英美文學(xué)史復(fù)習(xí)資料-全(共69頁(yè))

1、精選優(yōu)質(zhì)文檔-傾情為你奉上Unit One The Anglo-Saxon Periodn I. Historical Backgroundn II. Anglo-Saxon Poetryn III. Anglo-Saxon Prose I. Historical BackgroundThe English people are a complicated race.The first inhabitants of the island were commonly known as the Celts (or Kelts).n 55 BC saw the invasion of the isl

2、and headed by Julius Caesar.During the invasion these aborigines（ 土著人）Celts withdrew to the Welsh and Scottish mountains and left a great part of England to the Romans.n Not until the 5th century did the Romans withdrew. England had been made a Roman Province since 80 AD. As the Roman legions withdr

3、ew, the Celts came back. n Originally the name Anglo-Saxon denotes two of the three Germanic（日爾曼）tribes - Angles, Saxons and Jutes - who in the middle of the 5th century left their homes on the shores of the North Sea and the Baltic（波羅的海） to conquer and colonize distant Britain. They lived in the no

4、rthern top of Germany and the southern part of Denmark at that time. n The historical date that is worth memorizing is 449 AD. n These three invading tribes came to settle down: Angles in the north of Thames, Jutes mainly in the southwest called Kent（英國(guó)東南部郡）, and Saxons in the other places. English

5、literature originated in the Angles and Saxons who formed a literary tradition of their own. n Important historical events:1. Heptarchy（七王國(guó)）: n The informal confederation（聯(lián)邦）of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the fifth to the ninth century, consisting of Kent, Sussex, Wessex, Essex, Northumbria, East

6、Anglia, and Mercia.2. the Vikings invasion: n Vikings, collective designation of Nordic（北歐人）people Danes, Swedes, Norwegianswho explored abroad during a period of dynamic Scandinavian expansion from about AD 800 to 1100. n Land shortage, improved iron production, and the need for new markets probabl

7、y all played a part in Viking expansion. 3. King Alfred the Great:n In 871, Ethelred of Wessex is defeated by Danish forces January 4 at Reading, gains a brilliant victory 4 days later at Ashdown, is defeated January 22 at Basing, triumphs again March 2 at Marton in Wiltshire, but dies in April. n H

8、is brother, 22, pays tribute（貢物）to the Danes but will reign until 899 and be called Alfred the Great.4. Canute (994?-1035): n King of England(1016-1035), Denmark (1018-1035), and Norway (1028-1035) whose reign, at first brutal, was later marked by wisdom and temperance. n He is the subject of many l

9、egends.5. The Norman Conquest in 1066n The year 1066 was a turning point in English history. William I, the Conqueror, and his sons gave England vigorous new leadership. Norman feudalism (封建制度) became the basis for redistributing the land among the conquerors, giving England a new French aristocracy

10、 and a new social and political structure. England turned away from Scandinavia toward France, an orientation (傾向性) that was to last for 400 years.6. St. Augustine: n Italian-born missionary and prelate (高級(jí)教士) who introduced Christianity to southern Britain 597 and was ordained as the first arc

11、hbishop (大主教) of Canterbury 598. Died c 604. II. Anglo-Saxon Poetry 1. Beowulf - the national epicn Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, the most important work of Old English literature. The poem consists of 3183 lines, each line with four accents marked by alliteration and divided into two part

12、s by a caesura (節(jié)律的停頓).n The structure of the typical Beowulf line comes through in modern translation, for example: Then came from the moor under misted cliffs Grendel marching God's anger he bore . . . n The somber (昏暗的,憂郁的) story is told in vigorous, picturesque (獨(dú)特的) language, with heavy use

13、 of metaphor; a famous example is the term “whale-road” for sea. n The poem tells of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, half man and half fiend (魔鬼) and Grendel's mother, who comes that evening to avenge Grendel's death.n Fifty years later

14、 Beowulf, now king of his native land, fights a dragon who has devastated his people. Both Beowulf and the dragon are mortally wounded in the fight.n The poem ends with Beowulf's funeral as his mourners chant his epitaph.n Beowulf is a long verse narrative on the theme of “arms and man” and as s

15、uch belongs to the tradition of a national epic in European literature that can be traced back to Homers Iliad (荷馬史市詩(shī),描寫特洛伊戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng))and Virgils (古羅馬詩(shī)人) Aeneid (埃涅伊德敘事詩(shī)).n The earliest poets, whose names have long since been forgotten performed as storytellers and minstrels before gatherings of listeners.O

16、ften a lyre (七弦琴) or some other simple stringed instrument was used to accompany the poet's tale or song.2. Secular (非宗教的) Poems     (1) Narrative Poems (2) Lyrical Poems (3) Riddles n 3. Religious poems:n (1) Caedmon (7th century): Died c. 680. The earliest English poet. n Accord

17、ing to Bede, Caedmon was an elderly herdsman who received the power of song in a vision.n Caedmon was an illiterate herdsmen who had a vision one night and heard a voice commanding him to sing of “the beginning of created things.” n Later Caedmon supposedly wrote the poem about the creation known as

18、 Caedmon's Hymn, which Bede recorded in prose.Cynewulfn (2) Cynewulf (8th century)n Cynewulf (flourished AD 750), Anglo-Saxon poet, possibly a Northumbrian minstrel. n In his poetry, he is revealed as a man of learning familiar with the religious literature of his day.n Cynewulfs (基涅武甫,古詩(shī)詩(shī)稿公元十世紀(jì)

19、被發(fā)現(xiàn)) poems are religious works in Old English entitled Ascension (耶穌升天), The Fates of the Apostles (使徒的命運(yùn)), Juliana, and Elene; the latter two are legends about saints.III. Anglo-Saxon Prosen 1. Anglo-Latin Prosen The Venerable Bede (673? 735): English Benedictine (天主教本篤會(huì)修士或修女) monk and scholar, Fat

20、her of English history, chiefly known for his Ecclesiastical (教會(huì)) History of the English People, a history of England from the Roman occupation to 731, the year it was completed. n The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (55 BC - 731): This work is the only source of information about the m

21、ost momentous (重大的) period in English history - the period of change from barbarism to civilization. n 2. Anglo-Saxon Prose (Old English Prose)n (1) King Alfred (849 - 901) a. Numerous translations from Latin b. The development of a natural style in English c. The launching of the Anglo-Saxon Chroni

22、cle (1 AD - 1154 AD) n (2) Aelfric (c. 965 - 1020)Anglo-Saxon abbot (修道士) who is considered the greatest Old English prose writer. His works include Catholic Homilies, Lives of the Saints, and a Latin grammar.Aelfric brought English prose to high cultivation before the Norman Conquest - a clear, fle

23、xible and popular English prose. Unit Two The Late Middle Ages · I. The Anglo-Norman Period· II. The Age of Chaucer· III. Geoffrey Chaucer · The Middle Ages: In European history, the Middle Ages was the period between the end of the West Roman Empire in 476 AD and the beginning o

24、f Renaissance about 1500 AD, especially the later part of this period. I. The Anglo-Norman Period (1066-1350)History: (1) the Norman Conquest of 1066feudalism - a strong centralized government · (2) the Magna Carta (the great charter) of 1215: charter granted by King John of England to the Engl

25、ish barons (男爵,英國(guó)最低貴族爵位) in 1215, and considered the basis of English constitutional liberties.· This is a document of concession made by King John to the feudal lords· The charter covered a wide field of law and feudal rights, but the two most important matters were :· A. no tax shou

26、ld be made without the approval of the council,· B. no freeman should be arrested or imprisoned except by the law of the land. · (3) the Hundred Years War · Hundred Years' War, series of armed conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between England and France. · The origin of the d

27、ispute lay in the fact that successive kings of England controlled large areas of France and thus posed a threat to the French monarchy. · During the 12th and 13th centuries, the kings of France attempted to re-impose their authority over those territories. · (4) the Black Death of 1348 -

28、49· outbreak of the plague, so called from the symptoms of internal haemorrhage （內(nèi)出血） which blackens the skin of the sufferer · The Black Death struck England in 1349, reducing the population by as much as a third. · A labour shortage resulted, and when attempts to freeze wages w

