英国文学上册Unit-One-The-Abglo-Saxon-Period课件

EnglishLiterature

（上）

2012.8

UnitOnePartIIntroductionWhatisLiterature?Literatureisatermusedtodescribewrittenorspokenmaterial.Broadlyspeaking,"literature"isusedtodescribeanythingfromcreativewritingtomoretechnicalorscientificworks,butthetermismostcommonlyusedtorefertoworksofthecreativeimagination,includingworksofpoetry,drama,fiction,andnonfiction.

alongjourneyofquestThequesttodiscoveradefinitionfor“literature”isaroadthatismuchtravelled,thoughthepointofarrival,ifeverreached,isseldomsatisfactory.Generally,mostpeoplehavetheirownideasofwhatliteratureis.thetrue,thegood&thebeautifulThecommondefinitionofliterature,particularlyforuniversitycourses,isthatitcoversthemajorgenresofpoetry,drama,andnovel/fiction.Thetermalsoimpliesliteraryqualityanddistinction,concernedwithfindingbeauty,anelevateduseoflanguage,emotionaleffectsandmoralsentiments.DefinitionsofliteraturechangeTheydescribeandclarifyareality,theydonotcreatetherealitytheydescribe.ClassicalworksMass-marketromancenovelsOnlineliteratureDoesitreallymatterwhat“literature”is?Doeseveryonehavetoagree?Whatpurposesdoesliteratureserve?

Whatdistinguishesliteraturefromnon-literaryworks?Whatmakesustreatsomethingasliterature?Howdoweknowwhensomethingisliterature?Woulditbeeasiertoask“whatisn'tliterature”?Literatureisasliteraturedoes.Inexploringideasaboutwhatliteratureis,itisusefultolookatsomeofthethingsthatliteraturedoes.Literatureissomethingthatreflectssociety,makesusthinkaboutourselvesandoursociety,allowsustoenjoylanguageandbeauty,itcanbedidactic,anditreflectson“thehumancondition”.Itbothreflectsideologyandchangesideology,justlikeitfollowsgenericconventionsaswellaschangingthem.Ithassocialandpoliticaleffects.Literatureisthecreationofanotherworld,aworldthatwecanonlyseethroughreadingliterature.Reasonsforthestudy

ofEnglishLiteratureEnglishliteraturecanintroducestudentstoarangeofaspects,notonlyoftheEnglishlanguagebutalsoofEnglishculture.ThestudyofLiteraturecanprovidestudentswithafreshandcreativeanglewithwhichtoapproachtheirstudiesinparticularandtheirlivesingeneral.WhatIsaText?

Often,“text”isautomaticallyequatedwith“literature”or“literarywork”,andthetwotermscanseeminterchangeable.ADefinitionformDictionariesthemainbodyofmatterinamanuscript,book,newspaper,etc.,asdistinguishedfromnotes,appendixes,headings,illustrations,etc.QuestionIstextaneutralterm?adistinctionbetween

“work”and“text”RolandBarthes(罗兰·巴特):“theworkcanbeheldinthehand,thetextisheldinlanguage,itonlyexistsinthemovementofalanguage”.Text-thelinguisticstructureWork-thewholeproductwhenwerefertosomethingasa“text”,wemeanitslinguisticstructureorthesignsthatconveymeaningandallowinterpretation.HowToReadATextnotjusttoreadit,buttoreaditwelltoreadittwicethefirsttime-tosatisfycuriositythesecondreading-morecriticalCriticalreadingCriticalreading,whichisreadingthetextcloselyandthinkingaboutitasyougo,isself-conscious,reflectiveandanalytical.

Debateonthe“deathoftheauthor”

Whetheratextshouldbereadonitsownorwhethertheauthor'sperspectiveshouldformpartoftheanalysis?TheImportanceofSourceThereareasmanyinterpretationsastherearereaders.Youmustmakesurethatyourreadingissupportedbywhatisinthetextitself,notwhatyouthinkisinthetext.Aloveaffair?“Therelationbetweenreaderandstoryreadislikealoveaffair.Inbothcases,itisamatterofgivingyourselfwithoutreservationtotheother.”J.HillisMillerDistanceyourselfHowever,onceyouhavewhollyyieldedtothetext,youneedtodistanceyourselfagainandcastyourcriticaleyeoveritinordertobeinsightfulandanalytical.Andalwayshavetheothereyeonyourownresponsetothetext,becausemoreoftenthannot,yourresponseisthekeytohowthetextworks.TheRelationshipbetweenReader,Text,andWriter

Thetext,thewritersandthereadersequallyaffecteachother;Themeaningofeachtextisderivednotonlyfromthewriter'sbackgroundandcircumstances,butalsofromthereader'slanguageskillsaswellastheperspectiveinwhichthereaderreceivesit.

ApleasantcooperationReadersandwritersareabletocompareandcontrasttextswiththeirworldexperiences,facilitatingcriticalthinkingwithreferencetocomplexideas.

