英国文学作品资料.docx
- 文档编号:8188575
- 上传时间:2023-01-29
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:12
- 大小:64.54KB
英国文学作品资料.docx
《英国文学作品资料.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《英国文学作品资料.docx(12页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
英国文学作品资料
1TheCanterburyTales
Religion
TheTalesreflectdiversereligiousworldviewsinChaucer'stime.AftertheBlackDeath,manyEuropeansbegantoquestiontheauthorityoftheCatholicChurch.Someturnedtolollardy,whileotherschoselessextremepaths,startingnewmonasticordersorsmallermovementsexposingchurchcorruptioninthebehavioroftheclergy,falsechurchrelicsorsaleofindulgences.[27]SeveralcharactersintheTalesarereligiousfigures,andtheverynatureofthepilgrimagetoCanterburyisdeeplyreligious,makingthisapreeminentthemeofthework.[28]
Twocharacters,thePardonerandtheSummoner,haverolesdirectlytiedtothechurch'smonetarypower.Bothofthesecharactersareportrayedasdeeplycorrupt,greedy,andabusive.ApardonerinChaucer'sdaywasapersontowhomonepaidindulgencesinexchangeforforgivenessofsins.Pardonerswouldexactafeefortheirservicesandinmanycaseswereguiltyofusingthesefeesfortheirowngain.Chaucer'sPardoneropenlyadmitsthecorruptionofhispracticewhilehawkinghiswares.[29]TheSummonerisaclergymanwhosejobitwastobringsinnerstothechurchcourtforpossibleexcommunication.Thesecourtsalsohadpowertoseizeproperty,inflictpainorhumiliation,orimposethedeathpenalty.Corruptsummonerswouldwritefalsecitationsandfrightenpeopleintobribingtheminordertoprotecttheirlivesandproperty.Chaucer'sSummonerisportrayedasbeingguiltyoftheverykindsofsinsheisthreateningtobringotherstocourtfor,andheishintedashavingacorruptrelationshipwiththePardonertofurtherhispersonalgain.[30]InTheFriar'sTale,oneofthecharactersisasummoner,andisshowntobeworkingonthesideofthedevil,notGod.[31]
ThemurderofThomasBecket
Membersoftheregularclergy—monksandnunsofvariousorders—arerepresentedbytheMonk,thePrioress,theNun'sPriest,andtheSecondNun.Monasticorders,whichoriginatedfromthedesireofmanytofollowanasceticlifestyleandtoseparatethemselvesfromtheworld,hadbyChaucer'stimebecomeincreasinglyentangledinworldlymatters.Monasteriesfrequentlycontrolledhugetractsoflandonwhichtheymadesignificantsumsofmoney,whilepeasantsworkedintheiremploy.[32]TheSecondNunisanexampleofwhataNunwasexpectedtobe.Hertaleisaboutawomanwhosechasteexamplebringspeopleintothechurch.TheMonkandthePrioress,ontheotherhand,whiletheyarenotascorruptastheSummonerorPardoner,fallshortofidealfortheirorder.Botharedressedexpensivelyandshowsignsoflivesofluxuryandflirtatiousness.Bothalsoshowalackofspiritualdepth.[33]ThePrioress'sTaleisanaccountofJewsmurderingadeeplypiousandinnocentChristianboy.ThisbloodlibelagainstJewsbecameapartofEnglishliterarytradition.[34]However,thestorythePrioresstellsdidnotoriginateintheworksofChaucer:
itwaswellknowninthe14thcentury.[35]
Thepilgrimagewasaveryprominentfeatureofmedievalsociety.Pilgrimswouldfrequentlyjourneytocathedralsthatpreservedrelicsofsaints.Theybelievedthatsuchrelicshadmiraculouspowers.Pilgrimagesalsorepresentedthemortaljourneytoheaventhroughthestrugglesofmortallife.TheultimatepilgrimagedestinationwasJerusalem,[36]butCanterburywasapopulardestinationwithinEngland.SaintThomasBecket,ArchbishopofCanterbury,hadbeenkilledintheCanterburycathedralbyknightswhohadmisunderstoodHenryII'sorderduringadisagreementbetweenhimandBecket.Miraclestoriesconnectedtohisremainsbegantospringupsoonafterhisdeath,andtheareabecameapopularpilgrimagedestination.[37]Thepilgrimageisamajorthemeintheworkwhichtiesallofthestoriestogether,andsomescholarspointoutthatitmaybearepresentationofChristians'strivingforheaven,despiteweaknesses,disagreement,anddiversityofopinion.[38]
[edit]Socialclassandconvention
Bors'Dilemma-hechoosestosaveamaidenratherthanhisbrotherLionel
Theupperclassornobility,representedchieflybytheKnightandhisSquire,wasinChaucer'stimesteepedinacultureofchivalryandcourtliness.Nobleswereexpectedtobepowerfulwarriorswhocouldberuthlessonthebattlefield,yetmannerlyintheKing'sCourtandChristianintheiractions.[39]Knightswereexpectedtoformastrongsocialbondwiththemenwhofoughtalongsidethem,butanevenstrongerbondwithawomanwhomtheyidealizedinordertostrengthentheirfightingability.[40]Thoughtheaimofchivalrywastonobleaction,oftenitsconflictingvaluesdegeneratedintoviolence.Churchleadersoftentriedtoplacerestrictionsonjoustsandtournaments,whichattimesendedinthedeathoftheloser.TheKnight'sTaleshowshowthebrotherlyloveoftwofellowknightsturnsintoadeadlyfeudatthesightofawomanwhombothidealize,withbothknightswillingtofighttheothertothedeathinordertowinher.ChivalrywasinChaucer'sdayonthedecline,anditispossiblethatTheKnight'sTalewasintendedtoshowitsflaws,althoughthisisdisputed.[41]ChaucerhimselfhadfoughtintheHundredYears'WarunderEdwardIII,whoheavilyemphasizedchivalryduringhisreign.[42]Twotales,TheTaleofSirTopasandTheTaleofMelibeearetoldbyChaucerhimself,whoistravellingwiththepilgrimsinhisownstory.Bothtalesseemtofocusontheill-effectsofchivalry—thefirstmakingfunofchivalricrulesandthesecondwarningagainstviolence.[43]
