自考英语本科《英美文学选读》英美文选－－－权威讲义.doc

English Literature Introduction :The old and Medieval English literature. *****A. The old English literature 1.The time period :The period of Old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066. 2.The classification of the old English poetry :The old English poetry can be divided into two groups : the religious group and the secular one . a.)The religious group is mainly on biblical themes. b.)The secular group concludes; The national epic poem , Beowulf ,and lyrical poems of shorter length . 3.The representative of this period : Beowulf . a.)The nature Beowulf is regarded today as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. b.)The setting The story took place in Scandinavia. c.)The theme: The poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage under a wise heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader . d.)The significance : The poem is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends. The battle between Beowulf and the Dragon Symblically represent that phrase of Winter and Summer myth in which the Summer God,here embodied by Beowulf . ******B. The medieval English literature 1.The time period : From 1066 up to the mid-14th century. 2.The classification of the medieval English Literature: Middle English literature deals with a wider range of subjects. a.)popular folk literature also occupies an important place in this period . b.)Romance which uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the Medieval period . 3. The representative of this period : Chaucer and the Canterbury tales. a.)The influence of Renaissance : The influence of Renaissance was already felt in the field of English literature when Chaucer was learning from the great Italian writers like Petrarch and Boccaccio. b.)The contributions to English Literature : 1)Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas to replace the old English alliterative v