优质英国文学简史小题

英国文学简史小TheEnglishpeopleareofamixedblood.TheearlyinhabitantsintheislandnowwecallEnglandwereBritons,atribeofCelts.FromtheBritonstheislandgotitsnameofBritain,thelandofBritons.AtthesametimeBritainwasinvadedbyswarmsofpirates,fromNorthernEurope,theAngles,Saxons,andJutes.TheAnglo-Saxonperiodwitnessedatransitionfromtribalsocietytofeudalism.TheAnglo-Saxonswereheathenpeople.TheAnglo-SaxonswereChristianizedintheseventhcentury.Beowulfover3000lines,thenationalepicoftheEnglishpeople.FeaturesofBeowulf:useofalliteration,useofmetaphorsandofunderstatements,useofironicalhumour.TheRomancecycles:mattersofBritain(KingArthur),mattersofFrance,mattersofRome.PiersthePlowmanover7000lines.Features:adreamvision;anallegory;arealisticpictureofmedievalEngland.ThemostimportantdepartmentofEnglishfolkliteratureistheballad.Aballadisastorytoldinsong,usuallyin4-linestanzas,withthesecondandfourthlinesrhymed.Chaucer:founderofEnglishpoetry(fatherofEnglishpoetry).Hediedin1400andwasburiedinWestminsterAbbey,thusfoundingthe“Poet'sCorner”.ThePrologueprovidesaframeworkforthetales.Chaucerhasbeencalled“thefounderofEnglishrealism.”ThefirstcompleteEnglishBiblewastranslatedbyJohnWycliffe.(1324-1384)AuthorizedVersion,whichwasKingJamesBible.anintellectualmovementknownastherenaissance,or,therebirthofletters.Humanismisthekey-noteoftheRenaissance.Humanismreflectedthenewoutlookoftherisingbourgeoisclass.Morewasoneoftheforerunnersofmodernsocialistthought.Englandbecame“anestofsingingbirds”.Sidney'scollectionoflovesonnets,AstrophelandStella(thefirstsonnetsequence).Sidney:ApologyforPoetrySpenser:thePoet'sPoetTheShepherd'sCalendar,apastoralpoemintwelvebooks,oneforeachmonthoftheyear.Spenser'sgreatestwork,TheFaerieQueeneisalongpoemplannedin12books,ofwhichhefinishedonly6.TheworkwasdedicatedtoQueenElizabeth.Itisanallegory.ThehighestgloryoftheEnglishRenaissancewasunquestionablyitsdrama.Miracleplays,moralityplays,interludesandclassicalplays-suchweretheformsofdramaprevailinguntilthereignofElizabeth.Themostgiftedofthe“universitywits”wasChristopherMarlowe.Marlowe'smasterpieceisTheTragicalHistoryofDoctorFaustus.ItisbaseduponaGermanlegend.MarlowewasthegreatestofthepioneersofEnglishdrama.ItisMarlowewhofirstmadeblankverse(rhymelessiambicpentameter)theprincipalinstrumentofEnglishdrama.Shakespeare'slifefromthreesources:churchandlegalrecords,folktraditions,andthecommentsofhiscontemporaries.Shakespearealsowrotetwonarrativepoems,VenusandAdonisandTheRapeofLucrece.Shakespeare'searliestgreatsuccessintragedyisRomeoandJuliet.ThesecondperiodofShakespear'esworkishismatureperiod,mainlyaperiodof“greatcomedies”(AMidsummerNight'sDream,TheMerchantofVenice,Asyoulikeit,TwelfthNight)ThefourthperiodofShakespeare'sworkistheperiodofromanticdrama.HeroineslikeRosalindarenolongerthewomenundertheyokeoffeudalism.Theyarewitty,bold,loving,optimisticandfaithful.Theycarrytheirdestinieswiththemandinspeakingandthinkingaswellasinfeelingaremen'sequalsorevensuperiors.P72P76OthelloisanewmanoftheRenaissance.Othelloisatragedyofhumanism.Othelloisalsoatragedyofthecolouredpeopleinasocietyofracialprejudice.Hamletisahumanist,amanwhoisfreefrommedievalprejudicesandsuperstitions.Hehasanunboundedlovefortheworldinsteadoftheheaven.Startingfromhishumanistloveofman,heturnstothosearoundhimwiththesameeagerness.Helovesgoodandhatesevil.Hisintellectualgeniusisoutstanding.Heisalsoacloseobserverofmenandmanners.Owingtotheirtragi-comicnature,theyaresometimescalledhis“romancesShakespeareisoneofthefoundersofrealisminworldliterature.Shakespeare'sdramaticcreationoftenusedthemethodofadaptation.Shakespearewasskilledinmanypoeticforms:thesong,thedramaticblankverse.ShakespearewasagreatmasteroftheEnglishlanguage.HecommandedavocabularylargerthananyotherEnglishwriter.ShakespearehasbeenuniversallyacknowledgedtobethesummitoftheEnglishRenaissance,andoneofthegreatestwriterstheworldover.P95Anadvocateofclassicdrama,JonsoninsistedonacarefulstudyoftheoldGreekandRomanmasters.Hetookafirmstandforthe“threeunities.”JonsonwasaforerunnerofclassicisminEnglishliterature,whichwastoreachitshightideinthe18thcentury.Miltonwasfamousforhispersonalbeautyandthestrictnessofhislifeandwasnicknamed“theladyoftheChrist's”.SamsonAgonistesendedMilton'swritinglife.ParadiseLostisMilton'smasterpiece.Itisalongepicin12books,writteninblankverse.ThestoriesweretakenfromtheOldTestament.P108SamsonAgonistesisapoeticaldramamodelledontheGreektragedies.ItdealswiththestoryofSamsonfromthe“BookofJudges”intheOldTestament.ThereismuchincommonbetweenSamsonandMilton.LikeSamson,Miltonhasalsobeenembitteredbyanunwisemarriage,persecutedbyhisenemies,hassufferedfromblindnessandyetisunconquerable.MiltonwrotethegreatestepicinEnglishliterature.Miltonisamasteroftheblankverse.Hefirstusedblankverseinnon-dramaticworks.ThePilgrim'sProgressisareligiousallegory.IttellsofthespiritualpilgrimageofChristian,whofliesfromtheCityofDestruction,andfinallycomestotheDelectableMountainsandtheCelestialCity.OneofthemostremarkablepassagesisthatinwhichVanityFairandthepersecutionofChristianandhisfriendFaithfularedescribed.Donneisapoetofpeculiarconceits.GeorgeHerbert“thesaintoftheMetaphysicalschool”,AnotherschoolofpoetryprevailingintheperiodwasthatofCavalierPoets.(oftenknightsandsquires)TheRestorationperiodwasaperiodofreactionanddegeneration.ThemostdistinguishedliteraryofthefigureoftheRestorationPeriodwasJohnDryden(1631-1700),poet,playwrightandcritic.DrydenwastheforerunneroftheEnglishclassicalschoolofliteratureinthenextcentury.EnlightenmentwasanintellectualmovementinEuropeinthe18thcentury.Itwasanexpressionofstruggleofthebourgeoisieagainstfeudalism.Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.TheythoughtthechiefmeansforbetteringthesocietywasEnlightenmentoreducationforthepeople.TherepresentativesoftheEnlightenmentinEnglishliteraturewereJosephAddisonandRichardSteele,AlexanderPope.TheliteratureoftheEnlightenmentinEnglandmainlyappealedtothemiddleclassreaders.RichardSteele(1672-1729)wasborninDublin.P135PopetranslatedtheentireIliad(1715-1720)andhalfoftheOdyssey(1725-1726).TheDunciadisasatiricalpoem.EssayonManisaphilosophicalpoeminheroiccouplets.JonathanSwiftwasborninDublin,Ireland.P141P142P145Defoe'sRobinsonCrusoewasoneoftheforerunnersoftheEnglishrealisticnovel.MollFlandersiswrittenintheformofautobiography.TodayDefoeischieflyrememberedastheauthorofRobinsonCrusoe,hismasterpiece.ThecharacterofRobinsonCrusoeisrepresentativeoftheEnglishbourgeoisieattheearlierstagesofitsdevelopment.P153Pamelawasanewthinginthreeways:Firstlyitpicturedthelifeandloveofordinarypeople.Secondlyitsmerelyentertainmentbutalsomoralinstruction.Thirdly,thefirstEnglishpsycho-analyticalnovel