英语专业考研英美文学作家作品笔记[推荐阅读]

第一篇：英语专业考研英美文学作家作品笔记

英语专业考研英美文学作家作品笔记 01

英语专业考研英美文学作家作品笔记

British Writers and Works The Anglo-Saxon Period The Venerable Bede 比得673~735

Ecclesiastical History of the English People 英吉利人教会史 Alfred the Great 阿尔弗雷得大帝849~899 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 盎格鲁—萨克逊编年史 The Late Medieval Ages William Langland 威廉•兰格伦1332~1400 Piers the Plowman 农夫比埃斯的梦

Geoffery Chaucer 杰弗里•乔叟1340(?)~1400 The Books of the Duchess悼公爵夫人 Troilus and Criseyde特罗伊拉斯和克莱希德 The Canterbury Tales坎特伯雷故事集 The House of Fame声誉之宫

Sir Thomas Malory托马斯•马洛里爵士1405~1471

Le Morte D’Arthur亚瑟王之死 The Renaissance Sir Philip Sydney菲利普•锡德尼爵士1554~1586 The School of Abuse诲淫的学校 Defense of Poesy诗辩 Edmund Spenser埃德蒙•斯宾塞1552~1599 The Shepherds Calendar牧人日历 Amoretti爱情小唱 Epithalamion婚后曲

Colin Clouts Come Home Againe柯林•克劳特回来了 Foure Hymnes四首赞美歌 The Faerie Queene仙后

Thomas More托马斯•莫尔1478~1535 Utopia乌托邦

Francis Bacon弗兰西斯•培根1561~1626 Advancement of Learning学术的推进 Novum Organum新工具 Essays随笔

Christopher Marlowe柯里斯托弗•马洛1564~1595 Tamburlaine帖木耳大帝

The Jew of Malta马耳他的犹太人

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus浮士德博士的悲剧 William Shakespeare威廉•莎士比亚1564~1616 Romeo and Juliet罗密欧与朱利叶 Merchant of Venice威尼斯商人 Henry IV亨利四世

Julius Caesar尤利乌斯•凯撒 As You Like It皆大欢喜 Hamlet哈姆莱特 Othello奥赛罗 King Lear李尔王 Macbeth麦克白

Antony and Cleopatra安东尼与克里奥佩特拉 Tempest暴风雨

poetry: Venus and Adonis;The Rape of Lucrece(Venus and Lucrece);ThePilgrim, the Sonnets The 17th Century John Milton约翰•弥尔顿1608~1674

L’Allegre 欢乐的人 IL Pens eroso 沉思的人 Comus柯玛斯 Lycidas利西达斯 Of Education论教育 Areopagitica论出版自由

The Defence of the English People为英国人民声辩

The Second Defence of the English People再为英国人民声辩 Paradise Lost失乐园 Paradise Regained复乐园 Samson Agonistes力士参孙 John Bunyan约翰•班扬1628~1688

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners功德无量

Passionate The Pilgrim’s Progress 天路历程

The Life and Death of Mr Badman败德先生传 The Holy War圣战

John Dryden约翰•德莱顿1631~1700 All for Love一切为了爱情

Absalom and Achitophel押沙龙与阿齐托菲尔 The Hind and Panther牝鹿与豹 Annus Mirabilis神奇的年代

Alexander’s Feast亚历山大的宴会 An Essay of Dramatic Poesy 论戏剧诗 The 18th Century Alexander Pope亚历山大•蒲柏1688~1744 Essay on Criticism批评论 Moral Essays道德论 An Essay on Man人论

The Rape of the Rock卷发遇劫记 The Dunciad愚人记

Samuel Johnson塞缪尔•约翰逊1709~1784 The Dictionary of English Language英语辞典 The Vanity of Human Wishes人类欲望之虚幻 London伦敦

The Lives of Great Poets诗人传

Jonathan Swift乔纳森•斯威夫特1667~1745 The Battle of Books书战 A Tale of a Tub木桶的故事

The Drapper’s Letters一个麻布商的书信 A Modest Proposal一个小小的建议 Gulliver’s Travels格列佛游记 Daniel Defoe丹尼尔•笛福1660~1731

The Review(periodical founded by Defoe)评论报 Robinson Crusoe鲁宾逊漂流记 Henry Fielding亨利•菲尔丁1707~1754

The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews约瑟夫•安德鲁 The Life of Mr Jonathan Wild, the Great大诗人江奈生•威尔德 Amelia爱米利亚

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling汤姆•琼斯 The Historical Register for 1736一七三六年历史记事 Don Quixote in England堂吉柯德在英国 Samuel Richardson塞缪尔•理查逊1689~1761 Pamela(Virtue Rewarded)帕米拉

Oliver Goldsmith奥利弗•格尔德斯密斯1730~1774 The Traveller旅游人 The Deserted Village荒村

The Vicar of Wakefield威克菲尔德牧师传 The Good Natured Man好心人 She Stoops to Conquer屈身求爱 The Citizens of the World世界公民 Thomas Gray托马斯•格雷1716~1771

An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard墓园挽诗 Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat爱猫之死 The Bard游吟诗人

Richard Brinsley Sheridan理查德•布林斯利•施莱登1751~1816 The Rivals情敌

The School for Scandal造谣学校

St.Patrick’s Day(The Scheming Lieutenant)圣•派特立克节 The Duenna伴娘 The Critic批评家 The Romantic Age Robert Burns罗伯特•彭斯1759~1796

Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect主要用苏格兰方言写的诗 John Anderson, My Jo约翰•安德生，我的爱人 A Red, Red Rose一朵红红的玫瑰 Auld Long Syne往昔时光

A Man’s a Man for A’That不管那一套

My Heart’s in the Highlands我的心在那高原上 William Blake威廉•布莱克1757~1827 Songs of Innocence天真之歌 Songs of Experience经验之歌 America亚美利加 Europe欧罗巴 Milton弥尔顿 Jerusalem耶路撒冷

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell天堂与地狱的婚姻 William Wordsworth威廉•华兹华斯1770~1850 We Are Seven我们是七个

The Solitary Reaper孤独的割麦女

Imitations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood不朽颂 The Prelude序曲

Lyrical Ballads抒情歌谣集

Samuel Taylor Coleridge塞缪尔•泰勒•科尔律治1772~1834 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner古舟子颂 Christabel柯里斯塔贝尔 Kubla Khan忽必烈汗 Frost at Night半夜冰霜 Dejection, an Ode忧郁颂 Biographia Literaria文学传记

George Gordon Byron乔治•戈登•拜伦1788~1824

Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage恰尔德•哈罗德尔游记 Manfred曼弗雷德 Cain该隐 Don Juan唐•璜

When We Two Parted当初我们俩分别 Persy Bysshe Shelley波西•比希•雪莱1792~1822 Queen Mab麦步女王

Revolt of Islam伊斯兰的反叛 The Cenci钦契一家

The Masque of Anarchy, Hellas专制者的假面游行 Prometheus Unbound解放了的普罗米修斯 Ode to the West Wind西风颂 To a Skylark致云雀

John Keats约翰•济慈1795~1821 On a Grecian Urn希腊古瓮颂 Ode to a Nightingale夜莺颂 Ode to Autumn秋颂 To Psyche普塞克颂

On First Looking in Chapman’s Homer初读查普曼翻译的荷马史诗有感 Sir Walter Scott沃尔特•斯科特爵士1771~1832 The Lady of the Lake湖上夫人 Waverley威弗利 Guy Mannering盖曼纳令 Rob Roy罗伯•罗伊 Ivanhoe艾凡赫

Kenilworth肯纳尔沃斯堡 Quentin Durward昆廷•达沃德 St.Ronan’s Wells圣罗南之泉 Jane Austen简•奥斯丁1775~1817 Sense and Sensibility理智与情感 Pride and Prejudice傲慢与偏见 Mansfield Park曼斯菲尔德庄园 Emma爱玛

Northanger Abbey诺桑觉寺 Persuasion劝导

Charles Lamb查尔斯•兰姆1775~1834 Tales from Shakespeare莎士比亚戏剧故事集 John Woodvil约翰•伍德维尔 The Victorian Age Charles Dickens查尔斯•狄更斯1812~1870 Sketches by Boz波兹特写

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club匹克威克外传 Oliver Twist奥利弗•特维斯特（雾都孤儿） The Old Curiosity Shop老古玩店 Barnaby Rudge巴纳比•拉奇 American Notes美国杂记

Martin Chuzzlewit马丁•朱淑尔维特 A Christmas Carol圣诞颂歌 The Chimes教堂钟声

The Cricket on the Hearth灶上蟋蟀 Dombey and Son董贝父子 David Copperfield大卫•科波菲尔 Bleak House荒凉山庄 Hard Times艰难时世 Little Dorrit小杜丽 A Tale of Two Cities双城记 Great Expectations远大前程 Our Mutual Friend我们共同的朋友 Edwin Drood艾德温•朱特

William Makepeace Thackeray威廉•麦克匹斯•萨克雷1811~1863 Vanity Fair名利场 Pendennis潘登尼斯 The Newcomers纽克姆一家

The History of Henry Esmond亨利•埃斯蒙德 Charlotte Bronte夏洛蒂•勃朗特1816~1855 Professor教师 Jane Eyre简•爱 Shirley雪莉 Villette维莱特

Emily Bronte艾米莉•勃朗特1818~1854 Wuthering Heights呼啸山庄 George Eliot乔治•艾略特1819~1880 Adam Bede亚当•比德

The Mill on the Floss弗洛斯河上的磨坊 Silas Marner织工马南 Romola罗慕拉

Felix Holt菲利克斯•霍尔特 Middlemarch米德尔马契 Daniel Deronda丹尼尔•德龙拉 Thomas Hardy托马斯•哈代1840~1928 A Pair of Blue Eyes一双蓝眼睛 The Trumpet Major号兵长 Desperate Remedies非常手段

