自考英国文学chapter1.docx
- 文档编号:24328975
- 上传时间:2023-05-26
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:16
- 大小:27.47KB
自考英国文学chapter1.docx
《自考英国文学chapter1.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《自考英国文学chapter1.docx(16页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
自考英国文学chapter1
AnIntroductiontoOldandMedievalEnglishLiterature
1.England’sinhabitantswereCelts.AndithasbeenconqueredbytheRomans,theAngloSaxonsandtheNormans.TheAnglo-SaxonsbroughttheGermaniclanguageandculturetoEngland,whiletheNormansbroughttheMediterraneancivilization,includingGreekculture,RomelawandtheChristianreligion.
2.TheoldEnglishliteratureextendsfromabout450to1066,theyearoftheNormanconquestofEngland.
A.OldEnglishliteraturethathassurvivedcanbedividedintotwogroups.
a.Religiousgroup:
biblicalthemes
GenesisA,GenesisBandExodusarebasedontheOldTestament
TheDreamoftheRoodcomesfromtheNewTestament
b.Theseculargroup:
TheWanderer
Deor
Theseafarer
Thewife’sComplaint
Beowulf:
atypicalexampleofOldEnglishpoetry,isregardedasthenationalepicoftheAnglo-Saxons.Beginningandendingwiththefuneralofagreatking,andcomposedagainstanimpendingdisaster,itdescribestheexploitsofaScandinavianhero,Beowulf,infightingagainsthemonsterGrendel,hisreventfulmotherandafire-breathingdragon.Thematicallythepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Itisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.
TheNormanConquest:
1.politically,afeudalistsystemwasestablished.2.religiously,theRoman-backedCatholicchurchhadamuchstongercontroloverthecountry.3.threelanguagesco-existedinEngland:
French,theofficiallanguage,usedbythekingandtheNormanlords.Latinwastheprincipaltongueofchurchaffairsandinuniversities.OldEnglishwasspokenonlybythecommonEnglishpeople.
3.TheMedievalPeriod:
from1066-4centuries
Inthesecondhalfof14thcentury,GeofferyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers
A.Romance:
whichusesnarrativeverseorprosetosingknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeedsisapopularliteraryforminthemedievalperiod.Ithasdevelopedthecharacteristicmedievalmotifsofthequest,thetest,themeetingwiththeevilgiantandtheencounterwiththebeautifulbeloved.Theheroisusuallytheknight,whosetsoutonajourneytoaccomplishsomemissions.Thereareoftenmysteriesandfantasiesinromance.Romanticloveisanimportantpartoftheplotinromance.Characterizationisstandardized,Whilethestructureislooseandepisodic,thelanguageissimpleandstraightforward.Theimportanceoftheromanceitselfcanbeseenasameansofshowingmedievalaristocraticmenandwomeninrelationtotheiridealizedviewoftheworld.
B.Chaucer’sachievement:
a.hepresentedacomprehensiverealisticpictureofhisageandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersinhisworks,especiallyinTheCanterburyTales.
b.Heanticipatedanewera,theRenaissance,tocomeundertheinfluenceoftheItalianwriters.
c.Hedevelopedhischaracterizationtoahigherlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.
d.HegreatlycontributedtothematuringofEnglishpoetry:
Originally,OldEnglishpoemsaremainlyalliterativeverseswithfewvariations.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplaceit.InTheRomauntoftheRose,hefirstintroducedtotheEnglishtheoctosyllabiccouplet.InTheLegendofGoodWomen,heusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishheroiccouplet.Andinhismasterpiece,TheCanterburyTales,heemployedheroiccoupletwithtrueeaseandcharmforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.HisartmadehimoneofthegreatestpoetsinEnglish,JohnDrydencalledhim“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”.
Today,Chaucer’sreputationhasbeensecurelyestablishedasoneofthebestEnglishpoetsforhiswisdom,humorandhumanity.
C.Heroiccouplet:
Heroiccoupletisarhymedcoupletofiambicpentameter.ItisChaucerwhouseditforthefirsttimeinEnglishinhisworkTheLegendofGoodWoman.
4.Questions:
A.DefinetheperiodofOldEnglishliteratureandmedievalliterature:
TheperiodofOldEnglishliteraturebeginswiththeAnglo-SaxonssettlementinEnglandatabout450to1066,theyearoftheNormanConquestofEngland.TheMedievalPeriodinEnglishliteraturestartat1066,theyearoftheNormanConquest,andendsataboutthe15thcentury,isalmostabarrenoneinliterarycreation.Whileinthelaterperiod,startingfromthesecondhalfofthe14thcentury,EnglishliteratureflourisheswiththeappearanceofwriterslikeGeoffreyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers,
B.What’sthethemeofBeowulf?
Thepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofthenaturemythsandheroiclegends.
C.WhatdoesthecharacterthewifeofBathinTheCanterburyTalesrepresent?
