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The Renaissance PeriodReference: 1) 16th century, Thomas More, “sheep devoured men”羊吃人的时代2) At the beginning of the 16th century, absolute monarchy was formed in England. King Henry VIII broke off with the Pope, dissolved all the monasteries修道院and abbeys大修道院in the country, confiscated没收their lands and proclaimed himself head of the Church of England.3) The absolute monarchy in England reached its summit during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.4) Beginning of the 16th century, Thomas More, a outstanding humanist杰出的人文主义者, wrote Utopia in which he gave a profound and truthful picture of the people’s suffering and put forward his ideal of a future happy society.5) In the 1st half of the 16th century, there appeared lyrical poems抒情诗by Thomas Wyatt怀亚特. Wyatt was the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature. In the 2nd half of the 16th century lyrical poetry became widespread in England. Famous lyrical and epic poets of the time were Philip Sidney菲利普•锡德尼, Thomas Campion托马斯•坎皮恩and Edmund Spenser埃德蒙•斯宾塞(<The Faerie Queene>仙后)6) Various types of novels were developed in the 16th century. John Lyly约翰•黎里and Thomas Lodge托马斯•洛奇were authors of novels dealing with the court life and gallantry.(宫廷生活和侠士风流)John Lyly→Euphues: The Antatomy of Wit艳词(首创euphuism绮丽体这一修辞手段) Thomas Deloney托马斯•德洛尼&Thomas Nashe托马斯•纳什→developed the realistic tendencies发展了小说中的现实主义风格(devoted to the everyday life of craftsmen, merchants and other representatives of the lower classes)7) Drama→the greatest of the pioneers of English drama was Christopher Marlowe克里斯托弗•马洛. He made blank verse the principle vehicle of expression in drama.(把无韵诗作为英语戏剧主要表达方式His work→The Jew of Malta; The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus)8) A period of drama and poetry. The Elizabethan drama is the real mainstream of the English Renaissance.9) Three historical events of the Renaissance—rebirth or revival:①new discoveries in geography and astrology(占星术)②the religious reformation and economic expansion③rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek cultureDefinition of important literary terms:Renaissance:the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.William Shakespeare 1564~1616 P61Works: Stage1→1590 The Second Part of King Henry VIThe Third Part of King Henry VI1591 The First Part of King Henry VI1592 The Life and Death of King Richard IIIThe Comedy of Errors1593 Titus Andronicus泰特斯•安德鲁尼克斯(复仇悲剧)The Taming of the Shrew训悍记1594 The Two Gentlemen of Verona维罗纳两绅士Lover’s Labour Lost爱的徒劳Romeo and Juliet1595 The Life and Death of King Richard IIA Midsummer Night’s Dream 仲夏夜之梦1596 The Life and Death og King JohnThe Merchant of Venice维纳斯商人1597 The First Part of King Henry IVThe Second Part of King Henry IV1598 Much Ado About Nothing无事生非The Merry Wives of Windsor温莎的风流娘儿们The Life of King Henry V1599 The Life and Death of Julius Caesar尤里乌斯•凯撒As You Like It 皆大欢喜(Figure: Rosalind)1600 Twelfth Night, or What You Will第十二夜Stage2→1601 The Tragedy of Hamlet, Price of Denmark(复仇悲剧)√1602 Troilus and Cressida 特罗伊斯与克瑞西达(黑暗喜剧)All’s Well That Ends Well 终成眷属(黑暗喜剧)1603 Measure for Measure 一报还一报(黑暗喜剧)Othello, the Moore of Venice 奥赛罗(Figure: Desdemona)1605 King Lear李尔王(Figure: Cordelia)The Tragedy of Macbeth 麦克白1606 Antony and Cleopatra 安东尼和克利奥佩特拉1607 The Tragedy of Coriolanus 克利奥拉鲁斯Timon of Athens 雅典的泰门1608 Pericles, Prince of Tyre 佩里克里斯Stage3→（均为传奇剧）1609 Cymbeline, King of Britain 辛白林1610 The Winter’s Tale 冬天的故事The Tempest 暴风雨The Life and Death of Henry VIII( Comedy:—Tragedy:—)Four Comedies: <As You Like It>皆大欢喜<Twelfth Night>第十二夜<A Midsummer Night‟S Dream>仲夏夜之梦<Merchant Of Venice>威尼斯商人Four Tragedies:<Hamlet>哈姆莱特<Othello>奥赛罗<King Lear>李尔王<Macbeth>麦克白Shakespeare Sonnet: 154 <The Sonnets> (ababcdcdefefgg) 18(shall I compare thee)、29(when in disgrace)、106(when in the chronicle of wasted time)Shakespeare’s 2 narrative poems: Venus and Adonis维纳斯与阿多尼斯Lucrece露克里丝受辱记Figures and things mentioned: <In Hamlet> Horatio (Hamlet’s friend)霍拉旭Elsinore Castle埃利塞纳城堡Claudius (Hamlet’s uncle)克劳迪斯Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother)乔特鲁德Rosencrantz(Hamlet’s friend)罗森克兰茨Guildenstern(Hamlet’s friend)吉尔登斯坦Ophelia(Hamlet’s girlfriend)奥菲利亚Polonius (girlfriend’s father)波洛琉斯Laertes(girlfriend’s brother)雷欧提斯<In The Merchant of Venice>Bassanio 巴萨尼奥Antonio(Bassanio’s Friend)安东尼奥Portia鲍西娅Shylock (the wealthy Jew)Jessica(Shylock’s daughter, who ran off with Bassanio’s friend Lorenzo罗兰佐)Gratiano (Bassanio’s friend, fell in love with Portia’s waiting-woman Nerissa尼莉莎) Definition of important literary terms:1)Renaissance: Renaissance marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world. Itfirst started in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. The word“Renaissance” means rebirth or revival. In essence, it is a historical period in which theEuropean humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to lift the restriction in all areas placed by the Roman Catholic Churchauthorities. Two features of renaissance: It is a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature.People learned to admire the Greek and Latin works as models of literary form. It is the keen interest in the activities of humanity.2)Sonnet: 14-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter.The rhymescheme in the Italian form as typified in the sonnets of Petrarch(彼得拉克)is abbaabbacdecde. The Petrarchian sonnet has two divisions: the first is of eight lines (the octave), and the second is of six lines (the sestet). The rhyme scheme of the English, or Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg. The change of rhyme in the English sonnet is coincidental(一致) with a change of theme in the poem.3)Spenserian Stanza: Spenser invented a new verse form for his poem. The verse form hasbeen called "Spenserian Stanza" since his day. Each stanza has nine lines, each of the first eight lines is in iambic pentameter form, and the ninth line is an iambic hexameter(六步抑扬格) line. The rhythm scheme is abab bcbc c.4) Humanism: it refers to the main literary trend and is the keynote of English Renaissance.Humanists took interest in human life and human activities and gave expression to the new feeling of admiration for human beauty, human achievement. They think that man has a potential for culture which distinguishes him from lower orders of beings, and which he should strive constantly to fulfill.FrancisBacon弗兰西斯•培根1561~1626 P103（哲学家、散文家；在论述探究知识的著作中提出了“知识就是力量”这一著名论断；近代唯物主义哲学的奠基人和近代实验科学的先驱。
Chapter2 The Neoclassical Period(1660—1798）新古典主义1。
In short，it was an age full of conflicts and divergence of values。
总之,这一时期是矛盾与价值观分歧的时期.2. The eighteenth-century England is also known as the Age of Enlighte nment or the Age of Reason.英国的十八世纪也同时是启蒙主义时代，或曰理性时代。
3. Its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas。
运动的主旨便是用当代哲学与艺术思想的晨光启迪整个世界。
4. Enlighteners held that rationality or reason should be the only，the fi nal cause of any human thought and activities. They called for a referen ce to order, reason and rules.启蒙者主张理性是任何人思想与行动的唯一缘由.他们大力提倡秩序，理性及法律。
5. As a matter of fact, literature at the time，heavily didactic and morali zing, became a very popular means of public education.其实，当时的文学作品种充满了说教与道德理念，就已经成为大众教育的良好工具。
6。
Famous among the great enlighteners in England were those great writers like John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison and Sir Richa rd Steele，the two pioneers of familiar essays，Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe，Richard Brinsley Sheridan，Henry Fielding and Samuel Johnson.英国著名的启蒙主义文学家有约翰.德莱顿，亚历山大。
2023年《英国文学史及选读》(吴伟仁著)课后答
案
《英国文学史及选读》(吴伟仁著)内容简介
PART I THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD
Beowulf
PART II THE ANGLO-NORMAN PERIOD
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
