英美文学选读

1、Part One   English Literature第一部分: 英国文学 An Introduction to Old and Medieval English Literature(4501066)一. Definitions of Literary Terms(名词解释与文学术语)1. Couplet 对句 ( 指两行尾韵相谐的诗句 ) A couplet is two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. The couplet composed of two iambic pentameter lines (五音步抑扬

2、格诗行)more commonly known as the heroic couplet ( 英雄偶句诗 )-is the most favored form.2. Elegy哀歌、挽歌A poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual. It may also be a lament over the passing of life and beauty or a meditation on the nature of death. An elegy is a type of lyric poem, usually for

3、mal in language and structure.3. Epic 史诗An epic is a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. Many epics were drawn from an oral tradition and were transmitted by song and recitation before they were written down.4

4、. Exodus 出埃及记The second book of the Old Testament, containing an account of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.5. Genesis A 创世纪The first book of the Old Testament. It gives an account of the Creation of the world, the Fall, the Flood, the origins of the Hebrews.

5、 6. John Dryden 约翰德莱顿( 16311700 )English poet and dramatist, also considered the father of English literary criticism. Dryden's career began around the time of the Restoration (1660, 王政复辟 ). He became the Poet Laureate  ( 桂冠诗人 ) in 1668.7. Homer 荷马Greek epic poet, probably of the

6、8th century BC, to whom are ascribed the Iliad ( 伊利亚特 ) and Odyssey (奥德赛). Nothing is known about his life, nor even of the genesis of the poems. 8. Iambic pentameter 五音步抑扬格诗英诗的韵律主要包括两方面的内容: 1) 每个音步中轻重音节的排列形式, 即格律。 抑扬格指每一音步中含有一个轻音和一个重音; 2) 这种排列形式在一个诗行中出现的次数, 也就是每行内所含有的音步数目。下面以教材中Thomas Gray的Elegy Wr

7、itten in a Country Churchyard为例, 诗歌第一行如下:           /    /      /      /    /The  curfew  tolls the  knell  of  parting  day ( 表示 “抑”, 即轻读的音节, /

8、表示 “扬”, 即重读的音节; 表示音步的分布情况 )9. Lyric抒情诗A poem, usually a short one, that expresses a speakers personal thoughts or feelings. The elegy, ode, and sonnet are all forms of the lyric. As its Greek name indicates, a lyric was originally a poem sung to the accompaniment of a lyre（古代希腊的七弦竖琴）, and lyrics to

9、this day have retained a melodic quality.10. Motif 主题、母题A motif generally contributes in some way to the theme of a short story, novel, poem, or play. At times, motif is used to refer to some commonly used plot or character type in literature. It can also be motive, a main subject, pattern, etc. on

10、which a work of art is based, or from which it is developed. 11. New Testament 新约全书The part of the Bible which contains the life and teachings of Christ recorded by his followers, together with their own experiences and teachings. It is the second of the two principal divisions of the Christian Bibl

11、e.12. Old Testament 旧约全书The earlier and larger part of the Bible, which contains the religious and social laws of the Hebrews, a record of their history, their important literature, and writings of their prophets.13. Romance 骑士传奇、浪漫文学Any imaginative literature that is set in an idealized world and t

12、hat deals with heroic adventures aand battles between good characters and villains or monsters. Originally, the term referred to a medieval tale dealing with the loves and adventures of kings, queens, knights, and ladies, and including unlikely or supernataural happenings.14. Verse 韵文Form of writing

13、 arranged in lines, each containing a pattern of accented and unaccented syllables; or group of lines forming a unit in a rhyme scheme. 二. Writers and their Works(作家作品简表)John GowerSir Gawain and the Green KnightWilliam LanglandPiers PlowmanGeoffrey Chaucer ( “the father of English poetry”, “the

14、 English Homer”, introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry )The Canterbury Tales; The Romaunt of the Rose; The Legend of Good WomenReligious poemsGenesis A; Genesis B; Exodus;The Dream of the RoodSecular poemsThe Wanderer; Deor; The Seafarer;The Wifes ComplaintEngl

