英国文学选读讲座课件

1、英国文学选读讲座课件,牟利璘 Cell phone:Questions,How much do you know about British literature? Can you give the names of some British writers as well as their main works?,Your Assignment,The following two books you are required to read in this semester. 1. Pride and Prejudice -Jane Austen 2. Sons a

2、nd Lovers -D H Lawrence You can enjoy two or three of the following movies during this course. 1. Romeo and Juliet -William Shakespeare 2. Robinson Crusoe -Daniel Defoe 3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen,What is Literature?,Literature as creative or imaginative writing in the sense of fiction (wri

3、ting which is not literally true). Literature as use of language in peculiar ways, i.e. a special kind of language in contrast to the ordinary language. Literature as a kind of self-referential language. Literature as a highly valued kind of writing. ( Eagleton 2004: 2-10),The First Definition,Pros:

4、 A lot of the so-called literature is fictional. Cons: Some works are classified as literature, but they are factual. e.g. the essays of Francis Bacon, the sermons of John Donne, the philosophy of Descartes and Pascal, etc. Some works are fictional but not generally regarded as literature. e.g. Supe

5、rman Comic. Some works of literature is now read as fact by some and fiction by others. e.g. Genesis If literature is imaginative writing, does it imply that history, philosophy and natural science are uncreative and unimaginative?,The Second Definition,“Thou unravished bride of silence” Russian For

6、malists: estranging, defamiliarizing According to the Russian critic Roman Jakobson, literature is a kind of writing which represents an organized violence committed on ordinary speech. Cons: 1) Not all linguistic deviations are poetic. e.g. slang, jokes, newspaper headlines and advertisements. 2) S

7、ometimes it is difficult to distinguish literary language from non-literary language. e.g. To be, or not to bethat is the question.,The Third Definition,Literature as a kind of self-referential language, a language which focuses on the way of talking, rather than on the reality of what is talked abo

8、ut. e.g. My Luves like a red, red rose. Robert Burns Cons: How about the importance of the content? If treating discourse non-pragmatically is part of what is meant by literature, then it follows from this definition that literature cannot in fact be objectively defined. It leaves the definition of

9、literature up to how somebody decides to read, not to the nature of what is written. Any bit of writing may be read non-pragmatically, if that is what is reading a text as literature means, just as any writing may be read poetically.,The Fourth Definition,Literature as a highly valued kind of writin

10、g. Cons: How about the objectivity of literature? Literary canon? Literature ceases to be a stable and objective entity.,The Functions of Literature,To express life To study human nature To preserve human values To give instructions & pleasure To widen & deepen experiences,General Development of Bri

11、tish Literature,God great man common people physical mental (psychological) Renaissance Neo-classicism Romanticism Realism Modernism,The Main Sources of British Literature,The Greek & Roman Literature: mythology, poetry, drama The Judeo-Christian Culture original sin suffering & salvation divine ove

12、r human,Chapter 1Old English Literature,-Anglo-Saxon Period (5th century1066),Historical Background,Celts (aboriginal) Romans The Anglo-Saxons (Germanic Tribes) The language of the Anglo-Saxons is generally called Anglo-Saxon or Saxon which is now called Old English. Religion: heathen Christianized,

13、A.D.597,1st century B.C.,mid-5th century,General Characteristics of Literature,Mixture of heathen concepts of nature and the supernatural and Christian ideas Existed in oral tradition Because few of them have been handed down in written form, “Beowulf” is possibly the only important single poem of t

14、his kind preserved to this day.,Beowulf: the national epic,Of Old English literature, only one long poem which runs about 3000 lines really calls our attention. It is “Beowulf”, the national epic of the Anglo-Saxon and English people. The definition of epic: It is, originally, an oral narrative poem

15、, majestic both in theme and style. Epics deal with legendary or historical events of national or universal significance, involving action of broad sweep and grandeur. National epic refers to the epic written in vernacular languages.,Plot,tribe king monster The Danes Hrothgar Grendel and his mother

16、The Geats Hygelac fire dragon Beowulf Wiglaf,nephew,Story: Set in Denmark or Sweden, the poem centers on the narration of the exploits of the heroic figure Beowulf. Theme: fight, revenge, loyalty, mixture of Christian & pagan elements,Artistic Features,Alliteration: it is the use of words beginning

17、with the same letter to achieve a poetic effect. The recurrences of the same letter are usually accented which produces a strong sense of music. Alliteration makes for very catchy phrases and is frequently used in modern news headlines, corporate names, literary titles, advertising. e.g. tongue-twis

18、ters :Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Each line of verse generally has 4 stresses, with a pause between the second and the third stresses, thus breaking the line into two parts. Kennings: use of compound words to serve as indirect metaphors e.g. swan-road/whale-pathsea wave-travelership shield-bearer/battle-herosoldier,Bibliography,Chen Jia