(英)文艺复兴时期

（英）文艺复兴时期

Chapter I The Renaissance Period

一、学习目的和要求通过本章学习，了解文艺复兴运动和人文主义思潮产生的历史，文化背景，认识该时期文学创作的基本特征和基本主张，及其对同时代及后世英国文学乃至文化的影响；了解该时期重要作家的文学生涯，创作思想，艺术特色及其代表作品的主题结构，人物刻画，语言风格，思想意义等；同时结合注释，读懂所选作品，了解其思想内容和写作特色，培养理解和欣赏文学作品的能力。

二、考核要求

（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

Brief Introduction to the Renaissance Period

1. 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 found in the classics a justification to exalt human nature and 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. Thomas More， Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists.

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 ides 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， he is against conventional morality and contrives to obtain heaven on earth through his own efforts. With the endless aspiration for power， knowledge， and glory， the hero interprets the true Renaissance spirit. Both Tamburlaine and Faustus are typical in possessing such a spirit.

（二） 该时期的重要作家

1.一般识记：重要作家的文学生涯

2.识记：重要作品及主要内容

3.领会：重要作家的创作思想，艺术特色及其代表作品的主题结构，人物塑造，语言风格，艺术手法，社会意义等。

4.应用：

（1）莎士比亚和邓恩诗歌的主题，意象

（2）喜剧《威尼斯商人》的主题和主要人物性格分析

（3）哈姆雷特的性格分析

（4）史诗《失乐园》的结构，人物性格，语言特点等的分析

1. Edmund Spenser

1. 一般识记

Brief Introduction to the Author English poet，born in London， England， about 1552，and died in London， Jan 13， 1599.

2. 识记

His Major Works Spenser's most important work & masterpiece is The Faerie Queene， a great poem of its age. A complex moral， religious， & political allegory， it is also an epic that exalts Queen Elizabeth Ⅰ& the English nation. According to Spenser's own explanation， his principal intention is to present

through a \"historical poem\" the example of a perfect gentleman： \"to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous & gentle discipline.\" Its principal hero is the Arthur of medieval legend. The six books of the poem illustrate the nature of particular virtues， such as， temperance & justice. Other major works of Spenser are The Shepheardes Calender（1579）， a poem consisting of 12

eclogues-corresponding to the 12 months of the year； Epithalamion （1595）， a poem expressing the deep personal feelings occasioned by the poets second marriage； Amoretti （1595）， a series of sonnets.

3. 领会

His Influence

1） Main qualities of Spenser's poetry

①a perfect melody

②a rare sense of beauty

③a splendid imagination

④a lofty moral purity & seriousness

⑤a dedicated idealism

2） In his writing， Spenser drew on the conventions & thought of Classical，

medieval， & Renaissance literature. However， he added to his fusion of these diverse elements much that was original， & his works inspired many later English poets. He created a new stanza， called the Spenserian stanza， which is well suited to narrative verse. His skills in writing melodious English verse & his combination of emotion， erudition， & spiritual vision have won him the admiration of generations of English poets. It is his idealism， his love of beauty， &his exquisite melody that make him known as \"the poets' poet.\"

4. 应用

The Faerie Queene：

1） It is a long， allegorical poem. In the poem， Spenser dramatized political， religious， & moral themes by personifying them， or making them characters.

2）Plot： The story， which is set against a background of Arthur & medieval legend， deals with the adventures of six knights of the court of the fairy queen named Gloriana， who represents Queen Elizabeth Ⅰ of English. The faerie Queen was left unfinished at Spenser's death. It was originally planned as a 12-book poem. But only 6 books were completed. The poem is particularly admired for the melodic beauty of its language & for its rich content of philosophical & mythological material presented in the form of vivid narratives.

II. Christopher Marlowe

1. 一般识记

Brief Introduction

English dramatist & poet，born in Canterbury， England， Feb， 6，1567， died in Deptford， England， May 30， 1593. Marlowe was the first great English Dramatist. He brought to the English stage a new concept of tragedy， one in which the drama centers around the struggles of a man overwhelmed by his passions & ambitions.

