新编英国文学选读(上)chapter7

-.z.Chapter7.TheEighteenthCentury[TheAgeofReason(1688——1798)]I. HistoricalbackgroundAftertheGloriousRevolution,WhigandTorywereestablished.Theformeronerepresentedtheinterestsofthemoneyedclass,whilethelatteronerepresentedtheroyalists.EnglandfoughtmanywarswithFrance,Spain,etc.InthosewarsEnglandroseasavictormakingitthestrongestcountryinnavyandeconomyandconsiderablystretchingitsoccupiedlandoverseese*tendingfromthewestofCanadatotheeastofIndia.II. Thespecialfeaturesoftheculturallifeatthetimea. Politicalwritings:theriseofthepoliticalpartiesledtotheappearanceofpamphletwarsofpoliticalwritingsattractingmanywriterstoworkforeitherofthepartiesorbothalternatively.

b. Theriseofnewspapersandmagazines:thereasonfortherise:·Bothpartieshadtheirrespectiveonestoe*presstheiropinions.·Theriseofthemiddleclassdemandedentertainmentandeducationandtheyneedtoe*presstheirviewstoo.c.Coffeehouses:wherepeoplegatheredtoe*changeideasandthustheyhelptodeterminetheliterarytrendofthetimed.Thenewmorality:·Theemphasisonreason·Thedevelopmentoftoleranceofdifferentopinionsinpoliticsandreligione. Theinfluenceofscienceandtechnology:·PrincipiaMathematicain1687byNewton(1642——1727)·ThenewepistemologyofJohnLocke(1632——1704)f.Frenchinfluence——Augustanism——neoclassicismstressingtolearnfromtheclassicals*Whatisclassicism"ThecharacteristicsinGreekandRomanclassicalworks.Theyareclarity,logic,form,proportion,balancewitheachother,parallelism,restraint.III. ThecharacteristicsofneoclassicismReasonratherthanemotionandformratherthancontentwereemphasized.Mostofthewritingsatthetimeweredidacticandsatirical.Theclosedcoupletwastheonlypossibleverseformforseriousworkforelegance,correctness,appropriatenessandrestraintwerepreferred.Itise*clusivelya"town〞poetry,cateringtotheinterestsofthe"society〞ingreatcities.Thehumbleraspectoflifeareneglectedanditshowedinmostpartnoloveofnature,landscape,orcountrythingsandpeopleLackingromanticelementsandbeinghostiletomedievalliteratureAnageofprose,especiallythelatterpartthecenturyIV. Representativeauthorsofthetime1.DanielDefoe2.JonathanSwift3.JosephAddison4.Ale*anderPope5.SamuelJohnson6.HenryFieldding7.ThomasGray8.ThobiasGeorgeSmollet9.RichardBrinsleySheridan10.RobertBurns11.WilliamBlakeDanielDefoe(1661—1731)apioneernovelistofEnglandandalsoaprolificwriterofbooksandpamphletsonagreatvarietyofsubjects.hislifestory:a.fromadissenter’sfamily:Presbyterianbutcherb.havingaquestionablecharacterinpolitics,butstrongbeliefinreligiousfreedomhisliteraryachievements:·fiction:Robinson,Crusoe,MollFlanders·contributiontojournalism®ulatingEnglishtrademethodsandprinciples characteristicsofhisfiction:RobinsonCrusoe:basedonreale*perienceofaScottishsailorbutbinedwithhisownimagination,itisstillafictionalwork.usingthepicaresqueframewithastoryintheshapeofajournalandhavingstrongsenseofjournalistictruth;containingseriouswisdomoflifeTheimportanceofthehero:i.typicaloftherisingEnglishbourgeoisclass,practicalanddiligentwitharestlesscuriositytoknowmoreabouttheworldandadesiretoproveindividualpowerinthefaceofsocialandnaturalchallengesIi.arealheroofmiddleclassdifferentfromtheheroofknightsorepicheromoralteaching:singpraiseoflabour,presentingitasthesourceofhumanprideandhappinessaswellasameanstochangeman’slivingconditionsfromdesperationtoprosperitylimitations:i.praisecolonizationoverseasthroughtherelationshipwithFridayii.hisattitudetowomanisopentocriticismiii.Praiseslaveryb. MollFlanders:(1)itsstory(2)thesignificance,oneisforthefirstawomanbeingtheprotagonist;artisticallymorematurethanRobinson:betterstructureandbetterplot;soitiswritteninanautobiographicalformcalledamemoir2.JonathanSwift(1667-1745)achurchmanandalsoauniversitygraduatewhoviewedhumansocietywithcontemptandhasbeencalledacynicandevenamisanthrope.hislifestory:Hisfatherdiedbeforehewasborn,andhehadtoaccepttheaidofhisrelativesandfinishedhisstudyatDublinUniversity.hisliteraryachievements:a.satiricalessays:TheBattleofBooks(1696-1698),ATaleoftheTub(1696-1698)b.Writingsinpamphlets:TheDraiper’sLetters,AModestProposac.fiction:Gulliver’sTravel(1726)characteristicsofhispamphlets:·Gulliver’sTravela.criticizingtheoppressionande*ploitationoftheIrishpeoplebytheabsenteelandlordsandtheEnglishgovernment.b.usingbittersatire·ThebattleofBooksadebatehappening18thcentury.Somepeoplemodernpeople·TheTaleoftheTubasatireonvariousreligioussects:Catholic,Anglicananddissenters’churches:changesdonebydifferentchurchestotheChristiandoctrines·TheDraiper’sLettersrevealingthecorruptionandlicense,debased·AModestProposalasatireontheEnglishgovernment’sheavye*ploitationAModestProposalItisabittersatireonthepolicyoftheEnglishgovernmenttowardstheIrishpeople.b.SwiftinthisarticlesuggestedtotheIrishpeoplethatthebestwaytoendtheirmiserywastoproducechildrenandsellthematmarketasadeliciousdishfortherich.3.JosephAddison(1672-1719)andRichardSteele(1672-1729)1)theirlifestories:theywereborninthesameyear,attendedthesameschoolandlaterstudiedatthesameuniversity.theyhadthesamepoliticaltrend——whig2)theirliteraryachievements:JosephAddison&RichardSteele·JosephAddisonstartedtheperiodicalessaysthatwerethemostcharacteristicgenreof18thcenturyliterature.