英国文学史及选读

英国文学史及选读BritishLiteraryHistoryandSelectedReadingsSelf-introduction雷艳妮[e-mail]Mobile:[phone]AimoftheCourseLetstudentsknowaboutthehistoryofBritishliterature,fromtheoldEnglishperiodinthefifthcenturytothetwentiethcentury.Throughclosereading,thestudentswilllearnhowtounderstand,appreciate,analyzeandevaluatespecificliteraryworks.PlanoftheCourseTwotermstodealwiththiscourseForeachterm,wedealwithonevolumeofthetextbookForeachweek,wedealwithonechapterReadalotafterclassReferencebooksaboutliteraryhistory刘炳善编著,《英国文学简史》(AshortHistoryofEnglishLiterature),郑州：河南人民出版社，1993年版。陈嘉著，《英国文学史》（AHistoryofEnglishLiterature),北京：商务印书馆，1982年版。Sanders,Andrew.TheShortOxfordHistoryofEnglishLiterature.Oxford:ClarendonPress,1994.ReferenceBooksaboutSelectedReadings杨岂深，孙铢主编，《英国文学选读》（SelectedReadingsinEnglishLiterature)第1，2，3册，上海：上海译文出版社，1981年版。NortonAnthologyofEnglishLiterature.ChapterIAnglo-SaxonPeriod(449-1066)HistoricalbackgroundBeowolfHistoricalBackgroundBritainincludesScotland,Wales,IrelandaswellasEnglandBritainwasoriginallyinhabitedbyprimitiveCeltictribesknownasBritons.MajorInvasionsBytheRomans:43A.D.---theearlyfifthcenturyBytheEnglish(thetribesofAnglo,SaxonsandJutes):inthemiddleofthefifthcenturyBytheNormans:byNorman-Frenchinvadersin1066.RomanConquestInthemiddleofthefirstcenturyB.C.,RomantroopsledbyJuliusCaesarinvadedBritain,thenClaudiusconquereditinA.D.43andBritainbecameaRomanprovincetillthebeginningofthefifthcentury.Theninearly5thcentury,theRomangarrisonsinBritainwithdrew.EnglishInvasionInthemid-5thcentury,thetribesofAnglo,SaxonsandJutes(laterknownsimplyasAnglo-Saxons)migratedtoEnglandfromtheEuropeancontinent,ormorespecificallyfromwesternDenmarkandthenorthwestcoastofGermany.NormanConquestTheNormansfromNormandyinnorthernFrancecametoinvadeEnglandin1066.UndertheleadershipofWilliamtheDukeofNormandywhoclaimedthesuccessiontotheEnglishthrone,theysucceededindefeatingtheEnglishtroopsandconqueringthewholeofEngland.AftertheNormanConquestAftertheNormanconquest,forover300years,FrenchwasuseddominantlyinBritain.Bytheendofthefourteenthcentury,whenNormansandEnglishintermingled,Englishwasoncemorethedominantspeechinthecountry.ChangeinLanguageBeforeRomanConquest,theBritonsspeakCelticlanguage.IntheRomanperiod,LatinTheAnglo-SaxonsspeakOldEnglish,whichbelongstotheGermaniclanguagefamily.MiddleEnglishorMedievalEnglishInthethreecenturiesafter1066thelanguagehadundergonegradualbutradicalandextensivechanges.NotonlywereborrowedinthecourseoftimethousandsofwordsfromFrenchandthroughFrenchfromLatinandalsoGreek,butmanyoldinflectionalformsofnativeEnglishwordshadbeendroppedandformergrammarofthepasthadbecomeconsiderablysimplified.MiddleEnglishorMedievalEnglishTheEnglishlanguageinthistransitionalstagefromoldEnglishtomodernEnglish,throughsomefourcenturies(from12thto15th)ofdevelopmentandchange,hasgenerallybeenknownasMiddleEnglish.BeowulfThefirstgreatEnglishliteraryworkNationalepicoftheAnglo-SaxonsThepoemwascomposedintheoralform,sungbythebardsattheendofthesixthcenturyThestorytookplaceinScandinavia.Itcontains3183linesofalliterativeverse,beingthelongestoftheearlyAnglo-Saxonpoemspreserved.GrendelGrendelisthefirstmonsterthatappearsinthepoemandbecomesthesymbolof“fallenmankind”.HeisadescendantofCain,whocommittedthefirstmurderintheBiblewhenhekilledhisbrotherAbel.GrendelisanextremeexampleofevilandcorruptionStructureofBeowulfThreeadventures1.fightwithGrendel2.fightwithGrendel’smother3.fightwithadragon.BeowulfisnowanagedkingTheInfluenceofChristianityBeowulfisalinkbetweentwotraditions,thepaganandtheChristian.Thevirtueofcourageinwarandtheacceptanceoffeudsbetweenmenandcountriesasafactoflifestemfromtheolderpagantradition.Beowulfisburiedinaccordancewithpaganritual(cremation).TheEpicPoemBeowulfispartofthetraditionofepicpoetrythatbeganwiththepoemsofHomer---TheIliadandTheOdyssey---andwithVirgil’sAeneid.Allthesepoemsdealwiththeaffairesanddeedsofbravemen,andfocusontheexploitsanddeedsofonemaninparticular.