英美文学导论论文

千里之行，始于足下。第2页/共2页精品文档推荐英美文学导论论文SurveyofBritishLiterature

OldandMedievalperiods(4501066)

AfterthefalloftheRomanEmpireandthewithdrawalofRomantroopsfromAlbion,theaboriginalCelticpopulationofthelargerpartoftheislandwassoonconqueredandalmosttotallyexterminatedbytheTeutonictribesofAngles,SaxonsandJuteswhocamefromthecontinentandsettledintheisland,namingitscentralpartAnglia,orEngland.

FornearlyfourhundredyearspriortothecomingoftheEnglish,BritainhadbeenaRomanprovince.In410A.D.theRomanswithdrewtheirlegionsfromBritaintoprotectRomeherselfagainstswarmsofTeutonicinvaders.About449abandofTeutons,calledJutes,leftDeXXXark,landedontheIsleofThanet.WarriorsfromthetribesoftheAnglesandtheSaxonssoonfollowed,anddrovewestwardtheoriginalinhabitants.

Theliteratureofthisperiodfallsnaturallyintotwodivisions,ReligiousandSecular.InreadingtheearliestpoetryofEnglanditiswelltorememberthatallofitwascopiedbythemonks,andseemstohavebeenmoreorlessalteredtogiveitareligiouscoloring.

TheSongofBeowulfcanbejustlytermedEngland’s

nationalepicanditsheroBeowulfoneofthenationalheroesoftheEnglishpeople.

TheonlyexistingmanuscriptofTheSongofBeowulfwaswrittenbyanunknownscribeatthebeginningofthe10thcenturyandwasnotdiscovereduntil1750.TheSongwascomposedmuchearlier,andreflectseventswhichtookplaceontheContinentapproximatelyatthebeginningofthe6thcentury,whentheforefathersoftheJuteslivedinthesouthernpartoftheScandinavianpeninsulaandmaintainedcloserelationswithkindredtribes,e.g.withtheDaneswholivedontheothersideofthestraits.

Medievalperiods(1066mid-14thcentury)

Intheyear1066,atthebattleofHastings,theNormansheadedbyWilliam,DukeofNormandy,defeatedtheAnglo-Saxons.

TheNormanswereoriginallyahardyraceofsearoversinhabitingScandinavia.InthetenthcenturytheyconqueredapartofnorthernFrance,whichisstillcalledNormandy,andrapidlyadoptedFrenchcivilizationandtheFrenchlanguage.TheirconquestofAnglo-SaxonEnglandunderWilliam,DukeofNormandy,beganwiththebattleofHastingsin1066.

TheliteraturewhichtheybroughttoEnglandis

remarkableforitsbright,romantictalesofloveandadventure,inmarkedcontrastwiththestrengthandsombernessofAnglo-Saxonpoetry.DuringthestrengththreecenturiesAnglo-SaxonspeechsimplifieditselfbydroppingofitsTeutonicinflection,absorbedeventuallyalargepartoftheFrenchvocabulary,andbecametheEnglishlanguage.EnglishliteratureisalsoacombinationofFrenchandSaxonelements.TheRenaissancePeriod(mid-14thmid-17thcentury)The16thcenturyinEnglishwasaperiodofthebreakingupoffeudalrelationsandtheestablishingofthefoundationsofcapitalism.

Manufactoriesweredevelopingandthewooltradewasrapidlygrowinginbulk.Theenclosureofcommonsdrovethousandsofpeasantsofftheirlandsandmanyofthemsettledintowns.

Newsocialandeconomicconditionsbroughtaboutgreatchangesinthedevelopmentofscienceandart.

TogetherwiththedevelopmentofbourgeoisrelationshipsandformationoftheEnglishnationalstatethisperiodismarkedbyaflourishingofnationalcultureknownastheRenaissance.

ThegreatestofallEnglishauthors,William

Shakespearebelongstothoseraregeniusesofmankindwhohavebecomelandmarksinthehistoryofworldculture.TheworksofWilliamShakespeareareagreatlandmarkinthehistoryofworldliteratureforhewasoneofthefirstfoundersofrealism,amasterhandatrealisticportrayalofhumancharactersandrelations.

