英国文学史复习资料整理.docVIP

historical background: the making of Britain A.?Briton (Celtic tribes) B. the Roman ConquestRoman Briton 1th Julius Caesar A.D.43 Claudius C. mid-5th Anglo-Saxons (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) Anglo-Saxon period D. Danish invasion late 8th, Danes late 9th, Alfred the Great the literature the literature of this period falls naturally isto two divisions—pagan and Christian pagan represents the poetry which the Anglo-Saxons probably brought with them in the form of oral sagas Christian represents the writings developed under teaching of the monks.. All of the earliest poetry of England was copied by the monks, and seems to have been more or less altered to give it a religious coloring. The angles, an important Teutonis tribe, furnished the name for the new home, which was called Angle-land afterward shortened into England. The language spoken by these tribes is generally called Anglo-Saxon or Saxon. Literary term ★ Epic: a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. Many epics were drawn from an oral tradition and were transmitted by song and recitation before they were written down.(examples: Iliad, Odyssey, Chanson de Roland) 2. Beowulf– national epic ★ the longest and most monument of A-S poems ★ the oldest surviving epic in British literature. oral form (6th), earliest written record (7th or 8th) set in Denmark and Sweden Beowulf 1. 3183 lines 2. contents: Beowulf centers on the narration of the exploits of the heroic figure beowulf. 3 adventures MonsterGrendel Grendel’s mother fiery dragon Theme: primitive people’s struggle against hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. Beowulf is not simply a man of great military prowess but he is forever eager to help others in distress and in his last adventure with the dragon he shows himself a