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Lecture5The18thCentury:JonathanSwiftⅠTeachingContentBriefintroductionofthe18thcentury;JonathanSwiftⅡTimeAllotment2periodsⅢTeachingObjectivesandRequirements1Helpthestudentsknowsomeinformationaboutthe18thcentury.2MakethestudentshaveagoodunderstandingofJonathanSwift.3MakesurethestudentshaveabetterunderstandingofGulliver’sTravels.ⅣKeyPointsandDifficultPointsinTeaching1JonathanSwift2Gulliver’sTravelsⅤTeachingMethodsandMeansLecture;Discussion;Multi-mediaⅥTeachingProcess1Briefintroductionofthe18thcentury1.1Thehistoricalbackgroundofthe18thcentury(SeeChangYaoxin,97-98)●Athome:◆WiththeestablishmentofconstitutionalmonarchyinEngland,theauthoritativepowerfellintothehandsofparliament,whichleadstoaspeedydevelopmentoftheEnglishsociety.◆Ineconomy,theindustrialrevolutionforceitswayintoEngland.Enclosureofland,whichwaslegalized,sweptonanunexampledscaleoverthewholecountry.Consequently,thelandlord,thecapitalistandthelikewereenrichedwithenormousprofits,whilethousandsofpeasantswereexpropriatedofftheland.◆Inpolitics,thereappearedtwohostileparties:theliberalWhigsandTories.Besides,therewasathirdparty—Jacobins,thesupporterofJamesII,aimingtobringtheStuartsbacktothethrone.◆Withthedevelopmentofthesociety,bothineconomyandpolitics,sociallifewasneverasithadbeenbefore.●Abroad◆ThedevelopmentofEnglishcapitalismwasalsowitnessedintherapidlyincreasingcolonialexpansion.VictoriesofwarsincreasedthelandsofBritishEmpireanditscommercialexpansioniseverywherethroughouttheworld.◆ThentherecametheoutbreakofAmericanRevolutionin1776,andtheFrenchRevolutionin1789,whichwithLiberty,EqualityandFraternityasitswatchwords,awoketheoppressedpeopleaswellasthepoor,andinspiredthemtostriveforanidealsociety.Thus,therearosetheEnlightenmentbothinEnglandandinotherlandsinWesternEuropeinthe18thcentury.Enlightenmentisaprogressiveintellectualmovement,theexpressionofstruggleoftheprogressivebourgeoisieagainstfeudalism.TheEnlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudiceandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.Theywelcomereligiousintolerance,fiercelyattackthechurchpower,calledonthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyandfreedomofpoliticsandacademicthinking,havingthegreatestesteemforreasonwhichtheybelieved,shouldbetheonlybasisofone’sthinkingandaction.ThepeoplewhogreatlyexertedinfluenceupontheenlightenmentareJohnLocke,Newton(inEngland)Voltaire,Rousseau,Montesquieu(inFrance).1.2LiteratureoftheperiodItisdifficulttosummarizetheliteratureofthisage,ortogroupsuch.Generallyspeaking,theliteratureofthiscenturymaybedividedintothreeperiodsaccordingtothedevelopmentoftheEnlightenmentfromitsearlystagetoitseventualcrisis.●Thefirstperiod(1700-1745):neoclassicism◆Thisperiodcoversthefirst4decades,anditischaracterizedbyneo-classicismanditsfineexpressionisinpoetryandtheninprose-periodicals.TherepresentativesareJosephAddition,RichardSteel,andPope.Thepoetryofthisperiodischieflyaliteratureofwit,concernedwithcivilization,withmaninhissocialrelationshipsandconsequentlyitiscriticalandinsomedegreemoralandsatirical.Themajorformofpoetryisheroiccouplet.Thefirsttwodecadesofthe18thc.sawthatEnglishperiodicalsweremushrooming,thegrowthofwhichpromotedthedevelopmentofEnglishliterature,esp.thenovel.InthefieldofPeriodicals,DanielDefoeeditedandpublishedthefirstEnglishperiodical“TheReview”in1704-1713.AfewyearslatertherecameAdditionandSteel,whosemasterlyeditorshipof“Thetattler”and“TheSpectator”madethemwell-knownastwoessayistsandcoauthors.◆Neoclassicism:▼Itwasthedominantliterarytheoryofthelate17thandearly18thcenturyEngland.▼Itwasareactionagainsttheintricacyandoccasionalobscurity,boldnessandtheextravaganceofEuropeanliteratureofthelateRenaissance,asseenintheworksofthemetaphysical,infavorofsimplicity,clarity,restraint,regularity,andgoodsense.▼InEngland,neoclassicismwasinitiatedbyDryden,culminatedinPoeandContinuedbySamuelJohnson.▼Thegeneraltendencyofneoclassicalliteraturewastolookatsocialandpoliticallifecritically,toemphasizeintellectratherthanimagination,theformratherthanthecontentofasentence.▼Writersintendtorepressmuchoftheirpersonalemotionandenthusiasmandtousepreciseandelegantmethodsofexpression.◆CharacteristicsofNeoclassicLiterature:▼Thewritersmanifestedastrongtraditionalism,whichwasclearlyshownintheirimmenserespectforclassicalwriters.▼Theneoclassicistsbelievedliteraturewasprimarily“art”,whichmustbepreferredbylongstudyandpractice.▼Theyregardedpoetryasimitationofhumanlife—“amirroruptonature”.Artforhumanity’ssakewastheidealofneoclassichumanism.▼Theneoclassicistsbelievethatthepoetisthe“maker”—themakeroftherepresentativeimagesofhumanactionsandoftheworld,andthepurposeforwhichhemakesthisimageistoteach.▼Theneoclassicistsdeducedrulesfromthepracticeofearlymastersandinventednewrulesoftheirown.▼TheneoclassicpoetrydiffersfromthatoftheElizabethanAge,theclimaxofRenaissance,inthreeways:first,itismoreformal,withitsdemandtofollowexactrules;second,itismoreartificial,polished,prosaic,anddullandlacksthecreativevigoroftheElizabethans;third,thechiefpoeticformisheroiccoupletwhichreplacedthevarietyofformsintheElizabethanAge.▼TheliteratureoftheNeoclassicAge