英国文学问答题(保留)

PAGE/NUMPAGES英国文学问答题Page1-----------------------                                         Englishliterature                                   TheRenaissancePeriod 1.HowtodefinetheperiodofOldEnglishliterature?EnglishliteraturebeginswiththeAnglo-SaxonsettlementinEnglandatabout450BCandendsat1066BC,theyearoftheNormanConquestofEngland.OfOldEnglishliterature,afewrelicsarestillpreserved.AllofthemarepoemsorsongsbytheAnglo-Saxonscoporgleemenwhosangoftheheroicdeedsofoldtime. 2.WhatdoesOldEnglishpoetryinclude?Generallyspeaking,theOldEnglishpoetryincludestwogroups:thereligiousgroup:thereligiousgroupandthesecularone.Theformerismainlyonbiblicalthemes.Forexample,GenesisA,<创世纪I>GenesisB,《创世纪II》andExodus《出埃及记》arepoemsbasedontheOldTestament;whilethelattershowstheharshnessofcircumstanceandthesadnessofthehumanlot.AtypicalexampleisEngland’snationalepicBeowulf. 3.WhatistheplotandthemeofEngland’snationalepicBeowulf?Beowulf,nephewofthekingoftheGeats,hearsthatHrothgar,aDanishking,isingreattrouble.ThekingdomofthekingisharassedbyamonstercalledGrendel.Heatoncesailsthere,grappleswiththemonster,andwoundsitfatally.ThencomesGrendel’smother,ashe-monster,inrevengeofherson.Beowulffollowshertoherunder-watercaveandkillsherwithagiantsword.Withthese   honors  won,  he  returns to his homeland    and  reigns  as its king for 50 years.  Then  afire-breathingdragoncomesoutofitsdenandkillsmanypeople.Thougholdnow,Beowulfstillkillsitsingle-handedly.Buthe,too,isfatallywoundedandlaterdied.Thematically,  this  poem  shows  how  the  primitive  people  fight  against  the  forces  of  the  naturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader. 4．WhatisEpic?Epic  is  an  extended  narrative  poem  in  elevated  or  dignified  language,  like  Homer’s  Iliad  andOdyssey.Itusuallycelebratesthefeatsofoneormorelegendaryortraditionalheroes.Theactionissimplebutfullofmagnificence.Today,somelongnarrativeworks,likenovelsthatrevealanageanditspeoplearealsocalledepic. 5.WhatistheMedievalPeriodinEnglishLiterature?Howmanypartscanitbedividedinto?      TheMedieval:PeriodinEnglishliteraturestartsat1066,theyearoftheNormanConquest,andendsataboutthe15thcentury.Theearlypartoftheperiod,i.e.from1066tothemid-14th century,is  almost  a  barren  onein  literary creation.  While  inthe  latter  period, starting from thesecondhalfofthe14thcentury,EnglishliteratureflourisheswiththeappearanceofwriterslikeGeofferyChaucer,WilliamLangland,JohnGower,andothers. 6.ComparedwithOldEnglishLiterature,whatarethefeaturesofMedievalEnglishLiterature?      IncomparisonwithOldEnglishliterature,MedievalEnglishliteraturedealswithawiderrangeofsubjects.Itisutteredbymorevoicesandinagreaterdiversityofstyles,tonesandgenres.                                                                                                                    1-----------------------Page2-----------------------And  it  is  deeply  influenced  by  the  principles  of  the  medieval  Christian  doctrine,  which  areprimarily  concerned  with  the  issue  of  personal salvation.  Romance  becomes  a  popular  literaryform,indicatingtheagetobeachivalricratherthanheroicone. 7.Whatisthemiracleplay?       Themiracleplay,themedievaldramatizationofaBiblicalstory(e.g.CainandAbel)orofasaint's  life,  was  chiefly  popular  from  the  twelfth  through  the  fifteenth centuries.  The  term  issometimeslimitedtoplaysonsaints'lives.TheBiblicalplaysarethencalledmysteryplays. 8.Whatismoralityplay?       The  morality  play,  a  later  medieval  development,  which  remained  popular  well  into  thesixteenth    century,   was  an  allegorical   dramatization    of  the conflict  between    good   and   evil,includingsuchcharactersasEveryman,Gooddeeds,andAvarice. 9.WhyisChaucerregardedas"theFatherofEnglishpoetry"?        Originally,OldEnglishpoemsaremainlyalliterativeverseswithfewvariations.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplaceit.InTheRomauntoftheRose,hefirstintroducedtoEnglishtheoctosyllabiccouplet.                       