·RichardSteelecontributiontotheperiodicals:TheTatler,TheSpectator,TheGuardiancharacteristicsoftheirperiodicalessays:Methods:mild,indirect,wasadmirablyadaptedtotheirpurpose.2.werefullofwit,humor,andsatire.b.Themes:dealtwithlighttopics-fashions,head-dresses,practicaljokes,politeconversations,discussedart,philosophy,drama,andpoetry,andsoughtinsodoingnotonlytointerestthegeneralreaderinsuchsubjects,butalsotoguideanddeveloptheirtastes.3)deepertopicssuchimmoralityOneothercharacteristic:drawsomeimagesofsometypicalmiddleclasspeople:C.Style:simplelanguagefamiliartothemiddlemen;graceful,poised,wellbalanced,familiarwordsande*pressionstothereaders,Aimsoftheirwriting:toeducatethenewlyrisenmiddleclass.tobridgethegapbetweenthesmallcircleofLondoneleganceandwit,andthelarge,serious,ratherPuritanmiddleclass.twoselectedpieceswrittenbyAddisona.TheRoyalE*changeb.SirRogeratChurchAle*anderPope(1688-1744)1)hislifestory:·hewasself-educated.·heworkedhardagainstpoorhealthandunfavorableconditionsandgainedaprofoundknowledgeofboththeclassicsandthecraftofwriting.hisliteraryachievements:·AnEssayonCriticism,TheRapeoftheLock,AnEssayonMan·Contributiontopoetryinheroiccoupletscharacteristicsofhispoems:a.succeededChaucerandDrydeninbringingmetricalformtoitsperfection.b.containedagreatnumberofquotablelinesthathavepassedintoeverydayspeechaspopularsayings,suchas:"Toerrishuman,toforgivedivine〞,and"Forfoolsrushinwhereangelsfeartotread.〞c.limitation:Popeisneverprofoundinthought,sothepoemslackoriginalideas5.SamuelJohnson(1709-1784)thegreatestEnglishmanoflettersbetweenPopeandWordsworth.1)hislifestory:·hewasborninabookseller’sfamily.·hewasconservativeinhisworldoutlookandwasagainstanykindofreformorinnovation.·heupheldtraditionandauthority.Upholdconventionsauthorityhisliteraryachievements:·ADictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage·Contributiontoaperiodical,TheRambler,·Knownforessay;hisPrefacetohiseditionofShakespeareandTheLivesofthePoetscharacteristicsofhiswriting:Emphasizingthespecificationoflanguage6.HenryFielding(1707-1754)playwright,novelistanddistrictlawmagistrate,camefromanaristocraticbackground1)hislifestory:·wasborntoanupper-classfamily·beganwritingplayswhileatuniversityandtookitashisprofessionafterleavingschool.hisliteraryachievements:novels:TheHistoryoftheAdventuresofJosephAndrews,TheHistoryofTomJonescharacteristicsofhisnovels:a.TheHistoryoftheAdventuresofJosephAndrew(1)itsstoryandsignificanceinhisprefacetothisnovelFieldingproudlyannouncedthathehadcreatedanewgenrecalledicepicsinproseanddiscusseditscharacteristicfeature.thenovelturnedfromanovelofseductionintooneofthefirste*emplarsofthegreatEnglishpanoramictradition,whichwastoreachnewheightslaterinThackerayandDickens.b.TheHistoryofTomJones(1)itsstory(2)Itssignificance:a.theunderstandingofallegoryinthestoryb.toFielding,thecountrysiderepresentsthebasicgoodnessofhumanrace,whereasthecitystandsforevilandsin.TobiasGeorgeSmollettAgeneralintroductionTobiasGeorgeSmollett(19March1721–17September1771)wasaScottishpoetandauthor.Hewasbestknownforhispicaresquenovels,suchas·TheAdventuresofRoderickRandom(1748),·TheAdventuresofPeregrinePickle(1751),whichinfluencedlaternovelistssuchasCharlesDickens.·Hislastnovel,thebestnovelisTheE*peditionofHumphryClinker(1771),publishedintheyearofhisdeath.7.ThomasGray(1716-1771)oneoftherepresentativepoetsatthetime1)hislifestory:wasborninLondonandeducatedatEtonandCambridge,wherehe,afteragrandtouronthecontinent,spenttherestofhislife.characteristicsofhispoems:·morenaturalandspontaneousinthought·emphasizingemotionsandsentimentsTheElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard8.RichardBrinsleySheridan(1751-1816)

1)hislifestory:wasborninDublin,ofIrishorigin,andwaseducatedatHarrow.hisliteraryachievements:drama:TheRivals,ATriptoSarborough,TheSchoolforScandalTheSchoolforScandala.itsstoryandsignificanceb.itiswritteninthetraditionofedyofManners,ande*posestheimmorality,hypocrisy,money-hunting,andscandal-mongeringoftheidleclassesin18thcenturyEngland.9.RobertBurns(1759-1796)1)hislifestory:wasborninScotlandinapoorpeasantfamilyandeducatedhimselfthroughselfstudy.hisliteraryachievements:poemsandsongscharacteristicsofhispoemsandsongswrittenintheScottishdiale