the middle ages Geoffrey Chaucer课件.ppt

The English Literature of Middle Ages;2 periods;The Anglo-Saxon period (449-1066);;The Norman period (1066-1350);2. Medieval English Literature A brief survey: a. 1066 - mid-14th century：almost a barren period in literary creation. In the second half of the 14th century：start to flourish uttered by more voices, deals with a wider range of subjects and is in a greater diversity of styles, tones and genres. b. Romance冒险故事 is the most prevailing kind of literature. Popular ballads occupy an important position. C. reflects the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine and emphasizes the humanity of Christ and the imagery of human passion. ; Medieval romance It is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It uses narrative verse （诗） or prose （散文） to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds. The central character of romances was the knight, a man of noble birth skilled in the use of weapons. He was devoted to the church and the king. Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance. ; Medieval Romance The importance of romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic（贵族的） men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world. ;Medieval Romance 1)The features of Romance a long composition /hero/ the structure /for the noble class /exaggeration/contains perilous adventures 2) Romance Cycles Romances falls into three cycles : 1)“matters of Britain 2) “matters of France” 3)“matters of Rome”. 3) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 高文爵士和绿衣骑士 It is a verse romance of 2530 lines, derived from Celtic legend an account of a typical chivalric骑士的 adventure; Popular Ballads 1) Introduction: Popular ballads are originally dance songs in verse韵文，诗歌 form, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed. They are mainly literature of peasants, created collectively by people and constantly revised in the process of being handed down from mouth to mouth. There were several