美国文学materials.doc

Introduction1、There are two major elements constituting European Culture.: Greco-Roman element and Judeo-Christianelement.Division One 1. The Homers epics consist of Iliad and Odyssey. They are not about events ofHomers own time, probably in the period 1200-1100 B.C.2. Drama in Ancient Greece was flourished in the 5th century B.C.3. Euripides is the first writer of “problem plays”.4. The only representative of Greek comedy is Aristophanes.5. Herodotus is often called “Father of History”, wrote about the wars between Greeks and Persians.6. There were three styles in Ancient architecture: the Doric style, the Ionic style and the Corinthian style.7. In the Roman history, there came two hundred years of peaceful time, which was known as Pax Romana.8. Ciceros legal and political speeches are models of Latin diction, described as Ciceronian.9. Whats the difference between Plato and Aristotle in terms of their philosophical ideas(system)？Division Two1. The Jews are called “Hebrews”, which means “wanderers”.2. The Bible was divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament.3. The Old Testament is about God and the Laws of God.4. The New Testament is about the doctrine of Jesus Christ.5. The word “Testament” means “agreement”, the agreement between God and Man.6. The first English version of whole Bible was translated from the Latin Vulgate in 1382 and was copied out by hand by the early group of reformers led by John Wycliff.7. The most important and influential of English Bible is the “Authorized”(官方版圣经) or “King James” version, with its simple, majestic Anglo-Saxon tongue.Division Three1. The Middle Ages refers to the thousand-year period from the 5th century to 15th century2. After 1054, the church was divided into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.3. Why is the Middle Ages is called Age of Faith？4. National Epics The epic was the product of the Heroic Age. It was an important and mostly used form in ancient literature. “National epic” refers to the epic written in vernacular languagesthat is, the languages of various national states that came into being in the Middle Ages. Literary works were no longer all written in Latin. It was the starting point of a gradual transition of European literature from Latin culture to a culture that was the combination of a variety of national characteristics.5. Both Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales are the best representative of the middle English.Division Four1. Renaissance Generally speaking, Renaissance refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th century. The word “Renaissance” means revival, specifically in this period of history, revival ofinterest in ancient Greek and Roman culture. Renaissance, in essence, was a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of conservatism in feudalist Europe and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, to lift the restrictions in all areas placed by the Roman church authorities.2. Renaissance refers to the revival ofinterest in ancient Greek and Roman culture.3. At the heart of the Renaissance philosophy was the assertion of the greatness of man.4. Last Supper adapted from the New Testament of the Bible.5. How does Renaissance art differ from the medieval pictorial tradition?(What are the characteristics of Renaissance art?)6. Reformation The Reformation was a 16th century religious movement as well as a socio-political movement. It began as Martin Luther posted on the door of the castle church at the University of Wittenberg his 95 thesis. This movement which swept over the whole of Europe was aimed at opposing the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic Church and replacing it with the absolute authority of the Bible. The reformists engaged themselves in translating the Bible into their mother tongues.7. The national religion established after Reformation in England was called the Church of England or The Anglican Church.Division Five1. Why do we say the 17th century is a transitional period from the Middle Ages to the modern times?a、This advance began in science, in astronomy, physics and pure mathematics, owing to the work of Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Descartes.b、The outlook of educated men was transformed. There was a profound (change in the conception of mens place in the universe. c、The new science and philosophy gave a great push to the political struggle waged by the newly emerged class, the bourgeoisie, and other chasses.d、The modern world, so far as mental outlook is concerned, begins in the 17th century.Division Six1. Enlightenment Enlightenment was an intellectual movement originating in France, which attracted widespread support among the ruling and intellectual classes of Europe and North America in the second half of the 18th century.It characterizes the efforts by certain European writers to use critical reason to free minds from prejudice, unexamined authority and oppression by Church or State. Therefore the Enlightenment is sometimes called the Age of Reason.2. The major force of the Enlightenment was the French philosophes, such as Montesquieu, Voltaire (伏尔泰) and Rousseau. Diederot(狄德罗), who edited the famous Encyclopdie (百科全书).3. The theory of the separation of powers was put forward by Montesquieu in his work The Spirit of the Laws.4. Fielding was known as Father of the English novel, and was also the first person to approach the genre (类型) with a fully worked-out theory of the novel.5. to list some representatives in the Musical Enlightenment of the 18th century: Bach, Handel, Haydn, MozartDivision Seven1. RomanticismRomanticism was a movement in literature, philosophy, music and art which developed in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.Starting from the ideas of Rousseau in France and from the Storm and Stress movement in Germany. Romanticism emphasized individual values and aspirations (灵感) above those of society.As a reaction to the industrial revolution, it looked to the Middle Ages and to direct contact with nature for inspiration.Romanticism gave impetus to the national liberation movement in 19th century Europe.2. The Chinese writer Lu Xun, while yet a medical student in Tokyo, wrote about the impact of Byrons poetry in eastern Europe in a long essay entitled “_On the Power of Satanic Poetry”.3. At the heart of the Renaissance philosophy was the Wealth of Nation.4. Lyrical Ballads marked the beginning of the Romantic literature.5. “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” was written in Ode to the West Wind by Shelly.6. The death of Scott marked the end of Romanticism in England.7. Romantic Music The Romantic Movement in music dominated the period about 1830 to about 1900. It was merely part of a general movement, which, all over Europe, especially in Germany and France, affected all arts. The Romantic Music is divided into two periods: The early Romantic Music represented by Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and the later Romantic Music represented by Brahms and Tchaikovsky.Division Eight1. What are the three components of Marxism?a、Marxist Philosophy: Marx rejected Hegels idealist views on universe and the metaphysical part of Feuerbachs philosophy. Marx put forward historical materialism. b.、Marxist Political Economy:Marx established the theory of surplus value in “Capital”.c、Scientific Socialism: Marx and Engels developed utopian socialism to scientific socialism. They declared that socialism would be realized through class struggle, and that only the proletariat was a really revolutionary class.2. What is the great significance of Darwinism? a、On Biology: Darwins influence on the development of biology has been immeasurable. The immediate effect of the publication of On the Origin of Species was to stimulate research in different branches of knowledge.b、On Theology: Darwinism had a great impact on European Christian theologians .c、On Social Science: Herbert SpencerFor the term “natural selection” Spencer substituted the survival of the fittest. Division Nine1. Realism In art and literature the term realism is used to identify a literary movement in Europe and the United States in the last half of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. But the practice of realism is very old and can be traced back to ancient times.This is fundamentally the difference between romanticism and realism.In Europe, the Realist movement arose in the 50s of the 19th century and had its origin in France.It centred in the novel and lay emphasis on fidelity to actual experience.2. The spirit of Realism lies in the literary area.3. The novels contented in the Human Comedy mark the beginnings of French realism.4. Whitman is the best representative of free verse.5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twin has been considered the first modern American novel.6. Impressionism Impressionism was a form of artistic expression in the 19th century.It was most pervasive in painting, but it was also found in literature and art.The term “impressionism” first appeared in 1874 in a newspaper review of an exhibition held in the studio by a group of young painters. It was taken directly from the title of Monets Impression: Sunrise. 7. Post-Impressionism During the 2nd half of the 19th century, Frenc