英美文學(xué)選讀完整筆記,全面歸納各章重點

ChapterITheRenaissancePeriod

一、學(xué)習(xí)目的和要求

通過本章學(xué)習(xí)，了解文藝復(fù)興運(yùn)動和人文主義思潮產(chǎn)生的歷史，文化背景，認(rèn)識該時期

文學(xué)創(chuàng)作的基本特征和基本主張，及其對同時代及后世英國文學(xué)乃至文化的影響：了解該時

期重要作家的文學(xué)生涯，創(chuàng)作思想，藝術(shù)特色及其代表作品的主題結(jié)構(gòu)，人物刻畫，語言風(fēng)

格，思想意義等；同時結(jié)合注釋，讀懂所選作品，了解其思想內(nèi)容和寫作特色，培養(yǎng)理解和

欣賞文學(xué)作品的能力。

二、考核要求

（一）文藝復(fù)興時期概述

1.識記：（1）文藝復(fù)興時期的界定

（2）歷史文化背景

2.領(lǐng)會：（1）文藝復(fù)興運(yùn)動的意義與影響

（2）文藝復(fù)興時期的文學(xué)特點

（3）人文主義的主張及對文學(xué)的影響

3.應(yīng)用：文藝復(fù)興，人文主義及玄學(xué)詩等名詞的解釋

BriefIntroductiontotheRenaissancePeriod

I.應(yīng)用

DefinitionsoftheLiteraryTerms:

1.TheRenaissance:TheRenaissancemarksatransitionfromthemedie

valtothemodernworld.Generally,itreferstotheperiodbetweenthe14

th&17thcenturies.ItfirststartedinItaly,withthefloweringofpainting,

sculpture&literature.FromItalythemovementwenttoembracetherest

ofEurope.TheRenaissance,whichmeans"rebirth"or"revival,'*isactuall

yamovementstimulatedbyaseriesofhistoricalevents,suchasthere-d

iscoveryofancientRoman&Greekculture,thenewdiscoveriesingeograp

hy&astrology,thereligiousreformation&theeconomicexpansion.TheR

enaissance,therefore,inessenceisahistoricalperiodinwhichtheEurope

anhumanistthinkers&scholarsmadeattemptstogetridofthoseoldfeu

dalistideasinmedievalEurope,tointroducenewideasthatexpressedthe

interestsoftherisingbourgeoisie,&torecoverthepurityoftheearlych

urchfromthecorruptionoftheRomanCatholicChurch.

2.Humanism:HumanismistheessenceoftheRenaissance.Itsprangfr

omtheendeavortorestoreamedievalreverencefortheancientauthors

andisfrequentlytakenasthebeginningoftheRenaissanceonitsconscio

us,intellectualside,fortheGreekandRomancivilizationwasbasedonsu

chaconceptionthatmanisthemeasureofallthings.ThroughthenewIe

arning,humanistsnotonlysawtheartsofsplendorandenlightenment,bu

tthehumanvaluesrepresentedintheworks.Renaissancehumanistsfoun

dintheclassicsajustificationtoexalthumannatureandcametoseetha

thumanbeingsweregloriouscreaturescapableofindividualdevelopment

inthedirectionofperfections,andthattheworldtheyinhabitedwastheir

snottodespisebuttoquestion,explore,andenjoy.Thus,byemphasizing

thedignityofhumanbeingsandtheimportanceofthepresentlife,they

voicedtheirbeliefsthatmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoythebeau

tyofthislife,buthadtheabilitytoperfecthimselfandtoperformwonder

s.ThomasMore,ChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespearearethebe

strepresentativesoftheEnglishhumanists.

3.Spenserianstanza:

SpenserianstanzawasinventedbyEdmundSpenser.Itisastanzaofnine

lines,withthefirsteightlinesiniambicpentameter&thelastlineiniam

bichexameter,rhymingababbcbcc.

4.Metaphysicalpoetry:Theterm"metaphysicalpoetry'*iscommonlyuse

dtonametheworkofthe17thcenturywriterswhowroteundertheinflu

enceofJohnDonne.Witharebelliousspirit,themetaphysicalpoetstriedt

obreakawayfromtheconventionalfashionoftheElizabethanlovepoetry.

