英国文学与美国文学的重点讲解

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1、英美文学重点English & American LiteratureOld & Medieval English Literature Old English: 450-1066 the national epic of the Anglo-SaxonsMedieval English： 1066 - middle 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer - the father of English poetry (wisdom, humor, humanity) first time to use heroic couplet The Renaissance Peri

2、od: 14th mid 17th started in ItalyA series of historical events:1. rediscovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture2. new discoveries in geography & astrology(占星学)3. the religious reformation & economic expansionThe Renaissance - rebirth or revival Humanism - the essence of the Renaissance, the dignity

3、of human being & the importance of the present life Best representatives: Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, William ShakespeareThe Elizabethan drama: the real main stream of English RenaissanceMost famous dramatists: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben JonsonEdmund Spenser - the poets poet

4、 5 quality: 1) a perfect melody 2)a rare sense of beauty 3)a splendid imagination4)a lofty moral purity and seriousness 5)a dedicated idealism lament over the loss of Rosalind 主角：Arthur - who possess 12 virtues Gloriana the Fairy QueenThe theme is not “Arms and the man, but something more romantic “

5、Fierce warres and faithfull lovesREADING: excerpt from The Faerie Queene 仙后Content: Redcrosse Knight set out on his adventures.Christopher Marlowe “University Wits, the pioneer of English drama Hyperbole(夸张)Marlowes achievement: 1) blank verse无韵诗歌It is Marlowe who brought vitality(活力) and grandeur(伟

6、大) into the blank verse with his “mighty lines, which carry strong emotions.2) his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama.(not strong in dramatic construction.) the pioneer of English drama3 tragedies: the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness 帖木耳大帝 a play about an ambitious a

7、nd pitiless overpowering king. 马尔他的犹太人non-drama pastoral(田园的) life ，the most beautiful lyrics(抒情诗)READING: 1. excerpt from Dr. Faustus 浮士德博士的悲剧A play based on the German legend Content: Faustus is a scholar who has a strong desire to acquire knowledge. By conjuration(念咒文召唤) he call up Mephistophilis

8、, the Devils servant. He make a bond(契约) to sell his soul to the Devil in return for 24 years of life in which Mephistophilis to give him everything he desires. Devils name is Lucifer.Dominant moral is human rather than religious2. The Passionate(热情的) Shepherd to His Lovethis short poem is considere

9、d to be one of the most beautiful lyrics(抒情诗) in English literature.The shepherd(牧羊人) enjoy an ideal country life, cherishing(珍爱) a pastoral(田园的) and pure affection for his love. Strong emotion is conveyed through the beauty of nature.William Shakespeare playwright & poet (above all writers in the p

10、ast and in the present time)1. , 2. , , , Comedies: , , Tragedy: romantic tragedy. To praise the faithfulness of love and the spirit of pursuing happiness.3. Four tragedies - , , & 4. tragicomedies：Achievement: A. exploring the characterss inner mind. soliloquy(独白) or monologue - fully reveal the in

11、ner conflict of the characters contrasts bring vividness to the charactersB. adroit精巧的 plot constructionC. Irony is a good means of dramatic presentation. Disguise is an important device to create dramatic irony.D. the language.READING： 1. Sonnet 18 (14 line) eternal or immortal不朽的 beauty, have a fa

12、ith in the permanence of poetry.A nice summers day is usually transient(短暂的), but the beauty in poetry can last for ever.2.excerpt from The Merchant of Venice to praise the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, to idealize Portia a heroine of great beauty, wit and loyalty, to expose the insatiabl

13、e不知足的 greed and brutality of the Jew.Double plot:(1) Bassanio ask Antonio for a loan so that he might marriage with Portia(2) Antonio borrow money from Shylock, the Jewish usurer. Shylock make a strange bond that requires Antonio to surrender a pound of his flesh if he fail to repay him within a cer

