1、English LiteratureTeacher: Wang XingweiLecture One IntroductionGeneral description of the coursePurposes of this courseHow to do wellCourse requirementYou will study the eighteight periods in English literary historyYou will have a very hard time!You will learn to appreciate literature, learn to mak
2、e criticism and even learn to write a small critical essay!The Anglo-Saxon (449-1066)The Anglo-Norman (1066-1350)The Renaissance (14-mid17th century)The 17th Century Romanticism (the first half of the 19th century)The Victorian Age(Critical Realism, 1837-1901)Modernism (the 20th century)The Enlighte
3、nment (18th century)The Purposes of This CourseMake students get a clear picture of the development of English literatureMake students know how to appreciate literature, understand a literary work, and how to make comment.The Purposes of This CourseMake students develop a deep understanding of the w
4、estern culture, and develop their own humanistic thinking;Help students to enhance their English abilities. Requirements Finish the reading, writing and reciting assignments; Attend the class regularly; Be active in class activities and discussion Be honest GradingClass attendance.10%Class discussio
5、n10%Reading & Writing 10%Mid-Term Exam 20%Final Exam.50%What is literature? Longman Dictionary:Written works which are of artistic value; What is literature? Oxford Dictionary:Writings that are valued as works of art, esp. fiction, drama and poetryWhat is literature? Laurie G. Laurie G. KirsznerKirs
6、zner and Stephen R. and Stephen R. MandellMandell, , LiteratureLiterature Literature must be imaginative, because even when writers use factual materialhistorical documents, newspaper stories, or personal experience, for examplethey must add something into it and make the event get the universal sig
7、nificance. Literature must : Be of artistic value Include fiction, drama and poetry Be imaginative Three Genres of LiteratureThree Genres of LiteratureFictionPoetryDramaAnalyzing FictionAnalyzing FictionFictionFiction is a narrative that tells a story by presenting events in some logical or orderly
8、way. Works of narrative fiction originated in the imagination of the author, not in history or fact. Certainly some fiction historical or autobiographical fiction, for example focuses on real people and actual events, but the way the characters interact and how the plot unfolds are the authors inven
9、tion. Analyzing FictionAnalyzing Fiction The first English novel is Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe of 1719. By the nineteenth century, the novel reached a high point in its development, replacing other kinds of extended narratives. Analyzing FictionAnalyzing Fiction Folktales and fairy tales: The fol
10、ktales and fairy tales that survive (such as “Cinderella” and Aesops Fables) are contemporary versions of old, even ancient, tales that can be traced back centuries through many different cultures. Folktales and fairy tales influence many great literary works such as Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury
11、 Tales and D. H. Lawrences “The Rocking Horse Winner”.Analyzing FictionAnalyzing Fiction Short Story: Short story originated during the nineteenth century (Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe). Short story is very well accepted in America, so someone believes that short story is an American lite
12、rary form.Elements of Fiction1. Plot 2. Characterization 3. Setting 4. Point of view 5. Style, tone, and language 6. SymbolPlot Plot Plot is the way in which a storys events are arranged; it is shaped by causal connectionshistorical, social, and personalby the interaction between characters, and by
13、the juxtaposition of events.Its a truism that there are only two basic plots in fiction: one, somebody takes a trip; two, a stranger comes to town. (Lee Smith, New York Times Book Review)Conflict Conflict is the major way to keep readers interest and involvement. Conflict is the struggle between opp
14、osing forces of the ProtagonistProtagonist and the AntagonistAntagonist. The Protagonist is a storys principal character, and the antagonist is someone or something presented in opposition to the protagonist.Stages of PlotExpositionComplicationClimaxResolutionExposition In a storys exposition the wr
15、iter presents the basic information readers need to understand the events that follow. Typically, the exposition sets the story in motion: it establishes the scene, introduces the major characters, and perhaps suggests the major events or conflicts to come.Complication. As the plot progresses, the s
16、torys conflict unfolds through a series of complications that will eventually lead readers to the storys climaxClimax The climax is the point of greatest tension or importance, the scene that presents a storys decisive action or event. The climax may include several crises. A crisis is a peak in the
17、 storys action, a moment of considerable tension or importance.ResolutionResolution is the final stage of plot. It draws the action to a close and accounts for all remaining loose ends.CharacterizationCharacterization is the way writers develop characters and reveal those characters traits to reader
18、s. Methods of characterization: action reactions physical appearance speech, gestures, and expressions namesRound and Flat Characters Flat characters Flat characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. Round characters Roun
