The Anglo-Saxon PeriodI.1. _______________ can be termed England 's national epic and its hero Beowulf —one of thenational heroes of the English people.2. The literature of Anglo-Saxon period falls naturally into two divisions, -- _____ and _______ .The former represents the poetry which the Anglo-Saxons probably brought with them in the form of , --the crude material out of which literature was slowly developed onEnglish soil; the latter represents the ________ developed under teaching of the monks.3. The Song of Beowulf reflects events which took place on the ______ approximately at thebeginning of the 6 th century, when the forefathers of the ___ lived in the southern part ofthe _______ .4. The old English poetry can be divided into two groups: the ________________ poetry and the______ poetry. (secular, religious)5. _________ is the oldest poem in the English language, and also the oldest surviving epic inthe English language. (Beowulf)II.1. _____ is the first important religious poet in English literature.A. John DonneB. George HerbertC. CaedmonD. Milton2. In Anglo-Saxon period, Beowulf represented the _______ poetry.A. paganB. religiousC. romanticD. sentimentalIII. Define the literary terms1. EpicIt is, originally, an oral narrative poem, majestic both in theme and style. Epics deal with legendary or historical events of national or universal significance, involving action of broad sweep and grandeur. Most epics deal with the exploits of a single individual. The characteristics of the hero of an epic are national rather than individual. Typically, an epic includes several features: the introduction of supernatural forces that shape the action; conflict in the form of battles or other physical combat; and stylistic conventions such as a n invocation to the Muse, a formal statement of the theme, long lists of the protagonist involved, and set speeches couched in elevated language. Examples include the ancient Greek epics by Homer, Iliad and Odyssey, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser and The Paradise Lost by John Milton.2. AlliterationA repeated initial consonant to successive words.The Anglo-Norman PeriodI.1. In the year _______ , at the battle of _____________ , the Normans headed by William, Dukeof Normandy, defeated the Anglo-Saxons.2. The literature which Normans brought to England is remarkable for its bright, romantic tales of and , in marked contrast with the and _____________________________ of Anglo-Saxon poetry.3. The literature of the An gio -Norma n period was of three classes: the matter of _____________ ;matter of _________________ ; matter of __________ .4. after the _________Conq uest, feudal system was established in En glish society. (Norma n)5. The most prevale nt kind of literature in feudal En gla nd was _______________ . It was a longcomposition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventure of a no ble hero. (roma nee)Geoffrey ChaucerI.1. Geoffrey Chaucer, the “____________________ ”and one of the greatest narrative poets ofEn gla nd, was born in London in or about the year 1340.2. Being specially fond of the great ______________ w riter Boccaccio, Chaucer composes a longnarrative poem ___________ , based upon Boccaccio 'poem __________ .3. Chaucer greatly contributed to the founding of the English literary Ianguage, the basis of whichwas formed by the ________ dialect, so profusely used by the poet.4. Chaucer'masterpiece is _____________ , one of the most famous works in all literature.5. The Prologue is a sple ndid masterpiece of _________ portrayal, the first of its kind in thehistory of En glish literature.6. In his greatest work, The Can terbury T ales, Chaucer created a strik in gly brillia nt andpicturesque pano rama of his ______________ and his _____________ .7. Chaucer' work is permeated with buoyant free-thinking, so characteristic of the age of whose immediate forerunner Chaucer thus becomes.II. Define the literary terms1. Roma neeIt is a literary genre popular in the Middle Ages, dealing, in verse or prose, with legendary, super natural, or amorous subjects and characters. The term was applied to tales specifically concerned with knights, chivalry, and courtly love. Popular subjects for romances included the Macedo nian King Alexa nder the Great, King Arthur of Brita in and the kni ghts of the Round Table, and Emperor Charlemag ne.2. BalladIt is a lyric poem gen erally of three eight-l ine sta nzas with a con cludi ng sta nza of four lines called an envoy. With some variations, the lines of a ballad are iambic or anapestic tetrameter rhyming