英国文学名词解释综合版(总15页) --本页仅作为文档封面，使用时请直接删除即可----内页可以根据需求调整合适字体及大小--名词解释：1, Humanism: a variety of ethical theory and practice that emphas izes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and often rejects the importance of belief in God. It fo-cuses on human values and concerns, attaching prime importance to hum an rather than divine or supernatural matters. 人道主义2, Renaissance: the period of European history at the close of t he Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world; a cultural rebirth from the 14th through the middle of the 17th centuries. The renais sance was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intell ectual life in the early modern period. Beginning in Italy, and spre ading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, religi on, and other aspects of intellectual inquiry. Renaissance scholars em ployed the humanist method in study, and searched for realism and hu man emotion in art. 文艺复兴3, Spenserian stanza: a fixed verse form invented by Edmund Spens er for his epic poem The Fae-rie Queene. Each stanza contains nine lines in total: eight lines in iambic pentameter followed by a single 'Alexandrine' line in iambic hexameter The rhyme scheme of these lines is "ababbcbcc." 斯宾塞第二节诗4, Metaphysical poets: The metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of B ritish lyric poets of the 17th century, whose work was characterized by the inventive use of conceits, and by speculation about topics such as love or religion. 玄学诗5, Lake Poets: The Lake Poets are a group of English poets who all lived in the Lake District of Eng-land at the turn of the nineteenth century. The three main figures of what has become known as the Lakes School are William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey 湖畔诗6, Beowulf: It is the oldest poem in the English language and t he most important specimen of Anglo-Saxon literature. The main stories are based on the folk legends of the primitive northern tribes. It is a pagan poem, which presents us an all-round picture of the tribal society. 贝奥武甫7, Byronic hero: The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in rev enge, yet capable of deep and strong affection 拜伦式英雄8, Romanticism: Romanticism is a literary and artistic movement, w hich prevailed in England from 1798 to 1832. It is concerned with the expression of the individual's feeling and emotions and stressed s trong emotion as a resource of aesthetic experience.浪漫主义9, Ode: a lyrical verse written in praise of, or dedicated to s omeone or something which captures the poet's interest or serves as an inspiration for the ode. 颂诗,赋(有特殊主题,多为歌颂特定人物或事的抒情诗)O~ to the West Wind.西风颂(雪莱 (Shelley) 的诗)O~ on a Grecian Urn.希腊古瓮之歌(济慈 (Keats) 的诗)10, University Wits: The University Wits were a group of late 16 th century English playwrights who were educated at the universities and who became playwrights and popular secular writers. Prominent memb ers of this group were Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, and Thomas Nashe from Cambridge, and John Lyly, Thomas Lodge, George Peele fro m Oxford. 大学才子11, Sentimentalism: Sentimentalism stresses on material senses as being spiritual and/or consid-ers soul to be material, thus anything done on sentimental level is more or less materialistic rather than spiritual/transcendental. 情感主义12, Alliteration: Alliteration refers to the repetition of a parti cular sound in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases. Alliteration has developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to the poem's me-ter, are stressed. Alliteration is commonly used in many languages, e specially in poetry. 头韵13,Glorious Revolution: the name of the overthrow of King James I I of England (James VII of Scot-land and James II of Ireland) by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of Orange). William's successful invasion of England w ith a Dutch fleet and army led to his ascending the English throne as William III of England jointly with his wife Mary II of Englan d. In 1688, William of orange landed at torbay and marched upon Lon don. This takeover was smooth, with neither bloodshed, nor any execut ion of the King, which became known as the glorious revolution. 光荣革命14, Norman Conquest: the invasion and conquest of England by an army of Normans and French led by Duke William II of Normandy. William, who defeated King Harold II of England on 14 Octo-ber 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, was crowned as king on Christma s Day 1066. He then consoli-dated his control over England and settled many of his followers in England, introducing a number of governmental and societal changes t o medieval England. 诺曼征服15, Ballad: A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular po etry and song of the British Isles from the later medieval period u ntil the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later t he Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many ballads were written an d sold as single sheet broadsides. The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ball ads. In the later 19th century it took on the meaning of a slow f orm of popular love song and the term is now often used as synony mous with any love song, particularly the pop or rock power ballad.