1 20th Century Literature.pptVIP

Part IX20th century literature;20th century literature;;I. Historical Background ;1. The First World War;;;2. The Boer War;;;The postwar economic dislocation and spiritual disillusion produced a profound impact upon the British people. ;3. The Second World War;4. Post-war;;The other colonies followed suit in a quick succession. Up to 1970, Britain had lost almost all her former colonies. The once sun-never-set Empire finally collapsed. ;;It took almost twenty years for most English people to really understand and accept the fact that England no longer stood at the center of world affairs. ;In those years, the Labour and Conservative governments replaced one another without being able to discover a new destiny to inspire and unite the people. ;;However, Britain has managed to pass the most difficult period. By developing high-tech industries, Britain has got a new footing(立足点) in her economy and trade. ;Britain is still one of the major capitalist countries in the world. the introduction of the social welfare programs class antagonism softened up to a certain degree peoples living conditions have been much improved.;Ⅱ. Cultural Background;1. New Theories and Ideas;pessimism or determinism;1) Darwin’s theory of evolution 2) Einstein’s theory of relativity 3) Sigmund Freud’s analytical psychology 4) Karl Marx 5) Arthur Schopenhauer 6) Friedrich Nietzsche 7) Henry Bergson’s irrational philosophy 8) Sartres existentialism;Darwin’s theory of evolution Spencer’s Social Darwinism ;;Herbert Spencer’s Social Darwinism;Utilitarianism(功/实利主义) and Social Darwinism served for the Bourgeois class. Darwin’s evolutionary theory shattered the Christian belief.;2) Einsteins theory of relativity;3) Sigmund Freud’s analytical psychology弗洛伊德的精神分析学说;4) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels;And Marxist ideas about art and literature have played an important role in literary criticism. In the meantime, the idealist philosophy had a rampant growth. ;5) Arthur Schopenhauer (叔本华，1788-1