《英美文学选读》英国文学背景教案

ThebackgroundoftheEnglishliterature

Teachingaims

1)TomakestudentsgettoknowtheclueofEnglishliteratureandmainworks

2)Todevelopstudents’abilityofindependentlearningtogetusefulinformation

3)Toenhancestudents’abilityofunderstandingthesignificanceofliterature

Importantanddifficultpoints

1)HowtohelpstudentsgraspthegeneralclueoftheBritishhistoryandBritishliteraryhistory

2)Howtohelpstudentsimprovetheabilityofunderstandingandindependentlearning

TeachingandlearningMethods

Openquestionsandanswersinclass

Classdiscussion

Teachingmedia

Textbook,courseware,teachingplan,projectorandcomputer

TeachingProcedures

Step1Lead-in

Warming-upquestions:

1)HowmuchdoyouknowaboutEnglishliterature?

2)Whydowelearnliterature?

Agoodwaytobroadenthesphereofknowledge;agoodwaytoenhanceone’sunderstandingofhistory,politics,cultureandtheminiatureofsociety......

Step2Generalintroduction

(Getstudentstoreadthepartfirstandgraspthecluebeforetheteachermakesageneralintroductionaccordingtothecourseware.)

ThisstepmainlydealswiththeclueofEnglishliterature.

Englishliteraturegotthroughsixhistoricalperiods,includingtheMiddleAges,theRenaissance,theNeoclassicism,theRomanticperiod,theVictorianAge,andtheModernTimes.

1.TheMiddleAges

EnglishliteraturebeganwhentheAnglo-SaxonsettledinEngland.ThestudyofEnglishliteratureusuallybeginswiththeAnglo-SaxonepicpoemBeowulf.TheGermaniclanguageandculturewasfirstbroughttoEnglandbytheAnglo-Saxons.In1066,theNormansconqueredEngland,theybroughttoEnglandafreshwaveofMediterraneancivilization,includingGreekculture,Romanlaw,andtheChristianreligion.TheculturalinfluencesofthesetwoconquestsprovidethesourcefortheriseandgrowthofEnglishliterature.TheEnglishatthattimewascalledOldEnglish.Atthattime,SirGawainandtheGreenKnightwasoneofthegreatestworks.

Afterthe14thcentury,withthedevelopmentofthecapitalisminindustryandcommerce,Englishrecovereditsreputationwhichcontributedtoexcellentliterature.GeoffreyChaucer,fatherofEnglishpoetry,whoisagreatrepresentativeoftheMiddleAges.He’sthefirstpersontowritestoriesinEnglish.TheCanterburyTalesishismasterpiece,whichpicturesavarietyoflifestylesinEngland.

2.TheRenaissance

TheRenaissancewasagreatmovement,beginninginthe14thcentury.HumanismisthemajorcontentoftheRenaissance.Ithasthreemajorcharacteristics:therevivalofancientGreekandRomanculture,renaissanceofknowledgeandthedevelopmentofthehumanistmovement.Intheperiod,themostoutstandingworksare:Utopiabyst.ThomasMore,Gulliver’sTravelsbyJonathanSwiftandShakespeare’smasterfulplays.JonathanSwiftwasoneofthegreatestfigures.HisGulliver’sTravelsnotonlysatirizedthepoliticalcirclebutalsoentertainedmanychildrenwithhisfantasticstories.Shakespeareisthegreatestplaywrightandpoet,whoseplaysbroughtrenaissancedramatoitspeak.AmongShakespeare’s38plays,thewell-knownfourgreatesttragediesare:Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,andMacbeth.

3.TheNeoclassicism

TheBritishbourgeoisrevolutionbrokeoutinthe17thcentury.Thecontradictionsbetweenthebourgeoisieandtheworkingpeoplearebecomingincreasinglyprominent.Englishliteratureoftheperiodisdividedintothreestages:theformationperiod,flourishingageandfacingachallengetothenewideasofromanticism.

4.TheRomanticperiod

Roughlythefirstthirdofthe19thcenturymakesupEnglishliterature’sromanticperiod.Writersofromanticliteraturearemoreconcernedwithimaginationandemotionthanwiththepowerofreason,whichmarkedthe18thcentury.TherevolutionaryoriginalityandcomplexityofBlake'sworkmadehimapioneerofromanticpoetry.Hisshortpoemshavedistinctimages,freshlanguage,strangeimaginationandrichindividuality.WordsworthandColeridgepublishedtheirLyricalBalladsin1798,whichwascalledromanticpoetry’sDeclarationofIndependence.Intheearly1820s,romanticpoetryinEnglandwasfadingasKeatsShelleyandByrondiedyoung.

5.TheVictorianAge

TheromanticperiodshadesgraduallyintotheVictorianage,whichtakesitsnamefromQueenVictoria.Shecametothethronein1837andreigneduntil1901.Historicalandphilosophicalwritingcontinuedtoflourishalongwithpoetryandfiction.Atthesametime,satireandprotestagainstevilsinsocietybecamestrongelements.AmongthefamousnovelistsofthetimewerethecriticalrealistslikeCharlesDickensandBrontesisters.InCharlesDickens’novels,hecombinesararecomicgiftandapowertoreducethereaderstotears.ThomasHardydrewasatisfactoryendforthenovelsoftheVictorianperiod.

6.TheModernTimes

Intheearly20thcentury,EnglishliteratureinheritedtherealistictraditionoftheVictorianperiod.Ontheotherhand,ittriedtogetawayfromthemoralityofthetimeandlecturingtendency.The1920swasanothergloriousgoldenageinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.TheWasteLandbyT.S.Eliotrepresentstheoutstandingachievementofmodernistpoetrycreation.Inthe1930s,novelsshowedthedominantinfluenceofsocietyonthefateofindividuals.AmongthefamouswritersareAldousLeonardHuxley,JohnBoyntonPriestleyandGrahamGreene.

Step3Discussion

Getthestudentstodiscussinpairsabouttheeffectofliteratureanddrawa