2. 识记

His Major Works

His most famous tragedies are Doctor Faustus， The Jew of Malta，

Tamburlaine & Edward Ⅱ。 In his plays， Marlowe used blank verse， which he molded into a superb instrument for expressing intense emotions. After his development of blank verse it became the standard medium for English dramatic & epic poetry. His non-dramatic poetry includes Hero & Leander， \"the Passionate shepherd to His love，\" & a verse translation of Ovid's Amores.

Marlowe's Doctor Faustus （about 1589）， generally considered his best play， was based on a real Dr. Faustus， who was later associated with a medieval legend of a man selling his soul to the devil. The play's dominant moral is human rather than religious. It celebrates the human passion for knowledge， power &

happiness； it also reveals man's frustration in realizing the high aspirations in a hostile moral order. The last scene， in which Faustus confronts his doom， brilliantly renders the fear & agony of a condemned man.

The Jew of Malta （about 1589） illustrates Marlowe's outstanding portrayal of character. Its hero， Barabas the Jew， served as the model for Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In about 1592. Marlowe wrote one of the first successful English historical dramas， Edward Ⅱ。 It is his most dramatically mature play & exhibits his mastery of characterization， stage craft & rhetoric.

Tamburlaine is a play about an ambitious & pitiless Tartar conqueror in the fourteenth century who rose from a shepherd to an overpowering King. By depicting a great hero with high ambition & sheer brutal force in conquering one enemy after another， Marlowe voiced the supreme desire of the man of the Renaissance for infinite power & authority.

3. 领会

His Achievements & Influence

Achievements：Marlowe's greatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse & made it the principal medium of English drama.

His second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama. The theme of his works is the praise of the Renaissance spirit.

His influence： A man of wide learning， Marlowe was one of the extra ordinary poets & playwrights of his time. \"Marlowe's mighty line，\" as Ben Jonson called his blank verse， was one of the most important contributions to the art of English literature.

4. 应用

Dr. Faustus

The selection of ActⅠfrom Dr. Faustus is mainly about Faustus is showing his great ambition， that is， if he had many souls， he would give them all to the Devil so that he could control the world. In portraying Faustus， a more introspective & philosophical figure than Tamburlaine， Marlowe praises his soaring aspiration for knowledge while warning against the sin of pride since Faustus's downfall was caused by his despair in God & trust in Devil.

Percy Bysshe Shelley （1792-1822）

1792 Shelley was born in an aristocratic family. He was educated at Eton.

1810 18y， he went to Oxford Uni. He attacked war and glorified heroes and heroines of the French revolution.

1811 While in Oxford， he published The Necessity of Atheism in which he doubted the existence of God. As a result， he was expulsed by the university and

his conservative father deprived him the heir of Barony and fortune. He went to London where he met Harriet Westbrook who was much younger than him and also came from an aristocratic family. They eloped to Scotland. Poverty finally separated the couple.

1814 He fell in love with Mary Wollstonecraft （daughter of Godwin） and eloped with her to Italy. In Italy， he met Byron with whom he kept a solid friendship.

1816 Harriet committed suicide. Shelley's political enemy attacked him an immoral man.

1818 He exiled himself to Italy and spent the rest of his life there.

1819 Peterloo Massacre happened in Manchester. The event marked a turning point in Shelley's view. Before that， he thought that workers should take up weapons and fights. After the event， he thought they should. Working class's resistance and anti-oppression became a constant theme of him.

1822 At the age of 30， he drowned in a small boat along the coast of Italy.

Shelley's Major Works

1813 Queen Mob shows Shelley's social philosophy.

1. He criticizes the rising capitalism and the feudal society.

2. He defends the rights of the labor against their exploiters and oppressors.

3. The story is a fairy tale dream. It's an optimistic poem. Through Queen Mob's words， Shelley shows his philosophy. It's a revolutionary poem in which Shelley declares war on the injustice and violence of the world. （Shelley is a revolutionary poet.）

1819 Prometheus Unbound

Prometheus is a god in Greek myth， who steals fire from heaven to help human. Zeus punishes him by hanging him on a cliff and sending eagles to bite his flesh.

Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound described how Prometheus steals the fire and his sufferings. At the end， Prometheus reconciled with Zeus.