PART III GEOFFREY CHAUCER
The Canterbury Tales
(General Prologue)
Popular Ballads
Robin Hood and Allin-a-Dale
Get Up and Bar the Door
Sir Patrick Spens
PART IV THE RENAISSANCE
PART V THE 17TH CENTURY
PART VI THE 18TH CENTURY
《英国文学史及选读》(吴伟仁著)目录
本书是作者根据英国文学历史的`顺序结合作品选读所编写的一套适合我国高等教院校英语专业使用的教材。
由于课时有限，历史部分只作了简明扼要的概述，作品选读部分，尽可能遴选了文学史上的重要作家和重要作品。
这部“史”、“选”结合的教材，分为两册出版，第一册是古代至18世纪英国文学，第二册是19划纪至20世纪英国文学。
教材内容丰富，观点正确，选文具有代表性，可作高校外文系英语专业英国文学史和文学作品选读课程的课本或参考书，也是广大中学英语教师及具有一定程度的英语自学者和英美文学爱好者进修的理想读物。
Chapter 1 Old English Literature (450 – 1066)Beowulf(1) National epicBeowulf is the first great English literary work and is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons.Chapter 2 Middle English Literature (1066 -- the 14th century)Major ContentA. Medieval romanceSubjects: Matter of France; Matter of Rome; Matter of BritainB. The Popular Ballads:Definition(1) A narrative song, or an oral form of verse.(2) Composed by common people during a long period of time.(3) An important stream of the Medieval folk literature.C. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?-1400)Messenger of Humanism; The first important realistic writer; “Father” of English poetry and Master of the English language:masterpiece: The Canterbury TalesChapter 3 Renaissance (from 14th c. to mid-17th c.)1. Renaissance(1) It marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world (from 14th c. to mid-17th c.).(2) "Renaissance" means rebirth or revival.(3) The combination of Christian (Britain’s tradition) and Greek tradition s.(4) It is stimulated by events like the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture (culture), the new discoveries in geography and astronomy (science), the religious reformation (religion) and the economic expansion (economy).(5) To get rid of old feudalist ideas and introduce new ideas of the rising bourgeoisie, to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.2. Humanism(1) To exalt human elements or stress the importance of human interests, as opposed to the supernatural, divine elements—or as opposed to the grosser赚钱的机器, animal elements.（否定旧的）(2) To see human beings as glorious creatures capable of individual development.（肯定新的2、3、4、5）(3) To emphasize the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life.(4) To believe that man does not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. （2、3的总结）(5) To express the rebellious spirit against the tyranny of feudal rule and religious domination. Representatives: More, Marlowe, Shakespeare（同renaissance一样，最后落脚到封建主义与资本主义的对立）Elizabethan PoetryI. Major Forms of Elizabethan Poetry1.Sonnet(1) A lyric poem of 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme,(形式)(2)Expressing different aspects of a single thought, mood, or feeling,（内容）(3) Iambic pentameter is essentially the meter, but here again certain poets have experimentedwith hexameter and other meters.（方法）2. Blank verse3. heroic coupletII. Selected readings (Discussion)1. Sonnet 18 (by Shakespeare)William Shakespeare(1564-1616)1. Four great tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth2. HamletContrast(a)Hamlet and Claudius: Each tries to probe into the mind of the other.Whether the king is guiltyWhether Hamlet is mad(b) MadnessReal madness v. Feigned madness (Ophelia – Hamlet)(c) Different attitudes toward vengeance(复仇):Hamlet thinks too much, delays too long.Laertes acts too rashly, thinks too little.Fortinbras is a man of both action and thoughts.(d) Inner conflict in Hamlet’s mind:strong urge to revenge vs. disillusioned view of human lifemakes him weakCould you explain Hamlet’s hesitation in action to kill his uncle from the perspective of Oedipus Complex?The study, Hamlet and Oedipus,was written by Sigmund Freud‘s colleague and biographer Ernest Jones. In particular, Jones explains Hamlet’s mysterious delay in action as a consequence of the Oedipus Complex: the son continually postpones the act of revenge because of the impossibly complicated psychodynamic(心理动力的) situation in which he finds himself. Though he hates his fratricidal(杀兄弟的) uncle, he nevertheless unconsciously identifies with him—for, having killed Hamlet's father and married his mother, Claudius has carried out what are Hamlet's own unconscious wishes.In addition, marriage to Hamlet's mother gives the uncle the unconscious status of the father—destructive impulses towards whom provoke great anxiety and meet with repression.John Donne (1572-1631)Special features(1) Conceits: (A fanciful poetic image, especially an elaborate or exaggerated comparison 奇思妙想) – metaphysical conceits refer to bringing together things that are primary unlike(2) Wit: (聪敏机智）-- the centre of Donne’s poetic method, such as the dialectical arrangementof a poem, logical reasoning, dramatic plot(3) Imagery: drawn form his interests, revealing the width of his intellectual exploration(4) Dramatic and conversational style:(5) metric skills: violating conventional and metrical regularities of rhythm and stress(1) The Flea(2) “Death, Be Not Proud”John MiltonII. His worksA. Early poetic works:LycidasB. middle prose pamphletsAreopagitican.《论出版自由》C. last great poemsParadise LostParadise RegainedSamson AgonistesParadise lostPlotsThe story it related (12 books in all)1. The fall of the angels, the tortures andthe struggles they made upon the God.2. God creates the Adam and Eve.3. Man’s disobedience.4. The banishment of Adam and Eve, theirloss of paradise .Major characters analysisSatan (Lucifer) :1. he is the first character to whom the reader is introduced, and the most complex. It has been suggested that Satan is the true "epic hero" of the piece, largely because of his epic language and heroic energy.2. he hold the self-centered perspective , arrogant, boldness and diligence in fighting with god .Adam & Eve1. Strong, intelligent, and rational character possessed of a remarkable relationship with God .2. Innocent and impulsive ,dedicative to their love .3. with the spiritual purity , her capacity for emotion, and forbearance .God1.omnipotent(全能的）character who knows everything before it happens .2. unknowable to mankind and to some extent lacks emotion and depth .Themes1.The Importance of Obedience to God .Paradise Lost presents two moral paths that one can take after disobedience:(1) The downward spiral of increasing sin and degradation, represented by Satan.(2) the road to redemption, represented by Adam and Eve.2. The Hierarchical Nature of the UniverseThe layout of the universe—with Heaven above, Hell below, and Earth in the middle—presents the universe as a hierarchy based on proximity （亲近）to God and his grace .This spatial hierarchy leads to a social hierarchy of angels, humans, animals, and devils, To obey God is to respect this hierarchy.Humankind must now experience pain and death, but humans can also experience mercy, salvation, and grace in ways they would not have been able to had they not disobeyed.On the other side, it also gives individual human beings the opportunity to redeem（救赎）themselves by true repentance and faith.Chapter4 The Neo-classical PeriodFeaturesNeo-classicism (last decades of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century)(1) Models on the classical literature of the ancient Greek and Roman writers like Homer,Virgil, Horace, Ovid, etc. and in the contemporary French writers such as Voltaire and Diderot.(2) A partial reaction against the fires of passion blazed in the late Renaissance, especially inthe Metaphysical poetry.(3) Stresses on the classical artistic ideals of order, logic, proportion, restrained emotion,accuracy, good taste and decorum.(4) Neo-classical writers are: John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Joseph Addison,Richard Steele, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Edward Gibbon, etc.