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A Brief Introduction to English Literature - [英国文学]

1. Old English Literature（449A.D. ~ 1066） 1）History background：

The making of the England: Jutes, Angles and Saxons invaded Albion and combined into one United Kingdom-the England.

Their dialects gradually grew into a single language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. The transition from tribal society to feudalism 2) Main literature: poetry

3) Main writers: Caedmon, Cynewulf, Venerable Bede and Alfred the Great. 4) Main work: The Song of Beowulf <<贝奥武甫>> 2. Medieval English Literature (1066-15th century) 1）History background： Feudal system was established

Roman Catholic Church controlled over the country. 2) Main literature: poetry, Romance, Popular ballad 3) Main writers and their works:

Geoffrey Chaucer 杰弗里·乔叟 The Canterbury Tales 《坎特伯雷故事集》 William Langland威廉·朗格兰 Piers the Plowman《农夫皮尔斯》 Thomas Malory 马洛里 The Death of Arthur Robin Hood Ballads 《罗宾汉民谣集》

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight《高文爵士与绿衣骑士》 3. Renaissance English literature (late 15th century ~ early 17th century) 1）History background：

The establishment of Tudor Dynasty (都铎王朝)(1485~1603) Religious Reformation The establishment of Protestantism Commercial expansion abroad The War with Spain Movement of Renaissance The thought of humanism arose

2) Main literature: poetry (sonnet and blank verse), drama, essay 3) Main writers and their works:

·Thomas More托马斯·莫尔 Utopia《乌托邦》

·Edmund Spencer 埃德蒙·斯宾塞The shepherd’s Calendar《牧人日历》 The Faerie Queene 《仙后》

·William Shakespeare ·Francis Bacon Essays《随笔集》

·Christopher Marlowe 克里斯托弗·马洛Doctor Faustus《浮士德博士》 ·Ben Jonson 本·琼生Volpone《福尔蓬奈》

4. English Literature of the Revolution and Restoration Period (17th century) 1）History background：

English Revolution (1649) The establishment of a Commonwealth The monarchy was restored (1660) Glorious Revolution(1688) 2) Main literature: poetry, comedy, prose 3) Main writers and their works:

John Milton 弥尔顿Paradise Lost《失乐园》 Samson Agonistes 《力士参孙》 John Bunyan班扬 The Pilgrim’s Progress《天路历程》

John Dryden 德莱顿 Alexander’s Feast《亚历山大的宴会》 The Indian Queen《印第安王后》 John Donne 多恩 The Elegies and Satires《挽歌与讽刺》 5. 18th century English literature-the age of Enlightenment 1）History background：

A period of comparatively peaceful development Industrial Revolution Enlightenment（启蒙运动）

The struggle of the bourgeoisie against feudalism. 2) Main literature: poetry, drama, fiction 3) Literature trends:

a) neoclassicism b) Realistic novel. c) Sentimentalism d) Pre-romanticism 4) Main writers and their works:

Alexander Pope 亚历山大·蒲柏 The Rape of the Lock《卷发遇劫记》

Daniel Defoe 丹尼尔·笛福 Robinson Crusoe 《鲁滨逊漂流记》 Moll Flanders《摩尔·弗兰德斯》 Jonathan Swift 乔纳森·斯威夫特 Gulliver’s Travels 《格列佛游记》 Henry Fielding 菲尔丁 Tom Jones《汤姆·琼斯》

Thomas Gray托马斯·格雷 Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard《墓园挽歌》

William Blake 威廉·布莱克 Songs of Innocence《天真之歌》 Songs of Experience《经验之歌》 Robert Burns 罗伯特·彭斯 A Red, Red Rose《一朵红红的玫瑰》

Richard Brinsley Sheridan理查德·布林斯利·谢里丹 The School for Scandal《造谣学校》 The Rivals《情敌》 6. English Critical Realism 1) Historical Background ● Queen Victorian (1837-1902) ● Chartist Movement 2) Main Literature: poetry; fiction 3) Literature forms: a) Chartist literature b) Critical realistic novel. c) Victorian poetry

4) Charles Dickens & William Makepeace Thackeray ● Their main works and characteristics 7. The Literature of 20th Century 1) Historical background

● The decline of the British Empire: 2) Cultural background

● New Theories and Ideas: Natural sciences; Social science 3) Modernism

4) Early 20th century literature: poetry; dramas 5) Fiction of the Twentieth Century 6) Postwar poetry, fiction, drama

English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. The study of English literature usually begins with the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. The Anglo-Saxons first brought to England the Germanic language and culture. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Normans bought to England a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization, which includes Greek culture, Roman law, and the Christian religion. It is the cultural influences of these two conquests that provide the source for the rise and growth of English literature. The English at that time was called Old English, which is quite hard to recognize today.

Geoffrey Chaucer, father of English literature, is a great representative of the Mediaeval Age. He’s the first person to use English to write stories.

By the time of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558-1603), English was basically as it is today. In the works of Shakespeare and later in the King James version of the Bible, English reached its peak of purity and beauty. In all the centuries since, the English language has undergone gradual changes. Shakespeare lives in this age but he belongs to all ages. He is the greatest playwright and poet. His masterful plays have