2022年《西方文学理论》题库 .pdf

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1、1.What are the origin and features of literary theory in classical times? P1-2 1）It originates in all societies from the very earliest times. And it is related to the Greek forms. They were tied in very tightly to specific social occasion, for instance, plays recitation of Homeric epics, epinician o

2、r victory odes were conducted in different rituals. 2) a.It focused on concept genre , which sprang up almost automatically in Greek literary theory. b. The element of ritual was modified by the element of agon or contest. c. Greek plays, epics and odes were all performed to an audience. The role of

3、 audience was inescapable. d. The textual object of Greek literary theory is the term poiesis. It is in its relations with neighbouring areas of verbal composition. e. It makes no clear separation between the language of poiesis and the language of legal debate, or political debate, or public speaki

4、ng. 2. By the first century B. C., the rhetorical critics had established two important systems of classification. What are they? Expound them in details. P4 1)The first system of classification was a division of stylistic registers into the high (or grand), the middle (or moderate), and the low(or

5、plain).The grand style calls for strong emotion and elevated language, the plain style calls for quiet simplicity, and relatively unadorned language, the middle style is a quiet but not simple style, it calls for sweetness, smoothness, flowingness. Each style is considered appropriate for specific a

6、udiences and specific forms of persuasion. The grand style serves to sway an audience to resolution and decision, the middle style serves to win an audience by charming conciliation, and the plain style serves to convince by argument. 2)The second system was the system of tropes and figures. A trope

7、 is a deviation from the normal use of an individual word, while a figure is a deviation from the normal arrangement of words or the normal sequence of thought. The tropes include metaphor, synecdoche, and metonymy. Figures and tropes are viewed as ornaments or clothing for an already existing mater

8、ial and the same may be said of all other stylistic devices discussed by rhetorical critics 3. What are the features of Rhetoric tradition? P5 1) The first feature of Rhetoric tradition is that the traditional separation of form and content is about all a tradition of rhetorical criticism. 2) Anothe

9、r feature of the rhetorical tradition is the emphasis upon details at the expanse of larger wholes. Large-scale unity is not a major concern for the rhetorical critics. 3) The last feature is that rhetorical criticism was a very conservative discipline. Its history contains no drastic challenges or

10、revolutions of the kind associated with later literary criticism, which has typically been affected by the changeability of the object, literature. 4. What are the three most plausibe criteria for defining literature? P6 1)The quality of dramatization. 2) The quality of fictionality. 3)A special fig

11、urative quality of language. 5. Discuss Platos theory of imitation or mimesis. P6-10 1)Mimesis is a critical and philosophical term that carries a wide range of meanings, which include imitation, representation, mimicry, imitatio, receptivity, nonsensuous similarity, the act of resembling, the act o

12、f expression, and the presentation of the self. In ancient Greece, mimesis was an idea that governed the creation of works of art, in particular, with correspondence to the physical world understood as a model for beauty, truth, and the good. Plato contrasted mimesis, or imitation, with diegesis, or

13、 narrative. Plato saw in mimesis the representation of nature. Plato wrote about mimesis in both Ion and The Republic (Books II, III, and X). In Ion, he states that poetry is the art of divine madness, or inspiration. Because the poet is subject to this divine madness, it is not his/her function to

14、convey the truth.citation needed As Plato has it, truth is the concern of the philosopher only. As culture in those days did not consist in the solitary reading of books, but in the listening to performances, the recitals of orators (and poets), or the acting out by classical actors of tragedy, Plat

15、o maintained in his critique that theatre was not sufficient in conveying the truth.citation needed He was concerned that actors or orators were thus able to persuade an audience by rhetoric rather than by telling the truth.citation needed 名师资料总结 - - -精品资料欢迎下载 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 名师精

16、心整理 - - - - - - - 第 1 页，共 8 页 - - - - - - - - - In Book II of The Republic, Plato describes Socrates dialogue with his pupils. Socrates warns we should not seriously regard poetry as being capable of attaining the truth and that we who listen to poetry should be on our guard against its seductions,

17、since the poet has no place in our idea of God. In developing this in Book X, Plato told of Socrates metaphor of the three beds: one bed exists as an idea made by God (the Platonic ideal); one is made by the carpenter, in imitation of Gods idea; one is made by the artist in imitation of the carpente

