英國(guó)文學(xué)與美國(guó)的重點(diǎn).doc

英美文學(xué)重點(diǎn)English & American Literature Old & Medieval English Literature Old English: 450-1066 the national epic of the Anglo-SaonsMedieval English： 1066 - middle 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer - the father of English poetry (wisdom, humor, humanity) first time to use heroic couplet The Renaissance Period : 14th mid 17th started in ItalyA series of historical events:1. rediscovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture2. new discoveries in geography & astrology(占星學(xué))3. the religious reformation & economic expansionThe Renaissance - rebirth or revival Humanism - the essence of the Renaissance, the dignity of human being & the importance of the present life Best representatives: Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, William ShakespeareThe Elizabethan drama: the real mainstream of English RenaissanceMost famous dramatists: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben JonsonEdmund Spenser - the poets poet 5 quality: 1) a perfect melody 2)a rare sense of beauty 3)a splendid imagination4)a lofty(高尚的) moral purity and seriousness 5)a dedicated idealism lament(哀悼) 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 “Fierce warres and faithfull loves”READING: 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(夸張)Marlowes achievement: 1) blank verse無(wú)韻詩(shī)歌It is Marlowe who brought vitality(活力) and grandeur(偉大) 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 and pitiless overpowering king. 馬爾他的猶太人non-drama pastoral(田園的) life ，the most beautiful lyrics(抒情詩(shī))READING: 1. excerpt from Dr. Faustus 浮士德博士的悲劇A play based on the German legend Content: Faustus is a scholar who has a strong desire to acquire knowledge. By conjuration(念咒文召喚) he call up Mephistophilis, the Devils servant. He make a bond(契約) 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(熱情的) Shepherd to His Lovethis short poem is considered to be one of the most beautiful lyrics(抒情詩(shī)) in English literature.The shepherd(牧羊人) enjoy an ideal country life, cherishing(珍愛(ài)) a pastoral(田園的) and pure affection for his love. Strong emotion is conveyed through the beauty of nature.William Shakespeare playwright & poet (above all writers in the past 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(獨(dú)白) or monologue - fully reveal the inner 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 faith in the permanence of poetry.A nice summers day is usually transient(短暫的), 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 insatiable（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 certain 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 fiction, language and action, too sophisticated（復(fù)雜的） to degrade his nature to the conventional role of a stage revenger content: Hamlet, the prince, appearing in a mood of world-weariness（厭世） occasioned by his fathers death and his mothers hasty remarriage with Claudius, his fathers brother. Hamlet is informed 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 modern 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（典故）, metaphors（隱喻） and cadence（韻律）. mans understanding consists of three parts: history to mans memory, poetry to mans imagination and creation, and philosophy to mans reason. written in Latin on methodology方法論Bacon suggests the inductive reasoning 歸納法 ( i.e. proceeding from the particular to the general) in place of Aristotelian method, the deductive reasoning 演繹法 ( i.e. proceeding from the general to the particular)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 (互補(bǔ)) to each other. The correct attitude 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（玄學(xué)詩(shī)）- break away from love poetry, the diction(用語(yǔ)) is simple, the imagery is from the actual, the form is frequently an argument with the poets beloved, with God, or with himself. A)conceits B)syllogism (三段論) 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 sonnet,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, not 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(散文) 3)the last great poemsElegy(挽歌) -利西達(dá)斯 (his early work)Epic(史詩(shī)) - Dramatic poem(詩(shī)劇) - 力士參孫 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. The freedom of the will is the keystone of Miltons creed(綱領(lǐng)).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(引誘) Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge against Gods instructions. So, Adam 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 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 form現(xiàn)實(shí)主義小說(shuō)誕生（the mid-century）Gothic novel(哥特式小說(shuō)) - mystery, horror & castles (from middle part to the end of century)John BunyanREAING: The Vanity Fair名利場(chǎng) an excerpt form The Pilgrims Progress (天路歷程), 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 metaphor 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(論批評(píng)) a poem written in heroic couplets(對(duì)句), criticize the present poem lack of true taste & call on people to turn to the old Greek 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 Puritan fortitude (清教徒堅(jiān)韌). 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, tempered by numerous trials in his eventful life.Jonathan Swift In his opinion, human nature is seriously and permanently flawed (缺點(diǎn))Achievement: 1)a master satirist. 2) one of the greatest of English prose, he defined a good style as “Proper words in proper places”READING: excerpt from Gullivers Travels (格列佛游記) fictional work, four parts Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Flying Island & Houyhnhnm(小人國(guó)) (大人國(guó)) (飛島) (有人類理性的馬) 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 first to write a “Comic epic in prose” (散文體史詩(shī)), the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. He adopted “the third-person narration”. (約瑟夫安德魯) (偉大的喬納森懷爾德) a masterpiece on the subject of human nature the unfortunate life of an idealized woman, a maudlin(傷感的) picture of the social life at the time.READING: excerpt from Tom JonesBrings the author the name of the “Prose Homer”In 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 Johnson the author of the first English dictionary by an Englishman, the last neoclassicist enlightener. 英語(yǔ)大詞典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 retrospection, 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 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(引誘) Lady Teazle, 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(墮落) of the aristocratic-bourgeois society in the 18th England.Thomas Graythe leader of the sentimental(悲情的) poetry of the day ,especially “The Graveyard School”READING: 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 havoc(破壞) on them.The Romantic Period Romantic - emotion over reason, spontaneous (自發(fā))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 qualities of each individuals mind. The romantic period began with： in 1798 the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges end 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 happy and innocent world from childrens eye : a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy (憂郁的)tone from men eyes. Childhood, paradoxes, a pairing of opposites marks his entry into maturity.(先知書) prophetic(預(yù)言的) book in his later periodHe presents his view in visual images. 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(自發(fā)的), “worshipper 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 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, 1802 the sonnet describes a vivid picture of a beautiful morning in London, silent, bright, glittering（閃爍的）, smokeless & mildly（柔和的）. It is so touching a sight that the poet expressed his religion piety （虔誠(chéng)）for nature. 3. She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways4. The Solitary Reaper thanks to poets rich imagination, 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 into two groups - the demonic 惡魔的(supernatural) & the conversational - The demonic group includes 3 masterpieces: , , 老水手之行 克麗斯塔貝爾 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, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin, against tyrannical（暴君的） rules or moral principles. Such a hero appears first in 懷爾德哈羅德游記 （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 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 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 stru