15、ish national epic poemBeowulf Chapter 1   The Renaissance Period(14thmid-17th Century)一.    Definitions of Literary Terms(名词解释与文学术语)1. Allegory寓言A story that is told to explain or teach something, especially a long and complicated story with an underlying meaning differ

16、ent from the surface meaning of the story itself.2. Blank Verse 无韵体诗Blank verse is verse written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It is the verse form used in some of the greatest English poetry, including that of William Shakespeare and John Milton.3.Dante 但丁 (12651321)Italy's greatest poet, auth

17、or of The Divine Comedy(神曲).4. Drama 戏剧It is a genre of literature, in which the words are mainly dialogue. People talking is the basic dramatic action. Wordless activity may interrupt the talk, but it is the context of dialogue that gives significance to such activity.5. Foot 音步A unit in the scansi

18、on of verse, containing in English poetry one strong or accent. It is applied within a single line, indicating how many meters are employed in that line.6. Imagery 意象Comparisons, descriptions, and figures of speech that help the mind form forceful or beautiful pictures. Poetry often contains imagery

19、.7. Martin Luther 马丁·路德 (14831546)German reformation leader and founder of Lutheranism( 路德主义 )12. Meter格律The word is derived from the Greek word “metron,” meaning “measure.”In English when applied to poetry, it refers to the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The analysis of

20、the meter is called scansion ( 格律分析或音步划分, 格律的形式有: 抑扬格, 扬抑格, 抑抑扬扬格和扬抑抑格等 )8. Ovid 奥维徳 (43BCAD17?) Roman poet of love elegies, who then experimented with the imaginary letter, mock didactic verse, collective narrative relating disconnected stories inside a large historical or chronological frame, and

21、finally with elegies of nostalgic complaint, when Augustus had exiled him in AD8 to the Black Sea for some mysterious indiscretion.9. Petrarch彼特拉克 (13041374) Italian poet and early humanist. Supported by influential patrons, he spent his life in study, travel and writing.10. Protestantism新教The princ

22、iples of the reformation. Protestantism is characterized by subordinating tradition to the Bible as the basis for doctrine and practice, and stresses justification by faith, biblical preaching and a high personal morality.11. Reformation 宗教改革It refers to the great religious movement in Europe in the

23、 1500s that aimed at reform within the Roman Catholic Church but led to the establishment of Protestant churches.12. Rhyme 韵, 韵脚Rhyme is the repetition of the stressed vowel sound and all succeeding sounds. It is a word or line having the same last sound as another.23. Sestina 六节诗A poem of six six-l

24、ine stanzas and a concluding triplet. The last words of the first stanza are repeated in the other five stanzas in different order, and in the concluding triplet.14. Sonnet 十四行诗Sonnet is the one of the most conventional and influential forms of poetry in Europe. A sonnet is a lyric invariably of 14

25、lines, usually in iambic pentameter, restricted to a definite rhyme scheme.15. Stanza 诗节A group of lines of poetry, usually four or more, arranged according to a fixed plan. The stanza is the unit of structure in a poem and poets do not vary the unit within a poem.16. Symbol 象征It is an index that po

26、ints to or represents something else. A symbol is usually a material object used to represent something abstract. The relationship between the symbol and the symbolized is often established through convention, resemblance, or association.17 Terza rima 三行诗节隔句押韵诗体It is an Italian form of iambic verse

27、consisting of ten-syllable or eleven-syllable lines arranged in tercets,i.e. stanzas, the middle line of each tercet rhyming with the first and third lines of the following tercet. The most typical example is Shelleys “Ode to the West Wind.”18. The War of Roses 玫瑰战争It is the intermittent strugg

28、le for the English throne between the noble houses of Lancaster  (emblem, a rod rose ) and York ( badge, a white rose ). 19. University wits 大学才子A name given by Saintsbury to a group of Elizabethan playwrights and pamphleteers, of whom Nashe, R. Greene, Lyly, and T. Lodge were the chief.从十六世纪八十

