英国文学史名词英文解释

1、文学青年2班 英国文学史及选读 主讲教师：曹小雪1. the renaissance periodpart i. definition of literary terms （请背诵下来！）1. allegory. as a rule, an allegory (also defined as an extended metaphor) is a story in verse or prose with a double meaning: a primary or suface meaning, and a secondary or under-the-surface meaning. it i

2、s a story that can be read, understood and interpreted at two levels (and in some cases at three or four levels). it is closely related to fable and parable, which are didactic, comparatively short and simple allegories. the form may be literary or pictorial or both. an allegory has no definite leng

3、th. the higher levels of meaning are usually concerned with moral, religious, political, symbolic or mythical ideas. in an allegory, characters or personifications represent something other than themselves- virtues, vices, causes or issues. there are two kinds of allegory: those that use personifica

4、tions, as in bunyans pilgrims progress and spensers the faerie queene; and those that use a special kind of symbolism, as in dantes divine comedy.2. blank verse. blank verse is unrhymed poetry, typically in iambic pentameter, and, as such, the dominant verse form of english dramatic and narrative po

5、etry since the mid-16th century. blank verse is not wirtten in stanza form. instead, the poem is developed in verse paragraphs that vary in length. blank verse is a flexible form of expression that gives the poet a choice of many variations within the metrical pattern. because of its flexibility, bl

6、ank verse is especially appropriate for narrative and dramatic poetry and other longer kinds of poetry. henry howard, earl of surrey, adapted blank verse from italian poetry to english in the early 1500s. christopher marlowe and shakespeare used this form with great power and variety in their plays.

7、 many poets of the 1800s and 1900s wrote in blank verse. they include william wordsworth, wiliam cullen bryant, john keats, lord tennyson, edwin arlington robinson, robert frost, and wallace stevens. 3. humanism. broadly, this term suggests any attitude, which tends to exalt the human element or str

8、ess the importance of human interests, as opposed to the supernatural, divine elements-or as opposed to the grosser, animal elements. in a more specific sense, humanism suggests a devotion to those studies supposed to promote human culture most effectively-iin particular, those dealing with the life

9、, thought, language, and literature of ancient greece and rome. in literary history the most important use of the term is to designate the revival of classical culture that accompanied the renaissance. 4. metaphysical. it refers to the school of poets that appeared in the revolutionary period in eng

10、land by using quite unconventional and often surprising conceits; the metaphsical poets wrote poems full of wit and humor. but sometimes the logic argument and conceits become pervasive, going to preposterous dimensions. the language is colloquial but very powerful, creating unorthodox images on the

11、 readers mind. john donne and andrew marvell are the representative metaphisical poets.5. renaissance. it is the rebirth of artistic, literary and academic interest and creativity that marks the transition from medieval europe to the modern world. generally dated from the 14th to the mid-17th centur

12、y, the renaissance emerged in italy and spread to the rest of europe. in outlook the renaissance brought new importance to individual expression, self-consciousness, and worldy experience; cultually it was a time of brillant accomplishment in scholarship, literature, science, and the arts. more gene

13、rally, it was an era of emerging nation-states and exploration, and the beginning of a revolution in commerce. it is best to regard the renaissance as the result of a new emphasis upon and a new combination of tendencies and attitudes already existing, stimulated by a series of historical events. th

14、e new humanistic learning that resulted from the rediscovery of classical literature is frequently taken as the beginning of the renaissance on its conscious, intellectual side. the influence of the renaissance on future generations was to prove immense in many fields- from art and literature to edu

15、cation, political science, and history. for centuries, most scholars have agreed that the modern ear of human history began with the renaissance.6. sonnet. it is a basic lyric form, consisting of 14 lines of iambic pentameter rhymed in various patterns. the italian or petrarchan sonnet is divided cl

16、early into octave and sestet, the first rhyming abab cdcd efef gg. in late 16th-century england, sonnets were written either independently as short epigrammatic forms, or grouped in sonnet sequences, i.e. collections of upwards of a hundred poems, in imitation of petrarch, purportedly addressed to o

17、ne central figure or muse- a lady usually with a symbolic name like “stella” or “idea”. milton made a new kind of use of the petrarchan form, and the romantic poets continued in the miltonic tradition. several variations have been devised, including the addtion of “trails” or extra lines, or the rec

18、asting into 16 lines, instead of 14. exercisesa. multiple-choice question1. which of the following in not regarded as one of the characteristics of renassance? a. exaltation of mans pursuit of happiness in this life. b. cultivation of the genuine flavor of ancient culture. c. tolerance of human foib

19、les. d. praise of mans effforts in having his soul delivered.2. the most significant intellectual movement of the renaissance was _ a. the reformaion b. humanism c. the italian revival d. geographical explorations3. what is the relationship between claudius and hamlet? a. cousins. b. uncle and nephe