14、tain period of time. Portia disguised as a young lawyer instructed to judge the case: Shylock can take his pound of flesh, but there is no mention of blood in the bond. Otherwise, his lands and goods will be confiscated(充公) according to he law of Venice.3Excerpt from Hamlet hesitate between fact and

15、 fiction, language and action, too sophisticated to degrade his nature to the conventional role of a stage revenger content: Hamlet, the prince, appearing in a mood of world-weariness occasioned by his fathers death and his mothers hasty remarriage with Claudius, his fathers brother. Hamlet is infor

16、med that Claudius has murdered his father and then taken over both his fathers throne and widow. Thus Hamlet is urged to seek revenge.Note: To be, or not to be - to live on in this world or to die; to suffer or to take action Francis Bacon philosopher, scientist, essayist, lay the foundation for mod

17、ern scienceHis Essays is the first example of that genre in English literature.Bacons essays are famous for their brevity, compactness & powerfulness, well-arranging and enriching by Biblical allusions, metaphors and cadence. mans understanding consists of three parts: history to mans memory, poetry

18、 to mans imagination and creation, and philosophy to mans reason. written in Latin on methodologyBacon suggests the inductive reasoning ( i.e. proceeding from the particular to the general) in place of Aristotelian method, the deductive reasoning ( i.e. proceeding from the general to the particular)

19、READING: Of Studies uses and benefits of study studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Studies perfect nature, and are perfected by experience. Different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies - studies and experience are complementary to each other. The correct attitud

20、e to reading books - to weigh and consider. How studies exert influence over human character - reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. John Donne Metaphysical poetry- break away from love poetry, the diction is simple, the imagery is from the actual, the form is

21、frequently an argument with the poets beloved, with God, or with himself. A)conceits B)syllogism Poetry 早期: holds that the nature of love is the union of soul and body.晚期: religious poemProse: his sermons, which are both rich and imaginativeREADING: 1. The Sun Rising 2. Death, Be Not Proud ( a sonne

22、t,14 lines) the busy sun is always ready to interfere with other things and everywhere whatever you are, you can not escape from death. When you are living, you are always in the shadow of death. Death only lasts a moment, our life after death is eternal. The more pleasure the death gives people, no

23、t only the pleasure of the rest & the sleep, because whom the gods love die young. Though death is usually considered powerful, it actually provides a rest for a mans body and a birth for his soul. John Milton Achievement: 1)the early poetic works 2) the middle prose 3)the last great poemsElegy(挽歌)

24、-利西达斯 (his early work)Epic(史诗) - Dramatic poem(诗剧) - 力士参孙 the most perfect example of the verse drama after the Greek style in English.READING: excerpt from Paradise Lost the only generally acknowledged epic in English literature since Beowulf. The conflict is between human love and spiritual duty.

25、The freedom of the will is the keystone of Miltons creed(纲领).Take from the Old Testament, the theme is the “Fall of Man: Satan rebel against God and are driven from Heaven. He determined to revenge by seduce Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge against Gods instructions. So, Adam

26、 and Eve are exiled by God from the paradise.The Neoclassical Period : 1660-1798 with the publication of Lyrical ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge- a revival of interest in the old classical works, order, logic, restrained emotion(抑制情感) & accuracy the Age of Enlightenment/Reason the movement was a

27、 furtherance of the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centries,a progressive intellectual movement, reason (rationality), equality & science (the 18th century)modern English novel newly rising literary formthe mid-centuryGothic novel - mystery, horror & castles (from middle part to the end of century

28、)John BunyanREAING: The Vanity Fair名利场 an excerpt form The Pilgrims Progress (天路历程), a religious allegory(寓言), its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation(拯救) through constant struggles with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. Its predominant meta

29、phor life as a journeyAlexander Popeone of the first to introduce rationalism to England, for him the supreme value was order.READING: excerpt from An Essay on Criticism(论批评) a poem written in heroic couplets(对句), criticize the present poem lack of true taste & call on people to turn to the old Gree

