刘炳善《英国文学简史》完整版笔记

1、word英国文学简史完全版A Con cise History of British LiteratureChapter 1 English Literature of Anglo-Saxon PeriodI. The historical backgro und1 Before the Germa nic in vasi on2 During the Germa nic inv asi ona. immigrati on;b. Christia ni ty;c. heptarchy.d. social classes structure: hide-hu ndred; eoldermenf

2、lord-tha ne - middleclass freemen- lower class slave or bondmen: theoW ;e. social organization: clan or tribes.f. military Orga ni zati on;g. Church function: spirit, civil service, education;h. economy: coins, trade, slavery;i. feasts and festival: Hallowee n, Easter; j. legal system.2. The Overvie

3、w of the culture1 The mixture of pagan and Christian spirit.2 Literature: a. poetry: two types; b. prose: two figures.II. Beowulf.1. A gen eral in troducti on.2. The content.3. The literary features.1 the use of alliterati on2the use of metaphors and un derstateme nts3 the mixture of pagan and Chris

4、tian elementsIII. The Old En glish Prose1. What is prose?1The Venerable Bede2Alfred the Great1. The Historical Backgro und.1The year 1066: Norman Con quest.2 The social situations soon after the conquest.A. Norma n n obles and serfs;B. restorati on of the church.3The 11th ce ntury.A. the crusade and

5、 kni ghts.B. dominance of Fre nch and Lat in;4The 12th ce ntury.A. the cen tralized gover nment;B. kings and the churchHenry II and Thomas;5The 13th ce ntury.A. The lege nd of Robin Hood;B. Magna Carta 1215;C. the begi nning of the Parliame ntD. En glish and Lat in: official la nguages the end6The 1

6、4th ce ntury.a. the House of Lords and the House of monsconflict between theParliame nt and Kin gs;b. the rise of tow ns.c. the cha nge of Church.d. the role of wome n.e. the Hun dred Years' Waistarti ng.f. the developme nt of the trade: London.g. the Black Death.h. the Peasants' Revo1381.i.

7、 The tran slation of Bible by Wycliff.7The 15th ce ntury.a. The Peasants Revolt 1453b. The War of Roses betwee n Lan casters and Y orks.c. the prin ti ng-press William Caxt on.d. the starting of Tudor Monarchy 14852. The Overview of Literature.1 the stories from the Celtic lands of Wales and Brittan

8、great myths of the Middle Ages.2 Geoffrye of Monm outh Historia Regum Brita nni ae King Authur.3 Wace Le Roma n de Brut.4 The roma nee.5 the see ond half of the 14th een tury: Lan gla nd, Gaw in poet, Chaucer.II. Sir Gawin and Green Knight.1. a gen eral in trodueti on.2. the plot.III. William Lan gl

9、a nd.1. Life2. Piers the Plowma n1. Life2. Literary Career: three periods1 French period2 Italian period3 master period3. The Can terbury TalesA. The Framework;B. The Gen eral Prologue;C. The Tale Proper.4. His Con tributio n.1 He in troduced from France the rhymed sta nza of various types.2 He is t

10、he first great poet who wrote in the current English Ianguage.3 The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the moder n En glish speech.V. Popular Ballads.VI. Thomas Malory and En glish ProseVII. The begi nning o

11、f En glish Drama.1. Miracle Plays.Miracle play or mystery play is a form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th cen tury, reachi ng its height in the 15th cen tury. The simple lyric character of the early tex

12、ts was enlarged by the addition of dialogue and dramatic action. Eventually the performance was moved to the churchyard and the marketplace.2. Morality Plays.A morality play is a play enforcing a moral truth or less on by means of the speech and acti on of characters which are pers oni fied abstract

13、i ons -figures represe nti ng vices and virtues, qualities of the huma n mi nd, or abstract con cepti ons in gen eral.3. I nterlude.The interlude, which grew out of the morality, was intended, as its name implies, to be used more as a filler than as the main part of an entertainment. As its best it

14、was short, witty, simple in plot, suited for the divers ion of guests at a banq uet, or for the relaxati on of the audie nee betwee n the divisi ons of a serious play. It was esse ntially an in doors performa nee, and gen erally of an aristocratic n ature.Chapter 3 English Literature in the Renaissa

