英国文学和美国文学(八级).doc

英国文学部分西方文学发展的两大源头两大源头: 古希腊, 罗马的神话， 中世纪的基督教A General Survey of English Literary History:1 Old English literature (The Anglo Saxon Period) 449 10662. Medieval Period (The Anglo Norman Period) 1066 13503. The Renaissance Period 14th mid 17th 4. The 17th (The Period of Revolution and Restoration)5. The 18th (The Age of Enlightenment)6. The Romantic Period （Age of poetry） 1798 18327. The Victorian Period ( The Age of Critical Realism) 1836 19018. The 20th (The Modern Period) 一 古英语和中世纪时期：Old and Medieval English Literature: 449 - 1066Germanic tribes: Angles, Saxons and JutesOld English Poetic tradition :a. The pagan poetry (secular group) b. The Christian poetry (religious group) National epic poem Beowulf Middle English Literature:1. Christian literature2. Romance the popular literary forms in medieval period Geoffrey Chaucer: “father of English poetry” “English Homer” The Canterbury Tales For the first time in English literature presented a comprehensive realistic picture。 He employed the heroic couplet for the first time in the history of English literature. 3. the English ballads: Robin Hood ballads二，文艺复兴时期Purpose of Renaissance: 1. Get rid of old feudalist ideas ,introduce new ideas of the rising bourgeoisie2. Recover the purity of the church Literature of RenaissancePoetry Essay Elizabethan Drama ( the mainstream) Religious Reformation:Martin Luther: a German Protestant, initiated the ReformationIn full Swing: Henry VIII The major results: Bible in Englishservices were held in English Authorized VersionRenaissance 文艺复兴 It refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries. It is an intellectual movement. It sprang first in Italy and gradually spread all over Europe. English Renaissance was Englands Golden Age, especially in literature. Humanism: H. is the essence of the R. and reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. It emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. Best humanists: Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, William ShakespeareWilliam Caxton: The first person to introduce printing into England.Wyatt: Introduce the Petrarchan sonnet into EnglandSurrey: Introduce blank verse into England， Marlowe gave new vigor to the blank verse. Poet: Edmund Spenser The Fgaerie Queene The Shepheardes Calender Playwrights:Christopher Marlowe (pioneer of English drama) Dr. Faustus, the Passionate Shepherd to His Love William Shakespeare (the summit of Renaissance) 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long poems Essayist: Francis Bacon The Dramatic Career of William Shakespeare:The Third Period：Four Great Tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth)Shakespeares Historical PlaysPrinciple: Nation unity under a mighty and just authority is a necessity.The first and second parts of Henry IV are the most widely read.Features of Shakespeares Drama:A. Shakespeare is one of the founders of realism in world literature;B. Shakespeare is a great master of the English language. C. Shakespeare has been universally acknowledged to be the summit of the English Renaissance and one of the greatest writers the world over.What is a tragedy: A play having a serious mood and ending in death or disaster for the protagonist. A tragedy is usually about a hero who is good, even noble, but who has some flaw or makes some mistake that brings about the final disaster.Hamlet - Considered the summit of Shakespeares art. Comes from an old Danish legend. Regarded as Shakespeares most popular play on the stage.Soliloquy:戏剧独白 In drama, an extended speech delivered by a character alone onstage. “To be or not to be”- the most famous Comedy: A play that is humorous and usually has a happy ending. Most comedies use both humorous situations and amusing characters. The Merchant of Venice: The most important play among the comediesS o n n e t: A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter two traditional types: Italian sonnet (Petrarchan) Shakespearean SonnetShakespeares Sonnets: Totally 154 Sonnets; Sonnet 18 is one of the most beautiful sonnets written by Shakespeare. It is a typical British sonnet. “Shall I Compare Thee to A Summers Day”Francis Bacon (1561 1626)A representative of the Renaissance in England. His Essays is the first example of that genre in English literatureBacons essays are famous for their brevity, compactness and powerfulness.He lays the foundation for modern science Of Studies is the most popular of Bacons 58 essays. It analyzes what studies chiefly serve for, the different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies, and how studies exert influence over human character. Of studies reveals Bacons mature attitude towards learning.三17世纪 The English Revolution： The Restoration: William “Glorious Revolution”, expelled James II, prince from Holland be the king of England.John Donne (1572 - 1631): The founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry. The Songs and Sonnets Love is the basic theme Form: argument conceitsJohn Milton (1608 1774) A great English poethis 3 major poetical works: Paradise Lost 失乐园Paradise regained 复乐园 Samson Agonistes 力士参孙Paradise Lost is Miltons masterpiece, the greatest English epicSource of story: Old Testament Epic in 12 books, written in blank verseTheme: Expose the reactionary forces, praise the fighting spirits and appeal for freedomJohn Bunyan The Pilgrims Progress 天路历程 A Religious AllegoryAllegory: A story with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visual meaning. The principal technique of allegory is personification, whereby abstract qualities are given human shape.