英美文学课件：英国浪漫主义时期

1、Chapter 3: The Romantic Period考核要求:1.识记：浪漫主义时期的界定和历史文化背景2.领会：浪漫主义思潮的意义与影响以及浪漫主义文学创作的基本主张及对后世文学的影响。3.应用：名词解释浪漫主义以及浪漫主义时期文学特点的分析1. Historical background:Internationally, The French Revolutions: -the great event, arouse great sympathy and enthusiasm in the English liberals and Conservatives, they all d

2、eclared Liberty, Equality and Fraternity Rousseau-the great French Philosopher. Influence by Rousseau, the writers began to explore the new ideas about Nature, Society and EducationThese paved the way for the development of Romanticism in the literature internationallyNationally, Industrial revoluti

3、on (Industrialization, Further capitalization and Urbanization)The survival of fittest (the sharper contradiction between capitalists and the labors)These are the national basis of the production of Romanticism2. Literature background:The early works with Romantic tendency are following:Thomas Paine

4、s The Declaration of Rights of Man claiming Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Edmund Burke published his Reflections on the Revolution in France. William Godwins Inquiry Concerning Political Justice. Against the injustice, economic system and the oppression of the poor.Mary Wollstonecraft urged the

5、equal rights for women in her A Vindication(辩护) of the Right of Woman. 3. The definition, duration and characteristics of the Romanticism:The definition:The Romantic Movement, which associated with vitality, powerful emotion and dreamlike ideas, is simply the expression of life as seen by the imagin

6、ation rather than by prosaic common sense.The contrast between Romanticism and Neoclassicism:Romanticism: associated with vitality, powerful emotion and dreamlike ideasNeoclassicism: associated with order, common sense and controlled reasonDuration:Beginning time: 1798 marked by the publication of L

7、yrical Ballads by Wordsworth and ColeridgeEnding time: 1832 marked by the death of Scott and the passage of the first Reform Bill【例题】Which of the following poems is a landmark in English poetry? (0704) A. Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge B. “I Wandered Lonely as a Cl

8、oud” by William Wordsworth C. “Remorse”by Samuel Taylor Coleridge D. Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman 【答案】A【解析】(P157. para.1)所谓landmark，是指在英国文学史上具有划时代意义的作品。 Lyrical Ballads 的出版标志着英国文学的浪漫主义时期的开始，所以答案是ACharacteristics:The spontaneous overflow(自然流露的) of powerful feelingThe creation of a world of imaginatio

9、nThe return to nature for materialsSympathy with the humble and glorification of the common placeEmphasis upon the expression of individual geniusA sense of melancholy and loneliness of the characterThe rebellious spirits of the authorThe major achievements are poetry4. The viewpoints of Romanticist

10、s on society and literature:Socially:Romanticist saw man essentially as an individual in the solitary stateThe Romanticist emphasized the special qualities of each individuals mindThe Romanticists changed the direction from attention to the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of th

11、e human spiritsOn Literature: In essence it designates a literary and philosophical theory which tends to see the individual as the very center of all life and all experienceIt also place individual at the center of the artMake the literature most valuable as an expression of his or her unique feeli

12、ng and particular attitudesValue its accuracy in portraying the individuals experiences 5. The development of Romanticism and its principles:The developmentIn this period, we note a new interest in literatures and legends other than those of Greece and Rome. It was in effect a revolt of the English

13、imagination against the neoclassical reason They started a rebellion against the neoclassical literature, which was later regarded as the poetic revolution. Major Representatives of this movement: Wordsworth and ColeridgeThe principlesGeneral principles:They saw poetry as a healing energyThey believ

14、e that poetry could purify both individual soul and societyThey explored the new theories and innovated new techniques in poetry:a. Poetry should be free from all rules in formsb. Humble people and the common everyday life should be describe in subjectc. Employ the commonplace, the natural and the s

15、imple as the poetic materialsd. Seek for the Absolutee. Bold experiments in poetic language, versification and designWordsworth: Call for simple themes drawn from humble lifeThe poet as a “man speaking to men”, Poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”Coleridge:Imagination is the vit

16、al faculty that creates new wholes out of disparate elements. Regard the concepts of spontaneity and inspiration as something crucial for true poetryNature is the major source of poetic imagery and nature is a dominant subject6. Main representatives:Main representativespoets:Pre-Romanticism: (Blake

17、and Burns)The first generation: (Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey)The younger generation: (Byron, Shelley and Keats)Main representativesnovelistsJane Austen - love and marriageWalter Scott - main works (book) human natureGothic novelistsAnn Radcliffe and Mary ShelleyGothic novel:It is a type of rom

18、antic fiction that predominated in the late 18th century & was one phase of the Romantic MovementIts principal elements are violence, horror & the supernatural, which strongly appeal to the readers emotion. With its descriptions of the dark, irrational side of human nature, the Gothic form has exert

19、ed a great influence over the writer of the Romantic period. Works like The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) by Ann Radcliffe & Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley are typical Gothic romance The typical authors during this period考核要求:1. 识记：浪漫主义时期的重要作家，代表作品及其主要内容。2. 领会：重要作家的创作思想，艺术特色及其代表作品的主题结构，人物塑造，语言风格，

