英国文学思考题

PartOneOldandMiddleEnglishLiteratureI.Definetheterms1.OldEnglishperiod(Anglo-Saxonperiod):FromtheinvasionofCelticEnglandbyGermantribes(theAngles,Saxons,andJutes)inthefirsthalfofthe5thcenturytotheconquestofEnglandin1066byNormanFrench.2.Alliteration:Therepetitionofaspeechsound(consonants)inasequenceofnearbywords.3.Couplet:Apairofrhymedlinesthatareequalinlengthandthesameinrhythmandrhyme.4.Meter:Therecurrenceofaprominentfeatureinthesequenceofspeech-soundsofalanguage.5.Foot:Thecombinationofastrongstressandtheassociatedweakstressorstresseswhichmakeuptherecurrentmetricunitofaline.Therearefourstandardsfeet:Iambic—anunstressedsyllablefollowedbyastressedsyllable.Anapestic—twounstressedsyllablesfollowedbyastressedsyllable.Trochaic—astressedsyllablefollowedbyanunstressedsyllable.Dactylic—astressedsyllablefollowedbytwounstressedsyllables.6.Ballad:Thenarrativefolksongthattellsastory,whichoriginatesandiscommunicatedorallymainlyamongilliterates.7.MiddleEnglishPeriod:BetweentheNormanconquestin1066andabout1500,whenthestandardliterarylanguagehadbecome“modernEnglish”.II.Fillintheblanks1.ChoosethebestanswerCriticstendtodivideChaucer’sliterarycareerintothreeperiods:theFrenchperiod,theItalianperiodandtheEnglishperiod.2.ChauceremployedtheheroiccoupletinwritinghisgreatestworkTheCanterburytales.3.TheframeworkinTheCanterburyTalesisapilgrimage.4.WhenChaucerdiedonthe25thofOctober1400,hewasthefirsttobeburiedinWestminsterAbbey.5.The15thcenturyhastraditionallybeendescribedasthebarrenageinEnglishliterature.6.Poetrycanbeclassifiedasnarrativeorlyric.Narrativepoemsstressactions,andlyricsstresssongs.III.Multiplechoice1.Beowulfisa___poem,describinganall-roundpictureofthetribalsociety.A.paganB.ChristainC.romanticD.lyric2.ChaucerwasonceinfluencedbyItalianliterature.Hismajorworkduringthisperiodis__.A.TroilusandCriseydeB.TheRomauntoftheRoseC.TheLegendofGoodWomenC.TheCanterburyTales3.Chaucer’sactivecareerprovideshimnotonlywithknowledgebutalsoexperiences,whichaccountedforthewiderangeofhiswritings.ThefollowingsareallhiscareerEXCEPT__.A.legislatorandambassadorB.soldierandoffice-holderC.businessmanandchurchmanD.justiceandknight4.Chaucer’snarrativepoem___isbasedonBoccaccio’spoem“Filostrato”.A.ThelegendofGoodWomenB.SirGawainandtheGreenKnightC.TheBookoftheDuchessD.TroilusandCriseyde5.Theworkthatpresented,forthefirsttimeinEnglishliterature,acomprehensiverealisticpictureofthemedievalEnglishsocietyandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflifeismostlikely___.A.WilliamLangland’sPiersthePlowmanB.GeoffreyChaucer’sTheCanterburyTalesC.JohnGower’sConfessioAmantisD.SirGawainandtheGreenKnightIV.SummarizeChaucer’sliterarycareerandtherepresentativeworksofeachperiod.Hisliterarycareerisusuallydividedintothreeperiods:theFrenchperiod,theItalianperiodandtheEnglishperiod.TheFrenchperiodreferstotheperiodofFrenchinfluence(1359-1372).DuringtheperiodChaucerwrotehisearliestworks:TheRomauntoftheRose,afreetranslationofaFrenchpoemandhisfirstimportantoriginalwork:TheBookoftheDuchess.TheItalianperiodreferstotheperiodofItalianInfluence(1372-1386),especiallyofDanteandBocaacio.Duringthisperiod,hemainlywrotethreelongerpoemsusingtheheroicstanzaofsevenlines:TheHouseofFame,TroilusandCrisyede,TheLegendofGoodWomen.TheEnglishperiodishismatureperiod,duringwhichtimehismasterpieceTheCanterburywasproducedinwhichtheheroiccoupletwasused.V.AnswerthequestionaccordingtothefollowingpassageWhenAprilwithitssweet-smellingshowersHaspiercedthedroughtofMarchtotheroot,Andbathedeveryvein(oftheplants)insuchliquidBywhichpowerthefloweriscreated;WhentheWestWindalsowithitssweetbreath,IneverywoodandfieldhasbreathedlifeintoThetendernewleaves,andtheyoungsunHasrunhalfitscourseinAries,Andsmallfowlsmakemelody,Thosethatsleepallthenightwithopeneyes(SoNatureincitesthemintheirhearts),Thenfolklongtogoonpilgrimages,Andprofessionalpilgrimstoseekforeignshores,Todistantshrines,knowninvariouslands;Andspeciallyfromeveryshire'sendOfEnglandtoCanterburytheytravel,Toseektheholyblessedmartyr,Whohelpedthemwhentheyweresick.Questions:1.WhatisexpressedintheseopeninglinesofTheCanterburyTales?2.Howdoestheauthoremphasizethetransitionfromnaturetodivinity?3.CommentonChaucer’scontributionofrhymedstanzas.Answers:1.ThispartisasuperbexpressionofadoubleviewoftheCanterburypilgrimage.Thefirst11linesareachantofwelcometothespringwithitsharmoniousmarriagebetweenheavenandearthwhichproducesvegetations,pricksfoulsandstirstheheartofmanwitherenewingpowerofnature.Thus,thepilgrimageisaneventinthecalendarofnature,anaspectofspringtimesurgeofhumanenergywhichwakensman’sloveofnature.ButspringisalsotheseasonofEasterandisallegoricallyregardedasthetimeoftheRedemptionthroughthesacrificeofJesusChristwithitsconnotationsofreligiousrebirthwhichwakensman’sloveofGod.Therefore,thepilgrimageisalsoaneventinthecalendarofdivinity,anaspectofreligiouspietywhichdrawspilgrimstoholyplaces.2.Thetransitionfromnaturetodivinityisemphasizedbycontrastbetweenthephysicalvitalitywhichconditionsthepilgrimageandthespiritualsicknesswhichoccasionsthepilgrimage.Aswellasbyparallelismbetweent