ThedictionissimpleascomparedwiththatoftheElizabethanortheNeo

classicperiods,andechoesthewordsandcadencesofcommonspeech.Th

eimageryindrawnfromtheactuallife.Theformisfrequentlythatofan

argumentwiththepoet'sbeloved,withGod,orwithhimself.

5.TheRenaissanceherARenaissanceheroreferstoonecreatedbyChr

istopherMarloweinhisdrama.Suchaheroisalwaysindividualisticandfu

IIofambition,facingbravelythechallengefrombothgodsandmen.Hee

mbodiesMarlowe*shumanisticidesofhumandignityandcapacity.Differen

tfromthetragicheroinmedievalplays,whoseeksthewaytoheaventhr

oughsalvationandgod'swill,heisagainstconventionalmoralityandcont

rivestoobtainheavenonearththroughhisownefforts.Withtheendless

aspirationforpower,knowledge,andglory,theherointerpretsthetrueRe

naissancespirit.BothTamburlaineandFaustusaretypicalinpossessingsu

chaspirit.

（二）該時期的重要作家

1.一般識記：重要作家的文學(xué)生涯

2.識記：重要作品及主要內(nèi)容

3,領(lǐng)會：重要作家的創(chuàng)作思想，藝術(shù)特色及其代表作品的主題結(jié)構(gòu)，人物塑造，語言風(fēng)格,

藝術(shù)手法，社會意義等。

4,應(yīng)用：（1）莎士比亞和鄧恩詩歌的主題，意象

（2）喜劇《威尼斯商人》的主題和主要人物性格分析

（3）哈姆雷特的性格分析

（4）史詩《失樂園》的結(jié)構(gòu)，人物性格，語言特點等的分析

I.EdmundSpenser

1.一般識記

BriefIntroductiontotheAuthor

Englishpoet,borninLondon,England,about1552,anddiedinLondon,Jan

13,1599.

2.識記HisMajorWorks

Spenser*smostimportantwork&masterpieceisTheFaerieQueene,agre

atpoemofitsage.Acomplexmoral,religious,&politicalallegory,itisal

soanepicthatexaltsQueenElizabethI&theEnglishnation.Accordingto

Spenser*sownexplanation,hisprincipalintentionistopresentthrougha

"historicalpoem,'theexampleofaperfectgentleman:*'tofashionagentle

manornoblepersoninvirtuous&gentlediscipline.'*Itsprincipalheroist

heArthurofmedievallegend.Thesixbooksofthepoemillustratethenat

ureofparticularvirtues,suchas,temperance&justice.Othermajorworks

ofSpenserareTheShepheardesCalender(1579),apoemconsistingof12

eclogues-correspondingtothe12monthsoftheyear;Epithalamion(159

5),apoemexpressingthedeeppersonalfeelingsoccasionedbythepoets

secondmarriage;Amoretti(1595),aseriesofsonnets.

3.領(lǐng)會HisInfluence

1)MainqualitiesofSpenser'spoetry

①aperfectmelody

②araresenseofbeauty

③asplendidimagination

@aloftymoralpurity&seriousness

⑤adedicatedidealism

2)Inhiswriting,Spenserdrewontheconventions&thoughtofClassica

I,medieval,&Renaissanceliterature.However,headdedtohisfusionoft

hesediverseelementsmuchthatwasoriginal,&hisworksinspiredmanyI

aterEnglishpoets.Hecreatedanewstanza,calledtheSpenserianstanza,

whichiswellsuitedtonarrativeverse.HisskillsinwritingmelodiousEngl

ishverse&hiscombinationofemotion,erudition,&spiritualvisionhavew

onhimtheadmirationofgenerationsofEnglishpoets.Itishisidealism,h

isloveofbeauty,&hisexquisitemelodythatmakehimknownas"thepoe

ts'poet."

4.應(yīng)用

TheFaerieQueene:

1)Itisalong,allegoricalpoem.Inthepoem,Spenserdramatizedpolitic

al,religious,&moralthemesbypersonifyingthem,ormakingthemchara

cters.

2)Plot:Thestory,whichissetagainstabackgroundofArthur&mediev

allegend,dealswiththeadventuresofsixknightsofthecourtofthefairy

queennamedGloriana,whorepresentsQueenElizabeth1ofEnglish.

