英国文学简史-常耀信-Chapters-1—2

EnglishLiteratureChapters1—2KeyPointsinChapter1TheOldEnglish(Anglo-Saxon)Period•HistoryofInvasion•Anglo-Saxons•Caedmon•Beowulf•KingAlfredtheGreatBeowulf•significance•OutlineoftheStoryMedievalLiterature:ABriefIntroduction•1066—NormanConquest—MiddleEnglish—FeudalSociety•TheArthurianLegends•SirGawainandtheGreenKnight•RobinHood•JohnWycliffeTheOldEnglishPeriodHistoryofInvasions5thcenturyBC:tribalkingdomsofCelticpeople55BC:invadedbytheRomanEmpire(undercontrolforover400years)5thCentury:byGermanicpeople:theAnglesandtheSaxonFromthelate8thcenturyon:byferociousVikingsfromScandinavia1066:byNormansfromnorthernFrance,descendantsofVikingsTheOldEnglishPeriodAnglo-Saxons5thcenturyinvadedanddefeatedtheCeltsandtheRomansAbranchofGermanictribes597AD:begantobeconvertedtoChristianityBasicallybarreninliterarycreationTheOldEnglishPeriodCaedmonSecondhalfofthe7thcenturyThefirstknownpoetinEnglishliteraryhistoryTheOldEnglishPeriodKingAlfredtheGreat9thcenturyDefeatedawaveofinvasionsBroughtpeace,securityandprosperityBuiltschools,wroteannals,andencouragedculturalgrowthDecidedthatliteratureshouldbewritteninthevernacular,orOldEnglishBeowulfSignificanceTheonlyorganicwholepoemtocomeoutoftheAnglo-SaxonperiodAnepicofwellover3,000linesProbablythegreatestepiceverleftbytheancientGermanictribesThemostancienteversincethedemiseoftheGreekandRomanliteratureBeowulfOutlineoftheStory8thcenturyScandinavia,Sweden,Denmark,KingHrothgarSeamonstersGrendelandhismotherFierydragonMedievalLiterature:ABriefIntroduction1066—NormanConquest—MiddleEnglish—FeudalSociety1066:theFrench-speakingNormansconqueredEnglandThelastAnglo-SaxonKingHarolddiedinthebattleofHastingsMarkedthebeginningoftheMiddleEnglishorAnglo-NormanperiodEstablishmentoftheFeudalSystem,1381PeasantRising,thecompletionoftheDomesdayBook(土地调查清册，末日审判书)，thelaunchingoftheCrusade,thesigningoftheMagnaCarter(大宪章)in1215,thewarwithFranceortheHundredYears’WarMedievalLiterature:ABriefIntroductionTheArthurianLegends1147:GeoffreyofMonmouth,HistoriaRegumBritannia,collectedthelegendsaboutthekingEnrichedbyagoodnumberoflaterwritersSomestoriesincludethoseoftheHolyGrail,Merlin，SirLancelot,QuestfortheHolyGrail,andthedeathoftheking.TheCelticKingArthurbecameanationalherofortheEnglishnationThelegendhadalwaysbeenpopularontheEuropeancontinentMedievalLiterature:ABriefIntroductionSirGawainandtheGreenKnightOneimportantstoryintheArthurianlegend.4-parworkof2,530linesin101sectionsKnighthoodunderthescrutinyoftheChristianlensisfoundwantingWritteninnorthMidlanddialectMedievalLiterature:ABriefIntroductionRobinHoodCollectionof15thcenturymedievalballadsaboutRobinHoodRobinHood,theheroofthepoor,theenemyoftherichandthepowerfulTheballadsaremanyinnumber,“RobinhoodandtheMonk,”“RobinHoodandtheGuyofGisborne,”“RobinHoodandthePorter,”LytellGesteofRobinHoodMedievalLiterature:ABriefIntroductionJohnWycliffe(1320-1384)AnOxfordScholarThetranslationoftheBiblefromthesonorousLatinVulgateVersionintoMiddleEnglishFar-reachinginfluenceupontheevolutionoftheEnglishlanguagePrecursorofMartinLuther’sReformationAllhislifehekeptspeakingvehementlyagainstthePopeandthewholereligioushierachyHisfollowersformedwhatlatercametobeknownastheLollardmovement.KeyPointsinChapter2GeoffreyChaucer•FirstProminentEnglishPoet•Works•ChaucerandEnglishLanguage•TheCanterburyTales•FeaturesofChaucer’sNarrationinTheCanterburyTales•MajorCharactersinTheCanterburyTalesThePre-ElizabethanPeriod:ABriefIntroduction•3MajorEventsTurningtheMiddleAgesintotheModernTime•Reformation•RenaissanceThomasMore•UtopiaGeoffreyChaucer(1340-1400)FirstProminentEnglishPoetChaucerwasthefirstprominentpoetinhistoryandrankswithShakespeareasthemostpopularandmostwidelyreadofallpoetstoday.HehasbeenoneofthemajorinfluencesonwritersoflatergenerationsnotonlyinEnglandbutalsoacrosstheworld.SometimescalledthefatherofEnglishliterature,ChauceriscreditedbysomescholarsasthefirstauthortodemonstratetheartisticlegitimacyofthevernacularMiddleEnglish,ratherthanFrenchorLatin.GeoffreyChaucerWorksCanterburyTalesTheBookoftheDuchessTheHouseofFameTheParliamentofFowlsTroilusandCriseydeGeoffreyChaucerChaucerandEnglishLanguageSometimescalledthefatherofEnglishliterature,ChauceriscreditedbysomescholarsasthefirstauthortodemonstratetheartisticlegitimacyofthevernacularMiddleEnglish,ratherthanFrenchorLatin.GeoffreyChaucerTheCanterburyTalesAcollectionof20-oddstoriesThestoriesareframedbymeansofafictitiouspilgrimageThestoriesintheTalescomefromdifferentsources.Theseinclude,amongothers,theFrenchsources,theItalian,thebiblical,theAsian,andfolklore.GeoffreyChaucerFeaturesofChaucer’sNarrationinTheCanterburyTalesThesalientfeaturesofChaucer’snarrationareitsenormoussenseofhumor,itsloyaltytoreality,anditsinfinitesenseofhumanity.Chaucer’sgalleryofportraitsofthepeopleisambitious:theycomefromvirtuallyallwalksoflife,fromtheupperstrataallthewaydowntheladdertothelower.Hisportrayalofthepeopleisamazinglyselectiveandinclusive.GeoffreyChaucerMajorCharactersinTheCanterburyTalesParson,nuns,monk,friar,summoner,pardon