英美文学选读考前总复习

一.WhatisthethemeofBeowulf?Thematicallythepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.二.WilliamShakespeare（i）Namehisfourgreatesttragedies.（2）Whatarethecharacteristicsofthefourtragediesincommon?(3)Brieflysummarizeeachhero’sweaknessofnature.1.Shakespeare’sfourgreatesttragediesare:Hamlet,Othello,Kinglear,andMacbeth.2.Eachportrayssomenoblehero,whofacestheinjusticeofhumanlifeandiscaughtinadifficultsituationandwhosefateiscloselyconnectedwiththefateofthewholenation.3.Eachherohashisweaknessofnature;theoldkingLearwhoisunwillingtototallygiveuphispower;andMacbeth’slustforpowerstirsuphisambitionandleadshimtoincessantcrimes三.trytodiscussWilliamShakespeare‘sartofcreations.1.Shakespeare’smajorcharactersareneithermerelyindividualonesnortypeones;theyareindividualsrepresentingcertaintypes.eachcharacterhashisorherownpersonalities;meanwhile,theymaysharefeatureswithothers.2.Byapplyingapsycho-analyticalapproach,Shakespearesucceedsinexploringthecharacters’innermind.3.Shakespeareseldominventshisownplots;instead,heborrowsthemfromsomeoldplaysorstorybooks,orfromancientGreekandRomansources.4.Inhiswritings,disguiseisalsoanimportantdevicetocreatedramaticirony,usuallywithwomandisguisedasman.5.Heoftenwroteskillfullyindifferentpoeticforms,likethesonnet,theblankverse,andtherhymedcouplet.四.BrieflydiscusswhyHamletissoimpressiveinShakespeare’sHamlet.1.TheheroHamletinShakespesareisplayHamletisnotedforhishesitiontotakehisrevenge,hismelancholynatureofactiononlytodenypossibilitiestodoanything.2.Hecametoknowthathisfatherwasmurderedbyhisunclewhobecameking.Hehatedhimsodeeplythathewantedtokillhim.Buthelovedhiswidowedmotherwholatermarriedhisuncle.Thismadehimdeepintrouble.3.Whenheplannedtokillhisuncle,hewasafraidtohurthismother.Andalso,wheneverythingwasreadyforhimtokillhisuncle,heforgavehimforhisunclewasprayingtoGodforhiscrime.Thushelostgoodchance.4.Hamletrepresentedhumanismofhistime.五.WhyisJohnMiltonthegreatestwriterofhistime?Inhislife,Miltonshowshimselfarealrevolutionary,amasterpoetandagreatprosewriter.HefoughtforfreedominallaspectsasaChristianhumanist,whilehisachievementsinliteraturemakehimtoweroveralltheotherEnglishwritersofhistimeandexertagreatinfluenceoverlaterones.六Accordingtothesettingofthepoem“ParadiseLost,”discussthetheme,theauthor’sintensiontocreateitandtheimplicationthatthepoemexpresses.1.Thethemeofthepoem“ParadiseLost”isthe”FallofMan,”i.e.mansdisobedienceandthelossofParadise,withitsprimecause----Satan.2.Theathor’sintentiontowritethispoemistoexposethewaysofSatanto”justifythewaysofGodtomen.”3.Inthispoem,theauthorimplicitlyexpresseshisfundamentalconcernwithfreedomandchoiceandhisbeliefthattheunquestionabletruthofbiblicalrevelationmeansthatanall-knowingGodwasjustinallowingAdamandevetobetemptedandoftheirfreewilltochoosesinanditsinevitablepunishment.一.DiscussCrusoe,theprotagonistofthenovel,asanembodimentoftherisingmiddle-classvirtuesinthemid-eighteenthcenturyEngland.A.Socialbackground:TheEighteenthCenturyEnglandwitnessedthegrowingimportanceofthebourgeoisormiddleclass.a.TheIndustrialRevolution;b.Theexpansionofinternationalmarkets;c.Valuesdifferentfromthoseofthefeudalaristocraticclass—courageous,fullofenergy,hardworking,practical,resourceful,selfreliant,etc.d.Literatureshouldgivearealisticpresentationofthelifeofthecommonpeople;itshouldmeettheinterestofthemiddleclasspeople.B.RobinsonCrusoeembodiesthevirtuesofthemiddleclasspeople.a.Crusoeasanadventurousmanfullofenergyandcourageb.Crusoeasapracticalmanc.Crusoeasaresourcefulmand.Crusoeasapatientman.一DiscusswhyRobinsonCrusebecamesosuccessfulwhenitwaspublished?（DanielDefoe）1.RobisonCrusoeissupposedlybasedontherealadventureofanAlexanderSelkirkwhooncestayedaloneontheuninhabitedislandforfiveyears.Actually,thestoryisanimagination.2.InRobisonCrusoe,DefoetracesthegrowthofRobisonfromanaïveandartlessyouthintoashrewdandhardenedman,temperedbynumeroustrialsinhiseventfullife.3.Inthenovel,Robisonisarealheroandheisanembodimentoftherisingmiddle-classvirtuesinthemid-eighteenthcenturyEngland.4.RobisonCrusoeisanadventurestoryverymuchinthespiritofthetime.Becauseoftheabovereasons,whenitwaspublished,peoplealllikedthatstory,anditbecameanimmediatesuccess.一.Explainwhyheclenchedhisfingerssohardthathebrokethefragilecup.(JohnGalsworthy,ThemanofProperty)1.hehadneverknown,wouldneverknowwhatshewasthinking.thesightofherinscrutableface,thethoughtofallthehundredsofeveningshehadseenhersittingtherelikethatsoftandpassive,butsounreadable,unknown,enragedhimbeyondmeasure.一.ByanalyzingthepoemsbyPercyByssheShelley,discusshisartofpoems.1.PercyByssheShellyisanintenseandoriginallyricalpoetintheEnglishlanguage.2.Hispoemsarefullofclassicalandmythologicalallusions.3.Hisstyleaboundsinpersonificationandmetaphorandotherfiguresofspeech.4.Hedescribesvividlywhatweseeandfeel,orexpresswhatparsionatelymovesus.一.Basedonherwritings,discussJaneAustenisgreatestcontributiontoEnglishliterature.1.JaneAustenisoneofthemosti