英国文学史第一讲.pptx

British LiteratureA Brief Outline of British LiteraturewI.TheearlyandMedievalliterature1.TheOldEnglishPeriod(449-1066)2.TheMiddleEnglishPeriod(1066-1485)wII.TheEnglishRenaissance(1485-1660)wIII.The17thcentury(1603-1688)wIV.The18thCentury(1688-1798)wV.TheAgeofRomanticism(1798-1832)wVI.TheVictorianAge(1832-1901)wVII.The20thcentury(1901-)definitionofliteraturewLiteraturereferstoAllwrittenorspokencompositions(discourses)designedtotellstories,dramatizesituationsandrevealthoughtsandemotions,andalsomoreimportantly,tointerest,entertain,stimulate,broadenandennoblereaders.wWhattolearninthiscourse?1.historicalandculturalbackground2.lifestoryofthemasters3.masterpiecesintroductionandfeatures4.someimportantliterarytermsandtheirmeanings.The Middle Ages lasted from the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon invasion(449)to the end of the Wars of Roses(1485).It can be further divided into two periods:the Old English Period(449-1066)and the Middle English Period(1066-1485)We can say English literature actually began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain in the middle of the 5th century.玫瑰战争玫瑰战争:1455年至年至1485年其间，兰开斯特家族年其间，兰开斯特家族(House of Lancaster)和约克家族和约克家族(House of York)的支持者为了英格兰王位的支持者为了英格兰王位而发生断续的内战，史称玫瑰战争而发生断续的内战，史称玫瑰战争(Wars of the Roses)，或蔷薇，或蔷薇战争。两个家族都是金雀花王朝皇族的分支，为英王爱德华三战争。两个家族都是金雀花王朝皇族的分支，为英王爱德华三世的后裔。世的后裔。“玫瑰战争玫瑰战争”一名源于两个皇族所选的家徽，兰开一名源于两个皇族所选的家徽，兰开斯特的红玫瑰和约克的白玫瑰。斯特的红玫瑰和约克的白玫瑰。Lectureone:TheOldEnglishPeriodThe History BackgroundTheMakingoftheNation1.TheearlyinhabitantsintheislandwenowcallEnglandwereBritons,atribeofCelts,whichwasprimitivepeople,livingintribalsociety.FromtheBritonstheislandgotitsnameofBritain,thelandofBritons.2.TheRomanConquestIn55B.C.,BritainwasinvadedbyJuliusCaesar(凯撒大帝)theRomanconqueror.In410A.D.,alltheRomantroopswentbacktothecontinentandneverreturned.ThusendedtheRomanoccupationinBritain,whichlastedforabout400years.famouswords:“I came,I saw,I conquered.”3.The English ConquestThethreeGermanictribes-Angles,SaxonsandJutesconqueredBritainandsettleddownthereinthe5thcentury.Bythe7thcentury,sevenkingdoms,heptarchyaunitedkingdom:“England”,“thelandofAngles”.Angles,SaxonsandJutesusuallyknownasAnglo-SaxonsarethefirstEnglishmen.LanguagespokenbythemiscalledtheoldEnglish,whichisthefoundationofEnglishlanguageandliterature.4.The Danish InvasionAbout787,theEnglishbegantobetroubledbybandsofDanish vikings.At first they just invaded parts of thecountryfromtimetotime.Graduallytheycametomakepermanentsettlement.The great hero of the time was King Alfred the Great(849-901),whosucceededindrivingofftheDanes.Afterhisdeath,theDanesoccupiedEnglandin1013andhelditforabout30years.Threetribes:Threetribes:AnglesAnglesintheeast;intheeast;JutesintheJutesinthesoutheast;southeast;SaxonsSaxonsinthesouthinthesouth5.TheNormanConquestFrech-speakingNormans,undertheleadershipofWilliam,DukeofNormandycamein1066.AfterdefeatingtheEnglishatHastings,WilliamwascrownedastheKingofEngland.TheNormanConquestmarkstheestablishmentoffeudalisminEngland.TheOldEnglishLiteratureThe general