《英美文学选读》第一章 The Middle Ages

Chapter1TheMiddleAges

GeoffreyChaucer

Teachingaims

1)TogetthestudentstoknowsomethingaboutGeoffreyChaucer

2)Todevelopstudents’abilityofunderstandingthemainideaofTheCanterburyTales

3)Toenhancestudents’abilityofunderstandingthesignificanceofTheCanterburyTales

Importantanddifficultpoints

1)TogettoknowthegeneralideaofTheCanterburyTales

2)Togettoknowsomeliteraryterms

TeachingandlearningMethods

Openquestionsandanswersinclass

Classdiscussionandanalysis

Teachingmedia

Textbook,courseware,teachingplan,projectorandcomputer

TeachingProcedures

Step1Lead-in

(showthepictureofGeoffreyChaucerandhaveabrainstormaboutthefollowingquestions.)

1.HowmuchdoyouknowaboutGeoffreyChaucer?

2.Whatarehismajorworks?

Step2Presentation

1.Abouttheauthor

(WatchthevideoaboutGeoffreyChaucerandgraspthemajorpoints.Theteachermakesacomplementaccordingtothecourseware.)

GeoffreyChaucer,the“fatherofEnglishpoetry”andoneofthegreatestnarrativepoetsofEngland,wasborninLondonin1340.HeissaidtohavestudiedatOxfordandCambridge.Hediedin1400andwasburiedinWestminsterAbbey.

Chaucer’slanguageisthefirstgreatpoetwhowroteinLondondialect.HemadegreatcontributionstothedevelopmentofEnglishliterarylanguage.Hispoetry,basedonLondondialect,refinedandpurifiedtheEnglishlanguage,andintroducedFrenchandItalianformsofpoetry,whichenrichedtheexpressivenessofEnglishpoetryonthebasisoflayingthefoundationofEnglishliterarylanguage.

2.AboutTheCanterburyTales

(ShowsomepicturesorashortvideoaboutTheCanterburyTales.Getstudentstoexpresstheirideasaboutthepassagebeforetheteachergeneralizesit.)

TheCanterburyTalesisChaucer’smasterpieceandoneofthemonumentalworksinEnglishliterature.Thewholepoemisacollectionofstoriesstrungtogetherwithasimpleplan.ThepoetwasonajourneytoCanterburytomakeapilgrimage.AttheTabardInninLondonsuburbs,hemeetstwenty-ninepilgrims.Thepoetjoinedthecompany.Atthesuggestionofthehostoftheinn,theyagreetobeguilethejourneybystory-telling.Eachistotelltwostoriesgoingandtworeturning.Itshouldbeanimmenseworkof120stories.Only24werewrittenbeforethepoetpassedaway.

3.ComprehensiveunderstandingoftheexcerptofTheCanterburyTales

(Studentsreadthepassageandtrytounderstanditindetail.Ifnecessary,theteachergivessomeguidanceaccordingtothecourseware.)

4.Socialsignificanceofthepoem

(Studentsexpresstheiropinionsbeforetheteachermakesacomplement.)

TheCanterburyTalesismorethanamerecollectionoftrue-to-lifepictures.ThemainartisticachievementofthiscollectionofstoriesliesinthatChaucerwritesinmeticulousdetail,theeloquentdescription,andacharacteristiccombinationofsatireandhumor.Thecollectionofstories,depictingimagesofcitizensfromdifferentsocialandprofessionalclasses,embodiestheoptimismcharacteristicoftheearlyhumanists.

5.Someliteraryterms

1)Heroiccouplet:Iambicpentameterlinesrhymedinpairs.WithAlexanderPopetheheroiccoupletbecamesoimportantandfixedaform—forvariouspurposes—thatitsinfluencedominatedEnglishversefordecades,untiltheromanticistsdispelledthetraditionintheirdemandforanewfreedom.Forexample,

Butnathelees,whilIhavetymeandspace,

ErthatIfertherinthistalepace,

Methynkethitacordaunttoresoun

Totelleyowalthecondicioun

Ofechofhem,soasitsemedme,

Andwhichetheyweren,andofwhatdegree,

Andeekinwhatarraythattheywereinne;

AndataknyghtthanwolIfirstbigynne.

ItiscalledheroicbecauseinEngland,especiallyinthe18thcentury,itwasmuchusedforheroic(epic)poems.

2)iamb:apoeticfootconsistingofanunaccentedsyllablefollowedbyanaccentedone.Forexample,

alone;Myheartislikeasingingbird

3)pentameter:alineofversecontainingfivefeet.

4)Meter:anyregularpatternofrhythmorpatternofstressedandunstressedsyllables.

5)Foot:aunitofmeter.

6)Rhyme:therepetitionofsoundsattheendsofwordsiscalledrhyme.Whenwordsrhymeattheendoflinesofpoetry,itiscalledendrhyme.

Step3Discussion

(Itisagoodchanceforstudentstoexpresstheiropinions.)

Whatisthegeneraltone?

Step4Summary

(Basedonagoodunderstandingofthepassage,itisnotd