英美文学
Course syllabus
▪ Read at least the 15 books on the reading list and write at least 15 book reports
▪ Your book reports should be centered on your original commentary
but they still kept their own language, customs and religion. 2. Anglo-Saxon conquest (about AD 450) 3. Norman conquest (1066)
- the Middle Ages
The Anglo-Saxon conquest
▪ The Historical Background ◆ 3 conquests
1. AD 43-410 Roman conquest. - South Britain was made a Roman
province. - The Celts had to pay tributes or taxes,
pagan ['peiɡən]
- worship Heaven (Father), Earth (Mother) and Summer (son)
- evil monsters: Winter, Frost Giants, Woden and Thor (thunder) ◆AD 597, St. Augustine from Rome as a missionary to Kent (south) ◆Missionaries from Ireland began to preach Christianity in the north ◆Within a century or so the whole island was Christianized.
▪ Secular and religious poetry
Old English Literature - Poetry
▪ Religious poetry - on Biblical themes or on saints’ lives - a mixture of Christian and pagan ideas - Genesis A, Genesis B, Exodus, the Phoenix - function of art: teach others and enhance devotion
- Artistic features of Old English Poetry ◆ structural alliteration ◆ without rhyme ◆ vivid poetic diction and parallel expressions for a single idea, esp. those of Kennings (比喻 的复合辞 a word picture)
swan-road, whale-path, sea-wood, wavefloater, shield-bearer, battle-hero, spear-fighter
大家学习辛苦了，还是要坚持
继续保持安静
Old English Poetry – The Song of Beowulf 《贝奥武甫之歌》
▪ I’ll check attendance every time. ▪ One absence will cost you 10 points ▪ Your final grades: book report (50%)
final examination(50%)
Part I Old English literature (the Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066)
▪ Caedmon - the “Father of the English Song” - a shy cowherd in Whitby - Christian poet
▪ Secular poetry: songs and Beowulf
- Characteristics: laments, harsh climate of north sea strongly affected the tone or mood of the poets
Old English Literature - Poetry
▪ Intended to be chanted with harp accompaniment, by the Anstic: bold, strong, mournful, elegiac [,eli‘dʒaiək] (挽歌的), emphasizes the sorrow and ultimate futility of life and the helplessness of humans before the power of fate
▪ The first English national epic ▪ Heroic ideals of feudal kings and kingship
in north Europe: strength and courage ▪ The structure: 3 parts
(1) the fight against Grendal (2) Grendal’s mother (3) the Dragon
◆Tuetonic tribes from northern Europe
- drove the Celts from England to Wales, Scotland and Ireland
- Celtic language died out. ◆ The Anglo-Saxons were heathen ['hi:ðən] or