英国文学期末考试简答、论述题(含答案)

V.Giveabriefanswertothefollowingquestions.(20%)

1.DiscussthethemeofWutheringHeights。

2.SaysomethingaboutJohnBunyan’sThePilgrimProgress.

①ThePilgrimProgress,writtenbyJohnBunyan,waswrittenintheold-fashioned,medievalformofallegoryanddream.Itbecameanimmediatesuccessuponitspublication.

②TheallegorydepictsthePuritanstruggleforfreedomofworship,theeternalstruggleofmantofindunitywithGod.Thepurposeistourgepeopletoseeksalvationthroughconstantstrugglewiththeirweaknessesandsocialevils.

③ThebookisrankedasoneofthegreatestallegoriesinEnglishlanguage.Itsetsastandardinstory-tellingwithvividcharacterizationandnaturaldialogue.ItbecomesalandmarkforlaterworkssuchasThackeray’sVanityFair,andNathanielHawthorne’sCelestialRailroad.

3.SaysomethingaboutHamlet.

①HamletisgenerallyregardedasthemostrepresentationofShakespeare’sartisticcreationsandthesummitoftheRenaissancedrama.

②Itisnotasimplerevengeplaybutatragedyofhumanistidealscrushedbycruelreality.Itaddressesthefundamentalquestionofthemeaningofhumanexistence,withHamlet’smeditationonlifeanddeathatthecentre.

③ItportraysthesocialrealitiesinEnglandattheendofthe16thcenturyandthestartofthe17thcentury.

4.SaysomethingaboutRobinsonCrusoe.

①TheLifeandStrangeSurprisingAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,whichisoftenshortenedasRobinsonCrusoe,wasbasedonthetrueexperience.

②Itisaninterestingpicaresquenovelaboutan18thcenturyEnglishadventurer.Crusoeispractical,religiousandmindfulofhisprofit.Heresemblestherisingbourgeoisieattheearlieststageofitsdevelopment.

③IndepictingCrusoe’seffortsandgrowthontheisland,thenovelglorifiesbothphysicalandmentallabor.Thenovelalsoshowstheauthor’sattitudetowardscolonialismandNegroslavery.

1.DiscussthethemeofWutheringHeights

5.SaysomethingaboutParadiseLostanditstheme.

7.SaysomethingaboutTheCanterburyTales.

TheCanterburyTalesiswritteninmiddleEnglishcreatedbyChaucer.ThepronunciationandspellingarequitedifferentfromthoseinmodernEnglish,butthereadingoftheTalesisnotasdifficultasitfirstappearsforthemodernreader.

ItissometimesarguedthatthegreatestcontributionthatTheCanterburyTalesmadetoEnglishliteraturewasinpopularizingtheliteraryuseofthevernacularEnglish.Chaucer’spoetry,alongwiththepoetryofhisotherpeerwriters,helpedstandardizetheLondonDialectandestablishEnglishastheliterarylanguageofthecountry.

ChaucerwasoneofthefirstEnglishpoetstousethefive-stressline,adecasyllabiccousintotheiambicpentameter,inmuchofhiswork.ThisarrangementbecameoneofthestandardpoeticformsinEnglish.HeisfatherofEnglishpoetry.

9.SaysomethingaboutBacon’sOfStudies.

①Baconwasoneofthegreatestmindsinanageofgiants.Hiscompactstylewithwiseideashaswonhimpopularities.Hisfamousessaysinstudents’bibliographyinclude”OfStudy”,”OfBeauty”and“OfTruth”.

②OfStudydiscussesthefunctionandmethodofreading.ItisoneofBacon’smostfrequentlyquotedessays.

③Theessayisknownforitsclearness,brevityandforceofexpression.Thediscussionsareclearlypresented.Thefirstsentencepointsoutthethreefunctions.Thenitdiscussessomewrongopinionsaboutstudy,theimportanceofexperimentinstudy,thevariousmethodstoread,theroleofdiscussionandnotetaking.Theessayalsoarguesthatstudyisdifferentfieldscanbringallsortsofbenefitsandimprovespiritualdefeats.

