(完整word版)新大纲自考《英美文学选读》笔记总结背完必过

1、英美文学选读笔记背完必过Part One: English LiteratureAn Introduction to Old and Medieval English LiteratureI Understanding and application:（理解应用）1. En gla nd' s in habita nts are Celts. And it is conq uered by Roma ns. An glo Saxons and Norma ns The An glo-Sax ons brought the Germa nic Ian guage and culture

2、to En gla nd, while Norma ns brought the Mediterranean civilization, including Greek culture, Rome law and the Christian religion. It isthe cultural in flue nee ofthese two conq ueststhat provided the source for the rise and growthof En glish literature.2. The old En glish literature exte nds from a

3、bout450 to 1066, the year of the Norma n conq uestof En gla nd.3. The old English poetry that has survived can be divided into two groups: The religious group and the secular one4. Beowulf : a typical example of Old English poetry is regarded asthe national epic of theAn glo-Sax on s. It is an examp

4、le of the min gli ng ofn ature myths and heroic lege nds5. After the Norman s conquest, three Ianguages co-existed in England. French is the official Ianguage that is used by king and the Normanlords. Latin is the principal tongue of church affairs and in uni versities. Old En glish was spoke n only

5、 by the com mon En glish people.6. In the second half of 14th century, English literature started to flourishwith the appearaneeof writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Lan gla nd, Joh n Gower, and othersII Recite:（识记再现）1. Roma nee: It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or ot

6、her heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil gia nt and the encoun ter with the beautiful beloved. The hero is usually the kni ght, who sets out on a journey to accomplish som

7、e missi ons. There are ofte n mysteries and fan tasies in roma nee. Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romanee.Characterizationis standardized, While the structure is loose and episodic, the Ianguage is simpleand straightforward. The importa nee of the roma nee itself can be see n as

8、a means of show ing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world.2. Heroic couplet:Heroic couplet is a rhymed couplet of iambic pen tameter. It isChaucer who used it for the firsttime in En glish in his workThe Lege nd of Good Woma n.3. The theme of Beowulf:Th

9、e poem prese nts a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles aga inst the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. The poem is an example of the min gli ng of the n ature myths and heroic lege nds.4. The Wife of Bath in The Ca nterbury Tales:The Wife

10、of Bath is depicted as the new bourgeois wife assert ing her in depe nden ce. Chaucer develops his characterizationto a higher artistic level by presenting characters with both typicalqualities and in dividual dispositi ons.5. Chaucer' s achievement: He prese nted a comprehe nsive realistic pict

11、ure of his age and created a whole gallery of vivid characters in his works, especially in The Can terbury Tales. He an ticipated a new ear, the Ren aissa nee, to come un der the in flue nee of the Italia n writers. He developed his characterization to a higher level by presenting characters with bo

12、th typical qualities and in dividual dispositi ons. He greatly eontributed to the maturing of English poetry. Today, Chaucer' s reputation hasbeen securely established as one of the best English poets for his wisdom, humor and humanity.6. “ The Father of En glish poetry”：Originally, Old English

13、poems are mainly alliterative verses with few variations. Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace it. In The Romaunt of the Rose (玫瑰传奇),he first introduced to the English the octosyllabiccouplet (八音节对偶句). In The Lege nd of Good Wome n, he used

14、for the first time in En glish heroic couplet. And in his masterpiece, The Can terbury Tales, he employed heroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of En glish literature. His art made him one of the greatest poets in En glish;Joh n Dryde n called him “ the fatherof E

15、n glish poetry”.【例题】 The work that presented, for the first time in English literature, a comprehensiverealistic picture of the medieval English society and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life is most likely. (0704)A. William Langland' s Piers PlowmanB. Geoffrey Ch

16、aucer ' s The Can terbury TalesC. John Gower ' s Confession AmantisD. Sir Gawa in and the Gree n Kni ght【答案】B【解析】(P4.para.2)本题考查的是中世纪时期几位诗人作品的创作主题和创作范围。A答案是农夫皮尔斯及其作者威廉兰格伦他在其作品中描述了他那个时期的宗教与社会问题。C爱人的告白，D高文爵士和他的绿衣骑士都是约翰高厄的作品，属于时最精美的骑士文学作品；然而只有乔叟，在英国文学史上第一次向我们展示了表现当时英国社会的一幅综合性、现实主义的画卷，在他的代表作坎特伯雷

