英國文學教案Lecture2

1、文檔編碼 : CE2B5S2M3G2 HQ3M7E1M5F2 ZO6D2G5U6L6授課時間英國文學史及作品選讀 課程教案（第 2 講）2022-2022學年其次學期02.26-03.03 授課對象 15-17 級各專業(yè)選修生授課主題 Chapter 1 The Seminal Period or Old English Period 1 Help the students know about the history and characteristics of literature in the Old 教學目的 與 要 求教學重、English Period and the Middle

2、 English Period. 2 Help the students know about Beowulf and its significance. 1Early History of England 2 BeowulfLecture; Discussion; Multi-media 難點主要教學方法Detailed Teaching Points & Procedure 1 The early history of England The beginning of settlement in Britain took place in about 700 B. C. The settl

3、ers were Celtic-speaking tribes called Britons or Celts, from whom the island get its nameBritain the land of Britons. The Britons were a primitive people, a bronze-age people entering an age of iron. In 55 B. C., Britain was invaded by the Roman general Julius Caesar. The Celts were subjugated to t

4、he role of Rome for nearly 400 years. In 410, the Romans abandoned the island, which marks the end of “Roman Conquest” 55 B. C.410 A. D. 教學內(nèi)容After the withdrawal of the Roman troops, England was soon invaded by three Germanic tribes: the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, who came from the Northeast

5、of Europe. The Anglo-Saxon invaders established some small kingdoms in Britain which 的組織與by the 7th century were combined into a United Kingdom called England the land of 設計Angles. Its people were called the English. The three dialects spoken by them naturally grew into a single language called Angl

6、o-Saxon, or Old English, a derivative of Low German. e. g. some of the names of the week in English derive from the names of Northern gods: TuesdayTiu 戰(zhàn)神 , WednesdayWoden主神, ThursdayThor 雷神 , FridayFrigg 愛情女神 . In 597, St. Augustine and his monks landed in Kent. Then England was Christianized part b

7、y part in the following century. Monasteries were built all over the country. It was in these monasteries that the earliest English books were written down, because at that time few except monks could read and write. The conversion of The Anglo-Saxons to Christianity changed their intellectual outlo

8、ok. Christianity offered some values that were more consistent and solid than their pagan beliefs. It also enabled them to learn book knowledge in monasteries or schools from the Scriptures and the classical writings of Virgil a great roman poet and the ancient Greeks. They travelled long distance t

9、o Rome on pilgrimages, and these experiences enriched their understanding of the world, broadened and deepened their mental and spiritual power. From 787, the English began to be troubled by bands of Danish Vikings Scandinavian sea robbers. At first they just invaded parts of the country from time t

10、o time. Gradually, however, they came to make permanent settlement and ruthlessly destroyed many of the monasteries. The great hero of the time was King Alfred the Great 849-901 of the Kingdom of Wessex in the south, who succeeded in driving off the Danes. It is to him that we owe much of the preser

11、vation of Older Anglo-Saxon Literature. Equally important is the fact that he started the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical register of national events from dim past to his own age. This work was continued by monks long after his death. The Danes were eventually defeated, and the Anglo-Saxons retu

12、rned to rule in 1042. England did not have peace for long. Soon they were conquered in 1066 by the Norms from France. This is the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. The following is a formula for the nation: Original Angles + Saxons +Danes +Normans=English Britons Jutes 2 Early English literature The Br

13、itons Celts had no written language, so their myths and legends were not recorded for many centuries. e. g. The Adventures of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table is about a Celtic Chieftain of the 5 th or 6 th century, but these legends were not written down until they reached eleventh ce

14、ntury France and were circulated after the 13 th century. Therefore, English literature actually began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. Beowulf It is a 3182-line alliterative verse, considered the monumental work in English poetry of the Anglo-Saxon period, or the national epic of the Eng

15、lish people. It is of Germanic heritage, and contains evidently pre-Christian elements. The whole song is essentially pagan in spirit and matter. It is pervaded with paganism. In the noble figure of Beowulf, pagan heroism and fatalism are mingled with Christian qualities. The non-Christian story of

16、monsters and mighty sea beasts is blended with some serious thoughts on the power of a wise God. In the poem, the poet expresses a hope that the evil should be punished, and the righteous will be rewarded. The poem probably existed in its oral form as early as the 6 th century. It was written down i

17、n the 7 th or 8 th century though the extant manuscript, discovered in 1705, dated back to the 10 th century. The whole epic is divided into two parts with an interpolation. There are three episodes related in the career of Beowulf: 1 The fight with the monster, Grendel 2 The fight with Grendel s mo

18、ther, a still more frightful she-monster 3 The mortal combat with the Fire Dragon. after being the king of the Geats for 50 years. The poem is more than a fairy story of heroes combating monsters. It recaptures the values, beliefs and longing of the Anglo-Saxon people before they came to England. Th

19、ough it is inferior to Iliad in artistic merit, it is nevertheless a dignified noble poem, technically unexcelled in old English poetry. It affords us invaluable insight into the heroic ways of life of the Teutonic peoples, as well as into the best qualities of the newer culture they were building i

20、n England. It clearly mirrors their idealsvalor, the love of glory, honour, and duty, the loyalty of the retainer and the generosity of the lord. It also reflects the typical tone of their literature, with its emphasis on the darker emotions, its grim scenery, and its vigorous portrayal of the sea a

21、nd of battle. The poem unfolds a picture of an early Danish society, of its public life, its customs, rituals and cultural activities. Present-day readers are often charmed by its depiction and primitive beauty. Its chief significance lies in the portrayal of a great national hero, who is not simply

22、 a courageous warrior, but a wise ruler, and a brave fighter. He is selfless, eager to help others in distress, faithful to his people, and is ready to sacrifice his own life for their welfare. Three important features must be noted while studying the poem: The most striking feature is the use of al

23、literation, which is the repetition of a speech sound in a sequence of nearby words, and is usually applied only to consonants and only when the recurrent sound begins a word or a stressed syllable within a word. This is characteristic of all Old English verse. The second feature is the use of metap

24、hors and understatements. The third feature of the poem is the mixture of pagan and Christian elements survive: the observing of omens, the attribution of power to Wyrd i. e. fate, cremation, blood-revenge, and the praise of worldly gloryall woven into the poem. On the other hand, the assumption of

25、Gods domination over the world, of Devil s agency among men, of existence of Heaven and Hell, of a last judgment, and of the noxiousness of sinare all Christian. The artistic achievement of Beowulf ranks itself among the classics that belong to the tradition of the Odyssey and the Aeneid. 1 Answer the question “ Why does Beowulf tower above Old English Literature.作業(yè)布置the exercise book. 2 Pre-read The Ca