④Baconhasemployedvariousrhetoricaldevicesintheessay:metaphormakestheessayrich;parallelismmakesitsinewy;andcontrastmakesitpersuasive.

10.SaysomethingaboutParadiseLostanditstheme.（同上第⑤题）

14.SaysomethingaboutGulliver’sTravels.

①Gulliver’sTravels,asSwift’shighestachievement,isconsideredtobeasatiricalexaminationofthehumannature,man’spotentialfordepravityandthedangersofmisuseofreason.

②Thenovelgivesanunparalleledsarcasticdepictionofallthesocialvicesoftheearly18thcentury.Inspiteofhiscontemptfortherulersandsocialevils,Swiftcherishedagreatloveforthecommonpeople.

③Gulliver’sTravelsisafantasy,andatthesametime,arealisticworkoffiction,includingfourvoyages.

18.SaysomethingaboutthepoemIWanderedLonelyasaCloud.

①IWanderedLonelyasaCloud,alsoknownas“Thedaffodils”,waswrittenbyBritishromanticistWilliamWordsworth.

②Thepoetdescribedhisheartfelthappinessashesawthebeautifuldaffodilsandsanghighpraisesofnature.

③Itsrhymeschemeisababcc.

④Thepoemcanbedividedintotwoparts:thefirstpartdescribesthesceneryandthesecondpartexpressesthepoets’emotion.Wecanseedaffodilseverywhere,andthepoetcomparesthemtothestarsinthesky.Heisimmenselyinfluencedbythebeautyandthememoryofthedaffodilsisimprintedinhismind,whichbringsbackhappinesswhenhefeelslonely,dullordepressed.

22.SaysomethingaboutthepoemOdetoaNightingale.

OdetoaNightingale,writtenbyJohnKeatsunderaplumtreeintheyardofhisfriendoutof“atranquilandcontinualjoy”inthenightingale’ssong,containshispoeticfeelingonthesongofthenightingale.Thepoemisnotaboutthebirdonly,itisabouthumanexperienceingeneral.Theprincipalstressofthepoemisastrugglebetweenidealandactual:natureandthehuman,artandlife,freedomandbondage,wakinganddream.

23.SaysomethingaboutPrideandPrejudice.

PrideandPrejudice,writtenbyJaneAusten,halongbeenafavoriteofbothreadersandcriticsandisoftenregardedasJaneAusten’sconsummateachievementofherownsocialclass:theladiesandgentlemenofthelandedgentry.

27.SaysomethingaboutJaneEyre.

①JaneEyre,writtenbycriticrealismnovelistCharlotteBronte,isafrankandpassionatestoryofthelovebetweenagovernessandhermaster,amarriedman,Mr.Rochester.

②Thenoveliswritteninthefirstpersonandcontainsauthenticautobiographicalexperiences.

③JaneEyrehasmanymerits.ItisthefirstgovernessnovelinEnglishliterature.Itisoneofthemostpopularworksoftheworkingmiddleclasswomen.Itannouncesthebirthofanentirelynewwoman.

30.SaysomethingaboutTessoftheD’Urbervilles.

①TessoftheD’UrbervillesisthetwelfthnovelbyThomasHardy.IttellsthemiseryandtragedyofTess.Itdealswithsuchthemesasinjusticeofhumanexistence,socialclassesandsocialstatusofwomeninVictorianEngland.

②Itquestionssociety’sexualmoresbyportrayingaheroinewhoisseducedbythesonofheremployerandisnotconsideredapureandchastewomenbytherestofsociety.

③ThusitisanattackonthehypocriticalmoralityofthesocietyandthepoliticalstatusquoinEnglish.

38.SaysomethingaboutCharlesDickens.

CharlesDickensisaBritishcriticalrealistinVictorianAge.CharlesDickenswasthesonofanavyclerk.Whenhewasfifteen,heleftschoolandenteredalawyer’soffice.In1834,hislifeworkofwritingbegan.ThenovelPickwickPapersbroughthimintothefirstrankofthemostpopularnovelistofhisday.Therestofhislifewasworkwithoutrest.