Prometheus Unbound. In Shelley's work Prometheus doesn't comprise with authority （Zeus）。 At the end， Prometheus is freed from chains and revolts against Zeus. Zeus is overthrown by Prometheus. The work expresses：

1. Shelley's intense hatred for tyranny.

2. His admiration for the revolutionary fighters for freedom.

1819 Song to Men of England [P209] This poem was written in 1819， the year of the Peterloo Massacre. It is unquestionably one of Shelley's greatest political

lyrics. It is not only a war cry calling upon all working people of England to rise up against their political oppressors， but also an address to point out to them the intolerable injustice of economic exploitation.

Purpose of this poem： It's a real resistance that working people should adopt fight against their oppressors and exploiters.

1819 Ode to the West Wind [P211]

1. It's a symbolic poem. West wind refers to a powerful phenomenon of nature. West Wind is either a destroyer （of the old world） or a preserver （of the new things）

2. In the poem， Shelley eulogizes west wind enjoy the boundless freedom.

3. West wind is a messenger， to spread revolutionary message far and wide.

4. The dominant mood of this poem is hope —— Shelley's hope for freedom.

5. The poem was written in terza rima . Terza refers to 3 line groups， each terza has 3 lines. Rima： regular rhyme scheme， e.g. aba bcb cdc ded ee.

The structure of Ode to the West Wind

Part 1 to show the power of west wind over the earth， esp. leaves

Part 2 to show the power of west wind over the sky， esp. clouds.

Part 3 to show the power of west wind over the sea， esp. waves.

Part 4 and 5 to reviews the relationship between the poet and the wind.

Part 5 the west wind is regarded as a messenger that spread message.

The importance of Shelley

Shelley is a revolutionary poet. Shelley is one of the leading Romantic poets， an intense and original lyrical poet in the English language.

Jane Austen （1775-1817）

1775 She was born in a Christian family. Her father was a clergyman. She was educated at home and read a lot of books by herself. Her sister and her had never married all life. Jane lived a quite and comfortable life.

She started writing in early life. At her time， women was discriminated and not allowed to publish books. Many women writer published book with pseudonyms.

Jane Austen is a great English novelist. Her most important works are Emma and Pride and Prejudice. The theme of her novels is love and marriage. However， her writing sphere is narrow.

Jane's major works：

1811 Sense and Sensibility

1813 Pride and Prejudice

1814 Mansfield Park

1815 Emma

1818 Northanger Abbey

1818 Persuasion

Emma

Emma is the titular heroine. She leads a very comfortable life. She has nothing to do but binding couples. She has a good girlfriend. But whenever the girlfriend finds a boyfriend， Emma would break them down. Mr. Knight loves Emma， but Emma is too careless to notice the love. In the end， Emma marries Knight. It's a novel with a happy ending.

In this novel， Jane Austen expressed that love is not as easy as Emma thinks. Emma learns to love.

Pride and Prejudice.

The Bennets has 5 daughters. Jane， Elizabeth and Lydia all at the

marriageable age. Mrs. Bennet tries to find rich and handsome young men for her daughters to be husbands.

Bingley marries Jane. Darcy marries Elizabeth. Darcy represents Pride. Elizabeth represents Prejudice.

Lydia marries Wilkman who is not serious about marriage and poor in money.

It's a novel with a happy ending.

Themes of Pride and Prejudice

1. Pride and prejudice.

2. Love and marriage.

The characterization of Elizabeth

She is witty， intelligent.

She is tall， slim and graceful， though not as beautiful as Jane.

She is fearless， frank.

She is independent and has good judgment.

She is considerate for others.

Chapter 4 The Victorian Period （1836-1901）

Historical background

After the Reform Bill of 1832 passed the political power from the decaying aristocrats into the hands of the middle-class industrial capitalists， the Industrial Revolution soon geared up.

The bourgeois took the power which aroused the conflict between labor and capital.

Therefore the Chartist Movement， also known as Chartism （1836-1848） erupted. There were 3 petitions.