(5) It had a lasting wholesome influence upon the literature of the coming generation.Alexander Pope (1688-1744)Major worksAn Essay on Criticism (1711), The Rape of the Lock (1712-14),The Dunciad (1728-42), The Essay on Man (1733-34)Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)I. Major WorksA Tale of a Tub (1704) The Battle of Books (1704)“A Modest Proposal” (1730) Gulliver's Travels (1726)II. Analysis of Gulliver's Travels (1726)(1) ThemeIt is a satire on the 18th-century English society, touching upon the political, religious, legal, military, scientific, philosophical as well as literary institutions. It takes great pains to bring to light the wickedness of the then English society, with its tyranny, its political intrigues and corruption, its aggressive wars and colonialism, its religious disputes and persecution, and its ruthless oppression and exploitation of the common people.(2) Narrative features(A) Both a fantasy and a realistic work of fiction.(B) The language is very simple, unadorned, straightforward and effective.(C) An apparent innocence and honesty of the hero and his account, the direct, truthful, detailed presentation of people and things encountered set off the biting satire and a desperate indignation of the writer.(D) Tidy structural arrangement. The four seemingly independent parts are linked up by the central idea of social satire and make up an organic whole.(E) From outward-homeward-bound motif to a darkening gradation of incident and a growingperversion of the hero; on one hand, from a chance shipwreck to man-made misfortunes and intended mutinies. The hero's attitude towards mankind changes from firm belief to doubt, further doubt, and finally to dislike.The Rise of the English Novel and DefoeDaniel Defoe (1660-1731)1. Features of his Novels(1) Picaresque tradition(2) Autobiographical form and first person narration(3) Journalistic style with great detail and specific time and space(4) LanguageDiction: plain, smooth, easy, direct, and colloquial but never coarseSyntax: long, rambling sentences without strong pauses to give his style an urgent, immediate, breathless quality, but the units of meaning are small and clear with frequent repetition so that the writing gives an impression of simple lucidity.2. A Brief Analysis of Robinson Crusoe(1) Story: a Alexander Selkirk who once stayed alone on the uninhabited island Juan Fernandez for 5 years(2) Different levels of meaning(a) Adventurous story; (b) Moral tale; (c) Commercial account; (d) Puritan fable; (e)Myth of modern civilization.(3) Theme:(a) It celebrates the strength of human rational will to conquer the natural environment.(b) Robinson is the very prototype of the empire builder, the pioneer colonist. His success was due to the sturdy qualities in his character, to his own unaided efforts, to his courage and patience, to his practical skill, and to his intelligent persistence.Chapter 5 The Romantic Period(The Romantic Movement starts in 1798 and ends in 1832)1. Definitions:Romanticism: Romanticism is a term applied to literary and artistic movements of the late 18th and early 19th century. It can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified classicism in general and late 18th-century neoclassicism in particular. It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism in general. Inspired in part by the libertarian ideals of the French Revolution, the romantics believed in a return to nature and in the innate goodness of humans, as expressed by Jean Jacques Rousseau. They emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. They also showed interest in the medieval, exotic, primitive, and nationalistic. Critics date English literary romanticism from the publication of William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads in 1798 to the death of Sir Walter Scott and the passage of the first reform bill in the Parliament in 1832.2. Romantic poets:a. William Blake (1757-1827)Poetical Sketches (1783) (a collection of youthful verse with notes of joy, laughter and love) Songs of Innocence(1809) (presenting a happy and innocent world, though not without itsevils and sufferings)Songs of Experience(1794) (painting a different world, a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy tone)Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790) (marking Blake's entry into maturity)b.William Wordsworth (1770-1850)c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)Major worksPoems: a. the demonic poemse.g. (1) “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”; (2) “Christabel”; (3) “Kubla Khan”b. the conversational poemse.g. “Frost at Midnight” “Dejection : an Ode”d. George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)e. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)"Ode to the West Wind” (1819f. John Keats (1795-1821)Odes: The odes are generally regarded as Keats's most important and mature works.“Ode on a Grecian Urn”g. Jane Austen (1775-1817)William Wordsworth (1770-1850)All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings which originates from emotion recollected in tranquility.I. Major works(1) Lyrical Ballads (1798)(2) Prelude, or Growth of a Poet’s Mind (1850)II. Selected readings(1) “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”Main ideaThe poem is crystal clear and lucid. By recounting a little episode, the poet gives a description of the scene and of the feelings that match it. Then he abstracts the total emotional value of the experience and concludes by summing that up. Below the immediate surface, we find that all the realistic details of the flowers, the trees, the waves, the wind, and all the accompanying sensations of active joy, are absorbed into an over-all concrete metaphor, the recurrent image of the dance, which appears in every stanza. The flowers, the stars, the waves are units in this dancing pattern of order in diversity, of linked eternal harmony and vitality. Through the revelation and recognition of his kinship with nature, the poet himself becomes as it were a part of the whole cosmic dance.Paraphrase(1)I, alone, walked slowly around the valleys and hills, like a lonely cloud moving slowly over. Suddenly, I saw bundles and bundles of golden daffodils growing beside the lake or under the trees. In the breeze, the daffodils moved lightly and quickly as if they were dancing. Paraphrase(2)The yellow flowers fluttered and danced without a stop just like the stars that shine and change their light in the Milky Way. These flowers grew in a long line that extended without an end along the edge of a bay. I had a quick look at the ten thousand flowers when they moved their heads asthey were dancing lively.Paraphrase(3)The waves in the lake next to the daffodils also danced together; but the joyful daffodils danced better than the glimmering waves. I was very cheerful because I have such pleasant companions. And I couldn't help looking steadily and admir ing at the daffodils for a long time, but I didn’t realize at that moment that the scene of the dancing daffodils had brought me something to be cherished forever.Paraphrase(4)Very often, when I recline on my couch, feeling empty or thinking deeply and sadly, dancing daffodils emerge in my mind and inspire my solitary heart. This is the very happiness and comfort for me, a lonely being. Thus my heart, dancing with the golden daffodils, will be full of satisfaction and happiness.George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)Major works(1) Childe Harold's Pilgrimage(2) Don JuanThe Byronic Hero(1) A proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin.(2) With immense superiority in his passions and powers.(3) To right all the wrongs in a corrupt society.