30、k and Roman writers for guidance, true wit which is best set in a plain (simple & clear) style. Daniel Defoe - the first writer study of the lower-class people, his language is smooth, easy, colloquial and mostly vernacular(方言).READING: excerpt from Robinson Crusoe praise the human labor and the Pur

31、itan fortitude (清教徒坚韧). an adventure story, Robinson, narrates how he goes to sea, gets shipwrecked and marooned(放逐) on a lonely island, struggles to live for 24-years there and finally gets relieved and returns to England. Robinson grew from a nave and artless youth into a shrewd and hardened man,

32、tempered by numerous trials in his eventful life.Jonathan Swift In his opinion, human nature is seriously and permanently flawed (缺点)Achievement: 1)a master satirist. 2) one of the greatest of English prose, he defined a good style as “Proper words in proper placesREADING: excerpt from Gullivers Tra

33、vels (格列佛游记) fictional work, four parts Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Flying Island & Houyhnhnm(小人国) (大人国) (飞岛) (有人类理性的马) the book is one of the most effective and devastating criticisms and satires of all aspects in the then English and European life.Henry Fielding - Father of English novel, he was the fi

34、rst to write a “Comic epic in prose (散文体史诗), the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. He adopted “the third-person narration. (约瑟夫安德鲁) (伟大的乔纳森怀尔德) a masterpiece on the subject of human nature the unfortunate life of an idealized woman, a maudlin(伤感的) picture of the social life at

35、the time.READING: excerpt from Tom JonesBrings the author the name of the “Prose HomerIn a way, Tom and Sophia, stands for a wayfaring(旅行的) Everyman, who is expelled from the paradise and has to go through hard experience to gain a knowledge of himself and finally to approach perfectness.Samuel John

36、son the author of the first English dictionary by an Englishman, the last neoclassicist enlightener. 英语大词典READING: To the Right Honorable the Earl of Chesterfield the letter is written in a refined and very polite language, with a bitter undertone of defiance and anger. The seemingly peaceful retros

37、pection, reasoning and questioning express, to the best satiric effect, the authors strong indignation at the lords fame-fishing.Richard Brinsley Sheridan - the only important English dramatist of the 18th century and are regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those

38、of Bernard Shaw. READING: excerpt from The School for ScandalA story about two brothers: Joseph Surface and Charles Surface. Charles in love with Maria, Sir Peter Teazle is loved by Lady Sneerwell. The lady instigates(教唆) Joseph to pursue Maria For her Money. Joseph secretly seduce(引诱) Lady Teazle,

39、Sir Peters young wife. The play ends with great disgrace for Joseph and Charles wins his loves and the inheritance of his rich uncle.It is a sharp satire on the moral degeneracy(堕落) of the aristocratic-bourgeois society in the 18th England.Thomas Graythe leader of the sentimental(悲情的) poetry of the

40、day ,especially “The Graveyard SchoolREADING: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard reflects on death, the sorrows of life, and the mysteries of human life with a touch of his personal melancholy. He sympathized for the poor and the unknown, but mocks the great ones who despise the poor and bring ha

41、voc(破坏) on them.The Romantic Period Romantic - emotion over reason, spontaneous (自发)emotion, a change from the outer world of social civilization to the inner world of the human spirit, poetry should be free from all rules, imagination, nature, commonplace The romantic emphasized the special qualiti

42、es of each individuals mind. The romantic period began with： in 1798 the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges ends in 1832 with Sir Walter Scotts death two major novelists of the Romantic period are Jane Austen (realistic) and Walter Scott (romantic).William Blake - poet & engraver(雕刻家) : a happ

43、y and innocent world from childrens eye : a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy (忧郁的)tone from men eyes. Childhood, paradoxes, a pairing of opposites marks his entry into maturity.(先知书) prophetic(预言的) book in his later periodHe presents his view in visual images.

