Chapters-19-20--英国文学简史(English-Literature).pptVIP

KeyPointsinChapter19TheEarly20thCenturyTheEdwardiansTheGeorgians

TheEarly20thCentury

IntroductionWhenQueenVictoriadiedin1901,anerawasformallyover.Thenewcenturybeganwithitsparticularsetofproblems.Foronething,thecrisisoffaith,firstclearlyfeltwiththepublicationofCharlesDarwin’sTheOriginofSpecies.Pessimismwasprevalent.ThentheBritishempirewasdeclining.Furthermore,thestatusofartsandliteraturewasbeginningtoundergoaprocessofredefining.Therewasastrongsenseofdisaffectionandhugedriveforchangeintheliterarycircles.Importantdevelopmentinthefieldssuchaspsychology,anthropologyandphilosophywereexertingafar-reachinginfluenceonliterarycreation.

TheEdwardians

IntroductionInherfamousessay,“ModernFiction,”VirginiaWoolfsingledoutthreenovelistsofthefirstyearsofthe20thcenturyforanalysisandbrandedthemas“Edwardians,”anomenclaturenotfavorableinmeaning.Hermajorcomplaintwasabouttheirover-emphasisonthedescriptionofexternalitiesintheirrepresentationofliferatherthanontheinternalworldofman.Theauthorswhowroteandmadetheirnamesinthis“Edwardian”periodwhenKingEdwardwasonthethroneforadecadeincludedArnoldBennett,H.G.Wells,JohnGalsworthy,JosephConrad,RudyardKiplingandE.M.Forster.

TheEdwardians

JohnGalsworthy(1867-1933)HewasoneofthemostprolificwritersoftheperiodandwontheNobelPrizein1932.HeinheritedthegreattraditionofrealisminEnglishliterature.Histhemesfocusonthelivesandexperiencesoftherichmenofproperty,theirselfishness,theirphilistinism,theirdecadence,depravity,anddecline,andtheirfierceconflictwiththeworkers.Hismajorworksincludethethreetrilogies,TheForsyteSaga,AModernComedyandTheEndoftheChapter.ThebestknownofhisworksaretheForsyteSaganovels—TheManofProperty,InChancery,andToLet.

TheEdwardians

H.G.Wells(1866-1946)W