英国文学选读unit1课件.pptVIP

Unit1 Geoffrey Chaucer  (I343-1400) The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) Geoffrey Chaucer, considered by many to be both the father of modern English poetry and the father of the modern English novel, also distinguished himself in his lifetime as a civil servant(文员) and diplomat under three kings of England. When he was taken prisoner by the French, the King himself contributed to his ransom. When, in later years, the King wished to reward Chaucer for his services to the crown, he was granted-among other favors-the right to demand a daily jug of wine from the pantry(食品储藏室) of the royal butler(大管家). Toward the end of his career, he became a knight of the shire(郡) for Kent(肯特州、郡). The early history of England The Roman Conquest (55B.C. 410A.D.) Before the middle of the first century B.C. the original Celtic(凯尔特的) tribes lived in what is now Britain. In 55 B.C. Roman troops led by Julius Caesar invaded the island. Then in 43 A.D., Claudius conquered it. In 78 A.D., Britain was completely subjected to the Roman Empire and it became a Roman province. And the Celts(凯尔特人) became either slaves or cultivators of the land. The Roman occupation also brought Christianity to Britain. Nearly 400 years of Roman rule in Britain ended in 410 A.D. The English conquest or the Anglo-Saxon Period (4101066) After the withdrawal of the Roman troops, a tribe of Teuton(修顿人), called Jutes, landed on the land. Following them came the other two Teutonic tribes, the Angles(央格鲁) and the Saxsons(撒克逊). The occupied different parts of Britain, enslaving some of the native inhabitant. They established small kingdoms and wars broke out among them. Gradually the Angles spread over the east midland and flourished. They built the kingdom of the East Angles. Small kingdoms were combined to form a single larger kingdom: England, and people were called English. The Anglo-Saxon dialect is what we now call Old English. The Danes(丹麦人) Invasion For more than 100 ye