英国文学史第一章知识点

2020/6/12
王利娜
夺去一只胳膊后受致命伤， 狼狈地撤退了。大家都很高兴， 第二天晚上大厅里有充满了欢乐和笑声。
但是格伦德尔还有一个母亲，她掠走了赫斯加最重要的
谋士替儿子报仇。贝奥武甫和他的同伴顺着血迹来到一个 湖边，贝奥武甫跳入水里找到了女妖并跟随她来到湖底一 个大厅里。在拼死的搏斗中，他的剑失去了作用，若不是 他碰巧拿到了古代巨人留下的一把巨剑，他在刚开始就被 击败了。他用那把剑砍下了女妖的头，并在那里发现了格 伦德尔的尸体，也砍下了它的头。他带着这些战利品回到 丹麦国王的大厅，举行盛宴，歌唱庆祝这次胜利，然后贝 奥武甫驾船回到他在高特国的家里。
幻的形式和寓意的象征，写出了1381年
农民暴动前后的农村现实。同样宣泄下
层人民情绪的还有民间歌谣 (Ballad)，
它们往往是在长时间的口头流传之后才
写定的，其中最初见于15世纪抄本的罗
宾汉歌谣，描绘了一群农民劫富济贫、
打击教会僧侣和执法吏的事迹，传诵至
今。
2020/6/12
王利娜
第二部分 文艺复兴时期文学
寓言为主要手法，歌颂作为英国民族象征
的伊丽莎白女王。斯宾塞不仅独步当时诗
坛，而且成为后世讲究诗艺的作家所仰慕 的“诗人的诗人”。
2020/6/12
王利娜
诗歌的成就还包括无韵体诗在剧本里的
成功运用。诗同剧的结合产生了这一时期 文学最骄傲的成果：诗剧。第一个成功地 使无韵体诗变成戏剧媒介的是马洛 (Christopher Marlowe)。马洛早死，但是诗 剧继续成长，经过基德、格林、查普曼、 德克、米德尔顿、马斯顿、海伍德等人的 创作实践，题材扩大，技巧更趋成熟，至 莎士比亚而集大成。
纷纷从事著述，用不同方式表达了人文主义思想， 其中有托马斯·莫尔 (Thomas More)用拉丁文写的

一、The Anglo-Saxon period (449-1066)1、这个时期的文学作品分类: pagan(异教徒) Christian(基督徒)2、代表作: The Song of Beowulf 《贝奥武甫》( national epic 民族史诗) 采用了隐喻手法3、Alliteration 押头韵(写作手法)例子: of man was the mildest and most beloved,To his kin the kindest, keenest for praise、二、The Anglo-Norman period (1066-1350)Canto 诗章1、romance 传奇文学2、代表作: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (高文爵士与绿衣骑士) 就是一首押头韵的长诗三、Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) 杰弗里、乔叟时期1、the father of English poetry 英国诗歌之父2、heroic couplet 英雄双韵体:a verse unit consisting of two rhymed(押韵) lines in iambic pentameter(五步抑扬格)3、代表作:the Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷的故事(英国文学史的开端)大致内容:the pilgrims are people from various parts of England, representatives of various walks of life and social groups、朝圣者都就是来自英国的各地的人,代表着社会的各个不同阶层与社会团体小说特点:each of the narrators tells his tale in a peculiar manner, thus revealing his own views and character、这些叙述者以自己特色的方式讲述自己的故事,无形中表明了各自的观点,展示了各自的性格。

English Literature 英国文学史笔记The Development of English LiteratureFrom the academic angle, English literature can be divided into seven periods:1. Early and Medieval English literature;2. The English Renaissance;3. The 17th C. – The Period of Revolution and Restoration;4. The 18th Century –The Age of Enlightenment5. Romanticism in England in the 1st half of the 19th century;6. The Victorian Age;7. The 20th Century Literature –Modernism and Post-ModernismChapter1 Literature of Old and Medieval Period(449—1485)1) Anglo-Saxon Period /Old English Period (449-1066)The main literary contribution of this period is the Epic, and its masterpiece is the national epic The Song of Beowulf, which is a long poem of 3182 lines about the deeds of the Teutonic (条顿)hero Beowulf in the 6th century. It is the oldest poem in the English language and the oldest surviving epic in Anglo-Saxon literature.2）The Anglo-Norman Period /Middle English Period (1066-1485)The literature of this period is greatly influenced by the Norman Conquest (1066). After the conquest, the customs and ideals known as chivalry was introduced by the Normans into England and can be reflected in literature, such as the knightly code, the romantic interest in women , tenderness and reverence paid to Virgin Mary etc.. The prevailing form of literature in the Feudal England was Romance (传奇，骑士文学).The most famous Romance was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.㈠Definitions of Literary Terms1. Couplet(对句): a couplet is two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.2. Iambic pentameter: each line has five feet of iambs; in each foot, there is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.3.Heroic Couplet(英雄偶句／双韵体): two consecutive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter. (an iambic pentameter couplet). The form was introduced into English by Geoffrey Chaucer and was widely used subsequently, reaching a height of popularity in the works of Alexander Pope.4. Blank Verse(无韵体，素体诗): unrhymed iambic pentameter.5. Epic(史诗): A long narrative poem on the adventures and great deeds of heroes.6. Frame story: a narrative that provides the framework within which a number of different stories, which may or may not be connected, can be told. (The Canterbury Tales isa collection of stories in a frame story)7. Romance: A tale in verse, embodying the life and adventures of knights. The content of Romance was usually about love, chivalry and religion.㈡Geoffrey Chaucer (about1340—1400) 杰弗里•乔叟“The Founder (Father) of English poetry‖A Londoner of bourgeois origin, the most important and influential poet in medieval England, established English as a courtly language. Geoffrey’s Chaucer’s works are often categorized in three chronological periods (the French period, the Italian period and the English period).Ⅰ.Chaucer’s Contributions①. He introduced from French the ―heroic couplet‖ to English poetry.②. He is the first important poet to write in the current English language.③. Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English language.Ⅱ.Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous work :The Canterbury Tales (1387—1400)《坎特伯雷集》an unfinished series of stories told by a group of pilgrims(about 29), who came from all layers of society(a knight, a prioress, a plowman, a merchant, a clerk, the wife from Bath, etc.), journeying from London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury. ―The General Prologue‖ told us Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. But Chaucer had actually completed only 23 stories.Scholars are uncertain about the order of the tales, and The Canterbury Tales has been passed down in several handwritten manuscripts.Ⅲ. Other works:1)The French period (to 1372): Book of Duchess (1369) 《公爵夫人之书》2)The Italian period (1372—1385): House of Fame (1379—1384) 《声誉之宫》The Parliament of Fowls (1377—1382) 《百鸟会议》The Legend of Good Women 《贤妇传说》Troilus and Criseyde (1382—1385) 《特洛伊罗斯与克丽西达》3)The English period (1387—1400): The Canterbury Tales (1387—1400) Chapter 2 Literature of English Renaissance（1485—1616）The Renaissance as a cultural movement embraced all Western Europe roughly from the 14th century to the 17th century. It first sprang in Florence of Italy and then spread to the rest of Europe (to Germany and Spain and England). ―Renaissance‖, French for ―rebirth‖, refers to the revival of interest in ancient Roman and Greek culture.During this period, the classical arts and learning were discovered again and widely studied , so the term Renaissance originally indicated a revival of classical (Roman and Greek) arts and learning after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism , it also marked the beginning of bourgeois revolution .In the Renaissance period, scholars and educators called themselves humanists and began to emphasize the capacities of the human mind and the achievements of human culture, in contrast to the medieval emphasis on God and contempt for the things of this world. So humanism became the keynote of the English Renaissance. And the greatest humanist is Thomas More, the author of Utopia. The representatives in literature are Shakespeare and Bacon. The former has the greatest contribution in drama an d sonnets while the latter’s essays are condensed and witty.代表人物：1) Thomas More（1478—1535）托马斯•莫尔Utopia 乌托邦2) Thomas Wyatt 托马斯•怀亚特He introduced sonnet into English literature引入十四行诗的第一人sonnet(十四行诗)：form of poetry intricately rhymed(间隔押韵) in 14 lines iambic pentameter3) Edmund Spenser（1522—1599）埃德蒙•斯宾塞“the poet’s poet”(诗人中的诗人) English poet whose long allegorical poem(寓言性浪漫史诗) The Faerie Queene 《仙后》is one of the greatest in the English language. It was written in what cameto be called the Spenserian stanza.Spenserian stanza：A nine-line stanza with the following rhyme scheme: ababbcbcc. The first eight lines are written in iambic pentameter. The last line is written in iambic hexameter4) Christopher Marlowe （1564—1593）克里斯托弗•马洛“the most gifted writer of the University Wits”“the forerunner of English drama”“The Father of English Tragedy” (one-man tragedy) The greatest pioneer of English drama who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama.blank verse(无韵体：不押韵的五步抑扬格) 是十六世纪英国戏剧的主要表现形式。

