[研究生入学考试]英国文学选读教案以及考研复习要点.docVIP

Introduction of the course (1) This course is called Selected Readings in English Literature, a compulsory course for you. It will be finished in about 2 weeks. (2) In this course, you will have to read some original works taken from English classics. It may be a little bit difficult for you. However, its also a chance for you to know some great treasury in world literature and Ill help you understand them. (3)Comparing with the literary history courses, this course mainly focuses on original productions. The course book is a nice one with classical works and detailed notes. (4) For the final test, 20% will be decided by your attendance, and 80% by the test paper. (5) A very important suggestion: preview the productions before the class; otherwise itll be very difficult for you to catch me in the class. Lecture 1 The Old and Medieval English Literature Since historical times, England has been conquered three times. It was conquered by the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Normans. England was not much affected by the Roman Conquest, but she felt the full weight of the other two conquests. The Anglo-Saxons brought to England the Germanic language and culture, while the Normans brought a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization, which includes Greek culture, Roman law, and the Christian religion. It is the cultural influences of these two conquests that provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature. The period of old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England. The Anglo-Saxon language became the basis of modern English, and a specific poetic tradition, which is both bold and strong, mournful and elegiac in spirit.(粗犷、豪迈、悲情、哀婉) Generally speaking, the old English literature that has survived can be divided into two groups: the religious group and the secular one. The poetry of the religious group is mainly on biblical themes. Genesis A, Genesis B and Exodus (《创世纪》、《出埃及纪》)are poems based on the Old