英美文学名词解释.docVIP

英美文学名词解释 英美文学名词解释 PAGE 英美文学名词解释 英国 Renaissance：The term originally indicated a revival of classical(Greek and Roman) arts and sciences after the dark ages of medieval obscurantism(蒙昧主义）. Humanism is the essence of Renaissance. The real mainstream of English Renaissance is the Elizabethan drama with William Shakespeare being the leading dramatist. Humanism: Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. It emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. 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. Romance: Any imagination literature that is set in an idealized world and deals with heroic adventures and battles between good characters and villains or monsters. Originally, the term referred to a medieval tale dealing with the loves and adventures of kings, knights and ladies, and including unlikely or supernatural happenings. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the best of medieval romances. University Wits: University Wits refers to a group of scholars during the Elizabethan Age who graduated from either Oxford or Cambridge. They came to London with the ambition to become professional writers. Some of them later became famous poets and playwrights. They were called “University Wits”. Christopher Marlowe is the most gifted of the University Wits. Metaphysical Poetry: Metaphysical poetry is a derogatory(贬义的）term invented by John Dryden and later adopted by Samuel Johnson describing a school of highly intellectual poetry marked by bold(大胆的) and ingenious (有独创性的）conceits, imagery, complexity of thought, frequent use of paradox. The main themes are love, death, and religion. The chief representative of this school was John Donne. Cavalier Poets: The cavaliers are royalists, whose poetry was marked by courtliness, urbanity(雅致，礼貌）, and polish（优雅）. They were lyrical poets, and dealt ch