Chapter 4English Literature of theEighteenth Century.docx
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Chapter4EnglishLiteratureoftheEighteenthCentury
Chapter4EnglishLiteratureoftheEighteenthCentury
—TheAgeofEnlightenment
1688-1798
1.Historicalbackground:
⏹Aftertheupheavalsofthe17thcentury,Englandenteredaperiodofacomparativelypeacefulage.Englandbecameaconstitutionalmonarchy(君主立宪制)andpowerpassedfromthekingtotheparliament,whichwasdividedintohostileparties:
theliberalWhigsandtheconservativeTories,andthetwopartiesweresowellbalancedthatpowershiftedeasilyfromonetotheother.TheWhiggovernmentunderthePrimeMinisterRobertWalpole,whichwasnotoriousforitscorruptionandbribe-taking,reignedthecountryfromthe1720’stothe1740’s.Thecrownwasmoreorlessafigureheadandrealauthoritywasinthehandsofparliamentandofthecabinetresponsibletoparliament.
1.1MajorEvents
⏹TheConstitutionalmonarchysetupbyparliamentin1688wasacompromisebetweenthebourgeoisieandthearistocrats.
⏹CapitalismwasfirmlyestablishedinEngland.
⏹Theculturallifehadundergoneremarkablechanges.
⏹Newton’sscientificdiscoveryandthephilosophyofJohnLockeaffectedpeople’sthinkingoftheworld.
⏹Reasonratherthansuperstitiondominated.
⏹EnglishliteraturewasinfluencedbyFrenchenlightenersandancientRomanwriters.Neo-classicismwastheleadingliterarytrendinearly18thcentury.
1.2Enlightenment
⏹OriginatedinFrance:
tousecriticalreasontofreemindsfromprejudice,authority,oppression.
⏹Wecalltheeighteenthcenturytheageoftheenlightenmentbecauseitwasbothaculminationandanewbeginning.Freshcurrentsofthoughtwerewearingdowninstitutionalizedtraditions.Newideasandnewapproachestooldinstitutionsweresettingthestageforgreatrevolutionstocome.
1.2.1SocialMilieu
⏹Themainfiguresoftheenlightenmentarefairlywellknown:
Descartes,Pascal,Montesquieu,Voltaire,Diderot['di:
dərəu],andRousseau['ru:
səu] .Therewereotherswhomwecouldcallantagoniststothedominantnote,peoplelikeRousseau,Wesley,Vico,andHume.Thepervasiveappeal,asexpressedbyVoltaire,wastothe
⏹1.autonomyofreason
⏹2.perfectibilityandprogress
⏹3.confidenceintheabilitytodiscovercausality
⏹4.principlesgoverningnature,manandsociety
⏹5.assaultonauthority
⏹6.cosmopolitansolidarityofenlightenedintellectuals
⏹7.disgustwithnationalism.
1.2.2MainCharacteristics:
⏹1.TheEnlightenmenthaditsoriginsinthescientificandintellectualrevolutionsofthe17c.
⏹2.Enlightenmentthinkersfeltthatchangeandreasonwerebothpossibleanddesirableforthe
sakeofhumanliberty.
⏹3.Enlightenmentphilosophersprovidedamajorsourceofideasthatcouldbeusedtoundermineexistingsocialandpoliticalstructures.
⏹Inreligion:
secular;Deism:
theuniverseissetinmotionbyaGodasaself-regulatingmechanism;everythingwasoperatedaccordingtonaturallaws,whichcouldbeunderstoodbythehumanmind.
⏹Inartandliterature:
neo-classicismgreatrespectfortheclassicalartists.Harmony,proportion,balanceandrestraint
⏹Ineconomicthought:
stateinferencedidviolatetothelawofnature;favoredlaissez-fairepolicies.
1.2.3TheMajorThemesoftheEra:
A. rationalism-->logicalreasoningbasedonfacts.
B. cosmology-->newworldviewbasedonNewtonianphysics-->analysisofnaturalphenomenaassystems.
C. Secularism世俗主义-->applicationofscientifictheoriestoreligionandsociety.
D. scientificmethod-->experimentation;
observation; hypothesis.
E. Utilitarianism功利主义(Bentham边沁)-->lawscreatedforthecommongoodandnotforspecialinterests.Thegreatestgoodforthegreatestnumber.
F. optimism&self-confidence-->anythingispossible(areversalofmedievalthinking).
G. tolerance-->agreateracceptanceofdifferentsocietiesandcultures.
H. freedom-->amindaswellasasocietyfreetothink,freefromprejudice.
I. masseducation.
J. legal/penalreforms-->Beccaria,Bentham.
K. constitutionalism.
L. cosmopolitanism世界大同主义.
2.ThreeStagesofthe18thCenturyEnglishLiterature:
⏹
(1)1688---theendofthe1730s,neo-classicisminpoetryofAlexanderPope,anewproseliteratureintheessaysofAddisonandSteeleandinthefirstrealisticfictionofDefoeandSwift.
⏹
(2)1740s-1750s,therealisticnovelsofRichardson,FieldingandSmollett,ofwhomthelasttwomaderatherfierceattacksontheexistingsocialconditionsbutstillmaintainedsufficientfaithintheeventualtriumphofvirtueoverviceandinthefinalattainmentsomehowofsocialjustice.
⏹(3)Thelastdecades,declineoftheEnlightenment,theappearanceofnewliterarytendenciesofsentimentalismandpre-romanticism.Gothicnovels
2.1TheageofProse
⏹Thebattleofwordsbetweenthetwopoliticalpartiescontributetotheflourishingofprose.
⏹Theageofenlightenment:
Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation(萧条),prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.
