1. What is Literature?
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Literature refers to the practice and profession of writing. It comes from human interest in telling a story, in arranging words in artistic forms, in describing in words some aspects of human experiences. Literature is characterized by beauty of expression and form and by university of intellectual and emotional appeal.
Literature shows us not only what a society is like in a certain age, but also what individuals feel about it, what they hope from it, and how they can change it or escape from it.
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2. Why we read Literature?
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a. read for pleasure Howells observed that the study of literature should begin and end in pleasure. b. read for relaxation
Modern life is full of pressure. It is people?s common desire to seek temporally relaxation from the stress in life.
c. read to acquire knowledge Literature gives readers an insight into the tradition, custom, beliefs, attitudes, folklore, values of the age in which it is written.
3. How to study Literature?
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a. analytical approach The elements of fiction include plot, character, setting, narrator, point of view, structure, theme, symbol, allegory, style, and tone. b. thematic approach Refers to a work?s controlling idea, or its central insight into life. To discover it, you might ask the following Qs:
1. in what way has the main character changed (learned, realized, or understood sth.) during the course of the work?
2. what is the central conflict, and how is it resolved? 3. How does the title relate to the work? e.g.: Pride and Prejudice c. historical approach
Literature is said to be a representation of life and society, a window into the past that has been largely produced by the society in which the author lived.
therefore, people study the author?s historical and social environment to understand the text, in order to reflect, question, respond to, and elaborate on how it deals with contemporary “historical” issues. d. Other approaches(1)
Marxist/sociological criticism社会批评 Psychoanalytical criticism精神分析批评 Feminist/gender criticism女性主义批评
Mythological and archetypal criticism神话原型批评
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Reader-response criticism接受-读者反应批评 Formalist /new criticism形式主义新批评 Structuralism结构主义批评 Other approaches(2)
Post- structuralism后结构主义批评 Deconstructuralism解构主义批评
Our textbook is arranged in chronological order, but we deal with each period analytically with emphasis on theme.
REFERENCES
1. 刘炳善，《英国文学简史》，河南人民出版社。 2. 张定铨，吴刚，《新编简明英国文学史》，上海外语教育出版社。 3. 王佐良，《英国文学名篇选注》，商务印书馆。 4. 张伯香，《英国文学教程》，武汉大学出版社。
5. Ifor Evans. A Short History of English Literature. Penguin Book. 1978. 6. G.C.Thornley and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature 1989. 7. Alastair Fowler. A History of English Literature. Basil Blackwell. 1989.
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English Literature
? 1. mediaeval literature（中世纪文学/约5世纪—1485）
? 2. Renaissance literature（文艺复兴时期文学/ 15世纪后期—17世纪初） ? 3. 17th Century Literature (17世纪文学/)
? 4. Literature Enlightenment period（ 启蒙时期文学/ 17世纪后期—18世纪中期） ? 5. Romantic literature period（浪漫主义时期文学/ 1798-1832）
? 6. Realism period（现实主义时期文学/ 19世纪30年 代— 1918）
? 7. Modern Literature period （现代主义文学时期/ 1918-1945）
? 8. Contemporary Literature（当代文学/ 1945— 今） Part I. 中世纪文学/mediaeval literature（约5世纪—1485）
Note:“Medieval period” is a quite special period in English history. In Chinese “Medieval” or “The Middle Age”. Overview:
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Many books on English literature begin with Chaucer, who serves as a convenient starting point since he is undoubtedly the first important writer in English history. Such a convenient choice, however, will leave out Beowulf, the most impressive long poem in Old English.
From the history ,the land (Britain) was occupied by the Celts 凯尔特人before the Romans invaded it.
Part I: Anglo-Saxon Period (449—1066)
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2. literature
1.Historical background
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? 3. Old English Poetry: — Beowulf The Anglo-Saxon period (449-1066)
? English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement ? Anglo-Saxon : [???gl???s?ks?n] 1. historical background
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Three conquests: Roman conquest in 43 AD; Anglo-Saxon conquest in 449; Norman conquest in 1066
43 AD, Roman conquered Britain ,making the latter a province of Roman Empire; the withdrawal of Roman troops ,the Teutonic tribes日耳曼人的,条顿人的.
esp., the Anglos conquered the island and called it Angle-land, then England, their language is Anglo-Saxon old English.
New words:
? pagan [?peiɡ?n]:异教徒, 非基督教徒
? Saga ['sɑ:ɡ?]:中世纪北欧传说; 英雄传奇 (saga novel)(多卷本)家世小说 ? ecclesiastic [i?kli:zi‘?stik] ：(基督教的)牧师, 教士的 2. Literature:
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The literature of this period falls naturally into two divisions: pagan and Christianity 基督教.
Pagan represents the poetry which the Anglo-Saxons probably brought with them in the form of oral sagas —the crude material out of which literature was slowly developed on English soil.
Christian represents the writings developed under teaching of the monks or copied by the monks.
the old English poetry can be divided into two groups: the secular/pagan世俗的and the religious.
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? The secular group: the Song of Beowulf, The Wife’s Complaints
? The religious group: Genesis A and B are two poems based on the Old Testament. Sum up: 2. literature
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1): pagan: oral sagas--the Song of Beowulf 2): Christian: copied by the monks.