29、ere made, unrest developed among serfs and workers, leading to the demise (瓦解) of serfdom in the next century. · (5) the Statute of Pleading (辯護(hù)法令)· Passed in 1362, according to which it was required that court proceedings be conducted in English· 2. Literature · (1) Anglo-Latin

30、literature · Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1100 - c. 1155): English historian and ecclesiastic(牧師). · He was the author of Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), a work purporting to delineate (描繪) the lives of British kings from Brutus the Trojan, the mythical progen

31、itor(祖先)of the British people, to Caedwalla, king of North Wales (reigned about 625-34).· Roger Bacon (1214?-1294), English Scholastic philosopher and scientist, one of the most influential teachers of the 13th century. · In the late 1260s Bacon wrote his Opus Majus, an encyclopedia of all

32、 science. · He has been called Father of experimental science.· (2) Anglo-Norman literature· romance (Chanson de Roland)- fabliau (諷刺性寓言詩(shī))· (3) Folk literature in Middle Ages· A few themes:· Social satires· The popular lyric, with nature and love as the theme ·

33、; (4) Religious work:· The Pearl : a didactic poem · The Pearl is an allegorical (寓言的) poem of 101 stanzas of 12 lines each, with both alliteration and rhyme, and relates the vision of one who has lost a pearl of a daughter.· (5) Romances in Middle English· Three themes:· th

34、e matter of France;· the matter of Britain;· the matter of Rome. · The most outstanding single romance on the Arthurian legend was the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.· Two motifs (主題): · (the tests of faith, courage and purity; the human weakness of self-preservat

35、ion自衛(wèi)本能). · King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table· The semi-legendary King Arthur is probably the most well-known king in all of English literature. Tales of Arthur and his knights span several centuries and many different languages. The so-called Round Table, the meeting place of

36、 Arthur and the knights, was round so that no one member seemed favored over the others. · In Arthurian legend, the Round Table at Camelot served as a gathering place for King Arthurs knights.· The tables shape ensured that all who sat around it were equals. · This replica of the Roun

37、d Table can be seen at Winchester Castle in England. · King Arthurs Round Table· Artistic merits:· (1) careful interweaving of episodes;· (2) the elements of suspense and surprise;· (3) psychological analysis;· (4) elaborate descriptions;· (5) simple, straight

38、forward language II. The Age of Chaucer (1350 - 1400)· 1. History:· (1) the Peasants Uprising in 1381: · led by Wat Tyler, Jack Straw and John Ball· “When Adam delve and Eve span,· Who was then the gentleman?”· Wat Tyler, died in 1381· English revolutionary who led

39、 the Peasants' Revolt against Richard II's poll tax in June 1381. · The uprising ended when he was killed.· (2) The Lollards: church reformers, John Wycliff and his followers· Lollards, members of a religious sect in 14th- and 15th-century England. They were led by the English

40、 theologian (神學(xué)者) and religious reformer John Wycliffe and followed the doctrines he preached. Lollards held the Bible to be the only authentic rule of faith; exhorted the clergy to return to the simple life of the early church; and opposed war, the doctrine of transubstantiation（圣餐的變體）, confession,

41、 and the use of images in worship. · (3) the decline of feudalism in England· 2. Three important writers:· (1) John Wycliff (1324 - 84)· Church reformer;· Father of English Prose: earliest translation of the entire Bible· (2) John Gower (1330 - 1408)· three chief w

42、orks in three different languages· (3) William Langland (1332?-1400?), English poet, who was supposedly the author of the religious allegory The Vision of William Concerning Piers the Plowman (written 1360?-1400?), better known as Piers Plowman. · Piers the Plowman holds up a mirror to Lan

43、glands England, showing on the one hand the corruption prevalent among the ruling classes, both secular and clerical, and on the other hand the uprightness and worthiness of the labouring folk and the miseries of the poor and needy. · In the form of allegory and vision, it is a “gospel of the p

44、oor”.III. Geoffrey Chaucer· Father of English Literature, and Father of English Poetry. A great master of the English language· 1. Three periods:· (1) The first period (1360 - 1372): French influence· The Book of Duchess （公爵夫人之書）· (2) The second period (1372 - 1385): Italian

