Chapter2英国文学.pptVIP

Chapter 2 Chaucer · The Pre-Elizabethan Period · More 乔叟-前伊丽莎白时期-莫尔 Literary Terms（文学术语解释） The Heroic Couplet（英雄对偶句）:1)It means a pair of lines of a type once common in English poetry, in other words, it means iambic pentameter rhymed in two lines. 2)The rhyme is masculine. 3)Use of the heroic couplet was first pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer.（南开大学、北航2003年英语专业硕士入学试题） Humanism（人文主义）:1)Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. It emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. 2)Humanists voiced their beliefs that man was the center of the universe and man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of the present life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders.（北京第二外院2006年考研题） Renaissance（文艺复兴）:1)It refers to the transitional period from the medieval to the modern world. It first started in Italy in the 14th century. 2)The Renaissance means rebirth or revival. 3)It was stimulated by a series of historical events, such as the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek classics, the new discoveries in geography and astrology, the religious reformation and the economic expansion. 4)Humanism is the essence of Renaissance. 5)The English Renaissance didn’t begin until the reign of Henry Ⅷ. It was regarded as England’s Golden Age, especially in literature. 6)The real mainstream of the English Renaissance is the Elizabethan drama. 7)This period produced such literary giants as Shakespeare, Spenser, Marlowe, Bacon, Donne and Milton, etc.（浙江大学2002年考研题） Representative Writers and Their works（作家作品） Geoffrey Chaucer（杰弗雷·乔叟） The Canterbury Tales 《坎特伯雷故事集》 The Canterbury Tales It is Chaucer’s monumental success. It is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. It was influenced by Boccacio( 薄伽丘)’s Decameron (《十日谈》). In the poem Chaucer presents, for the first time in English Literature, a comprehensive realistic picture of the medieval English society and creates a whole gallery of