Andhowdoestheauthordevelophischaracterization?
TheWifeofBathisdepictedasthenewbourgeoiswifeassertingherindependence.Chaucerdevelopshischaracterizationtoahigherartisticlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.
ChapterITheRenaissancePeriod
1.Renaissance:
itmarksatransitionfromthemedievaltothemodernworld.Generally,itreferstotheperiodbetweenthe14thandmid-17thcenturies.ItfirststartedfromItalyandthenspreadalloverEurope.Therenaissance,whichmeans“rebirth”or“revival”,isactuallyamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchastherediscoveryofancientRomanandGreekculture,thenewdiscoveriesingeographyandastrology,thereligiousreformationandtheeconomicexpansion.TheRenaissance,therefore,inessence,isahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEuropeanhumanistthinkersandscholarsmadeattemptstogetridofthoseoldfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpressedtheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisie,andtorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch.
2.SocialbackgroundofEngland
Englandwasdomesticallyunrest,andwasavolcanicperiodofEnglishhistory.Thewar-likenoblesseizedthepowerofEnglandandturneditintoself-destruction.ThefrightfulreignofRichardIIImarkedtheendofcivilwars,untilthereignofHenryVIII(1509-1547)thattheRenaissancereallybegantoshowitseffectinEngland.
3.Humanism:
itistheessenceoftheRenaissance.HumanismisasystemofbeliefsupheldbywritersandartistsoftheRenaissanceperiodintheirfightingagainstmedievalasceticism.Itstatesthatmanisgodly,thatmanisabletofindtruth,goodnessandbeauty,andthatmanisincontrolofthepresentliferatherthanbeingcontrolledbyGod.Briefly,humanismputsmanatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakesmantobethemeasureofeverythingwhiletheformerasceticismputsGodatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakespersonalsalvationtobethemostimportantthingontheearthforman.
4.Religiousreformation:
itisMartinLuther,aGermanProtestant,whoinitiatedtheReformation.LutherbelievedthateverytrueChristianwashisownpriestandwasentitledtointerprettheBibleforhimself.
HenryVIIIwasregardedasthefaithfulsonoftheCatholicandnamed“defenderofthefaith”,hiswifecutthetieswithRome
EdwardVIthereformofthechurch’sdoctrineandteachingwascarriedout
MarytherewasaviolentswingtoCatholicism.
Elizabeth’sreignProtestantismhadbeenfirmlyestablished.
Thereligiousreformationwasactuallyareflectionoftheclassstrugglewagedbythenewrisingbourgeoisieagainstthefeudalclassanditsideology.
5.WilliamCaxtonwasthefirstpersontointroduceprintingintoEngland.
6.ThefirsrperiodoftheEnglishRenaissancewasoneofimitationandassimilation.
WyattandSurreybeganengravingtheformsandgracesofItalianpoetryuponthenativestock.TheformerintroducedthePetrarchansonnetintoEngland,thelatterbroughtinblankverse,Sidneyfollowedwiththesestinaandterzarimaandwithvariosuexperimentsinclassicmeters.AndMarlowgavenewvigortotheblankversewithhis“mightylines.”
Intheearlystage,poetryandpoeticdramawerethemostoutstandingliteraryformsandtheywerecarriedonespeciallybyShakespearandBenJonson,butthemetaphysicalpoetsrepresentedasharpbreakfromthepoetrybyhteirpredecessorsandmostoftheircontemporaries.
TheElizabethandramaistherealmainstreamoftheEnglishRenaissance.ThemostfamousdramatistsinEnglandareChristapherMarlowe,WilliamShakespeareandBenJonson.
FrancsiBacon(1561-1626),thefirstimportantEnglishessayist,isbestknownforhisessayswhichgreatlyinfluencedthedevelopmentofthisliteraryform.HewasalsothefounderofthemodernscienceinEngland.Hiswritingspavedthewayfortheuseofscientificmethod.Thus,heisundoubtedlyoneoftherepresentativesoftheEnglishRenaissance.
7.Blankverse:
istheunrhymediambicpentameterline,ItwasSurreywhofirstbroughtitinandMarlowewhoperfecteditwithhis“mightyline”
8.Importantwriters:
A.EdmundSpenser(1552-1599)receivededucationfirstatMerchantTaylor’sSchoolandthenatPembrokeCollege,Cambridge.TheShepheardesCanlender,Epithalamion—themostbeautifulweddinghymnsfortheirmarriage.Spenser’smasterpieceisTheFaerieQueene,tofashionagentlemanornoblepersoninvirtuousandgentlediscipline.TheRedcrosseknightinBookIandSirGuyoninBookII
ThefivemainqualitiesofSpenser’spoetryare:
1)aperfectmelody;
2)araresenseofbeauty;
3)asplendidimagination;
4)aloftymo
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- 自考 英国文学 chapter1