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1Lecture4The17thCenturyⅠTeachingContentThehistoricalbackgroundandtheliteratureofthe17thcenturyⅡTimeAllotment2periodsⅢTeachingObjectivesandRequirements1Helpthestudentsknowsomeinformationaboutthehistoricalbackgroundandtheliterarycharacteristicsofthe17thcentury.2MakethestudentsknowsomethingaboutJohnDonneandMetaphysicalpoetry.3HelpthestudentshaveagoodunderstandingofJohnMiltonandtheexcerptofParadiseLost.4MaketheSsknowaboutJohnBunyan.ⅣKeyPointsandDifficultPointsinTeaching1JohnMilton2ParadiseLostⅤTeachingMethodsandMeansLecture;Discussion;Multi-mediaⅥTeachingProcess1Abriefintroductionofthe17thcentury1.1Historicalbackground●The17thcenturywasoneofthemosttempestuousperiodsinthehistory.Thiscenturywitnessedatleasttworevolutions:puritanrevolution(1640-1660)andgloriousrevolution(1688).PuritanrevolutionbeganwiththecallingoftheLongParliamentbyKingCharlesIandproceededthroughtwocivilwars(1642-1648),thetrialandexecutionoftheking(1649),therepublicanexperimentsofOliverCromwell(1649-1653),and,ultimately,therestorationofKingCharlesII(1660).Becauseofthesetworevolutions,thepoliticalsysteminEnglandunderwentsomewhatgreatchanges.●Becauseofthesetworevolutions,thepoliticalsysteminEnglandunderwentsomewhatgreatchanges.First,afterthePuritanrevolutionthereestablishedakindofmilitarydictatorshipunderwhichthepeoplesufferedgreatly.Second,afterthegloriousrevolution,therebroughttoEnglandaconstitutionalmonarchy,withinwhichtheking’spowerwasgreatlyrestrictedandtherevolutionmeantthreethings:thesupremacyofParliament,thebeginningofmodernEngland,andthefinaltriumphoftheprincipleofpoliticallibertyforwhichthePuritanhadfoughtandsufferedhardshipforahundredyears.2●Thegeneralfeaturesoftheagearethetransitionandthespiritofdoubtandscientificanalysis.Transitionheremeansthetransitionfromtheabsolutemonarchytoconstitutionalmonarchy,thetransitionfromagriculturaltomanufacturing,thetransitionofthestateitselffromorganicgardentothejointstockcompany,thetransitiontomodernsociety,andthetransitionofsecularization.1.2Literarycharacteristics(SeeChangYaoxin,73-74)●ThePuritansdisapprovedofthesonnetsandthelovepoetrywritteninthepreviousperiod.●In1642thetheatreswereclosed.●TheBiblebecamenowtheonebookofthepeople.ThePuritaninfluenceingeneraltendedtosuppressliteraryart.●ThemostimportantpoetwasJohnMiltonandthereweretwoliteraryschoolsofpoets,theschoolofMetaphysicalandtheschoolofCavaliers(骑士派诗人).●Theprevalentmoodthatenvelopedliteraryworkswasoneofgloom,pessimism,decadence,andfrivolity.2MetaphysicalPoetsandMetaphysicalPoetry2.1MetaphysicalPoetsThegroupofpoets,sharingsomeofJohnDonne’spoeticfeatures,hasbeencalled“MetaphysicalPoets.”MetaphysicalpoetstriedtobreakawayfromtheconventionalfashionoftheElizabethanlovepoetry.●JohnDonne(1573–1631)◆Asapoet,Donnewasoriginalandgreat.◆Hispoetrypossessedahighlyidiosyncraticqualityrevealingapeculiar,brilliantimaginationatwork,withaunconventionalmodeofperceptionandthinking,andthepowerofamind.◆HistypeofpoetryhasbeenknownasMetaphysicalPoetry.●OtherMetaphysicalPoetsGorgeHerbert(1593–1633),AndrewMarvell(1621–1678),RichardCrashaw(1612–1649),HenryVaughan(1622–1695),AbrahamCowley(1618–1667),JohnCleveland(1613–1658)2.2Metaphysicalpoetry●Theterm“metaphysicalpoetry”iscommonlyusedtonametheworkofthe17th–centurywriterswhowroteundertheinfluenceofJohnDonne.●Metaphysicalpoetryischaracterizedbyverbalwitandexcess,ingeniousstructure,irregularmeter,colloquiallanguage,elaborateimagery,andmetaphysicalconceitsandadrawingtogetherofdissimilarideas.●Ingeneral,metaphysicalpoetryhasthefollowingfeatures:1)Thedictionissimpleandechoesthewordsandcadencesofcommonspeech;2)Theimageryisdrawnfromtheactuallife;3)Theformisfrequentlythatofanargumentwiththepoet’sbeloved,withGod,orwithhimself.●Metaphysicalpoetryhasgainednewrecognitionbecauseoftheirseriousnessofart,theirspiritofrevolt,andtheirrealism,andithasgreatlyinfluencedthemodernistpoetryofthe20thcentury.3JohnMiltonandhisParadiseLost33.1JohnMilton(1608-1674)●IsconsideredasthethirdgreatestEnglishpoetafterChaucerandShakespeare,andthegreatesttocomeoutofthe17thcentury.Heisthemasterofblankverse,thefirsttouseblankverseinnon-dramaticworks.●BornintoapiouswealthyPuritanfamily,havingasupportivefatherandaculturedmotherandenjoyingthesweetestandthemostshelteredperiodofadolescenceofall●WastutoredprivatelyandtheneducatedatSt.Paul’sSchoolandChrist’sCollege,CambridgeUniversity●Attwelve,Miltonwroteapoem,fromwhichwecanfindhimalreadyascholarinspirit:WhenIwasyetachild,当我还是小孩时，我不喜欢儿戏，Nochildishplay我只一心一意Tomewaspleasing;allmymindwasset认真地学习与实践Serioustolearnandknow,andthencetodo于大众有益的事情Whatmightbepublicgood;myselfIthought我想自己是为此而生的Borntothatand,borntopromotealltruth,为推进真理和正义而生的。Allrighteousthings.●AftergraduatingfromCambridgeUniversity,hesubjectedhimselftoarigorousreadingplan●WhenCromwellcametothethrone,hewasappointedLatinsecretary●Turnedtotallyblindin1652●Wasthrowninprisonwhentherestorationbegan,buthislifewassparedbytheking●DiedonNovember8,1674(SeeChangYaoxin,81-82)3.2ParadiseLost(SeeChangYaoxin,82-85)(DiscussthequestionsintheSelectedReadings)●Thetheme:◆Thepoemwastojust