ababbcbc; the en voy, which forms a pers onal dedicati on to some pers on of importa nee or to a personification. The ballad became popular in England in the late 14 th century .Ren aissa neeI. Complete the following statements with a proper word or a phrase accord ing tothe textbook.1. The 16th century in England was a period of the breaking up of ______________relati ons and the establish ing of the foun dati ons of _________ .2. The 16h century was a time when, according to Thomas More, “”.3. The term ___ originally indicated a revival of classic Greek and Roman arts andscie nces after the dark ages of obscura ntism. (Re naissa nee)4. ________ broke off with the Pope, dissolved all the monasteries and abbeys inthe country, confiscated their lands and proclaimed himself head of5. The old En glish aristocracy hav ing exterm in ated in the course of ________ , anew n obility, totally depe ndent on the ki ng 'power, came to the fore.6. At the beginning of the 16 th century the outstanding humanist ________ wrotehis Utopia in which he gave a profound and truthful picture of the people' sufferi ngs and put forward his ideal of a future happy society.7. Edmund Spenser was the author of the greatest epic poem of the time, ______ .8. The greatest of the pioneers of English drama was ________ who reformed thatgenre in En gla nd and perfected the Ian guage and verse of dramatic works.9. William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd of April, ___________ , in _______ ,Warwickshire.10. _______ speaks the famous To be, or not to be”11. Shakespearessonnets fall into two series: The first 126 sonnets are addressed toa young man, and the rest (except the last two on es) are addressedto ______ .(dark lady)12. The four great tragedies in Shakespearesmature period are ____ , _________ ,______ a nd __________ . (Hamlet, Othello, Ki ng Lear, Macbeth)13. Pope describe _____ asthe wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind'.14. Of Baconsliterary works, the most important are the ________ .II. Define the literary terms listed below.1. Renaissanee:Renaissanee, meaning rebirth' or revival',marks a transition from the medieval to the moder n world. Gen erally, it refers to the period betwee n the 14 and mid-17 centuries. It first started in Italy, with the flowering of painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature. From Italy the movement spread to the rest of Europe. It is a movement stimulated by a series of historical eve nts, such as the rediscovery of an cie nt Roma n and Greek culture, the new discoveries in geography and astrology, the religious reformatio n and the econo mic expa nsion.Humanism is the essenceof the Renaissance.The Renaissancehumanist thinkers found that huma n beings were glorious creatures capable of in dividual developme nt in the directi on of perfecti on, and that the world they in habited was theirs not to despise but to question, explore, and enjoy. To them, nothing was impossible to accomplish. Thus, by emphasiz ing the dig nity of huma n beings and the importa nee of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and perform won ders.2. Sonnet It is a lyrical poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme Traditionally, whe n writ ing sonn ets, En glish poets usually employ iambic pen tamete.O ne of the best-k nown sonnet writers is Shakespearewho wrote 154 of them. A Shakespearea n sonnet consists of 14 lines, and each line is written in iambic pentameter The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, in which the last two lines are a rhymed couplet.3. Allegory: a tale in verse or prose in which characters, or settings represent abstract ideas or moralqualities. An allegory is a story with two meanings : a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning4. Humanism: Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.lt emphasizes the dig nity of huma nbeings and the importa nce of the prese nt life. Huma ni sts voiced their beliefs that man was thecen ter of the uni verse and man did not on ly have the right to enjoy the beauty of the present life, but had the ability to perfect himself and perform won dersIII. Literary Comprehe nsion and An alysisShall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darl ing buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heave n shi nes,And ofte n is his gold complexi on dimmed, And every fair from fair sometime decli nes,By cha nce, or n ature's cha nging course un trimmed: But thy eter nal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possessi on of that fair thou ow'st,Nor shall death brag thou wan der'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.Questi ons:1. By means of what comparison does the author achieve this movementfrom tan gible to intan gible? Trace his logic to show his moveme nt2. What does this” refer to in the last line? What is the speaker 'purpose in writing his eternallines and what conditions are necessary for his purpose to be carried out?1. The author first compares the youth with a summer day, but then says that the youth ismore gen tle tha n a summer day. He expla ins that the summer can be imperfect withthe destructive wind and the hot sun, which will be dimmed by overcast and clouds.Then he announ ces that the youth will possess eter nal beauty and perfect ion, thusachieves his movement from the tangible natural objects to the intan gible youth.2. This” refers to the poem written by the author. He wants to dedicatethis poem to the pers on described in the poem. The con diti on is that as long ashuma ns live and breathe on earth with eyes that can see, this is how long theseverses will live. And these verses celebrate the youth and con ti nu ally renew theyouth 'life.IV. An swer the followi ng questio ns briefly.1. Can you say something about Shakespearescharacterization?Shakespeare is particularly good at character portrayal. During his long dramatic career, he has created a variety of lifelike characters. The major characters in his plays are not simply type ones represe nting certa in group or class of people, but are in dividuals with stro ng and dist inct pers on alities. To achieve this, Shakespeare makes freque nt use of comparis ons and con trasts by portray ing the characters in pairs or setting them against one another. He also individualizes his characters by emphasiz ing each on e s do minant and unique qualities, such as the mela ncholy of Hamlet, the wickednessof Claudius, the honesty of Othello, the ambition of Macbeth, and the beauty and wit of Portia. In additi on, Shakespeare had made profound psycho-analytical studies of his characters by revealing the intricate inner work ings of their minds through the full use of soliloquies, from which we can see the breadth and depth of the characters thoughtful feelings.2. What is the central theme of The Merchant of Venice?The central theme of the play is the triumph of love (between Portia and Bassanio) and friendship (between Antonio and Bassanio) over insatiable greed and brutality (as represe nted by Shylock). And the play exalts the ingenious heroine Portia and the two great frie nds who she eve ntually saves from the barbarous clutches of the villa in (Shylock). A completely happy ending is brought about whe n the villa in is puni shed, the mercha nt 'ships all come about home and the three pairs of lovers live happily ever after. Such a conclusion was natural for the playwright as well as for his Elizabetha n audie nee, whe n an ti-semitic sen time nts was prevaili ng in London. Yet even in such an environment, in Shylock s vociferous complaints of his sufferings result ing from racial discrim in ati on and religious persecuti on, we can hear quite unm istakably Shakespearesow n voice speak ing on the Jew s behalf, and with great vehemenee sympathizing with the oppressed Shylock while condemning racial persecuti on in gen eral. That Shakespeareshould sometimes condemn Shylock and sometimes sympathize with him has led to much confusion for Shakespearean scholars and critics and the gen eral read ing public, and hence the play has bee n regarded as not a pure comedy but a tragic-comedy.3. What do the four heroes in Shakespeare s great tragedies have in com mon?All of them face the in justice of huma n life and are caught in a difficult situatio n and their fate is closely conn ected with the fate of the whole n ati on. Each hero has his weakness of nature: Hamlet, the melancholic scholar-prinee, faces the dilemma betwee n acti on and mind; the old Ki ng Lear who is un willi ng to totally give up his power makes himself suffer from treachery and in fidelity; Macbeth ' lust for power stirs up his ambition and leads him to incessant crimes; and Othello was a brave man, but outside the battlefield he had in securities.4. The Renaissanee period of British Literature.The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the early 16th century to the 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that many cultural historians were believed originated in northerin Italy in the 14th cen tury.The esse nceof the Ren aissa nceis huma ni sm, which spra ng from the en deavor to restore a