英国文学史期末复习重点

英国文学史Partone:EarlyandMedievalEnglishLiteratureChapter1TheMakingofEngland1.TheearlyinhabitantsintheislandnowwecallEnglandwereBritons,atribeofGelts.2.In55B.C.,BritainwasinvadedbyJuliusCaesar.TheRomanoccupationlastedforabout400years.ItwasalsoduringtheRomanrolethatChristianitywasintroducedtoBritain.Andin410A.D.,alltheRomantroopswentbacktothecontinentandneverreturned.3.TheEnglishConquestAtthesametimeBritainwasinvadedbyswarmsofpirates(海盗).TheywerethreetribesfromNorthernEurope:theAngles,SaxonsandJutes.Andbythe7thcenturythesesmallkingdomswerecombinedintoaUnitedKingdomcalledEngland,or,thelandofAngles.AndthethreedialectsspokenbythemnaturallygrewintoasinglelanguagecalledAnglo-Saxon,orOldEnglish.4.TheSocialConditionoftheAnglo-SaxonTherefore,theAnglo-Saxonperiodwitnessedatransitionfromtribalsocietytofeudalism.5.Anglo-SaxonReligiousBeliefandItsInfluenceTheAnglo-SaxonswereChristianizedintheseventhcentury.Chapter2Beowulf1.Anglo-SaxonPoetryButthereisonelongpoemofover3,000lines.ItisBeowulf,thenationalepicoftheEnglishpeople.GrendelisamonsterdescribedinBeowulf.3.AnalysisofItsContentBeowulfisafolklengendbroughttoEnglandbyAnglo-Saxonsfromtheircontinentalhomes.Ithadbeenpassedfrommouthtomouthforhundredsofyearsbeforeitwaswrittendowninthetenthcentury.4.FeaturesofBeowulfThemoststrikingfeatureinitspoeticalformistheuseofalliteration,metaphorsandunderstatements.Chapter3FeudalEngland1)TheNormanConquest2.TheNormanConquestTheFrench-speakingNormansunderDukeWilliamcamein1066.AfterdefeatingtheEnglishatHastings,WilliamwascrownedasKingofEngland.TheNormanConquestmarkstheestablishmentoffeudalisminEngland.3.TheInfluenceoftheNormanConquestontheEnglishLanguageBytheendofthefourteenthcentury,whenNormansandEnglishintermingled,Englishwasoncemorethedominantspeechinthecountry.3)TheRomance1.TheContentoftheRomanceThemostprevailingkindofliteratureinfeudalEnglandwastheromance.4.Malory’sLeMorteD’ArthurTheadventuresoftheKnightsoftheRoundTableatArthur’scourtChapter5TheEnglishBallads2.TheBalladsThemostimportantdepartmentofEnglishfolkliteratureistheballad.Aballadisastorytoldinsong,usuallyin4-linestanzas,withthesecondandfourthlinesrhymed.OfparamountimportancearetheballadsofRobinHood.3.TheRobinHoodBalladsChapter6Chaucer1.LifeGeoffreyChaucer,thefounder/fatherofEnglishpoetry.3.TroilusandCriseydeTroilusandCriseydeisChaucer’slongestcompletepoemandhisgreatestartisticachievement.Butthepoetshowssomesympathyforher,hittingthatherfaultspringsfromweaknessratherthanbasenessofcharacter.4.TheCanterburyTalesTheCanterburyTalesisChaucer’smasterpieceandoneofthemonumentalworksinEnglishliterature.6.HisLanguageChaucer’slanguage,nowcalledMiddleEnglish,isvividandexact.Chaucer’scontributiontoEnglishpoetrylieschieflyinthefactthatheintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzaofvarioustypes,especiallytherhymedcoupletof5accentsiniambicmeter(the“theheroiccouplet”)toEnglishpoetry,insteadoftheoldAnglo-Saxonalliterativeverse.ThespokenEnglishofthetimeconsistedofseveraldialects,andChaucerdidmuchinmakingdialectofLondonthestandardforthemodernEnglishspeech.PartTwo:TheEnglishRenaissanceChapter1OldEnglandinTransition1.TheNewMonarchyThecenturyandahalffollowingthedeathofChaucerwasfullofgreatchanges.AndHenry7,takingadvantageofthissituation,foundedtheTudordynasty,acentralizedmonarchyofatotallynewtype,whichmettheneedsoftherisingbourgeoisieandsowonitssupport.2.TheReformationProtestantismThebloodyreligiouspersecutioncametoastopafterthechurchsettlementofQueenElizabeth.3.TheEnglishBibleWilliamTyndallThenappearedtheAuthorizedVersion,whichwasmadein1611undertheauspicesofJamesIandsowassometimescalledtheKingJamesBible.TheresultisamonumentofEnglishlanguageandEnglishliterature.ThestandardmodernEnglishhasbeenfixedandconfirmed.4.TheEnclosureMovement5.TheCommercialExpansionChapter2More1.LifeThomasMore2.UtopiaUtopiaisMore’smasterpiece,writtenintheformofaconversationbetweenMoreandHythlody,areturnedvoyager.Thename“Utopia”comesfromtwoGreekwordsmeaning“noplace”.3.Utopia,BookOneBookOneofUtopiaisapictureofcontemporaryEnglandwithforcibleexposureofthepovertyamongthelaboringclasses.4.Utopia,BookTwoInBookTwowehaveasketchofanidealcommonwealthinsomeunknownocean,wherepropertyisheldincommonandthereisnopoverty.Chapter3TheFloweringofEnglishLiterature3.EdmundSpenser1)LifeThePoet’sPoetoftheperiodwasEdmundSpenser.In1579hewroteTheShepher’sCalendar,apastoralpoemintwelvebooks,oneforeachmonthoftheyear.2)TheFaerieQueene(masterpiece)Spenser’sgreatestwork,TheFaerieQueene(publishedin1589-1596),isalongpoemplannedin12books,ofwhichhefinishedonly6.iambicfeetSpenserianStanza4.FrancisBacon(father/founderofEnglishessay)thefounderofEnglishEnglishmaterialistphilosophyBaconisalsofamousforhisEssays.Whenitincluded58essays.BaconisthefirstEnglishessayist.Chapter4Drama7.ThePlaywrightsTherewasagroupofso-called“universitywits”(Lyly,Peele,Marlowe,Greene,LodgeandNash).Chapter5Marlowe1.LifeThemostgiftedofthe“universitywits”wasChristopherMarlowe.2.WorkMarlowe’sbestincludesthreeofhisplays,Tamburlaine,TheJewofMaltaandDoctorFaustus.3.DoctorFaustusMarlowe’smasterpieceisTheTragicalHistoryofDoctorFaustus.5.Marlowe’sLiteraryAchievementMarlowewasthegreatestofthepioneersofEnglishdrama.ItisMarlowewhofirstmadeblankverse(rhymelessiambicpentameter)theprincipalinstrumentofEnglishdrama.Chapter6Shakespeare1.LifeWilliamShakespearewasbornonApril23,1564,inStratford-on-Avon.Afterhisdeath,twoofhisabove-mentionedfellow-actors,HermingeandCondell,collectedandpublishedShakespeare’splaysin1623.Tothisedition,whichhasbeenknownastheFirstFolio.4.TheGreatComediesAMidsummerNight’sDream,TheMerchantofVenice,AsYouLikeItandTwelfthNighthavebeencalledShakespeare’s“greatcomedies”.6.TheGreatTragediesShakespearecreatedhisgreattragedies,Hamlet,Othello,KingLearandMacbeth.7.HamletthesonoftheRenaissance9.ThePoems1)VenusandAdonis2)TheRapeofLucrece3)Shakespeare’sSonnets10.FeaturesofShakespeare’sDramaShakespeareandtheAuthorizedVersionoftheEnglishBiblearethetwogreatesttreasuriesoftheEnglishlanguage.ShakespearehasbeenuniversallyacknowledgedtobethesummitoftheEnglishRenaissance.PartThree:ThePeriodoftheEnglishBourgeoisRevolutionChapter1TheEnglishRevolutionandtheRestoration5.TheBourgeoisDictatorshipandtheRestorationin1688GloriousRevolution6.TheReligiousCloakoftheEnglishRevolutionPuritanismwasthereligiousdoctrineoftherevolutionarybourgeoisieduringtheEnglishRevolution.Itpreachedthrift,sobriety,hardworkandunceasinglabourinwhatevercallingonehappenedtobe,butwithnoextravagantenjoymentofthefruitsoflabour.Chapter2Milton1.LifeandWorkParadiseLost,ParadiseRegainedandSamsonAgonistes.2.ParadiseLost1)ParadiseLostParadiseLostisMilton’smasterpiece.blankverse.Chapter3Bunyan1.LifeThePilgrim’sProgresswaspublishedin1678.2.ThePilgrim’sProgress1)ThePilgrim’sProgressisareligiousallegory.Chapter4MetaphysicalPoetsandCavalierPoetsaschoolofpoetscalled“Metaphysical”bySamuelJohnson.bymysticismincontentandfantasticalityinformJohnDonne,thefounderoftheMetaphysicalschoolofpoetry.Chapter6RestorationLiterature2.JohnDrydenThemostdistinguishedliteraryfigureoftheRestorationPeriodwasJohnDryden.DrydenwastheforerunneroftheEnglishclassicalschoolofliteratureinthenextcentury.PartFour:TheEighteenthCenturyChapter1TheEnlightenmentandClassicisminEnglishLiterature1.TheEnlightenmentand18thCenturyEngland2)TheEnlightenmentinEuropeThe18thcenturymarkedthebeginningofanintellectualmovementinEurope,knownastheEnlightenment,whichwas,onthewhole,anexpressionofstruggleofthebourgeoisieagainstfeudalism.Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.3)TheEnglishEnlighternersTherepresentativesoftheEnlightenmentinEnglishliteraturewereJosephAddisonandRichardSteele,theessayists,andAlexanderPope,thepoet.Chapter2AddisonandSteele1.SteeleandTheTatlerRichardSreeleIn1709,hestartedapaper,TheTatler,toenlighten,aswellastoentertain,hisfellowcoffeehouse-goers.Hisappealwasmadeto“coffeehouses,”thatistosay,tothemiddleclasses,forwhoseenlightenmenthestoodup.“IssacBickerstaff”2.AddisonandTheSpectatorThegeneralpurposeis“toenlivenmoralitywithwit,andtotemperwitwithmorality.”TheyusheredinthedawnofmodernEnglishnovel.Chapter3Pope1.LifeAlexanderPope,themostimportantEnglishpoetinthefirsthalfofthe18thcentury.3.WorkmanshipandLimitationPopewasanoutstandingenlightenerandthegreatestEnglishpoetoftheclassicalschoolinthefirsthalfofthe18thcentury.PopeisthemostimportantrepresentativeoftheEnglishclassicalpoery.Buthelackerthelyricalgift.Chapter4Swift3.BickerstaffAlmanac(1708)SwiftwrotehisgreatestworkGulliver’sTravelsinIreland.Chapter5DefoeandtheRiseoftheEnglishNovel1.TheRiseoftheEnglishNoveltherealisticnovel:Defoe,Swift,RichardsonandFieldingSwift’sworld-famousnovelGulliver’sTravelsDefoe’sRobinsonCrusoe(theforerunneroftheEnglishrealisticnovel)Richardson:Pamela,ClarissaandSirCharlesGrandisonFieldingwastherealfounderoftherealisticnovelinEngland.Thenovelofthisperiod…spokethetruthaboutlifewithanuncompromisingcourage.”Thenovelistsofthisperiodunderstoodthat“thejobofanovelistwastotellthetruthaboutlifeashesawit.”