18、rs. 2) Imitation imitates men performing actions either forced or voluntary, and believing that they are either successful or not in these actions, and feeling pain or pleasure as a result of it all. Plato also uses the term mimesis in a more restricted, though still related, sense. That is, he dist

19、inguishes between mimesis as the speech of a character directly reproduced, and diegesis as narration of doings and sayings. Plato disapproves of both imitation in general and dramatised dialogue in particular. Plato disapproval is at bottom a disapproval of any form of copying. Because, in his view

20、, imitation cannot see through to the most real reality, the true. In drama, impersonations rub off very readily onto the impersonator, becoming lasting disposition of personality. Platos case against mimesis in the unrestricted sense focuses upon the fact that drama and epic imitate the world of pe

21、rceptual appearances. 6. There are three worlds in Plato s opinion. What are they? What are their relationship? P8-9 1)There is, first, the world that consists of physical bodies: of stones and of stars; of plants and of animals; but also of radiation, and of other forms of physical energy. I will c

22、all this physical world world 1.If we so wish, we can subdivide the physical world 1 into the world of non-living physical objects and into the world of living things, of biological objects; though the distinction is not sharp. There is, secondly, the mental or psychological world , the world of our

23、 feelings of pain and of pleasure, of our thoughts, of our decisions, of our perceptions and our observations; in other words, the world of mental or psychological states or processes, or of subjective experiences. I will call it world 2 . World 2 is immensely important, especially from a human poin

24、t of view or from a moral point of view. Human suffering belongs to world 2; and human suffering, especially avoidable suffering, is the central moral problem for all those who can help. By world 3 I mean the world of the products of the human mind, such as languages; tales and stories and religious

25、 myths; scientific conjectures or theories, and mathematical constructions; songs and symphonies; paintings and sculptures. The reality of the mental world 2 - and with it, the reality of human suffering -has been sometimes denied; more recently by certain monistic materialists or physicalists, or b

26、y certain radical behaviourists. On the other hand, the reality of the world 2 of subjective experiences is admitted by common sense. Many of the objects belonging to world 3 belong at the same time also to the physical world 1. Michelangelo s sculpture The Dying Slave is both a block of marble, bel

27、onging to the world 1 of physical objects, and a creation of Michelangelo s mind, and as such belonging to world 3. The same holds of course for paintings.2) In Platos opinion, the three worlds are the world of perceptual appearances, the world of the reality of abstractions, and the world of drama,

28、epic, ode and lyric. Plato sees the world of perceptual appearances as secondary and derivative. According to Plato, the world of perceptual appearances is nothing more than an imitation of the reality of abstractions. (艺术世界的关系没找到）7. What are the differences between Plato and Aristotle in their lite

29、rary theory? P10-14(可能是论述题）1）Compared with Plato, Aristotle appears as a less absolute theorist, more interested in describing and classifying things as they are, with less regard to ultimate principles. In the Poetics, he follows Plato in defining poetry as mimesis, specifically the imitation of an

30、 action. But whereas Plato condemns mere copying, Aristotle views the impulse to mimicry as a natural healthy human impulse: （引文见课本P10）2）The difference between Aristotle and Plato arises not merely from a difference of temperament but from a difference of general conceptual framework. Aristotles way

31、 of thinking about the world is dominated by the model of the biological organism. Clearly, the Aristotelian version of mimesis is no mere matter of passive copying. 3）Aristotle claims for poetry a higher kind of truth: not the reporting of factual details but the understanding of underlying general

32、ities. Again, this is a rebuttal of Plato and his view that poetry is cut off from the universal because it is cut off from 名师资料总结 - - -精品资料欢迎下载 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 名师精心整理 - - - - - - - 第 2 页，共 8 页 - - - - - - - - - the reality of pure abstractions. Aristotle envisages another kind o

33、f generality: generality of the species. 4）In focusing upon emotional effect, Aristotle is promoting that very aspect of poetry to which Plato most objected. But then Aristotle does not regard the emotions as intrinsically harmful but as a natural part of human life. Aristotle challenges Platos assu

34、mption that people who indulge in fictionally-created emotions will become prone to excessive emotionality in their lives generally. 8. Discuss Aristotle s theory of tragedy. P12-15 Aristotle asserts that the characters in tragedy should be lifelike, he also asserts that comedy aims at representing

