英国文学资料English literature of the renaissance

EnglishLiteratureoftheRenaissance,TheHistoricalBackground:(Political,Economic,andCultural),TheRenaissancewasanideologicalandculturalrevolutionthatsweptoverallwesternEurope.RenaissancestartedinItalyin14thcenturyandcametoafloweringinthe15thandthe16thwhenitbegantospreadtoothercountries,notablyFrance,andthenGermany,England,SpainandtheLowCountries.,ThiswasanepochofmanyradicalchangesinwesternEurope.Fedualnobilitylostmuchoftheirpower,withthecentralizationofpoliticalandmilitarypowerthatcamewiththeestablishmentofthegreatmonarchiesnecessaryforthedevelopmentofcapitalism.(TheNewMonarchy),AnotherformofpoliticalstruggleisTheReformationofthechurch.CatholicismwasatfirstchallengedandthenwasreplacedbyProtestantism.TheEnglishBible(KingJamesBible),GeographicalDiscoveries(commercialexpansionandbroadeningthementalhorizons)Inthecommercialexpansion,SpainwastherivalwithEnglandoverthesea.Atlastawarbrokeoutin1588.itendedwiththeroutoftheSpanishfleet“Armada”.,Inthecitiesthemerchantsandthemasterartisansgrewinwealth,whileinthecountrysidethepeasantswerebadlyexploited.Theyeitherroseinupspringsorranawaytothecitiestoaddtothefactoryworkers.(TheEnclosureMovement),Intheliteraryfield,theso-calledrevivaloflearning,includingthestudyofancientGreekandRomanliteratureandphilosophy.TherewasthegrowinginterestinmanandtheinfinitecapabilitiesofmanagainstimplicitfaithinGod.,EnglishLiteratureintheRenaissancePeriod,EnglishliteratureintheRenaissanceperiodisusuallyregardedasthehighlightinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.,InElizabethanperiod,Englishliteraturedevelopedwithagreatspeedandmadeamagnificentachievement.ThegreatestandmostdistinctiveachievementofElizabethanliteratureisthedrama.,Nexttodramaisthelyricalpoetry.Elizabethanpoetryisremarkableforitsvariety,itsfreshness,itsyouthfulnessanditsromanticfeeling.,EnglishPoetryintheRenaissancePeriod,ThomasWyattandSurreywerecourtpoets.Theyarebothtop-notcharistocratsandtheirpoetrywasmorerepresentativeofthethoughtsandfeelingsofthenobility.TheircontributionstoEnglishliteraturelieincertaininnovationsinverseform.,WyattstwocontributionstoEnglishliteratureconsistinhisbrilliantlyricsonthethemeofloveandhisintroductionoftheItaliansonnetformintoEnglishpoetry.Petrarchansonnet:abbaabba(octave)cdcdcdorcdecde(sestet),HenryHoward,EarlofSurreyHiscontributionliesinwritingsomeoftheearliestlovelyricsinPetrarchanfashionandinintroducingtwonewverseformsintoEnglishpoetry,theEnglishsonnetformandtheblankverse.,theEnglishSonnet(ShakespeareanSonnet)ababcdcdefef(3quatre)gg(1couplet).Theblankverse,orunrhymediambicpentametre.不押韵，但是有节奏，例如theEarlofSurrey,ThomasMarlowe,Shakespearesdrama,miltonandsoon.,SidneyandSpencer,CourtpoetryHeischieflyknownandrememberedforhisthreeworks:AstrophelandStella,hisproseromanceArcadiaandhiscriticalessayTheDefenceofPoesie(orApologyforPoetry),Arcadia,Pastoral,asanadjective,referstothelifestyleofshepherdsandpastoralists,movinglivestockaroundlargerareasoflandaccordingtoseasonsandavailabilityofwaterandfood.Pastoralalsodescribesliterature,artandmusicwhichdepictsthelifeofshepherds,ofteninahighlyidealisedmanner.Itmayalsobeusedasanoun(apastoral)todescribeasingleworkofpastoralpoetry,musicordrama.pastoralreflectstheGreekoriginofthepastoraltradition.,ApologyforPoetry,TheSchoolofAbuseanattackonpoetryanddrama.AccordingtoSidney,poetrywasasuperiorityoverphilosophyandhistory.,EdmundSpenser,ThepoetspoetoftheperiodwasEdmundSpencer.Spencerwasborninaminornoblefamily,hisfatherbeingamerchantinLondon.Hewasfirsteducatedatthemerchanttailorsschool.ThepoetwasfortunateinhavingMalcaster,anenlightenedscholar,forhisheadmaster.,Becausehisheadmasterheldthat“itisnotamind,notabody,thatwehavetoeducate,butaman;andwecannotdividethem.”Thisconceptionofeducationwasanewthingforthetime.ThenSpenserstudiedatCambridge,whereshereadtheclassicsanditalianpoetsandwrotepoems.HereceivedhisM.A.degreein1576.,In1579hewroteTheShepherdsCalendar,apastoralpoemintwelvebooks,oneforeachmonthoftheyear.,TheFaerieQueen,TheFaerieQueenhasbeenregardedbymanyliteraryhistoriansasSpensersmasterpieceandoneofthegreatpoemsintheEnglishlanguage.Itisanepic,andaccordingtotheauthorsoriginalplan,wastoconsistof12books,butonly6booksand2cantosofthesevenwerefinished.,Story:Writingfeatureofthepoem:SpenserianStanzaababbcbcc,Canto1(Excerpt),AGentleKnightwasprickingontheplaine,Ycladdinmightiearmesandsilvershielde,Whereinolddintsofdeepewoundsdidremaine,Thecurellmarkesofmanyabloudyfielde;Yetarmestillthattimedidheneverwield:Hisangrysteededidchidehisfomingbitt,Asmuchdisdayningtothecurbetoyield:Fulljollyknightheseemd,andfairedidsitt,Asoneforknightlygiustsandfierceencountersfitt,仙后第一卷（节选）,高贵的骑士在平原上策马驰骋，挎著锋利的刀枪和银光闪烁的盾牌，盾上深深的刀痕是历史的见证，永不让人忘记多次浴血沙场的残酷历程；但骑士却是第一次披甲挂帅。他的烈马愤怒地责怪著韁绳，像是说决不屈从於羁绊的窒碍。快乐的骑士在马上英姿飒爽，善於比武，也能在战场与敌人激烈交锋。,例诗第一节格律分析如下：AGentleKnightwasprickingontheplaine,Ycladdinmighttiearmesandsilvershielde,Whereinolddintsofdeepewoundsdidremaine,Thecurellmarkesofmanyabloudyfielde;Yetarmestillthattimedidheneverwield:Hisangrysteededidchidehisfomingbitt,Asmuchdisdayningtothecurbetoyield:Fulljollyknightheseemd,andfairedidsitt,Asoneforknightlygiustsandfierceencountersfitt.,例诗每节行，前行的韵律是抑扬格五音步，最後一行是抑扬格六音(Alexandrine)，韵式为ababbcbcc。一些节奏的微妙变化也与诗意互有默契。,SpensersPositioninEnglishLiterature,Thepoemwaswritte