Renaissance英国文学文艺复兴时期.ppt

Outline of British Literature General introduction The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the period roughly from the 14th to the 17th century. It began in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spread to the rest of Europe by the 16th century. Its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, religion, and other aspects of intellectual inquiry. Humanism Humanism is the key-note of the Renaissance. Humanism reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class, which saw the world opening before it. According to the humanists, both man and world are hindered only by external checks from infinite improvement. Man could mould the world according to his desires, and attain happiness by removing all external checks by the exercise of reason. The Italian Renaissance Three Greatest Writers Boccaccio（薄伽丘）: “Decameron” Dante（但丁）: “Divine Comedy” Petrarch（彼得拉克）: sonnet The Renaissance in England Social background 1). the founding of the new monarchy Hundred Years’ War with France (1337-1453) Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) Tudor dynasty Lancaster York Henry VII The Bourgeoisie The word bourgeoisie originally meant town dwellers, especially those who lived by trading. By nature, the feudal order was agrarian. At the time of the Renaissance, the bourgeoisie appeared as a new class of society, and the conflicts between the newly arising bourgeoisie and feudalism and the Church became the main social contradiction of the time. Humanism was the very weapon for the bourgeoisie to use in its fight against feudalism restrictions and the dominating influence of the church, which had ruled men’s minds for centuries. Division of the English Renaissance a. Beginning: the last years of the 15th century---first half of the 16th century b. Flourishing: the Elizabethan Age (1558-1603) c. Declining: the period of James I (1603-1625) early 17th century . English Literature in the Renaissance Per