InThelegendofGoodWomen,heusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishheroiccouplet.Andinhismasterpiece,TheCanterburyTales,heemployedheroiccoupletwithtrueeaseandcharmforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.        Besidesthis,thoughhedrewinfluencefromFrench,Italian,andLatinmodels,heisthefirstgreatpoetwhowroteinthecurrentEnglishlanguage.HisproductionofsomuchexcellentpoetryisanimportantfactorinestablishingEnglishastheliterarylanguageofthecountry.AndhemadethedialectofLondonthefoundationforModernEnglishspeech.Smallwonderlaterdaywriter,JohnDrydon,wouldcallhim"theFatherofEnglishpoetry". 10.WhatisHeroicCouplet?  Heroiccoupletisarhymingcoupletofiambicpentameter,oftencontainingacompletethought.Thereisafairlyheavypauseattheendofthefirstlineandastillheavieroneattheendofthesecond.Commonlythereisaparalleloranantithesiswithinaline,orbetweenthetwolines.ItiscalledheroicbecauseinEngland,especiallyintheeighteenthcentury,itwasmuchusedforheroic(epic)poems. 11.WhatisChaucer'sliteraryachievement?          (1)  Firstof  all,hepresentedacomprehensive realistic pictureofhis age and createdawhole    gallery  of vivid  characters   in his  works,  especially    in The  Canterbury    Tales.  (2) Heanticipated  a  new  era,  the  Renaissance,  to  come  under  the  influence  of  men  like  Petrarch  andBaecacio.  In  his  works,  the  spirit  of  Renaissance  can  be  already  seen.  (3)  He  developed  hischaracterization      to a higher   level  by presenting    characters   with   both  typical  qualities  andindividual  dispositions,  (4)  And  he  greatly  contributed  to  the  maturing  of  English  prosody  byadoptingdifferentrhymingskills.Drydoncalledhim"theFatherofEnglishProsody"(诗体论。韵律学).                                                                                                                         2-----------------------Page3-----------------------12．Whatispopularballad?HowhasEnglishballaddeveloped?      Ballardisoriginallyasongintendedastheaccompanimenttoadance.Inthemodernsense,aballadisjustasimplespiritedpoeminshortstanzasinwhichsomepopularstoryisgraphicallynarrated．TheEnglishpopularballadflourishedfromthe12thcenturytothe15thcentury，reflectingthelifeofthepeoplethen．AndthemostremarkableonesaretheRobinHoodballads.Theseareballadsaboutanoutlawedherowholivesintheforestwithhismen,robstherichandhelpsthepoor.Majorcollectionsoftheseballadsdidnotbeginuntilthe18thcenturyandthemostcreditable  among  them  are     Thomas    Percy's  Relics  of  Ancient  English   Poetry,  Walter  Scott'sMinstrelsoftheScottishBorder,etc. 13.HowwouldyoudefinethetermRenaissance?        ThistermreferstoagreatbourgeoisculturalmovementinEuropewhichbeganinthe14thcenturyandcontinuedtothemid-17thcentury.ItfirststartedfromItalyandthenspreadalloverEurope.Originally,thetermmeans"rebirth"orrevival.AndthemovementseemstobearebirthorrevivalofancientGreekandRomanculture,causedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchasthenew    discoveries    in geography     and  astrology,   the religious   reformation    and  the  economicexpansion.  The  Renaissance,  therefore,in essence,  isa historical  periodin  whichthe  EuropeanhumanistthinkersandscholarstriedtogetridofthoseoldfeudalisticideasinMedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpresstheinterestsoftherisingbourgeoisie,andtorecoverthepurityoftheearlychurchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicchurch. 14.HowtodefinethetermHumanism?       HumanismisasystemofbeliefsupheldbywritersandartistsoftheRenaissanceperiodintheirfightingagainstmedievalasceticism.Itstatesthatmanisgodly,thatmanisabletofindtruth,goodnessandbeauty,andthatmanisincontrolofthepresentliferatherthanbeingcontrolledbyGod.Briefly,humanismputsmanatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakesmantobethemeasureofeverythingwhiletheformerasceticismputsGodatthecenteroftheirbeliefsandtakespersonalsalvationtobethemostimportantthingontheearthforman. 15.WhatarethemaincharacteristicsofHumanistwritings?    