Before the 3 petitions， 2 laws enforced the hardship of labor， hardened the life of the laboring people. The Poor Law and The Corn Law 谷物法

1834 The Poor Law 平民法 with its the workhouse system 工场制度法 hardened the life of labor who worked from day to night， couldn't get enough food， couldn't support their family. The workhouse system classified labor to man worker， woman worker and children worker. The implementation of the workhouse system resulted in a lot of death.

The worsening living and working conditions， the mass unemployment and

the new Poor Law with its workhouse system finally gave rise to the Chartist Movement. The 3 petitions were：

1839 Over 1 million people made their signatures to protest， but rejected by the Parliament who sent troops to quell. The petition ended as a failure.

1842 Over 3 million people made their signatures to protest， but rejected by the Parliament. Workers went on strikes. The government sent troops to quell and tried to drive them back to work， which caused death and injury.

1848 Over 5 million people made their signatures to protest， but rejected by the Parliament. After this petition， the Chartism declined. The movement made factory owners to make improvement in working conditions so the movement is not a total failure.

Since the Industrial Revolution， England had begun to accumulate its wealth. England was the \"workshop of the world\". What England produced was sold to the world. In the middle of the 17c. England reached the summit （heyday） of empire. It was highly developed. It had many colonies.

From 1850s-1870s， it was the most prosperous， stable， peaceful period of U.K. There was no significant event. The conflict between labor and capital was mild.

Economic Crisis

1875 A decline in Britain's economy caused social disturbance.

1880

1884

1887 \"Bloody Sunday\" On the Trafalgar Square， troops were sent to stop worker's strike resulted in many death.

Philosophy and Ideology of the Victorian Period.

（1） Utilitarianism

Definition = note+ [P235]

The theory was put forward by Jeremy Beathan and elaborated by John Stewart Mill. The word \"utilitarianism\" was adopted from the word \"utility\". Its tenor is \"the greatest happiness of the greatest number.\" People use it as the measure of right or wrong in social system. The Bourgeois use this theory to exploit working class.

Utilitarianism was widely accepted and practiced. Almost everything was put to the test by the criterion of utility， that is， the extent to which it could promote the material happiness.

This theory held a special appeal to the middle-class industrialists， whose

greed drove them to exploiting workers to the utmost and brought greater suffering and poverty to the working mass.

Charles Dickens attacked the Utilitarianism in his Hard Time.

（2） Darwin's Evolution.

Evolutionary theory： human beings are evolved from apes. The theory influenced and shakened the firm Christian belief （all things and man are created by God.）

（3） Herbert Spencer's Social Darwinism

Herbert applied Darwin's evolutionary theory to human society. That's

1， Struggle for existence. 生存竞争

2， Survival of the fittest. 适者生存Herbert' social Darwinism severed for the Bourgeois class.

Utilitarianism and Social Darwinism served for the Bourgeois class. Darwin's evolutionary theory shattered the Christian belief.

Novel of the Victorian Period. [P236]

Novel became the most widely read and the most vital and challenging

expression of progressive thought. A harvest in novel

Critical realists：

Charles Dickens

William Makepeace Thackeray

Charlotte Bronte

Emily Bronte

Mrs. Gaskell Anthony Trollope

They were angry at the inhuman social institutions， the decaying social morality as represented by the money-worship and Utilitarianism， and the widespread misery， poverty and injustice. Their truthful picture of people's life and bitter and strong criticism of the society had done much in awakening the public consciousness to the social problems and in the actual improvement of the society.

George Eliot， the pioneering woman， was the first novelist that \"started putting all the actions inside\"

Thomas Hardy， the Wessex man who not only continued to expose and criticize all sorts of social iniquities， but finally came to question and attack the

Victorian conventions and morals.

Prose of the Victorian Period [P236]

Poetry of the Victorian Period [P236-237]

The poetry of this period was mainly characterized by experiments with new styles and new ways of expression. Robert Browning who created the verse novel by adopting the novelistic presentation of characters. This transferred the thematic 主题的interest from mere narration of the story to revelation 新发现，提示 and study of character's inner world and brought to the Victorian poetry some psycho-analytical element.

Charles Dickens （1812-1870）

The definition of Critical Realist：

（1） A number of novelists who are strongly critical of the social reality of their day.

