A Concise History of British Literature.doc

Part 1 A Concise History of British LiteratureI. Old English Literature Old English literature encompasses literature written in old English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period from the 7th century to the Norman Conquest in 1066. These works are mostly chronicle and poetry - lyric, descriptive but chiefly narrative or epic. Among the most important works of this period is the poem Beowulf，which has achieved national epic status in England. The Middle English Literature Middle English literature refers to the literature written in the form of Middle English, from the 12th century until the 1470s. It was with the 14th century that major works of English literature began once again to appear. These include the so-called Pearl Poets Pearl, Patience, Cleanness, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, who is regarded as the Father of English Poetry. His representative works are .The Renaissance PeriodThe English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the late 15th and early 16th centuries to the early 17th century. The Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century is usually regarded as the height of the English Renaissance. In that period, a vigorous literary culture in both drama and poetry flourished.The main writers and their works are as follows:1. Edmund Spenser（15521599）He is called the poets poet, the first to be buried in the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey. Works mainly include .2. Thomasl More(14781535)He is one of the greatest English humanists. His most famous work is .3. Francisl Bacon 15611626He is the first English essayist, and also philosopher and scientist, who lays the foundation of modern science. Works include , in which there is a famous one called .4. Ben Jonson 15721637He was a dramatist, poet and actor. He is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair.5. Christopherl Marlowe 15641595He is called University Wits, the pioneer of English drama, who improved the blank verse.Works include 6. William Shakespeare 15641616He was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.Works include:Historical plays: Henry VI ; Henry IV : Richard III ; Henry V ；Richard II；Henry VIIIFour Comedies: 皆大欢喜; 第十二夜; 仲夏夜之梦; 威尼斯商人Four Tragedies: 哈姆莱特; 奥赛罗; 李尔王; 麦克白Shakespeare Sonnet :154 . The 17th Century 1. John Milton 16081674He is a poet and political writer. Works include:Epics:nDramatic poem:力士参孙 论出版自由n为英国人民声辩 我的失明2. John Bunyan 16281688He was a Puritan poet. His representative work is a Religionary Allegory:, which is called the encyclopaedia of eternal significance.3. John Donne He is the Metaphysical poet(玄学派诗人，the themes of whose works are often love, religious and thought. Works include: Meditations 沉思录The Flea 虱子 Songs And SonnetsHoly SonnetsValediction:IV The 18th Century：The 18th century in Europe was The Age of Enlightenment and literature explored themes of social upheaval, reversals of personal status, political satire ,geographical exploration and the comparison between the supposed natural state of man and the supposed civilized state of man. In the visual arts, it was the period of Neoclassicism. This period is characterized by a revival of interest in the old classical works, order, logic, restrained emotion and accuracy.Main writers and works are as follows:1. Alexander Pope亚历山大蒲柏16881744As a representative of the Enlightenment， Pope was one of the first to introduce rationalism to England.批评论n Artistic features: 1.Using “heroic couplets” 卷发遇劫记 道德论人论n愚人记2. Samuell Johnson塞缪尔约翰逊17091784 Dictionary =英语大词典n3. Jonathan Swift乔纳森斯威夫特16671745A master satirist in the 18th century. Works include: 一个小小的建议n 书战 木桶的故事n 一个麻布商的书信4. Daniel Defoe丹尼尔笛福16601731 the founder of realistic novel. 