The Hand of Ethelberta艾塞尔伯塔的婚姻 Under the Greenwood Tree绿荫下 Far from the Madding Crowd远离尘嚣 The Mayor of Casterbridge卡斯特桥市长

Tess of the D’Urbervilles德伯家的苔丝 Jude the Obscure无名的裘德

Alfred Tennyson阿尔弗莱德•丁尼生1809~1892 In Memoriam悼念

Break, Break, Break冲击、冲击、冲击 Idylls of the King国王叙事诗

Robert Browning罗伯特•白朗宁1812~1889 Dramatic Lyrics戏剧抒情诗

Dramatic Romances and Lyrics戏剧故事及抒情诗 Men and Women男男女女 Dramatic Personae登场人物 The Ring and the Book环与书

Elizabeth Barrett Browning伊丽莎白•芭蕾特•白朗宁1806~1861 Sonnets from the Portuguese葡萄牙十四行诗 The Cry of the Children孩子们的哭声 John Ruskin约翰•罗斯金1819~1900 Modern Painters现代画家

The Seven Lamps of Architecture建筑的七盏明灯 The Stone of Venice威尼斯石头 Oscar Wilde奥斯卡•王尔德1856~1900

The Happy Prince and Other Tales快乐王子故事集 The Picture of Dorian Gray多利安•格雷的画像

Lady Windermere’s Fan温德米尔夫人的扇子 A Woman of No Importance一个无足轻重的女人 An Ideal Husband理想的丈夫

The Importance of Being Earnest认真的重要 1900~1950 William Butler Yeats威廉•勃特勒•叶茨1865~1939 The Responsibilities责任

The Wild Swans at Coole库尔的野天鹅 The Tower钟楼

The Winding Stair弯弯的楼梯

John Galsworthy约翰•高尔斯华绥1867~1933 Forsyte Saga福尔塞世家 The Man of Property有产业的人 In Chancery进退维谷 To Let招租出让

The End of the Chapter一章的结束 James Joyce詹姆斯•乔伊斯1882~1941

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man一个青年艺术家的肖像 Ulysses尤利西斯

Finnegans Wake芬尼根的苏醒 Dubliners都柏林人

Virginia Woolf弗吉尼娅•沃尔芙1882~1941

第二篇：英语专业考研英美文学作家作品顺口溜

外语用复试参考资料5分钟内记住英美文学教材上的所有主要作家

再重申一下: 下面的顺口溜只是用来方便记忆, 帮助你较容易记住提纲挈领的一些内容, 由骨及肉, 因此而记住更多的内容,(我之前曾看过一位网友介绍他通过英美文学的经验, 主题大致就是要记住树干, 到树枝, 再到树叶.他的话很有道理, 我基本上也是按他的原理做的.), 除此再无他用.因为是顺口溜, 顺口是第一位, 因此, 其中有些字看上去有些古怪, 有些牵强, 请不要太在意.能记住就可以了.上面五句为英国部分, 下面三句为美国部分.邓恩撕马赔沙弥

蒲伯吹笛,约翰逊感谢一班来自非州的斯文格格

布来克华华叫, 科学家济兹跟澳雪说拜拜.狄更斯爱喝不安宁的布丁.萧高叶踢死老乔

华盛顿爱上惠霍的梅姑娘.骑马在德来塞大战狄金森

罗伯特李只好以福克纳飞欧申奥.要使用好上面的顺口溜, 前提是你对他们应该有一个大致的了解, 否则你会很难知道who is who了.哈哈...下面我将顺口溜中的字对应的人名加上, 供大家参考.注意: 有些对应的是first name, 有些是last name, 有些则完全是为了顺口的需要而增加的, 无人名可对.邓恩John Donne撕Edmund Spenser 马Christopher Marlowe 赔Francis Bacon 沙William Shakespeare 弥John Milton

蒲伯Alexander Pope 吹笛Daniel Defoe ,约翰逊Samuel Johnson 感谢Richard Binsley Sheridan 一班John Bunyan 来自非Henny Fielding 州的斯文Jonathan Swift 格格Thomas Gray

布来克William Blake 华华William Wordworth 叫, 科Samuel Tayler Coleridge 学家济兹John Keats 跟澳Jane Austen 雪Percy Bysshe Shelley 说拜拜George Gordon Byron.狄更斯Charles Dickens 爱George Eliot 喝Thomas Hardy 不安宁Robert Browning 的布Bronte Sisters 丁Alfred Tennyson.萧George Bernard Shaw 高John Galsworthy 叶William Butler Yeats 踢T.S.Eliot 死老D.H.Lawrence 乔James Joyce.华盛顿Washington Irving 爱Ralph Waldo Emerson 上惠Walt Whitman 霍Nathaniel Hawthorne 的梅Herman Melville 姑娘.骑马Mark Twain 在德来塞Theodore Dreiser 大战Henry James 狄金森Emily Dickinson.罗伯特李Robert Lee Frost 只好以Ezra Pound 福克纳William Faulkner 飞F.Scott Fitzgerald 欧Ernest Hemingway 申奥Eugene O'Neill.理论上来说, 只需5分钟, 你就能记下教材上提及的所有附有作品分析的作家.然后, 每天有空时随口念念, 强化一下.就这么简单.

第三篇：英美文学作家及作品 诺贝尔文学奖

奥斯卡 王尔德the important of being earnest 乔治 艾略特Silas Marner 织工马南传 乔治 艾略特Middlemarch米德尔马契

丹尼尔·笛福ROBINSON CRUSOE鲁滨逊漂流记 查尔斯·狄更斯A Tale of Two Cities双城记 华盛顿·欧文Rip van Winkle瑞普·凡·温克 威廉·福克纳Light In August八月之光 伊迪丝·华顿The Age of Innocence纯真年代 萧伯纳Mrs Warren's Profession华伦夫人的职业 西奥多 德莱赛SISTER CARRIE 嘉莉妹妹

1907 [英]吉卜林（1835-1907）获奖作品：《老虎！老虎！》。约瑟夫·鲁德亚德·吉卜林（1865～1936）英国小说家、诗人。主要作品有诗集《营房谣》《七海》，小说集《生命的阻力》和动物故事《丛林之书》等。1907年作品《老虎！老虎！》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“这位世界名作家的作品以观察入微、想象独特、气概雄浑、叙述卓越见长”。

1915 [法]罗曼-罗兰（1866-1944）获奖作品：《约翰-克利斯朵夫》。获奖类别：小说 1923 [爱尔兰]威镰-叶芝（1865-1939）获奖作品：《丽达与天鹅》。获奖类别：诗

威廉·勃特勒·叶芝（1865～1939）爱尔兰诗人、剧作家。主要作品有诗作《当你老了》、《丽达与天鹅》等。1923年作品《丽达与天鹅》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于他那永远充满着灵感的诗，它们透过高度的艺术形式展现了整个民族的精神 1925 [英]肖伯纳（1856-1950）获奖作品：《圣女贞德》。乔治·萧伯纳（1856～1950）爱尔兰戏剧家。共完成51个剧本。主要作品有《圣女贞德》等。1925年作品《圣女贞德》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于他那些充满理想主义及人情味的作品——它们那种激动性讽刺，常涵蕴着一种高度的诗意美”。

1930 [美]辛-路易斯（1885-1951）获奖作品：《巴比特》辛克莱·刘易斯（1885～1951）美国作家。主要作品有《大街》、《巴比特》、《阿罗史密斯》等。1930年作品《巴比特》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于他充沛有力、切身和动人的叙述艺术，和他以机智幽默去开创新风格的才华”

1932 [英]高尔斯华绥（1867-1933）获奖作品：《有产者》。

约翰·高尔斯华绥（1867～1933）英国小说家、剧作家。著有长篇小说《福尔赛世家》三部曲、《现代喜剧》三部曲和剧本《银匣》等。1932年作品《有产者》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“为其描述的卓越艺术——这种艺术在《福尔赛世家》中达到高峰”。

1936[美]尤金-奥尼尔（1888-1953）获奖作品：《天边外》。尤金·奥尼尔（1888～1953）美国剧作家。主要剧作有《天边外》、《安娜克利斯蒂》、《无穷的岁月》和自专性剧作《长夜漫漫路迢迢》等。1936年作品《天边外》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于他剧作中所表现的力量、热忱与深挚的感情——它们完全符合悲剧的原始概念”。

1938[美]赛珍珠（女1892-1973）获奖作品：《大地》。赛珍珠（珀尔·塞登斯特里克·布克）（女）（1892～1973）美国作家。主要作品有《大地的房子》三部曲：《大地》《儿子们》《分家》《母亲》《爱国者》《龙种》等。1938年作品《大地》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“她对于中国农民生活的丰富和真正史诗气概的描述，以及她自传性的杰作”。

1948[英]托-爱略特（1888-1965）获奖作品：《四个四重奏》。托马斯·斯特恩斯·艾略特（1888～1965）英美诗人、剧作家、批评家。主要作品有诗作《普鲁弗洛克的情歌》、《荒原》、《四个四重奏》；论著《传统与个人才能》、《批评的功能》、《诗与批评的效用》等。1948年作品《四个四重奏》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“对于现代诗之先锋性的卓越贡献”。

1949 [美]威镰-福克纳（1897-1962）获奖作品：《我弥留之际》。威廉·福克纳（1897～1962）美国作家。主要作品有长篇小说《喧哗与骚动》、《我弥留之际》、《押沙龙，押沙龙》等。1949年作品《我弥留之际》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“因为他对当代美国小说做出了强有力的和艺术上无与伦比的贡献”。

1950 [英]伯-罗素（1872-1970）获奖作品：《哲学-数学-文学》。帕特兰·亚瑟·威廉·罗素（1872～1970）英国数学家、哲学家。主要作品有《数学原理》、《哲学问题》、《教育与社会秩序》等。1950年作品《哲学—数学—文学》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“表彰他所写的捍卫人道主义理想和思想自由的多种多样意义重大的作品”。

