Part I The Anglo-Saxon Period: the old English literature.
1.In 55BC, Britain was invaded by Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror. Along with the invasion came the Roman mode of life
2.The Anglo-Saxon period witnessed a transition from the tribal society to feudalism.
3.The Song of Beowulf is the oldest poem in English language, and also the oldest surviving epic in the English language.
4.The early inhabitants on the island now we call England were Britons
5.In Anglo-Saxon period, the Song of Beowulf represented the pagan poetry.
6.Prose literature did show its appearance until the 8th century.
7.The Anglo-Saxons were Christianized in the 7th century.
8.English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. Of old English literature, Beowulf, the national epic of the English people, is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends.
9. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes came from the continent and settled in the island. They composed the Teutonic tribe. The language spoken by these tribes were called Anglo-Saxon or Saxon
10. literature of this period is divided into two types: Pagan(异教) and Christian(教) literature. It was a mixture of pagan and Christian elements.
11. National epic of the Anglo-Saxon is called the Song of Beowulf (贝奥武夫).
1.Epic is long narrative poems that record the adventures or heroic deeds of a hero enacted in vast landscapes. The style of epic is grand and elevated. The example of epic is the Song of Beowulf, Iliad and Odyssey.
2.The hero of the song of Beowulf is Beowulf.
3.The artistic features of the national epic the song of Beowulf are using alliteration and metaphor and understatement.
4.alliteration is a rhetorical device, meaning some words in a sentence begin with the same consonant sound (头韵). Or two of more words in a phrase or line have the same initial sound. Example: the song of Beowulf.
PartⅡ The Anglo Norman Period.
1.In 1066, the conqueror William, with his Normans army, succeeded in invading and defeating England in the battle of Hasting.
2.The literature in this period was remarkable for its bright, romantic tales of love and adventure. The language in this period was a combination of French and Saxon elements.
3.The most noted literature form in this period is romances
4.the prevailing form of Medieval English literature is romance
5.The theme of loyalty to king and lord was repeatedly emphasized in romance.
6.Romances are a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, described the life and adventures of a noble hero. It was the prevailing literature form in the feudal England. The example for romances is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
7.The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances.
8.Chivalry refers to the great spirits which shown in the knight’s deeds.
Part Ⅲ Geoffrey Chaucer.
1.He is regarded as the “the father of English poetry” or “the founder of English poetry”
2.In the 14th century, the most important writer(poet) is Chaucer
3.Chaucer’s main contributions to English literature can be found from language aspect.
4.It is Chaucer who formally finished the blend of three languages, Anglo-Saxon English, French and Latin to shape the early form of modern English.
5.It is Chaucer who first used the London Dialect English in formal writing, and it is due to his writing that modern English became the only national language accepted by all English people.
6.It is Chaucer who first used the “Heroic Couplet”(双韵体).
7.the “Heroic Couplet” refers to the rhymed a couplet of 5 accents in iambic meter
8.Chaucer devoted masterpiece The Canterbury Tales to English literature. Which remains a classic with sufficient heritage in both language and artistic achievements?
9.The Canterbury Tales is more than a collection of true-to-life pictures. Taking the stand of the rising bourgeoisie, Chaucer affirms men and women’ right to pursue their happiness on earth and opposes the dogma of asceticism preached by the church.
10.Chaucer died on October 25th, 1400, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was the first to be buried in the poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey.
11.Chaucer’s earliest work of any length is his The Romanut of the Rose, which is a translation of the French Roman de la Rose. It was a love of allegory(寓言) enjoying widespread popularity in the 13th and 14th centuries not only in France but throughout Europe.
12.Tough the Canterbury Tales was never finished, Chaucer succeeded in his purpose so well that in it he has given us a picture of contemporary English life.
13.The Canterbury Tales begins with a general prologue.(总序言) where we are told of a company of pilgrims.
14.The pilgrims are people from various parts of England, representativeness of various walks of life and social group, with various interests, tastes and predilections
15. In the 14th, the most important writer is Geoffrey Chaucer.
16. Today Chaucer is acclaimed not only as “the father of English poetry” but also as the “the father of English fiction”. His masterpiece is Canterbury Tales
17. The fifteenth century has been traditionally described as the barren age in English literature. But it is the spring tide of English ballads 民谣
18. After the Norman Conquest, feudal system was established in English society.
19. The romances were usually composed for the noble, and had nothing to with the common people.
20. The prevailing form of Medial English literature is the romance
21. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances
22. After the Norman Conquest, three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke French
23. The theme of loyalty to king and lord was repeatedly emphasized in romances
True and False statements
1.In 1066, Alexander the Great led the Norman army to invade England. It was called the Norman Conquest (F) Alexander the Great→William the Conqueror
2.After Norman Conquest, scholars often wrote chronicles and religious poems in English (F) English→ Latin or French
3.The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the romances about Charles the Great (F)
Charles the Great→King Arthur and his knights.
