英国文学史复习资料

Three stages of English literary development:

i. Old English /Anglo-Saxon (OE. As the language up to 1066 is usu. called)

The old English language, also called Anglo-Saxon, was the earliest form of English. It is difficult to give exact dates for the rise and development of a language, because it does not change suddenly; but perhaps it is true to say that Old English was spoken from about AD. 600 to about 1100.

ii. Middle English literature(about 1100-1500)

iii. Modern English literature(about 1500-present)

Beowulf

written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century.

A rich fabric of fact and fancy, Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic（史诗） in British literature

a long narrative poem of great scale and grandiose style about the heroes who are

usually warriors or demigods. It reflects national history.

Geoffrey Chaucer

(1343---1400)

the greatest name in the Middle English literature.

father/founder of English poetry.

The Canterbury Tales is his masterpiece

He presents, for the first time in English literature, a comprehensive realistic picture of

the medieval English society and creates a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life

He introduced heroic couplet into English poetry

It was Chaucer who made London dialect the foundation for modern English speech

The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the highest point of the Arthurian romances.

Renaissance

1.The Renaissance refers to the period between 14th----mid-17th century. It first started in

Italy.

2.The Renaissance means rebirth or revival----the discovery of ancient Roman and Greek

culture.

3.In essence, The Renaissance is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars tried to get rid of the old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie/middle class, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of Roman Catholic church.

Humanism

4.Humanism is the essence of Renaissance -----Man is the measure of all things.

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