(4) Rise single-handedly against tyrannical rules with unconquerable wills and inexhaustibleenergies.Percy Bysshe Shelley(1792-1822)1. Major works(1) Queen Mab (1813) (2) Prometheus Unbound (1819)(3) lyrics: "Ode to the West Wind” (1819)“The cloud” “To a Skylark” (1820)(4) Adonais (1821) (5) In Defence of Poetry (1822)"Ode to the West Wind"Ode: The ode is a lyric poem of some length, dealing with a lofty(崇高的) theme in a dignified manner. (praising and glorifying an individual,Commemorating纪念an event, or describing nature intellectually rather than emotionally).Themes(1) The cycle of the seasons(2) Destroyer and preserver(3) Wind sweeps across the land.(4) Wind sweeps across the sky.(5) Wind sweeps across the ocean.(6) Wind and man:Young: tameless, radical, brave, passionate, energetic, courageous, with strong imagination Old: tamed, conservative, inactive, indifferent, cold, loss of imaginationJane Austen (1775-1817)1. Characteristics of her works(1) Chief InterestMain concern is about human beings in their personal relations, human beings with theirfamilies and neighbors.(2) Narrownessthe range of experience.The subject matter, the character range, the moral setting, physical setting and social setting, and plots are all restricted to the provincial or village life of nineteenth-century England, absolute accuracy and sureness by never stepping beyond the limits of her knowledge.3. The Works of Jane AustinSense and Sensibility (1811),Pride and Prejudice (1813),Mansfield Park (1814),Emma (1816)Persuasion and Northanger Abbey (published posthumously by her brother in 1818)4. Pride and Prejudice (First Impressions )(1) Themesgood judgment (pride and prejudice)love and marriage(a) those who marry for money, position and property,(b) those who marry just for passion(c) and those who marry for love which is based on consideration of t he person’s personalmerit as well as his economical and social status.(3) Selected readingMain idea:The selection is the first chapter of the novel, in which the parents of the Bennet girls are busy considering the prospects of their daughters’ marri ages shortly after hearing of the arrival of a rich unmarried young man, Mr. Bingley, as their neighbor.In this selection, we can find mild satire in the author’s seemingly matter-of-fact description of the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, in the vivid portrait of the husband and the wife, and, specifically, in the opening sentence. The relationship of the husband and wife and their attitude towards each other are also subtly presented.Mrs. Bennet, an empty-headed woman, is simple and naive, eager to talk with any slight encouragement. Mr. Bennet is a man of intricate character and quick wit. His teasing tone and sarcastic humor are just beyond his wife’s understanding.Homework1. The characterization in Pride and PrejudiceHow many types of characters have been portrayed in this novel? Who are they? What are their characteristics?2. Austen’s Marital View reflected in Pride and Prejudice.Chapter 6The Victorian Period(Reign of Queen Victorian from 1836 to 1901)Major ContentA.Charles Dickens (1812-1870)1. Major works: Early period: The Pickwick Papers; Oliver Twist; David CopperfieldLate Period: Bleak House; A Tale of Two Cities; Great Expectations2. Special FeaturesB. William M. Thackeray (1811-1863)1. Some features of his works2. V anity FairC. Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)Jane EyreD. Emily Bronte (1818-1848)Wuthering HeightsE. Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)F. Robert Browning (1812-1889)“My Last Duchess”G. George Eliot (1819-1880)Middlemarch(1872)H. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)The Victorian Period and DickensCharles Dickens (1812-1870)Major worksThe Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great ExpectationsAnalysis of Great Expectations(1) StoryPip, Joe Gargery, Miss Havisham, Estella , Magwitch, Biddy, Satis House(2) Themes(a) A novel about "great expectations", or dreams and disillusions.(b) The personal development of Pip from a innocent, honest boy to a vain, selfish, snobbish young gentleman. The painful experience in the struggle to grow up, to “climb up” or to succeed in the commercialized world.The Bildungsroman("novel of formation") is a genre of the novel which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. The genre arose during the German Enlightenment.A Bildungsroman tells about the growing up or coming of age of a sensitive person who is looking for answers and experience. Usually in the beginning of the story there is an emotional loss which makes the protagonist leave on his journey.Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)“All his novels present the losing struggle of individuals against the obscure power which moves the universe.1. Major worksThe Return of the Native (1878) , The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) Tess of D’Urbervilles (1891) Jude the Obscure (1896).2. A brief analysis of Tess of D’Urbervilles(1) The storyMajor characters: Alec, Tess, Angel Clare (a triangle)(2) ThemesA.determinism(a) Tess, a pure woman, wages a loosing battle against the evil society 纯真的少女vs.邪恶的社会(b) Once a thief, always a thief. Once a victim, always a victim. Although Tess is a beautiful, innocent, honest, sweet-natured, and hard-working country girl, she can not avoid being played with by fate.Determinism & NaturalismDeterminism refers to the belief or theory that human actions and events are controlled by and result from causes that determine them. Characters who illustrate determinism act without free will in accordance with forces beyond their control.Naturalism: A post-Darwinism movement in the late 19thcentury that tried to apply the “laws” of scientific determinism to fiction. The naturalists went beyond the realists’ insistence on the objective presentation of the details of everyday life and insisted that materials of literature should be arranged to reflect a deterministic universe in which a person is a biological creature controlled by this environment and heredity. There is an emphasis of chance or coincidence and the character’s p assivity in naturalistic works, and the toner is rather pessimistic. Major writers of British literature include Hardy and Gissing.B. Criticism of social conventions of VictorianEngland (ideas of social class as well as thesexual double standard);A Patriarchal Society(男权制的社会): men dominating women(3) Structure(a)A cyclical pattern, divided into three parts. The first part is a prelude, telling how Tess leaves home and encounters Alec. She was seduced by Alec and comes back home disgraced. This is the first cycle, beginning in May and ending in August.(b) The second part is the main love story meeting with Angel at Talbothays. It begins in May, reaches its climax at the turning of the year and ends in the following winter.(c) The last part represents her decline. Forced by poverty, Tess returns to Alec until Angel comes to claim her. In shame and anger, Tess kills Alec, and is finally arrested and executed. This part starts in winter and ends in spring.Chapter 7 The Modern Period( the early decades of 20th century, before WWWI)A. Joseph ConradHeart of Darkness (1902)B. Oscar Wilde (Art for Art’s sake)Major works: The importance of Being EarnestC. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)Greatest dramatist in modern time in British literary history, won Nobel Prize in 1925.Major Works: PygmalionD.Virginia WoolfA novelistMajor Works: Mrs. Dalloway, The Waves, To the LighthouseStream of Consciousness is a narrative mode that se eks to portray an individual’s point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character’s thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.。