20、w c. father-in-law and son-in-law. d. father and son4. which of the following plays does not belong to shakespeares great tragedies? a. romeo and juliet b. king lear c. hamlet d. macbeth5. which statement about the elizabethan age is not true? a. it is the age of translation. b. it is the age of bou

21、rgeois revolution c. it is the age of exploration. d. it is the age of the protestant reformation.6. in hamlets soliloquy, when he says, “to sleep, perchabce to dream: -ay, theres the rub.” what is he primarily thinking about? a. the bad dreams that have recently been troubling him. b. the fact that

22、 if dying is like going to sleep, then perhaps after death we have bad dreams. c. the sinful behavior of gertrude, whose guilty dreams he would like to know. d. his desire to sleep so that he will not have to take vengeful action.7. _ first made blank verse the principal instrument of english drama.

23、 a. shakespeare b. wyatt c. sidney d. marlowe8. “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” is an example of _. a. allegory b. simile c. metaphor d. irony10. in “not on thy sole, but on thy soul, harsh jew, / thou makst thy knife keen”, gratiano (a character in the merchant of venice) uses a rheto

24、rical device called _. a. hyperbole b. homonym c. paradox d. pun11. of the following lines from miltons paradise lost, what statement is correct? “to bow and sue for gracewith suppliant knee, and deify his power- that were low indeed,that were an ignominy, and shame beneaththis downfall;”a. to beg g

25、od for mercy and worship his power were as low as this downfall.b. to beg god for mercy and worship his power were more shameful and disgraceful than this downfall.c. to beg god for mercy is more shameful than worship his power.d. to fight against god is as low as to worship satan.12. in the sonnet

26、“death, be not proud”, donne says to death: “those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow/ die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.” what does he mean? a. death is very strong. b. death is not death, because after death we wake up to live eternally. c. one must face death courageously and def

27、iantly. d. death is not as strong as he thinks he is.13. miltons paradise lost took its material from _. a. the bible b. greek myth c. roman myth d. french romance14. christopher marlowe wrote all the following plays except _. a. tamburlaine the great b. the jew of malta c.cymbeline d. the tragical

28、history of doctor faustus15. which of the following plays by shakespeare is not a comedy? a. the merchant of venice b. a midsummer nights dream c. as you like it d. romeo and juliet16. _ is the most common foot in english poetry. a. the iamb b. the anapest c. the trochee d. the dactyl17. in “sonnet

29、18”, william shakespeare _. a.mediates on mans mortality. b. eulogizes the power of artistic creation c. satirizes human vanity d. presents a dream vision18. in paradise lost, satan says: “we may with more successful hope resolve/ to wage by force or guile eternal war,/ irreconcilable to our grand f

30、oe.” what is the “eternal war” satan and his followers were to wage against god? a. to plant a tree of knowledge in the garden of eden. b. to turn into poisonous snakes to threaten mans life. c. to remove god from his throne. d. to corrupt gods creation of man and woman.19. dr. faustus is a play bas

31、ed on the german legend of a magician aspiring for _ and finally meeting his tragic end as a result of selling his soul to the devil. a. money b. immorality c. knowledge d. political power20. “bassanio: antonio, i am married to a wifewhich is as dear to me as life itself;but life itself, my wife, an

32、d all he world,are not with me esteemd above thy life;i would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all,here to the devil, to deliver you.potia: your wife would give you little thanks for that,if she were by to hear you make the offer.”the above is a quotation taken from shakespeares comedy the merchant of v

33、enice, which can be regarded as a good example to illustrate what _ is.a. dramatic irony b. personificationc. allegory d. symbolism21. “read not to contradict and confuse, nor to believe and take for granted” is one of the epigrams found in _. a. bacons “of studies” b. bunyans pilgrims progress c. m

34、ores utopia d. fieldings tom jones22. which of the following is not typical of metaphysical poetry best represented by john donnes work? a. common speech b. conceit c. argument d. elegant languageb. blank-filling1. “when in disgrace with fortune and mens eye” is the beginning line of a _ written by

35、william shakespeare.2. the epoch of renaissance witnessed a particular development of english drama. it was christopher marlowe who made _ the principal vehicle of expression in drama.3. the greatest and most distinctive achievement of elizabethan literature is _.4. john milton is regarded the great

36、est _ of the 17th century, and one of the giants of english literature.5. shakespeares plays have been traditionally divided into three categories: histories, _ and tragedies.6. in 1637 milton wrote the finest _ in english, lycidas, in honor of a cambridge friend.7. “death, be not proud” focuses on

37、a key _ of christian doctrine: we are afraid of death, yet we are not afraid of death.8. the predominant rhetorical device employed in “the sun rising” is _.9. with few exceptions shakespeare uses the sonnet form in the popular english form of three _ and a couplet.10. edmund spenser is often referr