四18th CenturyHistorical background:Economically, At home Industrial Revolution. Abroad, vast expansion of colonies. free capital + free labor = the first powerful capitalist countrySocially, the middle class grew rapidly. Ideologically, Enlightenment MovementIt was a progressive intellectual movement , flourished in France. The movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance. Its purpose was to enlighten the whole world .The enlighteners celebrated reason or rationality, equality and science. They advocated universal education. Literatureneoclassicism (新古典主义）The 18th century is an age of prose rather than poetry. Early PoetryMid century modern English/realistic novel (the most significant phenomenon in the history of English literature)Later years: Gothic Novels, Sentimental Poems, Romantic PoemsLiterary Representatives: Essayists : Joseph Addison Richard Steele Poet : Alexander Pope Novelists: Daniel Defoe Henry Fielding Jonathan Swift Playwright : Richard B. Sheridan Thomas Gray Sentimentalist William Blake, Robert Burns Pre-romantic poet Robinson Crusoe (By Daniel Defoe): It is an adventure story which represented the spirit of the time.The character - Robinson CrusoeA typical 18th English middle-class man at the earlier stage of bourgeoisie developmentJonathan Swift (1667-1745): A master satirist. Gullivers Travels格利佛游记 The book is a satire of all aspects in English and European life. This book is artistic masterpiece. Four parts make an organic whole, each remain independent yet complementing the others A Modest Proposal 一个温和的建议 It is generally taken as a perfect model of Swifts powerful satire.Henry Fielding: Farther of English Novel, the first to write a “comic epic in prose” The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Tom Jones gives a comprehensive and realistic picture of the life of 18th century England, It bring author the name “Prose Homer”Thomas Gray (1716 1771)A sentimentalist, leading figure of “Graveyard School”Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Grays best and most representative workthe best of the 18th century English poetry Sheridan and 18th Century Drama The only important English dramatist of the eighteenth century. His plays are regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw.The School for Scandal: It is one of the great classics in English drama. It is regarded as the best comedy since Shakespeare It is a sharp satire on the moral degeneracy of the high society in the 18th century England William Blakev Two groups of short lyricsSongs of Innocence: depicting the happy and innocent world of a childSongs of Experience: paints with a melancholy tone a world of misery, poverty, disease, war, suffering. Robert Burns (1759 1796)His poems were written in the Scottish dialect. They reflect the life of the common Scottish farmers. Auld Lang Syne , A Red Red Rose 五Romantic Period (1798 1832)Publication of Lyrical Ballads (1798) to the death of Sir Walter Scott (1832) Romanticists see man as an individual, emphasize the special qualities of each individuals mind and inner world of the human spiritWilliam Wordsworth the leading figure of the English romantic poetry; regarded as “worshipper of nature”Lake poets: Wordsworth, Coleridge and SoutheyHis principles of poetry:“all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”; ordinary peasants, children all may be used as subjects in poetical creation; language be near to the real language of men.His poetry: About nature: To a Skylark; To a Butterfly; To the Cuckoo; An Evening Walk.About human life The sailors mother; Michael; The Affliction of Margaret; “Lucy poems”.I Wondered Lonely as a CloudGeorge Gordon, Lord Byron: (1788 - 1824)Childe Harolds Pilgrimage: Don Juan: Byrons masterpiece. It vividly depicts the lives and manners of many lands, and bitterly satire the hypocrisy of his time. (famous excerpt The Isles of Greece)Byrons chief contribution -”Byronic Hero”A proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin. This hero would carry on his shoulders the burden of righting all the wrongs in a corrupt society, and would rise single-handedly against any tyrannical rules.Samuel Taylor Coleridge:One of the first critics to give attention to language. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner kubla KhanPercy Bysshe Shelley:Lyrics Ode to the West Wind (If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind)Poetic drama Prometheus Unbound, The CenciProse The Defence of Poetry John Keats:Odes Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode To A Nightingale, To Autumn, To PsycheJane Austen (1775 1817) one of the greatest women writers of the 19th century.Her major works - six novelsSense and Sensibility Pride and Prejudice (five Bennet sisters and their search for suitable husbands)Northanger Abby, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion Style: she is a neoclassicism Setting: Within a narrow sphere - “ three or four families in a country village” dancing parties, tea parties, picnics and gossips. Walter Scott (1771 -1832)realistic description of historical events. His contribution to English literature, even to world literature, is his historical novels. Ivanhoe六The Victorian Period (1836 1901) Historical Background:Rapid economic development (industrial revolution + colonies)Serious social problems (Chartist Movement)Utilitarianism widely accepted and practised Literature: Critical Realism expose + criticizeVictorian Literature： Novel: Most VitalCharles Dickens (1812 1870) The greatest representative of English critical realismGives a most vivid picture