2021年自考《英美文学选读》（英）新古典主义时期：Alexander popeII. Alexander pope1. 一般识记His life & careerEnglish poet & satirist，born in London，England，May 21，1688，died in Twickenham，England May 30，1744.Pope is one of the fore-most satirists in world literature as well as a great poet. He wrote witty & polished verses ridiculing the behavior of his day. Pope’s mock-heroic poem The Rape of the Lock is one of the finest examples of English comic verse. He made his name as a great poet with the publication of An Essay on Criticism in 1711. His Dunciad is a scathing attack on dullness & pedantry in literature. He also composed verse essays on philosophy，literature，& criticism. In An Essay on Man，he brilliantly expressed the philosophical trends & concepts of his age.2. 识记Pope’s literally outlookAs a representative of the Enlightenment，Pope was one of the first to introduce rationalism to England. He was the greatest poet of his time. He strongly advocated neoclassicism，emphasizing that literary works should be judged by classical rules of order，reason，logic，restrained emotion，good taste & decorum. According to Pope，almost every genre of literature should have some fixed laws & rules. Prose should be precise，direct，smooth & flexible，Poetry should be lyrical，epical，didactic，satiric or dramatic，& drama should be written in the Heroic Couplets (iambic pentameter rhymed in two lines); the three unities of time，space & action should be strictly observed; regularity in construction should be adhered to，& type characters rather than individuals should be represented.3. 识记His major works1) The Rape of the LockA delightful burlesque of epic poetry，it ridicules the manners of the English nobility. The poem is based on an actual incident in which a young nobleman stole a lock of a lady’s hair.2) An Essay on CriticismHis first important work，An Essay on Criticism was a long didactic poem in heroic couplets. In this work，he reflected the neo-classical spirit of the times by advocating good taste，common sense & the adherence to classical rules in writing & criticism. The whole poem is written in a plain style，hardly containing any imagery or eloquence &therefore makes easy reading.3) The DunciadGenerally conside red Pope’s best satiric work，The Dunciad goes deep in meaning & works at many levels. Its satire is directed at Dullness in general，& in the course of it all the literary men of the age. Poets mainly who had made Pope’s enemies，are held up to ridicule. But the poem is not confined to personal attack.Dullness as reflected in the corruptness of government，social morals，education & even religion，is expertly exposed & satirized.4. 领会His language stylePope’s works are still enjoyed for their sp arkling wit，good sense & charm of expression. After Shakespeare，he is the most widely quoted poet in English literature. He workedpainstakingly on his poems，developed a satiric，concise，smooth，graceful &well-balanced style.5. 应用Selected ReadingsAn Excerpt from Part 2 of An Essay on Criticism.An Essay on Criticism is a didactic poem written in heroic couplets. It consists of 744 lines &is divided into three parts. It sums up the art of poetry as up held & practiced by the ancients like Aristotle，Horace，Boileau，etc. & the eighteenth century European classicists.In Part 2，Pope advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of conceit or the external beauty of language but to pay special attention to True wit which is best set in a plain style.。