(Ibid.)ThisexplainstheachievementoftheEnglishnovelinthe18thcentury.4.RobinsonCrusoe1)TodayDefoeischieflyrememberedastheauthorofRobinsonCrusoe,hismasterpiece.Chapter6RichardsonSamuelRichardsonPamelawas,infact,thefirstEnglishpsycho-analyticalnovel.AfterPamela,Richardsonwrotetwoothernovels:ClarissaHarloweandSirCharlesGrandison.ClarissaisthebestofRichardson’snovel.Chapter7Fielding(thefatherofEnglishnovel)1.LifeHisfirstnovelJosephAndrewswaspublishedin1742.HisJonathanWildappearedin1743.Itisapowerfulpoliticalsatire.In1749,hefinishedhisgreatnovelTomJones.Ameliawashislastnovel.ItisinferiortoTomJones,buthasmeritsofitsown.3.JosephAndrews4.TomJones1)TheStoryFielding’sgreatestworkisTheHistoryofTomJones,aFoundling.6.Summary2)FieldingastheFounderoftheEnglishRealisticNovelAsanovelist,Fieldingisverygreat.HeisthefounderoftheEnglishrealisticnovelandsetsupthetheoryofrealisminliterarycreation.Hehasbeenrightlycalledthe“fatheroftheEnglishnovel.”Chapter10Johnson1.LifeSamuelJohnson,lexicographer,criticandpoet.2.Johnson’sDictionaryIn1755hisDictionarywaspublished.HisDictionaryalsomarkedtheendofEnglishwriters’relianceonthepatronageofnoblemenforsupport.Chapter13SentimentalismandPre-RomanticisminPoetry1.LifeThomasGray2.Pre-RomanticismInthelatterhalfofthe18thcentury,anewliterarymovementaroseinEurope,calledtheRomanticRevival.Pre-RomanticismwasusheredinbyPercy,MacphersonandChatterton,andrepresentedbyBlakeandBurns.Chapter14Blake1.LifeWilliamBlake2.SongsofInnocenceandSongsofExperience4.Blake’sPositioninEnglishLiteratureForthesereasons,BlakeiscalledaPre-RomanticoraforerunneroftheRomanticpoetryofthe19thcentury.Chapter15Burns1.LifeHisPoemsChieflyintheScottishDialectwereprinted.(masterpiece)TheScotsMusicalMuseumandSelectCollectionofOriginalScottishAirs2.ThePoetryofBurns1)BurnsisrememberedmainlyforhissongswrittenintheScottishdialectonavarietyofsubjects.3.FeaturesofBurns’PoetryBurnsisthenationalpoetofScotland.PartFive:RomanticisminEnglandChapter1TheRomanticPeriodtheIndustrialRevolutiontheFrenchRevolutionAmidthesesocialconflictsromanticismaroseasanewliterarytrend.ItprevailedinEnglandduringtheperiod1798-1832.Theseweretheeldergenerationofromanticists,sometimescalledescapistromanticists,includingWordsworth,ColeridgeandSouthey,whohavealsobeencalledtheLakePoets.ActiveromanticistsrepresentedbyByron,ShelleyandKeats.Thegeneralfeatureoftheworksoftheromanticistsisadissatisfactionwiththebourgeoissociety,whichfindsexpressioninarevoltagainstoranescapefromtheprosaic,sordiddailylife,the“prisonoftheactual”undercapitalism.Poetry,ofcourse,isthebestmediumtoexpressallthesesentiments.TheonlygreatnovelistinthisperiodwasWalterScott.Scottmarkedthetransitionfromromanticismtotheperiodofrealismwhichfollowedit.Chapter2WordsworthColeridgeIn1798theyjointlypublishedtheLyricalBallads.ThepublicationoftheLyricalBalladsmarkedthebreakwiththeconventionalpoeticaltraditionofthe18thcentury,i.e.,withclassicism,andthebeginningofRomanticrevivalinEngland.ThePrefaceoftheLyricalBalladsservedasthemanifestooftheEnglishRomanticMovementinpoetry.Wordsworth,ColeridgeandSoutheyhaveoftenbeenmentionedasthe“LakePoets”becausetheylivedintheLakeDistrictinthenorthwesternpartofEngland.HisdeeplovefornaturerunsthroughsuchshortlyricsasLinesWritteninEarlySpring,TotheCuckoo,IWanderedLonelyasaCloud,MyHeartLeapsUp,IntimationsofImmortalityandLinesComposedaFewMilesAboveTinternAbbey.Thelastiscalledhis“lyricalhymnofthankstonature”.Wordsworth’spoetryisdistinguishedbythesimplicityandpurityofhislanguage.Chapter3ColeridgeandSouthey1.ColeridgeColeridge’sbestpoems,TheRimeoftheAncientMariner.Chapter4Byron1.LifeChildeHarold’sPilgrimageHefinishedChildeHarold,wrotehismasterpieceDonJuan.2.ChildeHarold’sPilgrimageThislongpoemcontainsfourcantos.ItiswrittenintheSoenserianstanza.3.DonJuanByronremainsoneofthemostpopularEnglishpoetsbothathomeandabroad.Chapter5Shelley4.PromethusUnboundShelley’smasterpieceisPromethusUnbound,alyricaldramain4acts.6.LyricsonNatureandLoveOdetotheWestWindChapter6Keats2.LongPoemsKeatswrotefivelongpoems:Endymion,Isabella,TheEveofSt.Agnes,LamiaandHyperion.5)TheunfinishedlongepicHyperionhasbeenregardedasKeat’sgreatestachievementinpoetry.3.ShortPoems1)Hisleadingprincipleis:“Beautyintruth,truthinbeauty.”3)OdetoAutumn,OdeonMelancholy,OdeonaGrecianUrnandOdetoaNightingaleChapter10Scott2.HisHistoricalNovelsScotthasbeenuniversallyregardedasthefounderandgreatmasterofthehistoricalnovel.Accordingtothesubjet-matter,thegrouponthehistoryofScotland,thegrouponEnglishhistoryandthegrouponthehistoryofEuropeancountries.Infact,Scott’sliterarycareermarksthetransitionfromromanticismtorealisminEnglishliteratureofthe19thcentury.PartSix:EnglishCriticalRealismChapter2DickensCharlesDickenscriticalrealismDickens:PickwickPapers,AmericanNotes,MartinChuzzlewitandOliverTwist4)DickenshasoftenbeencomparedShakespeareforcreativeforceandrangeofinvention.“HeandShakespearearethetwouniquepopularclassicsthatEnglandhasgiventotheworld,andtheyarealikeinbeingrememberednotforonemasterpiecebutforcreativeworld.”DavidCopperfieldChapter3Thackeray2.VanityFair:ANovelWithoutaHeroVanityFairisThackeray’smasterpiece.characters:AmeliaSedleyandRebecca(Becky)SharpThackeraycanbeplacedonthesamelevelasDickens,asoneofthegreatestcriticalrealistsof19th-centuryEurope.Chapter4SomeWomenNovelists1.JaneAusten(1775-1817)Sheherselfcomparedherworktoafineengravingmadeuponalittlepieceofivoryonlytwoinchessquare.JaneAustenwrote6novels:NorthangerAbbey,SenseandSensibility,PrideandPrejudice,MansfieldPark,EmmaandPersuasion.2.TheBronteSistersCharlotte’smaidenattemptatprosewriting,thenovelProfessor,wasrejectedbythepublisher,buthernextnovelJaneEyre,appearingin1847,broughtherfameandplacedherintheranksoftheforemostEnglishrealisticwriters.Emily’snovelWutheringHeightsappearedin1847.Anne:AgnesGrey4.GeorgeEliotMaryAnnEvansthreeremarkablenovels:AdamBede,TheMillontheFlossandSilasMarner3)SilasMarner:CriticalrealismwasthemaincurrentofEnglishliteratureinthemiddleofthe19thcentury.PartSeven:Prose-WritersandPoetsoftheMidandLate19thCenturyChapter1CarlyletheVictorianAgeChapter3TennysontheVictorianAgeproseespeciallythenovel1.Tennyson’sLifeandCareerAlfredTennyson,themostimportantpoetoftheVictorianAge.Inthesameyear(1850)hewasappointedpoetlaureateinsuccessiontoWordsworth.Chapter7LiteraryTrendsattheEndoftheCentury1.NaturalismNaturalismisaliterarytrendprevailinginEurope,especiallyinFranceandGermany,inthesecondhalfofthe19thcentury.2.Neo-RomanticismStevensonwasarepresentativeofneo-romanticisminEnglishliterature.TreasureIsland(masterpiece)3.AestheticismAestheticismbegantoprevailinEuropeatthemiddleofthe19thcentury.Thetheoryof“artforart’ssake”wasfirstputforwardbytheFrenchpoetTheophileGautier.ThetwomostimportantrepresentativesofaestheticistsinEnglishliteratureareWalterPaterandOscarWilde.2)OscarWildedramatistLadyWindermere’sFan,1893;AWomanofNoImportance,1894;AnIdealHusbandandTheImportanceofBeingEarnest,1895TheImportanceofBeingEarnestishismasterpieceindrama.PartEight:TwentiethCenturyEnglishLiterature(Modernism)Chapter2EnglishNovelofEarly20thCentury3.HenryJamesHeisregardedastheforerunnerofthe“streamofconsciousness”literatureinthe20thcentury.Chapter3Hardy1.LifeandWorkAmonghisfamousnovels,TessoftheD’UrbervilliesandJudetheObscure.2.TessoftheD’Urbervilliescharacters:Tess,AlecD’UrbervilliesandAngelClareChapter6BernardShawChapter8ModernisminPoetry1.ImagismEzraPoundThetwomostimportantEnglishpoetsofthefirsthalfof20thcenturyareW.B.YeatsandT.S.Eliot.2.W.B.YeatsTheWildSwansatCoole,MichaelRobartesandtheDancer,TheTowerandTheWindingStairT.S.EliothasreferredtoYeatsas“thegreatestpoetofourage-certainlythegreatestinthis(i.e.English)language.”3.T.S.EliotTheWasteLand(1922)isdignifyingtheemergenceofModernism.T.S.EliotwasaleaderofthemodernistmovementinEnglishpoetryandagreatinnovatorofversetechnique.Heprofoundlyinfluenced20th-centuryEnglishpoetrybetweenWorldWars1and2.Chapter9ThePsychologicalFictionModernistfictionputemphasisonthedescriptionofthecharacter’spsychologicalactivities,sometimeshasbeencalledmodernpsychologicalfiction.OneofitspioneersisD.H.Lawrence.1.D.H.LawrenceSonsandLovers(1913),thefirstofLawrence’simportantnovels,islargelyautobiographical.ThisshowstheinfluenceofFreud’stheoryofpsychoanalysis,especiallythatofthe“Oedipuscomplex.”TheRainbow,WomeninLoveandLadyChatterley’sLover3.JamesJoyceUlysses(1922)June16,1904character:LeopoldBloomJamesJoycewasoneofthemostoriginalnovelistsofthe20thcentury.HismasterpieceUlysseshasbeencalled“amodernproseepic”.Hisadmirershavepraisedhimas“secondonlytoShakespeareinhismasteryoftheEnglishlanguage.”4.VirginiaWoolf“high-brows”theBloomsburyGroupVirginiaWolf’sfirsttwonovels,TheVoyageOutandNightandDay.Jacob’sRoom,Mrs.Dalloway,TotheLighthouseandOrlandoPartNine:PoetsandNovelistsWhoWrotebothbeforeandaftertheSecondWorldWarChapter5E.M.ForsterEdwardMorganForstertheBloomsburyGroupfournovels:WhereAngelsFeartoTread,TheLongestJourney,ARoomwithaViewandHowardsEndAPassagetoIndia,publishedin1924,isForster’smasterpiece.In1927,Forsterpublishedabookonthetheoryoffiction,AspectsoftheNovel.Chapter10WilliamGoldingWilliamGeraldGoldingHisfirstnovelLordoftheFliesChapter11DorisLessingGoldenNotebook