Hisfirstoriginalplaywritteninabout1590wasKingHenryⅥ,partstwoandthree,thefirstparthavingbeenwrittenearlierbyanotherdramatistandonlyretouchedbyShakespeare.Duringthetwenty-twoyearsofhisliteraryworkheproduced37plays,twonarrativepoemsand154sonnets.

Hisliteraryworkmaybedividedintothreemajorperiods:thefirstperiodfrom1590to1600,thesecondfrom1601to1608,andthethirdfrom1609to1612.

HamletisconsideredtobesummitofShakespeare’sart.Itwaswrittenin1602-1620andfirstpublishedin1603.ShakespearetookacertainstoryofPrinceAmlethfromoldsourceswhichcanbetracedtothe12thcentury.

UnderShakespeare’spenthemedievalstoryassumednewmeaningandsignificance.DanishnamescouldnothidefromthespectatorsandreadersthefactthatitwasEnglishwhichthegreatwriterdescribedinhisplay.Thewholetragedy

ispermeatedwiththespiritofShakespeare’sowntime.HamletistheprofoundestexpressionofShakespeare’shumanismandhiscriticismofcontemporarylife.

AstudyofBacontakesusbeyondthelimitsofthereignofElizabeth,butnotbeyondthecontinuedinfluencesofthatreign.BaconbelongswithSidneyandRaleighinthatgroupofElizabethanswhoaimedtobemenofaffairs,politicians,reformers,explorers,ratherthanwritersofproseorpoetry.Hewasofnoblebirth,andfromanearlyagewasattachedtoElizabeth’scourt.BaconwasthesonofSirNicholasBacon,LordKeeperoftheSeal,andofthelearnedAnnCook,sister-in-lawtoLordBurleigh,greatestofthequeen’sstatesmen.Fromtheseconnections,aswellasfromnativegift,hewasattractedtothecourt,andasachildwascalledbyElizabethher“LittleLordKeeper”.

OnaDecemberdayin1680,whileShakespearewasstillwritinghisgreatplays,anothergreatEnglishpoetwasborninLondon.HewasJohnMilton.

Milton’sfathermadeabusinessofpreparinglawpapers,andwasaprosperousman.Hewasaprosperousman.HewasaPuritan,butnotsoharshasmostofthePuritansofhisday,forhelovedmusicandtaughthisboytoloveit.Healsoloved

books,andyoungJohnMiltonbegantoshow,whenaverysmallboy,thathelovedthem,too.Hisfatherhadaprivateteacherforhim,andwhenscarcelymorethantenyearsoldtheboywrotegoodversesandsatuplaterthanwasgoodforhimoverhisstudies.

TheNeoclassicalPeriod(1660-1700)

The17thcenturywasoneofthemosttempestuousperiodsinEnglishhistory.ItwasaperiodwhenabsolutemonarchyimpededthefurtherdevelopmentofcapitalisminEnglishandthebourgeoisiecouldnolongerbeartheswayoflandednobility.Thecontradictionsbetweenthefeudalsystemandthebourgeoisiehadreacheditspeakandresultedinarevolutionaryoutburst.

ToDefoeisoftengiventhecreditfordiscoveryofthemodernnovel;butwhetherornothedeservesthathonourisanopenquestion.EvenacasualreadingofRobinsonCrusoe(1719),whichgenerallyheadsthelistofmodernfiction,showsthatthisexcitingtaleislargelyanadventurestory,ratherthanthestudyofhumancharacterwhichDefoeprobablyintendedittobe.

Thedramaoftheeighteenthcenturywasextensive,butverylittleofithaspermanentliteraryoractingvalue.Wehave

notedthedramaticworkofAddisonandSteeleintheearlypartofthecentury.WithintheAgeofJohnsonseveralmentriedtheirhandsatdramaticwork.Thomson,thepoet,wrotedramaswhicharenowallbutforgotten.YoungproducedatragedycalledTheRevenge.Johnson,whoappearsinallformsofliterature,wastheauthorofacoldandstatelyclassicaltragedynamedIrene.Fieldingwroteanumberofcomediesbeforehefoundhistruevocationasanovelist,butnoneofthemwouldhavepreservedhisfametoposterity.Ofthemanyminordramatiststhereisnooccasiontospeak.Onlytwomen,GoldsmithandSheridan,producedworkswhichareofhighliteraryqualityandwhichstillretaintheirinterestuponthestage.Goldsmith’stwocomediesTheGood-NaturedManandSheStoopstoConquer,havingalreadyreceiveddueattention,anditonlyremainstospeakbrieflyofthedramaticworksofSheridan.

