1、History and Selected Readings of British Literature,Outline of British Literature,1. Anglo-Saxon Period 盎格鲁-撒克逊时期(449-1066) 2. Anglo-Norman Period (Middle Ages)盎格鲁- 诺曼时期 (10661485） 3.The Renaissance文艺复兴时期（15世纪后期17 世纪初） 4.The 17th Century (Age of Revolution and Restoration)17世纪文学 5.The Enlightenment
2、启蒙时期（17世纪后期18世纪中 期） 6.The Romanticism浪漫主义时期（1798-1832） 7.The Critical Realism 批判现实主义时期（19世纪30年代-1918） 8.The Modern Period现代主义时期（1918-1945） 9.Contemporary English Literature 当代文学（1945 至今）,The Anglo-Saxon Period (449 A.D.-1066 A.D.),Contents,I. Historical Background,1. The Britons,The English people a
3、re not of one origin but a mixed blood.,Britons,Early Inhabitants,Britain,a tribe of Celts,the land of Britons,primitive people clustering of huts,tribal society,2. The Roman Conquest,55 B. C.,Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror,Britons,fought fiercely,Britain was under control completely by the Roma
4、n Empire in 78 A. D.,1.Britons, trodden (trampled) down as slaves or cultivators of the land 2. The Roman mode of life came across to Britain with the Conquest,Buildings of Roman style for Roman conquerors,Highways or Roman roads for military purposes,Towns built E.g. London,Christianity introduced,
5、Influences of the Roman Conquest,beginning of 5th century: declining of the Roman Empire,In 410 A. D. Romans withdrew.,400 years of occupation,After the Roman Conquest, swarms of pirates came to invade from Northern Europe .,Angles,Saxons,Jutes,7th. C United into One Kingdom,7 small kingdoms,people:
6、 English,England: Angle-land,Language: Anglo-Saxon Old English,盎格 鲁人,撒克 逊人,朱特人,3. The English/Anglo-Saxon Conquest,4. Social Condition of the Anglo-Saxons,before the settlement,after the settlement,the tribal society,families united by kinship(血族关系),chiefs and warriors,chiefs bread; the booty (plund
7、er战利品),power of life and death; close relationship,organs of state,kingship (君王统治),the military commander,The Anglo-Saxon Period witnessed a Transition from tribal society to feudalism.,5. The Anglo-Saxon religious belief,The Anglo-Saxons were heathen (异教徒) people, believing in old mythology of Nort
8、hern Europe.English language was influenced by the Northern mythology.,In 597 St. Augustine from Rome brought Christianity. Within 100 years the whole England was Christianized. Heathen people with their paganism withdrew to remote areas. A mixture of paganism and Christianity existed in the Anglo-S
9、axon society.The monks in the monasteries maintained to tinge the earliest works when copied them.,The Anglo-Saxon religious belief,Anglo-Saxon Male Anglo-Saxon males wore tunics with trim and tight fitting braise or pants. They wore wool cloaks that were fastened with pins. Great seal of Edward the
10、 Confessor pictured.,Weapons In early Anglo-Saxon times the sword (such as the examples on the below) was by and large almost parallel sided down to the tip, where it then tapered to a point; although tapering blades similar to late Saxon and Viking swords were not unknown at that point. These early
11、 swords usually had pommels and crossguards made up of layers of organic material such as wood, bone or horn; which were often sandwiched, embellished with, or even completely covered by, bronze, gold and silver. Some examples were even inlaid with garnets trapped in separate cells, or were decorate
12、d with enamel. Some swords also had a ring attached to the upper guard, that to begin with was a true ring, but later became bastardised into a vestigial ring such as that on the Sutton Hoo sword. Their purpose is unclear, although they may have represented some special honour bestowed on the swords
13、 owner.,Anglo-Saxon Homes, Life and Living,Early English Architecture The Buildings of the Anglo-Saxons,.Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Literature,There were two literary divisions: one was pagan and the other was religious. And the main literary forms are poetry and prose, and poetry was in oral fo
14、rm.,Three characteristics: 1. Anglo-Saxon literature is almost a verse literature in oral form. It was only given a written form long after its composition. 2. There are two groups of English poetry in Anglo-Saxon periodpagan (世俗诗) and religious （宗教诗） poetry. Pagan poetry was represented by Beowulf
15、while religious poetry was represented by the works of Caedmon （凯德蒙） and Cynewulf(基涅武甫）. 3. In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The famous prose writers of that period were Venerable Bede （比德） and Alfred the Great （阿尔弗烈德大王）.,. Anglo-Saxon Poetry,1. Pagan Poetry（世俗诗） The pagan poetry, als
16、o called secular poetry, does not contain any specific Christian doctrine and emphasizes on the harshness of circumstance and the helplessness of humans before the power of fate. Beowulf is the representative. 2. Religious Poetry（宗教诗） The religious poetry is also called Christian poetry. It is mainl