鲁宾逊漂流记 5. Henry Fielding亨利菲尔丁17071754“Father of English novel”. He was the first to write a “Comic epic in prose”(散文体史诗), and the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. novels:弃婴汤姆琼斯约瑟夫安德鲁大诗人江奈生威尔德爱米利亚n plays:一七三六年历史记事堂吉柯德在英国n6. Oliver Goldsmith奥利弗格尔德斯密斯17301774 poems:旅游人荒村 novel:威克菲尔德牧师传n7. Richard Brinsley Sheridan理查德布林斯利施莱登17511816 情敌n 造谣学校8. William Blake威廉布莱克17571827 天真之歌 经验之歌 天堂与地狱的婚姻n9. Robert Burns罗伯特彭斯17591796 The greatest Scottish poet in the late 18th century.Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect 约翰安德生，我的爱人 一朵红红的玫瑰n 往昔时光 不管那一套n 我的心在那高原上 V. The Romantic Period The romantic period began in 1798 the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges , and end in 1832 with Sir Walter Scotts death. Romanticism emphasizes the special qualities of each individuals mind.(人应该是独立自由的个体) Two major novelists of the Romantic period are Jane Austen (realistic) and Walter Scott (romantic).“The Lake Poets”,who lived in the lake district, are famous in this period. They are William Wordsworth; Samuel Taylor Coleridge; Robert Southey.1. William Wordsworth威廉华兹华斯17701850One of The Lake Poets 抒情歌谣集(with Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey The Solitary Reaper孤独的割麦女 序曲2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge塞缪尔泰勒科尔律治17721834 古舟子颂 柯里斯塔贝尔 忽必烈汗Artistic features: mysticism, demonism with strong imagination, a strange territory 半夜冰霜 忧郁颂 抒情歌谣集(with William Wordsworth)3. George Gordon Byron17881824He is good at building the image of “Byronic hero” , a proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin, against tyrannical rules or moral principles. 唐璜恰尔德哈罗德尔游记该隐 当初我们俩分别 4. Persy Bysshe Shelley波西比希雪莱17921822 Poetic Drama：解放了的普罗米修斯 Theme: the drama celebraies mans victory over tyranny and oppression 麦布女王 伊斯兰的反叛钦契一家诗辩无神论的必要性 Lyrics: 西风颂 致云雀 5. Johnl Keats约翰济慈17951821 Four great odes: 希腊古瓮颂夜莺颂心灵颂 忧郁颂 秋颂n 6. Jane Austen简奥斯丁17751817lOne of the most famous novelists in this period. 理智与感情 傲慢与偏见曼斯菲尔德庄园爱玛诺桑觉寺劝导7. Walterl Scott沃尔特斯科特17711832 Father of history novels 罗伯罗伊 艾凡赫VI. The Victorian Period It is dated from 1832 to 1990, during which period Common sense and morality, again became the predominant preoccupation. Critical realists were all concerned about the fate of the common people and everyday events.1. Charles Dickens18121870acritical realist writer 匹克威克外传 奥利弗特维斯特（雾都孤儿） 老古玩店 圣诞颂歌 董贝父子大卫科波菲尔 荒凉山庄艰难时世 双城记(London & Paris) 远大前程2. William Makepeace Thackeray威廉麦克匹斯萨克雷18111863 3. Charlotte Bronte夏洛蒂勃朗特18161855 简爱 雪莉 教师 4. Emily Bronte 18181854 呼啸山庄 5. George Eliot乔治艾略特18191880l 弗洛斯河上的磨坊 亚当比德 织工马南米德尔马契6. Alfred Tennyson阿尔弗莱德丁尼生18091892He is the most representative poet in the Victorian Period, and is called Poet Laureate （桂冠诗人） 悼念 To memorialize his friend 国王叙事诗7. Robert Browning罗伯特白朗宁18121889 我已故的公爵夫人 海外乡思8. Robert Louis Stevenson 金银岛 9. Thomasl Hardy托马斯哈代18401928He is a naturalistic novelist, whose works are mostly based on the country life. Novels 德伯家的苔丝Theme:experience is as to intensity, and not as to duration 无名的裘德 绿荫下远离尘嚣 卡斯特桥市长还乡PoemsWessex Poems And Other VersesPoems Of The Past And PresentThe Dynasts 列国VII The 20th CenturyThe 20th century has witnessed a great achievement in English poetry. , modernist fiction represented a trend drifting away from the tradition of the 19th-century realism. It put emphasis on the description of the characters psychological activities, and so has sometimes been called modern psychological fiction. Playwrights1. Oscar Wilde奥斯卡王尔德18561900（The Aesthetic Movement: Art for Arts Sake） 4 Comedies:认真的重要 温德米尔夫人的扇子一个无足轻重的女人理想的丈夫 Novel:多利安格雷的画像 Fairy Stories:快乐王子故事集2. George Bernard Shaw乔治伯纳萧18561950(英国杰出的批判现实主义剧作家）critical realistic dramatist Plays Plays Unpleasant 华伦夫人的职业鳏夫的房产 Plays Pleasant 武器与人左右命运的人