英国文学史学生笔记

1Partone:EarlyandMedievalEnglishLiteratureHistoricalBackground1.Whendoesearlyandmedievalperiodreferto?“Early”heremeansEnglishliteratureinprimitiveandslaverysociety.“Medieval”meansEnglishliteratureinfeudalEnglandbeforetheRenaissance.2.Whatmaineventshappenedduringthisperiod?RomanconquestEnglishconquestNormanconquestLiteratureAchievementsinoldEnglishperiod1.twogroupsofEnglishpoetryinAnglo-Saxonperiod.Thefirstgroupwasthepagan（异教徒）poetryrepresentedbyBeowulf,thesecondwasthereligiouspoetryrepresentedbytheworksofCaedmonandCynewulf.2.Inthe8thcentury,Anglo-Saxonproseappeared.ThefamousprosewritersofthatperiodwereVenerableBedeandAlfredtheGreat.VenerableBede:isthefirstscholarandchronicler（年代史编者）inEngland.Themostimportantworks:TheEcclesiasticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeople.AlfredtheGreat:startedtheAnglo-SaxonChronicle.BeowulfI.Definitionofepic（史诗）:anextendednarrativepoem（叙事诗）inelevatedordignifiedlanguage,celebratingthefeatsofalegendaryortraditionalhero.II.StoryofBeowulf:P3-4Questions:1.setting:2.characters:3.plotIII.Someimportantpoints“Beowulf”isafolklegendbroughttoEnglandbyAnglo-Saxonsfromtheircontinentalhomes.Howeveritalsoreflectedthefeaturesofthetribalsociety（部落社会）inBritain.OriginallyBeowulf,thegreatepic,wasinoralformanditmustbeacollectivecreation.Beowulfintheepicisalegendaryfigure.InformalhistoryyoucannotfindamannamedBeowulf.IV.Artisticfeaturesof“Beowulf’’1.UsingalliterationDefinitionofalliteration:Wordsbeginningwiththesameconsonantsalliteratewitheachotherwithineachline.Eachlineofversemaycontainanindefinitenumberofwordsorsyllablesbutgenerallyhasfourstresses,withapausebetweenthesecondandthethirdstresses.2.·UsingmetaphorandunderstatementDefinitionofunderstatement:expressingsomethinginacontrolledwayUnderstatementisatypicalwayforEnglishmentoexpresstheirideas.LiteraryFeaturesoftheAnglo-SaxonPeriod1)secular(非宗教的)poetry,nonreligiouspoemsbutwithChristiancoloring;2)createdcollectivelyandorally;3)basedonhistory,legendoreventsofthetime;24)forentertainment;5)unknownwriters,writtendownbythemonksinthe10thcenturyLiteratureachievementinMiddleEnglishPeriod1.Romance:(fornoble)2.Ballads（民歌）:(folkliterature)(oral)(forEnglishpeople)3.Poetry:1)WilliamLangland(popularliterature)2)Chaucer(thefounderofEnglishliterature)1.Romance:ItisthemostprevailingkindofliteratureinEnglandonfeudalperiod.Itisalongcomposition,inverseorinprose.Itdescribesthelifeandadventuresofanoblehero.ThecentralthemeisloyaltytoKingandLord.ThecodeofmannersandmoralsofaknightisChivalry（骑士精神）.ThemostimportantromanceisKingArthurandhisknightsoftheRoundTable.2.Ballads:a.ItisthemostimportantformofEnglishfolkliterature.b.Itisastorytoldinsong,usuallyin4-linestanzaswiththesecondandfourthlinerhymed.c.Itisaliteratureofcommonpeople,(mainlytheliteratureofthepeasants)fromthemoneisabletounderstandtheoutlookoftheEnglishcommonpeopleinfeudalsociety.d.ItflourishedinEnglandinthe15thcentury.e.ThemostimportantballadsinEnglandareRobinHood.3.PoetryWilliamLangland:a.life:b.content:1.attackonthecorruptionoftherichandthewickednessofclergy2.thepoliticalsituationofthetime3.searchfortruth4.attackonthesevenDeadlySins（七宗罪）:(pride,lechery(色欲），envy,wrath,avarice,glutton,sloth)c.Socialsignificance:1.aclassicofpopularliterature2.kindledthetoilingpeople’ssenseofhumandignityandequalitybeforeGod3.arousingrevolutionarysentimentd.artisticfeatures:1.Itiswrittenintheformofadreamvision.2.Itisanallegory（寓言）whichrelatestruththroughsymbolism.Butinthemain,itisarealisticpictureofmedievalEngland.3.Thepoemusessatire（讽刺）inhisdescriptionofsocialabusescausedbythecorruption4.Thepoemiswritteninalliteration.35.languagestyle:livelyspeechofthecountryside,bluntandunpolishedwords.GeoffreyChaucerI.HisLifeBorninawinemerchant’sfamilyTriptothecontinentondiplomaticmissions,twoofwhichtookhimtoItalyBuriedinWestminsterAbbey,thepoets’cornerPoliticalbackground:relationwithJohnofGauntII.LiteraryCareer:Frenchperiod:TheBookoftheDuchessItalianperiod:worksadaptedfromtheItalian:TroilusandCriseydeEnglishperiod:TheCanterburyTalesHereachedmaturityandwasfreefromdominantforeigninfluence.III.Hisworks:TheBookoftheDutchess《公爵夫人之书》TheHouseofFame《声誉之堂》TheParliamentofFowls《百鸟议会》TheCanterburyTales《坎特伯雷故事集》TroilusandCriseyde《特罗勒斯和克莱西》TroilusandCriseydeItisbasedonapoembyBoccaccio,hislongestpoem,writtenintherhymedroyal(君王体）(aseven-linestanzainiambicpentameterrhymingababbcc.)TheCanterburyTalesQuestions:1.theorganizationofthebook(therelationshipbetweenthegeneralprologueandeachtale)2.ThemainfeaturesofChaucer’snarration3.TheimageofWifeofBathBasicinformationForm:mostofthetalesarewritteninheroiccoupletSetting:TabardInnCharacters:typesofliterature:courtlyromance,folktale.,beastfable,storyoftravelandadventure,saint’slife,allegoricaltale,sermon,alchemicalaccount.Language:MiddleEnglish,vivid,exact,word-picturesLength:plannedtobe120stories.TheGeneralprologue,20completetales,4fragments,separateprologuestoeachtalewithlinks,comments,quarrels,etc.inbetween.Arrangement:linkedthroughthehost’scommentsandprologue.twoways:thepersonalityofthehostaffordsaclearstringofconnectio