of the everyday life of the ordinary people of his timeMajor Works:The Pickwick Papers 匹克威克外传 Oliver Twist 雾都孤儿 Nichols Nickleby 尼古拉斯尼克尔贝 The Old Curiosity Shop 老古玩店American Notes 美国札记 Martin Chuzzlewit 马丁朱述尔维特Dombey and Son 董贝父子 David Copperfield 大卫科波菲尔his best book, most autobiographical Bleak House 荒凉山庄 Hard Times 艰难时世Little Dorrit 小杜丽 A Tale of Two Cities 双城记 William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)Mainly describe people of the upper and middle classesWas cynic and doubt the goodness of human nature, Vanity Fair (Title is taken from John Bunyans The Pilgrims Progress 天路历程)）Charlotte Bronte Jane EyreEmily Bronte A poet + a novelistWhuthering Heights Two families + a stranger Thomas Hardy Novelist + Poet The last important novelist and poet of the 19th centuryNaturalistic View of life: “Wessex Novels”: novels describing the vicissitudes of people who live in an agricultural setting menaced by the forces of invading capitalism. “Novels of character and environment” Under the Greenwood Tree 格林树下 Far from the Madding Crowd远离喧嚣 The Return of the native还乡 The Major of Casterbridge 卡斯德拉大桥Tess of the DUrbervilles德伯家的苔丝 Jude the Obscure 无名的裘得 Tess : Both a naturalistic and a critical realistic workGeorge EliotAdam Bede The Mill on the Floss Silas Marner Middle MarchSeek to present the inner struggle of a soul Victorian Poetry: pave the way for modern poetryLord Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) Break, Break, Break Ulysses Crossing the Bar In Memoriam Robert Browning Dramatic monologueMy Last Duchess The Ring and the Book: (established his position as one of the greatest English poets)七 The Modern Period （20th century）Theoretical base: Irrational philosophy, Theory of psycho-analysis (Feud)Irrational Philosophy: creation, intuition, irrationality and unconsciousness.Modernism: The French symbolism heralded modernism. After the First World War, all kinds of literary trends of modernism appeared. Towards the 1920s, these trends converged into modernist movement. Modernism curbed in the 1930s. After the Second World War, post-modernism, like Existentialist literature, theater of the absurd, new novels and black humor, rose with the existentialist idea that “ the world was absurd, and the human life was an agony. “the red thirties” “The Angry Young Men” George Bernard Shaw: realistic dramatist More than 50 plays“problem plays” ( indignation)Widowers Houses Mrs. Warrens ProfessionOscar Wilde: Spokesman for Aesthetic Movement, “Art for Arts Sake”Novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray 道林。格雷的画像Drama: Salome, The Importance of Importance 认真的重要性Yeats (Lady Gregory and John synge) Irish National dramatic Society one of the greatest poets in the English language The Lake Isle of Innisfree Down by the Salley Gardens T. S. Eliot The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (first important poem) The Waste Land (the landmark and a model of 20th poetry) It presents a panorama of physical disorder and spiritual desolation in modern Western world. John Galsworthy The Forsyte Saga (trilogy 三步曲) The Man of Property In Chancery To Let D. H. Lawrence one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century strongly reacts against the mechanical civilizationSons and Lovers autobiographical novel The RainbowWomen in Love Lady Chatterleys LoverJames Joyce Dubliners (15 short stories) first important work (Araby)Theory of epiphany in fiction A portrait of the Aritist as a Young Man first novel, autobiographicalUlysses masterpiece, prime example of modernismFinnegans WakeMost outstanding “Stream of consciousness” novelistEnglish Dramatic Revolution (1950s )1. Working-class drama The first “angry young man” John osborne 2. Theater of Absurd Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot 等待戈多 The most famous and influential play of the Theater of AbsurdWilliam Golding: Lord of the Flies 威廉。 戈尔丁 蝇王Virginia Woolf: Mrs. Dalloway To the Lighthouse Ortlando E. M. Foster: Howards End 霍华兹别墅， A Passage to India 印度之行Doris Lessing: The Golden NotebookJohn Fowles (约翰。福尔斯): The French Lieutenants Woman 法国中尉的女人美国文学部分A brief survey of the American Literature：1 The Romantic period （1800-1865）The Sketch Book - Leaves of Grass The American Renaissance Transcendentalism 2. The Realistic Period (1865 1914) “The Gilded Age” Naturalism Local-colorism 3The Modern Period(1914- ) Jazz Age Lost generation 一 American RomanticismPioneering into the west PuritanismRalph Waldo Emerson :The chief spokesman of Transcendentalism Nature the unofficial manifesto for the Club Emerson essay “The American Scholar” He declared the cultural independence of America.Washington Irving： The real first American writer ， the first American writer to earn an international reputation， Father of the American short stories. With the publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon，Gent. Irving won international fame on both sides of the Atlantic. The book contains tales like Rip Van Winkle， and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Nathaniel Hawthorne Hawthornes Black Vision of Life and Human Beings: PuritanismMajor Literary Works：Mosses from an Old Manse (1846) 古屋青苔The Scarlet Letter (1850)红字 The House of the Seven Gables (1851)有七个尖角阁的房子The Blithedale Romance (1852)福谷传奇 The Marble Faun (1860) 玉石雕像 Short stories: Young Goodman Brown, The Ministers Black VeilHerman Melville： Moby-Dick First American prose Epic full of symbolsWalt Whitman：Americas Poet Father of Modern poetry Free-Verse： Verse composed of variable, usually unrhymed lines having no fixed metrical pattern。 First used in the Bi