歌谣16 .Free verse : Free verse has no overall rhyme scheme, nor basic meter informing the whole poem. Ezra pound advised poets to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in the sequence of the metronome. Charles Olson advised poets t compose by listening to their own breath. Walt Whitman created an impressive rhythm by accumulation: keeping writing long lines of approximately the same length and causing the pause to recur at about the same interval after each line. 自由体诗17. Open form, Free verse, Prose Poem问答题：1. Humanism was a study first done in the renaissance. instead of l earning only about god and religion, people, for the first time, sta rted to just think about ourselves as people characteristics of human ism include anatomy, classicism, nature, realism, reason and learning, religion, individualism, youth, and perspective.2, Sonnet 18 theme of man and the natural world. On one level, Son net 18 is clearly concerned with the relationship between man and th e eventual, inescapable death he’ll encounter in nature. On another level, the poet also seems fascinated by the relationship between sea sonal weather and personal, internal "weather" and balance. Sonnet 18 Theme of Literature and Writing Like much of Shakespeare’s work, S onnet 18 is all about writing and expressing one’s self through lan guage. This is, at its clearest, a poem about the power of the wri tten word over death, fate, and possibly even love. Sonnet 18 Theme of Time The speaker of Sonnet 18 is absolutely fixated on fate and mortality, but believes he’s come up with an effective time machi ne: poetry. Sonnet 18 is addressed to a friend, not to a woman!!! Shakespeare compares his friendship to a summer's day. Friendship is unlike summer not changing and it is everlasting. Friendship is likea mild and eternal summer.3 movement of RomanticismThe historical issues and developments of the time played a major role in provoking and shap-ing the new literary movement of Romanticism. The Industrial Revolutio n, its urbanization of Eng-lish life, and its abuses against the working class called for a ch ange in literary concerns and style. The basis aims of romanticism w ere various: a return to nature and to belief in the goodness of m an; the rediscovery of the artist as a supremely individual creator; the exaltation of senses and emotions over reason and intellect. 4，Charlotte BronteIn this novel, Charlotte Bronte pours a great deal of her own exper iences, such as the life at Lo-wood School and life as a governess. One of the central themes of the book is the criticism of the bourgeois system of education. An other problem raised by Charlotte in the novel is the posi-tion of woman in society. Jane Eyre is an orphan child with a fier y spirit and a longing to love and be loved. She is poor and plai n but she dares to love her master, a man superior to her in many ways. As a little governess, she is brave enough to declare to th e man her love for him. She cuts a com-pletely new women image. She represents those middle-class working women who are strug-gling for recognition of their basic rights and equality as a human being.5，metaphysical poetry——complex, highly intellectual verse filled with intricate and far-fetched metaphors. John Donne is considered the greatest of the metap hysical poets.6 Swift's proseAnother important feature of Swift's prose is that he uses the commo n touch. In other words, everybody can understand his language that is why even children can read his books with so much enjoyment. Als o, Swift addresses people as rational and political beings, making th em his equals. Swift wrote in a very plain and downright style. He didn't use any embellishment. At times, when Swift was writing seri ous stuff this same plain style appears dry but when writing humorou sly, this same plainness gives his wit a singular edge. Swift didn't use ornate or rhetorical language.7 the general relation of Normans and SaxonsAfter the Norman Conquest, the general relation of Normans and Saxo ns was that of master and servant. One of the most striking manifes tations of the supremacy of the conquerors was to be seen in the l anguage. The Norman lords spoke French, while their English subjects retained their old tongue. For a long time the scholar wrote in Lat in and the courtier in French. There was al-most no written literature in English for a time. Chronicles and rel igious poems were in Latin. Romances, the prominent kind of literatur e in the Anglo-Norman period, were at first all in French. By the end of the four teenth century, when Normans and English intermingled, English was onc e more the dominant speech in the country. But now it became someth ing different from the old Anglo-Saxon. The structure of the language remained English, and the common words were almost all retained, though often somewhat modified in f orm. But many terms employed by the Nor-mans were adopted into the English language.8 The character Shylock, in Shakespeare's The Merchant of VeniceThe character Shylock, in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, is po rtrayed as a beastly monstrosity, with a lust for Antonio's life. Shylock is clearly a villain in the sense that he takes repeatedly takes advantage of people in vulnerable economic situations and makes a handsome living in this way. He is not an inherently likable ch aracter throughout “The Merchant of Venice”by Shakespeare; he avo ids friendships, he is cranky, and he is steadfast in his beliefs t o the point of being ri-gid. Shylock is also a man who is unreasonable and self-thinking, demanding Shylock is a