20、社会意义等。3.应用：a.浪漫派诗歌（所选作品）的主题，意象分析b.小说傲慢与偏见的主题和主要人物的性格分析。考点串讲:.William Blake1Introduction:English poet, artist, & philosopher, born in London England, Nov 28, 1757, and died in London, Aug 12,1827. Blake made distinguished contributions to both Literature & art. He ranks with great poets in the Englis

21、h language & may be considered the earliest of the major English Romantic poets. His poems range from lyrics of childlike simplicity to mystical or prophetic works of great complexity. As an artist he is best known for his engravings, which are among the masterpieces of graphic art. 2. Viewpoints on

22、 politics and religion:Blake never tried to fit into the world; he was a rebel innocently & completely all his life.He was politically of the permanent left & mixed a good deal with the radicals. Blake strongly criticized the capitalists cruel exploitation, saying that the dark satanic mills left me

23、n unemployed, killed children & forced prostitution. Meanwhile he cherished great expectations & enthusiasm for the French Revolution, & regarded it as a necessary stage leading to the millennium predicted by the biblical prophets(圣经) 3. Viewpoint on literature:The first important Romantic poet,Show

24、ing contempt for the rule of reasonOpposing the classical tradition of the 18th century Treasuring the individuals imagination.4. Main works:Early works: Poetical Sketches诗学札记 - A collection of youthful verse. Joy, laughter, love and harmony are the prevailing note and hint his later innovative styl

25、e and themeMasterpieces Songs of Innocence天真之歌Songs of Experience经验之歌The Marriage of Heaven and Hell天堂与地狱的婚姻The similarities and differences between two volumes:Generally:Hold the similar subject-matterThe childhood is the central to his concernThe tone, emphasis and conclusion differSpecifically:In

26、fant Joy against Infant SorrowLamb against Tyger Chimney Sweeperagainst Chimney SweeperSimilarity: to reveal the relation between an economic circumstance and an ideological circumstance socially.Difference: the former indicates the condition which makes religion a consolation, a prospect of illusor

27、y happinessThe later reveals the true nature of religion which helps bring misery to the poor childrenLater works - reveal him as the prophet of universal political & spiritual freedom and show the poet himself as the spokesman of revolt(反抗).The Book of Urizen The Book of Los The Four Zoas Milton 【例

28、题】William Blakes central concern in the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experiences_, which gives the two books a strong social and historical reference. (0804)A. youth hood B. childhoodC. happiness D. Sorrow【答案】B【解析】(P169. para2) 布莱克的两部诗集中的作品，大多涉及儿童的生活和经历，如扫烟囱的小男孩，小羊羔等。5. Language styles:he write h

29、is poems in plain and direct language. His poems often carry the lyric beauty with immense compression of meaning. He distrusts the abstractness and tends to embody his views with visual images. Symbolism in wide range is also a distinctive feature of his poetry.6. Selected reading:Selected reading

30、I“The Chimney Sweeper” from Songs of InnocenceIn the 18th century, small boys sometimes no more than 4 or 5 years old were employed to climb up the narrow chimney flues & clean them, collecting the soot in bags. Such boys, sometimes sold to the master sweepers by their parents were miserably treated

31、 by their master & often suffered disease & physical deformity. This poem, in fact, is a protest against the harm that society does to its children by exploiting them for labor of this kind, The poem was written in the childs-eye point of view, & the dramatic irony (what the speaker says in the poem

32、 is different from what the poet means) arises from the poets knowing more or seeing more than the child does.Selected reading II“The Chimney Sweeper” from Songs of ExperienceSongs of Experience paints a different world, a world of misery, poverty, disease, war & repression with a melancholy tone,Th

33、e benighted England becomes the world of dark wood & of the weeping prophet. The poem selected here reveals the true nature of religion which helps bring misery to the poor children.The poem also reveals the relation between economic circumstance, i.e. the exploitation of child labor & an ideologica

34、l circumstance, i.e. the role played by religion in making people compliant to exploitation.Selected reading III“Tyger” from Songs of ExperienceThe Tyger, included in Songs of Experience, is one of Blakes best-known poems. It seemingly praises the great power of tiger, but what the tiger symbolizes

35、remains disputable: the power of man? Or the revolutionary force? Or the evil? Or as it is usually interpreted, the Almighty Maker who created both the meek & gentle lamb & the terrible & awesome tiger? The poem is highly symbolic with a touch of mysticism & it is open to various interpretations. Th

36、e poem contains six quatrains in rhyming couplets & its language is terse & forceful with an anvil rhythm. William Wordsworth1. Introduction:William Wordsworth, known as “the Lake Poets” together with Coleridge and Southey, is the leading figure of the English Romantic poetry, the focal poetic voice

37、 of the periodHe is the voice of searchingly comprehensive（广泛的） humanity and one that inspires his audience to see the world freshly, sympathetically and naturally The most important contribution he has made is that he has not only started modern poetry, the poetry of growing inner self, but also ch