medieval reverence for the ancient authors. It is frequently taken as the beg inning of the Ren aissa nceon its con scious, in tellectual side, for the Greek and Roman civilization was based on such a conception that man is the measure of all thi ngs.This era in English cultural history is sometimes referred to as f he Age of Shakespeare or f he Elizabethan Era.Playwrights, such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare, composes theatrical represe ntati ons of the En glish. Poets such as Edm und Spen ser and Joh n Milt on produces works that dem on strates an in creased interest in understanding English Christian beliefs, such as the allegorical representation of the Tudor Dynasty in The Faerie Queene and the retelling of mankin d'fall from paradise in Paradise Lost. Neari ng the end of the Tudor Dyn asty, philosophers like Sir Thomas More and Sir Francis Bac on published their own ideas about humanity and the aspects of perfect society, pushing the limits of metacognition at that time.The 17th cen tury ExerciseI. Complete the followi ng stateme nts with a proper word or a phraseaccord ing to the textbook.1. The 17th century was a period when absolute monarchy impeded the furtherdevelopme nt of ____________ in En gla nd and the bourgeoisie could no Ion gerbear the sway of __________ .2. There are religious division and confusion and a long bitter struggle between thepeople s Parliame nt and the Throne-- _______ fighting aga inst the _______ whohelped the king.3. In 1653, Oliver Cromwell imposed a military dictatorship on the country; after hisdeath mon archy was aga in restored. It was called the period of the ________ .4. in ____ , the Glorious Revolution took place.5. The Glorious Revolution meant three things: the supremacy of _____________ ,the beg inning of ________ , and the final triumph of the prin ciple of ______ .6. The puritans believed in ____ of life.7. Restoration created a literature of its own, that was often ______________ a nd, but on the whole and . The most popular genre was that of whose chief aim was to entertain thelicentious aristocrats.8. The first thing to strike the reader is Donne's extraordinary frankness andpen etrati ng ___________ . The n ext is the ________ which marks certa in ofthe lighter poems and which represe nts a con scious react ion from the extreme of woma n en couraged by the Petrarcha n traditi on.9. The poems of John Donne belong to two categories: the youthful love lyrics, andthe latter _______ . (sacred verses)10. Milt on opposed the ________ and gave all his en ergies to the writ ing of__________ d edicated to the peopl6sliberties.11. Paradise Losttells how ___ rebelled against God and how Adam and Eve weredrive n out of ________ .12. Paradise Lospresents the author sviews in an _________ form.13. Paradise Lostc on sists of _______ books. It is based on the ________ lege nd ofthe imagi nary proge nitors of the huma n race-- _______ and __________ .14. Joh n Milt on s Paradise Lost ends with the departure of ___________ from theGarde n of Ede n. (Adam and Eve)15. Paradise Lost is a long epic divided into 12 books, the stories of which are takenfrom ______ . (The Old Testame nt)16. Milt on gave us the only ________ since Beowulf, and Bunyan gave us the onlygreat ________ .17. Bunyans most important work is ______ , written in the old-fashioned, medievalform of ___________ and _________ .18. _______ is the most successful religious allegory in the En glish Ian guage. (ThePilgrim s Progress)19. The Pilgrim s Progress begins with a man called _______ setting out with a bookin his hand a great load on his back from the city of _________ .20. _______ is famous for his metaphysical con ceit, that is, a comparis on betwee nthe two strikingly resembling objects. (John Donne)21. Sams on Ago ni stewas writte n by ____ . (Joh n Milt on)22. ff thou be est he —but oh how fallen! How unchanged /From him! —who in thehappy realms of light,/clothed with transcendent brightness,/did stoutsh in e/Myriads, though bright …” are the lines from Milt on s _______ spoke nto Beelzebub by ______ . (Paradise Lost, Sata n)II. Define the literary terms listed below1. Metaphysical poetryThe term metaphysical poetry ” is commonly used to designate the works of the 17th cen tury writers who wrote un der the in flue nee of Joh n Donne. Pressuredby harsh, un comfortable, and curious age, the metaphysical poets sought to shat the traditions and replace them with new philosophies, new sciences,new worlds and new poetry. Thus, with a rebellious spirit, they tried to break away from the