45、 influence· The House of Fame （聲譽(yù)之堂）;· Troylus and Criseyde （特羅勒斯與克麗西斯）; · The Legend of Good Women （善良女子徇情記）· (3) The third period (1386 - 1400): English period or mature period· The Canterbury Tales （坎特伯雷故事集)· The Canterbury Tales, generally considered to be Chaucers

46、masterpiece, was written chiefly in the years 1386-1400. · It begins with a general prologue that explains the occasion for the narration of the tales and gives a description of the pilgrims who narrate the tales. 120 tales are intended, but only 24 are completed.The Canterbury Tales· Sign

47、ificance· a comprehensive picture of the social reality of the poets day· a framed story· anthology of medieval literature· humour, satire, irony· Chaucer, a master of the English languageUnit Three The Transitional Period (The 15th Century· I. Popular Ballads· II.

48、 Early English Drama· III. Chaucerian Poets· IV. Le Morte dArthur Historical Background · 1. The 15th century was a period of transition for Britain from the medieval to the Renaissance world.· 2. The War of the Roses (1455 - 85): The rival houses of Lancaster and York, which wer

49、e both descended from Edward III, started a fight for power.The flag for Lancaster showed a red rose, and the flag for York showed a white rose, so the struggle between them became known as the War of the Roses.· 3. Printing press was introduced into England by William Caxton in 1476.William Ca

50、xton (1422?-1491), first English printer, born probably in Tenterden, Kent. His translation and print of The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye (1474?) was the first book printed in English. · The more notable books from his press include The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde by English

51、 poet Geoffrey Chaucer and Confessio Amantis by English poet John Gower. Fewer than 40 of Caxton's publications still exist.Caxton printed nearly 100 publications, about 20 of which he also translated from French and Dutch. · 4. The literature of the 15th century was also in a transitional

52、stage between the Age of Chaucer and the Renaissance.· Themes:· (1) Border ballads: popular ballads narrating incidents on the English-Scottish border.· (2) Robin Hood ballads· (3) Arthurian legend and Biblical material· (4) Domestic life: e.g. Get Up and Bar the Door·

53、(5) Love· (6) Political treachery: e.g. Sir Patrick Spens· (7) Intelligence of the common labouring people · Ballad Metres are four-line stanzas with the alteration of 4 and 3 feet verse to the odd and even numbered lines, and rhyming usually on the 2nd and 4th lines. “The king sits i

54、n Dumferling touneDrinking the blude-reid wineO whar will I get guid sailor,To sail this schip of mine?”n from Sir Patrick Spens · Robin Hood balladsRobin Hood ballads are popular ballads dealing with the famous outlaw Robin Hood and his men and their activities.· Robin Hood, hero of a gro

55、up of English ballads of the late 14th or early 15th century.Robin Hood was portrayed as an outlaw who lived and poached in royal forests such as Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire.Robin Hood robbed and killed those who represented government or church power, and he defended the needy and oppressed

56、. His comrades included Little John, Will Scarlet, and Friar Tuck. Get Up and Bar the Door· It fell about the Martinmas time And a gay time it was then,When our goodwife got puddings to make, And shes boild them in the pan.· The wind sae cauld blew south and north, And blew into the floor;

57、Quoth our goodman to our good wife, Gae out and bar te door.II. Early English Drama · 1. Folk drama: sword dance, morris dance, murmurs plays · 2. Religious drama:· (1) The mystery play: drama based directly on stories from the Bible.The best-known mystery play in England is the so-ca

58、lled Second Shepherds Play - the second of the plays on the shepherds, in the Towneley Cycle. Its theme is to greet the newborn Christ. · The Birth of Jesus· (2) The miracle play: drama dealing with the legends of the Christian saints.· (3) The morality play: drama presenting allegori

59、cally some objects, lesson, or warning by means of abstract characters or generalized types of mans spiritual good.· The best known of the morality play is Everyman, produced in the last quarter of the 15th century, dealing with what is supposed to happen to Everyone at the close of his life. I

60、II. Chaucerian Poets · 1. English Chaucerian:· John Lydgate (1370 - 1450): English poet, born in Suffolk and educated at the monastery （修道院）of Bury Saint Edmunds, where he was ordained a priest in 1397.Lydgate may have been a friend and disciple (信徒,弟子) of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, and the two were equally popular in their time.Some of Lyd