15、nee I.A Historical BackgroundII. The Overview of the Literature 1485-1660Printing press readershipgrowth of middle class trade-education for laypeople-centralization of power-intellectual life-exploration-new impetus and directi on of literature.Humanism-study of the literature of classical antiquit

16、y and reformed educati on.Literary style-modeled on the ancients.The effect of humanism-the dissemination of the cultivated, clear, and sen sible attitude of its classically educated adhere nts.1. poetryThe first tendency by Sidney and Spenser: ornate, florid, highly figured style.The sec ond tenden

17、cy by Donne: metaphysical styplexity and ingenu ity.The third tendency by Joh nson: reacti onClassically pure and restrai nedstyle.The fourth tendency by Milt on: cen tral Christia n and Biblical traditi on.2. Dramaa. the n ative traditi on and classical examples.b. the drama stands highest in popul

18、ar estimation: Marlowe -Shakespeare- Jonson.3. Prosea. tran slati on of Bible;b. More;c. Bac on.II.E nglish poetry.1. Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard courtly makers1 Wyatt: in troduc ing sonn ets.2 Howard: introducing sonnets and writing the first blank verse.2. Sir Philip Sidneypoet, critic, pros

19、e writer1Life:a. En glish gen tlema n;b. brillia nt and fasc in at ing pers on ality;c. courtier.2worksa. Arcadia: pastoral roma nee;b. Astrophel and Stella 108： sonnet seque nee to Pen elopeDvereux plat onic devoti on.Petrarcha n con ceits and origi nalfeeli ngs-movi ngtocreativenes building of a n

20、arrative story; theme-love originality-act of writ in g.c. Defense of Poesy: an apology for imaginative literature beginning of literary criticism.3. Edm und Spe nser1 life: Cambridge - Sidney's friend - “Areopagus Ireland -Westmi nster Abbey.2worksa. The Shepherds Cale ndar: the budd ing of En

21、glish poetry in Ren aissa nee.b. Amoretti and Epithalam ion: sonnet seque neec. Faerie Quee ne:l The general enA romantic and allegorical epic steps to virtue.l 12 books and 12 virtues: Holi ness, tempera nee, justice and courtesy.l Two-level function: part of the story and part of allegory symbolic

22、 meaningl Many allusi ons to classical writers.l Themes: purita ni sm, n ati on alism, huma nism and Ren aissa nee Neoclassicism a Christia n huma ni st.3 Spen seria n Stan za.III. English Prose1. Thomas More1 Life:“Renaissancman , scholar, statesman,theorist, prose writer,diplomat, patr on of artsa

23、. lear ned Greek at Can terbury College, Oxford;b. studies law at Lincoln Inn;c. Lord Chan cellor;d. beheaded.2 Utopia: the first En glish scie nce ficti on.Writte n in Lat in, two parts, the sec ond place of no where.A philosophical mariner Raphael Hythlodaytells his voyages in which he discovers a

24、 Ian d-Utopia.a. The part one is organized as dialogue with mariner depicting his philosophy.b. The part two is a description of the island kingdom where gold and silverare worn by crim in al, religious freedom is total and no one owns any thi ng.c. the n ature of the book: attack ing the chief poli

25、tical and social evils of his time.d. the book and the Republic: an attempt to describe the Republic in a new way, but it possesses an modern character and the resemblance is in externals.e. it played a key role in the Humanist awakening of the 16th century which moved away from the Medieval otherwo

26、rldliness towards Renaissance secularism.f. the Utopia3the sig nifica nee.a. it was the first champi on of n atio nal ideas and n ati on al la nguages; it created a national prose, equally adapted to handling scientific and artistic material.b. a elegant Latin scholar and the father of English prose

27、: he posed works in En glish, tran slated from Lati n in to En glish biography, wrote History of Richard III.2. Fran cis Bac on: writer, philosopher and statesma n1 life: Cambridge - humanism in Paris -knighted - Lord Chancellor bribery - focusing on philosophy and literature.2 philosophical ideas:

28、advancement of scienee people:servants and interpreters of nature method: a child before nature facts and observations: experimental.3“ Essays : 57.a. he was a master of nu merous and varied styles.b. his method is to weigh and bala nee maters, in dicat ing the ideal course of acti on and the practi