TheRomanticPeriod(17981832)

RomanticismasaliterarymovementcameintobeinginEnglishearlyinthelatterhalfofthe18thcentury.ItfirstmadeitsappearanceinEnglishasarenewedinterestinmedievalliterature.ThemovementwasusheredbyThomasPercy,JamesMacphersonandThomasChatterton.WilliamBlakeandRobert

BurnsrepresentedthespiritofwhatisusuallycalledPre-Romanticism.

GeorgeGordon,LordByron,wasbornin1788,ofanoblefamilynotoriousfortheirpassionatetemper,theiramatoryadventures,andtheirthriftlessness.Tohisextraordinaryphysicalbeauty,hislamenessaddedatouchofpathos.Personalfascinationwashisfromthefirst.Hemasteredhislittleworldofschool-fellowsatHarrowwiththesamepowerofpersonalitywhichlatertookcaptivetheimaginationofEurope.Hisfirstvolumeofpoems,HoursofIdleness,animmaturelittlebook,wasmercilesslyridiculedintheEdinburghreview.Byronnursedhisrevenge,andin1809hepublishedavigorousonslaughtuponhiscritics,entitledEnglishBardsandScotchReviewers.ThispoemiswritteninthemannerofPope,forwhomByronalwaysprofessedadmiration,andisnotunworthyofhisschool,eitherinmasteryoftheheroiccoupletorinenergyofsatire.ItissignificantthatByron’sfirstperformanceshouldhavebeenconceivedinasatiricvein,andeducedbyablowtohispersonalpride.

PercyByssheShelleywasbornin1972,justwhentheeyesofallEuropewerefixedinhopeandfearuponFrance,andthestarsfoughtintheircoursesforthetriumphofaneworder.

Theshortremainderofhislifeismarkedbymanygreatpoems,someofconsiderablelength,liketheSensitivePlantandAdonais;othersshorter,amongthemthewonderfulOldtotheWestWind,andthebestknownofallShelley’slyrics,ToaSkyLark.

TheVictorianPeriod(18361901)

TheprecisianmaylimittheVictorianperiodtotheyearsbetweentheQueen’saccessionin1837andherdearthin1901,butanewerareallybeganwiththepassageoftheReformBillin1832andclosedattheendoftheBoerWarin1902.Thesevendecadesbetweenthesetwodatesareoftendividedintothreephrasesofnationallife,whatiscalledthe“Mid-Victorian”periodbeingconsideredasembracingtheyears1855to1879fromtheascendancyofPalmerstontothegreateconomicdepression.

OutofthevasthostofVictoriannovelists,thethreegreatest,Dickens,Thackeray,andGeorgeEliot,willbeselectedforspecialstudy.ThefirstofthesetoachievefamewasCharlesDickens.Thisman,whowastobecomeagreatportrayerofchildlife,hadasad,painfulchildhood.Hisindustrywastremendous,andbeforePickwickwasfinished,OliverTwist,1837—1838,begantoappearinamonthly

magazine.

CharlotteandEmilyBrontewereborninThornton,Yorkshire,buttheywereundoubtedlyofCelticblood,fortheirmothercamefromCornwallandtheirfatherwasborninIreland.Charlottesettoworkonanewnovel,JaneEyre,whichwaspublishedinAugust,1847.Thispoetic,imaginativestoryoftheloveofayounggovernessforhermarriedemployeralsohasundoubtedconnectionswithCharlotte’sexperiencesinBrussels.Itwasanimmediatesuccesswithbothreadersandmostofthecritics.EmilyandAnnehadbeenmoresuccessfulinge