1953 [英]温-丘吉尔（1874-1965）获奖作品：《不需要的战争》。温斯特·丘吉尔（1874～1965）英国政治家、历史学家、传记作家。曾任英国首相。主要作品有《马拉坎德远征记》、《第二次世界大战回忆录》、《英语民族史》等。1953年作品《不需要的战争》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于他在描述历史与传记方面的造诣，同时由于他那捍卫崇高的人的价值的光辉演说”。

1954 [美]海明威（1899-1961）获奖作品：《老人与海》。欧内斯特·海明威（1899～1961）美国作家。主要作品有《太阳照常升起》、《永别了，武器》、《丧钟为谁尔鸣》、《老人与海》等。1954年作品《老人与海》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“因为他精通于叙事艺术，突出地表现在其近著《老人与海》之中；同时也因为他对当代文体风格之影响”。

1962 [美]斯坦贝克（1902-1968）获奖作品：《人鼠之间》。约翰·斯坦贝克（1902～1968）美国作家。主要作品有《愤怒的葡萄》、《月亮下去了》、《珍珠》和《烦恼的冬天》等。1962年作品《人鼠之间》“通过现实主义的、寓于想象的创作，表现出富于同情的幽默和对社会的敏感观察”。

1969[爱尔兰]萨-贝克特（1906-1990）获奖作品：《等待戈多》。萨缪尔·贝克特（1906～1989）法国作家。主要作品有三部曲《马洛伊》、《马洛伊之死》、《无名的人》和剧本《等待戈多》等。1969年作品《等待戈多》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“他那具有奇特形式的小说和戏剧作品，使现代人从精神困乏中得到振奋”。

1976 [美]索尔-贝娄（1915-）获奖作品：《赫索格》。索尔贝娄（1915～2005）美国作家。主要作品有长篇小说《奥吉玛琪历险记》、《赫索格》、《洪堡的礼物》等。1976年作品《赫索格》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于他的作品对人性的了解，以及对当代文化的敏锐透视”。1978 [美]埃-巴-辛格（1904-1991）获奖作品：小说《魔术师-原野王》。艾萨克巴什维斯辛格（1904～1991）美国作家。主要作品有《撒旦在戈雷》、《卢布林的魔术师》、《奴隶》等。1978年作品《魔术师原野王》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“他的充满激情的叙事艺术，这种既扎根于波兰人的文化传统，又反映了人类的普遍处境”。

1981 [英]埃-卡内蒂（1905-）获奖作品：小说《迷茫》。埃利亚斯·卡内蒂（1905～1994）英国德语作家。主要作品有长篇小说《迷惘》等。1981年作品《迷茫》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“作品具有宽广的视野、丰富的思想和艺术力量”

1983 [英]威镰-戈丁尔（1911-）获奖作品：小说《蝇王-金字塔》。威廉·戈尔丁（1911～1994）英国作家。主要作品有长篇小说《蝇王》、《继承者》、《金字塔》、《自由堕落》、《看得见的黑暗》、《纸人》等。1983年作品《蝇王金字塔》获诺贝尔文学奖。

1987 [美]约瑟夫-不罗茨基（1940-）获奖作品：散文诗《从彼得堡到斯德哥尔摩》。约瑟夫·布罗茨基（1940～1996）苏裔美籍诗人。主要作品有诗集《韵文与诗》、《山丘和其他》、《悼约翰邓及其他》、《驻足荒漠》；散文集《小于一》等。1987年《从彼得堡到斯德哥尔摩》获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“他的作品超越时空限制，无论在文学上或是敏感问题方面都充分显示出他广阔的思想及浓郁的诗意”。

1993 [美国]托妮-莫里森托尼·莫里森（女）（1931～）美国作家。主要作品有长篇小说《最蓝的眼睛》、《秀拉》、《所罗门之歌》、《宝贝儿》、《爵士乐》等。1993年获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“其作品想象力丰富,富有诗意，显示了美国现实生活的重要方面”。

1995 [爱尔兰]谢默斯-希尼 希尼（1939～）爱尔兰诗人。主要作品有诗集《一位自然主义者之死》、《通向黑暗之门》、《在外过冬》、《北方》、《野外作业》、《苦路岛》、《山楂灯》、《幻觉》等。1995年获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“由于其作品洋溢着抒情之美,包容着深邃的伦理,揭示出日常生活和现实历史的奇迹”。

2001 英国 维-苏-纳保尔 代表作有《给毕斯沃斯先生一所房屋》、《河中一湾》及《幽黯国度》 维苏奈保尔（1932～）印度裔英国作家。1990

年被英国女王授封为骑士。主要作品有小说《神秘的按摩师》、《米格尔大街》、《河弯》、《岛上的旗帜》、《超越信仰》、《神秘的新来者》等。2001年获诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由：“其著作将极具洞察力的叙述与不为世俗左右的探索融为一体，是驱策我们从扭曲的历史中探寻真实的动力”。

2005 英国 哈罗德·品特 他的作品揭示了日常絮谈中的危机、强行打开了了压迫的封闭房间 《生日宴会》、《背叛》、《看门人》《回家》 哈罗德·品特（1930～），英国剧作家。2005年获诺贝尔文学奖。主要作品有《看房者》(TheCaretaker，1960)、《生日晚会》(TheBirthdayParty，1958)、《归家》(TheHomecoming，1965)等剧本。获奖理由是“他的戏剧发现了在日常废话掩盖下的惊心动魄之处并强行打开了压抑者关闭的房间。”

2007年 英国 多丽丝·莱辛（Doris Lessing，1919—）《金色笔记》 http:///43755.html 多丽丝·莱辛（1919～），英国作家。主要作品有《青草在歌唱》(1950年)、五部曲《暴力的孩子们》《玛莎·奎斯特》(1952)、《良缘》(1954)、《风暴的余波》(1958)、《被陆地围住的》(1965)以及《四门之城》(1969)、《金色笔记》(1962年)、《幸存着回忆录》(1974)、《黑暗前的夏天》(1973)等。获奖理由是“她用怀疑、热情、构想的力量来审视一个分裂的文明，其作品如同一部女性经验的史诗。” 2010年

马里奥·巴尔加斯·略萨（1936～），生于秘鲁阿雷基帕，是拥有秘鲁与西班牙双重国籍的作家及诗人。共创作了30多部包括小说、话剧和散文在内的作品，其代表作有小说《城市与狗》(1963年)《绿房子》(1965年)和《酒吧长谈》(1969年)等。2010年获得诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由是“因为他对权力结构制图学般的细腻描述和他对个人的抵制、反抗和挫败形象的尖锐刻画”。

2011年

托马斯·特朗斯特罗姆（1931～），瑞典诗人。1954年发表诗集《17首诗》，轰动诗坛。至今共发表163首诗，除《17首诗》外的作品集为《途中的秘密》、《半完成的天空》、《音色和足迹》、《看见黑暗》、《野蛮的广场》、《为生者和死者》和《悲哀贡多拉》十部诗集。2011年获得诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由是“因为通过他那简练、半透明的意象，让我们对现实世界有崭新的体验”。

2012年

莫言（1956～），原名管谟业，中国作家。自1980年代中期起，莫言以一系列乡土作品崛起，主要作品有《红高粱家族》、《天堂蒜苔之歌》、《檀香刑》、《丰乳肥臀》、《酒国》、《生死疲劳》、《蛙》等。2012年获得诺贝尔文学奖。获奖理由是“用魔幻现实主义的写作手法，将民间故事、历史事件与当代背景融为一体”。

2013年

爱丽丝·门罗（1931～），加拿大女作家，被誉为“加拿大的契诃夫”。1968年发表第一部短篇小说集《快乐影子之舞》（DanceoftheHappyShades），并获得加拿大总督文学奖。门罗以短篇小说闻名全球，其影响巨大的《逃离》2004年出版，她被称为“当代短篇小说大师”，以其精致的讲故事方式著称，清晰与心理现实主义是门罗的写作特色，因此获得2013年诺贝尔文学奖。

2014年

帕特里克·莫迪亚诺（1945～），法国小说家，是法国评论界一致公认的当今法国最有才华的作家之一。莫迪亚诺也被认为是“新寓言”派代表作家，作品探索和研究当今人的存在及其与周围环境、现实的关系。前期小说大都以神秘的父亲和二次大战的环境为主题，运用大量的回忆、想象，把现实和虚构结合起来，描写并未经历过的故事。2014年获得诺贝尔文学奖，获奖原因为帕特里克·莫迪亚诺的作品“唤起了对最不可捉摸的人类命运的记忆”，他的作品捕捉到了二战法国被占领期间普通人的生活。其代表作有《暗店街》、《八月的星期天》等。2015诺贝尔文学奖得主斯维特拉娜·阿列克谢耶维奇 在悲剧中探索人的心灵。现年67岁的白俄罗斯女作家、记者斯维特拉娜·阿列克谢耶维奇成为该奖项历史上第14位女性桂冠得主。“在过去的三四十年间，她一直专注于描写苏联和苏联解体后普通老百姓的生活。她的作品并不是关于那些历史事件本身，而更多地将目光投向普通人的情感历程。”

第四篇：2009年新大纲英美文学选读作品作家整理

2009年新大纲英美文学选读作品作家整理

美国文学

III.Nathaniel Hawthorne Mosses from an Old Manse古宅青苔

The Snow-Image and Other Twice-Told Tales 雪像和其他故事新编 The Scarlet Letter

红字

The House of Seven Gables 七个尖角阁的房子

The Blithedale Romance 福谷传说

The Marble Faun 大理石雕像 选文Young Goodman Brown IV.Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass 选文There Was a Child Went Forth, Cavalry Crossing a Ford, Song of Myself V.Herman Melville Typee 泰比

Omoo 奥穆 Mardi 玛迪

Redburn 雷德本

White Jacket 白外衣 Pierre 皮埃尔 Confidence-Man

信心人

Moby-Dick 白鲸 Billy Budd 比利伯德 选文Moby-Dick Chapter 2 现实主义时期 I.Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Life on Mississippi