29、cal one, pointing out the adva ntages and disadva ntages of each, but leaving the reader to make the final decisions. arguments!IV. E nglish Drama1. A gen eral survey.1 Everyma n marks the begi nning of moder n drama.2 two in flue nces.a. the classics: classical in form and English in content;b. n a

30、tive or popular drama.3the Un iversity Wits.2. Christopher Marlowe: greatest playwright before Shakespeareand most gifted of the Wits.1 Life: first interested in classical poetry then in drama.2 Major worksa. Tamburla ine;b. The Jew of Malta;c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.3 The sig nifica

31、 nee of his plays.V. William Shakespeare1. Life11564, Stratford-on-Avon;2 Grammar School;3 Quee n visit to Castle;4 marriage to Anne Hathaway;5 London, the Globe Theatre: small part and proprietor;6the 1st Folio, Quarto;7Retired, son Hamn et; H. 1616.2. Dramatic career3. Major plays-me n-ce ntered.1

32、 Romeo and Juliettragic love and fate2The Merchant of Ven ice.Good over evil.An ti-Semitism.3He nry IV.Nati onal uni ty.Falstaff.4 Julius CaesarRepublicanism vs. dictatorship.5HamletRevengeGood/evil.6OthelloDiabolic characterjealousygap betwee n appeara nee and reality.7King LearFilial in gratitude8

33、MacbethAmbiti on vs. fate.9Antony and Cleopatra.Passi on vs. reas on10 The TempestReconciliation; reality and illusion.3. Non-dramatic poetry1 Venus and Adonis; The Rape of Lucrece.2Sonn ets:a. theme: fair, true, ki nd.b. two major parts: a handsome young man of noble birth; a lady in darkplexi on.c

34、. the form: three quatrains and a couplet.d. the rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.VI. Be n Jonson1. life: poet, dramatist, a Latin and Greek scholar, theking"Sons “literaryof Ben2. c on tributi on:1the idea of“ humour2 an advocate of classical drama and a forerunner of classicism inEn glish l

35、iterature.3. Major plays1 Every one in His Humour “ humour ; three un ities.2Volp one the FoxChapter 4 English Literature of the 17th Century I.A HistoricalBackgro undll.The Overview of the Literature 1640-16881. The revolution period1 The metaphysical poets;2 The Cavalier poets.3 Milton: the litera

36、ry and philosophical heritage of the Renaissance merged with Protesta nt political and moral conv icti on2. The restoration period.1The restoration of Charles II ushered in a literature characterized by reason, moderatio n, good taste, deft man ageme nt, and simplicity. school of Ben Jonson2 The ide

37、als of impartial investigation and scientific experimentation promoted by the n ewly foun ded Royal Society of London for Improvi ng Natural Kno wledge 1662 were in flue ntial in the developme nt of clear and simple prose as an instrument of rational munication.3 The great philosophical and politica

38、l treatises of the time emphasize rati on alism.4 The restorati on drama.5 The Age of Dryde n.III .J oh n Milt on1. Life: educated at Cambridge- visit ing the con ti nentinvo lved in to the revolutionpersecuted writing epics.2. Literary career.1 The 1st period was up to 1641, during which time he is

39、 to be seen chiefly as a son of the humanists and Elizabethans, although his Puritanism is not absent. L'Allegre and IL Pens eroso 1632 are his early masterpieces, in which we find Milton a true offspring of the Ren aissa nee, a scholar of exquisite taste and rare culture. Next came us, a masque

40、. The greatest of early creatio ns was Lycidas, a pastoral elegy on the death of a college mate, Edward King.2 The second period is from 1641 to 1654, when the Puritan was in such plete asce ndancy that he wrote almost no poetry .In 1641, he bega n a long period of pamphleteering for the puritan cau

41、se. For some 15 years, the Puritan in him alone ruled his writing. He sacrificed his poetic ambition to the call of the liberty for which Puritans were fighting.3 The third period is from 1655 to 1671, when humanist and Puritan have bee n fused into an exalted en tity. This period is the greatest in

42、 his literary life, epics and some famous sonnets. The three long poems are the fruit of the long con test with in Milt on of Ren aissa ncetraditi on and his Puritan faith. They form the greatest acplishments of any English poet except Shakespeare. In Milt on alon e, it would seem, Purita nism could

