英国文学史/文学选读重要作家及作品British Writers and WorksI. Old English Literature & The Late Medieval Ages<Beowulf>贝奥武夫:the national epic of the Anglo-SaxonsEpic: 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.e.g. Homer’s Iliad and OdysseyArtistic features:ing alliterationDefinition of alliteration: a rhetorical device, meaning some words in a sentencebegin with the same consonant sound（头韵）Some examples on P5ing metaphor and understatementDefinition of understatement: expressing something in a controlled wayUnderstatement is a typical way for Englishmen to express their ideasGeoffery Chaucer 杰弗里•乔叟1340(?)~1400(首创“双韵体”，英国文学史上首先用伦敦方言写作。
约翰·德莱顿（John Dryden）称其为“英国诗歌之父”。
代表作《坎特伯雷故事集》。
)The father of English poetry.writing style: wisdom, humor, humanity.①<The Canterbury Tales>坎特伯雷故事集：first time to use ‘heroic couplet’(双韵体) by middle English②<Troilus and Criseyde>特罗伊拉斯和克莱希德③ <The House of Fame>声誉之宫Medieval Ages’ popular Literary form: Romance(传奇故事)Famous three：King ArthurSir Gawain and the Green KnightBeowulfII The Renaissance PeriodA period of drama and poetry. The Elizabethan drama is the real mainstream of theEnglish Renaissance.Renaissance: the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.Three historical events of the Renaissance – rebirth or revival:1.new discoveries in geography and astrology2.the religious reformation and economic expansion3.rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek cultureThe most famous dramatists:Christopher MarloweWilliam ShakespeareBen Johnson.1.Edmund Spenser埃德蒙•斯宾塞1552~1599（后人称之为“诗人的诗人”。
）The poets’ poet. The first to be buried in the Poet’s corner of Westerminster Abbey①<The Faerie Queene>仙后(for Queen Elizabeth)The theme is not “Arms and the man”, but something more romantic “Fierce wars and faithfull loves”.Artistic features:ing Spenserian StanzaDefinition of Spenserian Stanza:a stanza of nine lines ababbcbcc. Eight linesin iambic pentameter, and last line in iambic hexameter.②<The Shepherds Calendar>牧人日历The theme is to lament over the loss of Rosalind.③ <Amoretti>爱情小唱2. Thomas More托马斯•莫尔1478~1535One of the greatest English humanists①<Utopia>乌托邦3. Francis Bacon弗兰西斯•培根1561~1626（哲学家、散文家；在论述探究知识的著作中提出了知识就是力量这一著名论断；近代唯物主义哲学的奠基人和近代实验科学的先驱。
）Philosopher, scientist, lay the foundation for modern science. The first English essayist.Writing style:brevity, compactness&powerfulness, well-arranging and enriching by Biblical allusions, metaphors and philosophy to man’s reason.①<The Advancement of Learning>学术的推进②<Essays>随笔(famous quotas: <Of studies>)The theme of Of Studies: uses and benefits of study and different ways adopted bydifferent people to pursue studies.4. Ben Jonson①<Comedy of Humours>②<V olpone, or the fox>狐狸5. Christopher Marlowe柯里斯托弗•马洛1564~1595“University Wits”, the pioneer of English drama（完善了无韵体诗。
）Blank verse: written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.①<The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus>浮士德博士的悲剧（根据德国民间故事书写成）②<Tamburlaine>帖木耳大帝③<The Jew of Malta>马耳他的犹太人6. William Shakespeare威廉•莎士比亚1564~1616①Historical plays: Henry VI ; Henry IV : Richard III ; Henry V ；Richard II；HenryVIII②Four Comedies:<As You Like It>皆大欢喜; <Twelfth Night>第十二夜; <AMidsummer Night’S Dream>仲夏夜之梦; <Merchant Of Venice>威尼斯商人③Four Tragedies:<Hamlet>哈姆莱特; <Othello>奥赛罗; <King Lear>李尔王;<Macbeth>麦克白④Shakespeare Sonnet :154 <The Sonnets>Three quatrain and one couplet, ababcdcdefefggA sonnet is a lyric consisting of 14 lines, usually in iambicpentameter restricted to a definition rhyme scheme.III The 17th Century1. John Milton约翰•弥尔顿1608~1674（诗人、政论家;失明后写《失乐园》、《复乐园》、《力士参孙》。
）①Epics: <Paradise Lost>失乐园<Paradise Regained>复乐园②Dramatic poem: < Samson Agonistes>力士参孙③<Areopagitica>论出版自由<The Defence of the English People>为英国人民声辩④<On His Blindness>我的失明This sonnet is written in iambic pentameter rhymed in abba abba cde cde, typical of Italian sonnet.Its theme is that people use their talent for God, and they serve him best sho can endure the suffering best.2. John Bunyan约翰•班扬1628~1688（代表作《天路历程》，宗教寓言，被誉为“具有永恒意义的百科全书”，是英国文学史上里程碑式著作。