英国文学史及作品选读 Lecture 3 Francis Bacon.ppt

The Elizabethan Age Early Modern Age Renaissance- Rebirth, Revival Renaissance The Renaissance period is markedly by the rediscovery and study of the classics of ancient Greece and Rome, by challenge feudal obscurantism （n.蒙昧主义, 反开化论） and religious dogmas, by opposing the tyranny of feudal rules. Humanism was the keynote of the renaissance, reflecting the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. Against the medieval feudal value and blind faith in after-life, the humanists believed in man’s capability of self -perfection and emphasized the importance of personal worth and the joy of the present life. What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving, how express and admirable in action, how like an angle in apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the world; the paragon of animals; and yet to me what is this quintessence of dust ? - William Shakespeare the King James Bible, or the “Authorized Version,” 47 translators, over 10 years, published in 1611 English Literature in the Renaissance Period Poem: England- “a nest of singing birds” Edmund Spenser: the poet’s poet The Faerie Queene Drama: the age of William Shakespeare predecessor: Christopher Marlowe Tamburlaine the Great The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus Ben Jonson Francis Bacon (1561-1626) Study Questions: Is marriage an impediment or help to one’s career development ? In what sense are wife and children “a kind of discipline of humanity” ? Does Bacon prefer marriage or single life? Do you find his arguments convincing? Quotation Discussion “Wives are young men‘s mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses.” 。 “妻子是年轻时的情人，中年时的伴侣，老年时的保姆”。 “…bad husbands have very good wives” 坏男配好妻 *