1、英国文学史练习题古英语和中古英语时期1古英语和中古英语时期英国文学练习题答案I. Multiple choice.1. D2. C3. A4. B5. C6. B7. B8. A9. A10. D11. A12. A13. B14. A15. B16. A17. D18. B19. C20. B21. A22. B23. D24. D25. C26. B27. C28. D29. C30. A31. A32. C33. B34. B35. A36. C37. A38. BII. Fill in the following blanks with proper words or phrases.
2、1. Britons2. Julius Caesar3. Roman4. Jutes5. 5th 6. pagan7. Alfred the Great8. religious9. Beowulf10. Hastings11. Norman12. landlords13. Norman Conquest14. Romance15. common people16. London dialect17. Prologue18. Italian19. General Prologue20. heroic couplet21. Westminster Abbey22. Geoffrey Chaucer
3、23. The Canterbury Tales24. the wife of Bath25. William Langland26. Black Death27. Arthurian28. Thomas Malory29. ballads30. Saxon英国文学史练习题古英语和中古英语时期2III. Identify the author of following works.1. William Langland2. Geoffrey ChaucerIV. Answer the following questions.1. What are the main characteristic
4、s of Anglo-Saxon literature? Anglo-Saxon literature is almost exclusively a verse literature in oral form. It was passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Most of its creators are unknown. There are two groups of English poetry in Anglo-Saxon period. The first group is the pagan p
5、oetry represented by Beowulf, the second is the religious poetry represented by the works of Caedmon and Cynewulf.2. What are the major subjects that the English romance mainly deals with?The English romance mainly deals with three major subjects: the “Matter of France”, the “Matter of Rome”, and th
6、e “Matter of Britain”.The “Matter of France” means a collection of tales about Charlemagne, the mighty ruler of France and neighboring countries around 800 A. D., and his peers and their wars against the Saracens.The “Matter of Rome” covers everything from the ancient Romans and the Greeks. Alexande
7、r the Great, king of Macedonia and conqueror of Greece, Egypt, India and Persian Empire is the favorite hero of this group. Besides this, Trojan War is also dealt with in this group.The “Matter of Britain” means the legendary history of Britain. It mainly deals with the exploits of King Arthur and h
8、is knights.3. What are the essential features of romance in the medieval English literature?The romance was the prevailing form of literature in the Middle Ages. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero. Its essential featu
9、res are: (1) It lacks general resemblance to truth or reality.(2) It exaggerates the vices of human nature and idealizes the virtues.(3) It contains perilous adventures more or less remote from ordinary life.(4) It lays emphasis on supreme devotion to a fair lady.(5) The central character of the rom
10、ance is the knight, a man of noble birth skilled in the use of weapons. He is commonly described as riding forth to seek adventures, taking part in tournaments, or fighting for his lord in battle. He is devoted to the church and the king.4. What is the influence of the Norman Conquest upon English l
11、anguage and literature? After the conquest, the body of customs and ideas known as chivalry was introduced by the Normans into England. The knightly code, the romantic interest in women, tenderness and reverence paid to Virgin Mary were reflected in the literature.With the coming of the Normans, the
12、 Anglo-Saxons sank to a position of abjectness. Their language was made a despised thing. French words of Warfare and chivalry, art and luxury, science and law, began to come into the English language. Thus three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke French, the lower class sp
13、oke English, and the scholars 英国文学史练习题古英语和中古英语时期3and clergymen used Latin.The literature was varied in interest and extensive in range. The Normans began to write histories or chronicles. Most of them were written in Latin or French.The prevailing form of literature in the feudal England was the Rom
14、ance.5. What is Chaucers contribution to English language? Chaucers language is vivid and exact. His verse is smooth. His words are easy to understand. He introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types. Especially the rhymed couplet pentameter which was later called “heroic couplet” to E
15、nglish poetry. Though drawing influence from French, Italian and Latin models, he is the first important poet to write in the current English literature. Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English language.6. What is the social significance of The Canterbury T
16、ales? In his masterpiece The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer gives us a true-to-life picture of the society of his time. Taking the stand of the rising bourgeoisie, he affirms men and opposes the dogma of asceticism preached by the church. As a forerunner of humanism, he praised mans energy, intellect, qu
17、ick wit and love of life. His tales expose and satirize the evils of his time. They attack the degeneration of the noble, the heartlessness of the judge, the corruption of the Church and so on.Living in a transitional period, Chaucer is not entirely devoid of medieval prejudices. He is religious him
18、self. There is nothing revolutionary in his writing, though he lived in a period of peasant uprisings. While praising mans right to earthly happiness, he sometimes likes to crack a rough joke and paint naturalistic pictures of sexual life. Those are Chaucers weak points. But these are, however, of secondary importance compared with his achievement as a great poet and story-teller.