.ClarissaisthebestofRichardson'snovel.Fielding'sfirstnovelwaswritteninconnectionwithPamelaRichardson.FieldingastheFounderoftheEnglishrealisticnovel.LaurenceSternewasborninIreland.thSheridan,themostimportantEnglishplaywrightofthe18thcentury,wasborninDublin.TheSchoolforScandalhasbeencalledagreatcomedyofmanners.P181P183P192th67.Inthelatterhalfofthe18thcentury:ThomasPercy;JamesMacpherson;ThomasChatterton68.Blake'sfirstcollectionofpoems,PoeticalSketches.69.SongsofInnocencecontainspoemswhichwerewrittenforchildren.70.InSongsofExperience,amuchmatureworkshowedthesufferingofthemiserable.ThecontrastbetweenSongsofInnocenceandSongsofExperienceisofgreatsignificance.Itmarksaprogressinthepoe'stoutlookonlife.BurnsisrememberedmainlyforhissongswrittenintheScottishdialectonavarietyofsubjects.NumerousareBurn'ssongsofloveandfriendship.Oneofhisworld-famoussongsisARed,RedRose.Attheturnofthe18thand19thcenturiesromanticismappearedinEnglandasanewtrendinliterature.TheonlygreatnovelistinthisperiodwasWalterScott.75.In1789theyjointlypublishedtheLyricalBallads.ColeridgecontributionwashismasterpieceTheRimeoftheAncientMariner.ThepublicationoftheLyricalBalladsmarkedthebreakwiththeconventionalthpoeticaltraditionofthe18thcentury,withclassicism,andthebeginningoftheRomanticrevivalinEngland.ThePrefacetotheLyricalBalladsservedasthemanifestooftheEnglishRomanticMovementinpoetry.P224QueenMab,Shelly'sfirstlongpoemofimportance,itiswrittenintheformofafairy-taledream.Shelly'smasterpieceisPrometheusUnbound,alyricaldramain4acts.TheunfinishedlongepicHyperionhasbeenregardedasKeats'sgreatestachievementinpoetry.DeQuinceyisbest-knownforhisessay,OntheKnockingattheGateinMacbeth,aclassicofShakespearecriticism.DeQuinceyisrememberedchieflyforhismasterpiece,TheConfessionsofanEnglishOpium-Eater.Scotthasbeenuniversallyregardedasthefounderandgreatmasterofthehistoricalnovel.ThedeathofScottendedtheromanticism.FeaturesofScott'shistoricalnovels:combinehistoricalfactwithromanticimagination;historicaleventsarecloselyinterwovenwiththefatesofindividuals.thEnglishcriticalrealismofthe19thcenturyflourishedinthefortiesandintheearlyfifties.ThegreatestEnglishrealistofthetimewasCharlesDickens.Anothercriticalrealist,Thackeray.ChartistLiterature:ErnestJones;ThomasCooper;LintonEnglishcriticalrealismofthe19thcenturyflourishedinthefortiesandintheearlyfifties.ThegreatestEnglishrealistofthetimewasCharlesDickens.Anothercriticalrealist,Thackeray.Dickens:firstperiod:Thisna?veoptimism;secondperiod:Dickens'sna?veoptimismaboutcapitalistsocietywasthusprofoundlyshaken.Thirdperiod:lossofhope.DavidCopperfieldwasDickens'sownfavourite.Itiswritteninthefirstpersonandisthemostautobiographicalofallhisbooks.ATaleofTwoCitiesDickenstakestheFrenchRevolutionasthesubjectofhisnovel,andthe“twocities”areParisandLondoninthetimeofthatrevolution.Thackreay,likeDickens,wasarepresentativeofcriticalrealismin19thcenturyEngland.HewasborninIndia.VanityFair(ANovelWithoutaHero):“ANovelWithoutaHero,”emphasizesthefactthatthewriter'sintentionwasnottoportrayindividuals,butthebourgeoisandaristocraticsocietyasawhole.JaneAustenattheturnofthecentury(1t8h-19th).P312GaskellwasoneofthefirstEnglishwriterstodescribeinanoveltheclassstrugglebetweentheworkersandthecapitalistsin“theHungryForties”.TheMillontheFlossislargelyautobiographicalinitsearlychapters.