英国文学 教案 Lecture2

授课时间 2017-2018学年第二学期 02.26-03.03 授课对象 15-17级各专业选修生 授课主题 Chapter 1 The Seminal Period or Old English Period 教学目的与 要 求 教学重、 难 点 1 Help the students know about the history and characteristics of literature in the Old English Period and the Middle English Period. 2 Help the students know about Beowulf and its significance. 1Early History of England 2 Beowulf 主要教学Lecture; Discussion; Multi-media 方 法 Detailed Teaching Points & Procedure 1 The early history of England ● The beginning of settlement in Britain took place in about 700 B. C. The settlers were Celtic-speaking tribes called Britons (or Celts), from whom the island get its name—Britain (the land of Britons). The Britons were a primitive people, a bronze-age people entering an age of iron. ● In 55 B. C., Britain was invaded by the Roman general Julius Caesar. The Celts were subjugated to the role of Rome for nearly 400 years. In 410, the Romans abandoned the island, which marks the end of “Roman Conquest” (55 B. C.—410 A. D.) ● After the withdrawal of the Roman troops, England was soon invaded by three Germanic tribes: the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, who came from the Northeast of Europe. The Anglo-Saxon invaders established some small kingdoms in Britain which by the 7th century were combined into a United Kingdom called England (the land of Angles). Its people were called the English. The three dialects spoken by them naturally grew into a single language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, a derivative of Low German. ● (e. g. some of the names of the week in English derive from the names of Northern gods: Tuesday—Tiu战神, Wednesday—Woden主神, Thursday—Thor雷神, Friday— Frigg爱情女神). In 597, St. Augustine and his monks landed in Kent. Then England was Christianized part by part in the following century. Monasteries were built all over the country. It was in these monasteries that the earliest English books were written down, because at that time few except monks could read and write. The conversion of The Anglo-Saxons to Christianity changed their intellectual outlook. Christianity offered some values that were more consistent and solid than their pagan beliefs. It also enabled them to learn book knowledge in monasteries or schools from the Scriptures and the classical writings of Virgil (a great roman poet) and the ancient 教学内容的组织与设计 Greeks. They travelled long distance to Rome on pilgrimages, and these experiences enriched their understanding of the world, broadened and deepened their mental and spiritual power. ● From 787, the English began to be troubled by bands of Danish Vikings (Scandinavian sea robbers). At first they just invaded parts of the country from time to time. Gradually, however, they came to make permanent settlement and ruthlessly destroyed many of the monasteries. The great hero of the time was King Alfred the Great (849-901) of the Kingdom of Wessex in the south, who succeeded in driving off the Danes. It is to him that we owe much of the preservation of Older Anglo-Saxon Literature. Equally important is the fact that he started the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical register of national events from dim past to his own age. This work was continued by monks long after his death. The Danes were eventually defeated, and the Anglo-Saxons returned to rule in 1042. England did not have peace for long. Soon they were conquered in 1066 by the Norms from France. This is the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. The following is a formula for the nation: Original Angles + Saxons +Danes +Normans=English Britons Jutes 2 Early English literature ● The Britons (Celts) had no written language, so their myths and legends were not recorded for many centuries. (e. g. The Adventures of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table is about a Celtic Chieftain of the 5th or 6th century, but these legends were not written down until they reached eleventh century France and were circulated after the 13th century.) Therefore, English literature actually began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. ● Beowulf ◆ It is a 3182-line alliterative verse, considered the monumental work in English poetry of the Anglo-Saxon period, or the national epic of the English