ThefaerieQueenwasleftunfinishedatSpenser*sdeath.Itwasorigin

allyplannedasa12-bookpoem.Butonly6bookswerecompleted.Thep

oemisparticularlyadmiredforthemelodicbeautyofitslanguage&forits

richcontentofphilosophical&mythologicalmaterialpresentedinthefor

mofvividnarratives.

11.ChristopherMarlowe

1.一般識記

BriefIntroduction

Englishdramatist&poet,borninCanterbury,England,Feb,6,1567,died

inDeptford,England,May30,1593.MarlowewasthefirstgreatEnglishD

ramatist.HebroughttotheEnglishstageanewconceptoftragedy,onei

nwhichthedramacentersaroundthestrugglesofamanoverwhelmedby

hispassions&ambitions.

2.識記

HisMajorWorks

HismostfamoustragediesareDoctorFaustus,TheJewofMalta,Tambu

rlaine&EdwardII.Inhisplays,Marloweusedblankverse,whichhemold

edintoasuperbinstrumentforexpressingintenseemotions.Afterhisdev

elopmentofblankverseitbecamethestandardmediumforEnglishdrama

tic&epicpoetry.Hisnon-dramaticpoetryincludesHero&Leander,"theP

assionateshepherdtoHislove,*'&aversetranslationofOvid'sAmores.

Marlowe'sDoctorFaustus(about1589),generallyconsideredhisbestplay,

wasbasedonarealDr.Faustus,whowaslaterassociatedwithamediev

allegendofamansellinghissoultothedevil.Theplay'sdominantmoral

ishumanratherthanreligious.Itcelebratesthehumanpassionforknowl

edge,power&happiness;italsorevealsman'sfrustrationinrealizingthe

highaspirationsinahostilemoralorder.Thelastscene,inwhichFaustus

confrontshisdoom,brilliantlyrendersthefear&agonyofacondemnedm

an.

TheJewofMalta(about1589)illustratesMarlowe'soutstandingportrayal

ofcharacter.Itshero,BarabastheJew,servedasthemodelforShylock

inShakespeare*sTheMerchantofVenice.Inabout1592.Marlowewroteo

neofthefirstsuccessfulEnglishhistoricaldramas,EdwardII。Itishismo

stdramaticallymatureplay&exhibitshismasteryofcharacterization,stag

ecraft&rhetoric.

Tamburlaineisaplayaboutanambitious&pitilessTartarconquerorint

hefourteenthcenturywhorosefromashepherdtoanoverpoweringKing.

Bydepictingagreatherowithhighambition&sheerbrutalforceinconq

ueringoneenemyafteranother,Marlowevoicedthesupremedesireofthe

manoftheRenaissanceforinfinitepower&authority.

3.領(lǐng)會HisAchievements&Influence

Achievements:Marlowe'sgreatestachievementliesinthatheperfected

theblankverse&madeittheprincipalmediumofEnglishdrama.

HissecondachievementishiscreationoftheRenaissanceheroforEngli

shdrama.

ThethemeofhisworksisthepraiseoftheRenaissancespirit.

Hisinfluence:Amanofwidelearning,Marlowewasoneoftheextraord

inarypoets&playwrightsofhistime."Marlowe'smightyline,"asBenJons

oncalledhisblankverse,wasoneofthemostimportantcontributionsto

theartofEnglishliterature.

4.應(yīng)用Dr.Faustus

TheselectionofActIfromDr.FaustusismainlyaboutFaustusisshowin

ghisgreatambition,thatis,ifhehadmanysouls,hewouldgivethemall

totheDevilsothathecouldcontroltheworld.InportrayingFaustus,a

moreintrospective&philosophicalfigurethanTamburlaine,Marlowepraise

shissoaringaspirationforknowledgewhilewarningagainstthesinofprid

esinceFaustus*sdownfallwascausedbyhisdespairinGod&trustinDe

vil.

III.WilliamShakespeare

1.一般識記BriefIntroduction

WilliamShakespearewasthegreatestwriterofplayswhoeverlived.

