英国文学史期末复习指南.doc

Romanticism in England1. The Historical Background2. The literary trends*3、RomanticismA movement that flourished in literature, philosophy, music and art in western culture during most of the nineteenth century, beginning as a revolt against classicism. There have been many varieties of Romanticism 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.2.2 Romantic Movement The Romantic Movement expressed a more or less negative attitude toward the existing social and political conditions that came with industrialization and the growing importance of the bourgeoisie. The Romantics, who were deeply immersed in the most violent phase of the transition from decadent feudal societies to the fundamental in humanity of the economic, capitalist economy, saw both the corruption and injustice of the social and political forces of capitalism. They felt that the society strong reaction against the dominant modes of thinking of the 18th century writers and philosophers. They saw man essentially as an individual in the solitary state. They emphasized the special of each individuals mind. Thus, Romanticism actually constitutes a change of direction from attention to the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of the 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.2.6 Lake Poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey have often been mentioned as the Lake School or“Lakers”because they lived in the lake district in the northwestern part of England. The three traversed the same path in politics and in poetry, beginning as radicals and closing as conservatives.William Wordsworth（1770-1850）William Wordsworth, （1770-1850）the representative poet of the early romanticism, was born in a lawyers family at Cockermouth, Cumber. He is considered the leader of “Lake Poets”and graduated from Cambridge University. In 1843 he succeeded Southey as Poet Laureate.3.2 Appreciation ： I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud / The Daffodils1.Why there are two different tenses in the poem?2.What kinds of language devices does Wordsworth use in his poems? How do they serve the writers purpose? 3.What is the theme of the poem? 4.What kind of language does he use, colloquial and simple words or big and decent words ?The poet puts himself in the position of a single cloud drifting over the never ending hills of rolling daffodils. He also puts himself in the position of solitude. The last stanza of the poem reveals that he is lying on a couch and visualizing the daffodils, which brings him serenity and joy. In the first stanza there is a comparison between the poet and cloud which suggests laziness and freedom. In the poem, Wordsworth comments on the pleasure obtained from solitary contemplation. His use of the word “lonely” is positive.He uses terms “ crowd” and “host” to refer to daffodils as if he is talking about human beings.The daffodils are located in the countryside near a lake and trees and are also seen to move continually in a dance. The poets gets pleasure from remembering the scene of daffodils he saw.In the first three stanzas the tense is past and in the last stanza is the present. The past tense shows the remembrance of the past; the present tense indicates a permanent condition in the present . W. Wordsworth in his poem I wandered Lonely as a Cloud is possibly making an attempt to show the reader the essence of life in nature, and what kind of a role a memory from childhood can play on us as adults. In his poem William Wordsworth is using daffodils as a metaphor for living, perhaps even eternal life, or life after death. Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way, they stretched a never ending line? As our life stretching for as long as we can see it, the daffodils might be a mere representation of the millions of lives that take place around us, but which we seldom have time to appreciate.The theme of this poem is harmony between humanity and nature.Writers uses simile, metaphor, personification, images in his poem.There is vivid picture of the daffodils here, mixed with the poets philosophical and somewhat mystical thoughts. It is perhaps the most anthologized poem in English literature, and one that takes us to the core of Wordsworths poetic beliefs.3.3 The Solitary Reaper It is an iambic verse. Most of the lines in the poem are octosyllabics. The rhyme-scheme for each stanza is ababccdd.The Solitary Reaper use rural figures to suggest the timeless mystery of sorrowful humanity and its radiant beauty.It describes a nameless listeners delight in a young womans melancholy song in an unknown language as, working by herself in a Scottish valley, she swings a sickle, reaping grain. Four eight-line stanzas, each closing with two couplets. Short lines deliver the rhymes at a quick pace. Sentences normally need two or more such short lines to complete, so that few lines are strongly end-stopped Diction is conversational. Often lines consist mainly of monosyllabic words . Wordsworth prefers common verbs, behold, reap, sing, stop, pass, cut, bind, chant, hear, and break. Words imported into English from Latin or Greek, like solitary and melancholy or forms with -ive and -ion endings (e.g., plaintive and motionless), are infrequent. Wordsworth writes plain, almost undemanding verse. For example, he repeats the simplest idea in varying words. The girl is single, solitary, and by herself (1-3). She is reaping (3), that is, cuts and binds the grain (5), oer the sickle bending (28). The onlooker is both motionless and still (29). The lass sings (3, 17, 25, 27) or does chant (9) a strain (6), a lay (21), or a song (26). The speaker relies on everyday idioms, worn to vagueness by overuse in ordinary talk. Her theme (25) is of things (19) or matter (22) That has been, and may be again (24). This excludes