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Innocent Abroad 傻瓜出国记

Roughing It 含莘如苦 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Gilded Age 镀金时代 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 亚瑟王宫庭中的美国佬 The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson

傻瓜威尔逊 The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg 败坏哈德莱堡的人 The Mysterious Stranger

神秘的陌生人

选文Adventures of Huckleberry Finn II.Henry James The American 美国人 Daisy Miller 黛西米勒 The European 欧洲人 The Protrait of A Lady 贵妇人的画像

The Bostonians 波士顿人 Princess Casamassima 卡撒玛西公主 The Private Life 私生活 The Middle Years 中年

The Turn of the Screw 螺丝的拧紧

The Beast in the Jungle 丛林猛兽

What Maisie Knows 梅西所知道的 The Wings of the Dove 鸽翼

The Ambassadors 大使 The Golden Bowl 金碗

The Death of a Lion 狮之死 选文Daisy Miller III.Emily Dickinson If you were coming in the fall There came a day Summer’s full I cannot live with You

I’m ceded-I’ve stopped being theirs 选文This is my letter to the World, I heard a Fly buzz-when I died I like to see it lap the Miles Because I could not stop for death IV． Theodore Dreiserer Sister Carrie 嘉莉妹妹

Nigger Jeff 黑人杰夫

Old Rogaum and His Theresa 老罗格姆和他的特里萨 Jennie Gerhardt珍妮姑娘 Trilogy of Desire

The Financier 金融家

The Genius 天才

An American Tragedy 美国悲剧

Dreiser at Russia 德莱塞对俄罗斯的观感 选文Sister Carrie Chapter 3 现代主义时期 II.Robert Lee Frost A Boy’s Will 一个男孩儿的愿望 North of Boston 波士顿以北 Mountain Interval New Hampshire 新罕布什尔

Snowy Evening 雪夜停马在林边 West-Running Brook 向西流去的小溪

Collected Poems 诗选 A Winter Tree 选文After Apple-Picking, The Road Not Taken, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening以 IV.F.Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise 天堂的这一边 Beautiful and Damned 美丽而遭骂的人 The Great Gatsby

Tender is the Night 夜色温柔

The Last Tycoon 最后一个巨头

Flappers and Philosophers 吹捧者与哲学家 Tales of the Jazz Age 爵士时代 All the Sad Young Men 所有悲惨的小伙子 Taps at Reveille 拍打在起床鼓上

Babylon Revisited重返巴比伦

选文The Great Gatsby V.Earnest Hemingway In Our Time 在我们的时代

A Farewell to Arms 永别了，武器

For Whom the Bell Tolls 丧钟为谁敲响

The Old Man and the Sea 老人与海 Men Without Women 没有女人的男人

Death in the Afternoon 午后之死 The Snows of Kilimanjaro 开利曼扎罗之雪 The Green Hills of Africa 非洲的青山 选文Indian Camp(from In Our Time)VI.William Faulkner The Marble Faun 玉石牧神 The Sound and the Fury 喧嚣与骚动 As I Lay Dying 我弥留之际 Light in August 八月之光

Absalom, Absalom 押沙龙！押沙龙！Wild Palms 疯狂的手掌 The Hamlet 哈姆雷特

The Unvanquished 不可征服的 Go Down, Moses 去吧，摩西

The Fable 寓言 The Town 小镇

The Mansion 大厦 Soldier’s Pay 士兵的报酬

英国文学部分

Chapter 1 文艺复兴时期 III.William Shakespeare Rape of Lucrece

鲁克斯受辱记 Venus and Adonis 维纳斯与安东尼斯 Titus Andronicus

泰托斯安东尼 The Comedy of Errors

错误的喜剧

The Two Gentlemen of Veroma

维洛那二绅士 The Taming of the Shrew

驯悍记 Love’s Labour’s Lost

爱的徒劳 Richard II

理查二世 King John

约翰王

Henry IV, Parts I and II, Henry V Six Comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream 仲夏夜之梦 The Merchant of Venice

威尼斯商人 Much Ado About Nothing

无事无非 As You Like It

皆大欢喜 Twelfth Night

第十二夜

The Merry Wise of Windsor

温莎的风流娘儿们 Two Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet

罗米欧与朱丽叶 Julius Caesar

凯撒 Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra

安东尼与克里佩特拉

Troilus and Cressida, and Coriolanus 特洛伊勒斯与克利西达 All’ Well That Ends Well

(comedy)终成成眷属 Measure for Measure

(comedy)一报还一报 Pericles

伯里克利 Cymbeline

辛白林

The Winter’s Tale

冬天的故事 The Tempest

暴风雨 Henry VIII The Two Noble Kinsmen两位贵族亲戚

选文为Sonnet 18;The Merchant of Venice;Hamlet VI.John Milton Paradise Lost

失乐园 Paradise Regain 复乐园 Samson Agonistes力士参孙 Lycidas

利西达斯 Areopagitica

论出版自由 Chapter 2 新古典主义时期 III.Daniel Defoe Robinson Crusoe

鲁宾逊漂流记 Captain Singleton 辛立顿船长 Moll Flanders

莫尔弗兰德斯 Colonel Jack 杰克上校

A Journal of the Plague Year 灾疫之年的日记 Roxana 罗克萨那 选文Robinson Crusoe IV.Jonathan Swift A Tale of Tub 木桶传

The Battle of the Books 书籍的战斗 Gulliver’s Travels 格列弗游记 A Modest Proposal

一个小小的建议 The Drapier’s Letters 布商的书信 选文Gulliver’s Travels V.Henry Fielding The Coffee House Politician

咖啡屋的政治家 The Tragedy of the Tragedies 悲剧中的悲剧

The Historical Register for the Year 1736

1736历史年鉴

The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his friend Mr.Abraham Adams, Written in Imitation of the Manner of Cervantes The History of Jonathan Wild the Great 大伟人江奈生翻乐德传 The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling 汤姆琼斯 The History of Amelia

阿米亚 选文为Tom Jones Chapter III 浪温主义时期 I． William Blake Poetic Sketches

诗歌扎记 The Songs of Innocence

天真之歌 The Songs of Experience

经验之歌 Marriage of Heaven and Hell 天堂与地狱联姻 The Book of Urizen

尤里曾的书 The Book of Los

洛斯的书 The Four Zoas

四个成熟的个体 Milton

弥尔顿

选文The Chimney Sweeper(from Songs of Innocence);The Tyger II.William Wordsworth Lyrical Ballads(抒情歌谣集)The Prelude The Excursion Worshipper of Nature(The Sparr,w’s Nest, To a Skylark, To the Cuckoo, To a Butterfly, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, An Evening Walking, My Heartn Leaps up, Tintern Abbey)选文：I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways, The Solitary Reaper V.Percy Bysshe Shelley The Necessity of Atheism

无神论的必要性 Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem

仙后麦布

Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude

复仇者或隐居者的精神 Julian and Maddalo

朱利安与麦达格 The Revolt of Islam

伊斯兰的反叛 The Cenci

钦契一家

The Prometheus Unbound解放了的普罗米修斯 Adomais

阿多尼斯 Hellas

海娜斯

A Defense of Poetry

诗之辩护

选文A Song: Men of England;

Ode to the West Wind VII.Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility 理智与情感 Pride and Prejudice 傲慢与偏见 Northanger Abbey

诺桑觉寺 Mansfield Park

曼斯菲尔德花园 Emma

埃玛 Persuasion

劝导 The Watsons

屈陈氏一爱 Fragment of a Novel 小说的片断 Plan of a Novel

小说的计划 选文Pride and Prejudice Chapter IV.维多利亚时期 I． Charles Dickens Sketches by Boz 博兹特写集

The Posthumous of the Pickwick Club 皮克威克外传 Oliver Twist

雾都孤儿

Nicholas Nickleby

尼古拉斯尼克尔贝 The Pickwick Paper

皮克威克外传 David Copperfield

大卫科波菲尔 Martin Chuzzlewit

马丁朱尔述维特 Dombey and Son

董贝父子 A Tale of Two Cities 双城记 Bleak House

荒凉山庄 Little Dorrit

小杜丽 Hard Times

艰难时世 Great Expectations

远大前程 Our Mutual Friends

我们共同的朋友 The Old Curiosity Shop 老古玩店 选文为Oliver Twist II.The Bronte Sisters Poem by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell(Charlotte, Emily, Anne)The Professor(Charlotte)教师 Jane Eyre(Charlotte)

简爱 Wuthering Heights(Emily)呼啸山庄

Agnes Grey(Anne)格雷The Tenant of Wildfell Hall(Anne)野岗庄园房客 选文Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte VI.Thomas Hardy Tess of the D’Urbervilles

苔丝 Jude the Obscure

无名的裘德 The Dynasts

列后 The Return of the Native 还乡 The Trumpet Major

号兵长

The Mayor of Casterbridge 卡斯特桥市长 The Woodlanders

林地居民 Under the Greenwood

林间居民 Far from the Madding Crowd 远离尘嚣 选文Tess of the D’Urbervilles Chapter 5 现代主义时期 I.George Bernard Shaw Cashel Byron’s Profession 卡歇尔拜伦的职业 Our Theaters in the Nineties

90年代的英国戏剧 Widower’s Houses 鳏夫的房产

Candida 堪迪达 Mrs.Warren’s Profession 沃伦夫人的职业

Caesar and Cleoptra 凯撕与克利奥佩特拉

St.Joan 圣女贞德 Back to Methuselah 回归玛士撒拉

Man and Superman人与超人 John Bull’s Other Island 约翰布尔的另外岛屿 Pygmalion 茶花女 Getting Married 结婚

Misalliance 不合适的媳妇

Fanny’s First Play 范尼的第一部戏剧 The Doctor’s Dilemma医生的困境 Too True to be Good 难以置信 选文Mrs.Warren’s Profession IV.T.S.Eliot The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock 布鲁富劳克的情歌

