HistoryandAnthology

ofBritishLiteratureToday’sSchedule

introduction

Whatisliterature?WhydowestudyBritishliterature?Whatarewegoingtoknowinthiscourse?

Unit1:TheAnglo-SaxonPeriod

Whatisliterature?“writtencompositionsthattellstories,dramatizesituations,expressemotions,andanalyzeandadvocate擁護;提倡;主張

ideas.”Development:oral→written→printed

Literarygenres體裁

Fiction(narrativefiction敘述虛構

):novel,novella中篇小說,shortstory,myth,parable寓言,romance,epic史詩

Poetryimages,sound,figurativelanguageDramaPoeticform→dailylanguageNonfiction非小說類散文文學

prose散文

:newsreport,featurearticles,text-books,historicalandbiographicalworksWhystudyliterature?HelpusgrowHelpusunderstandtheworldClarifyourownidentityImproveourlanguagecompetence能力,勝任,稱職Whatarewegoingtolearninthiscourse?

Syllabus教學綱要

forthiscourse

seethecontentsofthetextbookTimeline時間軸

ofBritishliteratureTribal部落的,種族的

societyoftheCelts凱爾特人

→theRomanconquest→Anglo-Saxons盎格魯撒克遜人→theNorman諾曼底人

Conquest(theoldandMedieval中世紀的

period)→2.mid-15thtoearly17thc.(theRenaissance)→TimelineofBritishliterature3.17thcentury;18thcentury(theNeoclassicalperiod新古典主義時期

,Enlightenment,theriseofnovel)→4.19thcentury(Romanticism浪漫主義

,Victorianage,Realism)→5.20thcentury(Naturalism自然主義

,Modernism,Post-modernism)OutlineofHistoryofEnglishliterature44914851660179818321901TheMiddleAges

TheRenaissance

TheNeoclassicism

TheRomanticism

TheVictorianAge

The20thCentury

Unit1

TheAnglo-SaxonPeriod(449-1066)BasicBackground1.TheformationofBritain:TimemaineventsnamesofpopulationnamesofBritainBeforeB.C.55---

Celts

AlbionB.C.55

RomansInvasion(JuliusCaesar)CeltsAlbionA.D.43

RomansConquest(Claudius)

Romans/CeltsARomanProvince1.TheformationofBritain:TimemaineventsnamesofpopulationnamesofBritainA.D.410

RomanswithdrawalFromBritainforGermanic(Teutonic)invasionofRome

---

---A.D.449

Germanic(Teutonic)InvasionorAnglo-SaxonConquestAnglos/

Saxons/Jutes/Celts

AngliaAngle-landEngland

2.SocialBackground:1）TheAnglo-Saxonswereinthelaterstagesoftribalsociety,andfeudalism封建制度

assumeddefiniteshape.2)Agriculturedevelopedandtradeexpanded.3)TheAnglo-Saxonswereheathens異教徒

(pagans無宗教信仰者

)upontheirfirstarrivalinEngland.InA.D.597,thefirstmissionaries傳教士

ledbySt.AugustinecametoEnglandfromRomeandconverted使皈依;使改變信仰

KingEthelbertofKent,andwithinacentury(in7thcentury)allEnglandwasChristianized.3.Literature:1)Twodivisions:Paganliterature:Anglo-Saxon’sOralsagas英雄傳奇

Christianliterature:writingsdevelopedundertheteachingofthemonksaftertheintroductionofChristianity基督教；基督精神

intoEngland2)Twopoets:

a.Caedmon凱德蒙(公元7世紀盎格魯-撒克遜基督教詩人)：

latterhalfof7th.Century

ParaphraseoftheBibleb.Cynewulf基涅武甫(盎格魯-撒克遜詩人,生活在公元9世紀諾森伯里亞或麥西亞,其古英語詩稿于10世紀被發現,有《埃琳娜》、《使徒們的命運》、《基督升天》和《朱莉安娜》等):8th.Centurypoemsonreligioussubjects

3).BeowulfBeowulf---thenationalepicoftheAnglo-Saxonsa.origin:existedinitsoralformasearlyasthe6thcenturywrittendowninthe7thor8thcentury.Theonlyexistingmanuscriptwaswrittenbyanunknownscribe(尤指古代印刷術發明之前的)抄寫員

atthebeginningofthe10th.Century.

epicAnextendednarrativepoeminelevatedordignifiedlanguage,celebratingthefeatsofalegendaryortraditionalhero.史詩：用嚴肅或莊重的語言寫成的敘事長詩，歌頌傳奇中或歷史上英雄的豐功偉績b.content:Itcontains3182linesofalliterative頭韻的,頭韻體的

verse詩句,詩行;詩節

anditisthelongestoftheearlyAnglo-Saxonpoemspreserved.c.abriefsummaryofthestory:seethetextbookBeowulf:nephewofHygelacHygelac:kingofGeatsinJutlandHrothgar:kingoftheDanesGrendel:amonster

Itscharacters:

ItsPlot故事情節

:

Beowulf’sfightwiththemonsterGrendelinHrothgar’shall2)Beowulf’sslaying殺死，宰殺，殺戮

ofGrendel’smotherinherlair(野獸的)窩,穴

3)Beowulf’sreturninglorytohisuncle,andhissuccessiontothethrone王座,御座;寶座4)Beowulf’svictoryindeath,fiftyyearslater,overthefiredragonItsfeatures:

Theuseofalliteration

Theuseofmetaphorsandunderstatements輕描淡寫

ThemixtureofpaganandChristianelementsAlliterationAlliterationistherepetitionofconsonants,esp.atthebeginningofwordsorstressedsyllables音節

.Alliteration:“ThusmadetheirmourningthemenofGeatland,Fortheirhero’spassing,hishearth-companionsQuoththatofallthekingsofearth,Ofmenhewasthemildestandmostbeloved,Tohiskinthekindest,keenesttopraise.”

“headrhyme首韻

”

d.significance:Beowulftowersabove高于，優于

allotherliteraryworksAnglo-Saxonperiodchieflybecauseitisapowerfulpoemaboutapeople’sherowrittenintrueepicstyle.

Beowulfisnotsimplyamanofgreatmilitarybraverybu