only what never existed at all. Whenever the speaker might become elevated in speech, his language seems prosaic（散文的，平凡的）, even chatty: “Will no one tell me .” (17), “Whatere the theme” (25), and “Long after it was heard no more” (32). Wordsworth notes, pointedly, that this last line comes verbatim（逐字地） from a prose travel book. The Solitary Reaper does not implement, programmatically, his dogma of plain diction. For example, Vale profound (7), plaintive numbers (18), and humble lay (21) are semi-formulaic,刻板的catch phrasesThese exceptions may be deliberate, characterizing the speaker (not Wordsworth) as someone for whom poetry means much. He resorts to formulas as if to hint that the girls song is out-of-place in the valley, however separated from the traditions of fine verse by her class, occupation, and location. Wordsworth may deliberately impoverish(使贫穷) his speakers language so as to contrast it with the reapers song. The Solitary Reapers “song”, like a found poem, springs directly from nature, without literary context. Her music runs like water (overflowing the valley) and surpasses the beauty of two celebrated English song-birds, the nightingale and the cuckoo. The Solitary Reaper relates an ecstatic moment in which a passer-by transcends the limitations of mortality. Both the song and he go on together. 5. Assessment of WordsworthAs one of Lake Poets.Wordsworth has secured the reputation of being one of the great Romantic poets. Although often viewed as a nature poet (and a poet of nature) his poetry is not simply concerned with scenic and descriptive evocations of nature, but rather with the issues of Man, Human Nature and Mans relationship with the natural (and supernatural) world. Wordsworth was at his best in descriptions of mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, children and peasants, and reminiscences of his own childhood and youth.As a great poet of nature, he was the first to find words for the most elementary sensations of man face to face with natural phenomena. These sensations are universal and old but, once expressed in his poetry, become charmingly beautiful and new.Wordsworths personality and poetry were deeply influenced by his love of nature, especially by the sights and scenes of the Lake Country, in which he spent most of his mature life. A profoundly earnest and sincere thinker, he displayed a high seriousness comparable, at times, to Miltons but tempered with tenderness and a love of simplicity. His use of the language of ordinary speech was heavily criticized, but it helped to rid English poetry of the more artificial conventions of 18th-century diction. His well-known poems are “Lucy” , The Solitary Reaper, Daffodils, and The Rainbow etc. Wordsworth has again been recognized as a great English poeta profound, original thinker who created a new poetic tradition.The spirit of the French Revolution had strongly influenced Wordsworth, and he returned (1792) to England imbued with the principles of Rousseau and republicanism. Wordsworth is the representative of the passive Romantic poets, who expressed the deepest aspirations of English Romanticism. His poetry is distinguished by the simplicity and purity of his language. His theory and practice in poetical creation started from a dissatisfaction with the social reality under capitalism, and hinted at the thought of “back to nature” and “back to patriarchal system of the old time”. . . . poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility. . . (Preface) 所有的好诗都是炽烈情感的自然涌流，而这种情感又是经过在宁静中追忆的 George Gordon, Lord Byron（1788-1824）3.2 Appreciation of She Walks in BeautyDarkness and light are enjambment(跨行连读)forces, how does the poet join the opposites within the woman? According the second stanza,in the eye of the poet, which is more pleasing, night or day, or otherwise? In the third stanza, how do you understand “nameless grace”? Is it something external or internal? What does the poet mean by “dwelling place”, and what does he want to emphasize? In what way does the poet attest(证实) to the moral beauty of the woman, as well as her physical description?The first couple of lines can be confusing if not read properly. Too often readers stop at the end of the first line where there is no punctuation. This is an enjambed line, meaning that it continues without pause onto the second line. That “she walks in beauty like the night” may not make sense as night represents darkness. However, as the line continues, the night is a cloudless one with bright stars to create a beautiful mellow(圆润的,柔美的 ) glow.The first two lines bring together the opposing qualities of darkness and light that are at play throughout the three verses.The remaining lines of the first verse employ another set of enjambed lines that tell us that her face and eyes combine all best of dark and bright.No mention is made here or elsewhere in the poem of any other physical features of the lady.The focus of the vision is upon the details of the ladys face and eyes which reflect the mellowed and tender light. She has a remarkable quality of being able to contain the opposites of dark and bright.The third and fourth lines are not only enjambed, but the fourth line begins with an irregularity in the meter called a metrical（韵律） substitution. The fourth line starts with an accented syllable followed by an unaccented one, rather than the iambic meter of the other lines, an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. The result is that the word “Meet” receives attention, an emphasis. The ladys unique feature is that opposites “meet” in her in a wonderful way. The second stanza tells us that the glow of the ladys face is nearly perfect. The shades and rays are in just the right proportion, and because they are, the lady possesses a nameless grace. This conveys the romantic idea that her