一、The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066)The literature：Two divisions: pagan and ChristianThe Song of Beowulf：the events which took place on the Continent at the beginning of the 6th Century，The poem tells of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, half man and half fiend, and Grendel's mother, who comes that evening to avenge Grendel's death. Fifty years later Beowulf, now king of his native land, fights a dragon who has devastated his people. Both Beowulf and the dragon are mortally wounded in the fight. The poem ends with Beowulf's funeral.Theme：the primitive people’s struggle against hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader.二、The Anglo-Norman Period(1066-1350)The Literature：The literature which they brought to England is remarkable for its bright, romantic tales of love and adventure (Romance), in marked contrast with the strength and somberness(朴实无华)of Anglo-Saxon poetry (Epic).Explanation of Sir Gawain and Green Knight：Two motifs〔主题〕1.The test of faith, courage, purity2.The test of human weakness for self-preservation三、Geoffrey Chaucer(1340?-1400〕Characteristics①His allegories and symbols are already tinged with realistic images②Chaucer’s poem is distinguished for its profound delineation of character and truthful description of human relations.The Canterbury Tales：The Host (Harry Baily) proposes a storytelling contest to pass the time; each of the 30 pilgrims (including the poet) is to tell four tales on the round trip.Major Work:1.The Legend of Good Women好女人的故事 2.The House of Fame声誉殿堂3.The Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷故事集 4.Troilus and Cressida特洛伊勒斯和克莱西5.The Parliament of Fowls百鸟会议四、The Renaissance〔16th Century〕Two features：1.A thirsting curiosity for classical literature. 2.The keen interest in life and human activities.1.William Shakespeare(1564-1616)Three Periods of his Dramatic Career and its characteristics(1)the years from 1590 to 1600,are characterized from a degree by formal and rather obvious construction and by stylized verse to highly individualized.Comedies: 1)The Merchant of Vince, 威尼斯商人2)A Midsummer Night’s Dream,仲夏夜之梦Twelfth Night,第十二夜3)As You Like It.〔皆大欢喜〕4)The Comedy of Errors, 5)The Merry Wives of Window, the years from 1601 to 1608,the most profound of his works. Tragedies:1)Hamlet哈姆雷特2)King Lear李尔王3) Macbeth麦克白4) Othello奥赛罗5)Romeo and Juliet罗密欧与朱丽叶6) Timon of Athens.(雅典的泰门〕the period from 1609-1612,principal romantic tragicomedies.The Themes of Hamlet：new themes:1.the impossibility of certainty; 2.the complexity of action;3the mystery of death;4.its exploration into man’s inner world, into human psychology through a series of soliloquy〔自言自语，独白〕.Traditional aspects of Themes ：1.Hesitation:2. Inherited Sin and Corruption(人生而有罪和堕落):3. Sons Seeking Revenge 4. Deception: Deception makes up a major motif in Hamlet. 5. Ambition6. Loyalty:7. Madness8.Empty ExistenceFeatures of Shakespeare’s Drama ：1). one of the founders of realism in world lit. 2) Skilled in many poetic forms .3). A great master of the English languagePetrarchan sonnet :The octave is eight lines long, and typically follows a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA, or ABBACDDC.The sestet occupies the remaining six lines of the poem, and typically follows a rhyme scheme of CDCDCD, or CDECDE.Shakespearean sonnet:ABAB CDCD EFEF GG The sonnet 18,16The Spencerian Sonnet:ABAB BCBC CDCD EE On His Blindness2.Francis Bacon(1561-1626)Major works:1)Advancement of Learning学术的进展2)New Instrument新工具3)New Atlantis 新大西岛; 4)Essays随笔(Of Truth; Of Friendship; Of Studies论学习; Of Wisdom for a Man’s Self)五、The Period of Revolution & Restoration 〔17th Century)Literary characteristics:Confusion; Absence of any fixed standard of literary criticism;1.John Donne (1572-1631)Metaphysical poetsA Valediction: forbidding mourningTheme:Real, complete love unites not only the bodies of a husband and wife but also their souls. Such spiritual love is transcendent, metaphysical, keeping the lovers together intellectually and spiritually even though the circumstances of everyday life may separate their bodies. Imagery:The circle 1. Marriage ring 2. Path of the planets 3. Path described by a compassThe compass Planetary trepidation Earthquakes The gold Valuable, noble, difficult to destroy Three kinds of poets.Puritan poet(清教徒派诗人), Cavalier poet(保皇派诗人),the Metaphysical poet(玄学派诗人).Literary term: Metaphysical poetry(玄学派诗歌)2.John Milton (1608-1674) An English Poet1)Paradise Lost (masterpiece)《失乐园》2)Paradise Regained《复乐园》3)Samson Agonistes 《力士参孙》4)Lycidas 《利西达斯》5) Areopagitica 《论出版自由》6)On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity《基督诞生晨颂》7)L’Allegro《快乐的人》8)Of Reformation in England 《论英国改革》9)Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce《离婚的戒律与学说》10)Penseroso《幽思的人》11)Comus 《科玛斯》Paradise Lost:It is about Satan’s rebellion against God and the expulsion(驱逐) of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.Theme :The theme of the poem is a revolt against God’s authorityOn His Blindness:theme:God judges humans on whether they labor for Him to the best of their ability.