---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 英国文学史及作品选读Chapter 5Chapter VThe English Renaissance(1550-1642)2013-7-1411/ 19莎士比亚生平莎士比亚写作生涯的四个阶段Shakespeare’s Writing CareerBirthplace 出生地2013-7-14Shakespeare’s LifeThe Royal Theatre皇家剧院1564-16162---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ The birthplace of Shakespeare at Stratford2013-7-14 33/ 19Royal Shakespeare Theatre2013-7-14 4---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 1. Historical background? The Elizabeth Age (1558-1603): England enjoyed peaceful development under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, who maintained a balance of between the Protestants and the Catholics.? The War with Spain:in 1588, English navy defeated the Spanish Armada, which accelerated the awakening English people’s national consciousness;2013-7-14 55/ 19? The enclosure movement: Many peasants were forced to leave the land and settled down in towns. The two opposite classes came into being, the capitalist and the laboring class. ? Reformation: It was a return to pure Christianity-cleansing the church of all the corruption. English Reformation was triggered by Henry VIII’s divorce and remarrying.2013-7-14 6---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 2. Renaissance and Humanism:? (1) Renaissance: a French word, meaning “rebirth”. The art and science of ancient Greece and Rome were being rediscovered after long years of neglect. ? (2) English Renaissance had two impulses— humanist reverence for the classics and English pride and sense of national identity. ?(3) Humanism is the essence of the renaissance emphasizing the dignity and potential of the individual and the worth of life in this world.2013-7-14 77/ 19Literature from 16th to 17thC.? Translation occupied an important place in the English Renaissance. The translated classical works of Greek and Latin; theKing James Bible(in 1611 under the auspices of James , a monument of english language and english literature) ? A large amount of books describing discoveries and adventures. ? Poetry and plays2013-7-14 8---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ Poets and writers? Thomas More(1478-1535): an English politician and writer.his work Utopia describes his ideal of a perfect society. He was a powerful adviser to King Henry Ⅷ, but he opposed the king’s divorce and refused to accept him as the head of the Church of England. For this the king put him into prison and ordered his head to be cut off.2013-7-14 99/ 19? Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) 托马斯.怀亚特English diplomat and poet who was the first to introduce the sonnet form into English literature. ? Philip Sidney(1554-1586) 菲利普.锡德尼 English poet, soldier, and politician. His most important works are the sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella(十四行组诗《爱星者和星星)and the collection of pastoral idylls Arcadia(田园诗集《阿卡迪亚》), both published posthumously. ? ThomasCampion托马斯.坎皮恩(1567-1620) English poet and composer of songs for voice and lute. ? Edmund Spenser(1552?-1599)埃德蒙.斯宾塞:English poet known chiefly for his allegorical epic romance The Faerie Queene (1590-1596 《仙后》 ). His other works include the pastoral Shepeardes Calendar (1579 《牧羊人的日历》 ) and the lyrical marriage poem Epithalamion (1595 《祝婚歌》 ).2013-7-14 10---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ ? John Lyly(1553?-1606)约翰.黎里: English playwright and novelist who wrote a number of comedies that influenced English drama.His novel Eupheus ? Thoma Loge ? Christopher Marlowe(1564-1593)克里斯托弗.马洛English playwright and poet whose development of blank verse influenced Shakespeare. His plays include Tamburlaine the Great (c. 1587 《帖木耳大帝》 ) and Edward II (c. 1592《爱德华二世》 ). ? Robert Greene (1558?-1592)罗伯特.格林English writer noted for his plays, such as Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (c. 1589 《弗里亚· 培根和弗里亚· 邦奇》 ).2013-7-14 1111/ 193. The flourishing of drama:? The reason for the flourishing of drama; ? Th e structure of the Elizabethan theatre; ? “The University Wits”: Robert Greene; Thomas Kyd; Christopher Marlowe. They were the predecessors to Shakespeare: ? Christopher Marlowe: The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus2013-7-14 12---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 4. William Shakespeare (1564-1616):? Life: ? 1564, Born in Stratford-on-Avon, ? Ca. 1588-1592, in London as actor and playwright; ? Ca. 1592-98, devotes himself mainly to chronicle histories and comedies; ? Ca. 1601-1609, period of the greatest tragedies and romantic comedies ? Ca. 1610, retires to Stratford; ? 1616, died.2013-7-14 1313/ 194.1 Shakespeare’s Sonnets:– Sonnet: A fixed form of lyric poetry that consist of fourteen lines, usually written in iambic pentameter. There are two basic types of sonnets, the Italian and the English Sonnet.?2013-7-1414---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ ? Shakespeare’s sonnets: Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. The first group was addressed to a Mr. W. H. The second group was addressed to a Dark Lady. ? Shakespeare’s sequence suggests a story. Certain motifs are evident. ?2013-7-14 1515/ 19? “Sonnet 18”: the immortality of Art; ? “Sonnet 29”: eulogy of friendship; ? “Sonnet 66”: criticizing social injustice.2013-7-1416---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 4.2 Shakespeare’s Plays:Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in all. His writing career can be roughly divided into four stages: ? 1. 1592-1594: a period of experimentation. (The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew) ? 2. 1595-1600: period of rapid growth and development (Middle Summer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It ) ? 3. 1601-1608: period of gloom and depression, (Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth) ? 4. 1608-1612: restored serenity, a period of calm (The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest )2013-7-14 1717/ 194.2.1 Hamlet? (1) Hamlet: It supports a massive variety of interpretations and understandings; It reflects the nature of humanity in the universe; the play is about the relationship in human life between thought and action. ? (2) Hamlet’s "tragic flaw”: the imbalance between his active and passive natures; the moral question of suicide in a malevolent universe; the question of Hamlet's sanity ? (3) “To be or not to be” soliloquy: It's human nature to feel cowardly and ineffective when you're unable (or too smart) to take decisive (or rash) action.2013-7-1418---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 4.2.2 Romeo and Juliet :? ? ? ? ? Shakespeare’s earliest success in tragedy; Setting: Verona, a city in Italy; Two families in feud: Montague, Capulet Main characters: Romeo, Juliet, Friar Laurence Romeo sees Juliet at the Capulet’s ball, falls in love with her and stands beneath her balcony. ? Despite the family feud, a pair of innocent lovers express their love for each other. ? Butterfly Lovers is often considered as A Chinese Version of Romeo and Juliet . Make a comparative study of the two.2013-7-14 1919/ 19。