（2） They don't want to overthrow the existing social order and so they can't see a way out of the terrible situation.

（3） They have a word of sympathy for the miseries of the poor laboring masses and cried out loud against social injustice.

（4） But they don't approve the use of violence to right the social wrongs.

（5） Therefore， they fear rather than welcome the Chartist Movement.

Life of Charles Dickens

1812 Son of a petty navy officer. Because of financial problem， his father along with his family members was put into prison. Dickens spent some of his childhood in prison.

1824 12y， He worked for a shoe blacking factory as a child work. Later， he wrote his miserable life there in Oliver Twist.

1827 Dickens entered a lawyer's office in London， where he acquainted with law court. While in London， he often read book at the British Museum Library.

1828 He became a Parliament reporter. The job enabled him to get some insideknowledge of British legal and political system， a chance to meet people of all kinds， a good foundation for writing.

1837 25y， Pickwick Paper was published. Dickens gained fame.

Major works of Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist （1837-1838） attacked the workhouse system.

A Tale of Two Cities （1859） attacked the French Revolution.

Dombey and Son （1846-1848） attacked the Capitalist.

Bleak House （1852-1853） attacked the law court.

Hard Time （1854） attacked the Utilitarianism （facts）。

Oliver Twist In this novel， Dickens attacked the workhouse system. Workers who worked hard but so little can't supply their family， hungry to death.

Plot Oliver is an orphan working in a workhouse. He can't stand the hungry so he turns to theft. In order to live， he becomes a thief and leads an underworld life. At the end of the novel， with the help of kind-hearted men， he learns that he isn't an orphan but is born in a decent family.

Significance of Oliver Twist

（1） The novel is the truthful presentation of the miseries of the poor and the oppressed.

（2） It blames the social system and institutions for such miseries. In Dickens's depiction， labors， they either become oppressors or criminals.

The progressing aspect of the novel

It's said the publication of Oliver Twist has bettered the conditions in the English workhouses.

Dombey and Son à attacked the Capitalist

Dombey regards his wife chiefly as a woman whose duty is to give birth， and regards his son as someone who carries his name and inherit his property. He thinks that his daughter is useless， can be neglected. He teaches his son that money can buy everything. His son died young. After his wife died， he marries a young beauty. He thinks that he buys her and she gets social status and money. Dombey thinks the marriage is a good business.

Dombey is very inhumane to his daughter. When his second wife shows her concern to the daughter. Dombey is annoyed. He thinks that he buys the second wife to love him only. She can't love another person. The second wife finally elopes with Dombey's manager who later cheats away his money.

In his late life， Dombey lives in poverty and solitude. Only his daughter stays with him and takes care of him.

Bleak House à attacked the law court

It's about a family lawsuit. Almost all family members are involved in the lawsuit for many years. The result is that the long legal procedure makes everybody poor and miserable.

Hard Time à attacked Utilitarianism

Utlitiarianists show their concern over facts. The novel exposed the influence of Utilitarianism in education. An educated man teaches his son and daughter by facts. The children have no time to play and to learn beautiful natural things. They only learn abstract， logical things. The son finally becomes a thief and is almost killed by others. The daughter becomes moral degenerated.

Charles Dickens means that Utilitarianism is a failure of education. It's also an attack on social Darwinism， which drugs people mind \"you are poor and incapable so you have to work for me. \"

Charles Dickens' point of view [P239]

（1） It's his serious intention to expose and criticize in his works all the poverty， injustice， hypocrisy and corruptness he sees all around him.

（2） He hates the state apparatus， esp. the parliament， but as a bourgeois writer， he can in no way supply any fundamental solution to the social plights.

（3） He hopes to call people's attention to the existing social problems， thus effecting some reform or amelioration.

Charles Dickens' style [P241]

（1） Charles Dickens is a master story-teller.

（2） The settings of his stories have an extraordinary vividness， a result of years' intimacy and rich imagination.

（3） In language， he is often compared with Shakespeare for his adeptness with the vernacular and large vocabulary with which he brings out many a wonderful verbal picture of man and scene.

（4） His humor and wit seem inexhaustible.

（5） Character-portrayal is the most distinguishing feature of his works.