1、英美文学重点知识归纳Old English: 450-1066the national epic of the Anglo-SaonsMedieval English： 1066 - middle 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer-the father of English poetry (wisdom, humor, humanity)first time to use heroic coupletThe Renaissance Period: 14th mid 17th started in ItalyA series of historical events:1
2、. rediscovery of ancient Roman to suffer or to take actionFrancis Bacon philosopher, scientist, essayist, lay the foundation for modern scienceHis Essays is the first example of that genre in English literature.Bacons essays are famous for their brevity, compactness & powerfulness, well-arranging an
3、d enrichingby Biblical allusions（典故）, metaphors（隐喻） and cadence（韵律）.mans understanding consists of three parts: history to mansmemory, poetry to mans imagination and creation, and philosophy to mans reason.written in Latin on methodology 方法论Bacon suggests theinductive reasoning 归纳法( i.e. proceeding
4、from the particular to the general)in place of Aristotelian method, the deductive reasoning 演绎法( i.e. proceeding from the general tothe particular)READING: Of Studiesuses and benefits of study studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Studiesperfect nature, and are perfected by exper
5、ience. Different ways adopted by different people to pursuestudies -studies and experience are complementary (互补)to each other. The correct attitude to readingbooks -to weigh and consider. How studies exert influence over human character -reading maketh a fullman, conference a ready man, and writing
6、 an exact man.John DonneMetaphysical poetry（玄学诗）- break away from love poetry, the diction(用语)is simple, theimagery is from the actual, the form is frequently an argument with the poets beloved, with God, or withhimself.A)conceits B)syllogism (三段论)Poetry 早期: holds that the nature of love is the unio
7、n of soul and body.晚期: religious poemProse: his sermons, which are both rich and imaginativeREADING: 1. The Sun Rising 2. Death, Be Not Proud ( a sonnet,14 lines)the busy sun is always ready to interfere with other things and everywhere whatever you are, you can not escape from death. When you are l
8、iving, you arealways in the shadow of death. Death only lasts a moment, our life after death is eternal. The morepleasure the death gives people, not only the pleasure of the rest & the sleep, because whom the godslove die young. Though death is usually considered powerful, it actually provides a re
9、st for a mans bodyand a birth for his soul.John Milton Achievement: 1)the early poetic works 2) the middle prose(散文) 3)the last great poemsElegy(挽歌) -利西达斯 (his early work)Epic(史诗) - Dramatic poem(诗剧) - 力士参孙the most perfect example of the verse dramaafter the Greek style in English.READING: excerpt f
10、rom Paradise Lostthe only generally acknowledged epic in English literature since Beowulf. The conflict isbetween human love and spiritual duty. The freedom of the will is the keystone of Miltons creed(纲领).Take from the Old Testament, the theme is the “Fall of Man”: Satan rebel against God and are d
11、riven fromHeaven. He determined to revenge by seduce(引诱)Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree ofKnowledge against Gods instructions. So, Adam and Eve are exiled by God from the paradise.The Neoclassical Period : 1660-1798 with the publication of Lyrical ballads by Wordsworth andColeridge- a re
12、vival of interest in the old classical works, order, logic, restrained emotion(抑制情感) &accuracythe Age of Enlightenment/Reason the movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance of the 15thand 16th centries,a progressive intellectual movement, reason (rationality), equality & science (the 18thcentury)
13、modern English novel newly rising literary form 现实主义小说诞生（the mid-century ）Gothic novel(哥特式小说 ) - mystery, horror & castles (from middle part to the end of century)John BunyanREAING: The Vanity Fair 名利场 an excerpt form The Pilgrims Progress (天路历程), a religious allegory(寓言),its purpose is to urge peop
14、le to abide by Christiandoctrines and seek salvation(拯救)through constant struggles with their own weaknesses and all kinds ofsocial evils. Its predominantmetaphor life as a journeyAlexander Popeone of the first to introduce rationalism to England, for him the supreme value was order.READING: excerpt
15、 from An Essay on Criticism(论批评)a poem written in heroic couplets(对句),criticize the present poem lack oftrue taste & call on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance, true wit which is bestset in a plain (simple & clear) style.Daniel Defoe - the first writer study of the lower-
16、class people, his language is smooth, easy, colloquialand mostly vernacular(方言).READING: excerpt from Robinson crusoepraise the human labor and the Puritan fortitude (清教徒坚韧). an adventure story, Robinson, narrates how he goes to sea, gets shipwrecked and marooned(放逐) ona lonely island, struggles to
17、live for 24-years there and finally gets relieved and returns to England. Robinson grew from a nave and artless youth into a shrewd and hardened man, tempered bynumerous trials in his eventful life.Jonathan SwiftIn his opinion, human nature is seriously and permanently flawed (缺点)Achievement: 1)a ma