Hisfriend&fellowplaywrightBenJonsonsaidthatShakespearewas"not

ofanagebutforalltime.'*The18th-centuryEnglishessayistSamuelJohn

sondescribedhisworkas"themirroroflife.1'The19th-centuryEnglishpo

etSamuelTaylorColeridgespokeof“myriad-mindedShakespeare.HThe20

th-centuryEnglishdramatistGeorgeBernardShawstressedhis“enormous

poweroverlanguage.',

2.識記HisLife&Career

TheexactdateofShakespeare'sbirthisnotknown,buthisbaptismw

asrecordedonApril26,1564,intheparishregisterofHolyTrinityChurch

atStratford-on-Avon.Sinceitwascustomarytobaptizeinfantswithintwo

orthreedaysofbirth,April23isregardedasareasonablebirthdate.It

isalsothedateonwhichhediedin1616.Generally,hisdramaticcareeri

sdividedinto4periods.

TheFirstPeriod(1590-1594)-fivehistoricalplays&fourcomedies:

HenryVI,partI(1590)

HenryVI,partII(1590)

HenryVI,partIII(1591)

RichardHI(1592)

TitusAndronicus(1593)

TheComedyofErrors(1592)

TheTwoGentlemenofVerona(1594)

TheTamingoftheShrew(1593)

Love'sLabor'sLost(1594)

TheSecondPeriod(1595-1600)-fivehistoricalplays,sixcomedies&tw

otragedies:

RichardII(1595)

KingJohn(1596)

HenryW,PartI&Part11(1597)

HenryV(1598)

AMidsummerNighfsDream(1595)

TheMerchantofVenice(1596)

MuchAdoAboutNothing(1598)

AsYouLikeIt(1599)

TwelfthNight(1600)

TheMerryWivesofWinsor(1598)

Romeo&Juliet(1595)

JuliusCaesar(1599)

TheThirdPeriod(1601-1609)-Seventragedies&twodarkcomedies:

Hamlet

Othello

KingLear

Macbeth

Antony&Cleopatra

Troilus&Cressida

Coriolonus

All'sWellThatEndsWell

MeasureforMeasure

TheFourthPeriod(1609-1612)-Romantictragic-comedies&twoplays:

Pericles

Cymbeline

TheWinte'sTale

TheTempest

HenryVIII

TheTwoNobleKinsmen

Shakespeare'sauthenticnon-dramaticpoetryconsistsoftwolongnarra

tivepoems:Venus&Adonis&TheRapeofLucrece&hissequenceof154

sonnets.

3.領(lǐng)會HisInfluence

1)Contributionstolanguage

ManywordsandcommonlyusedphraseshavebeenaddedtoeverydayEn

glishvocabularythroughtheirappearanceinShakespeare*sworks.

2)Effectsonliterature

Shakespeare*splays&poetryhavehadapervasiveinfluenceonworldliter

ature.Mostofthegreatliteraryfiguresoftheworldhavebeeninspired&

stimulatedbyhisachievement.

Onthewhole,however,Shakespeare'scontributionhasbeentothelangua

ge&spiritoflaterwritingratherthantoitsform.References¶llelst

oShakespeare'sphraseologyhaveoccurredinliteraturesincethe16thcen

tury.

PerhapsthegreatestinspirationtosubsequentauthorshasbeenShakespe

are'scapacitytodepictlifeinallitscomplexity&toilluminateman'schar

acter&destiny.

4.領(lǐng)會HisMajorWorks

1)Drama

A.TheMerchantofVenice

Theme:topraisethefriendshipbetweenAntonio&Bassanio,toidealizeP

ortiaasaheroineofgreatbeauty,wit&loyalty,&toexposetheinsatiabl

egreed&brutalityoftheJew.

Plot:Theplayhasadoubleplot(P39)

B.Hamlet

HamletisgenerallyregardedasShakespeare*smostpopularplayonthest

age,forithasthequalitiesofaHblood-and-thundernthriller&aphilosophi

calexplorationoflife&death.Andthetimelessappealofthismightydra

maliesinitscombinationofintrigue,emotionalconflict&searchingphilos

ophicmelancholy.