44、Symbolism is also a distinctive feature of his poetry.READING: 1. The Chimney Sweeper (from Songs of Innocence)2. The Chimney Sweeper (from Songs of Experience)3. The Tyger (from Songs of Experience)William Wordsworth- the leading figure of the English romantic poetry, simple, spontaneous(自发的), “wor

45、shipper of nature- He defines the poet as a man speaking to men, and poetry as the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, which originates in emotion recollected in tranquillity. “Lake Poets: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge & Robert Southey(序曲) his masterpiece READING: 1. I Wandered

46、Lonely as a Cloud the poet is very cheerful with recalling the beautiful sights. In the poem on the beauty of nature, the reader is presented a vivid picture of lively and lovely daffodils (水仙) and poets philosophical ideas and mystical thoughts. 2. Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 180

47、2 the sonnet describes a vivid picture of a beautiful morning in London, silent, bright, glittering闪烁的, smokeless & mildly柔和的. It is so touching a sight that the poet expressed his religion piety 虔诚for nature. 3. She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways4. The Solitary Reaper thanks to poets rich imaginati

48、on, the mass of associations, this commonplace happening becomes a striking event, the poet succeeds in making the readers share his emotion. The poem also shows the poets passionate love of nature. Samuel Taylor Coleridge - supernatural, remoteWilliam Wordsworth and Coleridge: Poet can be divided i

49、nto two groups - the demonic 恶魔的(supernatural) & the conversational - The demonic group includes 3 masterpieces: , , 老水手之行 克丽斯塔贝尔 忽必烈汗Feature: mysticism, demonism with strong imagination, a strange territory- Conversational poem: READING: Kubla KhanGeorge Gordon Byron Byronic hero: is a proud, myste

50、rious rebel figure of noble origin, against tyrannical暴君的 rules or moral principles. Such a hero appears first in 怀尔德哈罗德游记 唐璜(the masterpiece of Byron, a long satirical poem, comic epic) by make use of Juans adventures, to present a panoramic全面 view of different types of society.READING: 1. Song for

51、 the Luddites will die fighting, or live free Byron show his support of the Luddites who destroyed the machines in their protest against unemployment. The poets great sympathy of the workers in their struggle against the capitalists is clearly shown. 2. The Isles of Greece (from Don Juan) song by a

52、Greek singer at the wedding of Don Juan and Haidee. Fill high the bowl with Samian wine? By contrasting the freedom of ancient Greece and the present enslavement, the poet appealed to people to struggle for liberty.Percy Bysshe Shelley1) Lyrics抒情诗 云雀颂 the bird, suspended between reality and poetic i

53、mage 2) poetic drama 诗剧 解放了的米罗普修斯READING: 1. A Song: Men of England It is not only a war cry calling upon all working people of England to rise up against their political oppressors, but also an address to point out to them the intolerable injustice of economic exploitation.2. Ode to the West Wind t

54、erza rima, destructive-constructive potential, hopeful, I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? The author express his eagerness to enjoy the boundless freedom from the reality.John Keats 4 great odes : , , , 希腊古瓮颂 夜莺颂READING: Ode on a Grecian Urn the con

55、trast between the permanence of art and the transience (短暂)of human passion, Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter, Beauty is truth, truth beautyJane Austen6 novels: 诺桑觉寺 蔓斯菲尔德公园 Story of love and marriage provide the major themes in all her novels. 3 types of attitudes in pursuit

56、of marriage: A) who would marry for material wealth and social positionB) who would marry just for beauty and passionC) who would marry for true love with a consideration of the partners personal merit and his economical and social status. concerning 3 or 4 landed gentry families with their daily ro

57、utine life: relationships with members of their own family and with their friends, dancing parties, tea parties, picnics, and gossips.READING: excerpt from Pride and prejudice1. Elizabeth Bennet & Darcy : in the end false pride is humbled and prejudice dissolved.2. Collins & Charlotte Lucas: see the reality of marriage as a necessary step if a woman is to avoid the wretchedness(不幸) of aging spinsterhood未婚妇女身份.3. Lydia & Wickham: shown the dangers of feckless不负责任的 relationships unsupported by money.4. Mr. & Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine