Pre-Renaissance period
Beowulf : the first English national epic
I. The position of the Beowulf:
the first English national epic
II.The story: (to simply narrate it )
Beowulf←→ Grendel and his mother
Beowulf←→ Fire dragon
III. Its artistic features
1. I t’s a 3183-line verse written in true epic style and in Old English;
2. the most evident feature: the use of alliteration; (refer to the history of literature By Liu Bingshan,)
3. to use compound-words to serve as metaphors;
4. the use of understatements: the impression and a color of humor.
△5. the mixing of pagan elements with Christian colouring.
Geoffrey Chaucer
I. life :
1. He was born in a wine merchant family in 1340;
2. His early life as a page and his marriage acquainted him with knowledge about upper class;
3.he was buried in Westminster Abbey, thus founding the “Poets Corner” . II. His Work: The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
The General Prologue
...
The Prioress
There was also a Nun, a Prioress,
Whose name was gentle and full of guilelessness. “By St. Loy!” was the worst oath she would say. She sang mass well, in a becoming way,
Intoning through her nose the words divine,
And she was known as Madam Eglantine.
She spoke good French, as taught at Stratford-Bow For the Parisian French she did not know.
She was schooled to eat so primly and so well That from her lips no morsel ever fell.
She wet her fingers lightly in the dish
Of sauce, for courtesy was her first wish.
With every bite she did her skillful best
To see that no drop fell upon her breast.
She always wiped her upper lip so clean
That in her cup was never to be seen
A hint of grease when she had drunk her share, She reached out for her meat with comely air. She was a great delight, and always tried
To imitate court ways, and had her pride,
Both amiable and gracious in her dealings.
As for her charity and tender feelings,
She melted at whatever was piteous.
She would weep if she but came upon a mouse Caught in a trap, if it were dead of bleeding. Some little dogs that took pleasure feeding
On roasted meat or milk or good wheat bread
She had, but how she wept to find one dead
Or yelping from a blow that made it smart,
And all was sympathy and loving heart.
Neat was her wimple in its every plait,
Her nose well formed, her eyes as gray as slate.
Her mouth was very small and soft and red.
She had so wide a brow I think her head
Was nearly a span broad, for certainly
She was not undergrown, as all could see.
She wore her cloak with dignity and charm,
And had her rosary about her arm,
The small beads coral and the larger green,
And from them hung a brooch of golden sheen,
On it a large A and a crown above;
Beneath, “all things are subject unto love.”
I. Questions for discussion:
1.What is the tone of the setting? How did the author achieve such setting
of the tales?
2.Summarize the character of the Prioress in this Prologue.
3.To analyze Chaucer’s ways of characterization in this Prologue and
the language style of the selected part.
II. To illustrate the terms.
Heroic couplet: A two-line section of a poem, which rhymes and has five feet each in iambic meter(also termed as iambic pentameter ), and which has a meaning complete within itself.
Example: The veins are bathed in li quor of such power
As brings about the engen dering of the flower,
(抑抑扬)
ATT: For the convenience of the interpretation for the foot, some words are detached.
Foot: A group of syllables forming a unit of verse, usually one foot contains at least one stressed word, or contains one stressed word and one or more than one unstressed words.
III. Social significance of The Canterbury Tales (also function as a simple analysis)
1.The Canterbury is not only a collection of stories strung by loose
thread.
(1) To affirm men and women’s right to pursue their happiness;
(2) To oppose the dogma of asceticism;
(3) To praise man’s energy, intellect and love of life.
2.This work exposed the evil of time
(1) the degeneration of the noble;
(2) the heartless of judge;
(3) the corruption of church
IV. Chaucer’s achievements in and contribution to English literature
1.He is one of the earliest literary talents who embody humanism.
2.Father of English poetry
(1)the first great poet who wrote in English language;
(2)introduced rhymed five accents in iambic meter to English poetry
(heroic couplet)
3.Founder of English realism
The prologue supplies a miniature of then English society (ways of narrating the stories and different social status of these pilgrims).
4.His excellent works contribute a lot to establish English as the
literary language of the country. (set an example for the poets of later generation )
5.He made London dialect as the standard for the modern English speech.
Renaissance Period
William Shakespeare
I. Life
1. born of trader family in Stratford-on-Avon in 1564, and his family got into financial troubles;
2. Fail to finish formal schooling for the reason of financial difficulties, he left for London.
II. Shakespeare the dramatist
His plays are poetical dramas, most of which are written in blank verse which was created one of the famous university wits, Christopher Marlow. His career as a dramatist may be divided into three (or four) periods: (to be lectured later)
Hamlet
●The Monologue：
To be: to exist, to live, to passively accept, to suffer;
Not to be: to die, to take action to fight against fate.
That is the question: this shows Hamlet confronted with both body and moral dilemma: whether to suffer passively or to take action to fight.
◆three reasons for his dilemma:
1.He receives Stoic philosophy: Forbearance is the noblest(顺从是最高的美德).
Ciceronian philosophy: Duty is most important.
These two views of philosophy are quite contradictory for Hamlet. (to interpret in depth )
2.Religious reason: fear of after-life. (as obviously shown in this monologue: to die, to sleep)
3. Odepus complex (commonly called mother complex): this view was put forward by some critic, which conducted a psychological analysis based on the Freudian philosophy. (to simply narrate the origin of this complex.)
Points worthy of notice and interpretation in the monologue
the slings and arrows (a metaphor, ): attack
To die, to sleep (analogy)
no more: to exist no more
heartache: spiritual pain
natural shocks: physical pain and suffering
consummation: final settlement
devoutly to be wished : to be passionately wished
perchance: perhaps
ay: yes
rub: difficulty
shuffled off: get rid of
mortal coil: trouble of mortal life, coil: body
pause: hinder
respect: consideration, thinking
whips and scorns of time: the beat and sneer in the word we live in. wrong: ill treatment
Contumely: despising
Pangs: sharp pain
spurns that patient merit of th’ unworthy takes: kicks that a person
of merit takes from the unworthy.
Fardels: (archaic word) burdens
A weary life: a burdensome life
But that : unless
Conscience: reflection, consciousness
Is sicklied over :is covered with
Pale cast: sickly cover, sickly color
Thought: anxious thought or melancholy thought
Enterprise: the great cause
Pith and moment: importance
With this regard: on this account, for this reason
Their current turn awry: change the direction
Action: here refers to “take arms against the fate”
Questions for discussion:
Give thorough consideration to the whole play and the monologue we have covered, and answer these questions:
1.What is the use of the spirit of Hamlet’s father in the development
of dramatic plot ?
2.What is the use of his father’s spirit in the development of Hamlet’
s character?
3.To analyze Hamlet’s character?
4.To analyze the change of Hamlet’s attitude for Ophellia, what are
the reasons for the change?
◆ Any other question concerning this play you want to put forward and explain. Welcome to speak your mind!
III. Shakespeare the poet
1. His sonnet (a general introduction about all 154 sonnets):
Sonnet XVIII
Pre-reading task:
考试课程：英国文学史及选读考核类型：A 卷 考试方式：闭卷出卷教师: XXX 考试专业：英语考试班级：英语xx班 I.Multiple choice (30 points, 1 point for each) select from the four choices of each item the one that best answers the question or completes the statement. 1._____，a typical example of old English poetry ,is regarded today as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. A.The Canterbury Tales B.The Ballad of Robin Hood C.The Song of Beowulf D.Sir Gawain and the Green Kinght 2._____is the most common foot in English poetry. A.The anapest B.The trochee C.The iamb D.The dactyl 3.The Renaissance is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, which one of the following is NOT such an event? A.The rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture. B.England’s domestic rest C.New discovery in geography and astrology D.The religious reformation and the economic expansion 4._____is the most successful religious allegory in the English language. A.The Pilgrims Progress B.Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners C.The Life and Death of Mr.Badman D.The Holy War 5.Generally, the Renaissance refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries, its essence is _____. A.science B.philosophy C.arts D.humanism 6.“So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,/So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”(Shakespeare, Sonnets18)What does“this”refer to ? A.Lover. B.Time. C.Summer. D.Poetry. 7.“O prince, O chief of my throned powers, /That led th’ embattled seraphim to war/Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds/Fearless, endangered Heaven’s perpetual king”In the third line of the above passage quoted from Milton’s Paradise Los t, the phrase“thy conduct”refers to _____conduct. A.God’s B.Satan’s C.Adam’s D.Eve’s
I. Each of the following below is followed by four alternative answers. Choose the one that would bet complete the statement. 1. The long poem ______ in Anglo-Saxon period was termed England’s national epic. A. The Canterbury Tales B. Paradise Lost C. The Song of Beowulf D. The Fairy Queen 2. Romance, which uses verse or prose to describe the adventures and life of the knights, is the popular literary form in ______. A. Romanticism B. Renaissance C. medieval period D. Anglo-Saxon period 3. Among the great Middle English poets, Geoffrey Chaucer is known for his production of____. A. Piers Plowman B. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight C. Confessio Amantis D. The Canterbury Tales 4. _______ is regarded as the father of English poetry. A. Geoffrey Chaucer B. Edmund Spenser C. John Milton D. W. Wordsworth 5. It is _____ alone who, for the first time in English literature, presented to us a comprehensive realistic picture of the English society of his time and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life. A. Geoffrey Chaucer B. Martin Luther C. William Shakespeare D. John Gower 6. One of Chaucer’s main contributions to English poetry is ______. A. he introduced the rhymed stanzas from France to English poetry B. he created striking brilliant panorama of his time and his country C. he wrote in blank verse D. he was the first to write sonnet 7. During the Renaissance, _______ was the first one to introduce the sonnet into English poetry. A. Chaucer B. John Donne C. Thomas Wyatt D. Earl of Surrey 8. During the Renaissance, _______ wrote the first English blank verse. A. Chaucer B. Edmund Spencer C. Thomas Wyatt D. Earl of Surrey 9. Which of the following historical events does not directly help to stimulate the rising of the Renaissance Movement？ A. The rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman culture B. The new discoveries in geography and astrology C. The Glorious revolution D. The religious reformation and the economic expansion 10. The Renaissance is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events. Which one of the following is NOT such an event? A. The rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture. B. England’s domestic rest C. New discovery in geography and astrology. D. The religious reformation and the economic expansion. 11. Generally, the Renaissance refers to the period between ______ and ______ centuries. A. 14th...mid-17th B. 14th...mid-18th C. 16th...mid-18th D. 16th...mid-17th 12. Generally, the Renaissance refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries, its essence is_______. A. science B. philosophy C. arts D. humanism 13. _______ frequently applied conceits in his poems. A. Edmund Spenser B. John Donne C. William Blake D. Thomas Gray 14. _______ is known as “the poet’s poet”. A. William Shakespeare B. Christopher Marlowe C. Edmund Spenser D. John Donne 15. Romance，which uses narrative verse or prose to tell stories of____ adventures or other heroic deeds，is a popular literary form in the medieval period. A. Christian B. knightly C. pilgrims D. primitive 16. ________ and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanism. A. Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe B. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe
《英国文学史及选读》第一册复习要点 1. Beowulf: national epic of the English people; Denmark story; alliteration, metaphors and understatements (此处可能会有填空,选择等小题 2. Romance (名词解释 3. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: a famous roman about King Arthur’ s story 4. Ballad(名词解释 5. Character of Robin Hood 6. Geoffrey Chaucer: founder of English poetry; The Canterbury Tales (main contents; 124 stories planned, only 24 finished; written in Middle English; significance; form: heroic couplet 7. Heroic couplet (名词解释 8. Renaissance(名词解释 9.Thomas More—— Utopia 10. Sonnet(名词解释 11. Blank verse(名词解释12. Edmund Spenser “The Faerie Queene” 13. Francis Bacon “essays” esp. “Of Studies” (推荐阅读,学习写正式语体的英文文章的好参照,本文用词正式优雅,多排比句和长句,语言造诣非常高,里面很多话都可以引用做格言警句,非常值得一读 14. William Shakespeare四大悲剧比较重要,此外就是罗密欧与朱立叶了,这些剧的主题,背景,情节,人物形象都要熟悉,当然他最重要的是 Hamlet 这是肯定的。他的sonnet 也很重要,最重要属 sonnet18。 (其戏剧中著名对白和几首有名的十四行诗可能会出选读 15. John Milton 三大史诗非常重要,特别是 Paradise Lost 和 Samson Agonistes。对于 Paradise Lost 需要知道它是 blank verse写成的,故事情节来自 Old Testament,另外要知道此书 theme 和 Satan 的形象。
英国文学问答题Shakespeare: Questions: I.1. Why sleep is so frightening, according to Hamlet, since it can “end” the heartache and the thousand natural shocks”? 2. Why would people rather hear all the sufferings of the world instead choosing death to get rid of them, according to Hamlet? 3. What, after all, makes people lose their determination to take action? Please explain in relation to the so-called hesitation of Hamlet. II. 1. What does Romeo compare Juliet to in the beginning passage of the selection? 2. What is Romeo and Juliet’s attitude toward being a Montague or a Capulet? 3. What does Romeo mean when he says “Look thou but sweet, /And I am proof against their enmity”? Answers for reference: I. 1. Nobody can predict what he will dream of after he falls asleep. 2.Death is so mysterious that nobody knows what death will bring to us. Maybe bitter sufferings, great pains, heartbreaking stories… 3.1) Conscience and over-considerations. 2) He wants to revenge, but doesn’t know how; 2) He wants to kill his uncle, but find it too risky; 3) He lives in despair and wants to commit suicide, 4)however, he knows if he dies, nobody will comfort his father’s ghost. He is in face of great dilemma.
2018年自学《英国文学选读》试题及答案 1. What are Shakespeare ’s achievements? a. Shakespeare represented the trend of history in giving voice to de desires and aspirations of the people. b. Shakespeare’s humanism: more important than his historical sense of his time, Shakespeare in his plays reflects the spirit of his age. c. Shakespeare’s characterization: Shakespeare was most successful in his characterization. In his plays he described a great number of characters. d. Shakespeare’s originality: Shakespeare drew most of his materials from sources that were known to his audienc e. But his plays are original because he instilled into the old materials a new spirit that gives new life to his plays. e. Shakespeare as a great poet: Shakespeare was not only a great dramatist, but also a great poet. Apart from his sonnets and long poems, his dramas are poetry. f. Shakespeare as master of the English language. 2. What are the basic characteristics of ballads? a. The beginning is often abrupt. b. There are strong dramatic elements. c. The story is often told through dialogue and action. d. The theme is often tragic, though there are a number of comic
第2章盎格鲁-诺曼底时期 2.1复习笔记 I.Background Knowledge(1066-1350)(背景知识) 1.The Norman Conquest(诺曼征服) A.Brief Introduction(简介) The French-speaking Normans began their conquest of Anglo-Saxon England under William, Duke of Normandy,with the battle of Hastings in1066. 说法语的诺曼底人在威廉公爵的带领下，在1066年的黑斯廷斯战役中打败了英国人，开始了对英国的统治。 B.Chief Influences(主要影响) (1)The bringing of Roman civilization to England; (2)The growth of nationality,i.e.a strong centralized government,instead of the loose union of Saxon tribes; (3)The birth of new English language and literature due to the integration with French vocabulary. （1）将罗曼文化带到英格兰； （2）促进了国家的发展，强大的中央集权政府代替了散乱的撒克逊部落联盟；（3）和法国语言的融合产生了新的英语语言和文学。 II.Features of the New Literature(新文学特征) (1)The new literature is a combination of French and Anglo-Saxon elements. (2)There are three classes of new literature: ①Matter of France(tales about Charlemagne and his peers); ②Matter of Greece and Rome(tales about Alexander and the fall of Troy); ③Matter of Britain(tales about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table).
1. Analyse the themes and artistic features of Beowulf. themes : The main theme of Beowulf is heroism. This involves far more than physical courage. It also means that the warrior must fulfill his obligations to the group of which he is a key member. artistic features : The most noticeable artistic feature is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds, usually consonants, or consonant clusters. Alliteration is used off and on in modern poetry but it is an important device in Anglo-Saxon poetry. Another peculiar feature characteristic is the frequent use of kennings, to poetically present the meaning of one single word through a compound simile of two elements. Finally, the general mood and spirit of Anglo-Saxon epic poetry is both solemn and animated. 2. Comment on Chaucer’s achievements and contributions with examples from his works. Chaucer learned from both French and Latin poetry and then worked out a unique style for the English poetry. The realism and humanistic concerns demonstrated in his works looked forward to the coming English Renaissance. Because he uses the English of the London dialect to compose poetry, it becomes a literary language, which is a language rich and expressive enough to use for literary purposes. We call the English used and developed by Chaucer and his
英国文学选读样题答案 一、选择题（本大题共15小题，每小题1分，总计15分） 1---5 ABCCC 6---10 ABBAB 11---15 BBAAC 二、填空（本大题共10小题，每小题2分，总计20分） 1．Heroic 2 comedies 3. couplet 4. metaphysical poetry 5. Eve 6. My Luve’s Like a Red, Red, Rose 7.Houyhnynms 8. Coleridge 9. Odes 10. Emily Bronte 三、诗歌分析（本大题共4个小题，每小题分值见各小题，共20分） 1．William Wordsworth; I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 2．Iambic tetrameter; ababcc ababcc 3. The waves beside them danced; but they _ / _ / _ / - / Out-did | the spark|ling waves | in glee: _ / _ / _ _ _ / A po|et could |not but |be gay, _ / _/ _ / _ _ In such | a jo|cund com|pany: _ / _ / _ / _ / I gazed--|and gazed-|-but lit|tle thought _ / _ / _ / _ / What wealth |the show |to me |had brought: 4. 水波在边上欢舞，但水仙 比闪亮的水波舞得更乐； 有这样快活的朋友做伴， 诗人的心儿被欢愉充塞； 我看了又看，却没领悟 这景象给了我什么财富。（黄杲炘） 四、小说分析（本大题共5个小题，每小题分值见每小题，共20分） 1.Jane Eyre; Sharlotte Bronte 2.He had a mad wife who set the building on fire and climbed to the roof of the building. He tried to save her. But the staircase broke and he fell down He was wounded and became blind. 3.When Jane knew that Mr. Rochester had a wife. She was surprised and fled from Thornfield. Mr. Rochester was very sad at it.
.. ;.. 一．中古英语时期 Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English language, and the most important specimen (范例、典范)of Anglo-Saxon literature, and also the oldest surviving epic in the English language. The romance is a popular literary form in the medieval period（中世纪）. It uses verse or prose to sing knightly a dventures or other heroic deeds. Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the greatest English poets, whose masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales（《坎特伯雷故事集》）,was one of the most important influences on the development of English literature. Chaucer is considered as the father of English poetry and the founder of English realism. 二．文艺复兴Renaissance Renaissance r efers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries. It marks a transition(过渡) from the medieval to the modern world. It started in Italy with the flowering of painting, sculpture（雕塑）and literature, and then spread to the rest of Europe. Humanism is the essence of Renaissance -----Man is the measure of all things. This was England’s Golden Age in literature. Queen Elizabeth r eigned over the country in this period. The real mainstream of the English Renaissance i s the Elizabethan drama. The most famous dramatists in the Renaissance E ngland are Christopher Marlowe and W illiam Shakespeare. The greatest of the pioneers of English drama was Christopher Marlowe. Francis Bacon was the best known essayist of this period. “Of Studies” is the most popular of Bacon’s 58 essays. Thomas More ——Utopia Edmund Spenser——The Faerie Queene 相关练习 1. Which is the oldest poem in the English language? A. Utopia B. Faerie Queene C. Beowulf D. Hamlet 2. _____ is the father of English poetry. A. Edmund Spenser B. William Shakespeare C. Francis Bacon D. Geoffrey Chaucer 3. ____ is not a playwright during the Renaissance period on England. A. William Shakespeare B. Geoffrey Chaucer C. Christopher Marlowe D. Ben Johnson 三．莎士比亚William Shakespeare “All t he world 's a stage, a nd all the men and women merely p layers.”——William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright in the world and the finest poet who has written in the English language. Shakespeare understood people more than any other writers. He could create characters that have
Index The Sixteenth Century
The works of William Shakespeare are a great landmark in the history of world literature for he was one of the first founders of realism, a master hand at realistic portrayal of human characters and relations. Works First period: Romeo and Juliet Second Period: 1. Hamlet, Prince of Demark 2. Othello, the Moor of Venice 3. King Lear 4. The Tragedy of Macbeth The Seventeenth Century Puritan Age Burrton?s Anatomy of Melancholy. The spiritual gloom sooner or later fastens upon all the writers of this age. This so called gloomy age produced some minor poems of exquisites workmanship, and one of great master of verse whose work would glorify any age or people---John Milton, in whom the indomitable Puritan spirit finds its noblest expression. Restoration Age As a critic, poet and playwright was the most distinguished literary figure of the restoration age. The most popular genre was that of comedy whose chief aim as to entertain the licentious aristocrats. John Donne 1. Poetry Form
1. How much do you know about the English literature in the Romantic Age? ①The Romantic Age in England was like the Elizabethan Age, distinctively an age of poetry. It was regarded as the second great age in English literary history; for poetry is the highest form of literary expression, and seems to have been most in harmony with the noblest powers of the English genius. The glory of the age is in the poetry of Scott, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelly, Keats, Moore, and Southey； ②Women novelists appeared in this age. It was during this period that women assumed for the first time, an important place in English literature. Mrs. Anne Radcliff was one of the most successful writers of the school of exaggerated romance. Jane Austen offered us her charming descriptions of everyday life in her enduring work her masterpiece----Pride and Prejudice; ③The greatest historical novelist Walter Scott also appeared in this period. His historical novels combine a romantic atmosphere with a realistic description of historical background and common people life. Scott marked the transition from romanticism to the period of realism which followed it; ④Romantic prose was represented by Lamb, Hazlitt, De Quincey and Hume. Lamb was the best essayist, whose familiar essays are very famous. 3.What are the major features of Dickens’ novels? ①Dickens’ novels offer a most complete and realistic picture of the English bourgeois society of his age. His novels tell much of the unhappy experiences of his own childhood. They reflect the protest of the people against capitalist exploitation, and criticize the vices of capitalist society. ② The success of Dickens novels also lies in his character-portrayal. Not only are the major characters in his novels very carefully delineated and given distinctive individual characteristics but also his minor figures create in the readers’ mind strong impressions of their personalities. Some of Dickens’characters are really such “typical characters under typical circumstances”that they become proverbial or are representative of a whole group of similar persons. ③Dickens is a great humorist and satirist. His novels are full of humor and satire ④Dickens is not especially known for the construction of plot in his novels. There is in his novels often more than one minor thread of story beside the major one, and these threads are generally very loosely woven together. He seems to love a complicated and involved plot. ⑤In almost every one of Dickens’ novels there is a happy ending, which points to the author’s optimism which is an admirable thing for a critical realist because that means his still has his hopes after seeing the gloomy world all around him and one hand, and as a petty-bourgeois intellectual, could not overstep the limits of his class on the other hand. ⑥Another feature in Dickens’novels is his adroit use of language. On the whole Dickens has a richness of expressions and generally succeeds in using the right words and phrases at the right moments for the right characters to attain the right effects. 12. What are the characteristics of Dickens’ novels?(同第三题)