17、y on biblical stories and saints lives. But sometimes there is a mixture of Christian and pagan ideas in these poems. It is represented by Caedmon and Cynewulf.,1.The Pagan Poetry: The Song of Beowulf 贝奥武甫之歌,i. Introduction,ii. Analysis of “Beowulf”,iii. Features of “Beowulf”,iv. What is an epic?,Th
18、e Song of Beowulf,i. Introduction,Its characters: Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes Grendel: a monster Grendels mother: she-monster,Introduction,2. Its plot: Beowulfs fight with the monster Grendel in Hrothgars hall (Heorot) 2) Beowulfs slaying
19、of Grendels mother in her lair 3) Beowulfs return to his uncle, and his succession to the throne. 4) Beowulfs victory in death, fifty years later, over the fire dragon,The Story of Beowulf illustrated by the following 14 pictures:,Hrothgar, king of the Danes,Heorot (The mead hall),Grendel, the monst
20、er,Beowulf went to help Hrothgar,The queen filled Beowulfs Cup,Beowulf tore off Grendels arm and shoulder,The she-monster almost killed Beowulf.,Beowulf finally succeeded.,Beowulf ruled the country for about 50 years,The Fire Dragon guarded the treasure. A runaway slave stole the treasure ,Beowulf w
21、ent to fight with the Fire Dragon.,Beowulf fought against the Fire Dragon.,Beowulf was wounded and died.,They killed the dragon and got the treasure,II. Analysis of Beowulf,1. It is a folk legend brought to England bythe Anglo Saxon from their primitiveNorthern Europe.2. It was passed down from mout
22、h to mouth.3. It was written down in the 10th century.4. Beowulf is a grand hero.1) brave deeds2) faithful to his people,5. It reflects the features of the tribal society of ancient times.,front: stormy northern ocean,back: impenetrable forests,against the forces of nature,monsters: beneath the sea,
23、 in the marshes in the dark forests,Analysis of Beowulf,III. Writing features of Beowulf,1. The most striking feature is the use of alliteration(头韵).,Thus made their mourning the men of Geatland,For their heros passing, his hearth-companions,2. Other features are the use of metaphorsand of understat
24、ements(低调陈述).,Metaphors: ring-giver: hearth-companions: whales road: sea-wood:,Understatement:,king,attendant warriors,sea,ship,very welcome,a right to condemn,need not praise:,not troublesome:,Writing features of Beowulf,iv. What is an epic(史诗)?,epic,(heroic poem): an extended narrative poem in ele
25、vated or dignified language, like Homers Iliad & Odyssey. It usually celebrates the feats of one or more legendary or traditional heroes.,2. The Religious Poetry,The religious poetry is also called Christian poetry. It is mainly on biblical stories and saints lives. But sometimes there is a mixture
26、of Christian and pagan ideas in these poems. It is represented by Caedmon （凯德蒙） and Cynewulf （塞内武甫）.,(1) Caedmon (610-680),Caedmon is the first known religious poet of England. He is known as the father of English song. His life story is vividly described in Bedes Historic Ecclesiastical（英格兰人教会史）. H
27、is first poem is called The Hymn of Praise (赞美诗）. Later on, Caedmon composed many other poems by using the biblical materials.,(2) Cynewulf (early 9th Century),Cynewulf lived in the early 9th century. Except the unknown composer of Beowulf, he is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon poet. Of his lif
28、e we know very little. He was probably an ecclesiastic 牧师 and a scholar. His name remained unknown until 1840. Cynewulf took his subject matter partly from the church liturgy, more largely from the homilies of Gregory the Great. Throughout the poem, a deep love for Christ and reverence for Virgin Ma
29、ry are expressed.,3. Anglo-Saxon Prose,Prose literature did not show its appearance until the 8th century. There were two famous prose writers: Venerable Bede, Alfred the Great.,(1) Venerable Bede (673-735),The most important of his works is The Ecclesiastical History of the English People（英格兰人教会史）.
30、 The book not only tells us how religion was introduced and spread in England but also recounts some historical events of that period and Anglo-Saxon mythological legends.,(2)Alfred the Great (871-901),Alfred the Great, king of Wessex kingdom, is another important figure in prose writing of Anglo-Sa
31、xon period. During his reign, he tried every means to improve the state of education, such as founding colleges, and importing teachers from Europe. He was a well-known translator. He translated some important Latin works into English. But of his works, the most important is The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles（盎格鲁-撒克逊编年史）. This book records the main happenings of the Anglo-Saxon period. It is the best monument of the Old English prose.,Assignments,Preview literature in the Anglo-Norman period Preview Chaucer, his life, masterpiece, his significance and influence.The Canterbury Tales,文学美化生活,
