Renaissance 英国文学 文艺复兴时期

The Renaissance

Historical background:

The breaking up of feudal relations and the establishing of the foundations of capitalism; The enclosure; the war of the Roses; the strengthening of the absolute monarchy; the rise of the bourgeoisie; the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

New social and economic conditions brought about great changes in the development of science and art. So with the strengthening of new bourgeois national state, this period is marked by a flourishing of national culture known as the Renaissance.

Renaissance:

A rebith, revival of classical (Greek and Roman )arts, literature and sciences between 14th and mid 17th centuries in Europe, the greatest age of human accomplishments.

Two striking features of the Renaissance

1) A thirsting curiosity for the classical literature;

2) The keen interest in the activities of humanity( People ceased to

look upon themselves as living only for God and a future world and turned to admiration for human beauty and human achievement);

Renaissance marks the transition from medieval to modern world, from feudal to capitalist, from religious to secular society. In this period the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to abolish old

feudal ideas in medieval Europe (the church-centered culture which were characterized by God-centeredness, otherworldliness and asceticism.) and to introduce new ideas of the rising bourgeoisie ( humanism, the man-centered culture in which man is the measure of all things.), and to carry our religious reformation.

Renaissance did not begin to show its effect in England until the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547) owing to England’s separation from the Continent and its domestic unrest. Encouraged by Henry VIII, the Oxford reformers, scholars and humanists introduced classical literature to England. Education was revitalized and literature became more popular. From the beginning of the 16th c, the English Renaissance witnessed the brisk development of literature: the translation of ancient English, Italian and French works, as well as classical works of Greece and Rome; books of discoveries and adventures; the flowering of sonnets; the highest glory of the English renaissance is its drama ( the Elizabethan drama). This was England’s golden age in literature. There appeared many literary giants such as Shakespeare, Spenser, Jonson, Sidney, Marlowe, Bacon and Donne.

Humanism:The Renaissance was marked by the spread of humanism, the keynote (the great spirit) of Renaissance. It sprang as a result of rediscovery and restudy of the Greek and Roman civilization which is based on the conception that the man is the measure of all things, the

man-centered culture. It stands for devotion to the humane values represented in classical literature.

While the medieval Catholic teachings (the church-centered culture) were characterized by God-centeredness, otherworldliness and asceticism, the Renaissance humanists emphasized the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life; they believed human beings were glorious creatures; man can live a happy and meaningful life on earth; man can improve his condition with effort and change the world according to his desire. Man has the right to pursue personal happiness, knowledge and wealth. Humanism helped to civilize man, to make him realize his potential powers and gifts. It contributed a great deal to the progress of human society. It represented the new ideas of the rising bourgeoisie. Thomas More, Marlowe and Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists. The humanistic ideas and belief permeated the literature of this period.

Christopher Marlowe-------the greatest of the pioneers of English drama I.Literary achievement:

blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)

II. Artistical limitations:

III. Major plays:

Tamburlaine (贴木耳大帝)

The Jew of Malta (马尔他岛的犹太人)

Doctor Faustus (浮士德博士)

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Life

Works

During his 22 years of literary career he produced 37 plays, Two narrative poems, 154 sonnets.

Dramatic career

①The first period----Early period (1590-1594)

2 historical plays: Henry VI (亨利六世)

Richard III (理查德三世),

4 comedies: The Comedy of Errors (错误的喜剧)（错中错）

The Two Gentlemen of Verona (维洛那二绅士)

The Taming of the Shrew (训悍记)

Love’s Labour’s Los t (爱的徒劳)

1 tragedy: Romeo and Juliet

② The second period----mature period (1595-1600)

A period of great comedies and mature historical plays

6 comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (仲夏夜之梦)

The Merchant of Venice (威尼斯商人)

The Merry Wives of Windsor（温莎的风流娘儿们）

Much Ado about Nothing（无事生非）

As You Like It（皆大欢喜）

Twelfth Night （第十二夜）

5 historical plays: Richard II

Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2)

Henry V

King John

1 Roman tragedy: Julius Caesar （尤利乌斯·恺撒）

③The third period-----Flourishing period (Tragic period) (1601-1607)

A period of great tragedies and dark comedies

5 tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Timon of Athens

3 comedies: Troilus and Cressida(特洛伊洛斯与克瑞西达)

All’s Well That Ends Well（终成眷属）

Measure for Measure (一报还一报)

2 Roman Tragedies: Antony and Cleopatra (安东尼和克莉奥佩特拉)

Coriolanus (科里奥拉鲁斯)

④ The fourth period----Late period (1608-1612)

4 romantic drama (romances or tragicomedies):

These plays portray a wide range of tragic events and difficult conditions, but they all end in reconciliation and reunion.