man who is hardly likable in all a spects throughout “The Merchant of Venice”.9 Robinson Crusoe is one of the protagonists drawn most successfully in English novels. Through his characterization of Crusoe, Defoe des cribes him as a hero struggling against nature and hu-man fate with an indomitable will, and highly praises his creative l abor, physical and mental, an allusion to the glorification of the b ourgeois creativity when it was a rising and more energetic class in the initial stage of its historical development.10 In Shakespeare's Hamlet, a ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle, Cla udius, is responsible for the death of his father. Hamlet is driven to reveal the truth of his father's death and seeks to avenge his murder to achieve justice. In his quest to right the wrongdoing, H amlet delays acting toward justice for many reasons. The main factor for Hamlet's hesitation is attributed to his self-discipline. He lacks of ability to act on his emotions. Hamlet is an intelligent, moral, and reserved character. He restrains himself to act rationally and not on emotion. This hesitation is a tragic flaw for Ham-let, but in order to resolve the truth, it is necessary. Hamlet has doubts about the validity of the ghost; he is too rational a char acter to seek revenge on Claudius based on a conversation with a su pernatural spirit. He is unsure whether it was his father's ghost, or some evil deity trying to trick him.英国文学问答题:Questions: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 Hamlet3. What, after all, makes people lose their determination to take action Please explain in relation to the so-called hesitation of Hamlet.4. What does Romeo compare Juliet to in the beginning passage of the selection5. What is Romeo and Juliet’s attitude toward being a Montague or a Capuletdoes Romeo mean when he says “Look thou but sweet, /And I am proof against their e nmity”7.What’s your understanding on the utterance “to be or not be”8. Briefly comment on the characteristics of Hamlet’s personality. were Shakespeare’s major tragedies written What did he write about in his tragediesAnswers for reference:1. Nobody can predict what he will dream of after he falls asleep.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, butdoesn’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 kno ws if he dies, nobody will comfort his father’sghost. He is in face of great dilemma.4. Sun.5. They would give up their names for love’s sake.6. Only if you are kind to me, their hatred cannot hurt me.7. “To be or not to be” means to live or end one’s life by self-destruction. Hamlet has already spoken of suicide as a means of escape, and he dwells on it in a later part of this very speech, giving however a different reason for refraining. The notion that in the words “or not to be ” he is speculating on the possibility of “something after death”---whether there is a future life –cannot be entertained for a moment. The whole drift of the speech shows his belief in a future life. Practically the whole speech has become proverbial as an outpouring of utter worldly weariness.8. Hamlet is the typical of humanists under the pen of Shakespeare, who is characteristic of the perfection and perseverance in personality embodied in the Renaissance superman. As Ophelia tells us that he had been the ideal Renaissance prince___ a soldier, scholar, courtier, “the glass of fashion and the mold of form.” But since his father died and his mother hastily remarried, there is transition in his character. He was in the state of depression, melancholy and delay of revenging. Why Because he realizes, as a humanist, what his real duty lies in. So he pretended to be mad, melancholy, depressed and slow in action. By large, he is very sensitive, resourceful and has his own ideas, and the essence of his revenging his father is not for himself or for the bloody family feuds and hatred but lies in punishing the social corruptions, the wrongs, praising the good, and setting it right. As humanist himself he is all alone, detaching himself from the mass, which is the major reason why he failed himself.9. Shakespeare’s main tragedies were written during the period of gloom and depression, which dated from 1600 to 1607.Shakespeare’s great tragedies are associated with a period of gloom and sorrow in his life. During this period, England witnessed a general unrest, and social contradictions became very sharp. What caused the writer’s personal sadness is unknown to us. It is generally attributed to the political misfortune of his friend and patron, Earl of Essex, who was killed by the queen.10.What was the keynote of the Renaissance Can you define itAnswer: Humanism was the keynote of the Renaissance, reflecting the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. The humanists advocated the emancipation of man, tried to have the new evaluation of man and his powers, fought for equality and justice and opposed feudal tyranny and religious obstinacy.11.What are Shakespeare’s four great comedies and four great tragedies Answer: The four great comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream As You Like itThe Merchant of Venice Twelfth NightThe four great tragedies: Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth12.What is the theme of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18Answer: Only literature (“eternal lines”, “this”) can contend with time,and literature is created by man, so in the final analysis, this poem glorifies man’s greatness and immortality, which is a feature of the Renaissance Period.:13.According to Bacon, what studies chiefly serve for14.According to Bacon, what are the disadvantages of studies15.According to Bacon, what is the relationship between studies and life experiences16.According to Bacon, different people have different attitudes toward studies, please name some.17.According to Bacon, what way should we have toward studies18.According to Bacon, how studies exert influence over human character19.Please list at least 4 major works written by Francis Bacon.Answers:13.Studies serve 1)for delight, 2)for ornament, and3) for ability. Their chiefuse for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgement and disposition of business.