六、The Age of Enlightenment in England 〔The 18th Century〕1.Daniel Defoe:The father of the English fiction(英国小说之父〕Major works:1)The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe 《鲁滨逊漂流记》2)Captain Singleton 《辛格顿船长》3)Moll Flanders 《摩尔·弗兰德斯》4)A Journal of the Plague Year 《大疫年日记》5) Roxana 《罗克萨娜》THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOETheme:the power of the average man to preserve life and to organize economy in the face of unpromising environment.2.Jonathan Swift(1667-1745)One of the greatest masters of English prose;十八世纪杰出的政治家和讽刺小说家Major Works：1)A Tale of a Tub 《一个木桶的故事》2)Battle of the Books 《书籍之战》3)Journal to Stella 《给斯黛拉的信》4)The Drapier’s Letters《布商的信》5)A Modest Proposal 《一个温和的建议》Gulliver’s Travels 《格列佛游记》：Lilliput 小人国Brobdingnag 大人国Flying Island 飞岛国Houyhnhnm 马岛国Swift style :simple, clear, vigorous language;direct and precise prose;a master satirist;deadly(非常有效的) irony;powerful satire.3.Robert Burns(1759-1796):Scottish poet and writer of traditional Scottish folk songs.1)A Red Red Rose一朵红红的玫瑰2) Auld Longn Syne 往昔时光3)John Anderson,My Jo 约翰爱德生，我的爱人4)A Man’s a Man for A That不管那一套5) My Heart’s in the Highlands我的心在那高原上七、The 19th RomanticHistory Background:(1).Industrial Revolution and French Revolution had a strong influence in Britain literature.(2)Fighting for “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity〞also becomes British national spirit.1.William Wordsworth(1770-1850)与Samuel Taylor Coleridge,Robert Southey 同被称为Lake Poets(湖畔诗人〕Characteristics:Wordsworth’s poetry is distinguished by purity and simplicity of his language which was spoken by the peasants who convey their feelings and emotions in simple and unelaborated〔坦率的〕expressions.Major Work:Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey“丁登寺杂咏〞Wandered Lonely as a Cloud “我独自漫游像一朵浮云〞The Prelude序曲The Excursion 远足Lyrical Balas 抒情歌谣集The Solitary Reaper〞“孤独的收割者〞2.George Gordon Byron(1788-1824))he is one of the most excellent representatives of English Romanticism and one of the most influential poets of the time.Major works:1) Hours of Idleness (1807)《闲暇时刻》2)The English Bards and Scott Reviewers (1809)《英国诗人和苏格兰评论家》3)Child Harold Pilgrimage (1st two cantos1812, the later cantos 1816-1818) 《恰尔德·哈罗德游记》written in Spenserian stanza.4) The Giaour 《异教徒》5) Lara (1814)《莱拉》6)The Corsair (1814)《海盗》7) Don Juan (1819-1824)《唐璜》masterpiece8) The Vision of Judgment 《审判的幻景》9)Cain 该隐10〕She walks in Beauty 她走在美的光影里The characteristic of his poems:Byron’s poems show energy and vigor, romantic daring (bold, brave) and powerful passion.3.Persy Bysshe Shelly :one of the major English Romantic poets.Major works:1) Zastrozzi, 《柴斯特罗齐》2) The Necessity of Atheism, 《无神论的必要性》3) Queen Mab, 《仙后麦布》4) Prometheus Unbound,《解放了的普罗米修斯》5) “The Odes to the West Wind〞,“西风颂6) The Masque of Anarchy, 《暴政的行列》7) A Defence of Poetry, 《诗之辩护》8) The Triumph of Life, 《革命的胜利行列》4.John Keats“Beauty is truth, truth beauty〞.Major works:1)“O Solitude〞,“孤寂〞2)“On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer〞,“初读查普曼译荷马史诗〞3)Poems，《诗集》，his first book. 4)Endymion,《恩底弥翁》his first long poem.5)Isabella,《伊莎贝拉》6)Hyperion,《许佩里翁》7)Lamia，《莱米亚》.The great odes: (1)On a Grecian Urn，“希腊古瓮颂〞.(2)To Psyche，“心灵颂〞.(3)On Melancholy，“哀感〞.(4)To Autumn，“秋颂〞.The characteristic of his poetry, characterized by exact and closely-knit construction, sensual descriptions, and by force of imagination, gives transcendental values to the physical beauty of the world.5.Jane Austin:one of the realistic novelists.Major works:Northanger Abbey《诺桑觉寺》Sense and Sensibility《理智与情感》Pride and Prejudice《傲慢与偏见》Mansfield Park 《曼斯菲尔德花园》.Emma《爱玛》Persuasion《劝告》The characteristic of her novel:1〕She drew vivid and realistic pictures of everyday life of the country society 2〕main concern is about human beings in their personal relations, human beings with their families and neighbors3〕Stories of love and marriagePride and Prejudice：Main idea:The book mainly tells the love story between a rich, proud young man Darcy and the beautiful and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet. None of the daughters of the wealthy family can inheritthe estate (property) of the family for it has been entailed (把遗产留给) upon the nearest male heir, William Collins. Collins intends to marry and he decides to choose Elizabeth. But Elizabeth rejects his proposal. When another young man called Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, she has prejudice against him because she thinks that he has nothing but pride. After many twists and turns, misunderstanding disappears and they are happily united.Theme:1)pride and prejudice2)love and marriage八、The Victorian AgeThe Mainly three kinds of literature and its characteristics1)the Chartist literature 2)English Critical Realism 3)Victorian poetry1.Charles DickensMajor works: 1)Oliver Twist 《雾都孤儿》2)The Pickwick Papers«匹克威克外传»3)Great Expectations «远大前程» 4)David Copperfield «大卫·科波菲尔»5)Bleak House «荒凉山庄»6)Hard Times «艰难时世»7〕Little Dorrit «小杜丽»8〕A Tale of Two Cities «双城记» 9〕Dombey and Son (1847-1848)«董贝父子»10〕Our Mutual Friend «我们的共同朋友»11〕American Notes «美国札记»2.Charlotte Bronte:1)Anne Bronte(1820—1849) Agnes Grey,《安格尼斯·格雷》The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall《王尔德费尔庄园的佃户》Jane Eyre,《简爱》Themes :Love Versus Autonomy2)Emily Bronte(1818—1848) Wuthering Heights,《呼啸山庄》The theme of the novel: a full human life (完美人生) in a capitalist society was impossible of attainment (达到).They were all talented writers and all of them died young.3.Alfred,Lord TennysonMajor works:1).In Memoriam 《悼念》2). Poems, Chiefly Lyrical 《抒情诗集》3). Poems (two volumes) 《诗集》4). The Princess 《公主》5). Maud 《毛黛》6). The Idylls of the King 《国王叙事集》7. Poems by Two Brothers《哥俩集》4.Robert BrowningMajor works :1)“Home-Thoughts, from Abroad〞2)《异域乡思》“Meeting at Night〞《深夜幽会》“Parting at Morning〞《清晨离别》。