43、 not ext in guish the lover of beauty .In these works we find huma nism and Purita nism merged in magn ifice nee.3. Major Works1 Paradise Losta. the plot.b. characters.c. theme: justify the ways of God to man.2Paradise Rega in ed.3 Sams on Ago ni stes.4. Features of Milt on's works.1Milt on is o

44、ne of the very few truly great En glish writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an importa nt prose writer. The two most esse ntial thi ngs to be remembered about him are his Purita nism and his republica nism.2Milton wrote many different types of poetry.

45、 He is especially agreat master of bla nk verse. He lear ned much from Shakespeare and first used bla nk verse in non-dramatic works.3 Milt on is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style no ted for its dignity and polish, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.4Mi

46、lt on has always bee n admired for his sublimity of thought andmajesty of expressi on.IV. John Bu nyan1. life:1purita n age;2 poor family;3 parliame ntary army;4 Baptist society, preacher;5 prison, writing the book.2. The Pilgrim Progress1 The allegory in dream form.2the plot.3 the theme.V. Metaphys

47、ical Poets and Cavalier Poets.1. Metaphysical PoetsThe term “ metaphysical poetry is monly used to designate the works of the 17th cen tury writers who wrote un der the in flue nee of Joh n Donne. Pressured by the harsh, un fortable and curious age, the metaphysical poets sought to shatter myths and

48、 replace them with new philosophies, new scie nces, new words and new poetry. They tried to break away from the conventional fashion of Elizabethan love poetry, and favoured in poetry for a more colloquial la nguage and tone, a tight ness of expressi on and the sin gle-min ded work ing out of a them

49、e or argume nt.2. Cavalier PoetsThe other group prevailing in this period was that of Cavalier poets. They were often courtiers who stood on the side of the king, and called themselves asonsf Ben Jonson. The Cavalier poets wrote light poetry, polished and elega nt, amorous and gay, but ofte n superf

50、icial. Most of their verses were short son gs, pretty madrigals, love fan cies characterized by light ness of heart and of morals. Cavalier poems have the limpidity of the Elizabetha n lyric without its imag in ative flights. They are lighter and neater but less fresh than the Elizabethan's.VI.

51、John Dryde n.1. Life:1 the representative of classicism in the Restoration.2poet, dramatist, critic, prose writer, satirist.3cha ngeable in attitude.4Literary career four decades.5Poet Laureate2. His in flue nces.1 He established the heroic couplet as the fashion for satiric, didactic, and descripti

52、ve poetry.2He developed a direct and con cise prose style.3He developed the art of literary criticism in his essays and in thenu merous prefaces to his poems.1. The Historical Backgro und.2. The literary overview.1The En lighte nment.2 The rise of En glish no vels.When the literary historian seeks t

53、o assign to each age its favourite form of literature, he finds no difficulty in dealing with our own time. As the Middle Ages delighted in long romantic narrative poems, the Elizabethans in drama, the Englishman of the reigns of Anne and the early Georges in didactic and satirical verse, so the pub

54、lic of our day is enamored of the novel. Almost all types of literary production continue to appear, but whether we judge from the lists of publishers, the statistics of public libraries, or general conversation, we find abundant evidence of the eno rmous prep on dera nceof this kind of literary en

55、tertai nment in popular favour.3 Neo-classicism: a revival in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of classical standards of order, balance, and harmony in literature. Joh n Dryde n and Alexa nder Pope were major exp onents of the n eo-classical school.4 Satiric literature.5 Sen time ntalismII.

56、Neo-classicism. a gen eral description1. Alexa nder Pope1Life:a. Catholic family;b. ill health;c. taught himself by readi ng and tran slat ing;d. frie nd of Addis on, Steele and Swift.2three groups of poems:e. An Essay on Criticism manifesto of neo-classicismf. The Rape of Lock;g. Tra nslati on of two epics.3His contribution:h. the heroic couple fini sh, elega nee, wit, poin ted ness;i. satire.4 weak ness: lack of imagi nati on.2. Addis on and Steele1 Richard Steele: poet, playwright, essayist, publisher of n ewspaper.2 Josep