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1.ChapterOneTheAnglo-SaxonPeriod(450——1066)1.HistoricalbackgroundTheCelts〉theBrythons.TheIronAge.TheceremoniesofMayDayandthecultofmistletoe.From55BCto407AD,theRomanEmpire,aslavesociety.Londonwasfounded.LittleinfluenceontheculturallifeoftheCelts,Townwithnamesendingin“chester”or“caster”.DeBelloGallicobyJuliusCaesarandGermaniabyPubliusCorneliusTacitus450AD,theAngles,Saxons,andJutes.“angul”meansahook;“seax”meansashortsword.Around500AD,theCelticKingArthurfoughtagainstCerdic,thefounderofthekingdomofWessex.Camelot,KingArthur’scapital.Later8th,theDanes,ortheVikings.KingAlfredtheGreatofWessex(849-899)Harold,thelastSaxonKing〉WilliamtheDukeofNormandy.597,PopeGregorytheGreatsentSt.AugustinetoEnglandandthefirstconvertedkingwasKingEthelbertofKent.2.NorthumbrianSchoolandWessexliterature——twohighlightsinthedevelopmentoftheAnglo-Saxonliterature.MonasteriesandabbeysinthekingdomofNorthumbria.Caedmoninthe7thturnedthestoriesintheBibleintoverseform——Paraphrase.InspiredbyGod.TheVenerableBede(673-735),wroteinLatinTheEcclesiasticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeoplefromCaesarto731.ItwasBedewhotoldaboutthestoryofCaedmon.ThereignofKingAlfred(871-899)First,LatinbooksintoWestSaxondialect.ItissaidthatKingAlfredtranslatedthehistoryofBede.Second,thelaunchingofTheAnglo-SaxonChronicle,fromCaesar’sconquestto1154.Third,createdastyleofAnglo-Saxonprosewhichwasnotobscure.3.Anglo-SaxonpoetryTheearliestisWidsithandthelastisMaldon.BeowulfAsearlyasthe6thinoralformWrittendowninthe8th.Themanuscriptpreserveddatesbacktothe10thandinWessexdialect.OnedatablefactinthepoemisaraidontheFranksbyGelacin520.3183lines.DanishKingHrothgarbuiltahallcalledHeorot.Grendelfor12years.Beowulf,nephewtoKingHygelacoftheGeats.With14companions.Hrothgar'sfriendAescherekilledbyGrendel'smother.KillingGrendel’smotherwithamagicswordinthecave.Oneofthe12companions,Wiglaf,helpedBeowulfkillthedragon.Physicalstrengthdemonstrateshishighspiritualqualities.AmixtureofpaganismandChristianelements.OldEnglishPoetry:1.Thetechnicalstructure:1)Everylineconsistsoftwoclearlyseparatedhalflinesbetweenwhichisacaesura.Thetwopartsofthelineareunitedbyalliteration,aformofinitialrhyme,whichistherepetitionofthesamesoundorsoundsatthebeginningoftwoormorewordsthatarenexttoorclosetoeachother.2)Everyhalflineconsistsoftwofeetandeachfootismadeupofanaccentedsyllableandavaryingnumberofunaccentedsyllables.3)Generallythereare3alliterationsperline,twointhefirsthalflineandoneonthefirstfootofthesecondhalfline.2.Thescopalsousedafigurativelanguagecalled“kenning”,ametaphorusuallycomposedoftwowords,whichbecomestheformulaofaspecialobject:“helmetbearer”for“warrior.”3.Theuseofrepetitionandvariation.Sameideaexpressedmorethanoncebysynonyms.PS:第4頁第2段第3行經Word自動更正提示以及維基百科確認，“Ecclesiatical”為印刷錯誤，應為“Ecclesiastical”。2.ChapterTwoTheNormanPeriod(1066-1350)1.Historicalbackground1066,thebattleofHastingsTheNormans,alsodescendantsofScandinavianmarauders,havingseizedawidepartofnorthernFrance.AcceleratedthefeudalisminEngland.Largetractsoflandbytheking,barons,knightsandthechurch.Apeasantuprisingin1381.2.MiddleEnglishFor3centuriesaftertheNormanconquest,twolanguageswereusedsidebysideinEngland:LatinandFrench.WordsandexpressionsfromLatinandFrenchandGreekinthe14th.Inflectionalformsdroppedandgrammarsimplified.3.ReligiousliteratureTheissueofpersonalsalvation.Moralandspiritualresponsibilitiesofindividualratherthanhisethicalandsocialresponsibilities.Conventionaltheme:homileticparaphrasesoftheGospels4.RomanceandtheinfluenceofFrenchliteratureThroughFrenchliteraturetheintroductionofItalianliterature.ChiefbreedinggroundwasthearistocraticsocietyinFranceinthe12thandearly13thandwasintroducedintoEnglandinthesecondhalfofthe13thandthe14th.Insubjectmatters,romancenaturallyfallsunderthreecategories.1)ThematterofFrance:theexploitsofCharlemagnetheGreatandRoland,anationalherointhe8th,ChansondeRoland.2)ThematterofRome:AlexandertheGreatandthesiegeofTroy.3)ThematterofBritain:theArthurianlegend,SirGawain,Launcelot,Merlin,theHolyGrail,thedeathofKingArthur.SirGawainandtheGreenKnightWrittenabout1375-1400.About2500lines.Four“fyttes”.GreenChapelFirstday,adeer;secondday,aboar;thethirddayafox.Agirdle.—〉theOrderofGarterAtrueknightshouldnotonlydedicatehimselftothechurchbutalsoshouldpossessthevirtuesofgreatcourage,offidelitytohispromise,andofphysicalchastityandpurity.Itcontainedseveralelementwhichpreparedforanewculture.Avividportrayaloftheheroandafineanalysisofhispsychology.Awellunifiedandexcitingplotfullofclimaxesandsurprises.Thethreehuntingscenesandthethreebedchamberscenesarecloselyrelatedwitheachother.AmixtureofAnglo-Saxonpoetry,themusicaleffectofwhichdependsonthealliteratedinitialsyllablesandFrenchpoetry,themusicaleffectofwhichdependsonthefixednumberofaccentedandunaccentedsyllablesinaverseline.Paragraphsoflongalliterativelinesofvaryinglengtharefollowedbyasinglelineoftwosyllables,called“thebob”,andagroupoffour-stressedlinescalled“thewheel”,i.e.,asetofshortlinesformingtheconcludingpartofastanza.3.ChapterThreeTheAgeofChaucer(1350-1400)HistoricalbackgroundChaucerandWilliamLangland(1330?-140