38、anged the course of English poetry by using ordinary speech of the language and by advocating a return to nature2. Types of his poem according to his poetic outlook:According to the subjects, Wordsworths short poems can be classified into two groups: poems about nature and poems about human life.Poe

39、ms about nature: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud is perhaps the most anthologized（被收入诗集） poem in English literature, & one that takes us to the core of Wordsworths poetic beliefs An Evening WalkMy Heart Leaps upTintern Abbey - remains a profoundly original & imaginative achievement; the valley of the W

40、ye itself, the quiet center of the returning wanderers thoughts, is described with a detail that conveys a sense of natural order at once vivid & eternal Nature outlook:Wordsworth is regarded as a “worshipper of nature. He can penetrate to the heart of things & give the reader the very life of natur

41、e. To Wordsworth, nature act as a substitute for imaginative and intellectual engagement with the development of embodied human beings in their diverse circumstances It is nature that gives him strength & knowledge full of peace.Poems about human life: The ThornThe Sailors MotherThe Affliction of Ma

42、rgaretThe Old Cumberland BeggarThe old man in the poem, is seen as precious for his unique self and the benevolence he evoke s in the small rural communityMichaelSuggests the grave and tender dignity of the authors meditation on man, the heart of man, and human lifeLucy PoemIs the verse of love and

43、loss which hold within its delicate simplicity a meditation on time and death which rises to universal statureThe Idiot BoyThe irrational mind sees more deeply into the nature of life than the commonsensicalThe Solitary ReaperTo a Highland GirlUse rural figure to suggest the timeless mystery of sorr

44、owful humanity and its radiant beautyThe Ruined CottageRouse the tender, quiet compassion of those who are at one with the timeless truth of existenceIn his daring use of subject matter and sense of the authenticity（真实性） of the experience of the poorest, “resolution and independence” is the triumpha

45、nt conclusion of ideas first developed in the Lyrical BalladsHuman life outlook:Common life is Wordsworths only subject of literary interest. The joys & sorrows of the common people are his themes. His sympathy always goes to the suffering poor. 3. Creative principles:Wordsworths deliberate simplici

46、ty & refusal to decorate the truth of experience produced a kind of pure & profound poetry which no other poets has ever equaled poetry.His premise was that the source of poetic truth is the direct experience of the senseHe asserts poetry originates from emotion recollected in tranquility. Rejecting

47、 the contemporary emphasis on form & intellectual approach that drained poetic writing of strong emotion, He maintains that the scenes & events of everyday life & the speech of ordinary people are the raw material of which poetry can & should be made. 4. Selected reading:I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

48、I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud is perhaps the most anthologized poem in English literature, & one that takes us to the core of Wordsworths poetic beliefs. Wordsworth wrote this beautiful poem of nature after he came across a long belt of gold daffodils(水仙花) tossing & reeling & dancing along the waters

49、ide. There is a vivid picture of the daffodils here, mixed with the poets philosophical & somewhat mystical thoughts.The poem consists of four 6-lined stanzas of iambic tetrameter with a rhyme scheme of ababcc in each stanza. The last stanza describes the poets recollection in tranquility（宁静） from w

50、hich this poem arose. The poet thinks that it is bliss to recollect the beauty of nature in his mind while he is in solitude Composed upon Westminster BridgeThis sonnet, written on the roof of a coach as Wordsworth was on his way to France, was published in Poems in Two Volumes, 1807. The poem prese

51、nts the speakers view of London in the early morning. The speaker is not only profoundly touched by its beauty & tranquility of the morning, but even surprised to realize that London is part of Nature just as much as is his own beloved Lake Country.Wordsworth is regarded as a worshipper of nature. E

52、ven in this poem, though he is looking at London, he is thinking of home where the sun steeps in his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill.The poem is written after the pattern of the Italian sonnet. The octave recreates the experience of London at morning, and the sestet enlarges on his reaction to

53、 the scene. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abbaabba, cdcdcd.She Dwelt Among the Untrodden WaysThis is one of the Lucy poems, written in 1799. The Lucy Poems describe with rare elusive beauty of simple lyricism & haunting rhythm a young country girl living a simple life in a remote village far from

54、the civilized world. They are verses of love & loss which hold within their delicate simplicity a meditation on time & death which rises to universal stature.The Solitary ReaperWordsworth thinks that common life is the only subject of literary interest. The joys & sorrows of the common people are hi

55、s themes. The Solitary Reaper is an example of his literary views. It describes vividly a young peasant girl working alone in the fields & singing as she works. The plot of the little incident is told straightforwardly in stanzas 1, 3, & 4. Stanza 2, with its comparison of the girls song to the cuck

56、oo & the nightingale cannot be dismissed as vaguely ornamental comparisons. They are much more than that, & the impression of the girls singing on the traveler is heightened through these comparisons.This poem is an iambic verse. Most of the lines in the poem are octosyllabics(八音节诗). The rhyme-schem

57、e for each stanza is . Percy Bysshe Shelley1. Introduction:Shelley is one of the leading Romantic poets, an intense & original lyrical poet in the English language.Though gentle by nature, his rebellious qualities were cultivated in his early years. 2. His Literary and political Outlook: Shelley grew up with violen