inner beauty is mirrored by her outer beauty. Her thoughts are serene and sweet. She is pure and dear.The last verse is split between three lines of physical description and three lines that describe the ladys moral character. Her soft, calm glow reflects a life of peace and goodness. This is a repetition, an emphasis, of the theme that the ladys physical beauty is a reflection of her inner beauty. Byronic heroes: In his works appear the “Byronic heroes”, Who are men of noble origin with fiery passions and unbending will and express the poets own ideal of freedom. These heroes rise against tyranny and injustice, but they are merely lone fighters striving for personal freedom and some individualistic ends.3.4 Analysis of Don Juan 3.4.1 Introduction 3.4.2 Appreciation of The Isles of Greece The Isles of Greece , is taken from Canto III, which is sung by a Greek singer at the wedding of Don Juan and Haidee. It is usually considered as an independent part because of lack of relevance to the other parts in the plot. In the early 19th century, Greece was under the rule of Turk. By contrasting the freedom of ancient Greece and present enslavement, the poet appealed people to struggle for liberty.The author uses many allusions such as Homer, Sappho, Greek phalanx, which are all familiar to English people, and name of places such as Marathon, Thermopylae. Salamis, which are famous in history to arouse readers association and cause them to meditate about the enslaved state of the present. The poet uses the allusions of famous campaign to emphasize that Greek people should win their liberty by revolution.4. Comment on ByronHe was the most colorful of the English romantic poets, Lord Byron embodied the romantic hero in his own quixotic(唐吉珂德的,狂想的) lifestyle. His persistent character is that of a moody(喜怒无常), passionate, and remorse-torn but unrepentant wanderer.He is an alien, mysterious, and gloomy spirit, immensely superior in his passions and powers to the common run （运转趋势）of humanity, whom he regards with disdain. He holds the torturing memory of an enormous, nameless guilt that drives him toward an inevitable doom. Byron is hard to classify by any standard. In so many ways, he epitomized(概括为) the central enigmas(迷) of romanticism, opposites that could never be reconciled: (和谐顺从) 1. heterosexual and bisexual and homosexual? 2. fascinated with his accomplishments, as a writer and athletically, but tortured with a horrible self-image. 3. Romantic and Neoclassicist in form and thought. 4. deformed physically but very handsome: 5. wanted to be loved but rejected suitors. 6. a gentle heart but capable of cruelty 7. the term BYRONIC HERO comes from his namePercy Bysshe Shelley （1792-1822）3. Analysis of Ode to the West Wind 3.1. Ode: Ode is a dignified and elaborately structured lyric poem praising and glorifying an individual, commemorating an event, or describing nature intellectually rather than emotionally. Odes originally were songs performed to the accompaniment of a musical instrument.3.2. BackgroundThis Poem was conceived and chiefly written in a wood that skirts the Arno, near Florence, and on a day when that tempestuous wind, whose temperature is at once mild and animating, was collecting the vapors which pour down the autumnal rains.（Shelleys note）Ode to the West Windis Shelleys most famous short poem. It is an invocation（符咒） for an unseen force to take control and revive life. It was first composed on October 19, 1819, inspired by a walk in woodland near Florence(佛罗伦萨), and it was first published in August, 1820 with Prometheus Unbound. Ode is unique in its structure and its use of the complicated terza rima（三行诗节）, which has a rhyme scheme of aba - bcb - cdc ded - ee. Each of the five stanzas of the poem is composed of fourteen lines; four tercets（三行押韵诗） and a couplet. This gives each stanza a compactness（简洁，紧凑） and solidarity（一致，整齐） unto itself. 3.3. Appreciation of itStanza 1：pestilence-stricken multitude: Here refers to those piles of dead leaves driven away by the wind as if they were running away from a terrible place. Azure sister of the spring: refers to the west wind that will blow in the spring. Clarion: a high, shrill trumpet.This stanza describes the power and function of west wind by the description of its two distinct features as destroyer and preserver. As destroyer, the west wind blows down the dead leaves and as preserver, it blows seeds into soil to be preserved and waits till their budding when spring comes again. In this way, he expresses his desire to be destroyer of old rotten things and preserver of new good things.Stanza 2:The poet describes the activity of west wind on cloud in the sky. Images of cloud, rain, hail and lightening are profusely used to describe the power of west wind.Stanza 3：Describes the activity of west wind on the waves in the sea.Stanza 4：This stanza is the poets lamentation. Shelley expresses his desire to identify himself with the objects of the winds power.Stanza 5：The poet asks for the west wind to help him blow away his dead thoughts and scatter his poems among mankind and awaken the unawakened earth. He ends up with full confidence by “O Wind, If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” The personal conflicts explain the imagery of death and decay in the first stanza of the poem. The poem calls for a mythical power to inspire and induce change or “a new Birth”. It is about the regenerative（再生的） powers of Nature to bring forth not only new life but also poetic inspiration. The call for inspiration comes in the form like a prayer, not to a Christian God, but to an unseen spiritual force which has the same omnipresence and power as a god. Shelleys original drafts of Ode had marked differences from the way readers see it today. The notebooks show that the original last line to the poe