Part One: English Literature
An Introduction to Old and Medieval English Literature
I . Understanding and application:
1. England’s inhabitants are Celts. And it is conquered by Romans, Anglo Saxons and Normans. The Anglo-Saxons brought the Germanic language and culture to England, while Normans brought the Mediterranean civilization, including Greek culture, Rome law and the Christian religion. It is the cultural influences of these two conquests that provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature.
2. The period of Old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England.
3. The old English poetry that has survived can be divided into two groups: The religious group and the secular one.
4. Beowulf: a typical example of Old English poetry is regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. It is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends.
5. After the Norman’s conquest, three languages co-existed in England. French is the official language that is used by king and the Norman lords. Latin is the principal tongue of church affairs and in universities. Old English was spoken only by the common English people.
6.In the early part of the period, i.e. from 1066 up to the mid-14th century, there was not much to say about literature in English.
7. In the second half of the 14th century, English literature started to flourish with the appearance of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and others.
II. Recite: (识记再现)
1. Romance:
1It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period.
2It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.
3The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions. There are often mysteries and fantasies in romance.
4Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance. Characterization is standardized, While the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward.
5The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world.
2. Heroic couplet:
Heroic couplet is a rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter. It is Chaucer who used it for the first time in English in his work The Legend of Good Woman.
3. The theme of Beowulf:
The poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. The poem is an example of the mingling of the nature myths and heroic legends.
4. The Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales:
The Wife of Bath is depicted as the new bourgeois wife asserting her independence. Chaucer develops his characterization to a higher artistic level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions.
5. Chaucer’s achievement:
1He presented a comprehensive realistic picture of his age and created a whole gallery of vivid characters in his works, especially in The Canterbury Tales.
2He anticipated a new ear, the Renaissance, to come under the influence of the Italian writers.
3He developed his characterization to a higher level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions.
4He greatly contributed to the maturing of English poetry. Today, Chaucer’s reputation has been securely established as one of the best English poets for his wisdom, humor and humanity.
6. “The Father of English poetry”: Originally, Old English poems are mainly alliterative verses with few variations.
1Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace it.
2In The Romaunt of the Rose (玫瑰传奇), he first introduced to the English the octosyllabic couplet (八音节对偶句).
3In The Legend of Good Women, he used for the first time in English heroic couplet.
4And in his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, he employed heroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature.
5His art made him one of the greatest poets in English; John Dryden called him “the father of English poetry”.
1. Heroic [hɪ'rəʊɪk] adj. 英雄的;英勇的;记叙英雄及其事迹的;夸张的 n. 史诗;英勇行为 E.g. Heroic Epic 英雄史诗 ; 史诗 ; 英雄史诗
2. couplet ['kʌplɪt] n. 对联;对句 E.g. Heroic couplet is a rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter. 英雄双行体是五步抑扬格双韵体诗。
3. literature ['lɪt(ə)rətʃə] n. 文学;文献;文艺;著作 E.g. literature review 文献回顾;文献综述;文献评论 literature and art 文艺;文学与艺术 english literature 英国文学;英语文化 E.g. Are you majoring in English Literature? 你主修的是英国文学吗?
4. Medieval [ˌmediˈi:vl] adj. 中世纪的;原始的;仿中世纪的;老式的
5.knight [naɪt] n. 骑士，武士;爵士 vt. 授以爵位 E.g. --Why is the Medieval period/Middle Ages also called the Dark Ages? --Because there were so many Knights. --为什么中世纪也叫做黑暗时代?--因为有很多骑士(黑夜)。(Dark Ages 本来是指欧洲中世纪早期的“黑暗时代”，而 Middle Ages(中世纪)正是以 骑士(knights)著称的时代。答案借助了 knights 和 nights(夜晚)读音相同的特点, 而且 night 和 dark 也相互呼应，非常巧妙.)
