全面的英國文學(xué)

1、English Literature:. Three stages of English language development Old English /Anglo-Saxon English (600A.D.-about 1100) Middle English (about1100-1500) Modern English (about1500-present)“Beowulf ” is the national epic of the Anglo-Saxon and English people is written in traditional Old English meters

2、 Features.：The use of alliteration &The use of metaphors and understatements. 1. Definition of epic n An extended narrative poem with a heroic or superhuman protagonist engaged in an action of great significance in a vast setting (often including the underworld and engaging the gods).n Examples

3、of epic poems ：Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, John Milton's Paradise Lost, William Wordsworth's The Prelude, Elizabeth Barret Browning's Aurora Leigh, T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." Beowulf is written in traditional Old English meters; Spenser uses his own Spenser

4、ian stanza; Milton uses blank verse; and Dryden and Pope use heroic couplets2. Features of epicn (1) the introduction of supernatural forces that shape the actionn (2) conflict in the form of battles or other physical combatn (3) stylistic conventions such as an invocation/pray to the Muse and a for

5、mal statement of the theme.Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury TalesChaucers contribution He introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types, esp. the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter (to be later called the “heroic couplet”) to English poetry, instead of the Old A-S alliterative verse. He

6、 did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English speech He is the “Father of English poetry”. For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touchAnd palm to palm is holy palmers kiss( iambic pentameter抑揚(yáng)格五音部詩）n Ballads are narrative(敘事性的）songs or poems that are preserved by

7、 oral transmission . They are anonymous generallyn Kinds: historical, legendary(傳奇類）, fantastical（神話類）, lyrical（抒情類） and humorousThe European Renaissance (in the Elizabethan age ) n The Renaissance，in essence， is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers & scholars made attempt

8、s to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. n Emphasis on the newly discovered Greek and Roman classics; th

9、e reintroduction into Western Europe of the full cultural heritage of Greece and Romen A transition from the medieval to the modern worldn Between the 14th and mid-17th centuryn Renaissance: rebirth, revivalTwo striking features1. A thirsting curiosity for classical literature. 2. The keen interest

10、in life and human activities. n Humanism To place the affairs of mankind at the center of its concerns （human beings is the measure for everything)Representatives of English RenaissanceThomas More (14781535) Utopia 代表作烏托邦是歐洲第一部空想社會(huì)主義杰作，首次系統(tǒng)提出了空想社會(huì)主義思想n Francis Bacon(1561-1626) n 1) Philosophical wor

11、ks: Advancement of Learning; Novum Organum(The New Instrument); New Atlantisn 2) Literary works: Essays隨筆(Of Truth; Of Friendship; Of Studies; Of Wisdom; for a Mans Selfn 3) Professional worksWilliam Shakespeare (1564-1616) The first period: 1590-1600, full of sunshine and laughter Henry ; Romeo and

12、 Juliet; A Midsummer Nights DreamThe second period: 1601-1608, full of storm and clouds Hamlet; Othello; King Lear; MacbethThe third period: 1609-1612, principal tragicomedies The Winters Tale; The Tempest154 sonnets 2 long poems 37 plays （1）Comedies ( sing of love, youth, and ideal of happiness.)A

13、Midsummer Nights DreamThe Merchant of VeniceAs You Like ItTwelfth Night（2）Tragedies (social contradictions and social evils.)Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth（3）History plays - Henry , Richard （4）Roman playsThree Main Forms of the Sonnet1. the Petrarchan or Italian sonnetn The Petrarchan sonnet co

14、nsists of an octave (eight-line stanza) and a sestet (six- line stanza).n Rhyme scheme: abba abba or abab abab; cde cde or cd cd cd2. the English, or Shakespearean, sonnetn The Shakespearean sonnet consists of an octave (eight-line stanza) and a sestet (six- line stanza).n rhyme scheme: a b a b, c d

15、 c d, e f e f, g g3. The Spensarian Sonnetsn Spensarian sonnet is made up of three quatrains and a couplen rhyme scheme: abab bcbc cdcd ee.n Example: Edmund Spencer: “the poets poet” The Faerie QueeneHamlets character -Melancholy is the key-note of his character Hamlet, a humanist, a man free from m

16、edieval prejudices and superstitions, has an unbounded love for the world rather than for heaven; he cherishes a profound reverence for man, and has a firm belief in mans power over destiny.   English literature in the 17th Century - The period of revolution and restoration The contra

17、dictions between the feudal system and the bourgeoisie 封建主義和資產(chǎn)階級(jí)的矛盾。 The development of Capitalism England is an absolute monarchyLiterary characteristics The puritan age ( the revolutionary period) The puritans believed in simplicity of life. They disapproved of sonnets and love poetry written in t