BasicCriticalApproachestoLiteratureText-OrientedApproaches:NewCriticismAuthor-OrientedApproaches:PsychoanalyticReader-OrientedApproaches:ReaderResponseContext-OrientedApproaches:Feminist/Marxist/NewHistoricist

TheScopeofEnglishLiteratureStudyingLiteraturedoesnotconfinethestudentstothetraditionsofEnglandbutincludesthepossibilityofintroducingthemtotraditionswhichinformEnglishLiterature,suchasthestudyofAncientGreekdrama,andtoliteratureinothercontexts,suchasAmericanliterature.Literatureisimportanttousbecauseitspeakstous,itisuniversal,anditaffectsus.Evenwhenitisugly,literatureisbeautiful.CourseObjectiveTheEnglishLiteratureMajorisdesignedtocultivateabroadknowledgeoftheevolutionofculturalandliteraryexpressioninEnglishaswellasanabilitytocriticallyengagewithtextsofallmedia.Whatyouwillget?aworkingknowledgeofthegeneralevolutionofliteratureinEnglishthetoolsandterminologytofacilitatethestudyanddiscussionofliteratureInthe18thcentury:theriseofliteratureBythe19thcentury:akindofnationalservicetomendthecracksthatreligionhadleftTheriseofEnglishinEnglandparalleltotheadmissionofwomenintohighereducationBythelate1920sandearly1930s:acentralsubjectthere,superiortolaw,science,politics,philosophyorhistoryThe1980s:multiculturalismandotherismsLiteraturev.s.MarketplaceInthe21stcentury,Englishandthehumanitiesareinthepositionofjustifyingtheirexistenceinuniversitiesandprovingtheirworthinanenvironmentthatequatestheuniversitywiththe“marketplace”.LookingatthehistoryofEnglishstudies,Englishhasalwaysbeenacomplexandintellectuallydemandingdisciplinewithaplacebeyondthe“marketplace”.ParticipationOralpresentationPaperwritingFinalexaminationAssessment

PartII

TheAnglo-SaxonPeriod

(449-1066)

TheperiodofOldEnglishEngland,wheretheearlyinhabitantswereCelts,hasbeenconqueredthreetimesinhistory:

1.BytheRomans:EnglandwasnotaffectedbytheRomanconquest

2.BytheAnglo-Saxons:TheAnglo-SaxonsbroughttoEnglandtheGermaniclanguage,thebasisofmodernEnglish,andculture.3.BytheNormans:TheNormansbroughtafreshwaveofMediterraneancivilization,includingGreekculture,Romanlaw,andtheChristianreligion.TheculturalinfluencesofthetwoconquestsprovidedthesourceofEnglishliterature.I.Theliterarycharacteristics1.TheAnglo-SaxonlanguageisthebasisofModernEnglish

2.TheOldEnglishpoetrythathassurvivedcanbedividedintotwogroups:

(1)Thereligiousgroup:mainlyonbiblicalthemes

(2)Theseculargroup:Thenationalepicpoem,BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf,writteninOldEnglishsometimebeforethetenthcenturyA.D.,describestheadventuresofagreatScandinavianwarriorofthesixthcentury

Beowulf

1.AnanonymousOldEnglishepicpoembelievedtohavebeencomposedintheearlyeighthcentury,principallyconcerningtheexploitsofthewarriorBeowulfandcontaininghistoricalandlegendarytalesabouttheGeats,Danes,andotherolderGermanicpeoples.2.Thelegendaryheroofthisepic,whoslaysthemonsterGrendelanditsmother,becomeskingoftheGeats,anddiesfightingadragon.

Beowulfexistsinonlyonemanuscript.ThiscopysurvivedboththewholesaledestructionofreligiousartifactsduringthedissolutionofthemonasteriesbyHenryVIIIandadisastrousfirewhichdestroyedthelibraryofSirRobertBruceCotton(1571-1631).Thepoemstillbearsthescarsofthefire,visibleattheupperleftcornerofthephotograph.TheBeowulfmanuscriptisnowhousedintheBritishLibrary,LondonThefirstpageofthemanuscriptGrendelAttacksBeowulfcomesGrendelmeetsBeowulfBeowulffightsthedragonDeathofBeowulfOnBeowulfAstheearliestandmostcompletenationalepicinBritain,Beowulfhasuniquefeatures:1.BroughtintoEnglandbytheAnglo-Saxons,itispolytheistic;2.Itreflectsthetribalcultureofhero-worship,withcertainpoliticalsignificance;3.It’samixtureofhistoryandmyth,highlightingman’svictoryovermysteriousnature.PoeticTechniques1.Alliteration2.Metaphor3.StructuredbybattlesandfuneralsTerm-AlliterationAlliteration(alsoknownas‘headrhyme’or‘initialrhyme’),therepetitionofthesamesounds—usuallyinitialconsonantsofwordsorofstressedsyllables—inanysequenceofneighbouringwords:‘Landscape‐lover,lordoflanguage’.

Nowanoptionalandincidentaldecorativeeffectinverseorprose,itwasoncearequiredelementinthepoetryofGermaniclanguagesandinCelticverse.Suchpoetry,inwhichalliterationratherthanrhymeisthechiefprincipleofrepetition,isknownasalliterativeverse;