《英国文学史及选读》第一册复习要点1. Beowulf: national epic of the English people; Denmark story; alliteration, metaphors and understatements （此处可能会有填空，选择等小题）2. Romance （名词解释）3. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: a famous roman about King Arthur’s story4. Ballad（名词解释，歌谣，民谣）5. Character of Robin Hood6. Geoffrey Chaucer: founder of English poetry; The Canterbury Tales (main contents; 124 stories planned, only 24 finished; written in Middle English; significance; form: heroic couplet)7. Heroic couplet (名词解释,英雄偶句诗)8. Renaissance（名词解释）9.Thomas More——Utopia10. Sonnet（名词解释）11. Blank verse（名词解释）12. Edmund Spenser “The Faerie Queene”13. Francis Bacon “essays” esp. “Of Studies”（推荐阅读，学习写正式语体的英文文章的好参照，本文用词正式优雅，多排比句和长句，语言造诣非常高，里面很多话都可以引用做格言警句，非常值得一读）14. William Shakespeare四大悲剧比较重要，此外就是罗密欧与朱立叶了，这些剧的主题，背景，情节，人物形象都要熟悉，当然他最重要的是Hamlet这是肯定的。

英国文学史知识点 Revised by BETTY on December 25,2020一、The Anglo-Saxon period (449-1066)1、这个时期的文学作品分类： pagan(异教徒) Christian(基督徒)2、代表作： The Song of Beowulf 《贝奥武甫》 ( national epic 民族史诗 ) 采用了隐喻手法3、Alliteration 押头韵（写作手法）例子： of man was the mildest and most beloved,To his kin the kindest, keenest for praise.二、The Anglo-Norman period (1066-1350)Canto 诗章1、romance 传奇文学2、代表作： Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (高文爵士和绿衣骑士) 是一首押头韵的长诗三、Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) 杰弗里.乔叟时期1、the father of English poetry 英国诗歌之父2、heroic couplet 英雄双韵体：a verse unit consisting of two rhymed(押韵) lines in iambic pentameter(五步抑扬格)3、代表作：the Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷的故事 (英国文学史的开端)大致内容：the pilgrims arepeople from various parts of England, representatives of various walks of life and social groups.朝圣者都是来自英国的各地的人,代表着社会的各个不同阶层和社会团体小说特点：each of the narrators tells his tale in a peculiar manner, thus revealing his own views and character.这些叙述者以自己特色的方式讲述自己的故事，无形中表明了各自的观点，展示了各自的性格。

Part One: Early and Medieval English Literature1. Beowulf: national epic of the English people; Denmark story; alliteration, metaphors and understatements （此处可能会有填空，选择等小题）2. Romance （名词解释）3. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: a famous roman about King Arthur’s story4. Ballad（名词解释）5. Character of Robin Hood6. Geoffrey Chaucer: founder of English poetry; The Canterbury Tales (main contents; 124 stories planned, only 24 finished; written in Middle English; significance; form: heroic couplet)7. Heroic couplet (名词解释)Part Two: The English Renaissance8. The Authorized Version of English Bible and its significance（填空选择）9. Renaissance（名词解释）10.Thomas More——Utopia11. Sonnet（名词解释）12. Blank verse（名词解释）13. Edmund Spenser“The Faerie Queene”; Amoretti (collec tion of his sonnets)Spenserian Stanza（名词解释）14. Francis Bacon “essays” esp. “Of Studies”（推荐阅读，学习写正式语体的英文文章的好参照，本文用词正式优雅，多排比句和长句，语言造诣非常高，里面很多话都可以引用做格言警句，非常值得一读）15. Christopher Marlowe (“Doctor Faustus” and his achievements)16. William Shakespeare可以说是英国文学史中最重要的作家，一定要看熟了。

考研英国文学复习要点（参照教材刘炳善《英国文学简史》）解析Part One: Early and Medieval English Literature1. Beowulf: national epic of the English people; Denmark story; alliteration, metaphors and understatements （此处可能会有填空，选择等小题）2. Romance （名词解释）3. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: a famous roman about King Arthur’s story4. Ballad（名词解释）5. Character of Robin Hood6. Geoffrey Chaucer: founder of English poetry; The Canterbury Tales (main contents; 124 stories planned, only 24 finished; written in Middle English; significance; form: heroic couplet)7. Heroic couplet (名词解释)Part Two: The English Renaissance8. The Authorized Version of English Bible and its significance （填空选择）9. Renaissance（名词解释）10.Thomas More——Utopia11. Sonnet（名词解释）12. Blank verse（名词解释）13. Edmund Spenser“The Faerie Queene”; Amoretti (collec tion of his sonnets) Spenserian Stanza（名词解释）14. Francis Bacon “essays” esp. “Of Studies”（推荐阅读，学习写正式语体的英文文章的好参照，本文用词正式优雅，多排比句和长句，语言造诣非常高，里面很多话都可以引用做格言警句，非常值得一读）15. Christopher Marlowe (“Doctor Faustus” and his achievements)16. William Shakespeare可以说是英国文学史中最重要的作家，一定要看熟了。