The influence of the Christianity upon language and culture. Two ecclesiastic poets: Caedmon and Cynewulf
Caedmon--凯德蒙(公元7世纪盎格鲁-撒克逊基督教诗人)
Cynewulf--基涅武甫(盎格鲁-撒克逊诗人,生活在公元9 世纪诺森伯里亚或麦西亚,其古英语诗稿于10世纪被发现,有《埃琳娜》、《使徒们的命运》、《基督升天》和《朱莉安娜》等)
What is Epic?
Epic史诗
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Epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language and in a grand style, like Homer?s Iliad [?ili?d] and Odyssey [??disi].
It usually celebrates the feats and achievements of one or more legendary or traditional heroes. The action is simple but full of magnificence.
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Many epics were drawn from an oral tradition and were transmitted by song and recitation before they were written down.
The epics are the earliest pieces of literature surviving from the Old English period and indeed a tribute to the vitality of the ancient paganism. This tradition is the composing in verse of tribal or national legends about a great hero, always a fighting warrior. This is to be found in the Heroic Age of the Anglo-Saxons, while they were still on the Continent. In any case, the personality and the deeds of a hero were a source of inspiration to members of the tribe.
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To celebrate the deeds of the hero, and thereby to perpetuate his name and his glory unto succeeding generations, was the business of the bard, or minstrel, whom the Anglo-Saxons called the scope古代盎格鲁撒克逊的(吟游)诗人 or gleeman吟游诗人 .
How many of these epics were composed during the Heroic Age of the Anglo-Saxon can not be told; none of them were written down for centuries; instead they were passed by word of mouth from scop to scop; and the stories grew in the passing.
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? the Song of Beowulf
----England’s national epic
Old English Poetry: The Song of Beowulf
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Beowulf -- written in 10th century, probably composed some time during the first half of the 8th century, after the Christianization of the whole nation. The historical event described in the poem belongs to the early 6th century.
Beowulf is the national epic of the Anglo-Saxon and English people. It consists of 3182 lines and is to be divided into two parts.
– Though it is regarded today as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons, the hero
and the setting of Beowulf have nothing to do with England, for the story took place in Scandinavia . Note: Scandinavia: [sk?nd??ne?v?? ]: the countries of N Europe, esp. considered as a cultural unit and including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and often Finland, Iceland, and the Faeroes.斯堪的纳维亚(半岛)(欧洲)
1) Beowulf
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Beowulf is folk legend brought to England by the Anglo-Saxons from their continental homes. ?
Epic, for examples:
The Song of Beowulf-贝奥武甫（英格兰史诗） The Song of Roland- 罗兰之歌（法兰西史诗） The Song of the Cid- 熙德之歌（西班牙史诗）
The Song of Igor?s Host-伊戈尔出征记（俄罗斯史诗）
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Beowulf is a grand hero. He is so, simply by his deeds. He is faithful to his people. He goes alone, in a strange land, to venture himself for the deliverance of his people. He forgets himself in face of death. Though the poem was written in the 10th century, its hero was no doubt mainly the product of a primitive, tribal society on the continent.
2). the Song of Beowulf- plot and theme:
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I. a. fight with Grendel
b. fight with Grendel?s mother
? II. a. fight with fire dragon b. death and funeral plot
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Part I: It opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar's splendid mead hall, Heorot, has been ravaged for 12 years by nightly visits from an evil monster, Grendel, who carries off Hrothgar's warriors and devours them. Unexpectedly, young Beowulf, a prince of the Geats of southern Sweden, arrives with a small band of retainers and offers to cleanse Heorot of its monster. The King is astonished at the little-known hero's daring but welcomes him, and after an evening of feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy, the King retires, leaving Beowulf in charge. During the night Grendel comes from the moors, tears open the heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats. He then grapples with Beowulf, whose powerful grip he cannot escape. He wrenches himself free, tearing off his arm, and leaves, mortally wounded.
The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot. But at night as the warriors sleep, Grendel's mother comes to avenge her son, killing one of Hrothgar's men. In the morning Beowulf seeks her out in her cave at the bottom of a mere and kills her. He cuts the head from Grendel's corpse and returns to Heorot. The Danes rejoice once more. Hrothgar makes a farewell speech about the character of the true hero, as Beowulf, enriched with honors and princely gifts, returns home to King Hygelac of the Geats.
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The second part passes rapidly over King Hygelac's subsequent death in a battle (of historical record), the death of his son, and Beowulf's succession to the kingship and his peaceful rule of 50 years. But now a fire-breathing dragon ravages his land and the doughty but aging Beowulf engages it. The fight is long and terrible and a painful contrast to the battles of his youth. Painful, too, is the desertion of his retainers except for his young kinsman Wiglaf. Beowulf kills the dragon but is mortally wounded. The poem ends with his funeral rites and a lament.
3). Characteristics of “Beowulf”
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a. the mixture of pagan elements with Christian coloring.
The most outstanding example is the frequent reference in the epic to “Wyrd” (fate) as the decisive factor in human affaires, while on other occasions “God” or “Lord” is also mentioned as the omniscient 无所不知的and omnipotent [?m'nip?t?nt]全能的 being that rules over the whole universe.
b. the frequent use of metaphors and understatements. Such as : Metaphors: E.g:
“Ring giver” is used for king.
“Swan road”, “whale-path” or “seal bath” for the sea.
“wave-traveler” or “sea-wood” for ship, “shield-bearer”, “battle-hero” or “spear-fighter” for soldier.
Understatements含蓄的陈述 :
E.g: \
c. The most striking feature of the poem is the use of alliteration头韵.
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