TheRenaissance英国文学文艺复兴时期总结The RenaissanceThis is a greatest and most advanced revolution in the human history. This is the age the giants are needed and produced.------F. Engles<1> Brief introductionRenaissance in European history, refers to the period between 14th century to 17th century. It started in Italy and ended in England and Spain.“Renaissance” means “revival”, the revival of interest in Ancient Greek and Roman culture and getting rid of conservatism in feudalist Europe and introducing new ideas that express the interests of the rising bourgeoisie.Renaissance sprang first in Italy (Florence and Venice) with the flowering of paintings, sculpture and architecture, and gradually spread all over Europe;Renaissance originally indicated a revival of classical arts and science (ancient Greek and Roman culture) after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism.During the period of Renaissance:1. the Roman Catholic Church was shaken,2. old sciences revived and new sciences emerged,3. national languages and cultures took shape,4. art and literature flourishedBrief introductionThere arose an interest in the manuscripts surviving from ancient Greece and Rome. Classical learning and philosophy were enthusiastically studied.The intellectual wisdom of ancient Greece and Romeencouraged a rebirth of human spirit，a realization of human potential for development and creation．Never before in human history were men and women so eager to create and discover something new．In Italy a group of artists，scientists，politicians，and writers created the most brilliant page of culture and science in Renaissance Europe．Examples:①Copernicus (哥白尼) asserted that the earth was not the center of the universe；②The passionate Petrarch produced sonnets that influenced Shakespeare and many others；③Boccaccio(卜伽邱) wrote tales of eternal charm: The Decameron；④Marco Polo (马可波罗) made journeys into the remote kingdom of China；⑤Michelangelo（米开朗琪罗），Leonardo da Vinci (达芬奇)，Raphael (拉斐尔)，and Titian (提香) createdpaintings and sculptures that are invaluable treasures of the world．<2>Essence and featuresEssence: It is the reflection of the rise of bourgeoisie in the sphere of cultural life.（另版本）：Renaissance, in essence, is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to:to get rid of conservatism in Feudalist Europe;to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie,to lift the restrictions in all areas placed by the Roman church authorities.Briefly it is the reflection of the rise of bourgeoisie inthe sphere of cultural life.Features: there are two striking features①A thirsting curiosity for the classical literature.②The keen interest in the activities of humanity.<3>Renaissance and HumanismRenaissance: the term originally indicated a revival of classical arts and science after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism. Indeed, a great number of the works of classical authors were translated into English during the 16th century.Humanism：The progressive thinkers of the humanists held their chief interest not in ecclesiastical knowledge, but in man, his environment and doings and bravely fought for the emancipation of man from the tyranny of the church and religious dogmas.Humanism is the key-note of the Renaissance. It reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class;<4>HumanismHumanism is the essence of the Renaissance. It sprang from the endeavor to restore a reverence for the Greek and Roman civilization based on the conception that man is the measure of all things.Contrary to the subordination of individuals to the feudal rules and the sacrifice of earthly life for a future life in the medieval society, Renaissance humanists found in the classics a justification to exalt human nature and came to see that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development for perfection.By emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that mandid not only have the right to enjoy life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders.<5>Features of humanism in RenaissanceEmphasizing the power, value and dignity of the human being and holding that human beings are glorious creatures The core of Renaissance thought is the greatness of man/giants. This is best summarized in the lines of Shakespeare’s Hamlet What a piece of work is man; how noble in reason; how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable; in action how like and angel; in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals.人是一件多么了不起的杰作！多么高贵的理性！多么伟大的力量！多么优美的仪表！多么文雅的举动！在行为上多么像一个天使！在智慧上多么想一个天神！宇宙的精华！万物的灵长！1. Emphasizing secular happiness and individualism against the medieval ideas of asceticism;2.shifting man’s interest from Christianity to humanity, from religion to philoso phy, from beauty and greatness of God to the beauty of human body in all its joys and pains.3. Applying Aristotle’s theory,Humanist literature mainly use realistic style and take literature as the mirror or miniature of the society.<6>Influence and English RenaissanceInfluences:1.These Italians, and many others, helped to make Italy the center of the Renaissance movement in Europe.2.The movement changed the medieval Western Europe intoa modern one．3.The intellectual wisdom of ancient Greece and Rome encouraged a rebirth of human spirit，a realization of humanpotential for development and creationEnglish Renaissance:Oxford Reformers: the Oxford reformers, scholars and humanists introduced classical literature to England. Education was revitalized and literature became more popular.This was England’s Golden Age in literature. There appeared many English literary giants such as Shakespeare, Spenser, Johnson, Sidney, Marlowe, Bacon and Donne.English Renaissance Contents●I.TheSixteenthCentury England ●II. Renaissance in England ●III. The main artistic styles●IV. William Shakespeare●V. Francis BaconI. The Sixteenth Century England1. Enclosure Movement2. The establishment of absolute monarchy3. Religious reformation4. International situation5. Cultural preparati●The background of the humanism in Europe●The introduction of printing led to an enlarged reading public and a commercial market for literature;●The great economic and political changes led to the rise of democracy;●The spirit of nationalism;●The growing of "new science” etc.Characteristics of the Elizabethan Age1. An age of comparative religious tolerance;2. An age of comparative social contentment;3. An age of dreams, of adventures, of unboundedenthusiasm;4. An age of intellectual liberty, of growing intelligence and comfort among all classes and of unbounded patriotism.II. Renaissance in EnglandThe time: mainly from the reign of Henry VIII, Edward, Mary and then to Queen Elizabeth and Jacobean Eraa. Beginning: the last years of the 15-th century---first half of the 16-th centuryb. Flourishing: the Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)c. Declining: the period of James I (1603-1625) early 17-th centuryThe flowering of English literatureThe second half of the 16th century, “a nest of singing birds”The early period:imitation and assimilation, translated works, poetry and poetic drama were the most outstanding literary forms.Sonnet: an exact form of poetry in 14 lines of iambic pentameter intricately rhymed.Blank verse: iambic pentameter unrhymedThe latter period:Drama— the real mainstream of the English Renaissance“university wits”: Lyly, Peele, Marlowe, Greene, Lodge and Nash who entered the dramatic circle between the years 1587-93. they were all of humble birth and struggled for a livelihood by writing. Through hard work, they revised old plays and wrote new ones. They made rapid progress in dramatic techniques because they has close contact with the actors and audiences. They were looked down upon by the gentlemen and suspected by the government. It was their industrious works that furnished the Elizabethan stage.Christopher MarloweWilliam ShakespeareIII. The main artistic stylesThe artistic styles as lyric poetry, narrative poetry, drama are maturized; new styles which characterized the modern literature such as sonnets, short stories and novels were produced.translation:Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Homer’s Iliad, Montaigne’s Essaystravel books:More’s Utopiapoetry: Edmund Spenserdrama: “University Wits”, Marlowe, Shakespeareessay: Francis BaconForerunner of utopian socialismAn imaginative travel narrative written in the form of conversation between More and Hythloday, a returned voyager describing an ideal state governed by reason.The subject is the search for the best possible form of government: Utopia---a community of property---a pure, pre-Marx form of communism.The Sheph erd’s Calendar 《牧人日历》: 12 pastoral poems and eclogues, one for each month, put into the mouths of speakers distinguishing themselves as shepherds, really representing Spenser and his friends.Amoretti《爱情小诗》:a series of 88 sonnets in honor of his lover Elizabeth. All except one was written in the Spenserian sonnet.Epithlamion 《婚后曲》: marriage hymns to celebrate his marriage with Elizabeth.The Faerie Queene《仙后》:The blending of religious and historical allegory with chivalric romance: a long poem planned 12 books. 