英国文学史知识点英国文学的历史就像一场漫长而精彩的旅程，充满了各种有趣的故事和令人惊叹的作品。

咱们先来说说乔叟吧，这位老兄在 14 世纪就开始崭露头角啦。

他的《坎特伯雷故事集》那可是相当有名。

想象一下，一群来自不同阶层、有着不同性格和经历的人，一起踏上朝圣之路，一路上互相讲故事。

这场景，是不是有点像咱们现在的旅行团，大家凑一块儿分享自己的经历？乔叟就通过这些故事，展现了当时社会的各种风貌，有贵族的奢华生活，也有平民的艰苦日子。

到了文艺复兴时期，那更是群星璀璨。

比如说莎士比亚，这位大神简直就是英国文学史上的超级巨星！他的戏剧作品，从浪漫的爱情悲剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》到充满权谋斗争的《哈姆雷特》，从搞笑的喜剧《威尼斯商人》到展现历史风云的《亨利五世》，那真是涵盖了人生的方方面面。

我记得有一次在课堂上，老师让我们分组表演《罗密欧与朱丽叶》的片段。

我们那组的小伙伴们可认真了，有的负责背台词，有的负责设计动作，还有的负责准备道具。

虽然最后表演得有点小瑕疵，但那种沉浸在经典作品中的感觉，真的太棒了！17 世纪的时候，弥尔顿的《失乐园》横空出世。

这部史诗级的作品讲述了亚当和夏娃被逐出伊甸园的故事。

弥尔顿用他那雄辩的语言和深刻的思考，探讨了人类的原罪、自由意志和上帝的权威等重大问题。

读起来虽然有点费脑子，但一旦读懂了，就会觉得特别有成就感。

18 世纪的英国文学也很有看头，像笛福的《鲁滨逊漂流记》。

鲁滨逊在荒岛上的求生经历，让我们看到了人类的坚韧和智慧。

我小时候读这本书的时候，还幻想过自己也能像鲁滨逊一样，在一个无人的小岛上创造出一个属于自己的世界。

19 世纪，那可是英国文学的黄金时代。

勃朗特姐妹的作品，《简·爱》和《呼啸山庄》，一个充满了女性的独立精神，一个则充满了强烈的情感和神秘的氛围。

还有狄更斯的《大卫·科波菲尔》，讲述了一个小男孩的成长历程，里面的人物形象鲜明得就像我们身边的朋友一样。

进入 20 世纪，英国文学继续展现着它的多样性和创新性。

The Great Comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream 仲夏夜之梦;The Merchant of Venice 威尼斯 商人;As You Like It 如愿;;Twelfth Night 第十二夜;
The Great Tragedies: The Tragedy of Hamlet 哈 姆雷特/王子复仇记; Othello 奥塞罗 King Lear 李尔 王; The Tragedy of Macbeth 麦克白;
（他是最早有人文主义思想的作家，现实主义文 学的奠基人）
his contribution to English poetry: introduced from france the rhymed couplet of 5 accents in iambic meter (the heroic couplet), is the first great poet who wrote in the English language. Who making the dialect
The Later Comedies(romances): Pericles 波里克 利斯; Cymbeline 辛白林; The Winter’s Tale 冬天的故 事; The Tempest 暴风风雨;
Shepherd 多情的牧羊人致情人
William
The Tempest 暴风风雨;The Two Gentlemen of
Shakespeare 莎士Veronaz 维罗纳二绅士;The Mercy Wives of Windsor
比亚 1564-1616 温莎的风流妇人;Measure for Measure 恶有恶报;The
of London the standard for the modern English speech.

What are we going to learn in this course? • Syllabus for this course see the contents of the textbook
一、课程性质与任务
• 该门课程在英语专业人才培养中旨在使学生从 英国历史、语言、文化发展的角度，掌握英国 文学各个时期的主要文学、文化思潮，文学流 派，主要作家及其代表作，同时帮助学生对英 国文学的发展有深刻的了解和认识，并通过介 绍一些最基本的文化理论和批评方法，对部分 在思想上艺术上有代表性，有影响的作家及作 品进行分析、导读，增强学生对英国文学的形 成和发展的理解，提高他们对文学作品的鉴赏 能力和文学修养。
History and Anthology of British Literature
Today’s Schedule
• Introduction Why do we study British literature? What is literature? What are we going to know in this course?
•
五、教学的重点、难点
• • • • • 1. 文艺复兴时期：莎士比亚 2. 十七世纪：多恩、弥尔顿 3. 十八世纪：笛福、斯威福特、布莱克、彭斯 4. 浪漫主义时期：华兹华斯、拜伦、雪莱、济慈 5.十九世纪：狄更斯、简·奥斯汀、勃朗特姐妹、 丁尼生 • 6. 二十世纪：哈代、王尔德、劳伦斯、乔伊斯
• As Robert Frost says, literature is a performance in words. It is the work of men who are specially sensitive to the language of their time and who use the skill of languagife.