TheplayopenswithHamlet,PrinceofDenmark,appearinginamood

ofworld-wearinessoccasionedbyhisfather*srecentdeath&byhismothe

r*shastyremarriagewithClaudius,hisfather'sbrother.Whileencountering

hisfather'sghost,HamletisinformedthatClaudiushasmurderedhisfath

er&thentakenoverbothhisfather'sthrone&widow.This,Hamlet,isur

gedbytheghosttoseekrevengeforhisfather's"foul&mostunnatural

murder.nTrappedinanightmareworldofspying,testing&plotting,&app

arentlybearingtheintolerableburdenofthedutytorevengehisfather'sd

eath,Hamletisobligedtoinhabitashadowworld,tolivesuspendedbetw

eenfact&fiction,language&action.Hislifeisoneofconstantrole-playin

g,examiningthenatureofactiononlytodenyitspossibility,forheistoo

sophisticatedtodegradehisnaturetotheconventionalroleofastagere

venger.BycharacterizingHamlet,Shakespearesuccessfullymakesaphilos

ophicalexplorationoflife&death.

C.TheTempest

TheTempest,anelaborate&fantasticstory,isknownasthebestofhisfi

nalromances.Thecharactersareratherallegorical&thesubjectfullofsu

ggestion.Thehumanlyimpossibleeventscanbeseenoccurringeverywher

e,intheplay.Theplaywrightresortstothesupernaturalatmosphere&to

thedreamstosolvetheconflict.ToShakespeare,thewholelifeisnomo

rethanadream.Thus,TheTempestisatypicalexampleofhispessimisti

cviewtowardshumanlife&societyinhislateyears.

2)Poems

A.Sonnets

Thefirst126sonnetsareapparentlyaddressedtoahandsomeyoung

nobleman,presumablytheauthor'spatron.Thepoemsexpressthewriter's

selflessbutnotentirelyuncriticaldevotiontotheyoungman.

Twentyofthesonnetsareaboutayoungwomancharacterizedasa”

darklady,“whomthepoetdistrustbutcannotresist.Thepoemsaddresse

ddirectlytoherareperhapsthemostremarkableinthesequencebecaus

etheirunsentimentaltoneisunlikethatoftraditionallovesonnets.

Aphilosophicalthemethatappearsinmanyofthesonnetsisthatofti

measthedestroyerofallmortalthings.Alsoexpressedinthepoemsist

heauthor'sdisillusionmentwiththefalsenessofearthlylife.

TheformofthepoemsistheEnglishVariationofthetraditionalItalian,

orPetrarchan,sonnet,Shakespeare'ssonnetshavethreequatrains,orgro

upsoffourlines,&afinalcouplet.Theirrhymeschemeisabab,cdcd,efe

f,gg.Athemeisdeveloped&elaboratedinthequatrains,&aconcluding

thoughtispresentedinthecouplet.

B.Otherpoems

Venus&Adonis,inwhichShakespearemadehisfirstbidforliteraryp

atronage&fame,isaconventionalElizabethannarrativepoem.Itsmythoi

ogicalstory,takenfromOvidsMetamorphoses,tellsofthepassionatelove

goddesswhowoosthereluctantyouthAdonis.

TheRapeofLucrece,anothernarrativeofpassion,isbasedonthesemihi

storicalstoryoftherapeofachasteRomanmatronbyTarquin,sonofth

ekingofRome.

5.領(lǐng)會HisMajorTheme

1)Shakespeareisagainstreligiouspersecution&racialdiscrimination,a

gainstsocialinequality&thecorruptinginfluenceofgold&money.

2)Hewasahumanistofthetime&acceptedtheRenaissanceviewson

literature.

6.領(lǐng)會HisLiteraryAchievements

1)Characterization

Hismajorcharactersareneithermerelyindividualonesnortypeones;

theyareindividualsrepresentingcertaintypes.Eachcharacterhashisor

herownpersonalities;meanwhile,theymaysharefeatureswithothers.Th

esoliloquiesinhisplaysfullyrevealtheinnerconflictofhischaracters.Sh

akespearealsoportrayshischaractersinpairs.Contrastsarefrequentlyus

edtobringvividnesstohischaracters.

Thewomenintheplaysarevividcreations,eachdifferingfromtheot

hers.Shakespearewasfondofportraying"mockingwenches/'suchasKat

eoftheTamingoftheShrew,RosalineofLove*sLabor'sLost,&Beatrice

ofMuchAdoAboutNothing,buthewasequallyadeptatcreatinggentle&

innocentwomen,suchasOpheliainHamlet,DesdemonainOthello,&Cor

deliainKingLear.HisfemalecharactersalsoincludethetreacherousGone

ril&Regan,theiron-willedLadyMacbeth,thewitty&resourcefulPortia,t

hetender&loyalJuliet,&thealluringCleopatra.