12 knights for the qualities of the chivalric virtues--- the six completed books are holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice and courtesy.Fairy Queen—Queen Elizabeth, the knights as a whole --- England, the evil figures—enemies.Themes of the poem :●nationalism( celebration of Queen Elizabeth)●humanism (strong opposition to Roman Catholicism),●Puritanism (moral teaching)Spenserian stanza:it is a nine-line stanza with the first 8 lines iambic pentameter and the ninth, iambic hexameter 六步格的诗rhyming abab,bcbc,c which is the typical verse in The Faerie Queene.For its rare beauty, this verse form was much used by many later poets, esp. imitated by the romantic poets of the 19th century.Spenser’s position in English Literature:the publ ica tion of “The Shepherd’s Calendar” marks the budding of Renaissance flower in the northern island of England.The language he used was modern English which has distinguished itself from the Middle English of Chaucer's day. Spenserian stanza: a model of poetic art among the Renaissance English poets.“the poet’s poet”, the first master to make the Modern English the natural music of his poetic effusion and held his position as a model of poetic art. His influence can be traced in the works of Milton, Shelley and Keats.Life: short but riotousMajor works:Tamburlaine the Great:《帖木耳》A drama in a blank verseAbout the rise and fall of Tamburlaine the Mongol conqueror on the 14th century central Asia.A tragedy about a man who thinks he can but actually can not control his own fate.By depicting a great hero with high ambition and sheer brutal force, the author voiced the supreme desire of the man of the Renaissance for infinite power and authority.The Jew of Malta:《马耳他的犹太人》A study of the lust for wealth, which centers around Barabas the Jew, an old money lender, whose only philosophy is the art of gaining advantage.Suggestive of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.A tragic result: typically greedy of riches and gold, which is another feature shared by those in Renaissance England. ?The History of Doctor Faustus 《浮士德博士》Refer to compare with Goethe’s FaustThe Faust myth in 16th century Germany: the myth of men seeking great earthly power from demons at the cost of their immortal soul.The conventional view: Dr. Faustus is a morality play that vindicates humility, faith and obedience to the law of God. ?The new view: Dr. Faustus celebrates the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness, and also reveals man’s frustration in realizing the high aspiration in a hostile moral order.Social significance and literary achievement1.showing the spirit of the rising bourgeoisie. Its eager curiosity for knowledge, power and gold.The praise of individuality freed from the restraints of medieval dogmas and the conviction of the boundless possibility of human efforts in conquering the universe.The heroes are mainly individualists. Their individualistic ambition often brings ruin to the world and to themselves.…soul of the Age!The applause! Delight! The wonder of our stage! Triumph, my Britain, thou hast one to show To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe. He was not of an age, but for all time!William Shakespeare1. Brief Introduction2. Shakespeare’s dramaFour periods of his literary career Categories of his drama 3. the artistic features of his plays4. Shakespeare’s place and contribution5. Shakespeare’s sonnetsWhat to be at least known about ShakespeareLife: birthplace, birth date, death date, important time in his life and career●His major works: 37 plays(10histories, 10 comedies, 10 tragedies), 2 long narrative poems, 154 sonnets.Plays to be read: great comedies & 4 great tragedies●Writing features in each of four periodsI. Brief IntroductionA dramatist “not of an age, but of all time” by Ben Jonhson,not of Engla nd, but of the world.●Not only a master of English language but also a genius of character portrayal and plot construction●A “poet of reality” for his idea that literature should reflect nature and reality.●37 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long poems.II. Shak espeare’s dramaFour Periods of Shakespeare’s Literary careerFour major phrases represent respectively his early, mature, flourishing and late periods.1. Period of early experiment and apprenticeship (1590-1594)Background:A. it was in the middle of the highly thriving Elizabethan Age.B. The thoughts of humanism and the ideas of man’s emancipation, freedom of love was rapidly spread.C. Shakespeare was a young man full of astonishing versatility and wonderful talent and the great interest in the political questions of his time.Features:A. the writer made experiments in a number of dramatic forms: the historical plays, comedy, the revenge tragedy and the romantic tragedy.B. this period is distinctively marked by youthfulness and exuberance of imagination, by extravagance of witty language or speech, and by the final and frequent use of blank verse. In his hand, blank verse developed into a happy vehicle to express all kinds of thoughts and emotions (thus shaking off the rigidity of rimed and mechanic lines) .2. Period of maturity (1595-1600)Features:A. a period of “great comedies” and mature historical plays and sonnets.B. a sweet and joyful time when the writer portrays successfully a magnificent panorama of the manifold pursuit of people in real life.plays is presented: Portia, Posalynd, Voila, Beatrice, Sir John Falstaff.3. Period of gloom and depression (1601-1607)Background:A. the aggravation of the social situation: the rising of peasants, the corruption, the tension between bourgeoisie and the feudal lands.B. the change of mood in the playwright: gloomy and indignantFeatures:A. a period of “great tragedies” and “dark comedies”B. the writer gave a scathing exposition of the somber pictures and scenes of murder, lust, treachery, ingratitude and crime.C. a higher level of crafts is reached: more intricate plotting, intense inner conflict, meticulous depiction of human mind.4. Period of calm and reconciliation (1608-1612)Background:A. the fall and collapse of absolute monarchB. the retirement of the playwright back into the tranquil countrysideFeatures:A. some serenity and optimism, instead of the beginning lightness and the middle somber violence reigned.B. romantic dramas and comedies were the main form.C. moral teaching and supernatural forces were relied on to restore the rightful honor and position. These plays all show a falling off from his previous works.Categories of his dramacomedies histories tragedies romances？？Comedy is a light form of drama aiming primarily to amuse and ending happily. It often deals with people in their human state, restrained and ridiculous by their limitations, faults, bodily functions.Four Great ComdiesThe Merchant of VeniceA Midsummer Night’s DreamAs you Like itTwelfth NightComedies of the First PeriodThe keynote of his comedies:●to portray people just freed from the feudal fetters, sing of youth, love and ideas of happiness.●The heroes and heroines fight against destiny and mould their fate according to their own free will. Thus become the sons and daughters of Renaissance.