17、故事集中塑造了一系列来自社会各阶层的生动形象的人物。本章小结本章重点：Chaucer and his achieveme nt本章提示：本部分内容以选择题考查，所以，复习时以识记为主。Chapter 1: The Ren aissa nee PeriodGen eral In troductio n考核要求：1. 识记：(1) 文艺复兴时期的界定(2) 历史文化背景2. 领会:(1) 文艺复兴运动的意义与影响(2) 文艺复兴时期的文学特点(3) 人文主义的主张及对文学的影响3. 应用：文艺复兴，人文主义及玄学诗等名词的解释考点串讲：1. The Ren aissa nee:The Ren ai

18、ssa nee marks a tran siti onfrom the medieval to the moder n world . Gen erally, it refersto the period betwee nthe 14th & 17th cen turies. It first startedin Italy , with the floweri ngof painting, sculpture & literature. From Italy the movement went to embrace the rest of Europe.The Renais

19、sanee, which means "rebirth"or "revival," is actually a movementstimulated by a seriesof historical events , such as: The re-discovery of an cie nt Roma n & Greek culture The new discoveries in geography & astrology, the religious reformatio n & the econo mic expa nsi

20、on. The Ren aissa nee, therefore, in esse nee is a historical period in which the Europea n huma nistthi nkers & scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interestsof the rising bourgeoisie, & to recover the p

21、urityof the early church from the corrupti on of the Roma n Catholic Church.【例题】 The Renaissanee is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events EXCEPT.(0804)A. the rediscovery of an cie nt Roma n and Greek cultureB. the vast expansion of British colonies in North AmericaC. the ne

22、w discoveries in geography and astrologyD. the religious reformatio n and the econo mic expa nsion【答案】B【解析】(P7. paral)文艺复兴是欧洲中世纪和现代社会的分水岭，它的发生有着深刻的社会历史根源，当时的社会发展刺 激了文艺复兴的发生，如地理天文大发现，席卷欧洲的宗教改革以及对古希腊，古罗马文化的发掘等。2. Huma ni sm:Huma ni smis the esse nee of the Ren aissa nee. It spra ng from the en deavor

23、to restore a medieval revere nee for the ancient authors and is freque ntly take n as the beg inning of the Ren aissa nee on its eonscious, intellectualside, for the Greek and Romancivilizationwas based on such a eonceptionthat man is the measure of all thi ngs. Through the new lear ning, huma ni st

24、s not only saw the arts of splendor and enlightenment, but the humanvalues represented in the works. Renaissanee humanists found in the classics a justification to exalt humannature and came to see that humanbeings were glorious creatures capable of in dividual developme nt in the directi on of perf

25、ect ions, and that the world they in habited was theirs not to despise but to questi on, explore, and enjoy. Thus, by emphasizing the dignity of humanbeings and the importanee of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but ha

26、d theabilityto perfect himself and to perform wonders. ThomasMore, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best represe ntatives of the En glish huma ni sts.3. The Ren aissa nee in En gla nd: The first - the beg inning (1485-1558) - imitatio n and assimilatio nPoetry: Wyatt & SurreyT

27、he former in troducedthe Petrarcha n sonnetinto En gla nd, while the latter brought inbla nkverse . The seco nd - (the peak) the Elizabeth Age (1558-1603) -The Elizabethan dramaPoetry: Spe nser & MarloweSpen seria n sta nza:Spen seria n sta nza was inven ted byEdm und Spen ser It is a sta nza of

28、 ninelines, with the first eight lines in iambic pentameter & the last line in iambic hexameter, rhyming ababbcbcc.Drama: Marlowe & ShakespeareThe Ren aissa nee hero: A Ren aissa nee hero refers to one created by Christopher Marlowe in his drama. Such a hero is always individualistic and ful

29、l of ambition, facing bravely the challenge from both gods and men. He embodies Marlowe's humanistic ides of human dignity and capacity. Different from the tragic hero in medieval plays, who seeks the way to heaven through salvation and god's will,he is against eonventional morality and eont

30、rives to obtain heaven on earth throughhis own efforts. With the endless aspiration for power, knowledge, and glory, the hero interprets the true Renaissanee spirit. Both Tamburlaine and Faustus are typical in possessing such a spirit.The Elizabetha n drama:It is the real mai nstreamof En glish Ren