Part One Early and Medieval English literature& Masterpiece: “The Song of Beowulf ”1. Significance:⏹The national epic of the English people;⏹A folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe;⏹Passed from mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before written down in the 10th century;⏹The most important and representative work of the Old English (the Anglo-Saxon )literature.2. Characters:Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes Grendel: a monster3. Plot:(1) Beowulf’s fight with the monster Grendel in Hrothgar’s hall(2) Beowulf’s slaying of Grendel’s mother in her lair(3) Beowulf’s return to his u ncle, and his succession to the throne.(4) Beowulf’s victory in death, fifty years later, over the fire dragon4. Features:⏹i. Position: The national epic and the first long poem in English .⏹ii. Rhyme: The poem is written in alliterative verse in a line, with 4 accents in a line , three of which show alliteration( beginning with the same consonant sound )⏹iii. Rhetorics: A figurative language is used , which is called “kenning” or metaphor .⏹iv. Structure: It is written in inverted order with two parts in a line (as pause)& The Medieval English LiteratureI. Romance : (in prose or verse form)a.Subject matter (题材，话题，论题)（See the definition）：The life and adventures of a noble hero , generally a knightb. Theme (主题)（See the definition）：The loyalty to the king and lord .c. Three romance cycles (传奇故事系列)The Matter of France (about Charlemagne and his peers )The Matter of Rome (about Alexander the Great )The Matter of Britain(about the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table) d. The class nature of Romance :It’s written for the upper classChivalry （骑士精神）is represented to show the quality of the knight : courage , honor , courtesy , loyalty and devotion to the helpless , the weakand women .e. Masterpiece :“Sir Gawin and the Green Knight” 《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》in alliterative verse .* Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)1. Position: i.“The father of English poetry”ii. The founder of English realism (by Gorky)iii. The forerunner of humanism .2. Contribution:i.He introduced the “heroic couplet”(the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter抑扬格五音步)ii. He is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language .iii. He did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English speech .3. Literary Creation:Influenced by：Dante (1265-1321): “The Divine Comedy”Petrarch (1307-1374) : “Sonnets”Boccaccio (1313-1375): “Decameron”4. Masterpiece : “The Canterbury Tales”i. Significance :a. A comprehensive picture of Chaucer's time a splendid realistic portrayal .b. An artistic corridor of people from all walks of life in the medieval England :a) the gentle class: knight , squire , monk prioress (女修道院的院长), the oxford scholar .b) the burgher class : tradesman , carpenter , weaver , the Wife of Bath , lawyerc. Realism and Humanism is revealed :The praise of man’s energy quick wit and love of life .The equal right of man and woman to pursue their happiness on earth and the opposition of the dogma of asceticism.ii. Features:a. Structural features :a) A prologue and 24 tales b) All the tales are closely knitted by interspersing them with the talk ,the quarrels , opinions of the pilgrims and especially the judgment of the innkeeper .b. Literary features :Heroic couplet : a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines .Tone : gentle satire and mild irony .& The English Ballads (Popular Ballads)1. Literary Features :i. English folk literature in feudal society .ii. In song , usually in 4-line stanza , with the 2nd and 4th lines rhymed .iii. iambic trimeter / tetrameter 抑扬格三音步/四音步2. Themes :i. The struggle of young lovers against their feudal families.ii. The conflict between love and wealth.iii. The cruel effect of jealousy.iv. The border wars between England and Scotland.v. The matters of class struggle.3. Masterpieces:1) Robin Hood Ballads : gathered into a collection called “The Geste of Robin Hood”2) “Ro bin Hood and Allan –a –Dale” “Get up and Bar the Door”“Sir Patrick Spans”Robin Hood⏹Status: a yeoman forced to be an outlaw/fugitive⏹Deeds: Greenwood of Sherwood Forest near Nottingham in the center of England⏹Hunting the King’s deer, robbing from the r ich and distributing among the poor⏹Friends and followers: the Merry Men (Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and the romantic minstrel Alan-a-Dale)⏹His enemy: the Sheriff of Nottingham⏹His wife: Maid Marian4. Linguistic characteristics:RomanceIt uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.⏹The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions. There is often mysteries and fantasies in romance.⏹Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance. Characterization is standardized, while the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward.⏹The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world.•Questions for consideration:1. The features of the medieval English literature ?2. The significance of The Canterbury Tales ?3. The literary features of English ballads ?4. The differences between romance and balladPart II The English Renaissance&Literary influence of the Bible on English language:Household words from Bible:root of all evil万恶之源clear as crystal极其明白a thorn in the flesh眼中钉，肉中刺to cast pearls before swine明珠投暗a labor of love 不计较报酬的工作eye for eye , tooth for tooth 以眼还眼，以牙还牙The Development of Literaturei. The Beginning of the English Renaissancea. Geoffrey Chaucer（1340-1400）The forerunner of English Renaissanceb.William Caxton introducing printing to England in 1476 bringing a multitude of classical works .& c. Thomas More (1478-1535) The first humanist in EnglandI. IntroductionGreat thinker and humanist in the RenaissanceII. Masterpiece: “Utopia”Utopia, from two Greek words meaning “nowhere”, is an island discovered on a voyage to the newly discovered Americas.It is an description of the ideal communist society and ideal commonwealth, where property is held in common and there is no poverty.Practical basis for the communist society:From everyone according to his capacities ,to everyone according to his need”各尽所能，按需分配)B. Different Genres and their representatives: essay, poetry, dramaa. essayist: Francis Baconb.poets:Thomas Wyatt, HenryHoward,Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespearec. dramatists/playwrights: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson&1. Francis BaconA. Position and Contribution:He is the first great essayist . He is the founder of English materialist philosophy （唯物主义哲学）He is the founder of modern science in England .Inductive Method of Reasoning (归纳法) was stated in his essay “New Instrument”He represents the intellectual energy of the age .B. Masterpiece:a. “Advancement of Learning”《科学的进展》b. “New Instrument” 新工具c. “Essays” 《随笔集》Subjects : love truth , friendship , parents and children , beauties , studies , riches , youth and ages , death etc .Features : clearness ,brevity and force of expression .C. Wise Sayings:“Knowledge is power”“Men fear death, as chi ldren fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other. “人们惧伯死亡，正如孩童惧于黑暗中行路：孩童心中的恐惧感随着听到的童话故事的增多而增长，人们对死亡的惧怕亦是如此。

