《英国文学选读》复习资料

1BritishLiteratureReviewGeoffreyChaucer*GeoffreyChaucer(/ˈtʃɔːsər/;c.1343–25October1400),knownastheFatherofEnglishliterature,iswidelyconsideredthegreatestEnglishpoetoftheMiddleAgesandwasthefirstpoettobeburiedinPoet'sCornerofWestminsterAbbey.Whileheachievedfameduringhislifetimeasanauthor,philosopher,alchemistandastronomer,composingascientifictreatiseontheastrolabeforhistenyear-oldsonLewis,Chauceralsomaintainedanactivecareerinthecivilserviceasabureaucrat,courtieranddiplomat.Amonghismanyworks,whichincludeTheBookoftheDuchess,theHouseofFame,theLegendofGoodWomenandTroilusandCriseyde,heisbestknowntodayforTheCanterburyTales.Chaucerisacrucialfigureindevelopingthelegitimacyofthevernacular,MiddleEnglish,atatimewhenthedominantliterarylanguagesinEnglandwereFrenchandLatin.*Narrative,Lyric,andDramaarethethreegeneralliteraryformsintowhichwriting,especiallypoetry,hastraditionallybeengrouped.Anarrativetellsastoryoratale;dramaispresentedonastage,whereactorsembodycharacters;lyrichasbeenlooselydefinedasanyshortpoemotherthannarrativeanddrama,wherepoetsexpresstheirstateofmind.*Heroiccouplet:AheroiccoupletisatraditionalformforEnglishpoetry,commonlyusedinepicandnarrativepoetry;itreferstopoemsconstructedfromasequenceofrhymingpairsoflinesiniambicpentameter.UseoftheheroiccoupletwaspioneeredbyGeoffreyChaucerintheLegendofGoodWomenandtheCanterburyTales.,andwasperfectedbyJohnDrydenintheRestorationAge.Modernity:arebeltothemedievalJohnBunyan*JohnBunyan(/ˈbʌnjən/;baptised28November1628–31August1688)wasanEnglishwriterandpreacherbestrememberedastheauthorofthereligiousallegoryThePilgrim'sProgress.InadditiontoThePilgrim'sProgress,Bunyanwrotenearlysixtytitles,manyofthemexpandedsermons.*ThePilgrim'sProgressThePilgrim'sProgressfromThisWorldtoThatWhichIstoCome;DeliveredundertheSimilitudeofaDreamisaChristianallegorywrittenbyJohnBunyanandpublishedinFebruary,1678.ItisregardedasoneofthemostsignificantworksofreligiousEnglishliterature,hasbeentranslatedintomorethan200languages,andhasneverbeenoutofprint.BunyanbeganhisworkwhileintheBedfordshirecountygaolforviolationsoftheConventicleAct,whichprohibitedtheholding2ofreligiousservicesoutsidetheauspicesoftheestablishedChurchofEngland.EdmundSpenser*EdmundSpenser(/ˈspɛnsər/;1552/1553–13January1599)wasanEnglishpoetbestknownforTheFaerieQueene,anepicpoemandfantasticalallegorycelebratingtheTudordynastyandElizabethI.HeisrecognisedasoneofthepremiercraftsmenofModernEnglishverseinitsinfancy,andisoftenconsideredoneofthegreatestpoetsintheEnglishlanguage.WilliamShakespeareWilliamShakespeare(/ˈʃeɪkspɪər/;26April1564(baptised)–23April1616)nb1wasanEnglishpoet,playwright,andactor,widelyregardedasthegreatestwriterintheEnglishlanguageandtheworld'spre-eminentdramatist.HeisoftencalledEngland'snationalpoetandtheBardofAvon.nb2Hisextantworks,includingsomecollaborations,consistofabout38plays,nb3154sonnets,twolongnarrativepoems,andafewotherverses,theauthorshipofsomeofwhichisuncertain.Hisplayshavebeentranslatedintoeverymajorlivinglanguageandareperformedmoreoftenthanthoseofanyotherplaywright.*IambicpentameterIambicpentameterisacommonlyusedtypeofmetricallineintraditionalEnglishpoetryandversedrama.Thetermdescribestherhythmthatthewordsestablishinthatline,whichismeasuredinsmallgroupsofsyllablescalledfeet.Thewordiambicreferstothetypeoffootthatisused,knownastheiamb,whichinEnglishisanunstressedsyllablefollowedbyastressedsyllable.Thewordpentameterindicatesthatalinehasfiveofthesefeet.*Sonnet18ShallIcomparetheetoasummer'sday?Thouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate:RoughwindsdoshakethedarlingbudsofMay,Andsummer'sleasehathalltooshortadate:Sometimetoohottheeyeofheavenshines,Andoftenishisgoldcomplexiondimm'd;Andeveryfairfromfairsometimedeclines,Bychance,ornature'schangingcourse,untrimm'd;ButthyeternalsummershallnotfadeNorlosepossessionofthatfairthouow'st;NorshallDeathbragthouwander'stinhisshade,Whenineternallinestotimethougrow'st;Solongasmencanbreatheoreyescansee,Solonglivesthis,andthisgiveslifetothee.3IambicpentameterStressx/x/x/x/x/SyllableThouartmorelove--lyandmoretem--pe--rate*RhymeschemeArhymeschemeisthepatternofrhymesattheendofeachlineofapoemorsong.Itisusuallyreferredtobyusingletterstoindicatewhichlinesrhyme;linesdesignatedwiththesameletterallrhymewitheachother.ABABBidmetoweep,andIwillweepWhileIhaveeyestosee;Andhavingnone,yetIwillkeepAhearttoweepforthee.Petrarchanrhymescheme:ABBAABBACDCDEEShakespeare’srhymescheme:ABABCDCDEFEFGGSpenseriansonnet:ABABBCBCCDCDEE(chain)FrancisBaconFrancisBacon,1stViscountSt.Alban,aQC(/ˈbeɪkən/;22January1561–9April1626),wasanEnglishphilosopher,statesman,scientist,jurist,orator,essayist,andauthor.HeservedbothasAttorneyGeneralandLordChancellorofEngland.Afterhisdeath,heremainedextremelyinfluentialthroughhisworks,especiallyasphilosophicaladvocateandpractitionerofthescientificmethodduringthescientificrevolution.17th-centuryBritishPoets:JohnDonneJohnDonne(/ˈdʌn/dun)(22January1572–31March1631)wasanEnglishpoetandaclericintheChurchofEngland.Heisconsideredthepre-eminentrepresentativeofthemetaphysicalpoets.Hisworksarenotedfortheirstrong