古英语史诗—贝奥武夫 第一小组.pptVIP

English literature actually began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. England was christianized part by part in the 7th century. Monasteries were built all over the country. It was in these monasteries that the earliest English books were written down, as at that time few except monks could read and write. There were two literary divisions: one was pagan and the other was religious. And the main literary forms are poetry and prose, and poetry was in oral form. What is an epic(史诗)? 1.Epic is one of the ancient types of poetry and plays a very important role in early development of literature and civilization. 2.An epic is a long narrative poem of great scale and grandiose style about the heroes who are usually warriors or even demigods(半人半神). It deals with noble characters and heroic deeds. 3.The epic is polygonal(多边的). It incorporates(结合) myth, legend and folk tale. It reflects national history. Epic: definition Epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, like Homer’s Iliad (伊利亚特) Odyssey（奥德赛）. It usually celebrates the feats of one or more legendary or traditional heroes. The action is simple, but full of magnificence. Today, some long narrative works, like novels that reveal an age its people, are also called epic. The Religious Poetry The religious poetry is also called Christian poetry. It is mainly on biblical stories and saints’ lives. But sometimes there is a mixture of Christian and pagan ideas in these poems. It is represented by Caedmon （凯德蒙） and Cynewulf （塞内武甫）. The Pagan Poetry: The Song of Beowulf 1. Beowulf: the poem and the story 2. Significance of “Beowulf” 3. Poetic Form and Features of “Beowulf” 4. What is an epic? Beowulf: the poem and the Story The Poem: Beowulf is the greatest Old English poem. It belongs to the 7th century. The poem consists of 3182 lines and is the lst English epic. The name of its author is unknown. It was originally in an oral form, sung by