英美文学史复习笔记

ChapterChapter 1 1 OldOld andand MedievalMedieval EnglishEnglish Literature 450Literature 450 1066 1340 1066 1340 1 Beowulf a typical example of Old English poetry is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo Saxons It is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends 2 Romance It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of the quest the test the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved The hero is usually the knight who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions There are often mysteries and fantasies in romance Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance Characterization is standardized While the structure is loose and episodic the language is simple and straightforward The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world 2 Heroic couplet Heroic couplet is a rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter It is Chaucer who used it for the first time in English in his work The Legend of Good Woman 3 The theme of Beowulf The poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader The poem is an example of the mingling of the nature myths and heroic legends 5 Chaucer s achievement He presented a comprehensive realistic picture of his age and created a whole gallery of vivid characters in his works especially in The Canterbury Tales He anticipated a new ear the Renaissance to come under the influence of the Italian writers He developed his characterization to a higher level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions He greatly contributed to the maturing of English poetry Today Chaucer s reputation has been securely established as one of the best English poets for his wisdom humor and humanity 6 The Father of English poetry Originally Old English poems are mainly alliterative verses with few variations Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace it In The Romaunt of the Rose 玫瑰传奇 he first introduced to the English the octosyllabic couplet 八音节对偶句 In The Legend of Good Women he used for the first time in English heroic couplet And in his masterpiece The Canterbury Tales he employed heroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature His art made him one of the greatest poets in English John Dryden called him the father of English poetry 例题例题 The work that presented for the first time in English literature a comprehensive realistic picture of the medieval English society and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life is most likely 0704 A William Langland s Piers Plowman B Geoffrey Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales C John Gower s Confession Amantis D Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 答案答案 B Chapter 2 The Renaissance Period 14th mid 17th Century 1 The Renaissance The Renaissance marks a transition from the medieval to the modern world Generally it refers to the period between the 14th Richard III and Titus Andronicus 泰特斯 提图斯 four Comedies including The Comedy of Errors The Two Gentlemen of Verona 维罗纳 The Taming of the Shrew 泼妇的驯 服 and Love s Labor s Lost Five historical Richard II King John Henry IV part I II Henry V Six comedies A Midsummer Night s Dream The Merchant of Venice Much Ado About Nothing As You like 皆大欢喜 Twelfth Night and the Merry Wives of Windsor 温莎公爵的快乐情妇 Two tragedies Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Seven tragedies Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra 克利奥帕特拉 Troilus and Cressida 特洛伊罗斯和克雷 西达 Coriolanus 科里奥兰纳斯 Two comedies All s Well That Ends Well Measure for Measure romantic tragicomedies Pericles Cymbeline The Winter s Tale and The Tempest Two final plays Henry III and The Two Noble Kinsmen 7 Shakespeare s writing characteristics The progressive significance of the theme humanism The successful character portrayal women s characters The masterhand in constructing the plot The ingenuity of his poetry The mastery of his language John Milton Lycidas his 3 major poetical works Paradise Lost 1667 Paradise Regained 1671 The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club 1836 1837 Oliver Twist 1837 1838 Nicholas Nickleby 1838 1839 The Old Curiosity Shop 1840 1841 Barnaby Rudge 1841 American Notes 1842 Martin Chuzzlewit 1843 1845 A Christmas Carol 1843 Dombey David Copperfield 1849 1850 Bleak House 1852 1853 Hard Times 1854 Little Dorrit 1855 1857 A Tale of Two Cities 1859 Great Expectations 1860 1861 Our Mutual Friend 1864 1865 Edwin Drood unfinished 1870 例题例题 Among the works by Charles Dickens presents his criticism of the Utilitarian principle that rules over the English education system and destroys young hearts and minds 0804 A Bleak House B Pickwick Paper C Great Expectations D Hard Times 答案答案 D Charlotte Bronte 1 Charlotte s Literary Creation and her Writing Characteristics Charlotte Bronte s works are all about the struggle of an individual towards self realization about some lonely The Trumpet Major 1880 Desperate Remedies The Hand of Ethelberta Under the Greenwood Tree The Return of the Native The Mayor of Casterbridge Tess of the D Urbervilles Jude the Obscure 例题例题 Thomas Hardy s pessimistic view of life predominated most of his later works and earns him a reputation as a writer 0904 A realistic B naturalistic C romantic D stylistic 答案答案 B Chapter 7 The Modern Period 1 Modern period from the second half of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century 6 The development Dramas in the 20th century Modernism Oscar Wilde the pioneer of modern drama George Bernard Shaw best known since Shakespeare W B Yeats Lady Georgory J M Synge and Sean O Casey George Bernard Shaw 3 His major works Five novels best one Cashel Byron s Profession 1886 Criticism Our