常耀信 英国文学简史笔记1-4章

1、英国文学简史重点笔记(1-4章)（南开大学出版社 常耀信版）Chapter 1 The old English periodBeowulf 作品特点及历史意义：1. The only organic whole poem to come out of the Anglo-Saxon period. 2. epic(史诗). 3. The story takes place in Scandinavia, there is no mention of England.作品概述：two part narrative-Beowulfs fight with the sea-monsters Gren

2、del and his mother; his killing a fiery dragon and his death.写作特点：1. Pagan story has an Christian overlay. 2. using of kenning(一种描写手法)。e.g.: sea is often “swans way” or “whale-path” 3.conspicious occurrence of alliteration(头韵). 4. storys disgressive manner of narration. 5. elevated tone. Chapter 2 C

3、haucer. The pre-Elizabethan Period. MoreGeoffrey Chaucer代表作：The Canterbury Tales 作家：1. first preeminent English poet. 2. Chaucer was the first most significant poet in English literary history to write in Middle English. 3. a master of realism.作品：Canterbury Tales:主要内容：a collection of 20-odd stories,

4、 4 fragments.作品特点：1. substance is from others, the telling is Chaucers own. 2. enormous sense of humor. 3.loyalty to reality. Offers such a panorama (全景)of social life. 4. infinite (无限的)sense if humanity.Thomas More代表作：Utopia 作家：a humanist. He witnessed the evils of the future of the world and sough

5、t to help mend things.作品：Utopia:主要内容：1. consist of two book with emphasis on book two in which the Utopian weal republic is described in detail. 2. book two has 9 sections: section 1: geographic contours. Section 2: city life. Section 3: administration of the country. Section4: lifestyle. Section5:

6、family structure. Section6: utopia travel. Section 7: bondmen. Section 8: attitude towards war. Section 9: religion. 作品特点：1. nothing private in Utopia, no one has anything, yet every is rich. Offers best ideal social system possible. 2. some problems: strict adherence to conformity; slave system; su

7、per power politics; male-dominated.Chapter 3 The Elizabethan Age. Spenser. Sidney. MarloweEdmund Spenser代表作：The Faerie Queene; The Shepheardes Calendar.作家：a non-dramatic poet; of Queen Elizabeths period; read and loved Chaucer and saw him as his pattern in literary creation.作品：The Shepheardes Calend

8、ar: 主要内容：1. consists of 12 pastoral eclogues(田园牧歌)，one for each month of the year. 2. Dialogues between shepherds or of soliloquies, the everyday life of country people, their feelings and attitudes, and their simple life of harmony with nature. 3. around with such observations on the religious stri

9、fe and political turbulence of his day. 作品特点：1. full of archaic(古代的) or “Chaucerian” words, bring into relief a rustic（乡村的，纯朴的） effect. 2. The eclogues in the Calendar fall into three groups-plaintive, recreative, and moral. The Faerie Queene: 主要内容：1. praise of Elizabeths England in itself. 2. Consi

10、stent of six books and a fragment of the seventh book. 3. tell respectively about the Red Cross Knight of Holiness, the Knight of Temperance, the legend of chastity, that of friendship, the Knight of Justice, and the Knight of Courtesy. 作品特点：1. Courageous experimentation with the meters. Special rhy

11、me scheme of the Spenserian sonnets , and in the Spenserian stanza.Marlowe代表作：The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus; The Jew of Malta作家：The most preeminent figure among the University wits.作品：The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus: 主要内容：1. first part of the play tells of Faustuss dissatisfactionwit

12、h earthly knowledge and of his part with the devil.2. second part about his satisfaction with his newly acquired knowledge and power. 3.The third part soul being dragged down to hell, tries to pray to Gods save. 作品特点：1. famous both for its thematic and formal features. 2. Thematically, Faustus repre

13、sents the archetypal Renaissance humanist of 16th century, and a supreme specimen of Everyman for all time.3. Formally, uses some dramatic devices like the choruses.Chapter4 Shakespeare主要作品：sonnets, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Ha

14、mlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth作品：sonnets: 154 in total Theme: 1. love, passion, and sparks of wisdom. 2.clear vision of life and people. 3. Renaissance paean of man. 4. a faithful record of the mood and tenor of the times. Style: grace in form, depth in thought, and vivacity in tone. Plays: first

15、 period: generally happy and cheerful. All dramas this period end happily. Second period: frustration, tragic period. All his major tragedies were written within the space of a few years. Last period: acceptance of the inevitability of life. 特点：1. highly moral. Evil be punished and good rewarded. 2. wisdom and profound philosophy. 3. tolerant of human foibles and faults 4. avoids the use of just one color-pure black or whi