英国文学(上)复习纲要

TheAnglo-SaxonPeriod

449-1066

Events&Terms

Celts

RomanConquest

Anglo-Saxons

Myth

Celts

500B.Cand100B.C.

ComingfromcentralEurope

Tribalsociety

Clanasunit

Celticwarriorsenjoyingfighting

Lackofunity

RomanConquest

55BC-407AD

RomangeneralJuliusCaesar

RomanemperorClaudius

Britannia:BritishIslesasaprovinceofRomanempire

Romangovernors

Christianity

TheAnglo-Saxons(449-1066)

Angles,Saxons,Jutes,tribesfromtheplacesnownorthernGermanyandsouthernScandinavia

CreationoftheEnglishnation

OldEnglishorAnglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxonmyth:TheLordoftheRings;TheSongofBeowulf

Myth(ology)

Thestory,handeddownfromoldentimes,especiallyconceptsorbeliefsabouttheearlyhistoryofaraceoranationusuallywithsupernaturalepisodes.

QuestionsforAnglo-SaxonPeriod

WhatisyourimpressionofBeowulfasaheroandking?

WhatdoyouthinkisthemostimportantthemeofBeowulf?

Inwhatwayisthemoviedifferentfromoriginalmythandwhy?

TheAnglo-NormanPeriod

1066-1350

Events&Terms

NormanConquest

KingArthur

Romance

NarrativePoetry

NormanConquest(1066)

EndoftheAnglo-SaxonPeriod

StartofMedievalPeriod

Norman-Frenchculture:Romance

KingArthur

LegendaryBritishhero

leadingthedefenseofBritainagainsttheSaxoninvadersintheearly6thcentury

Romance

Astyleofheroicproseorversenarrative;

Fantasticstoriesaboutadventuresofaknight,whogoesonaquest;

AristocraticcirclesofmedievalandearlymodernEurope;

Outoffashionbythe17thcentury.

Narrativepoetry

Narrativepoetryreferstothepoemsthathaveastoryplot.Itincludesepics,ballads,idylls,andlays/lyricpoems.

QuestionforAnglo-NormanPeriod

WhatisthemorallessonabouttheArthurianromanceGawain?

GeoffreyChaucer(1340?-1400)

HundredYears’War(1337-1453):

BetweenKingsofEnglandandKingsofFranceforthecontrolofFrenchthrone;

TheEnglishkingsclaimingtheywerelegalsuccessorstotheFrenchcrown;

Theresult:anawakeningofnationalconsciousnessinEngland.

ThePeasants’Revolt(1831):

AsamarkofendofserfdominmedievalEngland;

Therevoltitself,afailure;

AwarenessintheupperclassesoftheneedforthereformoffeudalisminEngland;

Themiseryfeltbythelowerclassesasaresultoftheirenforcednear-slavery.

TheCatholicChurch:

Onthewanepartlybecauseofitsabuseofpoweranditscorruption;

JohnWycliff:attackingthecorruptionandrottennessoftheChurch;demandingforaChurchreform.

GeoffreyChaucer:

FatherofEnglishpoetry;

ForerunnerofEnglishRenaissance;

InfluencedbyItalianRenaissance;

Beliefinhuman’srightofearthlyhappiness;praisingman’senergy,adroitness,intellect,quickwitandtheloveforlife;

WritinginMiddleEnglish.

SomeCanterburyTales:

TheKnight’sTale:thefightoftwoknightsforthesamewomentheybothfallinlove;

TheFriar’sTale:asummoner’sgreedformoneyandhiscollectingmoneybyblackmailingthosemisbehaviors;

TheMiller’sTale:loveaffairoutsidemarriage.

TheWifeofBath’sTale:astoryaboutwomenwhowanttocontrolovertheirhusbandsandtheirownlives.

TheWork’sMajorThemes:

1.CourtlyLove:

Truelovemaybeidealizedandspiritual;

Amanbecomestheservantoftheladyheloves;

Trueloveonlyexistsoutsideofmarriage.

2.TheCorruptionoftheCatholicChurch:

PoweroverEngland,Ireland,andtheentirecontinentofEurope;extremelywealthy;cathedralsincrediblyexpensivetobuild;

Church’sgreed,corruption,andhypocrisy;lackinsympathyforthepoor;

Aburdentocommonpeople.

MajorTerms

PopularBallads:

Balladsareanonymousnarrativesongsthathavebeenreservedbyoraltransmission.“Popular”isusedtoindicatethatballadswerewidespreadamongthepopulaceofEnglandandScotland.

RobinHood:

RobinHoodisapartlyhistoricalandpartly

legendarycharacter.

Questions:

1)WhatviewsofChaucer’sareexpressedinhispoem?

2)MakeacommentontheNun,thePrioress.

3)MakeacommentonRobinHood.

TheRenaissance

(PartIV)

14th-17thCenturies

Renaissance

TheremovaloftheoldfeudalistideasinmedievalEurope;

TheintroductionofnewideasthatexpressedtheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisieandtherecoveryofthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch;

Therevivalofclassical(GreekandRoman)artsandsciences;

Humanismastheessenceoftherenaissance.

TheAbsolutemonarchy

Monarchicalformofgovernment;

Ultimategoverningauthority;

Wieldingpoliticalpoweroverthesovereignstateanditssubjectpeoples.

Sonnet

AformofapoemthatoriginatedinEurope;

AShakespearean/Englishsonnetconsistsof14lines,eachlinecontainingtensyllablesandwritteniniambicpentameter,inwhichapatternofanunstressedsyllablefollowedbyastressedsyllable,repeatedfivetimes;

TherhymeschemeinaShakespeareansonnet:a-b-a-b,c-d-c-d,e-f-e-f,g-g.