view:EnglishliteratureactuallybeganwiththeAnglo-SaxonsettlementinEngland.Anglo-Saxonswereheathenpeople.TheybelievedinoldmythologyofNorthernEurope.ThatiswhytheNorthernmythologyhasleftitsmarkupontheEnglishlanguage.Inthe7thcentury,Anglo-SaxonswereChristianized.Theliteratureofthisperiodfallsnaturallyintotwodivisions:paganandreligious.Andthemainliteraryformsarepoetryandprose.poetry:paganandreligious1.pagan poetryBeowulf:thenationalepicoftheEnglishpeople(英国的民族史诗)3182lines,unknowncomposerDefinitionofepic:anextenednarrativepoeminelevatedordignifiedlanguage,celebratingthefeatsofoneormorelegendaryortraditionalheroes.Eg.HomersIliad&Odyssey wPrototype:folklegendsofprimitiveNortherntribeslivinginimpenetrableforests,theyhadtofightagainstbeasts.Theywerebravebutsuperstitious.Story:1.fightingwiththemonster,Grendelandhismother2.fightingwiththefiredragonandhisdeathWritingFeatures:wItisnotaChristianbutapaganpoem,despitetheChristianflavorgiventoitbythemonasteryscribe.Itistheproductofalladvancedpagancivilization.Thewholepoempresentsusanall-roundpictureofthetribalsociety.Thesocialconditionsandcustomscanbeseeninit.Sothepoemhasagreatsocialsignificance.wTheuseofthestrongstressandthepredominanceofconsonantsareverynotableinthispoem.Eachlineisdividedintotwohalves,andeachhalfhastwoheavystresses.wTheuseofthealliterationisanothernotablefeature.Threestressesofthewholelinearemadeevenmoreemphaticbytheuseofalliteration.wAlotofmetaphorsandunderstatementsareusedinthepoem.Forexample,theseaiscalledthewhale-roadortheswanroad;thesoldiersarecalledshield-man;thechieftainsarecalledthetreasurekeepers;human-bodyisreferredtoasthebone-house;Godiscalledwonder-wielder;monsterisreferredtoassoul-destroyer.AlliterationAlsoknownasinitial rhymeorhead rhyme,istherepetitionofinitialconsonantsoundsintwoormoreneighboringwordsorsyllables.Eg.Of men he was the mildest and most beloved,To his kin the kindest,keenest to praise.(Inalliterativeverse,certainaccentedwordsinalinebeginwiththesameconsonantsound.Therearegenerally4accentsinaline,threeofwhichshowalliteration.)metaphors&understatementsmetaphors&understatements:eg.king=“Ring-giver”“Not troublesome”=very welcome attendant=“hearth-companions”“Need not praise”=right to condemn sea=“swans bath”&“whales road”ship=“sea-wood”AllthesebringanimpressionofreserveandatingeofironicalhumorwhichhasbecomepermanentcharacteristicsoftheEnglish.谨慎客气讽刺幽默2.Religious PoetryCaedmon:thefirstknownreligiouspoetofEnglandandthefatherofEnglishsong.CynewulfProse 1.VenerableBede2.AlfredtheGreatLiteraryTraitswAnglo-Saxonliterature,thatis,theOldEnglishliteratureisatmostexclusivelyaverseliteratureinoralform.Itcouldbepasseddownbywordofmouthfromgenerationtogeneration.Itscreatorforthemostpartisunknown.Itwasonlygivenawrittenformlongafteritscomposition.wThereweretwogroupsofEnglishpoetryinAnglo-Saxonperiod.ThefirstgroupwasthepaganpoetryrepresentedbyBeowulf,thesecondwasthereligiouspoetryrepresentedbytheworksofCaedmonandCynewulf.wInthe8thcentury,Anglo-Saxonproseappeared.ThefamousprosewritersofthatperiodwereVenerableBedeandAlfredtheGreat.