35、men as worse than they are nowadays, tragedy as better. He considers the genre of tragedy superior to the genre of epic. The main goal that Aristotle proposes for both tragedy and epic is the goal of unity- - a natural enough goal when works of art are conceived on the biological model. Other goals

36、proposed by Aristotle have to do with audience- effect. For tragedy, Aristotle defines a specific tragic effect, a distinctive emotional response which the genre seeks to arouse in the audience. Tragedy, he says, should represent actions capable of awakening pity and fear. Aristotle claims that the

37、emotional experience of a tragedy brings about a catharsis (katharsis) od pity and fear in the audience. Having defined the appropriate effect of tragedy, Aristotle goes on consider the type of hero required to produce this effect. The fall of a wholly good man does not generate pity and fear. The a

38、ppropriate type of hero is a man remarkable for neither virtue nor vice, for neither justice nor depravity, but a man whose fall is due to some error or weakness, some hamartia . 9. What is Aristotle s organic principle? P10-11 Aristotle appears as a less absolute theorist,more interested in describ

39、ing and classifying things as they are,with less regard to ultimate principles.His way of thinking about the world is dominated by the model of the biological organism.Art imitates Nature is Aristotle s general principle,in the sense that the arts,like Nature,work to unfold the potentials hidden wit

40、hin things.In deed ,since a great many accidental factors intervene to prevent things from growing as they “ want ” in the real world ,Aristotle even suggests that the arts may “ on the basis of Nature ,carry things further than Nature can.10. What are Horaces literary theories? P15-18 1)Horaces lit

41、erary theory appears especially in Epistles 2.1 and 2.2,and above all in the espitle that has come to be known as the Ars poetica.His stance is that of the experienced practioner,passing on valuable advice.Whereas Aristotle expounds principles,Horace lays down rules. 2)Like the schooolroom grammaria

42、n,Horace speaks the language of right and wrong,the language of social duty. 3)Horace recognises a larger number of genres than Aristotle ,including his own favourite genre of satire,But his approach is actually more limiting:less an examination of genres which happen to exist,more a designation of

43、genres which may be allowed to exist. 4)Horaces key concept of decorum.In Horace s way of thinking ,the ultimate goal is more easily lost gight of . 5)Horace consistently views poesis as a craft,in Horace s thinking , ”native genius “ is indeed akin to aptitude . 6)He continues to speak of imitating

44、 from reality. 7)Horaces new emphasis upon moral value in poetry,he institutes a bifurcation of virtue. In general,Horace s importance to the history of literary theory lies not in any profoundly original ideas, but in the new twist that he gave to the ideas of Aristotle. 11. Discuss Longinus theory

45、 of the sublime. P19-21 1)For Longginus,the sublime is not just one option out of a range of options .It is the essence of all great poetry and oratory,Pinning supreme value to a special use of language,he has no time for concepts of genre.Nor is he interested in the usual rhetorical goal of persuas

46、ion. 2)The element of preaching in Longinus is reminiscent of more recent manifestos in which poets or novelists have proclaimed their own new way of writing as the only true way ,But Longinus stands in outright opposition to the literary tendencies of his time. 3)For Longinus ,the sublime is a matt

47、er of reader response,It is true that he also invokes the author and the need for grand ideas impregnated with a noble inspiration,” Sublimity is the echo of a noble mind” ,he writes,But his theory is essentially affective,not self-expressive. 名师资料总结 - - -精品资料欢迎下载 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

48、 名师精心整理 - - - - - - - 第 3 页，共 8 页 - - - - - - - - - 4)Longinus is interested in an extremity of effect that is always in danger of topling over into absurdity. 5)The sublime as defined by Longinus is virtually beyond language,or at least ordinary literal language,He is concerned with what a text com

49、mun icates rather than the writer s uncommunicated soul.6)Longinus nonetheless gestures towards a poetic “ rightness” which somehow transcends the literal meanings involved.7)He regards concision as generally inimical to the goals of transport,wonder and awe ,instead he favours the appropriate use o

50、f amplification and periphrasis ,two standard devices in the rhetorician s armoury.12. Dante Alighieri argues that the full four levels of meaning in Biblical exegesis can also be found in secular, vernacular poetry. What are they? Give some examples to expound them.P31-32 13.There is one early batt