英国散文发展

ProsesintheOldEnglishandMiddleEnglishPeriod,IntheOldEnglish(theAnglo-Saxon),MiddleEnglish(theAnglo-Norman)Period,mostliteraryworkswerewritteninverse,suchasBeowulfandTheCanterburyTalesbyChaucer.Therewereafewproses,butmostofthemwerewritteninLatin,thelanguageusedbyalltheintellectsinEurope.,Itisnotuntilthe9thcenturythatKingAlfredsethimselftothetaskofencouragingeducationandliteraturebyorganizingpeopletowriteinAnglo-Saxon,andhehimselftranslatedsomeoftheLatinworkintoEnglish.MoreimportantasaliteraryworkisTheAnglo-SaxonChronicle(编年史）whichbeginswithCaesarsconquestandisamonumentofOldEnglishprose.,ProsesintheEnglishRenaissancePeriod,TheEnglishBible.1.Thehistoricalbackground2.ThetranslationoftheBible3.ItssignificanceinEnglishlanguageandliterature4.ExcerptsFromBibleFrancisBaconJohnDonne,ThehistoricalbackgroundofEnglishBible,TheNewMonarchyBarelyattheendoftheHundredyearsWarwithFrance,EnglandwasagaininvolvedintoanotherwarthewarsoftheRoses(1455-83)betweenthehouseofLancasterandthehouseofYork,thetworoyalfamilies.AfterthewarHenryVIIfoundedtheTudordynasty.,TheEnglishReformationTheRomanCatholicChurchhadlongbeenburdensometothekingofEnglandinhiseffortatestablishinganabsolutemonarchy.HenryVIIIdeclaredabreakwithRomeandcarriedsuppressionsoftheCatholicmonasteries.HissonEdwardVIfollowedhisreformationandswitchthecountryintoaProtestantoneMaryTudor,however,ledacounter-reformationduringherreign.ElizabethI,aprotestantqueen,restoredherfathersindependentChurchofEngland.Englandhasbeenprotestanteversince.TheNecessityfortheEnglishBibleaftertheReformation,ThetranslationoftheBible,ThefirstcompleteEnglishBibletranslatedbyJohnWycliffe.ThesecondonebyWilliamTyndalTheAuthorizedVersionaworkofmanylearnedscholarsheadedbyBishopLancelotAndrewes.(詹姆斯王)钦定圣经英译本,ThesignificanceofEnglishBible,Apartfromitsreligioussignificance,theAuthorizedVersionhashadagreatinfluenceonEnglishlanguageandliterature.ThetranslatorsoftheAuthorizedVersionheldfasttopure,oldEnglishspeech.About93percentofthe6000wordsusedinitarenativeEnglish,thatis,wordsofAnglo-Saxonorigin.So,withthewidespreadinfluenceoftheEnglishbible,astandardformodernEnglishhasbeenestablished.,AgreatnumberofBiblecoinagesandphraseshavepassedintodailyEnglishspeechashouseholdwords,andareoftenusedwithnoknowledgeoftheirorigin.Forinstance,“peace-maker”“lovingkindness”,“longsuffering”“clearascrystal”,“ariseasoneman”,“rootofallevil”,“theshadowofdeath”,“eyeforeye,toothfortooth”,tomentionjustafew.,ThusthesimpleyetdignifiedlanguageoftheAuthorizedVersionhascolouredthestyleofEnglishproseforthelast300yearsandmore,andtheEnglishBiblehaswovenitsphrasesandexpressionsintothetextureoftheEnglishlanguage,EnglishliteratureandEnglishlifeingeneral.,ExcerptFromBibleGenesis1,1:1InthebeginningGodcreatedtheheavenandtheearth.1:2Andtheearthwaswithoutform,andvoid;anddarknesswasuponthefaceofthedeep.AndtheSpiritofGodmoveduponthefaceofthewaters.1:3AndGodsaid,Lettherebelight:andtherewaslight.1:4AndGodsawthelight,thatitwasgood:andGoddividedthelightfromthedarkness.1:5AndGodcalledthelightDay,andthedarknesshecalledNight.Andtheeveningandthemorningwerethefirstday.,ExcerptFromBible:Job7,Istherenotanappointedtimetomanuponearth?arenothisdaysalsolikethedaysofanhireling?Asaservantearnestlydesireththeshadow,andasanhirelinglookethfortherewardofhiswork:SoamImadetopossessmonthsofvanity,andwearisomenightsareappointedtome.Mydaysareswifterthanaweaversshuttle,andarespentwithouthope.,WhenIliedown,Isay,WhenshallIarise,andthenightbegone?andIamfulloftossingstoandfrountothedawningoftheday.Myfleshisclothedwithwormsandclodsofdust;myskinisbroken,andbecomeloathsome.,ExcerptFromBibleMatthew5,5:38Yehaveheardthatithathbeensaid,Aneyeforaneye,andatoothforatooth:5:39ButIsayuntoyou,Thatyeresistnotevil:butwhosoevershallsmitetheeonthyrightcheek,turntohimtheotheralso.5:40Andifanymanwillsuetheeatthelaw,andtakeawaythycoat,lethimhavethycloakalso.5:41Andwhosoevershallcompeltheetogoamile,gowithhimtwain.,5:42Givetohimthataskeththee,andfromhimthatwouldborrowoftheeturnnotthouaway.5:43Yehaveheardthatithathbeensaid,Thoushaltlovethyneighbour,andhatethineenemy.5:44ButIsayuntoyou,Loveyourenemies,blessthemthatcurseyou,dogoodtothemthathateyou,andprayforthemwhichdespitefullyuseyou,andpersecuteyou;5:45ThatyemaybethechildrenofyourFatherwhichisinheaven:forhemakethhissuntoriseontheevilandonthegood,andsendethrainonthejustandontheunjust.,Itsstyleandbrilliantlanguagehaveprofoundlyinfluencedthesucceedinggenerationsofwriters.Itsextensiveuseofconcretetermsandimages,Itsstraightforwardphrasesandsentences,itsbalanceandparallelismgivetheBiblealoftinessanddignitythatcanimmediatelyinfluenceitsreadersofanaudienceinachurch.SotheBiblewasregardedasthenoblestmonumentoftheEnglishprose.,FrancisBacon,PortraitsofBacon,Thewisest,brightest,meanestofmankind.AlexanderPopeonSirFrancisBacon,LifeofFrancisBacon,BorninfamilyofSirNicholasBacon,enjoyedgoodeducation,andwonthefavorofQueen.HewenttotheCambridgeat12,andhetookupthelawaftergraduation,becameamostsuccessfullawyer.AmemberoftheHouseofCommonsattheageof23,butmadelittleprogressduringtheElizabethsreign.,FavouredbyJamesI,heobtainedoneimportantpositionafteranothertillbecametheLordChancellorandmadeapeerin1618.Convictedonthechargeofbribery,deprivedofhisoffice,finedandbanishedfromLondonin1621.TheremainingyearsofBaconslifewerespentinliteraryandphilosophicalworks.Diedin1626inageddisgrace.,HisContribution,TheEnglishRenaissancelastedfromabout1580to1626,andproducedsomeoftheworldsmostoutstandingliterature.AtthecoreofthisoutputwasSirFrancisBacon,aprodigiouswriterandphilosopher.,HischiefcontributionliesinhisroleasthefounderofmaterialisminphilosophyandscienceinEngland.Byopeningtherationalworldtothecreativemind,Baconsetthefoundationsuponwhichmodernsocietyhasbeenbuilt.Inhismajorwork,TheAdvancementofLearning,BaconproposedtheNovumOrganum,anewtoolfortherationalmind:inductivereasoning.,Hisliteraryfameismainlybuiltuponhis“Essays”,whichhavebeenconsideredasimportantlandmarksinthedevelopmentofEnglishprose,andasthefirstcollectionofessaysintheEnglishlanguage.ShelleyassertedthatBaconwasapoet,HeadmiredBaconforthesweetandmajesticrhythmofhislanguageandthewisdomofhisphilosophy,whichhecalled“aunityoflanguageandphilosophy”.,ThisNewfoundlandstampfrom1910honorsFrancisBaconssignificantandlastinginfluence,Excerptsofhisessays,Baconsessaysalwaysimpressthereaderswithhisfirstsentence.e.g.1.Menfeardeathaschildrenfeartogointhedark.“FromOfDeath”2.Ithathbeenanopinion,thattheFrencharewiserthantheyseem,andtheSpaniardsseemwiserthantheyare.From“OfSeemingWise”,3.Hethathathwifeandchildrenhathgivenhostagestofortune,fortheyareimpedimentstogreatenterprises,eitherofvirtueormischief.From“OfMarriageandSingleLife”有妻儿者实已向命运押了人质，从此难成大事，无论善恶。,Andtherearelotsofaphorisms(格言,警语)andwisesentencesinhisessays,ToChoosetimeistosavetime.Prosperitydothbestdiscovervice,butadversitydothbestdiscovervirtue.顺境易见劣性，逆境易见德性。Fameislikeariver,thatbearethupthingslightandswollen,anddrownsthingsweightyandsolid.声名犹如大河，空虚无物者浮，实学有才者沉。,Allrisingtogreatplaceisbyawindingstair.Therisinguntoplaceislaborious;andbypainsmencometogreaterpains,anditissometimesbase;andbyindignitiesmencometodignities.一切腾达，无不须循小梯盘旋而上。历尽艰难始登高位，含辛茹苦，唯得更大辛苦。有时事且卑劣，因此须做尽不光荣之事，方能达光荣之位。,ThestyleofBaconsessays,Practicalityandobjectivityareshowninmostofhisessays.Beforeaffirmingornegatinganythinghealwaysconsidersfirstitsadvantagesanddisadvantages,andsoheemployswhatmaybecalledthedialecticalmethodbybalancingopposingargumentsbeforedrawinghisconclusions.,So,in“Ofsimulationanddissimulation”(论韬晦),orin“OfDelays”orin“OfMarriageandSingleLife,”orin“OfYouthandAge”,heconsiderstheprosandconsofacertainpropositionorqualityorwayofactionandjudgesaccordingtoitspracticaladvantagesanddisadvantages,andhisconclusionsfinallyarrivedatarenotlopsidedbutadmittingtwosidesofthepicture.e.g.,Hisessaysareknownfortheirconcisenessandbrevity,simplicityandforcefulness.e.g.However,therearedefinitetracesofstiffnessand