Pericles (佩里克利斯)，Cymbeline（辛白林）

The Tempest（暴风雨）, The Winter’s Tale（冬天的故事）

1 historical play: Henry VIII

Four great comedies

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (仲夏夜之梦)

The Merchant of Venice (威尼斯商人)

As You Like It（皆大欢喜）

Twelfth Night （第十二夜）

Four great tragedies

Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth,

Tragedy

Classical tragedians: Aeschylus(埃斯库罗斯Premetheus Bound), Sophocles（索福克勒斯Oedipus Tyrannus）, Euripites（欧里庇得斯）The tragic hero—a significant person, usually a member of the nobility, a leader, a wise, just and good man

Tragic flaw—a character defect which causes the downfall of the tragic hero

Tragedy

Tragedies were concerned with the harshness and apparent injustice in life. They involved the trials and eventful death of a hero who was an important person and whose death led to the downfall of others.

1.The central characters are always people of importance, like kings,

queens, prince, general, nobles

2.A tragic hero is often a flawed good man; often the hero’s fall from

happiness was due to a weakness in his character, by some great error in his part

3.supernatural beings are often involved in the conflict of human beings,

like gods, spirits, witches, ghosts

4.Sadness is mixed with horror, murder, treachery and bloodshedding

Catharsis（净化）—purgation of audience emotions such as pity, anger, fear; the audience feel relieved or purged when they leave the theatre. Catharsis or cathartic effect of tragedies:

Tragedies give an outlet for such emotions as greed, hatred, lust, fear and pity. The tragic action arouses feelings of awe in the audience, who often leave the theater with a renewed sense of the seriousness and significance of human life. The word catharsis is often used to describe the audience’s feelings. It means the purging from the mind of the feelings of pity and fear the play has aroused when they leave the theater.

Romeo and Juliet

His earliest success in tragedy, full of poetry and romance. Its scenes of youth and love are painted in brilliant colors. There is no tinge of pessimism in the play. Though a tragedy, the play is optimistic in spirit. It is a song of the optimistic youth, love, wit and courage of the early rising young men and women against the drab.

Hamlet

Hamlet as a typical tragic hero: a hero of the Renaissance period and a representative of humanism

Good qualities: noble-minded, brave, intelligent, learned, with a strong sense of justice, loved and respected by his people;

Weaknesses: rash, impulsive, indecisive, sometimes can be cruel, harsh and coarse

His tragic flaw is lack of emotional balance; either acts rashly, without thinking, or doesn’t act quickly and firmly enough. His indecisiveness, his inability to act when action is needed, is one of the major causes for his downfall.

Hamlet’s soliloquy (See Anthology p76-77)

(Situation) Hamlet's endurance has reached the breaking point. His father has been murdered. His mother, who he loves dearly, has married her dead husband's brother. Moreover his sweetheart, Ophelia, has been acting very strangely. He senses that she does not love him any more. Now, he's all alone. The world that he knew is shattered. His black mood of despair is deepened by his inability to act - to do something to change the situation.

Now he ponders whether to continue living - or to take his own life.

生存还是毁灭, 这是个必须回答的问题:

是否应默默的忍受坎坷命运之无情打击,

还是应与深如大海之无涯苦难奋然为敌,

并将其克服。

此二抉择, 就竟是哪个较崇高?

死即睡眠, 它不过如此!

倘若一眠能了结心灵之苦楚与肉体之百患,

那么, 此结局是可盼的!

死去, 睡去...

但在睡眠中可能有梦, 啊, 这就是个阻碍:

当我们摆脱了此垂死之皮囊,

在死之长眠中会有何梦来临?

它令我们踌躇,

使我们心甘情愿的承受长年之灾,

否则谁肯容忍人间之百般折磨,

如暴君之政、骄者之傲、失恋之痛、法章之慢、贪官之侮、或庸民之辱,

假如他能简单的一刃了之?

还有谁会肯去做牛做马, 终生疲於操劳,

默默的忍受其苦其难, 而不远走高飞, 飘於渺茫之境,

倘若他不是因恐惧身後之事而使他犹豫不前?

此境乃无人知晓之邦, 自古无返者。

所以，理智就使我们都变成了懦夫，

使得那果断的本色蒙上了一层思虑的惨白的容颜，

本来可以做出伟大的事业，

由于思虑就化为乌有了，丧失了行动的能力。

美丽的欧菲利亚, 可爱的小姐, 在你的祈祷中可别忘了我的罪孽。

What Hamlet is musing on is the comparison between the pain of life, which he sees as inevitable (the sea of troubles - the slings and arrows - the heart-ache - the thousand natural shocks) and the fear of the uncertainty of death and of possible damnation of suicide.

1.Is it better to endure silently the blows and agony that life inflicts on

man without logic or reason, or to rise up against a mass of troubles and end them by fighting back?

2.Who would bear the insults and miseries of this world, the cruelties

and tyranny of the oppressors, the humiliation and contempt from the arrogant people, the heart-breaking pain caused by rejected love, the inevitable slowness of the working of law, the arrogance and rudeness of those who hold official positions, the insults which good patient people suffer from those who are mean and unworthy, if a mere dagger might free him from all these troubles?