HumanistwritingsaffirmthevalueofmanandrepudiatetheabsolutecontrolofmanbyGod.They  call  for  man's  freedom  in  thinking,  praise  man's  worldly  aspirations,  and  denunciate  thefeudalisticcontrolofman'sthought.Theystatethatmanhasarightforearthlyhappinessandthatasceticism  is  against  human  nature.  In  them,  reason  and  science  are  put  into  a  very  high  placewhilemysticismisthrownaway.Theyaremostlyrealisticinessence. 16.WhatisthehistoricalandculturalbackgroundoftheEnglishRenaissance?          BecauseofthewarofRoseswithinthecountryanditsweakandunimportantpositioninworldtrade,RenaissancecamelaterinEnglandthaninotherEuropeancountries.Butwhenitdidcome,itwastoproducesometoweringfiguresintheEnglish,andworldliteraryheritageWilliamShakespeare,  Edmund  Spenser,  Sir  Thomas  More,  Francis  Bacon  and  a  number  of  humanistscholars.           ThereignofElizabethI(1558~1603)wasaperiodofpoliticalandreligiousstabilityontheonehandandeconomicprosperityontheother.TheChurchofEnglandwasre-established,                                                                                                                       3-----------------------Page4-----------------------ending  the  long  time  religious  strifes  commence  and  industry  forged  ahead  as  a  result  of  theenclosuremovementathomeandtheopeningofnewsearoutesintheworld.Englandbegantoembark  on  the  road  to  colonization  and  foreign  control  that  was  to  take  it  onto  its  heyday  ofcapitalistdevelopment. 17.Whatisblankverse?             This   term,  which   was   first  brought  into England  by   Surrey,   is used  to  name  tileunrhymediambicpentameterlineinpoetry. 18.WhatisSonnet?             Sonnetisatypeofpoemconsistingofonesinglefourteen-linestanza.ItwasperfectedbytheItalianpoetinthe13thcenturyandintroducedintoEnglandintheearly16thcentury.       Englishsonnets,intermsofstructure,largelyfallintotwoclasses,thePetrarchianorItalianform  and  the  Shakespearian  or  English  form.  The  former  divides  its  fourteen  lines  of  iambicpentameters  into  two  parts,  one  octet  and  the  other  sestet;  while  the  latter  consists  of  threequatrainsandafinalcouplet.Thethreequatrainsdevelopthepoem'ssubjectconsistentlyandthecoupletcondensestheemotionintoanepigram. 19.HowisEnglishdramaasaliteraryformdevelopedintheElizabethanperiod?               The  Elizabethan  drama  is  the  real  mainstream  of  the  English  Renaissance.  ThoughdramaasaliteraryformcouldbedatedbacktotheMiddleAges(5th-15thBC),itisnotuntiltheElizabethan     age,  under   the influence    of the Renaissance,     that  drama   was   developed    into asophisticated     and  mature    art form.  And   great dramatists    like  Christopher    Malowe,     WilliamShakespeare,andBenJonsonappearedonthestage.       By  imitating  the  romances  of  Italy  and  Spain,  embracing  the  mysteries  of  the  Germanlegend,andcombiningthepoeticfancywiththefactsofdailylife,theymadeavividdepictionofthe  sharp  conflicts  between  feudalism  and  the  rising  bourgeoisie  in  a  transitional  period.  Withhumours  of  the  movement,  abstractions  of  philosophical  speculation,  and  intense  vitality,  thisextraordinary      drama,   with   Shakespeare     as  the  master,   stands  out  as  a monument       of theRenaissance,whichisunrivaledforpurecreativepowerbyanyotherproductofthatepoch. 20.WhyisEdmundSpenserregardedas“thepoet’spoet?       EdmundSpenser(1552-1599)istheauthorofTheFaerieQueene,creatoroftheSpenserianstanzaandoneofthegreatestfiguresoftheRenaissanceperiodinEngland.Hispoetryusuallyenjoysfivequalities:      (1)aperfectmelody;(2)araresenseofbeauty;(3)asplendidimagination;(4)aloftymoralpurityandseriousnessand(5)adedicatedidealism.Itisjusthisidealism,hisloveofbeauty,andhisexquisitemelodythatmakehimknownas"thepoet'spoet". 21.WhatistheSpenserianstanza?                ASpenserianstanzaisonethatconsistsofeightfive-footiambiclines,followedbyaniambiclineofsixfeet,rhymingababbcbcc.ItissonamedbecauseitwasSpenserthatfirstusedthisforminhismasterpieceTheFaerieQueene. 22．