(3points)14.1)To spend too much time in studies is sloth; 2)to use them too much forornament, is affectation; 3) to make judgement wholly by their rules, is the humour of a scholar. (3points)15.1)Studies perfect nature, and are perfectec by experience: 2)for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; 3)and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be boundedin by experience. (3points)16.1)Crafty men contemn studies, 2)simple men admire them, and 3)wise men use them; 4)for they teach not their own use; 5)but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation.(3points)17.1)Read not to contradict and confute;2) nor to believe and take for granted; 3)nor to find talk and discourse;4) but to weigh and consider. (3points)18.1)Histories make men wise; 2)poets witty; 3)the mathematics subtile;4)natural philosophy deep; 5)moral grave; 6)logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in morse. (3points)19.1)Advancement of Learning, 1605; 2)New Instrument,1620; 3)New Atlantis, 1626; 4)Essays, 1625.(3points)Austen:Questions:20. Why do you think of How can you characterize her21. What do you known about Jane Austen’s writing styleAnswers for reference:20. 1) She is mean, her only care is to marry her daughter to rich young men ; 2) She is simple and foolish, even cannot understand her husband’s ironical words. 3) She loves her daughter , though she doesn’t understand them ,but what she do is only for their happiness rather than herself.21. 1) keen observation of society around her , good ear for conversation, use of mild, irony and penetrating Style, clarity, economy, skillful dialogue, tight plotting, simple and clear. 3）Readers can find sth of themselves, comfort, tranquility, escape in her novels.22.Tell the story of Pride and Prejudice.Answer: Bingley, a rich bachelor, takes Netherfield Park, and brings there his friend Darcy. Bingley falls in love with Jane, and Darcy is attracted to her next sister Elizabeth, but offends her by his proud behavior. He proposes to her but is rejected. Her prejudice against him increases as more misunderstanding arises. After many twists and turns, however, things are cleared up, and the two couples are happily united.23.In Jane Austen’s surroundings, what were the only importantissues in lifeAnswer: In Jane Austen’s surroundings, marriage, inheritance of property and maintenance of social prestige were the only important issues in life.24. On what issues were Jane Austen’s novels centeredAnswer: Her novels were centered on such issues as marriage, inheritance of property and maintenance of social prestige.25. From what book is the following paragraph taken Who wrote it“Elizabeth, feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of his situation, now forced herself to speak; and immediately, though not very fluently, gave him to understand that her sentiments had undergone so material a change, since the periodto which he alluded, as to make her receive with gratitude and pleasure his present assurances. The happiness which this reply produced, was such as he had probably never felt before; and he expressed himself on the occasion as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do. Had Elizabeth been able to encounter his eye, she might have seen how well the expression of heartfelt delight, diffused over his face, became him; but, though she could not look, she could listen, and he told her of feelings, which, in proving of what importance she was to him, made his affection every moment more valuable.”Answer: It is taken from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.26. Who said the following From what book is it taken“I cannot give you credit for any philosophy of the kind. Your retrospections must be so totally void of reproach, that the contentment arising from them is not of philosophy, but, what is much better, of innocence. But with me, it is not so. Painfulrecollections will intrude which cannot, which ought not, to be repelled. I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles,but left to follow them in pride and conceit. Unfortunately an only son (for many years an only child), I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves (my father, particularly, all that was benevolent and amiable), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world; to wish at least tothink meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own. Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.”Answer: It was said by Darcy. It is taken from Pride and Prejudice.27. D o you agree with the statement “it is a tr uth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune mustbe in want of a wife” WhyAnswer: To make the statement really true, it would be better to omit “in possession of a good fortune”. The original statement actually is only t he wishful thinking of Mrs. Bennet and is rather ironically amusing. Marriage and money have no relationship at all. We cannot define a man by his possession of fortune; marriage is something really holy and people marry because they fall in love with each other, not with moneyBronte:Questions:28.What’s the theme in Jane Eyre29.Please show your understanding on the love between Jane Eyreand Mr Rochester .Answers for reference:28.1) Jane Eyre is not only a love story; 2) it is also a plea forthe recognition of the individual’s worth and 3) sex equalitythat Women attempt to assert their own identity within the male-dominated society.29.Though poor and plain, Jane Eyre, who had a strong will of life,tried hard to get her rights of equality. She left the man verymuch who was about 20 years older than she and richer. She justwanted him to treat her equally. She was great because her lovemade disillusioned Rochester happy again. Mr. Rochester was a manfull of life’s misery, yet he loved Jane truly a nd respected her very much. That’s why he got her love.30. Why does Jane Eyre decide to stay with Mr. RochesterAnswer: She has always loved him. She doesn’t really want to marry St John. She once left Mr. Rochester because he was already married to Bertha, not because she stopped loving him. The call she hears at the window of “Jane! Jane!” makes her think Rochester is in trouble, so she goes back to find him.31.Tell the story of Jane Eyre.Answer: Jane becomes a governess for Rochester, who falls in love with her, and she with him. They are about to be married when Jane, learning that Rochester has a wife, a lunatic, flees from the house. She is taken in and cared for by Rev. Rivers. Meanwhile, a great misfortune befalls Rochester: he loses his sight during a fire in the house, set by his mad wife. Hearing that Rochester is penniless and disabled, Jane Eyre hurries to him and becomes his wife.32.Why is Jane Eyre so popularAnswer: The heroine is plain and poor; the heroine is the first female character to claim the right to feel strongly about her emotions and act on her convictions; such a psychologically complex heroine had never been created before.33. Who said the following From what book is it taken“Cruel, cruel deserter! Oh, Jane, what did I feel when I discovered you had fled from Thornfield, and when I could nowherefind you; and, after examining your apartment, ascertained that you had taken no money, nor anything which could serve as an equivalent!A pearl necklace I had given you lay untouched in its little casket; your trunks were left corded and locked as they had been prepared for the bridal tour. What could my darling do, I asked, left destitute and penniless And what did she do Let me hear now.”Answer: It was said by Mr. Rochester. It is taken from Jane Eyre.Dickens:Questions:34. How do you understand Pip’s so called “Great Expectation”35. Please explain the reason that Great Expectation is a so-called bildungsroman or growth novel.Answers for reference:(简略版)34.1) W hen he was young,he wanted to become a blacksmith like Joe, hisbrother in law. 2) When he met Havisham and fell in love with Estella, his expectations changed: to raise his social status and become a gentleman, get a better education and then marry Estella. 3) When Pip discovered that his benefactor was in fact a convict, his “greatexpectation” turned out to be bubble, beautiful but transient.Pip finally realized the money and social status is not the most important thing in life. W hat’s important is love and loyalty. M an's true value has nothing to do with his money and status.35.It is the novel of the growth and development of the hero Pip.There is absence of parents for Pip who is raised by his sisterand brother-in-law; As a gentleman, Pip condescends people oflower class, losing sight of the generous, kind aspect of being a gentleman; He is tested and drawn to destructive love etc.36.Tell the story of the excerpt from Great Expectations you haveread.Answer: One night, a familiar figure comes into Pip’s room –- the convict Magwitch, who surprises Pip by saying that he, not Miss Havisham, is the source of Pip’s fortune. He tells Pip that he wasso moved by Pip’ boyhood kindness that he had dedicated his life to making Pip a gentleman, and made a fortune in Australia for that very purpose. Magwitch is caught and sentenced to death, and Pip loses his fortune.37.What is the theme of the excerpt from Great Expectations youhave readAnswer: Affection, loyalty, and conscience were considered more important than social advancement and wealth38.From what book is the following paragraph taken Who wrote it“Nothing was needed but this； the wretched man， after loading wretched me with his gold and silver chains for years, had risked his life to come to me, and I held it there in my keeping！ If I hadloved him instead of abhorring him; if I had been attracted to him by the strongest admiration and affection，instead of shrinking from him with the strongest repugnance； it could have been no worse. On the contrary， it would have been better，for his preservation would then have naturally and ten derly addressed my heart.”Answer: It is taken from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.39.How do you evaluate the meeting of Pip with Magwitch。