The speech reveals the psychological make-up, the intricate mental workings, the thinking process of Hamlet. The use of psychological analysis gives greater depth and breadth to the thoughts and feelings of the character.

1.a thinker, a philosopher, pondering on both his personal considerations

and social problems

2.a man with a sense of justice

3.pessimistic and gloomy view about life, cynical attitude towards

society

4.wide range of knowledge

5.belief in the Christian doctrine about heaven and hell

Blank verse (无韵体)—unrhymed iambic pentameter, literary form masterly handled by Shakespeare and Milton

Comedy—in most ways, the opposite of tragedy. Broadly defined, it refers to any literary work designed to amuse; And specifically, it is usually reserved for plays whose tone is lighthearted and humourous, that are amusing, and that have a happy ending.

Comedy-komo-merry-making, dealing with ordinary people in everyday situations, ordinary people, humble style, beginning with misfortune and ending with joy.

Plot—from bad to good, beginning with misfortune and ending with joy Characters-- ordinary people, (humble and private people) in rather everyday situations; the main characters remain optimistic no matter what fate brings them, believing that in the end they will triumph. Stereotypes—the characters tend to be stereotypical, which means they are recognizable types of people rather than fully developed characters like the tragic hero. The dumb blond, the man who thinks he is God’s gift

to women, the miser, the fickle young lover, the lazy slob, the rich spoiled child, the social snob-----

Dramatic spirit—optimism; there is always a sense that everything will turn out well, despite the horrible predicaments the characters find themselves in.

Style—humble, light-hearted (as against the solemn, serious, lofty, sublime style in tragedies)

Purpose-- to entertain and educate people, to ridicule and satirize human weaknesses, but some have moral and corrective purposes

Different types of comedies—comedies of humour, of manners, burlesque, farce, satirical comedy, romance comedy, tragicomedy

The Merchant of Venice

A romantic comedy, the story of three caskets and story of a pound of flesh;

Antonio—the merchant

Bassanio—the fortune-hunter

Shylock—the Jewish usurer, the villain

Portia—the idealized woman, the daughter of the Renaissance

Theme: praising true friendship, true love, exposing social evils: greed, malice, racial prejudice, money-worship, injustice

Shylock: mean, greedy, cunning, cruel, vengeful, merciless; a sophist, an

avaricious money-lender, a Jew of pride and deep religious instincts; but also a victim of racial discrimination and religious persecution

Portia: beautiful, cultured, learned, witty, courageous, prudent;

Sonnet—a poem of 14 lines in iambic pentameter with a fixed rhyme scheme

1.Italian form: octave, sestet; abba abba cde cde

2.English or Shakespearean form: 3 quatrains and one couplet; abab

cdcd efef gg

Sonnet 18 (See Anthology p118-119)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander's in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest;

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

我怎能把你比作宜人的夏天？

你比它更加可爱也更加温婉：

狂风把五月钟爱的蓓蕾摧残，

夏天延续的时间未免太短暂：

苍穹的眼睛有时照得太灼热，

金色的容颜常变得朦胧暗淡：

遭受机缘或自然变化的摧折；

美好的事物终究会不免凋残。

但是你永恒的夏天不会衰败，

你拥有的美丽会永伴你身旁，

死神不夸耀你在他影里徘徊，

当你在不朽诗行里与时同长。

只要人类能呼吸眼睛能看清，

此诗万世长存并赐予你生命。

The poet ponders on the destructive power of time and the eternal beauty brought forth by poetry to his loved one.

Beauty can be immortalized by poetry.

In addition:

1.The Evolution of Drama:

English drama has roots reaching back to

① The miracle play（奇迹剧）

② The morality play道德剧

③ The Interlude插剧

④ Classical comedies and tragedies经典戏剧

2.Other remarkable writers besides Shakespeare

① Sidney----a poet and critic of poetry,

Apology for Poetry----a piece of literary criticism of the Renaissance;

②Edmund Spenser—The Poet’s poet, the author of the greatest epic

poem of the time

The Faerie Queene

Modern Engli sh: The publication of Spenser’s first work The Shepherd’s Calendar marked the budding of the Renaissance flower, the language then to be called Modern English, to distinguish from the Middle English of Chaucer’s day.

Spenserian Stanza----a special form of poetry which consists of 8 iambic pentameter lines followed by a ninth line of six iambic feet( an alexandrine), with the rhyme scheme ababbcbcc( The first 8 lines are in iambic pentameter, and the ninth, iambic hexameter, with the rhyme scheme ababbcbcc ).

③Francis Bacon----the first Englisn essayist, the founder of English

materialist philosophy, the founder of modern science in England

④ Ben Jonson-----a prolific dramatist, also a poet and a critic.

