Old & Medieval English Literature
Old English: 450-1066
<
Beowulf
> the national
epic
of the Anglo-Saons
Medieval English
锛?/p>
1066 - middle 14th century
Geoffrey Chaucer
-
the father of English poetry
(wisdom, humor, humanity)
<
The Canterbury Tales
> first time to use '
heroic couplet
'
The Renaissance Period
: 14th
鈥?/p>
mid 17th started in Italy
A series of historical events:
1.
rediscovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture
2.
new discoveries in geography & astrology(
鍗犳槦瀛?/p>
)
3.
the religious reformation & economic expansion
The
Renaissance
-
rebirth or revival
Humanism
-
the
essence
of
the
Renaissance,
the
dignity
of
human
being
&
the
importance
of the present life
Best representatives: Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare
The Elizabethan drama: the real mainstream of English Renaissance
Most famous dramatists: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson
Edmund Spenser
-
the poets' poet
5 quality: 1) a perfect melody 2)a rare sense of beauty 3)a splendid
imagination
4)a
lofty(
楂樺皻鐨?/p>
) moral
purity
and seriousness 5)a dedicated
idealism
<
The Shepherdes Calender
> lament(
鍝�鎮?/p>
) over the loss of Rosalind
<
The Faerie Queene
>
涓昏锛?/p>
Arthur - who possess
12
virtues
Gloriana
鈥?/p>
the Fairy Queen
The
theme
is
not
鈥?/p>
Arms
and
the
man,
鈥?/p>
but
something
more
romantic
鈥?/p>
鈥?/p>
Fierce
warres
and faithfull loves
鈥?/p>
READING
:
excerpt from
The Faerie Queene
浠欏悗
Content: Redcrosse Knight set out on his adventures.