6. Canterbury ['kæ ntəb(ə)rɪ] n. 坎特伯雷(英国一城市) E.g. Canterbury Cathedral 坎特伯雷大教堂:英国最古老、最著名的基督教建筑之一， 它是英国圣公会首席主教坎特伯雷大主教的主教座堂，坎特伯雷大主教还是普世圣公宗 的精神领袖。
7. tale [teɪl] n.故事;传说;叙述;流言蜚语 E.g. Canterbury Tales n. 坎特伯雷故事集(英国诗人乔叟著) E.g. I think of all those tales, legends, and laughs about the aged Don Juan. 我也想 到了所有那些关于唐璜垂暮之年的故事、传说和笑话。
8. Characterization [,kæ rəktəraɪ'zeʃən] n.特性描述;人物性格塑造 E.g. Dickens’s novels are full of vivid characterization.
狄更斯的小说中充满了栩栩如生的人物形象。
9. vivid ['vɪvɪd] adj. 生动的;鲜明的;鲜艳的 E.g. This girl gave a vivid description of the event. 那女孩对这件事作了一番生动的描述。
10. romance [rə(ʊ)'mæ ns] n. 传奇;浪漫史;风流韵事;冒险故事 vi. 虚构;渲染; 写传奇 E.g. There are often mysteries and fantasies in romance.传奇故事中通常充满神秘和 梦幻。
11. typical ['tɪpɪk(ə)l] adj. 典型的;特有的;象征性的 E.g. Beowulf is a typical example of Old English poetry regarded as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. 《贝奥武夫》被认为是盎格鲁-撒克逊人的民族史诗，是古英语的 代表作。(有记载的最早的一部英国文学作品)
12. century ['sentʃʊrɪ] n. 世纪，百年;E.g. In the second half of the 14th century, English literature started to flourish with the appearance of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and others. 在十四世纪后半期，英国文学随着作家乔叟，威廉·朗格兰，约翰·高厄等人的出现开始繁荣起来。
13. Comprehensive [kɒmprɪ'hensɪv] adj. 综合的;广泛的;有理解力的 E.g. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales 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. 乔叟，在英国文学史 上第一次向我们展示了表现当时英国社会的一幅综合性、现实主义的画卷,在他的代表 作《坎特伯雷故事集》中塑造了一系列来自社会各阶层的生动形象的人物。
14. conquest ['kɒŋkwest] n. 征服，战胜;战利品 E.g. The period of Old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England. 古英语文学时期从公元 450 开始延伸到 1066 年， 罗马征服英国的时候。
15. disposition [dɪspə'zɪʃ(ə)n] n. 处置;[心理] 性情;[军] 部署;倾向 E.g. He developed his characterization to a higher level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions. 他通过展示带有典型特质和个人性 情的人物角色，把自己的人物形象发展到一个更高的水平。
16. individual [ɪndɪ'vɪdjʊ(ə)l] adj. 个人的;个别的;独特的 n. 个人，个体 E.g. After all, individual strength is limited. 个人的力量毕竟是有限的。 E.g. The interests of the collective lie before the interests of the individual. 集体利 益重于个人利益。
17.present [prɪˈzɛnt] v.提出;赠送;呈现 E.g. We would like to present some suggestions which would help settle the question. 我们愿提出一些建议，可能有助于解决这个问题。present ['prez(ə)nt] adj.出席的;现在的;当前的;存在的 n.礼物;现在 E.g. at present 目前，现在 E.g. She bought a birthday present for her mother. 她为她母亲买了一件生日礼物。
18. legend ['ledʒ(ə)nd] n. 传奇;说明;图例;刻印文字 E.g. It is Chaucer who used it for the first time in English in his work The Legend of Good Woman. 乔叟在他的作品《贤妇传说》中第一次使用英雄双行体。E.g. The poem is an example of the mingling of the nature myths and heroic legends.该诗《贝奥武夫》是自然神话和英雄传奇的结合。
19. mingling ['mɪŋgl] v. 混合;交际;联合(mingle 的 ing 形式) adj. 混合的 E.g. Beowulf is an example of the mingling of the nature myths and heroic legends. 《贝奥武夫》是自然神话和英雄传奇的结合。
20. realistic [rɪə'lɪstɪk] adj. 现实的;现实主义的;逼真的;实在论的 E.g. This is a realistic novel about ghetto life.这是一部描写贫民窟的现实主义小说。
