Part One Early and Medieval English literature& Masteipiece: “The Song of Beowulf "1・ Significance:■The national epic of the English people;■A folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe; ■Passedfrom mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before written down in the 10th century;■The most important and representative work of the Old English (the Anglo-Saxon )literature・2.Characters:Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes Grendel: a monster3.Plot:(1)Beowulf's fight with the monster Giendel in Hrothgar^s hall(2)Beowulf's slaying of GrendeVs mother in her lair(3)Beowulf's retiuii to his uncle, and his succession to the throne・(4)Beowulf's victoiy in death, fifty years later, over the fire diagon4.Features:■i. Position. The national epic and the first long poem in English ・■ii. Rhyme: The poem is written in alliterative verse in a line, with 4 accents in a line , three of which show alliteration( beginning with the same consonant sound)■iii. Rhetorics. A figurative language is used , which is called "kenning” or metaphor ・■iv. Structure*. It is written in inverted order with two parts in a line (as pause) & The Medieval English LiteratureI.Romance : (in prose or verse form)a.Subject matter (题材,话题,论题)(See the definition):The life and adventures of a noble hero , generally a knightb.Theme (主题)(See the definition)： The loyalty to the king and lord ・c.Three romance cycles (传奇故事系列)The Matter of France (about Charlemagne and his peers )The Matter of Rome (about Alexander the Great)The Matter of Britain(about the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table) d. The class nature of Romance :It's written far the upper classChivalry (骑士精神)is represented to show the quality of the knight : courage , honor , courtesy , loyalty and devotion to the helpless 、 the weakand women ・e. Masterpiece.•"Sir Gawiii and the Green Knight"《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》inalliterative verse.* Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)1.Position: i/4The father of English poetry''ii. The founder of English realism (by Gorky)iii・ The forerunner of humanism ・2.Contribution:i.He introduced the “heroic couplet” (the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter 抑扬格五音步)ii・ He is the first great poet who wrote in the cuirent English language ・ iii. He did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modem English speech .3.Literary Creation:Influenced by： Dante (1265-1321): "The Divine Comedy nPetrarch (1307-1374): (<SonnetsBoccaccio (1313-1375): Decameron n4.Masteipiece : “The Canterbuiy Tales，'i.Significance :a.A comprehensive picture of Chaucer's time a splendid realistic portrayal ・b.An artistic corridor of people from all walks of life in the medieval England :a)the gentle class: knight 、 squire , monk prioress (女修道院的院长), the oxford scholar ・b)the bui・gher class : tradesman , carpenter、weaver , the Wife of Bath , lawyerc.Realism and Humanism is revealed :The praise of maif s energy quick wit and love of life .The equal right of man and woman to pursue their happiness on earth and the opposition of the dogma of asceticism.ii・ Features:a.Structural features :a) A prologue and 24 tales b) All the tales are closely knitted by interspersing them with the talk ,the quarrels , opinions of the pilgrims and especially the judgment of the innkeeper ・b.Literary features :Heroic couplet : a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines .Tone : gentle satire and mild irony ・& The English Ballads (Popular Ballads)1.Literary Features :i. English folk literature in feudal society ・ii.In song , usually in 4-line stanza , with the 2nd and 4th lines rhymed ・iii.iambic trimeter / tetrameter 抑扬格三音步/四音步2.Themes :i. The struggle of young lovers against their feudal families・ii.T he conflict between love and wealth・iii.T he cruel effect of jealousy.iv.The border wars between England and Scotland.v.The matters of class struggle・3.Masterpieces:1)Robin Hood Ballads : gathered into a collection called "The Geste of Robin Hood”2)"Robin Hood and Allan -a - Dale" "Get up and Bar the DooF"'Sir Patrick Spans"Robin Hood■Status: a yeoman forced to be an outlaw/fugitive■Deeds: Greenwood of Sherwood Forest near Nottingham in the center of England■Hunting the King^s deer, robbing from the rich and distributing among the poor ■Friends and followers: the Merry Men (Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and the romantic minstrel Alan-a-Dale)■His enemy: the Sheriff of Nottingham■His wife: Maid Marian4.Linguistic characteristics:1)economy of words2) direct speech3) repetition4) easily to be song(2)& Romance■It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It has developed thecharacteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.■The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions. There is often mysteries and fantasies in romance・■Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance・ Characterization is standardized, while the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward・■The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world ・• Questions for consideration:1 ・ The features of the medieval English literature ?2.The significance of The Canterbury Tales ?3.The literary features of English ballads ?4.The differences between romance and balladPart II The English Renaissance&Literary influence of the Bible on English language:Household words from Bible:root of all evil 万恶之源clear as crystal 极其明白 a thorn in the flesh 眼中钉，肉中刺to cast pearls before swine明珠投暗a labor of love不计较报酬的工作eye for eye , tooth for tooth以眼还眼，以牙还牙The Development of Literaturei.The Beginning of the English Renaissancea.Geoffrey Chuuw（1340-1400） The forerunner of English Renaissanceb.William CaxH introducing printing to England in 1476 bringing a multitude of classical works ・& c. Thomas More（1478-1535） The first humanist in EnglandI.IntroductionGreat thinker and humanist in the RenaissanceII.Masteipiece: "Utopia "Utopia, from two Greek words meaning 44nowhere'\ is an island discovered on a voyage to the newly discovered Americas.It is an description of the ideal communist society and ideal commonwealth, where property is held in common and there is no poverty.Practical basis for the communist society:From everyone according to his capacities ,to everyone according to his 各尽所能,按需分配）B. Different Genres and their representatives: essay, poetry, dramaa.essayist: Francis Baconb.poets:Thomas Wyatt, HenryHoward,Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespearec.dramatists/playwrights: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson &]• Francis BaconA. Position and Contribution:He is the first great essayist ・ He is the founder of English materialist philosophy （唯物主义哲学）He is the founder of modern science inEngland .Inductive Method of Reasoning （归纳法）was stated in his essay “New Iiistmment^He represents the intellectual energy of the age ・B. Masteipiece:a.^Advancement of Learning^《科学的进展》b. "'New Instrument^新工具c. -Essays^《随笔集》Subjects : love truth 、friendship , parents and children , beauties , studies , riches , youth and ages , death etc .Features : clearness ,brevity and force of expression ・C・Wise Sayings:"Knowledge is power”"Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other."人们惧伯死亡，正如孩童惧于黑暗中行路：孩童心中的恐惧感随着听到的童话故事的增多而增长, 人们对死亡的惧怕亦是如此。