●The victory of humanist ideal is inevitable. The general spirit of these plays is optimistic.The Merchant of VeniceThe double plot: one is about the Bassanio’s winning of a bride by undergoing a test; the other is about the demanding of a pound of human flesh by Shylock.The traditional theme is to praise the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, to idealize Portia as a heroine of greatbeauty, wit and loyalty and to expose the insatiable greed and brutality of the Jew.The new one is to regard the play as a satire of the Christian hypocrisy and their false standards of friendship and love, Portia: a rich heiress of Belmont in Shakespeare's comedy The Merchant of Venice.●1. Po rtia is a woman of Renaissance—beautiful, prudent, cultured, courteous and capable of rising to an emergency. She is one of Shakespear’s ideal women.●2. the young heroes in Shakespeare's comedies are always independent in character and take their own path of life.History plays aim to present some historical age or character, and may be either a comedy or a tragedy.●His histories include two tetralogies (四部曲)and two other plays. Characterizes two centuries of English history from Richard III to Henry VIII (1377-1547)●There is only one ideal king---Henry V who represents the aspiration for national unity under a powerful and efficient monarchy.The image of Henry V:Henry V is the symbol of Shakespear’s ideal kingship. He represents the upsurging patriotism of the time. In depicting Henry V as a prince and as a man, Shakespeare looks deep into the personality of his hero and shows a profound understanding of the politics and social life of the time.Theme: Shakespeare’s historical plays describe the decaying of the old feudal society an d the rising of the new forces. His historical plays sum up the necessity for national unity under a mighty and just sovereign. The idea is anti-feudal inIt is concerned with the harshness and injustice of life. They are often serious plays with sad endings.●Often the hero’s tragedy is due to a weakness in his or her character which brings self-destruction. A weakness such as the excessive pride of Faustus, the overweening ambition of Macbeth, or the uncontrolled jealousy of Othello.●In S hakespeare’s plays, he saw sharp contradictions between his lofty humanistic ideals and the evil social forces. Background for Shakespeare’s tragediesHe began to observe life with penetration, to expose mercilessly the contradiction of the Elizabethan society. The economical and social crisis which began at the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth continued right up to the English Revolution.The bourgeoisie intended to break up the yoke of absolute monarchy and struggled for free development.It was in this atmosphere of general unrest that he created his great tragedies.Four Great Tragedies All analyzing the human wickedness.●Hamlet: the hero’s weakness makes him vulnerable in fighting against the outward evil.●Othello shows how an outward evil make s use of the hero’s weakness and causes his fall.●King Lear demonstrates how man’s mistake sets free the evils of treachery, hypocrisy, flattery, selfishness and distrust.●Macbeth reveals how the outward evil stirs up the wickedness in man and destroys him.Hamlet“Hamlet” is considered the summit of Shakespeare's art.Hamlet is a man of genius, highly accomplished andeducated, a man of profound perception and sparkling wit. He is a scholar, soldier and statesman all combined. His image reflects the versatility of the man of Renaissance.Hamlet’s melancholy is not the negative, over-subtle and fruitless kind, it is the result of his penetrating mind. It expresses, in away, the crisis of humanism at the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century.III. the artistic features of his plays1. Characterization: By using comparison and contrasts, he depicts a group of individuals with strong and distinct personalities.The melancholy of Hamlet, the wickedness of Claudius and Iago, the honesty of Othello, ambition of Macbeth and the beauty and wit of Portia.2. Psycho-analytical study: He reveals the intricate inner workings of the character’s minds through the full use of soliloquies(独白).3. Structure:His plays usu. have more than one plot. Through contrast and parallel, the major and minor plots are woven into an organic whole.the device of a play within the play also plays an important part.4. Language: Shakespeare is a master of the English language, with a large vocabulary of 16000 English words. More important are the figurative speeches such as analogy and metaphor.5. style: realistic style. The reader may be impressed by the typical speech modes —the question in Hamlet, the ambiguities in Macbeth, the exclamations and very simple but also very basic questions in King Lear.IV. Shakespeare’s place and contributionOne of the founder of realism in world literature. Living in the historical period of the transition from feudalism to capitalism, he paints a panorama of the decline of the old feudal nobility and the rise of new bourgeoisie.Amazing prolificacy. In 22years, nearly 40 plays, no two of which evoke the same feeling or image among the audience, a master of every forms of drama.Skilled in many poetic forms. The songs, sonnets, couplets, esp. at home with blank verse, which became a vehicle of utterance to all the possible sentiments of his characters.A great master of English language. He has an amazing wealth of vocabulary and idiom. He is known to have used 16,000 different words. His coinage of new words and distortion of the meaning of the old ones also create striking effects on the reader.He was universally regarded are the summit of English Renaissance. His influence on later writers is immeasurable. Almost all English writers after him have been influenced by him either in artistic point view, in literary form or in language.SonnetDefinition:A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter with a carefully patterned rhyme scheme.Origin:A form of lyric al poetry was originated in Italy. “sonnet” was derived from Provencal (普罗旺斯语) “Sonet”. It was once a short popular poetry used for singing in the medieval age.Italian poet Petrarch was the major representatives of the poets who used this poetic form. He wrote altogether 375 sonnets, dedicated to his lover. That is the Petrarchan sonnet.Sonnet was introduced into England by Thomas Wyatt . It flourished in the 1590s and reach its peak of popularity with the surge of Renaissance in England.Two types of sonnetThe Italian, or Petrarchan sonnet :Petrarchan SonnetThe Italian form, in some ways the simpler of the two, Its fourteen lines break into an octave （八行诗）(or octet), which usually rhymes abba,abba, and a sestet （六行诗节）, which may rhyme cdecde or cdcdcd, or any of the multiple variations possible using only two or three rhyme-sounds.It usually projects and develops a subject in the octave, then executes a turn at the beginning of the sestet, which means that the sestet must in some way release the tension built up in the octave.Example: see Wyatt's "Farewell Love and all thy laws for ever."Farewell, LoveSir Thomas Wyatt (1503~1542)Farwell, Love, and all thy laws forever,Thy baited hooks shall tangle me no more; Senec and Plato call me from thy lore,To perfect wealth my wit for to endeavor,In blind error then I did persever,Thy sharp repulse, that prickth aye so sore, Hath taought me to set in trifles no store And’ scape forth since liberty is lever Therefore farewell, go trouble younger hearts, And in me claim no more authorityWith idle youth go use thy property,And therein spend thy many brittle darts,For hitherto though I have lost all my time, Me lusteth no longer rotten boughs to climb. 别了，爱，以及你所有的法则，你上饵的钩子不再能把我缠绞，塞内克与柏拉图叫我离开你那套，并尽我才智把完美的财富获得。