英国文学笔记整理【Chapter 1】The Anglo-Saxon Period (450 - 1066)1.Norman Conquest ，10662.Beowulf has 3183 lines, 两个国家：the Danes, the Geats形式：alliterative verse / head rhyme 头韵【Chapter 3】The Age of Chaucer (1350-1400)1.Historical backgroundChaucer and William Langland and the writer of Sir Gawain were contemporaries.But he deserves a period of his own.Two historical events which their influence can be detected in the writings of Chaucer andLangland: The Hundred Years’ War from the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) to the reign of Henry VI (1421-1471), or from 1337-1453; the peasant uprising of 1381, the reign of King Richard II.The French language was gradually replaced by the native tongue.William Langland and another writer John Wycliff expressed people’s hatred for the church and the government.2.John Wycliff 约翰·威克里夫One of the first figures who demanded to reform the church.Translated the Bible into standard English. Fixed a national standard for English prose to replace various dialects. Father of English prose.3.William Langland威廉·兰格伦作品：Piers Plowman《农夫皮尔斯》, or The Vision of Piers Plowman, another alliterative poem besides Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Giving a realistic picture of the 14th centuryEngland.The form of allegory, a story or description in which the characters and events symbolize some deeper underlying meaning, and serve to spread moral teaching. An allegory has a double meaning. A primary or surface meaning, and a secondary meaning, or underlying meaning. In an allegory, abstract qualities or ideas, such as patience, purity or truth, are personified as characters in the story.4.Geoffrey Chaucer 乔叟Died on Oct 25, 1400, buried in the Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey.Works divided into 3 periods, corresponding to the 3 periods of his life.(1) 1360-1372, wrote under the influence of the French literature, even translated French poems himself. Poem The Book of the Duchess, much of conventional romance elements in it.(2) 1372-1386, under the influence of the Italian literature. Troilus and Cryseyde, adapted from a long poem by Boccaccio （薄伽丘）, the writer of The Decameron《十日谈》. The Parliament of Fowls and The House of Fame.(3) the last 15 years of his life. The Canterbury Tales between 1387 and 1400. A general prologue and 24 tales that are connected by “links”.（本该有120个故事，只完成了24个）The Canterbury Tales is written in London dialectThere are 31 people in total （算上乔叟和店主）The prologue and most of the tales are written in heroic couplet（英雄双韵体）, i.e. ,a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter （五音步抑扬格）lines.The significance of The Canterbury Tales:(1)A comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time. Theyrepresent the whole range of 14th century society except the very top and the very bottom. All persons connected with the church are drown with touches of gentle irony and mild satire, with the exception of the poor parson. It should be noted that each character is not only a typical representative of the class to which he or she belongs, but also has an individual character of his or her own.(2)The dramatic structure of the poem has been highly commended by critics. This kind of a collection of tales put together was not rare in history. For example, Boccacio’s The Decameron. But in The Decameron stories are loosely connected and there is no relation between the story and the story teller. In The Canterbury Tales, stories are cleverly woven together by links between the stories. Most of the stories are related to the personalities of the tellers.(3)Chaucer’s humour: Humour is a characte ristic feature of the English literature. Although he was associated with proud and important personages at court he must always have been conscious of the fact that he did not belong to that society. This explains his gentle satire and mild irony. But his satire can be the bitterest in the portrayal of the pardoner and the summoner.(4)Chaucer’s contribution to the English language: Ever since the Norman conquest, the French language was the language of the court and the upper classes, and Latin was the language of the learned and the church. Chaucer wrote in the London dialect of his day, which he handled dexterously. He proved that the English language is a beautiful language and can be easily handled to express different moods. In so doing, Chaucer greatly increased the prestige of the English language.【Chapter 4】The Fifteenth Century (1400-1550)Historical events:1.The Hundred Year’s War2.The War of the Roses (1455-1485)The War of the Roses, or the Thirty Years’ War, was a series of civil wars fought between the two great families, both of which claimed the right to the English throne.The House of Lancaster →red rose The House of York →white rose3.The discovery of America and the new sea routes4.Reformation of the ChurchPopular BalladsIn the field of literature, folk literature, especially ballads, became an important feature in the 15th century. A ballad is a narration poem that tells a story.★Basic characteristics:1.The beginning is often abrupt.2.There are strong dramatic elements.3.The story is often told through dialogue and action.4.The theme is often tragic, though there are a number of comic ballads.5.※It contains four-line stanzas. The odd numbered lines have four feet each and the even numbered lines have three feet each. Rhymes fall on the even numbered lines. And there is often a refrain at the end of each stanza.Of special significance are the Robin Hood Ballads.Sir Thomas MalorySir Thomas Malory, the author of The Death of Arthur（亚瑟王之死），was important in the fact that it was he who finally compiled together the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table which were scattered in a number of Frenchromances and made great contribution to the development of English prose.It is interesting to note that Robin Hood and King Arthur were both revived at a time when the medieval spirit of chivalry was dying fast and the feudal order was rapidly becoming a thing of the past.Early English PlaysIn ancient Greece and Rome, drama was one of the most popular forms of entertainment. But the Roman Catholic Church prohibited dramatic performances. It was not until the 9th and the 10th centuries that the Catholic Church allowed some of dramatic performance to be used as part of religious services. For example, on Christmas the clergymen would put on a liturgy（礼拜仪式）of the birth of Christ. By the 14th century, the liturgy had developed into mystery plays and miracle plays.mystery plays →based on stories from the Biblemiracle plays →based on the lives of Christian saints【Chapter 5】The English Renaissance (1550-1642)HumanismRenaissance began in the 14th century in Italy and later spread to France, Spain, the Netherlands, and England. It’s ideal was humanism. Renaissance is a French word which means “rebirth” in English.★★★1.With the spreading of the Greek and Roman culture, there appeared a number of humanist scholars who took great interest in the welfare of human beings.2.According to them, it was against human nature to sacrifice the happiness of his life for an after life.3.They argued that man should be given full freedom toenrich their intellectual and emotional life.4.In religion, they demanded the reformation of the church.5.In art and literature, instead of singing praise to God, they sang in praise of man and of the pursuit of happiness in this life.6.Humanism shattered the shackles of spiritual bondage of man’s mind by the Roman Catholic Church and opened his eyes to “a brave new world” in front of him.Edmund SpenserSpenser’s first important work is The Shephearde’s Calender（牧羊人日记）, a pastoral poem in 12 parts, one for each month of the year.His major achievement, The Faerie Queen, is an unfinished allegorical romance. According to Spenser’s original plan there should be 12 books, each telling the adventures of one of the 12 knights despatched by the Faerie Queen, Gloria, who represents Glory and Queen Elizabeth in particular. However, Spenser only completed 6 of the books, in which the six virtues of Truth, Temperance, Friendship, Justice, Chastity, and Coutesy are presented.Spenserian stanza:九行一节，前八行均为五音步抑扬格，第九行为六个音节The seven deadly sins: Pride（傲慢）,Wrath（暴怒）,Sloth （懒惰）,Greed（贪婪）,Envy（嫉妒）,Gluttony（暴食）, Lust（淫欲）Christopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe was the most prominent of the University Wits.His first play Tamburlaine the Great (1587)（帖木儿大帝）is about the story of Timur the Tartar(1336-1405). The central figure Tamburlaine represents the Renaissance desire for infinite powerand authority. He is not only ruthlessly cruel and brutal in punishing his enemies, but also violently passionate in love.The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus (1592)（浮士德博士的悲剧）,adapted from a popular old German legend, is sort of companion to Tamburlaine in reflecting the Renaissance desire for infinite knowledge. Tired with the scholastic study of the four subjects of Medieval knowledge, that is , Theology, Philosophy, Medicine, and Law, Dr.Faustus turns to magic book and signs a contract with the devil Mephistopheles. He sells his soul to the devil on the condition that the latter will satisfy every demand of his for a period of 24 years.As a dramatist, Marlowe has limitations. His plot construction is loose and his characters are merely embodiments （具体化）of ideas. But Marlowe is the only dramatist of the time who is ever compared with Shakespeare.Ben Jonson coined the phrase “Marlowe’s magic lines”. The blank verse（无韵诗）, i.e. , unrhymed iambic pentameter, used in his dramas, was the chief verse form used by Shakespeare.William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in all during his life.Shakespeare’s writing career may be roughly divided into four stages.1.The early years were years of his apprenticeship, dating from 1592 to 1594.2.The second period is a period of rapid growth and development, dating from 1595 to 1600.3.The third period is a period of gloom and depression, dating from 1601 to 1608.4.The fourth period is a period of restored serenity, from 1608 to 1612.