The Waste Land 荒园

Murder in the Cathedral 教堂里的谋杀 The Family Reunion 家人团聚 The Confidential Clerk 机要秘书 The Statesmen 政治家

The Cocktail Party鸡尾酒会 选文The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock V.D.H.Lawrence Sons and Lovers 儿子与情人

The White Peacock白孔雀 The Trespasser

过客

The Rainbow彩虹

Women in Love 恋爱中的女人

Aaron’s Rod亚伦神仗 Kangaroo 袋鼠

The Plumed Serpent带羽毛的蛇 Lady Chatterley’s Lover

St.Mawr 圣摩尔

The Daughter of the Vicar 主教的女儿 The Horse Dealer’s Daughter贩马人的女儿 The Captain’s Doll 般长的娃娃 The Prussian Officer 普鲁士军官 The Virgin and the Gypsy贞女和吉普塞人

Trilogy(A Collier’s Friday Night, 矿工周五的夜晚The Daughter-in-law,儿媳 The Widowing of Mrs.Holroyed 守寡的霍尔伊德夫人 选文Sons and Lovers 以下附上自考部门的原件：

第五篇：英美文学各个时期主要作家及作品原文中世纪

英美文学各个时期主要作家及作品原文/节选之 中世纪文学（自己整理的）时间：1066年诺曼征服—14世纪下半叶

这个时期可以分为2部分，中世纪早期，即1066—17世纪中叶，因为宗教压迫，没

有文学作品出现，是文学荒漠；而到了14世纪下半叶，英国文学才开始兴盛起来。代表人物：杰弗里-乔叟、威廉-兰格伦、约翰-高厄 代表作品：《高文爵士与他的绿衣骑士》（约翰-高厄）；《坎特伯雷故事集》（杰弗里-乔叟）

《农夫皮尔斯》（威廉-兰格伦）

特点：这一时期，民间通俗文学占重要位置，展现当时人们的各种生活。但创作上有失新

颖。此外还大量反映中世纪基督教的教义，表现人类自救。

中世纪盛行的文学形式还有骑士抒情诗。这种诗歌以叙述性的韵文或者散文歌颂骑

士的冒险以及其它的英雄事迹。主题常常是寻找妖怪、解救美女。最为著名的代表人物是乔叟，他从法国文学之中引进了各种压尾韵的诗章，取代了古英诗之中的头韵（如《贝尔武弗》）。在《坎特伯雷故事集》中他运用了英雄双行体（关于英雄双行体我将在以后后的贴子之中介绍）。这在这个英国文学史上都是首创。在这一作品之中，他将诗歌艺术进一步向戏剧和小说靠拢。他是英诗之父。

以下是英美文学界三位大师的介绍和《坎特伯雷故事集》介绍；《农夫皮尔斯》节选；《高文爵士与他的绿衣骑士》节选 中世纪文学

（一）概述

古英语文学 英格兰岛的早期居民凯尔特人和其他部族，没有留下书面文学作品。5世纪时，原住北欧的三个日耳曼部族——盎格鲁、撒克逊和朱特——侵入英国。他们的史诗《贝奥武甫》传了下来。诗中的英雄贝奥武甫杀巨魔、斗毒龙，并在征服这些自然界恶势力的过程中为民捐躯。它的背景和情节是北欧的，单掺有基督教成分，显示出史诗曾几经修改，已非原貌。按照保存在一部10世纪的手抄本里的版本来看，诗的结构完整，写法生动，所有的头韵、重读字和代称体现了古英语诗歌的特色。

6世纪末，基督教传入英国，出现了宗教文学。僧侣们用拉丁文写书，其中比德所著的《英国人民宗教史》（731年完成）既有难得的史料，又有富于哲理的传说，受到推崇，并已成了英文。

此后，丹麦人入侵，不少寺院毁于兵火，学术凋零。9世纪末，韦塞克斯国王阿尔弗雷德大力抗丹，同时着手振兴学术，请了一批学者将拉丁文著作译成英文，并鼓励编写《盎格鲁—萨克逊编年史》，这是用英国当地语言写史的开始。

中古英语文学 1066年诺曼人入侵，带来了欧洲大陆的封建制度，也带来了一批说法语的贵族。古英语受到了统治阶级语言的影响，本身也在起着变化，12世纪后发展为中古英语。文学上也出现了新风尚，盛行用韵文写的骑士传奇，它们歌颂对领主的忠和对高贵妇人的爱，其中艺术性较高的有《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》，它用头韵体诗写成，内容是古代亚瑟王属下一个“圆桌骑士”的奇遇。

14世纪后半叶，中古英语文学达到了高峰。这时期的重要诗人乔叟的创作历程，从早期对法国和意大利作品的仿效，进到后来英国本色的写实，表明了英国文学的自信。他的杰作《坎特伯雷故事集》用优美、活泼的韵文，描写了一群去坎特伯雷朝圣的人的神态言谈；他们来自不同阶层和行业，各人所讲的故事或雅或俗，揭示了多方面的社会现实。同时，还有教会小职员兰格伦写的头韵体长诗《农夫皮尔斯》（一译《农夫彼得之梦》），用梦幻的形式和寓意的象征，写出了1381年农民暴动前后的农村现实，笔锋常带严峻的是非之感。同样宣泄下层人民情绪的还有民间歌谣，它们往往是在长时间的口头流传之后才写成的，其中最初见于15世纪抄本的罗宾汉歌谣，描绘了一群农民劫富济贫、打击教会僧侣和执法吏的事迹，传颂至今。（王佐良）

《贝奥武甫》

《贝奥武甫》 英国的一部英雄史诗，是英国文学中第一部重要作品。它用古英语写成，是继希腊、罗马史诗之后欧洲最早的一部用本民族语言写成的史诗。

全部古英语诗歌现在保存下来的不过3万行，其中有英雄诗、宗教诗、抒情挽歌、格言、谜语、咒语，而以《贝奥武甫》为最长（3，182行），为最完整。

史诗中的历史人物，据记载生活在5至6世纪。史诗故事发生在和当于现在的丹麦和瑞典南部——当时盎格鲁—萨克逊人居住的地方。从5世纪中叶起，这些民族不断向不列颠移民。大约8世纪前半叶，关于贝奥武甫的传说才在他们定居的不列颠写成文字。现存的唯一手抄本约成于10世纪末。1731年手抄本在一次火灾中被烧毁几行，但基本完整，于1815年第一次排印出版。

全诗除开场白外，共分43节，由两个故事组成，第一个故事又可分为两个部分。第一部分包括开场白，写丹麦王朝的始祖许尔德的葬礼，接着写许尔德的后裔丹麦王赫罗斯加建造了一座宫殿，取名鹿厅，但经常受到附近沼泽地带一个半人半兽的怪物格伦德尔的袭击，一夜就被杀死30名守卫武士。它骚扰的12年，消息传到耶阿特族（今瑞典南部）国王许耶拉克的侄子贝奥武甫耳中，他率领14名武士前往援助。赫罗斯加在鹿厅设宴招待他们。宴会之后，贝奥武甫和武士们留在厅内守候。夜间格伦德尔破门而入，摸着一个武士，把他吃了；再要摸时，被贝奥武甫扭住，经过一场搏斗，怪物断了一只胳膊，负伤逃回沼泽。第二天赫罗斯加设宴庆祝，王后赠送礼物，歌手歌唱芬恩的故事。第二部分写夜间格伦德尔的母亲前来替子报仇，抢走了一个大臣。次日贝奥武甫追踪到沼泽，独自潜入湖底把女妖杀死，把格伦德尔头颅割下，回到鹿厅。赫罗斯加又设宴庆祝，并向贝奥武甫致辞。贝奥武甫携带大批礼物回到许耶拉克宫廷，在宴席上把礼物献给许耶拉克，许耶拉克也给他大量犒赏。

第二个故事写许耶拉克死后，他的儿子赫阿德勒德继位。赫阿德勒德死后，贝奥武甫继位，统治了50年。这时有个逃亡奴隶盗得一些窖藏的宝物，被看守宝物的火龙发现，为了报复，它到处骚扰为害。年老的贝奥武甫决定为民除害，带领威耶拉夫等11名武士处罚。在投入战斗前，他向随从的武士讲了耶阿特人过去和互残杀的一段历史。然后独自去同火龙厮杀。他的剑断了，又被龙吐的火炙伤。随从的武士都逃跑了，只剩下威耶拉夫一人上前帮助贝奥武甫把龙杀死，贝奥武甫也因伤势过重而死。威耶拉夫悲愤地谴责那些逃跑的武士，并派人回去报告消息。最后，耶阿特人在海滨把贝奥武甫火化，把他的骨灰连同火龙的宝物埋葬了。贝奥武甫的陵墓成为航海者的灯塔。

这部史诗的内容一部分是史实，一部分是传说，其中提到的人物如赫罗斯加、许耶拉克都是历史人物，诗中一些插曲也提到历史任务。而主要人物贝奥武甫和他的事迹则基本上来自传说。历史因素和传说因素结合起来反映了氏族社会解体时期的生活。诗中反映了血仇必报和部落之间频繁的战争，也反映了氏族内部国王与他的亲属和臣属之间矛盾的激化。贝奥武甫无论作为亲属和臣属都无懈可击。作为国王，他是氏族的保卫者，直至献出生命。对于邻族，一反互和仇视的态度，而是助其除害，对邻族国王，也克尽臣属效忠的精神。从各方面说，他都是一个理想人物。

这部史诗基本上是氏族社会的产物。但从5、6世纪起经过近300年口头流传，到8世纪才在英国写成。这时英国已基督教化，写者大半是僧侣，因此史诗里也有基督教色彩，如氏族社会和信的命运有时同上帝等同起来，把代表自然力或恶的格伦德尔说成是该隐的后代。诗中也反映了现世的一切都将消亡以及宿命观点。不过从整体说，史诗仍保存了基督教以前的特色，高贵的品性，如仁爱、荣誉感、慷慨、勇敢等美德被充分肯定。