2)PlotConstruction

Shakespeare'splaysarewellknownfortheiradroitplotconstruction.H

eseldominventshisownplots;instead,heborrowsthemfromsomeold

playsorstorybooks,orfromancientGreek&Romansources.Thereareu

suallyseveralthreadsrunningthroughtheplay,thusprovidingthestoryw

ithsuspense&apprehension.

3)Language

InShakespeare*stime,Englishgrammar&spellingwerenotyetformal

ized,soShakespearecouldfreelyinterchargethevariouspartsofspeech,

usingnounsasadjectivesorverbs,adjectivesasadverbs,&pronounsas

nouns.Suchfreedomgavehislanguageanextraordinaryflexibility,which

enabledhimtoexpresshisthoughtsaseasilyinpoetryasinprose.

MostofShakespeare'sdramaticpoetryisinblankverse,orunrhymed

iambicpentameter.Hisblandverseisespeciallybeautiful&mighty.Heha

sanamazingwealthofvocabulary&idiom.Hiscoinageofnewwords&d

istortionofthemeaningoftheoldonesalsocreatestrikingeffectsonthe

reader.

7.應(yīng)用SelectedReadings

1)Sonnet18

Theme:aprofoundmeditationonthedestructivepoweroftime&the

eternalbeautybroughtforthbypoetrytotheoneheloves.

Imagery:asummer'sday-youth

theeyeofheaven-thesun

2)TheMerchantofVenice

Theme:TopraisethefriendshipbetweenAntonio&Bassanio,toidealiz

ePortiaasaheroineofgreatbeauty,wit&loyalty,&toexposetheinsati

ablegreedandbrutalityoftheJew.

3)Hamlet

ThisisonepartofHamlet'smostfamousmonologue.Hamlet,facingt

hedilemmaofaction&mind,ishesitatingwhetherheshouldrevengefor

hisfather,whichmaybringhimdeath,orheshouldsuffer&hidehishatr

edforhisuncleinhisdeepheart,whichmaysecurehislife.

IV.FrancisBacon

1.一般識記BriefIntroduction

EnglishRenaissancephilosopher,essayist,statesman,borninLondon,

England,Jan22,1561anddiedinLondon,April91626.

OneoftheoutstandingfiguresoftheRenaissance,Baconmadeimports

ntcontributionstoseveralfields.Hischiefinterestweresciencephilosophy,

buthewasalsoadistinguishedmanofletters&heldseveralhighgovern

mentalpositionsduringthereignofkingJamesI.Hewasoneoftheearli

est&mosteloquentspokesmenforexperimentalscience.Helaysthefoun

dationformodernsciencewithhisinsistenceonscientificwayofthinking

&freshobservationratherthanauthorityasabasisforobtainingknowled

ge.

2.識記Hisworks

Asanauthor,BaconismostfamousforhisEssays,whichdealwithsu

chsubjectsashonor,friendship,love,&riches.Writteninaterse,polishe

dstyle,withmanylearnedallusions&metaphors,theessaysrankwithth

efinestinEnglishliterature.

Bacon'sotherimportantliteraryworksincludeTheNewAtlantis,anacc

ountofanidealsociety&animaginaryvoyage,&TheHistoryoftheReig

nofKingHenryVII,aperceptivepsychologicalstudyofHenry'smind&ch

aracters.

Hisworkscanbedividedintothreegroups：

Firstgroup:TheAdvancementofLearning(1605)

NovumOrganum(1620)(Latinversion)

Secondgroup:Essays

ApophthagmesNew&Old(1605)

TheHistoryoftheReignofHenryVII(1622)

TheNewAtlantis(unfinished)

Thirdgroup:MaximsofLaw

TheLearnedReadinguponthe

StatureofUses(1642)

3.領(lǐng)會HisMajorWorks

Essays

Theterm"essay"wasborrowedfromMontaigne'sEssais,whichappear

edfrom1580to1588.BaconlearnedfromMontaigne,thefirstgreatmod

ernessayist,theeconomic&flexiblewayofwriting.However,asapractic

al&prudentialman,heintendstowritefortheambitiousElizabethan&J

acobeanyouthofhisclass&tellthemhowtobeefficient&maketheirw

ayinpubliclife.