conventional fashion of Elizabethan love poetry, in particular the Petrarchan tradition, which is full of refi ned Ian guage, polished rhy ming schemes and eulogy to ideal love, and favored in poetry for a more colloquial Ianguage and tone, a tightness of expressi on and the sin gle-min ded work ing out of a theme or argume nt. Their poetry offers logical reas oning of the objects, psychological an alysis of the emoti ons of love and religi on, prefers the no vel and the shock ing, uses the metaphysical con ceits, and ignores the conven ti onal metric devices. Since Joh n Donne links up a wide range of ideas, explores a complex attitude of the mind, and uses his wit and ingenious con ceits to put huma n experie nces into poetry, he is gen erally regarded as the leadi ng member of the school.2. Carpe Diem; A tradition dating back to classical Greek and Latin poetry and particularly popularamong English Cavalier poets. Carpe Diem means literallyseize the day'that is, live for today”3. Genre: A literary species or form, e.g., tragedy, epic, comedy, novel, essay, biography, lyric poem. III.IV. An swer the follow ing questi ons.1. Comment on John Donnesstyle.Most of Donne' poems employ a central speaker who takes effort to argue, to persuade, to an alyze or to con fess. His voice resembles that of stage character 'sin the sense that the messagesare conveyed in conversations, though in most cases, only the voice of one talker can be heard. TakeThe Fleaas an example, the man ' crafty persuasi on, the woma n 'grow ing an ger, the killi ng of the flea, and the man ' cunning response are vividly and immediately shown through the man 'part in the dramatic con versati on.Daily used Ian guage is exploited to a great exte nt, capable of describ ing a large scale of human experiences and feelings, from passions most sensual and earthly to religious devotion, from mellifluous love to black sorrow of love's lost, from mischievous mockery to serious moral satire. The colloquial style of talking, together with Donne 'sin comparable wit in edifice and Ian guage, fills hispoetry with mobile images and moods, which can be easily felt and touched. The tone of the cen tral speaker varies from sweet pleadi ng to scor nful disparageme nt, from bold bragg ing to plain confession, from self-meditation in tranquility to cold philosophical analysis of an observer. Usually, it is not hard to find an argumentative speaker who makes a full use of his dialectic and erudition to persuade himself, his lady, God, the sun, the moon, etc. The various tones and roles taken by Donne s poetic speakers secure his poetry form monotony. Actually, Donne 'dramatic con versati on style en ables him to devour all kinds of experie nces in life and to put them into poetry.2. What is the central theme of Paradise Los? Give a brief analysis ofSata n.The central theme of Paradise Lost is taken from the Bible and deals with the Christian story of f he fall of man” that is, how the first man and woman in the world, Adam and Eve, were tempted by Satan to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Kno wledge, and how they were con seque ntly puni shed by God and drive n out of paradise, with the prospect n evertheless of the eve ntual redempti on of mankind by Jesus Christ. The purpose of the epic is, as the poet himself makes clear in the first book, to j ustify the ways of God to man” The essentially religious nature of the poem comes n aturally from Milt on 'ferve nt belief in Christia nity as a Purita n, but this belief is itself a revolt against the established doctrines of the Catholics and of the An glica n Church as he in sisted on the freedom of each in dividual to in terpret the Bible for himself.The epic seems to be a purely religious poem, both from its biblical story content and from its purpose as declared by the author, but actually the poem contains much revolutionary content, which is revealed chiefly through the poet' apparently sympathetic treatme nt of the revolt of Sata n and his followers aga inst God. And here we see in the poem Milton ' inner contradiction, between Milton the Puritan and Milt on the republica n or bourgeois revolutio nist, for in the former capacity the poet was or should be wholly on the side of God but because of his revolutionary sympathies he showed himself frequently uttering his own fiery words of rebellion aga inst tyranny through the speeches of Sata n and his adhere nts. Especially in Book I and II which have bee n gen erally bee n con sidered as the best parts of the epic on acco unt of the powerful poetry in the