TheTalesconstantlyreflecttheconflictbetweenclasses.Forexample,thedivisionofthethreeestates;thecharactersarealldividedintothreedistinctclasses,theclassesbeing"thosewhopray"(theclergy),"thosewhofight"(thenobility),and"thosewhowork"(thecommonersandpeasantry).[44]Mostofthetalesareinterlinkedbycommonthemes,andsome"quit"(replytoorretaliateagainst)othertales.ConventionisfollowedwhentheKnightbeginsthegamewithatale,asherepresentsthehighestsocialclassinthegroup.ButwhenheisfollowedbytheMiller,whorepresentsalowerclass,itsetsthestagefortheTalestoreflectbotharespectforandadisregardforupperclassrules.HelenCooper,aswellasMikhailBakhtinandDerekBrewer,callthisopposition"theorderedandthegrotesque,LentandCarnival,officiallyapprovedcultureanditsriotous,andhigh-spiritedunderside."[45]Severalworksofthetimecontainedthesameopposition.[45]
[edit]Relativismvs.realism
Chaucer'scharacterseachexpressdifferent—sometimesvastlydifferent—viewsofreality,creatinganatmosphereofrelativism.AsHelenCoopersays,"Differentgenresgivedifferentreadingsoftheworld:
thefabliauscarcelynoticestheoperationsofGod,thesaint'slifefocusesonthoseattheexpenseofphysicalreality,tractsandsermonsinsistonprudentialororthodoxmorality,romancesprivilegehumanemotion."ThesheernumberofvaryingpersonsandstoriesrenderstheTalesasasetunabletoarriveatanydefinitetruthorreality.[46]
[edit]Influence
ItissometimesarguedthatthegreatestcontributionthatthisworkmadetoEnglishliteraturewasinpopularizingtheliteraryuseofthevernacular,English,ratherthanFrenchorLatin.Englishhad,however,beenusedasaliterarylanguageforcenturiesbeforeChaucer'slife,andseveralofChaucer'scontemporaries—JohnGower,WilliamLangland,andthePearlPoet—alsowrotemajorliteraryworksinEnglish.ItisuncleartowhatextentChaucerwasresponsibleforstartingatrendratherthansimplybeingpartofit.[citationneeded]Itisinterestingtonotethat,althoughChaucerhadapowerfulinfluenceinpoeticandartisticterms,whichcanbeseeninthegreatnumberofforgeriesandmistakenattributions(suchasTheFlowerandtheLeafwhichwastranslatedbyJohnDryden),modernEnglishspellingandorthographyowesmuchmoretotheinnovationsmadebytheCourtofChanceryinthedecadesduringandafterhislifetime.[citationne
eded]
二SirGawainandtheGreenKnight
SirGawainandtheGreenKnightisalate14th-centuryMiddleEnglishalliterativeromanceoutlininganadventureofSirGawain,aknightofKingArthur'sRoundTable.Inthetale,SirGawainacceptsachallengefromamysteriouswarriorwhoiscompletelygreen,fromhisclothesandhairtohisbeardandskin.The"GreenKnight"offerstoallowanyonetostrikehimwithhisaxeifthechallengerwilltakeareturnblowinayearandaday.Gawainaccepts,andbeheadshiminoneblow,onlytohavetheGreenKnightstandup,pickuphishead,andremindGawaintomeethimattheappointedtime.ThestoryofGawain'sstruggletomeettheappointmentandhisadventuresalongthewaydemonstratethespiritofchivalryandloyalty.
Natureandchivalry
Somearguethatnaturerepresentsachaotic,lawlessorderwhichisindirectconfrontationwiththecivilisationofCamelotthroughoutSirGawainandtheGreenKnight.ThegreenhorseandriderthatfirstinvadeArthur’speacefulhallsareiconicrepresentationsofnature'sdisturbance.Natureispresentedthroughoutthepoemasroughandindifferent,constantlythreateningtheorderofmenandcourtlylife.Natureinvadesanddisruptsorderinthemajoreventsofthenarrative,bothsymbolicallyandthroughtheinnernatureofhumanity.ThiselementappearsfirstwiththedisruptioncausedbytheGreenKnight,laterwhenGawainmustfightoffhisnaturallustforBertilak’swife,andagainwhenGawainbreakshisvowtoBertilakbychoosingtokeepthegreengirdle,valuingsurvivalovervirtue.Representedbythesin-stainedgirdle,natureisanunderlyingforce,foreverwithinmanandkeepinghimimperfect(inachivalricsense).[22]Inthisview,Gawainispartofawiderconflictbetweennatu
- 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:
- 英国文学 作品 资料