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.GiveabriefaccountofBritishliteratureintheromanticperiod,theVictorianageandthetwentiethcentury.(30)TheromanticperiodBritainisoneoftheearliestcountriesthatemergesromanticliterature.TheBritishromanticliteraturerepresentsthehighestachievementoftheEuroperomanticliteratureintheearly19th.TheinternalthoughtoftheBritishromanticliteratureiscomplicated.ThereweresupernaturalismofColeridge,legitimismofWordsworth,SpiritualismofShelley,andliberalismofByronandsoon.TheFrenchRevolutionbroughthumanhopeandalsobroughtashocktoBritainsociety.Inthisbackground,theBritishromanticliteraturerose.Itproducedinthelate18thandbecameprosperousinthe19th.ThepioneersoftheromanticliteraturewereRobertBurnsandWilliamBlake.TherepresentativeworksofthemwerePoems,chieflyinScottishdialectandSongsofInnocence.Thereweretwoopposingschoolsintheformationoftheromanticismthoughts----activeromanticismandpassiveromanticism.Activeromanticismistheprogressivetrend.Itdarestofacethereality,criticizethesocialdarknessanditleadspeopletolookahead.Passiveromanticismisthereactionarytrend.Itrisesagainstthestatusquo;yearnforthepasandleadspeoplelookback.WilliamWordsworth,SamuelTaylorColeridgeandRobertSoutheyarecalled“theLakePoet”.Theyaretherepresentativepersonageofthepassiveromanticism.TheyholdthecontradictoryattitudetowardstheFrenchRevolutionanddetestindustrialcivilizationandurbancivilizationofcapitalism.Theysingthepraisesoftherurallifeandnatureofpatriarchalclansystem.TheirrepresentativeworksareTinternAbbey,KublaKhanandsoon.Byron,ShelleyandKeatsaretherepresentativepersonageofactiveromanticism.ThedifferencefromtheLakePoetisitsworkshavecombatconsciousnessandpoliticalbias.TheirrepresentativeworksareSheWalksinBeauty,OdetotheWestWind,OdetoaNightingaleandandsoon.Thenoveloftheromanticperiodmainlyhastwotypes:gothicnovelandhistoricalnovel.WolfScottistherepresentativepersonageofthegothicnovel.Hedevotestogatheringandsortingouthistoricallegendsandfolksongsandwrotemanyhistoricalnovels.HisrepresentativeworkisIvanhoe.JaneAustinisanotherexcellentnovelistinthatperiod.HerrepresentativeworksareSenseandSensibility,PrideandPrejudice,MansfieldManor,Emmaandsoon.Insummary,thefeaturesoftheworksinromanticperiodareasfollows:First,theyfocusonexpressthesubjectiveidealandexpresstheirpersonalintensivefeelings.Second,theytendtodescribenaturalsceneryandsinginpraiseofthenature.Third,theyfondofdescribethehistoryofthepastandthemiddleage.Fourth,theypayattentiontofolkliterature,especiallymedievalfolkliterature.TheVictorianageInVictorianage,theeconomydevelopedrapidlyandsocialproblemsprevailed.Britainbecamethe“workshopoftheworld”.Englandsettleddowntoatimeofprosperityandstabilityandpeoplevaluedearnestness,respectability,modesty,anddemocracy.Inthelastdecades,BritishEmpiredeclined,andVictorianvaluesdecayed.Thisageisatimefullofopportunities.Itcanbedividedintothreestages:theEarlyVictorianperiod(1832-1848),theMid-Victorianperiod(1848-1870)andtheLateVictorianperiod(1870-1891).Soistheliteratureinthattime.OneoftheveryimportantfeaturesoftheliteratureinVictorianperiodis“variety”.ThevarietyembodiestheindependenceofthewritersintheVictorianperiodandtheirdesirefortheliteraryexperience.Ontheonehand,poetscontinuetousethetraditionalformsofexpressions.Ontheotherhand,theyalsotrytofindsomenewandunusualformsofexpressions.Theballadisthemostprominentinthisaspect.Poetrybegantotellthestoryinanewmethodandpursuetheeffectofepic.LiketheThePrincessandtheMaudofAlfred,LordTennysonandTheRingandtheBookofBrowningarealltherepresentativeworksoflongnarrativepoem.TheproseinVictorianageisalsooutstanding.LiketheOnLibertyofJohnStartMill,theEvidencesastoMan’sPlaceinNatureofThomasHenryHuxleyandsoon.TheyallweregonedowninthehistoryofEnglishliterature.TheVictorianageisalmostatimethateveryonereadnovels.Duetotheconstraintofthepuritanmoralstandards,manyworksintheEarlyVictorianperiodandtheMid-Victorianperiodhavesomeshacklesinthecontentstosomeextent.However,itcreatedthegreatartinthehistoryofEnglishnovel.SuchastheWutheringHeightsofEmilyBronte,theMiddlemarchofEliot,theJaneEyreofCharlotteBronteandsoon.TheVictorianageisthedevelopmentperiodofthenovelanditreflectsthehumanitiesspiritsofthattime.Generallyspeaking,theachievementsofdramainVictoriancannotbecomparedwiththenovel,poemandprose.Therewerealmostnoworkshadalong-termvalueuntil1890s.ThereappearedafamousdramatistnamedGeorgeBernardShaw.HewrotemanyfamousdramaslikeArmsandtheMan,TheAppleCartandsoon.Victorianliteratureandartaregreatbecausetheyreflectthereallifeinthatperiod.Inthatperiodappearedmanydifferentschoolsofliterature.TherehaveErnestJoneswhoisachartistpoet,CharlesDickenswhoisarealist,ChristinaGeorginaRossettiwhoisaPre-Raphaelitepoet.Therealsohave“utopia”novelsrepresentedbyMorris,newromanticnovelsrepresentedbyStevensonandAestheticismnovelsrepresentedbyOscarWilde.TheyallhadgreatachievementsinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.ThetwentiethcenturyComparedtothe19th,theEnglishliteraturein20thisintroverted,irrationalandexperimental.thetwentiethcenturyliteratureincludestwoparts:modernistliteratureandcontemporaryliterature.Inearly