英國文學簡史常耀信課件

EnglishLiteratureChapters7—8KeyPointsinChapter7MovementtowardRomanticismJamesThomsonEdwardYoungGeorgeCrabbeWilliamCowperWilliamBlakeIntroductionWorksRobertBurnsIntroductionWorks

MovementtowardRomanticismExtremestendtoprovokeareaction.WithPopeandthenSamuelJohnsonatthehelm,the18thcenturyragedforwardwiththeheroiccoupletandalmostoutlawedotherforms.However,fromtheveryoutset,somedissentingvoicesexistedandtriedtomakethemselvesheard.Therewasalsotheslybutsteadyassertionofemotionintheageofreason.WithRobertBurnsandWilliamBlakecomingfortheventuallyonthescene,thestagewerewellsetforanewgenerationofpoets,theRomantics.

JamesThomson

(1700-1748)HeisrememberednowmostlyforhisTheSeasons.TheCastleofIndolencewithitsmedievalallegoricalkindofstory,isreadoccasionallyaswell.TheSeasonsisalongpoemofover5,500lines,composedinblankverseinsteadofthetyrannicalheroiccouplet.

EdwardYoung

(1683-1765)Heisnowknownsolelyforhislongpoemofsometenthousandlines,Complaint,orNightThoughtsonLife,Death,andImmortality,popularlyknownasNightThoughts.TheworkhelpedtomovepoetryforwardtowardtheageofRomanticism:foronething,itwaswritteninblankverse,notinthefashionableheroiccouplet;thenthepoemisanadequateexpressionofemotions.NightThoughtsisnotedforitspsychologicalprobingsanditsmixingofpersonalsentimentswithreligiousdeliberations.

WilliamCowper

(1731-1800)Hispersonallifewasturbulentanddepressing.Hewashigh-strungandsuicidal.Hisblankverseprovedtobethebestofhistime.HismajorworksincludetheOnleyHymnsandTheTask,forwhichheisknownandreadtoday.

WilliamBlake

(1757-1827)IntroductionBlakewasanimportantlandmarkinbetweentwoliteraryperiods,pointingdirectlytothatofRomanticism.Thereweretwofactorsinhislifethathelpedtoorienthisthematicthrust.Onewashisnativesensitivitythatenabledhimtoseevisionsanddevelopakindofmysticism.Theotherwashiscontactwithsomeradicalpeople.Thetwomajorthematicstrandsthatmakeupthebasicfabricofhispoetryincludehisconcernwithsocialeventsandhismysticism.Blakewasbasicallyavisionary

WilliamBlake

(1757-1827)WorksSongsofInnocence“InfantJoy”“TheBlossom”“TheLamb”“TheDivineImage”SongsofExperience“InfantSorrow”“TheSickRose”“TheTiger”“TheHumanAbstract”

RobertBurns

(1759-1796)IntroductionBornintoapoorScottishfarmer’sfamily.Heexperienceddirepovertyandhadclosecontactwithcommonlifeandcommonpeople.HeiscriticalofCalvinismanditshypocrisyandrigidmorality.BurnswroteintheScottishdialect,English,andamedleyofthetwo.

RobertBurns

(1759-1796)Works“ARedRedRose”“TamO’Shanter”“ForA’Thatan’A’That”ARedRedRoseOmyLuve'slikeared,redrose

That’snewlysprunginJune;

OmyLuve'slikethemelodie

That’ssweetlyplay'dintune.

Asfairartthou,mybonnielass,

SodeepinluveamI:

AndIwillluvetheestill,mydear,

Tilla’theseasgangdry:Tilla’theseasgangdry,mydear,

Andtherocksmeltwi’thesun:

Iwillluvetheestill,mydear,

Whilethesandso’lifeshallrun.

Andfaretheewell,myonlyLuve

Andfaretheewell,awhile!

AndIwillcomeagain,myLuve,

Tho’itweretenthousandmile.KeyPointsinChapter818thCenturyFictionJonathanSwiftWorksGulliver’sTravelsDanielDefoeIntroductionRobinsonCrusoeSamuelRichardsonHenryFieldingAestheticTheoriesWorksLaurenceSterneTobiasSmollett

18thCenturyFiction18thcenturywasoneinwhichthenovelasagenreprosperednotonlyinthepractice,butalsointhetheoryofthecraft.Thewritersdevelopedtherealisticmethodofpresentationandbroughtstory-tellinginfinitelyclosertothereallifeaslivedbytherealpeople.

JonathanSwift(1667-1745)WorksTheBattleoftheBooksTaleofaTubTheIrishDrapier’sLettersAModestProposalItisoneofthemostcausticsatireseverwritteninliteraryhistoryGulliver’sTravels

JonathanSwift(1667-1745)Gulliver’sTravelsThisisasavagesatireintheformofafabuloustravelogueThebookconsistsoffourparts,eachrecordingonevoyagetooneoutlandish“remote”place.PartI:“AVoyagetoLilliput”PartII:“AVoyagetoBrobdingnag”PartIII:“AVoyagetoLaputa,Balnibari,Glubbdubdrib,Luggnagg,andJapan”PartIV:“AVoyagetotheCountryoftheHouyhnhunms”

DanielDefoe

(1660-1731)IntroductionHisviewsonthenovelfocusontwothingsofsignificancetotheemerginggenre(novel):itsrealismanditsmoralaesthetic.Hisprotagonistsarecommonpeoplewithrealcommonnamesandspeakas“I”,tellingtheirownstoriesinthefirst-personnarrative,addressingthereadersdirectlywithoutanymediation,justsoastoincreasetherealisticeffectofimmediacyandinvolvement.

DanielDefoe(1660-1731)RobinsonCrusoeItistheworkforwhichDefoeisrememberedbyall.ThepopularRobinsonCrusoestoryaspeoplenormallyknowitisinfactthenarrativefocusofthefirstpart.Itisfirstandforemostamiddleclassbook,offeringjustificationfortheclass’forthcomingrisetopre-dominanceinnationallife.ThebookisatypicalPuritantale.RobinsonCrusoeisfrequentlyseensimplyasatrue-to-life,nomoreandnoless,specimenoftheordinaryhumankind.Bodyingforththesumtotaloftheperseveranceandindomitablenessofhumanspirit.Itisthisqualityinthecharacterthatremainseternallycharmingandgreat.

SamuelRichardson

(1689-1751)Pamela,OrVirtueRewardedmarksthebeginningofconversationalmannerofnarration.RichardhasbeenseenasthebeginninginoneofthesepsychologicalrealisminthehistoryoftheEnglishnovel.

HenryFielding

(1707-1754)AestheticTheoriesHiswasthefirstattemptevertodefinethenovelasaproseepic(“Prosaic-comic-epicWriting”ashecallsit)thatisnotinferiortoanepicpoem.Fieldingseesthenovelasavehicleformoralinculcation,amirrorandanimitationofnatureandlife.Thoughimitatinglife,artis,tohim,notlife.Fieldingdeemsitnecessaryforawritertohavefourbasicqualities—nativegift,adequatelearning,richexperiencewithlifeandakindheart.

HenryFielding

(1707-1754)WorksJosephAndrewsIthasbeenseenasthefirstrealisticnovelinEnglishfiction.ItsfocusisonthepresentationofEnglishlifeasbeinglivedthen,sothatitendsupasanovelofmanners.TomJonesItisFielding’smasterpieceMajorcharacters:SquireAllworthy,TomJones,JennyJones,Patridge,Bridget,MasterBlifil,theWesterns,Sophia

LaurenceSt