Features of Shakes peare’s drama

1.faithfully and vividly reflects the major social contradictions of his

time; One of the founders of realism in world literature;

2.His dramatic creation often used the method of adoptation. He

rewrote old plays or borrowed his plots widely from other sources;

3.A master hand for playwriting. In his plays, actions develop freely,

without being hindered by the classical rules; Usually combining the majestic with the funny, the poetic with the prosaic, and the tragic with the comic, reproducing the various aspects of real life;

4. Employing different means of expression to utter all possible

thoughts and feelings of his characters; Skilled in many poetic forms: the song, the sonnet, the couplet, and the dramatic blank verse, especially, the last one;

A great master of the English language, a large vocabulary in his

work: commanded a vocabulary larger than any other English writers and used about 16000 words. Many of his coinages and expressions have become everyday usage in English life. Shakespeare and the Authorized Version of the English Bible (in 1611, James I) are the 2 great treasuries of the English language (e.g. eye for eye, tooth for tooth; the shadow of death; peacemaker; a labor of love; root of all evil; All’s well that ends well, to mention just a few).

Questions:

1.Give a summary about English literature in the Renaissance period.

2.What did Shakespeare write about in his four great tragedies?

3.What is the theme of The Merchant of Venice?

https://www.docsj.com/doc/b14119732.html,ment on the character of Shylock.

https://www.docsj.com/doc/b14119732.html,ment on the character of Hamlet.(p85-87)

6.How can you interpret the melancholy of Hamlet?(p87-88)

英国文学期末考试题目(英语专业必备)

.. ;.. 一．中古英语时期 Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English language, and the most important specimen (范例、典范)of Anglo-Saxon literature, and also the oldest surviving epic in the English language. The romance is a popular literary form in the medieval period（中世纪）. It uses verse or prose to sing knightly a dventures or other heroic deeds. Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the greatest English poets, whose masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales（《坎特伯雷故事集》）,was one of the most important influences on the development of English literature. Chaucer is considered as the father of English poetry and the founder of English realism. 二．文艺复兴Renaissance Renaissance r efers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries. It marks a transition(过渡) from the medieval to the modern world. It started in Italy with the flowering of painting, sculpture（雕塑）and literature, and then spread to the rest of Europe. Humanism is the essence of Renaissance -----Man is the measure of all things. This was England’s Golden Age in literature. Queen Elizabeth r eigned over the country in this period. The real mainstream of the English Renaissance i s the Elizabethan drama. The most famous dramatists in the Renaissance E ngland are Christopher Marlowe and W illiam Shakespeare. The greatest of the pioneers of English drama was Christopher Marlowe. Francis Bacon was the best known essayist of this period. “Of Studies” is the most popular of Bacon’s 58 essays. Thomas More ——Utopia Edmund Spenser——The Faerie Queene 相关练习 1. Which is the oldest poem in the English language? A. Utopia B. Faerie Queene C. Beowulf D. Hamlet 2. _____ is the father of English poetry. A. Edmund Spenser B. William Shakespeare C. Francis Bacon D. Geoffrey Chaucer 3. ____ is not a playwright during the Renaissance period on England. A. William Shakespeare B. Geoffrey Chaucer C. Christopher Marlowe D. Ben Johnson 三．莎士比亚William Shakespeare “All t he world 's a stage, a nd all the men and women merely p layers.”——William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright in the world and the finest poet who has written in the English language. Shakespeare understood people more than any other writers. He could create characters that have

自考英美文学选读 第一章 文艺复兴时期(英国)(课文翻译)

英美文学选读翻译（英语专业自考） 第一部分：英国文学 第一章文艺复兴时期 文艺复兴标志着一个过渡时期,即中世纪的结束和现代社会的开始。一般来说,文艺复兴时期是从十四世纪到十七世纪中叶。它从意大利兴起,伴随着绘画、雕塑和文学领域的百花齐放,而后文艺复兴浪潮席卷了整个欧洲。文艺复兴,顾名思义即重生、复苏,是由一系列历史事件激发推动的,其中包括对古希腊罗马文化的重新发现。地理天文领域的新发现,宗教改革及经济发展。因此,文艺复兴从本质上是欧洲人文主义者竭力摒弃中世纪欧洲的封建主义,推行代表新兴城市资产阶级利益的新思想,并恢复早期宗教的纯洁性,远离腐败的罗马天主教廷的一场运动。 文艺复兴浪潮影响到英国的速度比较慢,不仅因为英国远离欧洲大陆,而且还因为其国内的动荡不安。乔叟去世后的一个半世纪是英国历史上最动荡不安的时期。好战的贵族篡取了王位,使英国走上自我毁灭之路。著名的玫瑰之战就是极好的例子。后来理查三世的恐怖统治标志着内战的结束,在都铎王朝的统治下英国的民族情感又成长起来。然而直到亨利八世统治期间(1509-1547),文艺复兴的春风才吹入英国。在亨利八世的鼓励下,牛津的改革派学者和人文主义者们将古典文学引入英国。基于古典文学作品及《圣经》的教育重获生机,而十五世纪就被广泛传阅的文学作品则更加流行了。自此,英国的文艺复兴开始了。英国,尤其是英国文学进入了黄金时代。这个时期涌现出莎士比亚、斯宾塞、约翰逊、锡德尼、马洛、培根及邓恩等一大批文学巨匠。但英国的文艺复兴并未使新文学与旧时代彻底决裂,带有十四、十五世纪特点的创作态度与情感依然贯穿在人文主义与改革时代。 人文主义是文艺复兴的核心。它源于努力恢复中世纪产生的对古希腊罗马文化的尊崇。人文主义作为文艺复兴的起源是因为古希腊罗马文明的基础是以"人"为中心,人是万物之灵。通过这些对古代文化崭新的研究,人文主义者不仅看到了光彩夺目的艺术启明星,还在那古典作品中寻求到了人的价值。在中世纪的社会中,个人完全隶属于封建统治,没有独立和自由可言;在中世纪的神学理论中,人与周围世界的关系仅仅是人消极适应或消极遁世,不允许追求快乐,以备死后灵魂得以超脱。然而人文主义者们却从古代文化遗产中找到了充足的论据,来赞美人性,并开始注意到人类是光荣的生命,人自己可以不断发展,至善至美,而且人们生存的世界是属于他们的,供他们怀疑、探索以及享受。由此,人文主义者通过强调人类的尊严、强调今生今世的重要性,喊出了他们的信仰,即人类不仅有权利在今生今世美好生活,而且还有能力完善自我,创造奇迹。人文主义遍布英国思想领域的。标志是荷兰学者伊拉斯谟先后到牛津大学与剑桥大学讲授古典文化研究。托马斯·漠尔、克利斯朵夫·马洛和威廉·莎士比亚是英国人文主义的代表。