38、ed to as “the poets _”. his masterpiece is the fairie queene.c. t-f statements1. odyssey, beowulf and samson agonistes are all great epics. 2. in his love poetry, donne describes love as single, constant, spiritual and eternal.3. in all his works, spenser effectively blended classical literary theme

39、s and conventions with christian morallism.4. it was first in dr. faustus that marlowe influenced later drama with his concentration on one heroic figure and his development of blank verse into a flexible poetic form for tragedy.5. donnes dramatic conversational style enables him to devour all kinds

40、 of experiences in life and to put them into poetry.6. william caxton is important to the development of english literature because he wrote important tales about king arthur.7. in his history plays, shakespeare expressed his wish for freedom and national unity.8. hamlets melancholy derives from his

41、 sudden exposure to the evil world and his thoughtfulness of the meaning of life in a corrupted society.9. the reformation was the great 16th-century religious revolution that resulted in the establishment of the catholic churches.10. the new humanistic learning that resulted from the renovation of

42、classical literature is frequently taken as the beginning of the renaissance on its conscious, intellectual side.d. work-author pairing-up:( ) 1. samson agonistes a. thomas more( ) 2. songs and sonnets b. francis bacon( ) 3. “of studies” c. john donne( ) 4. king lear d. edmund spenser( ) 5. tamburla

43、ine the great e. john milton( ) 6. the shepheardes calender f. philip sidey( ) 7. antony and cleopatra g. william shakespeare( ) 8. lycidas h. george herbert( ) 9. the jew of malta i. ben jonson( ) 10. as you like it j. christopher marlowee. reading comprehension (for each of the quotations listed b

44、elow please give the name of the author and the title of the literary work from which it is taken and then briefly interpret it.)1. “nor lose possession of that fair thou owst;nor shall death brag thou wandrest in his shade,so long as men can breathe or eyes can see,so long lives this, and this give

45、s life to thee.”reference: william shakespeare, sonnet 18: “shall i compare thee to a summers day?”this lines mean “you will not lose your own beauty, nor shall death boast that you roam about in his darkness; so long as men can stay alive, so long as this poem lives, it gives you eternal life.” the

46、 sestet provides a major “turning” in the sonnet and answer the question raised earlier: a nice summers day is usually transient, but the beauty in poetry is eternal. 2. “one short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”john donne, “death be not proud”.the

47、 meaning is “shortly after we die (compared to sleep), well wake up and live eternally. in this sense, its death that shall die.” paradox is very common in metaphysical poetry. john donne concludes his poem with a couplet that first balances the ideas of death as a sleeping and death as a sleeping a

48、nd death as a waking, and then summarizes the more profound paradox that a persons death is his victory over dying and death. 3. “they perfect nature, and are perfected by experience; for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning by study; and studies themselves do give forth dir

49、ections too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.” francis bacon：of studiesthese remarks mean: studies improve a persons natural abilities and are themselves made complete by experience, because natural abilities are like natural plants, which need trimming by study; the directions

50、 given forth by studies themselves are too general, unless they are restricted by experience. here we get a glimpse of the pithy aphoristic style of bacons essays. 4. “busy old fool, unruly sun,why dost thou thus,through windows and through curtains call on us?”these are the beginning lines of john

51、donnes poem “the sun rising”. the speaker questions the suns authority and speaks condescendingly, placing the sun in the status of a subordinate. in the lovers kingdom, the sun has no right to dictate the time of day or the passing of seasons. his presence in their bedchamber is an intrusion on the

52、ir privacy. 5. “from rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,and soonest our best men with thee do go,rest of their bones, and souls delivery.”these lines are taken from donnes poem “death, be not proud.” apparently, donne is saying that relaxation

53、 and slumber are desirable things in life, and death offers human beings eternal “rest” and “sleep”, and therefore “much pleasure”. by saying “which but thy picture be”, donne refers to the fact that our image of death is rest and sleep. of course, all men and women, not just the “best man”, eventua

54、lly walk with death. donne means to say that even the best among us will perish in the end. no one is safe; but thats not necessarily the way to look at it. death is not something we should fear, for it is part of a natural cycle. it is the preface to our final sleep, which offers “freedom” (and fin

55、al delivery) for the soul. here donne is implying that our life offers only imprisonment for the soul, and in this sense death would be more powerful. f. questions: (答案请写在作业本上)(for each of the following questions you are asked to give a brief answer, explaining what you know about it. you should wri

56、te no more than 100 words for each answer, and, therefore, concentrate on those essential points.)1. why can book i of the faerie queene be read as both romantic narrative and spiritual allegory?read as romantic narrative, the plot of book i is a series of chivalric adventures undertaken by the redcross knight culminating in his killing