英美文学选读教案以及复习要点
英美文学选读教案以及复习要点 专业八级资料 Lecture 1 William Shakespeare 1. Introduction of the course (1) This course is called Selected Readings in English and American Literature, a compulsory course for you. It will be finished in 12 weeks. And in each week well meet each other two times. (2) In this course, you will have to read some original works taken from English and American classics. It may be a little bit difficult for you. However, its also a chance for you to know some great treasury in world literature and Ill help you understand them. (3)Comparing with the literary history courses, this course mainly focuses on original productions. The course book is a nice one with classical works and detailed notes. (4) For the final test, 10% will be decided by your attendance, 20% by your homework and 70% by the test paper. About the homework, after we finish each writer, Ill give you a name list of recommended works written by the writer. In the whole semester, you should choose at least one piece of English writers works and one piece of American writers works recommended by me. And then you should write a small paper on the piece of works you chose. That means you should turn in two papers in the whole semester. (5) A very important suggestion: preview the productions before the class; otherwise itll be very difficult for you to catch me in the class. 2. William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) (1) Historical Background A. Queen Elizabeth I: a powerful England with the fast development of capitalism B. Renaissance: an intellectual movement sprung first in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. Two features are striking of this movement. The one is a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature. Another is the humanism, which means the new feeling of admiration for human beauty and human achievement. C. Shakespeare lived in such a period and also such a period made him the most famous and most important English writer. (2) Life (Read paragraph 1 and 2 on page 1 after class. These two paragraphs are the introduction of the great writers life.) A. His complete works include 37 plays, 2 narrative poems and 154 sonnets. B. He is mainly famous for his great plays, especially the outstanding Four Great Tragedies. (Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth) He is also the author of some other famous plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, but today well learn the excerpt from one of his great comedies - The Merchant of Venice, which well talk about a little bit later. C. Shakespeares sonnets are also very good. Well first introduce Sonnet 18, the most famous sonnet written by Shakespeare. (3) Sonnet 18 A. A sonnet is a lyric poem consisting of a single stanza of fourteen iambic pentameter lines linked by an intricate rhyme scheme. It was introduced to England from Italy by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. (It is a very popular poem form and used widely in English literature. In the Elizabeth era, Edmund Spenser was also famous for his sonnets. And later, John Milton, Byron and Keats all contributed excellent sonnets.) B. Though the sonnet is a fixed form, but the rhyme scheme of the sonnet is not fixed. (few minutes for students to find out this poems rhyme scheme.) Answer: abab cdcd efef gg. This is a typical rhyme scheme used by Shakespeare in all his sonnets. C. Explain the poem sentence by sentence. temperate: moderate or mild; rough winds: strong winds; darling: lovely; lease: 租约;complexion: appearance; dim: darken with cloud; brag: boast; D.(discuss) Theme: expressing the deep love to his friend (4) The Merchant of Venice A. Famous comedy written by Shakespeare in his youth B. Setting: Venice, the Middle Age C. Characters: Bassanio, Antonio, Shylock, Portia (let students discuss the characters) Portia: Shakespeares ideal woman, beautiful, intelligent, cultured, gracious, independent, a daughter of Renaissance Shylock: most successful character, a Jew, a greedy and merciless usurer and also a victim of racial discrimination and religious persecution (sympathy) D. Plot: Read the introduction from P3 to P4. E. (Discuss)Theme: Mercy wins over malice. F. The selection is the most famous scene of the whole play and also the climax of the play. (Ask students to read it thoroughly after the class.) In the class, well learn a short part taken from the scene. (P10 to P11, the famous statement about mercy made by Portia) G. (the last but not least) form of the play: verse drama written in blank verse mostly blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter. Soon after blank verse was introduced by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey in his translation of Virgils works, it became the standard meter for Elizabethan and later poetic dramas and some poets, such as John Milton, also employed this form to write their long poems. (5) Recommended Reading Sonnet 29; Sonnet 73; Sonnet 116; Four great tragedies; Romeo and Juliet; A Midsummer Nights Dream 3. Homework 1. Preview the next chapter about John Milton. 2. Find out the form and rhyme scheme of the poem To Cyriack Skinner on P23. Lecture 2 John Milton (1608 0 1674) (Comparing with William Shakespeare, few people read his great productions today. However, he is also a classical writer in English Literature.) 1. Historical Background (Discussion: Any important event happened during Miltons life time in Britain ) English Bourgeois Revolution The conflicts between King (James I and then Charles I) and the Parliament Profound conflicts: the Old Feudalism and New Capitalism In religion: The Anglican Church and the Puritan The consequence of those contradictions: the Civil War (1642 - 1649) The King was executed in 1649 and monarchy was abolished. Oliver Cromwells dictatorship (1649 - 1660) The Restoration: Charles II and then James II Glorious Revolution (1688) 2. Life born in a rich and cultured family - handsome and hardworking - graduated from Cambridge University and got master degree - six years private study and the most knowledgeable poet in Britain - writing pamphlets for the Commonwealth - blind in 1652 - arrested and fined after restoration - produced three great poems in plain life Most important works - three great poems: Paradise Lost (1667); Paradise Regained (1671); Samson Agonistes (1671) (poetic drama) Besides three great poems in his late years, he also wrote some excellent sonnets including the one well learn today. 3. To Cyriack Skinner (Ask the questions of homework) (Answer: Sonnet; abba abba cdcdcd) (1) Form: Sonnet (2) Rhyme scheme: abba abba cdcdcd (different with William Shakespeares sonnets) (3) Explain the poem sentence by sentence (4) (Discussion) Theme: the authors positive attitude towards his blindness (another sonnet on blindness seems more discouraged.) 4. Paradise Lost (《失乐园》) (1) Miltons masterpiece; greatest epic written in the English language *epic(史诗): it is a long verse narrative on a serious subject, told in a formal and elevated style, and centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race. Notice the differences between traditional epics and literary epics. Paradise Lost is a literary epic. (2) Its a long epic including 12 books. The plot is taken from the Old Testament of Holy Bible. *Holy Bible对于理解西方文化最重要的经典,分为《旧约》(The Old Testament)和《新约》(The New Testament)两部分,这两部分写于不同的时期,而且使用的文字不同,《旧约》主要用希伯莱语写成,《新约》则用希腊文写成.圣经最早曾被翻译成希腊文,然后是拉丁文,在欧洲各国通行.《圣经》英译始自8世纪,但各种版本都不算通行,直到Martin Luther宗教改革之后,1611年出现的.Authorized Version至今通行,对英国的语言和文学影响极大.推荐阅读英文版《圣经》节选或房龙《圣经的故事》中文版. Plot: (paragraph two on P24) revolt of Satan and some other angels 0 their defeat and throwing into the Hell 0 temptation of Adam and Eve 0 expulsion of Adam and Eve (3) Theme: to justify the ways of God to man (su