★★★Shakespeare’s achievements:1.Shakespeare represented the trend of history in giving voice to the desires and aspirations of the people.2.Shakespeare’s humanism: More important than his historical sense of his time, Shakespeare in his plays reflects the spirit of his age.3.Shakespeare’s characterization: Shakespeare was most successful in his characterization. In his plays, he described a great number of characters, ranging from kings to crowns, rascals, and grave-diggers; from lunatics to ghosts; from lovers to man-haters.4.Shakespeare’s originality: Shakespeare drew most of his materials from sources that were known to his audience. But his plays are original because he instilled into the old materials a new spirit that gives new life to his plays.5.Shakespeare as a great poet: Shakespeare was not only a great dramatist, but also a great poet. Apart from his sonnets and long poems, his dramas are poetry.6.Shakespeare as a master of the English language: It is estimated that he had a command of about 15,000 words. He was especially successful in handling the different meanings of the same word, or words having the same sound but different meanings.A sonnet （十四行诗）is a poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter with various rhyming schemes. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets altogether in number. The 154 sonnets fall into two groups, divided at sonnet 126. The first group was addressed to a Mr. W. H.. The second group was addressed to a dark lady.The metrical form（韵律形式）of Shakespeare’s sonnets isdifferent from that of Petrarach’s（彼特拉克）. Italian Sonnet British SonnetOctave前八行abba abba （提出问题） 3 quatrains（四行诗）abab cdcd efefSestet 后六行cde cde （作出回答） a couplet（双行诗）gg【Chapter 6】The Seventeenth Century (1603-1688)Francis BaconThough Bacon was Shakespeare’s contemporary, he is generally regarded as the chief figure in English prose in the first half of the 17th century and his essays began the long tradition of the English essay in the history of English literature.As a philoso pher, Bacon is praised by Marx as “the progenitor of English materialism”（英国唯物主义的始祖）. because he stressed the importance of experience, or experiment, which is in direct opposition to the superstitution and scholasticism of the Middle Ages.Bacon’s 58 essa ys were publisher in 1625. They are the author’s reflections an comments, mostly on rather abstract subjects, such as “Of Truth”, “Of Friendship”, and “Of Riches”. They are known for their conciseness, brevity, simplicity, and forcefulness.Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier PoetsDuring the reign of Charles I, there were two schools of poets, metaphysical poets（玄学派诗人）and cavalier poets （骑士派诗人）.The main themes of the metaphysical poets are love, death, and religion. The chief representative of this school was John Donne.The cavaliers were royalists, whose poetry was marked by courtliness, urbanity, and polish. The chief representative of thecavaliers was Ben Jonson, who besides being a poet, was also a playwright.John Donne作品：Songs and Sonnets, a collection of his 55 love lyrics, was published after his death in 1633.Donne’s love lyrics may be classified into two groups. The poems of one group takes a negative attitude towards love, and those of the other group take a positive attitude towards love.John MiltonThe revolutionary enthusiasm of the bourgeois revolution （资产阶级革命）and the bitter hatred for the despotic ruler is best known in the works of John Milton.In 1665, after seven years’arduous labour in darkness, he finished Paradise Lost, which gave vent to his indignation against Charles II. The story of the epic is based on Genesis. The central theme of the poem deals with the Christian story of “ the fall of man ”. Evidently, the poet intended to write it as a epic and imitated the style of Homer’s epic.Milton’s purpose for writing Paradise Lost, as he puts it very clearly at the beginning of the poem, is to “assert eternal Providence and justify the ways of God to man.”There can hardly be any doubt that Milton’s own sentiments in the days of the Restoration are expressed in the powerful first speech made by Satan excerpted here. But it should be made clear that Milton as a Puritan did not have the least intention of making God a real tyrant to be hated and revenged upon. The rebellions speech by Satan was an outpouring of the poet’s personal hatred for the restored monarch at the time. On the whole, the characters o Satan and his followers are condemned in the epic.In the love between Adam and Eve, Milton voices his enthusiasm for humanistic elements.Characteristics of Milton’s style:1.The blank verse, i.e. , the unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter, is used throughout the epic and is characterized by its employment of long and involved sentences, which run on many lines with a variety of pauses, and achieving sometimes an oratorical and sometimes an elaborately logical effect. This richness of poetical style has frequently been called “Miltonic Style”./doc/975668172.html,ton’s style is also commonly said to be Latinate. Milton uses more elaborate patterns drawn from Latin. He is very fond of using inversion.3.Another characteristic of his style is the use of allusions to other works, especially the classic works.John BunyanAs Milton was the chief Puritan poet, so Bunyan was the chief puritan writer of prose.The Pilgrim’s Progress is written in the old fashioned medieval form of allegory and drama. The book opens with the author’s dream in which he sees a man “ with a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back”. The man is Christian the Pilgrim, the book is the Bible, and the burden on his back is the weight of worldly cares and concerns. It tells how Christian starts his pilgrimage from his home to the Kingdom of Heaven, and of his experiences and adventures on his journey.The book’s most significant aspect is its satire, which without doubt is directed at the ruling classes. Especially well known is the description of the Vanity Fair. The punishment of Christian and Faithful for disdaining things in the Vanity Fair mayha ve its significance in alluding to Bunyan’s repeated arrests and imprisonment for preaching. After all, like Milton, Bunyan in his book is preaching his religious views. He satirizes his society which is full of vices that violate the teaching of the Christian religion. However, his Puritanism weakens the effect of his social satire by exhorting his readers to endure poverty with patience in order to seek the “ Celestial City ”. Besides, the use of allegory in most of his works makes his satirical pictures less direct and more difficult to see. His books are more often read as religions books than as piercing exposures of social evils.Bunyan is known for his simple and lively prose style. Everyday idiomatic expressions and biblical language enables him to narrate his story and reveal his ideas directly and in a straightforward way.【Chapter 7】The Eighteenth Century (1688-1798)Neo-classicism★★★The characteristics of neo-classicism:1.People emphasized reason rather than emotion, form rather than content.2.As reason was stressed, most of the writings of the age were didactic and satirical.3.As elegance, correctness, appropriateness and restraint were preferred, the poet found closed couplet the only possible verse form for serious work.4.It is almost exc lusively a “ town ” poetry, catering to the interests of the “ society ” in great cities.5.It is entirely wanting in all those elements that are related with the “ romantic ”.Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe is known as a pioneer novelist of England, and also a prolific writer of books and pamphlets on a great variety of subjects.He never stopped his creative activities until at the age of 60, with the publication of Robinson Crusoe, a long imaginative literary masterpiece, he was finally recognized as a major English novelist. Robinson Crusoe is based on a real accident.In Moll Flanders, Defoe introduces, for the first time, a lowly woman as the subject of literature.Jonathan SwiftThe Battle of Books is a satire on the controversy among literary people concerning the values of the ancients and moderns.A Tale of the Tab is a satire on the various churches of his time.A Modest Proposal is a more bitter satire on the policy of the English government towards the Irish people.Swift’s masterpiece is Gulliver’s T ravels. The book contains four parts that deal with the four voyages of its hero to strange places. The form of travel literature was popular in his time as there were many books of voyage and travel. Among them were Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.Alexander Pope。