英国文学--古英语-文艺复兴

英国文学（1） -----古英语—文艺复兴 Chapter I An Introduction to Old and Medieval English Literature & The Renaissance Period I. 古英语（文学）Old English—Anglo-Saxon, language spoken by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes 449 (the Anglo-Saxon Invasion) -1066 (the Norman Conquest) Beowulf-- the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons （最高成就） Anglo-Saxon Chronicle II. 中世纪英语(文学) Medieval (Middle) English—With the three languages intermingling, Old English developed into Middle English 1066 - middle 14th century

1. Romance—the most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England （封建英国最流行的文学形式，取材 于贵族，为 贵族而作）2. 民间流行文学—Piers the Plowman by William Langland (written version) the Ballads (oral form)（英国民间文学最重要的一个分支） 3. 乔叟Geoffrey Chaucer ----the father of English poetry (wisdom, humor, humanity) The Canterbury Tales---the first time to use ―heroic couplet‖英雄双韵体诗4. 文学术语----Alliteration；Epic;

第三章 文艺复兴时期文学

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文艺复兴时期的英国文学简介

第二讲英国“文艺复兴”文学 2.1 文艺复兴 “文艺复兴”作为一场席卷欧洲的文化运动标志着欧洲从中世纪走向现代的转折。始于14世纪的意大利，以美术、雕塑、文学艺术等的繁荣为标志，经由中欧、法国，最后传到不列颠。“复兴”在这里指对欧洲古典即古希腊古罗马时期的艺术的重新挖掘和张扬，是指欧洲的文艺经过漫长中世纪基督教神学一统天下的黑暗时代后又重新恢复了古典时代的辉煌。在英国，“文艺复兴”运动主要表现为都铎王朝时期文学的繁荣。代表人物莎士比亚。 欧洲文艺复兴运动的历史背景包括政治、经济、宗教、科技、文化等诸多方面，这些因素互相推动，它们根植于中世纪，却又共同从成了一种与中世纪决裂的历史局面。 首先是对古希腊古罗马文化的重新发现。 地理和科学的新发现。哥伦布达伽马 16世纪德意志神学家马丁路德发起宗教改革 文艺复兴主要体现在2个方面：人文主义的张扬；基督教神学的改革。 2.2 英国文艺复兴 根据文坛和文学创作所呈现出的不同特点，英国文艺复兴可以分为3个主要阶段: 第一，15世纪末---16世纪前半叶，复兴初期，研究古希腊罗马哲学，印刷术传入英国推动了人文主义文化的传播。 代表：托马斯莫尔《乌托邦》 第二，伊丽莎白时代，英国文艺复兴的鼎盛时代。 代表：莎士比亚的戏剧和斯宾塞的诗歌 第三，从莎士比亚去世到17世纪中期。英国文艺复兴的晚期，运动逐渐走向低落。 代表：哲学家及散文家弗兰西斯培根 文艺复兴时期英国文学的主要特征是诗歌和戏剧成为英国文坛的主流。 2.3代表作家及作品 2.3.1 托马斯莫尔（Thomas More） 出生于中产阶级家庭，其父为皇家法官。希望其成为律师 1504，26岁成为下院议员。反对亨利七世，退出政坛。 15.9，亨利八世即位，恢复政治生涯，次年被委派位伦敦助理行政官，官至财政部长，下议院议长和帝国大法官。 因反对亨利八世与教会对抗被斩首。