31、aissa nee.It could be dated back to the Middle Ages.English material was put into the regular form of the Latin comedies of Plautus and Terence. Tragedies were in the style of Sen ecaThe most famous dramatists in the Ren aissa nee En gla nd are: Marlowe, Shakespeare &Ben Jacks on The third - fur

32、ther development (1603-1660)Poetry: John Do nne & Joh n Milt onMetaphysical poetry : The term "metaphysical poetry" is commonly used to name the work of the 17th cen tury writers who wrote un der the in flue nee ofJoh n Donne. With a rebellious spirit, themetaphysical poets tried to br

33、eak away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry. The diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or the Neoclassic periods, and echoes the words and cade nces of com mon speech. The imagery is draw n from the actual life. The form is freque ntly that of an argume

34、 nt with the poet's beloved, with God, or with himself.Drama: Ben Jacks onEssay: Francis Bac onHe is the first importa nt En glish essayist, is known for his essays which greatly in flue need the developme nt of this literary form.He is also the foun der of moder n scie nee in En gla nd.His writ

35、i ngs paved the way for the use of scie ntific methodThe typical authors duri ng this period考核要求：1. 一般识记：重要作家的文学生涯2. 识记：重要作品及主要内容3. 领会：重要作家的创作思想，艺术特色及其代表作品的主题结构，人物塑造，语言风格，艺术手法，社会 意义等。4. 应用：（1）莎士比亚诗歌的主题，意象（2）喜剧威尼斯商人的主题和主要人物性格分析（3）哈姆雷特的性格分析（4）史诗失乐园的结构，人物性格，语言特点等的分析 考点串讲：I . William Shakespeare1. The b

36、ibliographyWilliam Shakespeare is one of the most remarkable playwrights and poets the world has ever known.2. Viewpoi ntsViewpoints on politics:necessity of mighty and just sovereign, and the condemn to thean ti-n ature and an ti-huma nism of the feudal wars an ti-feudalismViewpo ints on religi on:

37、aga inst the religious persecuti on and racial discrim in ati on,aga instthe social in equality and the corrupt ing in flue nce of the gold and money-an ti-CatholicismViewpo int on literature:literature should be a comb in ati on of beauty, kindn ess and truth,and should reflect n ature and reality-

38、huma nism3. The major con tributi ons 38 plays （historical plays, tragedies and comedies） 2 n arrative poems: Venus, The Rape of Lucrece 154 sonn ets4. four stages for his play-creatio n The first stage: his dramatic career is one ofthe appre nticeshipsfive historical plays: Henry IV, part 1,11, and

39、 III; Richard III; and Titus Andronicus（泰特斯，提图斯）.four Comedies, in clud ing: The Comedy of Errors; The Two Gen tleme n of Verona（维罗纳）；TheTaming of the Shrew（泼妇的驯服），and Love ' s Labor ' s Lost The sec ond stage, his style became highlyin dividualized ,Five historical: Richard II, Ki ng Joh n,

40、 Henry IV, part I, II, Henry VSix comedies: A Midsummer Night ' s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, AsYou like（皆大欢喜）,Twelfth Night, and the Merry Wives of Windsor（温莎公爵的快乐情妇）Two tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar The Third stage is the peak of his creation , included

41、his greatest tragedies and his so-called dark comedies:Seven tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, Ki ng Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra（克利奥帕特拉）,Troilus and Cressida（特洛伊罗斯和克雷西达），Coriola nus（科里奥兰纳斯）Two comedies: All ' s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure The last period of Shakespeare ' s inc

42、ludes his principal romantic tragicomedies:Pericles, Cymbeli ne, The Win ter' s Tale, and The TempestTwo final plays: Henry III, and The Two Noble Kinsmen5. About his dramas historical playsShakespeare' s history plays are mainly written under the principle that national unity under a mighty

43、 and just sovereig n is a n ecessity.The three history plays in the reig n of Henry VIare the beg inning of Shakespeare ' s epictreatme nt of En glish history. Roma ntic ComediesIn his roma ntic comedies, Shakespeare takes an optimistic attitude toward love and youth, and the romantic elements a

44、re brought into full play. They are The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night ' s Dream, As You like, Twelfth Night,but the most important one is The Merchant of Venice. TragediesThe successful romantic tragedy is Romeoand Juliet , which eulogizes the faithfulnessof loveand the spirit of pursu i

