英國文學(xué)上冊Unit One The Abglo-Saxon Period

1、English Literature（上）（上）2012.8Unit One wPart I wIntroductionWhat is Literature?wLiterature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, literature is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used

2、to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. a long journey of questwThe quest to discover a definition for “l(fā)iterature” is a road that is much travelled, though the point of arrival, if ever reached, is seldom satisfactory.wGenerally, mos

3、t people have their own ideas of what literature is. the true, the good & the beautifulwThe common definition of literature, particularly for university courses, is that it covers the major genres of poetry, drama, and novel/fiction. wThe term also implies literary quality and distinction, conce

4、rned with finding beauty, an elevated use of language, emotional effects and moral sentiments. Definitions of literature change wThey describe and clarify a reality, they do not create the reality they describe. wClassical workswMass-market romance novels wOnline literaturewDoes it really matter wha

5、t “l(fā)iterature” is?w Does everyone have to agree? wWhat purposes does literature serve?w wWhat distinguishes literature from non-literary works? wWhat makes us treat something as literature? wHow do we know when something is literature? wWould it be easier to ask “what isnt literature”?Literature is

6、as literature does. wIn exploring ideas about what literature is, it is useful to look at some of the things that literature does. wLiterature is something that reflects society, makes us think about ourselves and our society, allows us to enjoy language and beauty, it can be didactic, and it reflec

7、ts on “the human condition”. wIt both reflects ideology and changes ideology, just like it follows generic conventions as well as changing them. wIt has social and political effects.wLiterature is the creation of another world, a world that we can only see through reading literature.Reasons for the

8、study of English LiteraturewEnglish literature can introduce students to a range of aspects, not only of the English language but also of English culture.wThe study of Literature can provide students with a fresh and creative angle with which to approach their studies in particular and their lives i

9、n general.What Is a Text? wOften, “text” is automatically equated with “l(fā)iterature” or “l(fā)iterary work”, and the two terms can seem interchangeable. A Definition form Dictionarieswthe main body of matter in a manuscript, book, newspaper, etc., as distinguished from notes, appendixes, headings, illust

10、rations, etc. QuestionwIs text a neutral term?a distinction between “work” and “text”wRoland Barthes(羅蘭巴特): w“the work can be held in the hand, wthe text is held in language, it only exists in the movement of a language”. wText - the linguistic structurewWork - the whole product wwhen we refer to so

11、mething as a “text”, we mean its linguistic structure or the signs that convey meaning and allow interpretation. How To Read A Textwnot just to read it, but to read it wellwto read it twicewthe first time - to satisfy curiosity wthe second reading - more criticalCritical readingwCritical reading, wh

12、ich is reading the text closely and thinking about it as you go, is self-conscious, reflective and analytical.Debate on the “death of the author”wWhether a text should be read on its own or whether the authors perspective should form part of the analysis?The Importance of SourcewThere are as many in

13、terpretations as there are readers.wYou must make sure that your reading is supported by what is in the text itself, not what you think is in the text.A love affair?w“The relation between reader and story read is like a love affair. In both cases, it is a matter of giving yourself without reservatio

14、n to the other.”w- J. Hillis MillerDistance yourselfwHowever, once you have wholly yielded to the text, you need to distance yourself again and cast your critical eye over it in order to be insightful and analytical. And always have the other eye on your own response to the text, because more often

15、than not, your response is the key to how the text works.The Relationship between Reader, Text, and Writer wThe text, the writers and the readers equally affect each other;wThe meaning of each text is derived not only from the writers background and circumstances, but also from the readers language

16、skills as well as the perspective in which the reader receives it. wA pleasant cooperationwReaders and writers are able to compare and contrast texts with their world experiences, facilitating critical thinking with reference to complex ideas.Basic Critical Approaches to LiteraturewText-Oriented App