18、ster satirist. 2) one of the greatest of English prose, he defined a good style as “Proper words in proper places”READING: excerpt from Gullivers Travels(格列佛游记)fictional work, four parts Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Flying Island & Houyhnhnm(小人国) (大人国) (飞岛) ( 有人类理性的马) the book is one of the most effective
19、 and devastating criticisms and satires of all aspects in the thenEnglish and European life.Henry Fielding -Father of English novel, he was the first to write a “Comic epic in prose” (散文体史诗), the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. He adopted “the third-person narration”.(约瑟夫安德鲁)
20、(伟大的乔纳森怀尔德)a masterpiece on the subject of human naturethe unfortunate life of an idealized woman, a maudlin(伤感的)picture of thesocial life at the time.READING: excerpt from Tom JonesBrings the author the name of the “Prose Homer”In a way, Tom and Sophia, stands for a wayfaring(旅行的)Everyman, who is e
21、xpelled from the paradiseand has to go through hard experience to gain a knowledge of himself and finally to approach perfectness.Samuel Johnson the author of the firstEnglish dictionary by an Englishman, the last neoclassicistenlightener. 英语大词典READING: To the Right Honorable the Earl of Chesterfiel
22、dthe letter is written in a refined and very politelanguage, with a bitter undertone of defiance and anger. The seemingly peaceful retrospection, reasoningand questioning express, to the best satiric effect, the authors strong indignation at the lords fame-fishing.Richard Brinsley Sheridan - the onl
23、y important English dramatist of the 18th centuryand are regarded as important links between the masterpiecesof Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw.READING: excerpt from The School for ScandalA story about two brothers: Joseph Surface and Charles Surface. Charles in love with Maria, Sir PeterTeazl
24、e is loved by Lady Sneerwell. The lady instigates(教唆 )Joseph to pursue Maria For her Money.Joseph secretly seduce(引诱) Lady Teazle, Sir Peters young wife. The play ends with great disgrace forJoseph and Charles wins his loves and the inheritance of his rich uncle.It is a sharp satire on the moral deg
25、eneracy(堕落) of the aristocratic-bourgeois society in the 18thEngland.Thomas Graythe leader of the sentimental(悲情的) poetry of the day ,especially “The Graveyard School”READING:Elegy Written in a Country Churchyardreflects on death, the sorrows of life, and the mysteries ofhuman life with a touch of h
26、is personal melancholy. He sympathized for the poor and the unknown, butmocks the great ones who despise the poor and bring havoc(破坏) on them.The Romantic Period Romantic - emotion over reason, spontaneous (自发)emotion, a change from the outer world of socialcivilization to the inner world of the hum
27、an spirit,poetry should be free from all rules, imagination, nature,commonplace The romantic emphasized the special qualities of each individuals mind.The romantic period began with： in 1798 the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges end in 1832 with Sir Walter Scotts death two major novelists of
28、the Romantic period are Jane Austen (realistic) and Walter Scott (romantic).William Blake - poet & engraver(雕刻家) : a happy and innocent world from childrens eye : a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy (忧郁的)tone from men eyes. Childhood, paradoxes, a pairing of opp
29、ositesmarks his entry into maturity.(先知书) prophetic(预言的) book in his later periodHe presents his view in visual images. Symbolism is also a distinctive feature of his poetry.READING: 1. The Chimney Sweeper (from Songs of Innocence)2. The Chimney Sweeper (from Songs of Experience)3. The Tyger(from So
30、ngs of Experience)William Wordsworth- the leading figure of the English romantic poetry, simple, spontaneous(自发的), “worshipper ofnature”-He defines the poet as a man speaking to men, and poetry as the spontaneous overflow of powerfulfeelings, which originates in emotion recollected in tranquillity.“
31、Lake Poets”: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge & Robert Southey(序曲) his masterpieceREADING: 1. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloudthe poet is very cheerful with recalling the beautiful sights. In thepoem on the beauty of nature, the reader is presented a vivid picture of lively and lovely daffodi
32、ls (水仙)and poets philosophical ideas and mystical thoughts.2. Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802the sonnet describes a vivid picture of abeautiful morning in London, silent, bright, glittering（闪烁的）, smokeless & mildly（柔和的）.It is sotouching a sight that the poet expressed his religio
33、n piety （虔诚）for nature.3. She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways4. The Solitary Reaperthanks to poets rich imagination, the mass of associations, this commonplacehappening becomes a striking event, the poet succeeds in making the readers share his emotion. Thepoem also shows the poets passionate love of
