollywood starlets, models, and groupies. He called it Kai-ping, which translates (very loosely mind you) into something sounding not entirely unlike Xanadu. So all this stuff Coleridge wrote about really did exist, he just misspelled everything. George Gordon Byron (1788-18240 The most excellent representative of English Romanticism and one of the most influential poets of his time. Closely related to the struggle and progressive movements of his age. He opposed oppression and slavery and an ardent love for liberty. He praised the peoples revolutionary struggles in his works. His poems show energy and vigor, romantic daring and powerful passion,. -individual heroism and pessimism.Read When We Two Parted Childe Harolds Pilgrimage: Spenserian Stanza Don Juan: The Isles of Greece Spenserian Stanza: a form of poetry written in a 9-line stanza, rhymed (ababbcbcc); the first eight are iambic pentametre lines, and the last an iambic hexameter line. Childe Harolds Pilgrimage Childe Harold: a young aristocrat, loathes English high society, thus has world-weariness and feels solitary and melancholy. He seeks the companionship of mountains and seas, later leaves his country to escape from the society he fears and hates. Canto 1: Portugal and Spain: poverty of the oppressed and their fight against foreign invasion Canto 2: Albania and Greece: Albanian warrior and champion of liberty; Fair Greece and the fallen state Canto 3: personal sorrow; suffering of the people; glorifies the French Revolution Canto 4: the beauty of Italy; exposes the contemporary reactionaries Don Juan each stanza containing 8 iambic pentameter lines; epic satire,a satire on abuses of the present state of society. -a broad panorama of contemporary life; life and adventures of Don Juan, a Spanish youth of noble birth, in different historical events; heroines-Donna Julia; Haidee; Sultana;Catherine the Great His comment is more important than the story 二、Ballads民谣 Ballad is a long singing poem that tells a story (usually of love or adventure), written in quatrains - four lines alternatively of four and three feet. Traditional English ballads originated in the 13th century. Characteristics of ballads: The tradition of oral transmission and an unknown authorship A variety of verse forms, among which the standard stanza form, known as the ballad stanza, “is a quatrain in alternative four and three-stress iambic lines,” usually with only the second and the fourth lines rhyming Frequent adoption of refrains or repetitions to form musical echoes Usually a compact little story, a single incident A multitude of subjects covering history, legends, wars, love stories, family affairs, etc. Simple words, plain language and dialogue are often used in the verse lines.Lord Randal“O where hae ye been, Lord Randal, my son?O where hae ye been, my handsome young man?”“I hae been to the wild wood; mother, make my bed soon,For Im weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.”“Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randal, my son?Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?”“I dines wi my true-love; mother, make my bed soon,For Im weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.”“What gat ye to dinner, Lord Randal, my son?What gat ye to dinner, my handsome young man?”“I gat eels boild in broo; mother, make my bed soon,For Im weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.”“What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randal, my son?“What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?”“O they swelld and died; mother, make my bed soon,For Im weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.”“O I fear ye are poinsond, Lord Randal, my son!O I fear ye are poinsond, my handsome young man!”“O yes! I am poinsond; mother, make my bed soon,For Im sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down.” endGet Up and Bar the DoorTraditional BalladsIT fell about the Martinmas time, And a gay time it was then,When our goodwife got puddings to make, And shes boiled them in the pan.The wind so cold blew south and north, And blew into the floor;Quoth our goodman to our goodwife, “Goout and bar the door.”“My hand is in my hussyfscap, Goodman, as ye may see;If it should not be barrd this hundred year, Its no be barrd for me.”They made a paction tween them two, They made it firm and sure,That the first word whoeer should speak, Should rise and bar the door.Then by there came two gentlemen, At twelve oclock at night,And they could neither see house nor hall, Nor coal nor candle-light.“Now whether is this a rich mans house, Or whether is it a poor?”But neer a word would one of them speak, For barring of the door.And first they ate the white puddings, And then they ate the black;Tho much thought the goodwife to herself, Yet neer a word she spake.Then said the one unto the other, “Here, man, take ye my knife;Do ye take off the old mans beard, And Ill kiss the goodwife.”“But theres no water in the house, And what shall we do then?”“What ails thee at the pudding-broth, That boils into the pan?”O, up then started our goodman, An angry man was he:“Will ye kiss my wife before my eye, And scaldme with pudding-broth?”Then up and started our goodwife, made three skips on the floor:“Goodman, youve spoken the foremost word, Get up and bar the door.”(end)William Wordsworth (1770-1850) One of best English poets. (lake poet) Lyrical Ballads (1798) All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility 诗歌是在平静中回忆起来的强烈感情的自然流露She dwelt among the untrodden ways- William WordsworthShe dwelt among the untrodden waysBeside the springs of Dove,A Maid whom there were none to praise And very few to love: A violet by a mossy stone Half hidden from the eye! -Fair as a star, when only one Is shining in the sky. She lived unknown, and few could know When Lucy ceased to be; But she is in her grave, and, oh, The difference to me! 她住在无人迹的小路旁她住在无人迹的小路旁，在鸽子溪边住家，那儿无人赞颂这位姑娘，也难得有人会爱她。她像不为人见的紫罗兰被披青苔的岩石半掩！她美丽如同一颗寒星孤独地闪烁在天边。她不为人知地活着，也几乎无人知她何时死去；但如今露西已躺进坟墓，对于我呀，世界已非往昔。 Analysis Ballad stanza, alternation of 4 and 3 iambic meter, rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef Interwoven with simple wording, the verse eulogizes the innocence and beauty of and laments the death of “a maid whom there were none to praise/And very few to love” in the earthly world. To the poet, the girl is a unique beauty, an artistic work of immortality, a perfect union with nature and an eternal being different from the sophisticated world. Stylistically speaking, theres sth. special about the verse: a poetic visualization of the girls qualities by foregrounding two images in contrasting colors- “the half hidden violet” and the only one star “shining in the sky”. This suggests two entirely different worlds as well as two different sets of values: a) her beauty is unknown to the worldly; b) her