英国文学名词解释

1、1英国文学名词解释1.Epic:Alongnarrativepoemtellingaboutthedeedsofagreatheroandreflectionthevaluesofthesocietywhichitoriginated.2.Romance:Romanceisanyimaginativeliteraturethatissetinanidealizedworldandthatdealswithheroicadventuresandbattlesbetweengoodcharactersandvillainsormonsters.(ItisthemostpopularformofliteratureintheAnglo-Normanperiod.)3.TheRenaissance:ThegreatintellectualandculturalmovementoftherevivalofinterestinclassicalGreekandRomanlearningandculturethatoccurredinEuropeinthe14th,15th,16thandearl。

2、y17thcenturies,--aperiodwhichsawthetransitionfromtheMiddleAgetomoderntimes.4.Humanism:HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance.It’safundamentalintellectualcurrentintheRenaissance,anditoriginatedinthestudyofclassicalcultureandemphasizedthedignityandworthoftheindividualincontrasttothemedievalemphasisonGodandcontemptforthethingsofthisworld.25.Soliloquy:Adramaticconventionbymeansofwhich,acharacter,eitheraloneonthestageorunheardbyothercharacters,uttershisorherownthoughtsaloud.6.Conceit:Aconceitisafigureo。

3、fspeechwhichmakesanunusualandsometimeselaboratelysustainedcomparisonbetweentwodissimilarthings.7.Metaphysicalpoets:AgroupofEnglishlyricpoetsofthe17thcenturycharacterizedbytheirmetaphysicalconceit(afigureofspeechthatemploysunusualandparadoxicalimages),arelianceonintellectualwit,learnedimagery,andsubtleargument.ThemostimportantmetaphysicalpoetsareJohnDonne,GeorgeHerbertandAndrewMarvell.8.Allegory:Anarrativeinproseorversethatconveysasymbolicmeaningthatliesoutsidethenarrativeitself.Theunderlyingmean。

4、inghasmoral,social,religiousorpoliticalsignificanceandcharactersareoftenpersonificationsofabstractideas.(Relatedformsarefableandtheparable,whicharedidactic,comparativelyshortandsimpleallegories.39.Enlightenment:AnintellectualmovementthatdevelopedinEuropeinthe17thcenturyandreacheditsheightinthe18th.TheEnlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.TheEnlightenmentcelebratedreason,equality,scienceandhumanbeing’sabilitytoperfectthemselvesandtheirsociety.1。

5、0.Sentimentalism:ThenameofSentimentalismcamefromLaurenceSterne’snovelSentimentalJourneythroughFranceandItaly.Sentimentalismappearedinthelatterpartofthe18thcentury,asarevoltagainstthecoldrationalismandstrictneo-classicism.Dissatisfiedwiththesocialrealitiesofthetime,sentimentalistsfocusedontherevealingofemotions,expressionoffeelings,individualityandpersonalspirituallifeandtheycravedforsomethingmorenaturalandspontaneousinthoughtandlanguage.11.PicaresqueNovel:Abasicallyrealisticandoftensatiricworkof。

6、fictionchroniclingthecareerofanengaging/attractive,low-classrogue-hero,whotakestotheroadforaseriesofloose,episodicadventures,sometimeswithacompanion.412.VerbalIrony:Astatementinwhichthemeaningthataspeakerimpliesdifferssharplyfromthemeaningthatisostensiblyexpressed.(oracontrastbetweenwhatisliterallysaidandwhatisactuallymeant.)13.Character-sketch:Abriefnarrativethatrevealsafictionalcharacter’straitsorpersonality.14.EpistolaryNovel:Atypeofnovelinwhichthenarrativeiscarriedonbymeansofseriesofletters.。

7、15.Romanticism:Anartisticintellectualmovementofthelate18thandearly19thcenturiesinWesternEuropethatrejectedtherulesoforder,balance,andrationalitythattypifiedClassicismandNeoclassicism,andreactedagainsttheEnlightenmentand18th—centuryrationalism.Romanticismemphasizedtheindividual,theirrational,theimaginative,thespontaneousandtheemotional.。