29、年代开始，英国戏剧进入繁荣时期，新的剧院越来越多，演技水平也在不断提高，为适应戏剧发展的需要，一大群中产阶级出身、在大学念过书的作家产生了。他们大多受过人文主义思想的熏陶，具有比较丰富的古典文化修养，被称为“大学才子”。二. Text Explanation(课文讲解)(一) Background knowledge (背景知识)1. Historical and cultural backgrounds(1) Renaissance marks a transition from the medieval to the modern world. It was sparked off by

30、a combination of historical factors, such as the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman classics, the religious reformation, explorations in geography and science, and the economic expansion.(2) The great 16th-century religious revolution resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches. In

31、England, the break with Rome came first as a result of a decision by King Henry VIII to divorce his first wife. The change in religious doctrine came afterward in the reigns of King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I.(3) The continuing development of trade, the growth of the middle class, the education

32、 for lay people, the centralization of power and of much intellectual life in the court, and the widening horizons of exploration gave a new impetus and direction to literature. William Caxton first introduced printing into England. The number of presses quickly increased in England, and with them t

33、he number of printed books.2. Features of English Renaissance Literature(1) Renaissance poetryThe two greatest innovators of the new, rich style of Renaissance poetry were Sir Philip Sidney, who followed with the sestina ( 六节诗, 由六节六行诗, 加结尾的一节三行诗构成) and terza rima ( 三行一节的诗体, 三行诗节隔句押韵法 ) and Edmund Sp

34、enser.(2) Renaissance dramaGenerally speaking, the Elizabethan drama is the real mainstream of the English Renaissance. Most of the plays were written in an elaborate verse style and under the influence of classical examples. (3) Renaissance EssayFrancis Bacon, was the first important English essayi

35、st. He was also the founder of modern science in England. His writings paved the way for the use of scientific method. Thus, he is undoubtedly one of the representatives of the English Renaissance. (二) Major writers of the period (主要作家介绍)I. Edmund Spenser (斯宾塞1552? 1599)1. Points of view (观点) R

36、eligiously, Spenser was a lover and celebrator of physical beauty, and he was sternly moral. In his works, he effectively blended classical literary themes and conventions with Christian moralism. and revealed his strong English patriotic feelings. 2. Artistic features (艺术特色)(1)Spenser has glorified

37、 England and its language by his long allegorical poem The Faerie Queene.(2)The main qualities of Spensers poetry: 1) a perfect melody; 2) a rare sense of beauty; 3) a splendid imagination; 4) a lofty moral purity and seriousness; and 5) a dedicated idealism(3)Spenser uses strange forms of speech an

38、d obsolete words in order to increase the rustic effect.(4)The Faerie Queene is written in the stanza invented by the poet himself, the Spenserian stanza, i.e., a stanza of nine lines, with the first eight lines in iambic pentameter and the last line in iambic hexameter ( 六音步抑扬格 ), rhyming ababbcbcc

39、.(5)The Faerie Queene is an allegory, there are many symbols in the book. The Redcrosse Knight in Book I stands for St. George, the patron saint of England, symbolizing the Anglican Church; he also represents Holiness, one of the 12 private virtues; Virgin Una stands for truth or the true religion;

40、Dragon and the infernal fiend stand for Satan.3. Selected reading (选读)(1)   Main idea of the whole book The Faerie Queene(仙后)     According to Spensers own explanation, his principal intention is to present through a historical poem the example of a perfect gentleman: “

41、 to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline.” He speaks of 12 virtues of the private gentleman, and plans 12 books, each one with a different hero distinguished for one of the private virtues. The hero of heroes, who possesses all of these virtues, is Arthur, and he is

42、to play a role in each   of the 12 major adventures, which has its own individual hero. The recurring appearances of Arthur serve as a unifying element for the poem as a whole. Another character contributing to the unity of the work is Gloriana, the Fairy Queen. It is from her court and at

43、 her bidding that each of the heroes sent out on his particular adventure. Prince Arthurs great mission is his search for the Fairy Queen, with whom he has fallen in love through a love vision. The poem is written in the stanza invented by the poet himself, the Sprnserian stanza.(2)   Main

44、 idea of the excerptIt is taken from Canto 1, Book I, in which Redcrosse Knight sets out on his adventures. Book I of The Faerie Queene is in a way an epitome of the whole poem. The purpose of Redcrosses quest is to free original mankindthe parents of Unafrom the power of the Devil, culminating in h