umcompromis ing speeches of the devil and his followers, the contradiction becomes most obvious as Satan and his mates in their cries for freedom an d against tyranny directly attack God for holding the tyranny of heaven” and the poet as a rebel against tyranny seems to show tacitly but quite definitely his sympathy for and even approval of such rebellious and sacrilegious sen time nts.The 18th Cen tury ExerciseI. Filling the blanks1. The en lighte ners repudiate the false religious doctri nes about the _____ o f huma n n ature,and prove that man is born _______ and ________ , and if he becomes depraved, it is onlydue to the in flue nee of _______ social environment.2. We study eighteenth century writings in three main divisions: the reign of so-called, therevival of ________ poetry, and the begi nnings of the moder n _______ .3. The 18th century En gla nd is known as the Age of En lighte nment or the Age of ____ .4. If the cen sure of Yahoos could any way affect me, I should have great reason to compla inthat some of them are so bold as to think my book of travels a mere fiction out of mine own brain.” This quotation is selected from ________________________________ .(Gulliver 'Travels)5. The Yahoos are attacked by the writer n amed _______ in his fan tasy work beari ng the title_______ . (Jonathan Swift , Gulliver 'Travels)6. The image of an enterprising Englishman of the 18th century was created by Daniel Defoe inhis famous novel _____ .7. Henry Fielding has been regarded as “_______ ”, for his contribution to the establishment ofthe form of the modern novel. (Father of the English Novel)8. In his world-famous novel _____ Jon atha n Swift typified the bourgeois world, drew ruthlesspictures of the depraved aristocracy and satirically portrayed the whole of the En glish State system.9. The excit ing tale of Robinson Crusoe is largely ____ story, rather tha n the study of ______ .10. Jonathan Swift was born of English parents in _______ .11. Of all the romantic poets of the 18 th century, Blake is the most ______ and the most _____ .12. ___________ are in marked contrast with The Songs of Innocence. The brightness of theearlier work gives place to a sense of ____ and mystery, and of the power of _________ .13. Robert Burns ' poetry is bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of the _______ com monpeople.14. Elegy Witte n in a Country Churchyard by __________ is take n as a model of sen time ntalistpoetry, esp. the Graveyard School15. Friday is a character in the novel ________ .16. Auld Lang Synewritten by __________ d eals with friendship and has long become a universalparting song of all the En glish-speak ing coun tries (Robert Burns)II. Define the literary terms:1. En lighte nment:The eightee nth-ce ntury En gla nd is known as the Age of En lighte nment or the Age of Reas on. The En lighte nment was a progressive in tellectual moveme nt going on throughout Europe at the time, as France in the van guard. The En lighte nment celebrated reas on (rati on ality), equality, scie nce and human being 'ability to perfect themselves and their society. The movement was based on the basic theories provided by the philosophers of the age, for example, Joh n Locke s materialism, David Hume s skepticism. Whatever philosophical beliefs they might have, they held the com mon faith in huma n rati on ality and the possibility of huma n perfecti on through educati on. They believed that whe n reas on served as the yardstick for the measureme nt of all huma n activities and social relations, superstition, injustice, privilege and oppression were to yield place to eternal truth ”， eternal justice ”,a nd natural equality ” or in alie nable rights of men. The belief provided theory for the French Revolution in 1789 and the American War of Independence in 1776.Alexa nder Pope, Joseph Addis on, Richard Steele, Jon atha n Swift, Dan iel Defoe, Henry Fieldi ng, and Samuel Joh nson were the famous en lighte ners in En gla nd.2. Gothic no vel:The term Gothic” derived from the frequent setting of the tales in the ruined, moss-covered castles of the Middle Ages, but it has bee n exte nded to any no vel which exploits the possibilities of mystery and terror in gloomy, craggy Iandscapes, decaying mansions with dark dungeons, secret passages, instruments of torture, ghostly visitations, ghostly music or voices, ancient drapes and tapestries behind which lurks no one knows what, and often, as the central story, the persecutio n of a beautiful maide n by an obsessed and haggard villa in. These no vels, in rebelli on against the increasing。