WhatisthestructureofTheFaerieQueene?                                                                                                                          4-----------------------Page5-----------------------       According     to Spenser    himself,  he  intends   to present  through   a "historical   poem"   theexample  of  aperfectgentleman:  "to  fashion agentleman  ornoble person  in  virtuous  andgentlediscipline."Sohespeaksof12virtuesoftheprivategentleman,andplans12books,eachonewitha  different  hero  distinguished  for  one  of  the  private  virtues.  The  hero  of  heroes,  King  Arthur,possessesallofthesevirtues.Heistoplayaroleineachofthe12majoradventures,whichhasitsown  individual  hero.  The  recurring  appearances  of Arthur  serve  as  a  unifying  element  for  thepoemasawholeandsoisGloriana,theFaerieQueen,sinceitisfromhercourtandatherbiddingthateachoftheheroessetsoutonhisparticularadventure.Theheroesdonotpossessthevirtuestheyrepresentatthebeginningofthestories,theyacquiretheminthecourseoftheiradventures.Unfortunately,Spenseronlyfinishedsixofthe12plannedbooks. 23.Howwouldyoudefinetheterm“UniversityWits”?        Whattheterm"UniversityWits"referstoisagroupof.playwrightsandpamphleteersintheElizabethanage,ofwhomNash,Greene,andMarlowewerethechiefones. 24.WhatisthemorallessoninMarlowe'sDr,Faustus?             Dr.FaustusisaplaybasedOntheGermanlegendofamagician.Thehero,Dr.Faustus,aspiresforknowledgeandinordertogetit,sellshissoultothedevil.Heexperiencesalotofstrangethingsandsfinallymeetshistragicend.Theplay'sdominantmoralishumanpassionforknowledge,powerandhappiness;italsorevealsman'sfrustrationinrealizingthehighaspirationsinahostilemoralorder.Andtheconfinementtotimeisthecruelestfactofman'scondition. 25.WhatisMarlowe'sliterary,achievement?              Marlowe'sgreatestachievementliesinthatheperfectedtheblankverseandmadeittheprincipalmediumofEnglish.ItisMarlowewhobroughtvitalityandgrandeurintotheblankversewithhis"mightylines",whichcarrystrongemotions.       Marlowe's  second  achievement  is  his  creation  of  the  Renaissance  heroes  for  the  Englishdrama.    Both   Tumburlaine     and  Dr.   Faustus,   characterized     by endless   aspiration   for power,knowledgeandglory,aretypicalinpossessingthetrueRenaissancespirit.       Owingtotheabove,thoughMarloweisnotstrongindramaticconstruction,andhiswomencharactersaresome-howpale,heisstillregardedasaneminentpioneeroftheEnglishdrama. 26.WhoisThomasMoreandwhatisthecontentandthemeofhisUtopia?          ThomasMore(1475~1535)wasatfirstahumanisticscholar,thenalawyer,aspokesmanof  London     merchants    who   were   the mainstays    of  the Tudor   monarch,    and   later the LordChancellortoHenryVIIIfrom1529to1532.Asamiddleclassintellectual,hefelttheneedtopushforwardoutoftheconfinesofthefeudalsocietyandtoconsolidateastrongandenlightenednationalgovernment.Butasahumanist,hewasdisgustedwiththeponderousmeasuresandthecorrupt  life  of  Henry  VIII.  Henry  has  no  use  for  a  servant  who  wanted  to  help  the  people  andremouldthesocietyaccordingtothe'humanisticphilosophy.SohesentMoretoprisonandlatertodeathwhentheywereindisagreementaboutHenry'sdivorceandhischurchpolicy.        Utopia  is  More's  masterpiece,  written in  the  form  of  a  conversation  between  More  andHythloday,     a returned   voyager.   It is divided  into two  books:   the first book  contains   a longdiscussiononthesocialconditionsofEngland.Inthesecondbookisdescribedindetailanideal                                                                                                                        5-----------------------Page6-----------------------communistsocietyUtopia.Thename"Utopia"comesfromtwoGreekwords,meaning"noplace",and  was  adopted  by  More  as  the  name  of  his  ideal  commonwealth.  It  has  since  been  used  todesignatetheidealstate. 27.Roughlyspeaking,Shakespeare'sliterarycareercanbedividedintothreeperiods.Whatarethethreeperiods?Andwhatarehismajorworksineachperiod?             