34、 nature.Samuel Taylor Coleridge - supernatural, remoteWilliam Wordsworth and Coleridge: Poet can be divided into two groups - the demonic 恶魔的(supernatural) & the conversational- The demonic group includes 3 masterpieces: , , 老水手之行 克丽斯塔贝尔 忽必烈汗Feature: mysticism, demonism with strong imagination, a st
35、range territory- Conversational poem: READING: Kubla KhanGeorge Gordon ByronByronic hero: is a proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin, against tyrannical（暴君的）rules ormoral principles. Such a hero appears first in 怀尔德 哈罗德游记（唐璜）(the masterpiece of Byron, a long satirical poem, comic epic)by ma
36、ke use ofJuans adventures, to present a panoramic（全面）view of different types of society.READING: 1.Song for the Ludditeswill die fighting, or live free Byron show his support of the Luddites whodestroyed the machines in their protest against unemployment. The poets great sympathy of the workersin th
37、eir struggle against the capitalists is clearly shown.2. The Isles of Greece (fromDon Juan)song by a Greek singer at the wedding of Don Juan and Haidee. Fill high thebowl with Samian wine? By contrasting the freedom of ancient Greece and the present enslavement, thepoet appealed to people to struggl
38、e for liberty.Percy Bysshe Shelley1) Lyrics（抒情诗）云雀颂the bird, suspended between realityand poetic image2) poetic drama （诗剧）解放了的米罗普修斯READING: 1. A Song: Men of EnglandIt is not only a war cry calling upon all working people of England to rise up againsttheir political oppressors, but also an address t
39、o point out to them the intolerable injustice of economicexploitation.2.Ode to the West Windterza rima, destructive-constructive potential, hopeful, I fall upon the thornsof life! I bleed!, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? The author express his eagerness to enjoythe boundless freedom from
40、 the reality.John Keats4 great odes : , , , 希腊古瓮颂 夜莺颂READING: Ode on a Grecian Urnthe contrast between the permanence of art and the transience (短暂)of humanpassion, Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter, Beauty is truth, truth beautyJane Austen6 novels: 诺桑觉寺 蔓斯菲尔德公园 Story of love a
41、nd marriage provide the major themes in all her novels.3 types of attitudes in pursuit of marriage:A) who would marry for material wealth and social positionB) who would marry just for beauty and passionC) who would marry for true love with a consideration of the partners personal merit and hisecono
42、mical and social status.concerning 3 or 4 landed gentry families with their daily routine life: relationships with members of theirown family and with their friends, dancing parties, tea parties, picnics, and gossips.READING: excerpt from Pride and prejudice1. Elizabeth Bennet & Darcy : in the end f
43、alse pride is humbled and prejudice dissolved.2. Collins & Charlotte Lucas: see the reality of marriage as a necessary step if a woman is to avoid thewretchedness(不幸) of aging spinsterhood（未婚妇女身份）.3. Lydia & Wickham: shown the dangers of feckless（不负责任的）relationships unsupported bymoney.4. Mr. & Mrs.
44、 Bennet, Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine de Burgh: comic charactersThe Victorian Period : 1836-1901 Common sense and moral propriety（规矩）,again became the predominant preoccupation. Criticalrealists were all concerned about the fate of the common people. Darwins and shook the traditional faith,everything
45、 is created by God George Eliot, the pioneering woman, was the first novelist that “started putting all the actions inside” Thomas Hardy, that Wessex man who not only expose and criticize all sorts of social iniquities, butfinally came to question and attack the Victorian conventions and morals. Rob
46、ert Browning, created the verse novel, revel and study characters inner world (psycho-analytical)Charles Dickens - one of the greatest critical realist writers of the Victorian Age - Character-portrayal is the most distinguishing feature of his works1) child characters 2) horrible and grotesque（可笑的）
47、 characters 3)broadly humorous or comicalcharacters- characterized by a mingling(混合 ) of humor and pathos (悲伤)pathos: little Nell , little Paul READING: excerpt from Oliver Twist 雾都孤儿is a boy brought up in the workhouse. One day, as Oliver asked for more food, hewassent to work as an apprentice and
48、then ran away The novel is famous for its vivid descriptions of theworkhouse and life of the underworld（下层社会） in 19th London.The Bronte SistersThe Bronte Sisters - Charlotte, Emily & AnneEmily, a rather reserved and simple girl, was very much a child of nature.Charlotte, is a writer of realism combi
49、ned with romanticism. Her works are famous for the depiction ofthe life of the middle-class working women, particularly governesses（家庭女教师）.READING: 1. excerpt from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte简爱Jane Eyre, a plain little orphan, was sent to Lowood, a charity school. There shesuffer a lot and 8 years later she left school and became a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she falls inlove with the master, Mr. Rochester.-It is noted for its sharp criticis