文艺复兴时期英国文学概述

文艺复兴时期英国文学概述 文艺复兴时期文学（15世纪后期-17世纪初） 相对于欧洲其他国家来说，英国的文艺复兴起始较晚，通常认为是在15世纪末。文艺复兴时期形成的思想体系被称为人文主义，它主张以人为本，反对中世纪以神为中心的世界观，提倡积极进取、享受现世欢乐的生活理想。托马斯·莫尔（Thomas More， 1478-1535）是英国最主要的早期人文主义者，他的《乌托邦》（Utopia）批评了当时的英国和欧洲社会，设计了一个社会平等、财产公有、人们和谐相处的理想国。Utopia现已成为空想主义的代名词，但乌托邦是作者对当时社会状况进行严肃思考的结果。《乌托邦》开创了英国哲理幻想小说传统的先河，这一传统从培根的《新大西岛》（The New Atlantis）、斯威夫特的《格列佛游记》（Gulliver's Travels）、勃特勒的《埃瑞璜》（Erewhon）一直延续到20世纪的科幻小说。文艺复兴时期诗歌创作繁荣，埃德蒙·斯宾塞（Edmund Spenser， 1552-1599）的长诗《仙后》（The Faerie Queene）歌颂女王，宣扬人文主义思想。他创造的"斯宾塞诗体"每节诗有九行，韵律复杂，具有柔和动听、萦绕耳际的音乐性。弗兰西斯·培根（Francis Bacon， 1561-1626）是这一时期最重要的散文家，他对文学的主要贡献是《论说文集》（Essays），共58篇。这些文章题材广泛，内容涉及哲学、宗教、政治制度以及婚姻、爱情、友谊、园艺、读书等，文笔典雅，略带古风而又明白畅达。英国戏剧起源于中世纪教堂的宗教仪式，取材于圣经故事的神秘剧和奇迹剧在14、15世纪英国舞台上占有主导地位，随后出现了以抽象概念作为剧中人物的道德剧。到了16世纪末，戏剧进入全盛时期。克里斯托弗·马洛（Christopher Marlowe， 1564-1593）冲破旧的戏剧形式的束缚，创作了一种新戏剧。《帖木儿大帝》（Tamburlaine）、《浮士德博士的悲剧》（The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus）、《马耳他岛的犹太人》（The Jew of Malta）等剧作反映了文艺复兴时期那种永无止境的探索精神和极端的个人主义精神。马洛将戏剧情节集中于一个主要角色的做法、他对人物性格的分析以及他的素体诗戏剧对白，对英国戏剧的发展做出了不可磨灭的贡献。 英国文艺复兴时期最杰出的作家是威廉·莎士比亚（William Shakespeare， 1564-1616），他的全部作品包括两首长诗，154首十四行诗和38部（一说39部）戏剧。莎士比亚的主要剧作有喜剧《仲夏夜之梦》（A Midsummer Night's Dream）、《威尼斯商人》（The Merchant of Venice），悲剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》（Romeo and Juliet）、《哈

英国文艺复兴时期

Chapter I The Renaissance Period (一) 文艺复兴时期概述 1. 识记：（1）文艺复兴时期的界定 （2）历史文化背景 2. 领会: （1）文艺复兴运动的意义与影响 （2）文艺复兴时期的文学特点 （3）人文主义的主张及对文学的影响 3. 应用：文艺复兴，人文主义及玄学诗等名词的解释 I. 应用 Definitions of the Literary Terms: 1. The Renaissance: The Renaissance marks a transition from the medieval to the modern world. Generally, it refers to the period between the 14th & 17th centuries. It first started in Italy, with the flowering of painting, sculpture & literature. From Italy the movement went to embrace the rest of Europe. The Renaissance, which means "rebirth" or "revival," is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, such as the re-discovery of ancient Roman & Greek culture, the new discoveries in geography & astrology, the religious reformation & the economic expansion. The Renaissance, therefore, in essence is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers & scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, & to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. 2. Humanism: Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. It sprang from the endeavor to restore a medieval reverence for the ancient authors and is frequently taken as the beginning of the Renaissance on its conscious, intellectual side, for the Greek and Roman civilization was based on such a conception that man is the measure of all things. Through the new learning, humanists not only saw the arts of splendor and enlightenment, but the human values represented in the works. Renaissance humanists came to see that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development in the direction of perfections, and that the world they inhabited was theirs not to despise but to question, explore, and enjoy. Thus, by emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. 3. Spenserian stanza: Spenserian stanza was invented by Edmund Spenser. It is a stanza of nine lines, with the first eight lines in iambic pentameter & the last line in iambic hexameter, rhyming ababbcbcc. ？ 4. Metaphysical poetry: The term "metaphysical poetry" is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. With a rebellious spirit, the metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry. The diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or the Neoclassic periods, and echoes the words and cadences of common speech. The imagery in drawn from the actual life. The form is frequently that of an argument with the poet's beloved, with God, or with himself. 5. The Renaissance hero: A Renaissance hero refers to one created by Christopher Marlowe in his drama. Such a hero is always individualistic and full of ambition, facing bravely the challenge from both gods and men. He embodies Marlowe's humanistic ideas of human dignity and capacity. Different from the tragic hero in medieval plays, who seeks the way to heaven through salvation and god's will,

文艺复兴时期英国文学

文艺复兴时期英国文学 1. What is Renaissance? How and why did it come about? 2. What is the development of drama? What were the original forms and content and practice of drama? 3. Why did drama flourish in Elizabethan age? Who are the major playwrights of the time? 4. Who is Marlowe? What contributions did he make to English drama? 5. Who is Shakespeare? What famous and great plays (history, comedy, tragedy)? What features? 6. What did Ben Jonson write about? What representative work? 7. Prepare the excerpt from Hamlet (31-32). What is it mainly about? What humanist idea can you find in the soliloquy? 8. What was the most important translation of the time? Reference questions on Shakespeare and Hamlet 1. Why is Shakespeare an eternal subject of study? Where lies his greatness? 2. What are the themes of Hamlet? 3. What is the significance of Hamlet as a character? 4. What is blank verse? 5. What is soliloquy? Text study 1 Hamlet’s soliloquy “To be or not to be” 1. What is the main idea of Hamlet’s soliloquy? Summarize in one or two sentences the main idea of the soliloquy? 2. How does the soliloquy reflect the spirit of the time or the idea of humanism? 3. How do you analyze Hamlet’s argument in terms of structure? Text study 2 The Merchant of Venice / The Trial Scene Pre-reading The most interesting character in this play is Shylock. Some people think him as a cruel miser, deserving his punishment while others consider him a victim of discrimination. From what you know of the play, what do you think of this character? To what extent does this character deserves our sympathy? Discuss with your classmates. Discussion 1. After reading the “trial scene”, have you changed your idea about Shylock? Refer to the questions in Pre-reading, and try to defend your position with evidence from the text. 2. Portia gives an eloquent speech on mercy when she tries to persuade Shylock to give up his bond. Consider the punishment received by Shylock, do you think the Christians are being merciful to Shylock?

英美文学选读-英国-文艺复兴时期-练习题汇总

英美文学选读选择题 1. _______, a typical example of Old English poetry, is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. A. The Canterbury Tales B. Exodus C. Beowulf D. The Legend of Good Women 2. The work that presented, for the first time in English literature, a comprehensive realistic picture of the medieval English society and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life is most likely ______________. A．William Langlan d’ s Piers Plowman B．Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales C．John Gower’s Confession Amantis D．Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 3. With classical culture and the（）humanistic ideas coming into England, the English Renaissance began flourishing. A. French B. German C. Italian D. Greek 4. During the reign of_______, England started its Religious Reformation and broke away from Rome. A. Henry VII B. Henry VIII C. Edward VI D. Queen Elizabeth 5. The Protestant movement, which was seen as a means to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption and superstition of the Middle Ages, was initiated by _______. A. Francis Bacon B. Martin Luther C. Thomas More Utopia D. William Shakespeare 6．The Renaissance is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events EXCEPT_________. A．the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture B．the vast expansion of British colonies in North America C．the new discoveries in geography and astrology D．the religious reformation and the economic expansion 7. In Renaissance, the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to do the following EXCEPT ______. A. getting rid of those old feudalist ideas B. getting control of the parliament and government C. introducing new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie D. recovering the purity of the early church, from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church 8. Which of the following is NOT regarded as one of the characteristics of Renaissance humanism? A. Cultivation of the art of this world and this life.

The Renaissance英国文学文艺复兴时期总结

The Renaissance This is a greatest and most advanced revolution in the human history. This is the age the giants are needed and produced. ------F. Engles <1> Brief introduction ?Renaissance in European history, refers to the period between 14th century to 17th century. It started in Italy and ended in England and Spain. ?“Renaissance” means “revival”, the revival of interest in Ancient Greek and Roman culture and getting rid of conservatism in feudalist Europe and introducing new ideas that express the interests of the rising bourgeoisie. ?Renaissance sprang first in Italy (Florence and Venice) with the flowering of paintings, sculpture and architecture, and gradually spread all over Europe; ?Renaissance originally indicated a revival of classical arts and science (ancient Greek and Roman culture) after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism. During the period of Renaissance: 1. the Roman Catholic Church was shaken, 2. old sciences revived and new sciences emerged, 3. national languages and cultures took shape, 4. art and literature flourished Brief introduction ?There arose an interest in the manuscripts surviving from ancient Greece and Rome. Classical learning and philosophy were enthusiastically studied. ?The intellectual wisdom of ancient Greece and Rome encouraged a rebirth of human spirit，a realization of human potential for development and creation． ?Never before in human history were men and women so eager to create and discover something new．In Italy a group of artists，scientists，politicians，and writers created the most brilliant page of culture and science in Renaissance Europe． Examples: ①Copernicus (哥白尼) asserted that the earth was not the center of the universe； ②The passionate Petrarch produced sonnets that influenced Shakespeare and many others； ③Boccaccio(卜伽邱) wrote tales of eternal charm: The Decameron； ④Marco Polo (马可波罗) made journeys into the remote kingdom of China； ⑤Michelangelo（米开朗琪罗），Leonardo da Vinci (达芬奇)，Raphael (拉斐尔)，and Titian (提香) created paintings and sculptures that are invaluable treasures of the world． <2>Essence and features ?Essence: It is the reflection of the rise of bourgeoisie in the sphere of cultural life. （另版本）：Renaissance, in essence, is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to: to get rid of conservatism in Feudalist Europe; to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, to lift the restrictions in all areas placed by the Roman church authorities. Briefly it is the reflection of the rise of bourgeoisie in the sphere of cultural life. ?Features: there are two striking features ①A thirsting curiosity for the classical literature.