45、ng happ in ess.Shakespeare' s greatest tragedies are Hamlet,-the first of greatest tragedies , Othello, Ki ng Lear, Macbeth（麦克白.）They have some characteristics in com monWilliam Shakespeare ' s four great tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, Ki ng Lear and Macbeth.They have somecharacteristics in

46、com mon. Each portrays some noble hero, whofaces the in justice of human life and is caught in a difficult situation and whose fate is closely connected with the fate of the whole n ati on.Each hero has his weakness of nature: Hamlet, the melancholic scholar prince, faces the dilemma betwee n acti o

47、n and mind; Othello's inner weak ness is made use of by the outside evil force; the old king Lear who is unwilling to totally give up his power makes himself suffer from treachery and in fidelity; and Macbeth's lustfor power stirs up his ambiti on leads him to in cessa nt crimes. Roma ntic t

48、ragicomediesThe Tempest is a typical example of his pessimistic view towards human life and society in his late year6. About his sonn ets Lyric: A poem, usually a short one, which expresses a speaker' s personal thoughts or feelings. The elegy, ode, and sonnet are all forms of the lyric The them

49、e: most of the sonnets concerns with the flying of the time, and the youth, beauty, belief and the love are also gone.7. Shakespeare ' s writing characteristicsThe progressive sig ni fica nee of the theme-huma nismThe successful character portrayal women s charactersThe masterha nd in con struct

50、 ing the plotThe ingen uity of his poetryThe mastery of his Ian guage8. About selected readi ng about sonnet 18Sonnet 18 is one of the most beautiful sonnets written by Shakespeare, in which he has a profound meditati on on the destructive power of time and the eter nal beautybrought forth by poetry

51、 to theone he loves.Typical li nes:Shall I compare thee to a summer s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:The theme: Immortality, Beauty and love about The Mercha nt of VeniceMajor characters :Bassa nio: - a young Ven etia n court Portia, acceptedAntonio: -a mercha nt of Veni ce, all money i

52、nven ted in ships, at sea, return not on timeShylock:-the Jewish usurer (放高利贷者)Portia:- standing for the great beauty, wit and loyaltyMain plot:Bassanio, a young Venetian, would like to travel to Belmont to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia. He approaches his friend Antonio, a mercha nt,

53、for three thousa nd ducats n eeded to subsidize his traveli ng expe nditures as a suitor for three mon ths. As all of Antoni o's ships and mercha ndise are busy at sea, An to nio approaches the Jewish mon eyle nder Shylock for a loa n, and the reward of breaking the returning oath is a pound of

54、fresh from Antonio' s body.Court happening: unsuccessfulpersuading, no more and no less than one pound of flesh, spillingno drop of bloodThe an alysis to the pers on alities:Antonio: -faithful to friend,Shylock:-greedy, brutal and in huma nPortia:- beautiful, witty and loyalTheme: traditi onal t

55、heme of the play is to praise the frie ndshipbetwee n Anton io and Bassa nio,to idealize Portia as a heroine of the great beauty, wit and loyalty, and to expose the greed and brutality of the Jew.Typical li nes:"Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but compete ncy lives Ion ger." (Act

56、i. Sc. 2.)"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." (Act i. Sc. 3.)"Mislike me not for my complexion, the shadow ' d livery of the burnish' d sun." (Act ii. Sc.1. )"In the twi nkli ng of an eye." (Act ii. Sc. 2.)"All that glisters is n ot gold."

57、(Act ii. Sc. 7.) about HamletThe Major characters:Hamlet: the title character, is the son of the late king, for whomhe was named. He has returned to Elsi nore Castle from Witte nberg, where he was a uni versity stude nt.Claudius: is the King of Denm ark, elected to the throne after the death of his

58、brother, King Hamlet. Claudius has married Gertrude, his brother's widow.Gertrude: is the Quee n of Denm ark, and Ki ng Hamlet's widow, now married to Claudius.the Ghost: appears in the exact image of Hamlet's father, the late King Hamlet.Major plot:Hamlet feels a responsibilityto avenge his father ' s murder by his uncle Claudius, but Claudiusis now the king and thus well protected. Moreover, Hamlet struggles with his doubts about whether he can trust the ghost and whether killing Claudius is the appropriate thin