Hamlet,theCharacter

Enigmatic,philosophical,contemplative;

Melancholy,discontentedwiththestateofaffairsinDenmarkandinhisownfamily;contemplatinghisowndeath;beingafraidofspiritualaftermathofdeath;

Indecisive,inactive,passive;

Compulsivetalker.

Shylock,theCharacter

Antagonist,villain,cruel,stingy/miserly;

VictimofChristians’discrimination.

OtherMajorWriters

1)Poets:

ThomasWyatt(1503?-1542)

EdmundSpenser(1552-1599)

2)Novelists:

JohnLyly(1553?-1606)

ThomasNashe(1567-1602)

3)Playwright:

ChristopherMarlowe(1564-1593)

4)ProseWriter:

FrancisBacon(1561-1626)

Bacon’s“OfStudies”

Function,importance,andtipsconcerningstudies;

Importanceofknowledgeandreasonforhumandevelopment;

Parallelsasmajorrhetoricaldevise.

QuestionsforPartIV:

WhatisthesignificanceofRenaissance?

WhatisHamlet’spersonality?

WhydoesHamlethesitateinseekingrevenge?

WhatdoyouthinkofthecriticalinterpretationofHamlet’shesitationfromtheperspectiveoftheOedipuscomplex?

WhatdoyouthinkofShylock’srevenge?

WhatareexpressedofBacon’sviewsin“OfStudies”?

PartVThe17thCentury

ThePeriodofRevolutionandRestoration

Commonwealth

In1649(CharlesIbeheaded)

CommonwealthundertheleadershipofOliverCromwell(1599–1658)

Commonwealth:politicalcommunityfoundedforthecommongood,historically,synonymouswith“republic”.

Restoration(1660)

AfterthedeathofCromwell;

BourgeoisieinvitingthesonofCharlesItobethekingofEngland;

Monarchyrestored.

GloriousRevolution(1688)

OverthrowofKingJamesIIofEngland(JamesVIIofScotlandandJamesIIofIreland)byaunionofEnglishParliamentarianswithWilliamofOrange,aDutch;

EnglishthroneasWilliamIIIofEnglandjointlywithhiswifeMaryIIofEngland.

JohnMilton(1608-1674):

MiltonbelievedPowercorruptshumanbeings,andrulersshouldhavetoprovetheirrighttoleadotherpeople.

Miltonwasanactivistfightingforhumanrights.

Miltonbelievedinastrictsocialandpoliticalhierarchy;heobjectedtothehierarchythatexistedinhisday.

MiltonwasaPuritan.Puritanscalledfortheabolishmentofbishops.MiltondespisedthecorruptionhesawintheCatholicChurch.

JohnBunyan(1628-1688):

ReceivedintoBaptistChurch(浸礼会)in1653;

Strongsensitivitytosin,self-imposed,self-enforced,severe,self-critical.

ThePilgrim’sProgress(1678)

Religiousallegory;

Searchforsalvation;

Christian,thecentralcharacter,searchforreligioustruthandsalvationinCelestialCity;

Definitegoalinlife,toreachtheCelestialCity,littletimeorenergyforothermatters.

QuestionsforPartV:

WhatisthemajorthemeofParadiseLost?HowareMilton’sviewsexpressedinthepoem?

WhatisBunyan’sreligiousbelief?Howishisbeliefexpressedin“VanityFair”ofThePilgrim’sProgress?

PartVIThe18thCentury

TheAgeofEnlightenmentinEngland

HistoricalBackground:

Peacefulsocialenvironmentanddevelopment;

Twoparties—theliberalWhigsandconservativeTories.

Enlightenment:

Struggleofthethenprogressivebourgeoisieagainstfeudalism;

Againstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism;

Againstfalsereligiousdoctrinesabouttheviciousnessofhumannature;provingmanbornkindandhonest;

Importanceofsciencesforthedevelopmentofhumanbeings.

RobinsonCrusoe(1719):

RobinsonCrusoeasrepresentativeofbourgeoisie,risingclassin18thcenturywithfollowingtraits:

Perseverance;

Resourcefulness,do-it-yourselfindependence;

Emotionalself-control;

Industry;

Courage;

Individualism;

Interestinpossessions,power,andprestige.

Questions

HowdoyouanalyzethecharacterofRobinsonCrusoe?

Somecriticstakethisnovelasabookofcolonialismandwhyisthat?

IllustrateWesterncultureexpressedinDefoe’sRobinsonCrusoe.

Gulliver’sTravels(1726)

bittersatireonpolitics,religion,Enlightenment,Englishpeople,humans;

Satiricdevices:

Visualcontrast:Lilliputians;Brobdingnagians;

Allegories:

High-Heelsvs.Low-Heels（strugglesbetweentheWhigsandtheTories);

Big-Endiansvs.Little-Endians(fightbetweenCatholicsandProtestants);

Laputans(follyoftheoreticalknowledge);

FlyingIslands(Englishgovernment’sdominationoverIreland).

Questions

WhyisGulliver’sTravelsconsideredabookofsatire?

WhatsatiricdevicesareusedandwhatthemeisexpressedinthenovelGulliver’sTravels?

TheHistoryofTomJones,aFoundling(1749)

“Comicepic”;

Widerangeofsocialtypesoftheageratherthanuniqueindividuals;

Nointeriorlivesofcharacters;

Moralityvs.honesty,kindness;

Criticismonhypocrisy,coldness,selfishness.

Sentimentalism:

Overindulgenceinemotionandoveremphasisofthegoodnessofhumanity;

Over-shownfeelingnotaweaknessshowingmorality;

ChallengingprinciplesofEnlightenment;

Asresultofdiscontentonsciencesand