史诗结构严谨，选材集中。它以葬礼开始以葬礼结束，中间写贝奥武甫一生中两件大事。诗中有大量插曲，起到对比或类比或暗示的作用，如宴会上有人即席唱希格蒙德斩龙的故事，来同50年后贝奥武甫斩龙呼应。歌者唱芬恩的妻子调停血仇失败的故事，来烘托赫罗斯加嫁女与邻族消弭血仇的企图的失败。这些插曲今天读来显得突兀，但对当时听众却是很熟悉的。

史诗节奏悠闲而庄严，对话和叙述交替，有时加入诗人的议论，如格伦德尔进入鹿厅看到武士时，大喜过望，准备饱餐一顿（，）诗人就从旁评论道：“但今夜以后，他就再也遇不到吃人的运气了。”诗人善用这种压低语气的修辞手法来表现对命运的讽刺。

《贝奥武甫》象古英语其他诗歌一样，不用尾韵，而用头韵，即每个字开头的辅音或元音和同或和似算对韵。每行诗分为两个半行，各有两个重读字，重读字一般押头韵，因此每行最多可以有四个头韵，（用句号“。”更好：录入者注）一般前半行两个，后半行一个头韵的诗句较多。另一个特点是使用“代用词”，如诗中把海称为“鲸鱼之路”，国王是“颁赏金环的人”，武士叫“持盾的人”等，增强了语言的形象性。史诗的形式也显示出维吉尔史诗的影响。（杨周翰）

（三）乔叟

乔叟（约1343~1400）英国诗人。出生于伦敦一家富裕的中产阶级家庭，父亲是酒商兼皮革商。乔叟可能上过牛津大学或剑桥大学。1357年进入宫廷，任英壬爱德华三世的儿媳阿尔斯特伯爵夫人身边的少年侍从。1359午，随爱德华三世出征法国，被法军俘虏，后被爱德华赎回。1366年，乔叟和菲莉帕结婚。菲莉帕的妹妹后来嫁给爱德华的次子兰开斯特公爵，乔叟因而受到兰开斯特公爵的保护。同时，乔叟也是爱德华三世的侍从骑士。1369年，兰开斯特公爵责特约翰的元配夫人布兰希逝世，乔叟写了悼亡诗《公爵夫人的书》（1369~1370）来安慰他的保护人。1370至1378年之间，乔叟经常出国访问欧洲大陆，执行外交谈判任务。他曾两度访问意大利（1372~1373；1378），这对他的文学创作起了极为重要的作用。他发现了但丁、薄傲丘和彼特拉克的作品，这些作品深刻地影响了他的创作，使他从接受法国文学传统转向接受意大利文学传统。从而74年开始，乔叟担任了二些公职。他先被任命为伦敦港口羊毛、皮革关税总管（1374~1386），后来被英王理查二世任命为皇室修建大臣（1389~1391），主管维修公共建筑、公园、桥梁等。乔叟还担任过肯特郡的治安官（1386），并当选为代表肯特郡的国会议员（1386）。后来乔叟还担任过管理萨默塞特郡皇家森林的森林官（1391）。乔叟于1400年10月25日在伦敦逝世，葬于威斯敏斯特教堂里的“诗人之角”。

乔叟把属于中古英语的东中部方言——伦敦方言——提高成为英国的文学语言。他又善于继承和吸收法国诗人和意大利诗人的诗歌技巧，并且运用这些技巧来丰富和提高英诗的表达能力。乔叟的最早的作品之一是他翻译的法文诗《玫瑰传奇》（1370）。这个英译本的前1，700行诗一般公认为出自乔叟的手笔。这个作品和上面提到的《公爵夫人的书》都是用八音节双韵诗体写成的，都显示出法国爱情诗的影响。后来，乔叟写了《声誉之官》（1379或1380），也是用八音节双韵诗体写成，但是这个作品却早示出意大利诗人但丁的《神曲》的影响。因此可以把《声誉之宫》看成是乔叟从接受法国文学传统转变到意大利文学传统的过渡时期的作品。不久后，乔叟翻译了罗马哲学家博埃齐鸟斯的著作《哲学的安慰》（约524），易名为《博埃齐马斯》（1381或1382），是英文散文译本。约在同一时期，乔叟还写了《百鸟会议》（1382），是用“君王诗体”写成的。这种诗体采用七行诗段的形式，每行为十个音节，韵脚为ababbcc。乔叟是第一个使用这种诗体的英国诗人，但“君王诗体”的名称却来自苏格兰国王詹拇斯一世，他曾用这个诗体写拙苏格兰方吉爱情诗《国王的书》。实际上这个作品受了乔叟的影响。在写成《百鸟会议》数年以后，乔叟写了《派拉蒙和阿色提》，后来改编成为《骑士讲的故事》。在《贞节妇女的传说》（1386）里，乔叟第一次使用于音节双韵诗体。这个诗体非常重要，因为乔叟的杰作《坎特伯雷故事集》（1387~1400）就是用这个诗体写成的。这个诗体后来演化成为“英雄双韵体”，在新古典主义时期垄断了英国诗坛。除上述作品外，乔叟还写了爱炭故事长诗《特罗伊拉斯和克菜西德》（1385）。这部作品是甩“君王诗体”写成的。以上的作品都属于乔叟创作的意大利时期。在这个时期内，乔叟在意大利文学的影响下，进一步发展了法国文学的骑士爱情诗歌的传统，把现实主义因素逐渐加入到这个诗歌传统里来。这主要表现在乔叟的最早的杰作《特罗伊拉斯和克莱西德》一诗里。这部作品取材于薄咖丘的爱情故事诗《菲洛斯特拉托》。乔叟扩展、发挥、改动了薄仇丘的作品，把他自已的现实生活经验放进这个古老的爱情故事里面，以至于有些批评家把乔叟的《特罗伊拉斯和克莱西德》看成是最早的一部现实主义小说。

1387年开始了乔叟创作的成熟期。他写了《坎特伯雷故事集》的总序。他一生的最后十几年大约都用在写这个故事案上面，但并未完成。尽管如此，乔叟的《坎特伯雷故事集》在西方中世纪和文艺复兴时期的故事集当中却是独一无二的，因为乔叟的故事集不仅是一个故事集，而且是一个艺术整体。我们可以把它看作乔叟的现实主义艺术的结晶。《坎特伯雷故事集》的内容如下：一群香客聚会在伦敦泰晤士河南岸一家小旅店里，他们准备到离伦敦70英里外的坎特伯雷域去朝拜殉教圣人托马斯•阿•贝克特的圣祠。作者在总序里对每一位香客都作了生动、细致的描写。连诗人（乔叟）在内，香客们一共是31位，代表中世纪英国社会的各阶层。骑士和他的儿子见习骑士代表贵族阶级和骑士精神，伴随他们的是仆人，一名自耕农。接着是一群教会人物，为首的是一位女修道院长，侍候她的人有一名尼姑和三名教士。其他的教会人物有一位和尚和一名托钵僧，其他社会阶层的代表有一位商人、一位牛津大学学生（在14世纪，大学生也属于僧侣阶层，毕业后要担任神职）、律师、自由农民——一位富有的中等地主。还有一群城市中间阶层人物，如一名衣帽商，一名木匠，一名纺织匠，一名染坊工人，一名制挂毯的工人，以及一名厨师，一名船员或水手，一位医生。巴斯城的妇女——“新女性”的代表，她经营织布生意很发财。乡村牧师——僧侣阶层中社会地位最低下的成员，在乔叟笔下他却是十分高贵的人物。农夫——他是乡村牧师的弟兄，是一个穷苦的农民。还有磨房主、粮食采购员、田产经纪人、教会法庭的差人、教会经售赎罪券者。香客中以后两种最不齿于社会。最后还有诗人乔叟本人。晚饭后，旅店主人哈里•贝利建议香客们在去坎特伯雷城的来回路上各讲两个故事，他启告奋勇做向导，并担任裁判，看谁的故事讲得最好，可以白吃一餐好饭。总序到此结束。《坎特伯雷故事集》的其余部分包括故事和衔接段落。乔叟没有完成他的预定计划，故事集只有23个故事，其中有两个（厨师和见习骑士各自讲的故事）没有讲完。还有7处缺衔接段落。大多数的故事，和总序一样，都是用双韵诗体写成的，只有两个故事是用散文写的（一个是诗人乔叟自已讲的《梅里白的故事》，另一个是乡村牧师讲的故事）。还有4个故事（律师、女修道院长、牛津大学学生，以及第二个尼姑各自讲的故事）是用七行诗段（称为“君王诗体”）写的。另外，和尚讲的故事是用八行诗段雾的。这些故事可以分成四组：

⑴传奇（包括爱情、魔术、骑士探险等故事），如骑士、巴斯城的妇女、见习骑士和自由农民各自讲的故事：

⑵度诚和道德教育故事：如律师、牛津大学学生、筹二个尼姑、卖赎罪券者、女修道院长、乔叟自已（《梅里白的故事D、医生和乡村牧师讲的故事。

⑶喜剧或滑稽故事：如磨房主、田产经纪人、厨师、托钵僧、教会法庭差人、“商人、”教士的仆人、船页讲的故事。

⑷动物寓言，如尼姑的教士和粮食采购员讲的故事。

不属于上列四类的还有和尚讲的关于大人物下台的“悲剧”故事以及乔叟讲的嘲讽传奇《托波斯爵士》。和尚和乔叟讲的故事过于冗长、乏味，被其他香客打断。

从以上的分类可以看出乔叟的高度写作才能。他熟悉中世纪欧洲文学所有的类型，能够运用每一种文学类型的技巧来写出优秀的作品。下列的故事一般公认为是《坎特伯雷故事集》里最好的：

⑴骑士讲的故事——关于派拉蒙和阿色提爱上艾米里亚的爱情悲剧故事，⑵卖赎罪券者讲的故事——关于死神降临贪财者身上的劝世寓言故事。

⑶尼姑的教士讲的故事——关于狡猾的狐狸和虚荣的公鸡的动物寓言故事。这是乔叟的杰作，他把一个陈旧的寓言故事转化成一出现实主义的喜剧，内容丰富多彩，语言生动活泼，雅俗共赏。