Bacon'sessaysarefamousfortheirbrevity,compactness&powerfulness.

Theessaysarewellarranged&enrichedbyBiblicalallusions,Metaphors&

cadence.

4.領(lǐng)會Hisachievements

Asaliteraryman,BaconisthefirstEnglishessayist,whoseEssayswonhi

mahighplaceinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.

Asaphilosopher,heisthefounderofEnglishmaterialisticphilosophy.He

advocatestheinductivemethodofreasoning.Inhisfamouspleaforprogr

ess,Bacondemandsthreethings:1)thefreeinvestigationofnature,2)t

hediscoveryoffactsinsteadoftheblindbeliefintheories3)theverificati

onofresultsbyexperimentratherthanbyargument.Inourday,thesear

etheABCofscience,butinBacon'stimetheywererevolutionary,Marxc

ailedhim"therealfatherofEnglishmaterialism&experimentalscienceof

moderntimesingeneral.11

5.應(yīng)用OfStudies

OfStudiesisthemostpopularofBacon's58essays.Itanalyzeswhat

studieschieflyservefor,thedifferentwaysadoptedbydifferentpeopleto

pursuestudies,&howstudiesexertinfluenceoverhumancharacter.Force

ful&persuasive,compact&precise,OfStudiesrevealstousBacon'smat

ureattitudetowardslearning.Bacon*slanguageisneat,priest,&weighty.

Itissomewhataffected,likethewaterinthereservoir,restricted&confi

ned.

V.JohnDonne

1.一般識記Donne&theMetaphysicalPoetry

JohnDonne:Englishpoet&Clergyman,borninLondon,England,1572,

anddiedinLondon,Mar.311631.Donneistheleadingfigureofthe17t

h-century“metaphysicalschool."Hispoemsgiveamoreinherentlytheatric

alimpressionbyexhibitingaseeminglyunfocuseddiversityofexperiences

&attitudes,&afreerangeoffeelings&attitudes,&afreerangeoffeelin

gs&moods.Themodeisdynamicratherthanstatic,withingenuityofsp

eech,vividnessofimagery&vitalityofrhythms,whichshowanotablecon

trasttotheotherElizabethanlyricpoems,whicharepure,serene,tuneful,

&smoothrunning.ThemoststrikingfeatureofDonne'spoetryisprecisel

yitstangofreality,inthesensethatitseemstoreflectlifeinarealrath

erthanapoeticalworld."MetaphysicalPoetry'*iscommonlyusedtoname

theworkofthe17th-centurywriterswhowroteundertheinfluenceofJo

hnDonne.Witharebellionsspirit,themetaphysicalpoetstriedtobreaka

wayfromtheconventionalfashionoftheElizabethanLovepoetry.Thediet

ionissimpleascomparedwithechoesthewords&cadencesofcommons

peech.Theimageryisdrawnfromtheactuallife.Theformisfrequentlyt

hatofanargumentwiththepoefsbeloved,withGod,orwithhimself.Ge

orgeHerbert,AndrewMarvell,RichardCrashaw,HenryVaughan,Abraham

Cowley,&ThomasTrahernearealsoconsideredtobemetaphysicalpoets.

Theywroteonavarietyofreligious&secularthemes,&toexpresstheir

ideas,theyusedstartling,highlyimaginativecomparisonsknownasconee

its.Aconceitisacombinationofthoughtsorimagesthatarenotusually

associatedwithoneanother.

Thefinestworksofthemetaphysicalpoetscombineintellectualsubtlet

ywithgreatemotionalpower.Thepoemsreflectabroadknowledgeofsci

ence,art,&otherbranchesoflearning.Atthesametime,metaphysicalp

oemsexpressanintenseawarenessofcommonhumanfeelings&experien

ces,suchasjealousy,thelossofreligiousfaith,thecomplexitiesoflove&

thefearofdeath.Althoughtheimageryofmetaphysicalpoetryisfrequen

tlystrained,thelanguageisoftenasnatural&directasordinaryspeech.

2識記Hismajorworks

Inhislife,Donnewrotealargenumberofpoems&proseworks,His

poemsareespeciallyadmiredfortheiruniquecombinati