4.Chaucer adopted and attitude of opposition against Christianity and attacked the corruption of the contemporary church government in his poems (T) Christianity→Catholicism
5.All the 22 tales in the Canterbury Tales were written in verse form. (T)
6.Chaucer’s language, now called Old English, is vivid and exact. He is the first great poet who wrote in the English language (F) Old English→Middle English
7.The spoken English of Chaucer’s time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the standard for the modern English speech. (T)
partⅢ. The Renaissance
1. The 16th century in England was a period of the breaking up of feudal relations and establishing of the foundations of capitalism.
2. Thomas More wrote his famous work Utopia
3. during Elizabethan period, Francis Bacon wrote more than fifty excellent essays, which made him one of the best essayist in English literature.
4. Spenser is often referred to as the “poet’s poet”
5. In the Elizabethan period, Shakespeare is the greatest playwright of England.
6. The principle idea of Shakespeare’s historical plays is the necessity for national unity under one king. These ideas were of vital interest to the Elizabethan audience.
7. Shakespeare’s sonnet is made up of three quatrains with different rhymes, followed by a couplet. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg
1. The 16th century was a time when, according to Thomas Morse, "sheep devoured men"
2. The old English aristocracy having been exterminated in the course of the War of the Roses,
3. Absolute monarchy in England reached its summit during the reign of Queen Elisabeth.
4. Together with the development of bourgeois relationships and formation of the English national state this period is marked by a flourishing of national culture known as the Renaissance.
5. Renaissance marked the transition from the medieval to the modern world
5. Utopia was written by Tomas More, who was an outstanding humanist of 16th century. In the Utopia, he gave a profound and truthful picture of the people’s sufferings and put forward his ideal of a future happy society.
Nowadays, this word has become synonym with utopian socialism.
6.At the end of the century the great English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon, wrote his famous philosophical and literary works.
7.Lyrical poem refers to the poems that express the writer’s deep emotion. In the period of Renaissance, Thomas Wyatt was the representative of lyrical poem. And he was the first one to introduce the sonnet into English literature.
8.Great popularity was won by John Lyly’s novel Eupheus which gave rise to the term “euphuism”(华丽辞藻)
9.The greatest of the pioneers of English drama was Christopher Marlowe(马洛)
10.It was Marlowe who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama
11.Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter. Note: Shakespeare’s poems were written in the form of blank verse.
12.Tomas Wyatt was the first one to introduce the sonnet into English literature.
13.The epoch of Renaissance witnessed a particular development of English drama. It was Marlowe who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama.
14.Francis Bacon was the first English essayist.
15.Absolute monarchy in England reached its summit during the reign of Queen Elizabeth
16.English Resistance was an age of poetry and drama
17.“Shall we compare thee to a summer’s day?” This is the beginning line of one of Shakespeare’s sonnet. P118
18.The comedies of Shakespeare include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and As You like It.
True and False statements
1. Utopia is More’s masterpiece, written in the form of letters between More and Hythloday. F letter 改为 conversation
2. The highest glory of the English Renaissance was unquestionably its poetry. F poetry 改为 drama.
3. From Shakespeare’s history plays, it can be seen that Shakespeare took no interest in the political questions of his time. F
4. Shakespeare is one of the founders of romanticism in world literature.
F 把 romanticism 改为 realism
5. Generally speaking, after Shakespeare, the English drama was undergoing a process of prosperity. F prosperity 改为 decline
6. English Renaissance was an age of poetry and drama but not a time of prose. T
Renaissance period 文艺复兴时代
What is the renaissance?
The activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and leering in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.
The essence of the Renaissance? -----rebirth or revival
The great event during the Renaissance period?
1.The discoveries in geography and astrology.
2.The religious reformation and economic expansion.
3.Rediscoveries of Roman and Greek culture.
Dramatist
William Shakespeare 威廉 莎士比亚
The poet’s poet is Edmund Spenser 埃德蒙.史宾塞
The first one to be buried in the poet corner of Westerminster Abbey.
威斯敏斯特
The reason that Edmund Spenser becomes the poet’s poet?
1.his idealism
2.his love of beauty
3.his exquisite melody
仙后： Elizabethan Queen
Thomas More 托马斯 摩尔
One of the greatest humanists
Masterpiece
Utopia 乌托邦 现在“乌托邦”已成为理想的代名词，
Francis Bacon 弗朗西斯. 培根
Philosopher, scientist, lay foundation for the modern science. The first English essayist.
Knowledge is power
知识就是力量
Metaphor philosophy to man’s reason.
The advancement of Learning 学术的推进
Studies 论学习
The uses and benefits of studies and the different ways adopted by different people to pursue study.
Blank verse 无韵诗
Please define the literary term “blank verse”
The poems written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
马耳他 Malta
马耳他的犹太人 the Jew of Malta
William Shakespeare 威廉.莎士比亚
1.historical plays: Henry VI, Henry IV Richard III Henry V Richard H Henry VIII
2.four comedies: As You Like It 皆大欢喜
Twelfth Night 第十二夜
A Midsummer Dream 仲夏夜之梦
Merchant Of Venice 威尼斯商人
3.four tragedies
Hamlet 哈姆雷特下载本文
