英国文学简答题

Topicquestions：1.Whyisthe18thcenturycalledtheAgeofEnlightenment?The18thcenturyEnglandisknownastheAgeofEnlightenmentortheAgeofReason.(1)TheEnlightenmentMovementwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementwhichflourishedinFranceandsweptthroughthewholeWesternEurope.ThemovementwasafurtheranceoftheRenaissanceinthe15th&16thcenturies.(2)Itspurposewastoenlightenthewholeworldwiththelightofmodemphilosophicalandartisticideas.(3)Englishenlightenersbelievedinthepowerofreason.Theyconsideredthatsocialproblemscouldbesolvedbyhumanintelligence.(4)TheEnlightenerscriticizeddifferentaspectsofcontemporaryEngland,discussedsociallifeaccordingtoamorereasonableprinciple.(5)TheEnlightenercelebratedreasonorration,equality,scienceandhumanbeings’abilitytoperfectthemselvesandtheirsociety.Theycalledforareferencetoorder,reasonandadvocateduniversaleducation.(6)FamousamongthegreatenlightenersinEnglandwerethosegreatwriterslikeJohnDryden,Alexanderpopeandsoon.2.CommentonAlexanderPopeandhiscontributionstoEnglishpoetry.AlexanderPopeisthegreatestpoetoftheAugustanage,bestknownforhissatiricalverseandforhistranslationofHomer.HismajorworksareEssayonCriticism,EssayonMan,TheRapeoftheLock.Hewassoperfectinheroiccoupletsthatnoonecanapproachhim.Andinthefieldofsatiricanddidacticverse,hewastheundisputedmaster.Hepopularizedtheneo-classicalliterarytradition.HewasoneoftheearlyrepresentativesoftheEnlightenmentwhointroducedintoEnglishculturethespiritofrationalismandgreaterinterestinthehumanworld.Herepresentedthehighestgloryandauthorityinmattersofliteraryartandmadegreatcontributionstothetheoryandpracticeofprosody.3.WhatdoyoufindadmirableinRobinsonCrusoe?Discussbrieflysomeofhistraits.RobinsonCrusoedevelopedfromanaïveandartlessyouthintoacleverandhardenedman,temperedbynumeroustrialsinthiseventfullife.Hesuccessfullystruggledaloneagainstthepitilessforcesofnatureonalonelyisland.Heisarealhero,andthebestqualitiesofhischaracterareshowntothefull:hismarvelouscapacityforwork,hisboundlessenergyandpersistenceinovercomingobstacles.4.AnalyzethecharacterofTomJonesinTheHistoryofTomJones,aFoundling.TomJonesisthepatternofthegood-naturedunheroicherooftheage.Heisaveryhandsomeyoungmanofmanlyvirtues:kind,frank,generous,high-spirited,loyalandcourageous,butimpulsive,wantingprudenceandfullofanimalspiritsandsensuality.Herepresentseveryman.(Heisofmanlyvirtuesandyetnotwithoutfault.)5.WhatisthesymbolicmeaningofthetigerinWilliamBlake’sTheTyger?Thetigerinitiallyappearsasastrikinglysensuousimage.However,asthepoemprogresses,ittakesonasymboliccharacter,andcomestoembodythespiritualandmoralproblemsthepoemexplores:perfectlybeautifulandyetperfectlydestructive.Blake'stigerbecomesthesymboliccenterforaninvestigationintothepresenceofevilintheworld.Sincethetiger'sremarkablenatureexistsbothinphysicalandmoralterms,thespeaker’squestionsaboutitsoriginalsoencompassbothphysicalandmoraldimensions.Thepoem'sseriesofquestionsrepeatedlyaskwhatsortofphysicalcreativecapacitythefearfulsymmetryofthetigerbespeaks;assumedlyonlyaverystrongandpowerfulbeingcouldbecapableofsuchacreation.6.MakeacomparisonbetweenthetwovolumesofWilliamBlake:TheSongsofInnocenceandTheSongsofExperience.Thetwobooksholdthesimilarsubjectmatter,butthetone,emphasisandconclusiondiffer.(1)SongsofInnocenceisalovelyvolumeofpoems,presentingahappyandinnocentworld,thoughnotwithoutitsevilsandsufferings.(2)SongsofExperiencepaintsadifferentworld,aworldofmisery,poverty,disease,warandrepressionwithamelancholytone.7.Whoarethe“LakePoets”inEnglishliterature?Towhichliterarymovementdotheybelong?Wordsworth,ColeridgeandSoutheyhaveoftenbeenmentionedastheLakePoetsbecausetheylivedintheLakeDistrictinthenorthwesternpartofEngland.Thethreetraversedthesamepathinpoliticsandinpoetry,beginningasradicalsandclosingasconservatives.TheyarepartofthePoeticRevolution,whichwasstartedasarebellionagainsttheNeoclassicalliterature.8.RomanticismisaveryimportantliterarytrendinthehistoryoftheEnglishliterature.GiveyourunderstandingtoRomanticisminEnglishliterature.Romanticismisamovementthatflourishedinliterature,philosophy,music,andinWesterncultureduringmostofthenineteenthcentury,beginningasarevoltagainstclassicism.ManyoftheideasofEnglishRomanticismwerefirstexpressedbythepoetsWilliamWordsworthandSamuelTaylorColeridge.TheRomanticMovementexpressedamoreorlessnegativeattitudetowardstheexistingsocialandpoliticalconditionsthatcamewithindustrializationandthegrowingimportanceofthebourgeoisie.Romanticismactuallyconstitutesachangeofdirectionfromattentiontotheouterworldofsocialcivilizationtotheinnerworldofthehumanspirit.Inessenceitdesignatesaliteraryandphilosophicaltheorywhichtendstoseetheindividualastheverycenterofalllifeandallexperience.9.NamethreeRomanticpoetsandstatetheirchiefcharacteristics.Wordsworth:thegreatthemeremainstheworldofsimple,naturalthings,inthecountrysideoramongpeople.Coleridge:hisinterestistowardsthestrange,theexotic,andthemysteriousthings.Shelley:expressestwomainideas---theexternaltyrannyisthemainenemy;theinherenthumangoodnesswilleliminateevilformtheworld.Byron:exampleofapersonalityintragicrevoltagainst