people. It is of Germanic heritage, and contains evidently pre-Christian elements. The whole song is essentially pagan in spirit and matter. It is pervaded with paganism. In the noble figure of Beowulf, pagan heroism and fatalism are mingled with Christian qualities. The non-Christian story of monsters and mighty sea beasts is blended with some serious thoughts on the power of a wise God. In the poem, the poet expresses a hope that the evil should be punished, and the righteous will be rewarded. ◆ The poem probably existed in its oral form as early as the 6th century. It was written down in the 7th or 8th century though the extant manuscript, discovered in 1705, dated back to the 10th century. The whole epic is divided into two parts with an interpolation. There are three episodes related in the career of Beowulf: (1) The fight with the monster, Grendel (2) The fight with Grendel’s mother, a still more frightful she-monster (3) The mortal combat with the Fire Dragon. (after being the king of the Geats for 50 years). ◆ The poem is more than a fairy story of heroes combating monsters. ▼ It recaptures the values, beliefs and longing of the Anglo-Saxon people before they came to England. Though it is inferior to Iliad in artistic merit, it is nevertheless a dignified noble poem, technically unexcelled in old English poetry. ▼ It affords us invaluable insight into the heroic ways of life of the Teutonic peoples, as well as into the best qualities of the newer culture they were building in England. ▼ It clearly mirrors their ideals—valor, the love of glory, honour, and duty, the loyalty of the retainer and the generosity of the lord. It also reflects the typical tone of their literature, with its emphasis on the darker emotions, its grim scenery, and its vigorous portrayal of the sea and of battle. ▼ The poem unfolds a picture of an early Danish society, of its public life, its customs, rituals and cultural activities. Present-day readers are often charmed by its depiction and primitive beauty. ▼ Its chief significance lies in the portrayal of a great national hero, who is not simply a courageous warrior, but a wise ruler, and a brave fighter. He is selfless, eager to help others in distress, faithful to his people, and is ready to sacrifice his own life for their welfare. ◆ Three important features must be noted while studying the poem: ▼ The most striking feature is the use of alliteration, which is the repetition of a speech sound in a sequence of nearby words, and is usually applied only to consonants and only when the recurrent sound begins a word or a stressed syllable within a word. This is characteristic of all Old English verse. ▼ The second feature is the use of metaphors and understatements. The third feature of the poem is the mixture of pagan and Christian elements survive: the observing of omens, the attribution of power to Wyrd (i. e. fate), cremation, blood-revenge, and the praise of worldly glory—all woven into the poem. ▼ On the other hand, the assumption of God’s domination over the world, of Devil’s agency among men, of existence of Heaven and Hell, of a last judgment, and of the noxiousness of sin—are all Christian. ◆ The artistic achievement of Beowulf ranks itself among the classics that belong to the tradition of the Odyssey and the Aeneid. 作业布置 1 Answer the question “Why does Beowulf tower above Old English Literature?” in the exercise book. 2 Pre-read The Canterbury Tales in the textbook Selected Readings and answer the questions given in the book. Major References 1 Abrams, M. H. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, (6th edition), Norton: 1993. 2 Baugh, Albert C., A Literary History of England. 1967. 3 Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press and Foreign language and Research Press, 1998. 4 常耀信. 《英国文学简史》. 天津：南开大学出版社，2006. 5 陈嘉.《英国文学史》. 北京：商务印书馆，1986. 6 陈嘉.《英国文学作品选读》. 北京：商务印书馆，1982. 主要参考资 料 7 侯维瑞. 《英国文学通史》. 上海：上海外语教育出版社，1999. 8 刘炳善. 《英国文学简史》. 郑州：河南人民出版社，1993. 9 刘洊波. 《英美文学史及作品选读》（英国部分），北京：高等教育出版社，2001. 10 罗经国. 《新编英国文学选读》. 北京：北京大学出版社，1997. 11 孙汉云. 《英国文学教程》. 南京：河海大学出版社，2005. 12 王佩兰等. 《英国文学史及作品选读》. 长春：东北师范大学，2006. 13 王松年. 《英国文学作品选读》. 上海：上海交通大学出版社，2002. 14 吴伟仁. 《英国文学史及选读》（第二册）. 北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1990. 15 张伯香.《英国文学教程》. 武汉：武汉大学出版社，2005. 备 注