英美文学鉴赏2.doc

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1、精品文档，仅供学习与交流，如有侵权请联系网站删除1. Duke of Normandy conquered England on October 14, 1066. From then on began the medieval period.2. The most magnificent prose work of the 15th century is Le Morte D Arthur concerning with Arthurian legend.3. The only important prose writer in the 15th century is Sir Thomas

2、Malory4. In 55 B. C., Britain was invaded by Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror. Along with the invasion came the Roman mode of life into Britain.5.In the year 1066, the Normans defeated the Anglo-Saxons at the battle of Hasting 6.The fifteenth century has been traditionally described as the barren

3、age in English literature. But it is the spring tide of English ballads7.After the Norman Conquest, feudal system was established in English society.8.The year of 1381 witnessed a famous peasant uprising led by Wat Tylerand and John Ball.9.In English poetry, a quatrain is ( A )A. a four-line stanzaB

4、. a coupletC. a fourteen-line stanzaD. a terza rima10.Knights of the Round Table are characters serving ( C ) in legends, which depict chivalry in early literature. A. Sir LancelotB. Sir GodwinC. King ArthurD. King Henry VIII11.Romance was a type of literature that was very popular in the ( C )A. Re

5、naissance periodB. seventeenth centuryC. Middle Ages .D. eighteenth century12.( C ) was the greatest of English religious reformers and the first translator of theBible.A. LanglandB. GowerC. WycliffeD. Chaucer13.The story of ( A ) is the culmination of the Arthurian romances.A. Sir Gawain and the Gr

6、een KnightB. The story of Beowulfc. Piers the plowmanD. The Canterbury Tales14. After the Norman Conquest, three languages existed in England at that time. The Normans spoke ( A ).A. FrenchB. EnglishC. LatinD. Swedish15.Freudianism Key: Freudianism: Freudianism derives from Sigmund Freud, an Austria

7、n neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. Freudianism emphasizes the importance of unconscious forces in determining the beliefs and actions of human beings. The theory also has great influence on literature in the 20th century. A lot of modern writers such as Woolf, Joyce a

8、nd Lawrence are deeply influenced by Freudianism.16. Middle English periodKey: Middle English period: The four and a half centuries between the Norman Conquest in 1066, which effected radical changes in the language, life, and culture of England, and about 1500, when the standard literary language h

9、ad become recognizably modem English, that is, similar to the language we speak and write today.17. Arthurian legendKey: Arthurian legend: It is a group of tales (in several languages) that developed in the Middle Ages concerning Arthur, semi-historical king of the Britons and his knights. The legen

10、d is a complex weaving of ancient Celtic mythology with later traditions around a core of possible historical authenticity.18.What is the influence of the Norman Conquest upon English language and literature?Key: (1) During the period of the Norman Conquest, English and Norman French existed side by

11、 side in England, together with Latin. French for quite a long time prevailed among the noble; Latin was at bigger schools and it also used in the churches and monasteries; and the lower ranks made use of English.(2) In this period, English language had experienced gradual but radical and extensive

12、changes. Thousands of words were borrowed from French and. through French from Latin and also Greek, but many English worlds disappeared at the same time. The English language in this transitional stage. from Old English to Modern English has generally been known as Middle English.(3) The literature

13、 was varied in interest and extensive in range. The Normans began to write histories or chronicles. Most of them were written in Latin of French. The prevailing form of literature in the feudal England was the Romance.19.What are the essential features of romance in the medieval English literature?K

14、ey: The romance was the prevailing form of literature in the Middle Ages. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, used to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds. Its essential features are: (1) The central character of the romance is the knight, a man of noble birt

15、h skilled in the use of weapons. He is commonly described as riding forth to accomplish some missions to protect the church, to attack infidelity, to rescue a maiden, to meet a challenge or to obey a knightly command.(2) Romantic love is an important part of the plot in the romance.(3) It lacks gene

16、ral resemblance to truth or reality.(4) The structure is loose and episodic, an the language is simple and straight forward.20.What is the most important department of English folk literature? And make commentson its most famous cycle: the Robin Hood Ballads. Key: 1) The most important department of

17、 English folk literature is the ballad. A ballad is a story told in song, usually in quatrains with alternating four-stress and three-stress lines, the second and fourth lines rhyming. When it was chanted by ball-assigners, the audience joined in a refrain which usually followed each stanza. They ar

18、e mainly the literature of the peasants, and in them one is able to understand the outlook of the English common people in feudal society. The subject of ballads are various in kind, as the struggle of young lovers against their feudal-minded families, the conflict between love and wealth, the cruel

19、ty of jealousy, the criticism of the civil war, and the matters of class struggle.2) The most famous cycle of English ballads centers on the stories about a legendary outlaw called Robin Hood. Robin Hood, a legendary popular hero, is depicted in the ballads as a valiant outlaw, famous in archery, li

20、ving under the greenwood tree with his merry men, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, waging war against bishops and archbishops, and constantly hunted by the sheriffs, whom he constantly outwits. Clearly the historical origin of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws is to be found in the perp

21、etual struggles of the peasants against the landlords, against the local officials and against the kings judges. Robin Hood is a partly historical and partly legendary character. The character of Robin Hood is many-sided. Strong, brave and clever, he is at the same time tender-hearted and affectiona

22、te. But the dominant Key in his character is his hatred for the cruel oppressors and his love for the poor and downtrodden. Robin Hood appears to be devout and orthodox in religion. Another feature of Robins view is his reverence for the king. The king appears in the ballads as an intermediary betwe

23、en the outlaws and his officials. and judges, as the humorous and understanding guest in the greenwood, feasting on his own stolen deer. In spite. of this, the Robin Hood ballads show the fighting spirit, indomitable courage and revolutionary energy of the English peasantry.21.Make comments on the r

24、omance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Key: (1) The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, used to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds. (2) This romance is an interesting co

25、mbination of French and Saxon element. It is written in an elaborate stanza combining meter and alliteration. At the end of each stanza, there is a rimed refrain. (3) Its theme id a series of tests on faith, courage, purity and human weakness for self-preservation. (4) Besides, the romance. gives th

26、e reader an engrossing tale well told, vested in beautiful poetry and containing many artistic merits. With a preference for irony, suggestion and implication, the author tries to make his romance the vehicle of a wise morality in which the humorous grotesque merges with the morally serious. Its language is simple and straightforward. That is why the poem has shared great popularity over and above most other romances of the period.【精品文档】第 3 页