⑷商人讲的故事——关于“一月”和“五月”的故事（即关于老夫少妻的家庭纠纷的故事）。

⑸自由农民讲的故事——关于忠诚爱情和慷慨行为的故事。

事实上，《坎特伯雷故事集》里的每一个故事都有它的独到之处，读者可以各取所需。除了这些有趣的、深刻的故事外，故事之间的衔接段落也值得赞扬。在这些段落里，乔叟显示出他的戏剧才能，人物性格写得鲜明、突出，对话滑稽、有趣。尤其是巴斯城妇女讲的故事的序言和卖赎罪券者讲的故事的序言，写得最为精彩。

乔叟虽然是个宫廷诗人；他的生活经验却是多方面的。他熟悉14世纪英国社会各阶层的人物，也了解当时的欧洲社会。他熟悉法语和意大利语，但坚持用英语创作。他对英国社会不同阶层人物的语言，都能运用自如。他处理的题材面很广，对不同的题材采取不同的处理方法，写作技巧和手法也是各式各样的。由于他的视野广阔，观察深刻，他写的14世纪英国社会的人物具有超国界的特点，也就是说，乔叟善于写人的普遍的、共同的特点，因此他的作品能够在世界范围内长期吸引读者。乔叟热爱生活，热爱人。他虽然也善于嘲笑和讽刺人们的缺点和错误，但他的总的人生态度是同情和宽容。乔叟是一位严肃的诗人，一方面给读者提供极大的乐趣，另一方面仍对读者进行教育，希望读者成为更理智、更善良的人。但乔叟不愿直接对读者进行说教，总。寓教导于娱乐之中。在关于忠诚爱情和慷慨行为的故事（自由农民讲的故事）里有这样一句话：“真诚是人所能够保持的最高尚的东西。”这是乔叟的道德准则，也是他的艺术标谁。乔叟忠诚于真理，忠诚于现实，忠诚于自然（包括人性），忠诚于艺术。乔叟的艺术是现实主义的艺术，他开创了英国文学的现实主义传统。莎士比亚和狄更斯在不同程度上都是乔叟的继承人和弟子。在中国，乔叟的杰作《坎特伯雷故事集》有方重的散文译本。

（李赋宁）

以下为《坎特伯雷故事集》介绍；《农夫皮尔斯》节选；《高文爵士与他的绿衣骑士》节选 Context

The Canterbury Tales is the most famous and critically acclaimed work of Geoffrey Chaucer, a late-fourteenth-century English poet.Little is known about Chaucer’s personal life, and even less about his education, but a number of existing records document his professional life.Chaucer was born in London in the early 1340s, the only son in his family.Chaucer’s father, originally a property-owning wine merchant, became tremendously wealthy when he inherited the property of relatives who had died in the Black Death of 1349.He was therefore able to send the young Geoffrey off as a page to the Countess of Ulster, which meant that Geoffrey was not required to follow in his ancestors’ footsteps and become a merchant.Eventually, Chaucer began to serve the countess’s husband, Prince Lionel, son to King Edward III.For most of his life, Chaucer served in the Hundred Years War between England and France, both as a soldier and, since he was fluent in French and Italian and conversant in Latin and other tongues, as a diplomat.His diplomatic travels brought him twice to Italy, where he might have met Boccaccio, whose writing influenced Chaucer’s work, and Petrarch.In or around 1378, Chaucer began to develop his vision of an English poetry that would be linguistically accessible to all—obedient neither to the court, whose official language was French, nor to the Church, whose official language was Latin.Instead, Chaucer wrote in the vernacular, the English that was spoken in and around London in his day.Undoubtedly, he was influenced by the writings of the Florentines Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, who wrote in the Italian vernacular.Even in England, the practice was becoming increasingly common among poets, although many were still writing in French and Latin.That the nobles and kings Chaucer served(Richard II until 1399, then Henry IV)were impressed with Chaucer’s skills as a negotiator is obvious from the many rewards he received for his service.Money, provisions, higher appointments, and property eventually allowed him to retire on a royal pension.In 1374, the king appointed Chaucer Controller of the Customs of Hides, Skins and Wools in the port of London, which meant that he was a government official who worked with cloth importers.His experience overseeing imported cloths might be why he frequently describes in exquisite detail the garments and fabric that attire his characters.Chaucer held the position at the customhouse for twelve years, after which he left London for Kent, the county in which Canterbury is located.He served as a justice of the peace for Kent, living in debt, and was then appointed Clerk of the Works at various holdings of the king, including Westminster and the Tower of London.After he retired in the early 1390s, he seems to have been working primarily on The Canterbury Tales, which he began around 1387.By the time of his retirement, Chaucer had already written a substantial amount of narrative poetry, including the celebrated romance Troilus and Criseyde.Chaucer’s personal life is less documented than his professional life.In the late 1360s, he married Philippa Roet, who served Edward III’s queen.They had at least two sons together.Philippa was the sister to the mistress of John of Gaunt, the duke of Lancaster.For John of Gaunt, Chaucer wrote one of his first poems, The Book of the Duchess, which was a lament for the premature death of John’s young wife, Blanche.Whether or not Chaucer had an extramarital affair is a matter of some contention among historians.In a legal document that dates from 1380, a woman named Cecily Chaumpaigne released Chaucer from the accusation of seizing her(raptus), though whether the expression denotes that he raped her, committed adultery with her, or abducted her son is unclear.Chaucer’s wife Philippa apparently died in 1387.Chaucer lived through a time of incredible tension in the English social sphere.The Black Death, which ravaged England during Chaucer’s childhood and remained widespread afterward, wiped out an estimated thirty to fifty percent of the population.Consequently, the labor force gained increased leverage and was able to bargain for better wages, which led to resentment from the nobles and propertied classes.These classes received another blow in 1381, when the peasantry, helped by the artisan class, revolted against them.The merchants were also wielding increasing power over the legal establishment, as the Hundred Years War created profit for England and, consequently, appetite for luxury was growing.The merchants capitalized on the demand for luxury goods, and when Chaucer was growing up, London was pretty much run by a merchant oligarchy, which attempted to control both the aristocracy and the lesser artisan classes.Chaucer’s political sentiments are unclear, for although The Canterbury Tales documents the various social tensions in the manner of the popular genre of estates satire, the narrator refrains from making overt political statements, and what he does say is in no way thought to represent Chaucer’s own sentiments.Chaucer’s original plan for The Canterbury Tales was for each character to tell four tales, two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back.But, instead of 120 tales, the text ends after twenty-four tales, and the party is still on its way to Canterbury.Chaucer either planned to revise the structure to cap the work at twenty-four tales, or else left it incomplete when he died on October 25, 1400.Other writers and printers soon recognized The Canterbury Tales as a masterful and highly original work.Though Chaucer had been influenced by the great French and Italian writers of his age, works like Boccaccio’s Decameron were not accessible to most English readers, so the format of The Canterbury Tales, and the intense realism of its characters, were virtually unknown to readers in the fourteenth century before Chaucer.William Caxton, England’s first printer, published The Canterbury Tales in the 1470s, and it continued to enjoy a rich printing history that never truly faded.By the English Renaissance, poetry critic George Puttenham had identified Chaucer as the father of the English literary canon.Chaucer’s project to create a literature and poetic language for all classes of society succeeded, and today Chaucer still stands as one of the great shapers of literary narrative and character.Language in The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is written in Middle English, which bears a close visual resemblance to the English written and spoken today.In contrast, Old English(the language of Beowulf, for example)can be read only in modern translation or by students of Old English.Students often read The Canterbury Tales in its original language, not only because of the similarity between Chaucer’s Middle English and our own, but because the beauty and humor of the poetry—all of its internal and external rhymes, and the sounds it produces—would be lost in translation.The best way for a beginner to approach Middle English is to read it out loud.When the words are pronounced, it is often much easier to recognize what they mean in modern English.Most Middle English editions of the poem include a short pronunciation guide, which can help the reader to understand the language better.For particularly difficult words or phrases, most editions also include notes in the margin giving the modern versions of the words, along with a full glossary in the back.Several online Chaucer glossaries exist, as well as a number of printed lexicons of Middle English.The Order of The Canterbury Tales The line numbers cited in this SparkNote are based on the line numbers given in The Riverside Chaucer, the authoritative edition of Chaucer’s works.The line numbering in The Riverside Chaucer does not run continuously throughout the entire Canterbury Tales, but it does not restart at the beginning of each tale, either.Instead, the tales are grouped together into fragments, and each fragment is numbered as a separate whole.Nobody knows exactly what order Chaucer intended to give the tales, or even if he had a specific order in mind for all of them.Eighty-two early manuscripts of the tales survive, and many of them vary considerably in the order in which they present the tales.However, certain sets of tales do seem to belong together in a particular order.For instance, the General Prologue is obviously the beginning, then the narrator explicitly says that the Knight tells the first tale, and that the Miller butts in and tells the second tale.The introductions, prologues, and epilogues to various tales sometimes include the pilgrims’ comments on the tale just finished, and an indication of who tells the next tale.These sections between the tales are called links, and they are the best evidence for grouping the tales together into ten fragments.But The Canterbury Tales does not include a complete set of links, so the order of the ten fragments is open to question.The Riverside Chaucer bases the order of the ten fragments on the order presented in the Ellesmere manuscript, one of the best surviving manuscripts of the tale.Some scholars disagree with the groupings and order of tales followed in The Riverside Chaucer, choosing instead to base the order on a combination of the links and the geographical landmarks that the pilgrims pass on the way to Canterbury.Plot Overview