①Thefirstperiodofhisliterarycareer:Thisperiodisreferredtotheyearsfrom1836-1841,whichismarkedforyouthfuloptimism.Themainnovelsinthisperiodare:PickwickPapers,OliverTwistandTheOldCuriosityShop.

②Thesecondperiodofhisliterarycareer:thesecondperiod,whichbeganfrom1842,wasaperiodofexcitementandirritation.Inthisperiod,hevisitedAmericaandwasshockedbythecorruptiveinfluenceofwealthandpowerthere.Themainnovelsare:DombeyandSon,DavidCopperfield.

③Thethirdperiodofhisliterarycareer:Dickens’worksinthisperiodshowintensifyingpessimism.Hismainnovelsinthisperiodare:GreatExceptions,ATaleofTwoCities.

39.SaysomethingaboutJohnMilton.

Miltonisthegreatestwriteroftheseventeenthcentury.InhislifeandliterarycareerthetwodominanthistoricalmovementsofRenaissanceandReformationcombinedandreceivedtheirmostintenseandintelligentexpression.HetowersoverhisagejustasShakespearetowersovertheElizabethanAgeandChaucerovertheMedievalAge.HisworksmainlyincludeParadiseLost,ParadiseRegainedand

First,thereismarriagemerelyforfortune,moneyandsocialrank.ThisistobefoundinMissBingley’spursuitofDarcy,LadydeBourgh’sintentiontomarriagebetweenherdaughterandDarcy,andinCharlotteLucas’marriagetoMr.Collins.Thesnobberyandvanityoftherichandthepracticalityofthepoorgentrywomenarefullyaccountedfor.

Thesecondisthetendencytomarryforbeauty,attractionandpassionregardlessofeconomicconditionsorpersonalmerits.ThisisgenerallyknownasMr.BennetandMrs.BennetwhohasabeautifulfacebutanemptyheadandoftheiryoungestdaughterLydiatothehandsome,charmingbutmorallyweakandpennilessWickham.TheterribleaftermathofsuchmarriageisonlytooobviousinthemarriageofthetwogenerationsoftheBennet.

Lastlycomestheideamarriage,whichisalovematchwithconsiderationsofthelover’spersonalmeritsandeconomicconditions.SuchperfecthappinessistobefoundinthemarriageofDarcyandElizabethandthatofMr.BingleyandJane,althoughthesatisfactionofboththepersonalandeconomicconditionslikethisisreallyabittooidealistic.

WhatJaneAustentriestosayisthatitiswrongtomarryjustformoneyorforbeauty,butitisalsowrongtomarrywithoutconsiderationofeconomicconditions.Ofthethreetypes,sheprefersthethelastone.Andinthelasttype,sheseemstogiveherparticularpreferencetothemarriageofDarcyandElizabeth.

28.WhatisthesocialsignificanceofTheCanterburyTales?

TheCanterburyTaleshasitssocialsignificanceinseveralways.①Itrepresentsthespiritoftherisingbourgeoisiepeople’srighttopursueearthlyhappinessisaffirmedbyChaucer.②theideasofhumanismareshowninChaucer’spraisingofman’senergy,intellect,witandloveoflove.③Chaucerexposedandsatirizedtheevilsofthetime.④thecorruptionofthechurchisvigorouslyattacked.⑤Chaucershowedsympathyforthepoortosomeextent.⑥Chaucerestablishedthelanguageofliterature.

JohnBunyan’sThePilgrim’sProgressisgenerallyregardedasareligiousallegory.Saybrieflyaboutthisbookandwhatdoestheworksymbolicallyconcern?Whatisthepredominantmetaphorthatiscarriedonthroughthewholework?Andwhatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingsuchabook?

A.Itconcernsthesearchforspiritualsalvation.

B.“Thatlifeisajourney”isto