19、d characters are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader.Round and Flat Characters Some flat characters are stock characters, easily identifiable types who behave so consistently that readers can readily recognize them. The kindly old priest, the tough young bu
20、lly, and the ruthless business executive are all stock characters.SettingWhen and where the story happens influence our interpretation of the storys events and characters. Historical setting Geographical setting Physical settingPoint of View First person narrator (I or We) “Every morning I lay on th
21、e floor in the front parlour watching her door”. (James Joyce, “Araby”)Point of View “And so she died We did not even know she was sick; we had long since given up trying to get information” (William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily”) Point of View Third-person narrator (He, She, It, or They) Omniscient
22、Limited omniscient Objective (Dramatic)Point of View Omniscient “in a house, in a suburb, there were a man and his wife who loved each other very much” (Nadine Gordimer, “Once upon a time”)Point of View Limited omniscient “The wagon went on. He did not know where they were going.” (William Faulkner,
23、 “Barn Burning”)Point of View Objective (Dramatic) “Youll be drunk, the waiter said. The old man looked at him. The waiter went away.” (Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”)Style, Tone, and Language Style: word choice, syntax, sentence length and structure, and the presence, frequency, an
24、d prominence of imagery and figures of speech;Tone Tone: the attitude of the narrator or author of a work toward the subject matter, characters, or audience. (Word choice and sentence structure ) The tone can be intimate or distant, bitter or affectionate, straightforward or cautious, supportive or
25、critical, respectful or condescending.LanguageDiction (formal diction and informal diction) Imagery and figurative languageSymbol A symbol is a person, object, action, place, or event that, in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings. Analyzing Poetry Typ
26、es of poetry Narrative poetry: the poetry that recounts a story Lyric Poetry: Lyric poetry communicates a speakers mood, feelings, or state of mind.Narrative Poetry Epic: long narrative poems about heroic figures whose actions determine the fate of a nation or an entire race. The language of epic po
27、ems tends to be formal, even elevated, and often quite elaborate. (Iliad and Odyssey, Beowulf ) IliadNarrative Poetry Ballad: The ballad is another type of narrative poetry with roots in an oral tradition. Originally intended to be sung, a ballad uses repeated words and phrases, including a refrain,
28、 to advance its story.Robin Hood Romance Romance: Romance is an imaginative literature that is set in an idealized world and that deals with heroic adventures and battles between good and evil. King Arthur Lyric Poetry Elegy: a poem in which a poet mourns the death of a specific person. ( “Elegy Wri
29、tten in a Country Churchyard”) Ode: a long lyric poem, formal and serious in style, tone, and subject matter. ( “Ode to the West Wind”)Lyric Poetry Sonnet: Sonnet is a 14-line verse form usually written in iambic pentameter. Pastoral: a lyric poem that celebrates the simple idyllic pleasures of coun
30、try life. ( “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love)Elements of Poetry Speaker Imagery Figures of speech Symbolism SoundFigures of Speech Simile: My love is like a red, red rose Metaphor: My head is a badly organized file; / My head is a switchboard(Marge Piercy, “The Secretary Chant”)Symbolism A symbo
31、l is an idea or image that suggests something else. Tyger! Tyger! burning bright, / In the forests of the nightSound Rhyme and rhythm Rhyme: Alliteration: He clasps the crag with crooked hands;Close to the sun in lonely lands,Rhyme Assonance: A lawn about the shoulder thrownInto a fine distraction;A
32、 careless shoestring, in whose tieI see a wild civility;Do more bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part.End rhyme: Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the nightRhythm Rhythm: Rhythm is the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables into a pattern. Meter: Meter is a gen
33、erally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetryRhythm Foot: Foot refers to two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem. For example, an Iamb is a foot that has two syllables, one unstressed followed by one stressed. An Anapest has three syl
34、lables, two unstressed followed by one stressed.Rhythm Iamb 抑扬格 Trochee 扬抑格 Anapest 抑抑扬格 Dactyl 扬抑抑格Rhythm Iamb: I wondered lonely as a cloud Trochee: Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright Anapest: Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood. Dactyl: Take her up tenderly Lift her with careNumber of Fee
35、t Per Line One foot Monometer Two feet Dimeter Three feet Trimeter Four feet Tetrameter Five feet Pentameter Six feet Hexameter Seven feet Heptanmeter Eight feet OctameterForms of poetryClosed form (fixed form)Blank verse (iambic pentameter)Sonnet Open form (free verse)Analyzing Drama Elements of dr
36、ama: Plot Exposition Rising action Climax Falling action Resolution CharacterAnalyzing Drama Dialogue, costumes, properties, music and sound effects ThemeTypes of DramaThe Merchant of Venice King LearCymbeline, The Winters Tale Comedy Tragedy TragicomedyQuestions for Preview 1. What is the story of Beowulf? 2. What is the spirit of the ancient people reflected in the epic Beowulf? 3. What is the story of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”?