英美文学选读-英国-文艺复兴时期-练习题汇总(选择大题)

I．Multiple Choice Old and Medieval Period 1. ____ Beowulf ___, a typical example of Old English poetry, is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. A. The Canterbury Tales B. Exodus C. D. The Legend of Good Women 3. The work that presented, for the first time in English literature, a comprehensive realistic picture of the medieval English society and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life is most likely __ B．Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales____________. A．William Langland’ s Piers Plowman C．John Gower’s Confession Amantis D．Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2.Among the great Middle English poets, Geoffrey Chaucer is known for his production of ___. A.Piers Plowman B.Sir Gawain and the Green Knight C.Confessio Amantis D.The Canterbury Tales 1. ____ A. B. George Gordon Byron C. Edmund Spenser D. Robert Browning 1.Romance,which uses narrative verse or prose to tell stories of B.

欧洲文艺复兴论文设计

文艺复兴时期人文主义思想及其历史影响 苏科电子1211yuexin 摘要: 人文主义是欧洲文艺复兴时期的主要思潮和指导思想,是早期资产阶级在反封建、反教会斗争中形成的思想体系。人文主义反对一切以神为本的旧观念,宣扬人是万物之本,用“人权"对抗“神权"向中世纪的教会统治和宗教教义提出了挑战。它突破了中世纪基督教对人们思想的控制,唤醒了人们的进取精神和创造精神,从而在思想方面为资本主义制度的确立开辟了道路。 关键词: 文艺复兴；人文主义；科学精神；理性 一、简单介绍下文艺复兴 文艺复兴是14世纪中叶至归6世纪在欧洲发生的一场思想文化运动,标志着人类从中世纪迈进了近代历史。在这场以思想解放为主旋律的运动中,新兴资产阶级在古典文化的启迪下,用以人为核心的崭新的意识形态反对以神为中心的陈腐意识形态,用新的文化取代了以天主教神学为主导的封建旧文化,用对主客观世界及其联系的直接体验和深层思考打破了蒙昧主义的桎梏文艺复兴在历史上的进步作用。恩格斯写道:“这是次人类从来没有经历过的最伟大的进步的变革,是 个需要巨人而且产生了巨人——在思维能力、热情和性格方面,在多才多艺和学识渊博方面的巨人的时代。”

文艺复兴的含义可以从以下几个方面理解：“复兴”——再生，重新获得新的生机，也就是说西方文明到了文艺复兴这个时期获得了一个新的生机，进入了一个新的阶段。我们通常说的西方文明的文艺复兴，是指14——16世纪，起源于意大利，接着发展到欧洲各国的思想文化运动。什么的复兴，什么的重新获得新的生机？文艺复兴这个时期，一批学者开始搜集整理古希腊的文献（亚里士多德、柏拉图等一些哲学家的重要著作）和一些重要的文化思想遗产进行新的整理、注释，因为这个工作，我们称作“文艺复兴”。实质是通过对古希腊文化的复兴倡导了一种人文主义运动。 二，欧洲文艺复兴的社会背景： ①经济：首先兴起于意大利，因为意大利最早产生资本主义萌芽，特别是意大利北部和中部的一些城市，在14世纪已经出现了具有资本主义雏形的手工业，随着资本主义日趋繁荣，商人队伍的日益壮大，他们逐渐成为早期的资产阶级。 ②文化：早先诺曼人攻克希腊港口城市萨洛尼卡卖了许多书给意大利人，意大利人购得的古希腊手稿数以万计。后来十字军攻占君士坦丁堡时候，侵略者与意大利人进行手稿交易。因此威尼斯商船从拜占庭返航时候带回许多的古籍和抄本。拜占庭灭亡以后，更多的希腊罗马古典文化流入到意大利。 ③宗教：中世纪的宗教文化强调神权至上，宣扬人们要禁欲赎罪。它认为人生下来就是有罪的，人的一生就是为赎罪而活的。人们只有通过禁欲和教会圣礼才能赎罪。它让人们追求来世而不是现世。此外，