18、he previous period. Bible became the one book of the people. Generally, the puritans tend to suppress literary art. However, this age produced John Milton and John Bunyan.The prevalence of the heroic couplet: a stanza consisting of two successive rhymed lines; usually iambic pentameter.A preference

19、for reason, order, moderation, good taste; classical tradition of the three unities in drama. The unity of time、place、actionNeoclassicism-Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Samuel Johnson-artistic models: classical literature-fixed rules: rhymed couplet, the unities-primary subject: hum

20、an beings-tone: didactic and moralizingMetaphysical poetryOf or relating to the poetry of a group of 17th century English poets whose verse is characterized by an intellectually challenging style and extended metaphors comparing very dissimilar things. （God 、soul 、immortality、salvation、Death、Sex）The

21、 works of the Metaphysical poets are characterized, generally speaking, by mysticism in content and fantasticality in form. )characteristics 1) a desire to build an extensive comparison between two seemingly unrelated things or circumstances(metaphysical conceitsi.e. fantastic metaphors and extravag

22、ant hyperboles are witty, complex, intellectual, and often startling )2) a witty or clever tone; 3) use of paradox and/or contradiction;(statement that appears self-contradictory but actually has a basis in truth ) 4) informal or casual language; (The verse is occasionally rough, like speech, rather

23、 than written in perfect meter, resulting in a dominance of thought over form. )5) Emphasis on intellect or wit rather than feeling and emotion; 6) love of philosophical topics (meditation)Metaphysical PoetsJohn Donne （1572-1631 ） George Herbert （1593-1633）Andrew Marvell （1621-1678） John Donne (1572

24、-1631) The Flea Most of it deals with life, descriptively or experimentally, and the first thing to strike the reader is Donnes extraordinary and penetrating realism Most poems contained either cynical comments on the inconstancy of women in love or fiery utterances of unruly passion mixed with

25、 coarse suggestions of sensual love and morbid thoughts of death, and we may find in them almost always rather complicated reasoning through far-fetched comparisons or “conceits” John Milton (1608-1674) Great works：Paradise Lost (1667)（失樂園）-in blank verse (unrhymed poetry with iambic pentameter

26、). The stories were taken from the Old Testament: the creation, the rebellion in Heaven of Satan and his fellows, their defeat and expulsion from Heaven, the creation of the earth and of Adam and Eve, Satans temptation of Eve, and the departure of Adam And Eve from Eden. an epic in twelve books, rec

27、ounting the story of Satan's rebellion against God, and of the disobedience and fall of Adam and Eve, led astray by Satan's lies. Paradise Regained (1671)（復(fù)樂園）、 Samson Agonistes (1671)（力士參孫） Early Works：LAllegro:（歡樂的人）、Il Penseroso:（沉思的人）Literary StyleRhetoric device1) Antithesis(對(duì)照): A rhet

28、orical device in which irreconcilable opposites or strongly contrasting ideas are placed in sharp juxtaposition and sustained tension, as in the phrase “they promised freedom and provided slavery.”2) Paradox(悖論): An apparently self-contradictory statement，to arrest attention and provoke fresh though

29、t3) Oxymoron(矛盾修飾)：“l(fā)oud silence”, “l(fā)onely crowd John Bunyan (1628-1688)The Pilgrims Progress. It describes a religious mans pilgrimage in search of salvation, and gives a truthful picture of English society.Predominant metaphor-life as a journeyThe 18th Century LiteratureEnlightenment in English Li

30、terature Representatives v Novel: Daniel Defoe; Jonathan Swift; Henry Fieldingv prose: Joseph Addison; Richard Steele; v Poetry: Alexander Pope Thomas Gray (sentimentalist)、William Blake; Robert Burns (pre-romanticist)Drama: Richard Brinsley Sheridan Neo- Classicism ：All forms of literature were to

31、be modeled after classical works of the ancient Greek and Roman writers by following some fixed laws and rules: prose precise, direct and flexible; poetry lyrical, epic, didactic, satiric or dramatic; drama written in the rimed couplet and observe the three unities of time, space and action. They al

32、so believe that literature should serve to delight, instruct and correct human beings. Representatives：John Dryden、 Alexander Pope Sentimentalism：as a result of a bitter discontent with social reality among the enlightened people. |The representatives continued to struggle against feudalism, but sen

33、sed at the same time the contradictions in the process of capitalist development. Turned to the countryside |The poetry is marked by a sincere sympathy for the poverty-stricken peasants.| to the human heart Representatives: Oliver Goldsmith; Thomas Gray (Poetry) Samuel Richardson; Laurence Sterne (novel) Pre-Roman