Shakespeare'sliteraryworkscanbedividedintothreeperiods:thefirstonefrom1590to1600,thesecondfrom1601to1608,andthethirdfrom1609to1612.             In  the  first  period,  optimism  prevails  in  most  of  the  works,  which  include  histories,comedies,andpoems.          Inthem,heportrayedyoungpeoplejustfreedfromfeudalfetters.Hesangof  their  youth,  love  and  ideals  of  happiness.  The  victory  of  their  humanist  ideal  is  inevitable,thoughitistobeattainedonlyafterseverestruggleagainstallobstacles.Theheroesandheroinesfightagainstdestinyitselfandmouldtheirownfateaccordingtotheirownwill.AsbecomesthesonsanddaughtersoftheRenaissance,theytrustnotinGodorKingbutinthemselves,andtheirefforts  and  good  faith  are  crowned  with  success.  His  histories  include  Richard  III,  Henry  IV,Henry  V,  etc.  Comedies  include  The  Merchant  of  Venice,  Much  Ado  about  Nothing,  TwelfthNight,etc.Andallhispoems,154sonnetsandtwolongpoems,TheRapeofLucreceandVenusandAdonis,arewritteninthisperiod,too.       Inthesecondperiod,Shakespeare'soptimismwanesandastrongtouchofpessimismmarksmostoftheworks,whichrevealthesocietytobeanevilone.                  Thefamousfourtragediesofhisareallcompletedinthisperiod,whichincludeHamlet,Othello,Macbeth,andKingLear.       The  works  in  the  third  period  are  mainly  tragicomedies  and  romances.  Cymbeline  ,  TheWinter'sTale,TheTempest,etc.ThereisaprevalentChristianteachingofatonement.Shakespeareseemstohaveenteredanimaginedpastoralworld.Thus,hecouldachievewhathefailedtodointherealworld,i.e.torightthewrongsandtorealizehisideals. 28.WhatisthethemeofTheMerchantofVenice?               The  traditional  theme  of  the  play  is  to  praise  the  friendship  between  Antonio  andBassanio,  to  idealize  Portia  as  a  heroine  of  great  beauty,  wit  and  loyalty,  and  to  expose  theinsatiablegreedandbrutalityoftheJew.               Butmoderncriticstendtoviewitfromanotheraspect.ManypeopletodayregardtheplayasasatireoftheChristians'hypocrisyandtheirfalsestandardsoffriendshipandlove,theircunning     ways   of  pursuing    worldliness    and  their  unreasoning     prejudice   against   Jews,  hererepresentedbyShylock. 29.WhatarethecommoncharacteristicsshowninthefourgreattragediesofShakespeare?      Shakespeare'sgreatesttragediesare:Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,andMacbeth.Theyhavesomecharacteristicsincommon.(1)Eachportrayssomenoblehero,whofacestheinjusticeofhumanlifeandiscaughtinadifficultsituation.Hisfateiscloselyconnectedwiththefateofthewholenation.(2)Eachherohashisweaknessofnature.Hamlet,themelancholicscholar-prince,faces  the  dilemma  between  action  and  mind.  Othello's  inner  weakness  is  made  use  of  by  theoutsideevilforce.TheoldkingLear,whoisunwillingtototallygiveuphispower,makeshimselfsufferfromtreacheryandinfidelity.AndMacbeth'slustforpowerstirsupmsambitionandleadshimtoincessantcrimes.(3)Thewholeplayisusuallycenteredaboutthehero.Allcharactersand                                                                                                                          6-----------------------Page7-----------------------incidentsservebuttosethimoff.(4)Andalongwiththeportrayaloftheweaknessorbiasofthehero,thesharpconflictsbetweentheindividualandtheevilforcesinthesocietyarealsorevealed. 30.HowtoanalyzethecomplicatedcharacterofHamlet?             Without     knowledge     of his character,   Hamlet's   story  would    hardly  be  intelligible.Hamlet  is  neither  a  frail  and  weak-minded  youth  nor  a  thought-sick  dreamer.       Though  he  isdeprivedofhisrighttothethrone,heisstilllovedandrespectedbyeveryone.Thoughascholar,heisalsofearlesandimpetuousinaction.           Weseehimrushingafterthe       Ghost,killingPolonious,dealingwithClaudious'agents,boardingthepirate,leapingintothegraveandatlastexecutinghisrevenge.Amerescholarcanneverdosuchthings.             Hamletisahumanist,amanwhoisfreefrommedievalprejudicesandsuperstitions.Hehasanunboundedlovefortheworldratherthanforheaven.Hecherishesaprofoundreverencefor  man  and  a  firm  belief  in  man's  power