自考英语本科《英美文学选读》英美文学复习笔记整理.docVIP

英国部分 The Renaissance Period 1. Renaissance :between 14th and mid-17th century. 2. Renaissance means rebirth or revival, is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, such as the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture, the new discoveries in geography and astrology, the religious reformation and the economic expansion. 3. the Renaissance, therefore in essence is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and Scholars made attempt to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in Medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the purity of the rising bourgeoisie, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic church. 4. Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance (1) Capable of individual development in the direction of perfection. (2) They inhabited was theirs not to despise by to question, explore and enjoy. (3) By emphasizing the dignity of human being and the Importance of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life (4) Tomas More, Christopher Marlow and William Shakespeare are the best representative of the English humanist. 5 Metaphysical poetry: Metaphysical is characterized by passionate thought succession of concentrated image, exercise of elaborate ingenuity and “wit”, John Done was the famous of the Metaphysical poet. The Metaphysical Poets were men of learning and to show their learning was their endeavour. Edmund Spencer Masterpiece: The Faerie Queene (allegory) Christopher Marlowe University wits Important plays: Tambulaine, Dr.Faustus, The Jewof Meta Edmund II Marlowe voiced the supreme desire of the man of the Renaissance of infinite powers and authority (1) Perfected the blank verse. (2) Creation of the Renaissance hero to English drama ,it embodies Marlowe’s ideal of human dignity and capacity. Dr.Faustus: aspiring for knowledge, the play’s dominant moral is