英国散文发展

ProsesintheOldEnglishandMiddleEnglishPeriodIntheOldEnglish(theAnglo-Saxon),MiddleEnglish(theAnglo-Norman)Period,mostliteraryworkswerewritteninverse,suchasBeowulfandTheCanterburyTalesbyChaucer.Therewereafewproses,butmostofthemwerewritteninLatin,thelanguageusedbyalltheintellectsinEurope.Itisnotuntilthe9thcenturythatKingAlfredsethimselftothetaskofencouragingeducationandliteraturebyorganizingpeopletowriteinAnglo-Saxon,andhehimselftranslatedsomeoftheLatinworkintoEnglish.MoreimportantasaliteraryworkisTheAnglo-SaxonChronicle(编年史）whichbeginswithCaesar’sconquestandisamonumentofOldEnglishprose.ProsesintheEnglishRenaissancePeriodTheEnglishBible.1.Thehistoricalbackground2.ThetranslationoftheBible3.ItssignificanceinEnglishlanguageandliterature4.ExcerptsFromBibleFrancisBaconJohnDonneThehistoricalbackgroundofEnglishBibleTheNewMonarchyBarelyattheendoftheHundredyears’WarwithFrance,Englandwasagaininvolvedintoanotherwar–thewarsoftheRoses(1455-83)betweenthehouseofLancasterandthehouseofYork,thetworoyalfamilies.AfterthewarHenryVIIfoundedtheTudordynasty.TheEnglishReformation1.TheRomanCatholicChurchhadlongbeenburdensometothekingofEnglandinhiseffortatestablishinganabsolutemonarchy.HenryVIIIdeclaredabreakwithRomeandcarriedsuppressionsoftheCatholicmonasteries.2.HissonEdwardVIfollowedhisreformationandswitchthecountryintoaProtestantone3.MaryTudor,however,ledacounter-reformationduringherreign.4.ElizabethI,aprotestantqueen,restoredherfather’sindependentChurchofEngland.Englandhasbeenprotestanteversince.TheNecessityfortheEnglishBibleaftertheReformationThetranslationoftheBibleThefirstcompleteEnglishBibletranslatedbyJohnWycliffe.ThesecondonebyWilliamTyndalTheAuthorizedVersion–aworkofmanylearnedscholarsheadedbyBishopLancelotAndrewes.(詹姆斯王)钦定《圣经》英译本ThesignificanceofEnglishBibleApartfromitsreligioussignificance,theAuthorizedVersionhashadagreatinfluenceonEnglishlanguageandliterature.ThetranslatorsoftheAuthorizedVersionheldfasttopure,oldEnglishspeech.About93percentofthe6000wordsusedinitarenativeEnglish,thatis,wordsofAnglo-Saxonorigin.So,withthewidespreadinfluenceoftheEnglishbible,astandardformodernEnglishhasbeenestablished.AgreatnumberofBiblecoinagesandphraseshavepassedintodailyEnglishspeechashouseholdwords,andareoftenusedwithnoknowledgeoftheirorigin.Forinstance,“peace-maker”“lovingkindness”,“longsuffering”“clearascrystal”,“ariseasoneman”,“rootofallevil”,“theshadowofdeath”,“eyeforeye,toothfortooth”,tomentionjustafew.ThusthesimpleyetdignifiedlanguageoftheAuthorizedVersionhascolouredthestyleofEnglishproseforthelast300yearsandmore,andtheEnglishBiblehaswovenitsphrasesandexpressionsintothetextureoftheEnglishlanguage,EnglishliteratureandEnglishlifeingeneral.ExcerptFromBibleGenesis11:1InthebeginningGodcreatedtheheavenandtheearth.1:2Andtheearthwaswithoutform,andvoid;anddarknesswasuponthefaceofthedeep.AndtheSpiritofGodmoveduponthefaceofthewaters.1:3AndGodsaid,Lettherebelight:andtherewaslight.1:4AndGodsawthelight,thatitwasgood:andGoddividedthelightfromthedarkness.1:5AndGodcalledthelightDay,andthedarknesshecalledNight.Andtheeveningandthemorningwerethefirstday.ExcerptFromBible:Job7Istherenotanappointedtimetomanuponearth?arenothisdaysalsolikethedaysofanhireling?Asaservantearnestlydesireththeshadow,andasanhirelinglookethfortherewardofhiswork:SoamImadetopossessmonthsofvanity,andwearisomenightsareappointedtome.Mydaysareswifterthanaweaver'sshuttle,andarespentwithouthope.WhenIliedown,Isay,WhenshallIarise,andthenightbegone?andIamfulloftossingstoandfrountothedawningoftheday.Myfleshisclothedwithwormsandclodsofdust;myskinisbroken,andbecomeloathsome.ExcerptFromBibleMatthew55:38Yehaveheardthatithathbeensaid,Aneyeforaneye,andatoothforatooth:5:39ButIsayuntoyou,Thatyeresistnotevil:butwhosoevershallsmitetheeonthyrightcheek,turntohimtheotheralso.5:40Andifanymanwillsuetheeatthelaw,andtakeawaythycoat,lethimhavethycloakalso.5:41Andwhosoevershallcompeltheetogoamile,gowithhimtwain..5:42Givetohimthataskeththee,andfromhimthatwouldborrowoftheeturnnotthouaway.5:43Yehaveheardthatithathbeensaid,Thoushaltlovethyneighbour,andhatethineenemy.5:44ButIsayuntoyou,Loveyourenemies,blessthemthatcurseyou,dogoodtothemthathateyou,andprayforthemwhichdespitefullyuseyou,andpersecuteyou;5:45ThatyemaybethechildrenofyourFatherwhichisinheaven:forhemakethhissuntoriseontheevilandonthegood,andsendethrainonthejustandontheunjust.Itsstyleandbrilliantlanguagehaveprofoundlyinfluencedthesucceedinggenerationsofwriters.Itsextensiveuseofconcretetermsandimages,Itsstraightforwardphrasesandsentences,itsbalanceandparallelismgivetheBiblealoftinessanddignitythatcanimmediatelyinfluenceitsreadersofanaudienceinachurch.SotheBiblewasregardedasthenoblestmonumentoftheEnglishprose.FrancisBaconPortraitsofBaconThewisest,brightest,meanestofmankind.AlexanderPopeonSirFrancisBaconLifeofFrancisBaconBorninfamilyofSirNicholasBacon,enjoyedgoodeducation,andwonthefavorofQueen.HewenttotheCambridgeat12,andhetookupthelawaftergraduation,becameamostsuccessfullawyer.AmemberoftheHouseofCommonsattheageof23,butmadelittleprogressdu