英美文学重点知识归纳Old English: 450-1066 the national epic of the Anglo-SaonsMedieval English: 1066 - middle 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer-the father of English poetry (wisdom, humor, humanity) first time to use 'heroic couplet' The Renaissance Period: 14th –mid 17th started in ItalyA series of historical events:1. rediscovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture2. new discoveries in geography & astrology(占星学)3. the religious reformation & economic expansionThe Renaissance - rebirth or revivalHumanism - the essence of the Renaissance, the dignity of human being & the importance of the presentlifeBest representatives: Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, William ShakespeareThe Elizabethan drama: the real mainstream of English RenaissanceMost famous dramatists: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben JonsonEdmund Spenser - the poets' poet5 quality: 1) a perfect melody 2)a rare sense of beauty 3)a splendid imagination4)a lofty(崇高的) moral purity and seriousness 5)a dedicated idealism lament(哀悼) over the loss of Rosalind 主角:Arthur - who possess 12 virtues Gloriana – the Fairy QueenThe theme is not “Arms and the man,” but something more romantic – “Fierce warres and faithfullloves”READING: excerpt from The Faerie Queene仙后Content: Redcrosse Knight set out on his adventures.Christopher Marlowe – “University Wits”, the pioneer of EnglishdramaHyperbole(夸张)Marlowe’s achievement: 1) blank verse无韵诗歌It is Marlowe who brought vitality(活力) and grandeur(伟大) into the blank verse with his “mighty lines,”which carry strong emotions.2) his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama.(not strong in dramatic construction.) → the pioneer of English drama3 tragedies: the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness 帖木耳大帝 a play about an ambitious and pitiless overpowering king. 马尔他的犹太人non-drama pastoral(田园的) life ,the most beautiful lyrics(抒情诗)READING: 1. excerpt from Dr. Faustus浮士德博士的悲剧A play based on the German legendContent: Faustus is a scholar who has a strong desire to acquire knowledge. By conjuration(念咒文召唤)he call up Mephistophilis, the Devil’s servant. He make a bond(契约) to sell his soul to the Devil in returnfor 24 years of life in which Mephistophilis to give him everything he desires. Devil’s name is Lucifer.Dominant moral is human rather than religious2. The Passionate(热情的) Shepherd to His Lovethis short poem is considered to be one of the most beautiful lyrics(抒情诗) in English literature.The shepherd(牧羊人) enjoy an ideal country life, cherishing(珍爱) a pastoral(田园的) and pure affectionfor his love. Strong emotion is conveyed through the beauty of nature.William Shakespeare – playwright & poet (above all writers in the past and in the present time)1. , …2. , , , …Comedies: , , …Tragedy: romantic tragedy. To praise the faithfulness of love and the spirit ofpursuing happiness.3. Four tragedies -, , & 4. tragicomedies:Achievement:A. exploring the characters’s inner mind.soliloquy(独白) or monologue - fully reveal the inner conflict of the characterscontrasts – bring vividness to the charactersB. adroit(精致的) plot constructionC. Irony is a good means of dramatic presentation. Disguise is an important device to create dramaticirony.D. the language.READING: 1. Sonnet 18 (14 line) eternal or immortal(不朽的) beauty, have a faith in the permanence of poetry.A nice summer’s day is usually transient(短暂的), but the beauty in poetry can last for ever.2.excerpt from The Merchant of Venice to praise the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, to idealize Portia aheroine of great beauty, wit and loyalty, to expose the insatiable(不知足的) greed and brutality of theJew.Double plot:(1) Bassanio ask Antonio for a loan so that he might marriage with Portia(2) Antonio borrow money from Shylock, the Jewish usurer. Shylock make a strange bond that requiresAntonio to surrender a pound of his flesh if he fail to repay him within a certain period of time. Portiadisguised as a young lawyer instructed to judge the case: Shylock can take his pound of flesh, but there isno mention of blood in the bond. Otherwise, his lands and goods will be confiscated(充公) according tohe law of Venice.3.Excerpt from Hamlet hesitate between fact and fiction, language and action, too sophisticated(复杂的) to degradehis nature to the conventional role of a stage revengercontent: Hamlet, the prince, appearing in a mood of world-weariness(厌世) occasioned by his father’sdeath and his mother’s hasty remarria。