英国文学史第五讲：18thC+literature+and+John+Dryden.ppt

18thCenturyliterature,EnlightenmentNeoclassicism,NeoclassicalPeriod(1660-1798),TheEnglishsocietyoftheneoclassicalperiodwasaturbulentone.TheRestorationin1660theGreatPlaguein1665TheGreatLondonFirein1666TheGloriousRevolutionin1688,The18thcenturysawthefastdevelopmentofEnglandasanation.Abroad,avastexpansionofBritishcolonies.Athome,ActsofEnclosureBritishbourgeoisgrewrapidly,EnlightenmentMovement,The18thcenturyisalsoknownastheAgeofEnlightenmentortheAgeofReason.,TheEnlightenmentMovementwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementwhichflourishedinFranceandsweptthroughthewholeWesternEuropeatthetime.ThemovementwasafurtheranceoftheRenaissanceofthe15thand16thcenturies.Itspurposewastoenlightenthewholeworldwiththelightofmodernphilosophicalandartisticideas.,Theenlightenerscelebratedreasonorrationality,equalityandscience.Theyheldthatrationalityorreasonshouldbetheonly,thefinalcauseofanyhumanthoughtandactivities.Theycalledforareferencetoorder,reasonandrules.Theybelievedthatwhenreasonservedastheyardstickforthemeasurementofallhumanactivitiesandrelations,everysuperstition,injusticeandoppressionwastoyieldplaceto“eternaltruth”,“eternaljustice”and“naturalequality.”ThisbeliefprovidedtheoryfortheFrenchRevolutionandtheAmericanIndependence.,Theenlightenersadvocateduniversaleducation.Theybelievedthathumanbeingswerelimited,dualistic,imperfect,andyetcapableofrationalityandperfectionthrougheducation.Ifthemasseswerewelleducated,therewouldbegreatchanceforademocraticandequalhumansociety.Literatureatthetime,heavilydidacticandmoralizing,becameaverypopularmeansofpubliceducation.,INthefieldofliterature,theEnlightenmentMovementbroughtaboutarevivalofinterestintheoldclassicalworks.Thistendencyisknownasneoclassicism.,CharacteristicsofNeoclassicalLiterature,AllformsofliteratureweretobemodeledaftertheclassicalworksoftheancientGreekandRomanwriters(Homer,Virgil,Horace,Ovid,etc.).Theartisticidealsshouldbeorder,logic,restrainedemotionandaccuracy.Literatureshouldbejudgedintermsofitsservicetohumanity.,Fixedlawsandrulesforeverygenreofliterature,Proseshouldbeprecise,direct,smoothandflexible.Poetryshouldbelyrical,epical,didactic,satiricordramatic.DramashouldbewrittenintheHeroicCouplets(iambicpentameterrhymedintwolines);thethreeunitiesoftime,spaceandactionshouldbestrictlyobserved;regularityinconstructionshouldbeadheredto,andtypecharactersratherthanindividualsshouldberepresented.,TheneoclassicalperiodwitnessedtheflourishofEnglishpoetryintheclassicalstylefromRestorationtothe2ndhalfofthecentury.Themid-centurywaspredominatedbyanewlyrisingliteraryform-themodernEnglishnovel.Fromthemidtotheendofthecenturytherewasalsoanapparentshiftofinterestfromtheclassicliterarytraditiontooriginalityandimagination,fromsocietytoindividual,andfromthedidactictotheconfessional,inspirationalandprophetic.,RestorationDramaandJohnDryden(1631-1700),JohnDrydenwastheleadingliteraryfigureintheRestorationperiod.IntheRestorationperiod,heroicplayandthenewcomedyofmannersflourished.JohnDrydensworksignaledthebeginningofanewandgreatage,whosechiefcharacteristicwasapreferenceforreason,order,moderation,goodtaste,andfor“easy,naturalwit”.,HeroicDrama,TheheroicplaysrestoredsomeofthelostconfidenceoftheEnglishnation.Moralbehaviorswereonceagainemphasizedandpraised.Threevirtues:valor,beauty,andlovewerehighlyadmired.Theheroicplays,characterizedbyrichcostumesandexoticscenes,dealtwithstrongemotionalconflicts.Theheroicdramawascommonlywritteninrhymedheroiccouplets.,JohnDrydenwroteabundantverseanddramabuthiscriticismwasmostinfluentialandearnedhimthereputationas“fatherofEnglishcriticism”.,JohnDrydensmajorpoems:TheYearofWonders1667AbsalomandAchitophel1681TheHindandthePanther1687ASongforSt.CeciliasDay1687AlexandersFeast1697,JohnDrydensmajordramas:TheRivalLadies1664TheConquestofGrenada1670(finestheroicplay)MarriagelaMode1672(bestcomedy)AllforLove1678(besttragedy)JohnDrydensbestwork,thecriticism-AnEssayofDramaticPoesy1668,summary,aninfluentialEnglishpoet,literarycritic,translator,andplaywrightwhodominatedtheliterarylifeofRestorationEnglandtosuchapointthattheperiodcametobeknowninliterarycirclesastheAgeofDryden.,DrydenestablishedtheheroiccoupletasthestandardmeterofEnglishpoetry.Drydensheroiccoupletbecamethedominantpoeticformofthe18thcentury.,WhatDrydenachievedinhispoetrywasnottheemotionalexcitement(intheRomanticpoets),norTheintellectualcomplexities(ofthemetaphysicalpoets).Hissubject-matterwasoftenfactual,andheaimedatexpressinghisthoughtsinthemostpreciseandmostconcentratedwaypossible.AlthoughheusesformalpoeticstructuressuchasheroicstanzasandheroicCouplets,hetriedtoachievetherhythmsofspeech.However,heknewthatdiff