Classicism
⏹The18thcisoftencalledtheAgeofReason.Orderwasimportantinmen’sthoughts.Thusprosecouldberegardedasabestwaytoexpresspeople’srationality.
⏹Definitionofclassicism:
TheclassicistsmodeledthemselvesaftertheGreekandLatinauthors,andtriedtoguideliterarycreationbysomefixedlawsandrulescomingfromGreekLatinworks.Indramatheclassicistsrequiredofrhymedcoupletinsteadofblankverse,thethreeunites”三一律”oftime,placeandaction,andthepresentationoftypesratherthanindividuals.Poetryshouldbelyric,epic,didactic(训导),satiricordramatic,andeachtypeshouldbeguidedbyitsownprinciples.Proseshouldbeprecise,direct,smoothandflexible.
2.2TheRisingofNovel
⏹1)IndustrialRevolution&themiddleclass
⏹2)Theenrichmentofpersonalexperiences
A.thegreatgeographicdiscoveryandthegreatlongingtoexpand
B.InearlieragesthetypicalEnglishmanhadlivedmuchbyhimself;butinthefirsthalfofthe18thcsome3000publiccoffeehousesandalargenumberofprivateclubsappearedinLondonalone.Theinfluenceofthischangeofsociallifeonliteraturewasinevitable.Nearlyallwritersfrequentedthecoffeehouses,andthemattersdiscussedtherebecamesubjectsofliterature.
3)Thedevelopmentofthetechnologyofprintingfurthermeetsthematerialisticdemandofnovel’scomeintobeinganditslaterpopularity.
2.3Mainfigures
⏹AlexanderPope
⏹DanielDefoe(1661-1731)
RobinsonCrusoe
⏹JonathanSwift(1667-1745)
Gulliver’sTravels
⏹HenryFielding(1707-17540
TheHistoryofTomJones,aFoundling
⏹ThomasGray
ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard
⏹OliverGoldsmith
TheVicarofWakefield
⏹RichardBrinsleySheridan
TheSchoolforScandal
⏹WilliamBlake
SongofInnocence
SongofExperience
⏹RobertBurns
3.EnglishLiteratureinEarly18thcentury:
⏹AlexanderPope
⏹JosephAddisonandRichardSteele
⏹DanielDefoe
⏹JonathanSwift
3.1AlexanderPope(1688-1744):
EssayonCriticism《批评论》
Popeassertsthatthechiefrequirementofagoodpoetisnaturalgeniuscoupledwithaknowledgeoftheclassicsandanunderstandingoftherulesofpoetry(literature).
⏹Couplet:
consistsoftwolinesofverseformingadiscreteunitofmeaning.
⏹Heroiccouplet:
consistsoftwolinesofrhymediambicpentameter.
⏹Anappropriateformfortheclassicalrhetoricandlogicaldevelopmentoftheideas.
⏹真正的批评家的要诀是:
“追随自然、依自然原则判断,自然的合理准则永远不会变。
”自然代表宇宙间的秩序与理性。
3.2PeriodicalLiteratureinEarly18th-CentruyEngland:
AddisonandSteele
⏹TheTatler《闲谈者》:
editedchieflybySteele;outofthetotalof271numberspublishedoftheperiodical,Steelewrote188,andAddisononly42,whiletogethertheydid36others.
⏹TheSpectator《旁观者》:
adailyfromMar.1,1711toDec.6,1712,notincludingtherevivalofitbyAddisonalonein1714.Itisacollaborativeprojects.ThestyleismorematurethanthatofTheTatler.
⏹
3.3DanielDefoe:
1660-1731
Life:
⏹SonofJamesandMaryFoe,amerchantfamilycommittedtoPuritanism(Presbyterians)
⏹SoundeducationatMorton’sAcademy.OnlyAnglicanscouldgraduatefromOxfordorCambridge.
⏹1684:
MarriesMaryTuffley,anheiresswith3,700ayear.
⏹FoughtbrieflyintheDukeofMonmouth’srebellionagainstJamesII.
⏹Bankruptcyanddebtturnedhimtowardswriting.
⏹1701:
writes“TheTrueBornEnglishman”
⏹1703:
Pilloriedforwriting“TheShortestWaywithDissenters.”
Defoe’sLiteraryAchievements
⏹ApioneernovelistofEngland,aprolificwriterofbooksandpamphlets.
⏹Defoe’sversatility:
amerchant,economist,politician,journalist,pamphleteer,andanovelist.
⏹RobinsonCrusoe:
TheheroistypicaloftherisingEnglishbourgeoisclass,whohasthecourageandwilltofacehardshipsandingenuityanddeterminationtopreservehimselfandimproveonhislivelihoodbystrugglingagainstnature.DefoebeautifiescolonialismandNegroslavery.
⏹MollFlanders:
Itiswritteninanautobiographicalformcalledmemoir.Defoeintroduces,forthefirsttime,alowlywomanasthesubjectofliterature.
Defoe’sRobinsonCrusoe
⏹1719:
FirstvolumeofRobinsonCrusoe.Ahitwithlowerandmiddleclasses.
⏹BasedontheexperienceofthesailorAlexanderSeilkirk.
⏹1722:
MollFlanders.AnovelthatdrawsonhisownexperienceinNewgateprison.
RobinsonCrusoe:
1810edition
RobinsonCrusoe:
⏹Story:
⏹Style:
smooth,easy,colloquialandmostlyvernacular(方言).
⏹Significance:
RobinsonCrusoeisherearealhero:
atypicaleighteenth-centuryEnglishmiddle-classman,withagreatcapacityforwork,inexhaustibleenergy,courage,patienceandpersistenceinovercomingobstacles,instrugglingagainstthehostilena
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