45、is killing the dragon. His fight is thus against sin. Una and her knight are first seen together in the opening canto when Redcrosse easily routs the dragon of Error in the Wandering Wood.(3)   ThemeThe theme is not “arms and the man,” but something more romantic“fierce warres and faithful

46、 loves”, and the story ends with a happy wedding between Redcrosse Knight and Una. II. Christopher Marlowe (马洛15641593)1. Points of view Marlowes humanistic ideal of human dignity and capacity is embodied by the Renaissance hero he created for English drama. Different from the tragic hero in me

47、dieval plays, who seeks the way to heaven through salvation and Gods will, he is against conventional morality and contrives to obtain heaven on earth through his own efforts. With the endless aspiration for power, knowledge, and glory, the hero interprets the true Renaissance spirit. 2. Major works

48、(1) Tamburlaine (帖木儿) It is a play about an ambitious and pitiless Tartar conqueror in the 14th century who rose from a shepherd to an overpowering king. By depicting a great hero with high ambition and sheer brutal force in conquering one enemy after another, Marlowe voiced the supreme desire

49、of the man of the Renaissance for infinite power and authority. It was a drama in blank verse. (2) Dr. Faustus(浮士德博士) It is a play based on the German legend of a magician aspiring for knowledge and finally meeting his tragic end as a result of selling his soul to the Devil. The plays dominant

50、moral is human rather than religious. It celebrates the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness; it also reveals mans frustration in realizing the high aspirations in a hostile moral order. And the confinement to time is the cruelest fact of mans condition.3. Artistic features(1) Marlowes g

51、reatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse and made it the principal medium of English drama.He brought vitality and grandeur into the blank verse with his “mighty lines,” which carry strong emotions. To achieve this, Marlowe employed hyperbole( 夸张 ) as his major figure of speech,

52、 which indicates the poetic energy and intensity conveyed through the verse.(2) Marlowes second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama. Tamburlaine and Faustus are typical examples. The former, being a cruel conqueror, finds consummate happiness( 无比的快乐 ) in subduing ot

53、her kingdoms. His death ends in glory although he finally admits his limitations of achievements, and even his limitations as a human being, while the latters downfall was caused by his despair in God and trust in Devil. III. William Shakespeare ( 莎士比亚15641616 )1. Points of view(1) Shakespeare is ag

54、ainst religious persecution and racial discrimination, against social inequality and the corrupting influence of gold and money. On the other hand, there is also a limit to his sympathy for the downtrodden. He fears anarchy, hates rebellion and despises democracy. Thus, he finds no way to solve the

55、social problems.(2) Shakespeare has accepted the Renaissance views on literature. He holds that literature should be a combination of beauty, kindness and truth, and should reflect nature and reality. Based on this consideration, he has claimed through the mouth of Hamlet that the “end” of dramatic

56、creation is to give faithful reflection of the social realities of the time.2. Artistic features(1) Shakespeares major characters are neither merely individual ones nor type ones; they are individuals representing certain types. Each character has his or her own personalities; meanwhile, they may sh

57、are features with others. (2) Shakespeares plays are well-known for their adroit plot construction. He seldom invents his own plots; instead, he borrows them from some old plays or storybooks, or from ancient Greek and Roman sources.(3) Irony is a good means of dramatic presentation. It makes the ch

58、aracters who are ignorant of the truth do certain ridiculous things. There is so much fun that the audience are immediately amused. (4) The principal person addressed by Shakespeare in his sonnets is not a woman but a young man. With few exceptions, Shakespeare writes his sonnets in the popular Engl

59、ish form of three quatrains and a couplet( 三节四行诗和一节偶句诗). (5) Shakespeare can write skillfully in different poetic forms, like the sonnet, the blank verse, and the rhymed couplet. His blank verse is especially beautiful and mighty. He has an amazing wealth of vocabulary and idiom.IV. Francis Bacon ( 培根15611626 )1. Points of view(1) Bacon divides knowledge into two kinds. One is the knowledge obtained from the Divine Revelation, the other is the knowledge from the workings of human mind. (2