17、roaches: New CriticismwAuthor-Oriented Approaches: PsychoanalyticwReader-Oriented Approaches: Reader ResponsewContext-Oriented Approaches: Feminist /Marxist / New Historicist The Scope of English LiteraturewStudying Literature does not confine the students to the traditions of England but includes t

18、he possibility of introducing them to traditions which inform English Literature, such as the study of Ancient Greek drama, and to literature in other contexts, such as American literature.wLiterature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugl

19、y, literature is beautiful.Course ObjectivewThe English Literature Major is designed to cultivate a broad knowledge of the evolution of cultural and literary expression in English as well as an ability to critically engage with texts of all media. What you will get?wa working knowledge of the genera

20、l evolution of literature in English wthe tools and terminology to facilitate the study and discussion of literaturewIn the18th century: the rise of literature wBy the 19th century: a kind of national service to mend the cracks that religion had leftwThe rise of English in England parallel to the ad

21、mission of women into higher educationwBy the late 1920s and early 1930s: a central subject there, superior to law, science, politics, philosophy or historywThe 1980s: multiculturalism and otherismsLiterature v.s. MarketplacewIn the 21st century, English and the humanities are in the position of jus

22、tifying their existence in universities and proving their worth in an environment that equates the university with the “marketplace”. wLooking at the history of English studies, English has always been a complex and intellectually demanding discipline with a place beyond the “marketplace”.wParticipa

23、tionwOral presentationwPaper writingwFinal examinationAssessment Part II The Anglo-Saxon Period(449-1066)wThe period of Old English wEngland, where the early inhabitants were Celts, has been conquered three times in history:w 1. By the Romans: wEngland was not affected by the Roman conquest w w2. By

24、 the Anglo-Saxons: wThe Anglo-Saxons brought to England the w Germanic language , the basis of modern English, and culture.w3. By the Normans: w The Normans brought a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization, including Greek culture, Roman law, and the Christian religion. w The cultural influences o

25、f the two conquests provided the source of English literature.I. The literary characteristicsw1. The Anglo-Saxon language is the basis of Modern English 2. The Old English poetry that has survived can be divided into two groups: (1) The religious group: mainly on biblical themes (2) The secular grou

26、p: The national epic poem, BeowulfBeowulfwBeowulf , written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth centuryBeowulfw1. An anonymous Old English epic poem believed to have been composed in the early eighth century, pr

27、incipally concerning the exploits of the warrior Beowulf and containing historical and legendary tales about the Geats, Danes, and other older Germanic peoples.w2. The legendary hero of this epic, who slays the monster Grendel and its mother, becomes king of the Geats, and dies fighting a dragon. wB

28、eowulf exists in only one manuscript. This copy survived both the wholesale destruction of religious artifacts during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire which destroyed the library of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571-1631).wThe poem still bears the scars of the fire,

29、 visible at the upper left corner of the photograph. wThe Beowulf manuscript is now housed in the British Library, LondonwThe first page wof wthe wmanuscriptGrendel AttackswBeowulfw comesGrendel meets BeowulfBeowulf fights the dragonDeath of BeowulfOn BeowulfwAs the earliest and most complete nation

30、al epic in Britain, Beowulf has unique features:w1. Brought into England by the Anglo-Saxons, it is polytheistic;w2. It reflects the tribal culture of hero-worship, with certain political significance;w3. Its a mixture of history and myth, highlighting mans victory over mysterious nature.Poetic Tech

31、niquesw1. Alliterationw2. Metaphorw3. Structured by battles and funeralsTerm-AlliterationwAlliteration (also known as head rhyme or initial rhyme), the repetition of the same soundsusually initial consonants of words or of stressed syllablesin any sequence of neighbouring words: Landscape lover, lor

32、d of language. wNow an optional and incidental decorative effect in verse or prose, it was once a required element in the poetry of Germanic languages and in Celtic verse . Such poetry, in which alliteration rather than rhyme is the chief principle of repetition, is known as alliterative verse; its rule