General Prologue At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in Southwark, near London, the narrator joins a company of twenty-nine pilgrims.The pilgrims, like the narrator, are traveling to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury.The narrator gives a descriptive account of twenty-seven of these pilgrims, including a Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Merchant, Clerk, Man of Law, Franklin, Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry-Weaver, Cook, Shipman, Physician, Wife, Parson, Plowman, Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, and Host.(He does not describe the Second Nun or the Nun’s Priest, although both characters appear later in the book.)The Host, whose name, we find out in the Prologue to the Cook’s Tale, is Harry Bailey, suggests that the group ride together and entertain one another with stories.He decides that each pilgrim will tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back.Whomever he judges to be the best storyteller will receive a meal at Bailey’s tavern, courtesy of the other pilgrims.The pilgrims draw lots and determine that the Knight will tell the first tale.The Knight’s Tale

Theseus, duke of Athens, imprisons Arcite and Palamon, two knights from Thebes(another city in ancient Greece).From their prison, the knights see and fall in love with Theseus’s sister-in-law, Emelye.Through the intervention of a friend, Arcite is freed, but he is banished from Athens.He returns in disguise and becomes a page in Emelye’s chamber.Palamon escapes from prison, and the two meet and fight over Emelye.Theseus apprehends them and arranges a tournament between the two knights and their allies, with Emelye as the prize.Arcite wins, but he is accidentally thrown from his horse and dies.Palamon then marries Emelye.The Miller’s Prologue and Tale

The Host asks the Monk to tell the next tale, but the drunken Miller butts in and insists that his tale should be the next.He tells the story of an impoverished student named Nicholas, who persuades his landlord’s sexy young wife, Alisoun, to spend the night with him.He convinces his landlord, a carpenter named John, that the second flood is coming, and tricks him into spending the night in a tub hanging from the ceiling of his barn.Absolon, a young parish clerk who is also in love with Alisoun, appears outside the window of the room where Nicholas and Alisoun lie together.When Absolon begs Alisoun for a kiss, she sticks her rear end out the window in the dark and lets him kiss it.Absolon runs and gets a red-hot poker, returns to the window, and asks for another kiss;when Nicholas sticks his bottom out the window and farts, Absolon brands him on the buttocks.Nicholas’s cries for water make the carpenter think that the flood has come, so the carpenter cuts the rope connecting his tub to the ceiling, falls down, and breaks his arm.The Reeve’s Prologue and Tale

Because he also does carpentry, the Reeve takes offense at the Miller’s tale of a stupid carpenter, and counters with his own tale of a dishonest miller.The Reeve tells the story of two students, John and Alayn, who go to the mill to watch the miller grind their corn, so that he won’t have a chance to steal any.But the miller unties their horse, and while they chase it, he steals some of the flour he has just ground for them.By the time the students catch the horse, it is dark, so they spend the night in the miller’s house.That night, Alayn seduces the miller’s daughter, and John seduces his wife.When the miller wakes up and finds out what has happened, he tries to beat the students.His wife, thinking that her husband is actually one of the students, hits the miller over the head with a staff.The students take back their stolen goods and leave.The Cook’s Prologue and Tale

The Cook particularly enjoys the Reeve’s Tale, and offers to tell another funny tale.The tale concerns an apprentice named Perkyn who drinks and dances so much that he is called “Perkyn Reveler.” Finally, Perkyn’s master decides that he would rather his apprentice leave to revel than stay home and corrupt the other servants.Perkyn arranges to stay with a friend who loves drinking and gambling, and who has a wife who is a prostitute.The tale breaks off, unfinished, after fifty-eight lines.The Man of Law’s Introduction, Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue

The Host reminds his fellow pilgrims to waste no time, because lost time cannot be regained.He asks the Man of Law to tell the next tale.The Man of Law agrees, apologizing that he cannot tell any suitable tale that Chaucer has not already told—Chaucer may be unskilled as a poet, says the Man of Law, but he has told more stories of lovers than Ovid, and he doesn’t print tales of incest as John Gower does(Gower was a contemporary of Chaucer).In the Prologue to his tale, the Man of Law laments the miseries of poverty.He then remarks how fortunate merchants are, and says that his tale is one told to him by a merchant.In the tale, the Muslim sultan of Syria converts his entire sultanate(including himself)to Christianity in order to persuade the emperor of Rome to give him his daughter, Custance, in marriage.The sultan’s mother and her attendants remain secretly faithful to Islam.The mother tells her son she wishes to hold a banquet for him and all the Christians.At the banquet, she massacres her son and all the Christians except for Custance, whom she sets adrift in a rudderless ship.After years of floating, Custance runs ashore in Northumberland, where a constable and his wife, Hermengyld, offer her shelter.She converts them to Christianity.One night, Satan makes a young knight sneak into Hermengyld’s chamber and murder Hermengyld.He places the bloody knife next to Custance, who sleeps in the same chamber.When the constable returns home, accompanied by Alla, the king of Northumberland, he finds his slain wife.He tells Alla the story of how Custance was found, and Alla begins to pity the girl.He decides to look more deeply into the murder.Just as the knight who murdered Hermengyld is swearing that Custance is the true murderer, he is struck down and his eyes burst out of his face, proving his guilt to Alla and the crowd.The knight is executed, Alla and many others convert to Christianity, and Custance and Alla marry.While Alla is away in Scotland, Custance gives birth to a boy named Mauricius.Alla’s mother, Donegild, intercepts a letter from Custance to Alla and substitutes a counterfeit one that claims that the child is disfigured and bewitched.She then intercepts Alla’s reply, which claims that the child should be kept and loved no matter how malformed.Donegild substitutes a letter saying that Custance and her son are banished and should be sent away on the same ship on which Custance arrived.Alla returns home, finds out what has happened, and kills Donegild.After many adventures at sea, including an attempted rape, Custance ends up back in Rome, where she reunites with Alla, who has made a pilgrimage there to atone for killing his mother.She also reunites with her father, the emperor.Alla and Custance return to England, but Alla dies after a year, so Custance returns, once more, to Rome.Mauricius becomes the next Roman emperor.Following the Man of Law’s Tale, the Host asks the Parson to tell the next tale, but the Parson reproaches him for swearing, and they fall to bickering.The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale

The Wife of Bath gives a lengthy account of her feelings about marriage.Quoting from the Bible, the Wife argues against those who believe it is wrong to marry more than once, and she explains how she dominated and controlled each of her five husbands.She married her fifth husband, Jankyn, for love instead of money.After the Wife has rambled on for a while, the Friar butts in to complain that she is taking too long, and the Summoner retorts that friars are like flies, always meddling.The Friar promises to tell a tale about a summoner, and the Summoner promises to tell a tale about a friar.The Host cries for everyone to quiet down and allow the Wife to commence her tale.In her tale, a young knight of King Arthur’s court rapes a maiden;to atone for his crime, Arthur’s queen sends him on a quest to discover what women want most.An ugly old woman promises the knight that she will tell him the secret if he promises to do whatever she wants for saving his life.He agrees, and she tells him women want control of their husbands and their own lives.They go together to Arthur’s queen, and the old woman’s answer turns out to be correct.The old woman then tells the knight that he must marry her.When the knight confesses later that he is repulsed by her appearance, she gives him a choice: she can either be ugly and faithful, or beautiful and unfaithful.The knight tells her to make the choice herself, and she rewards him for giving her control of the marriage by rendering herself both beautiful and faithful.The Friar’s Prologue and Tale

The Friar speaks approvingly of the Wife of Bath’s Tale, and offers to lighten things up for the company by telling a funny story about a lecherous summoner.The Summoner does not object, but he promises to pay the Friar back in his own tale.The Friar tells of an archdeacon who carries out the law without mercy, especially to lechers.The archdeacon has a summoner who has a network of spies working for him, to let him know who has been lecherous.The summoner extorts money from those he’s sent to summon, charging them more money than he should for penance.He tries to serve a summons on a yeoman who is actually a devil in disguise.After comparing notes on their treachery and extortion, the devil vanishes, but when the summoner tries to prosecute an old wealthy widow unfairly, the widow cries out that the summoner should be taken to hell.The devil follows the woman’s instructions and drags the summoner off to hell.The Summoner’s Prologue and Tale

The Summoner, furious at the Friar’s Tale, asks the company to let him tell the next tale.First, he tells the company that there is little difference between friars and fiends, and that when an angel took a friar down to hell to show him the torments there, the friar asked why there were no friars in hell;the angel then pulled up Satan’s tail and 20,000 friars came out of his ass.In the Summoner’s Tale, a friar begs for money from a dying man named Thomas and his wife, who have recently lost their child.The friar shamelessly exploits the couple’s misfortunes to extract money from them, so Thomas tells the friar that he is sitting on something that he will bequeath to the friars.The friar reaches for his bequest, and Thomas lets out an enormous fart.The friar complains to the lord of the manor, whose squire promises to divide the fart evenly among all the friars.The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale

The Host asks the Clerk to cheer up and tell a merry tale, and the Clerk agrees to tell a tale by the Italian poet Petrarch.Griselde is a hardworking peasant who marries into the aristocracy.Her husband tests her fortitude several ways, including pretending to kill her children and divorcing her.He punishes her one final time by forcing her to prepare for his wedding to a new wife.She does all this dutifully, her husband tells her that she has always been and will always be his wife(the divorce was a fraud), and they live happily ever after.The Merchant’s Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue

The Merchant reflects on the great difference between the patient Griselde of the Clerk’s Tale and the horrible shrew he has been married to for the past two months.The Host asks him to tell a story of the evils of marriage, and he complies.Against the advice of his friends, an old knight named January marries May, a beautiful young woman.She is less than impressed by his enthusiastic sexual efforts, and conspires to cheat on him with his squire, Damien.When blind January takes May into his garden to copulate with her, she tells him she wants to eat a pear, and he helps her up into the pear tree, where she has sex with Damien.Pluto, the king of the faeries, restores January’s sight, but May, caught in the act, assures him that he must still be blind.The Host prays to God to keep him from marrying a wife like the one the Merchant describes.The Squire’s Introduction and Tale

The Host calls upon the Squire to say something about his favorite subject, love, and the Squire willingly complies.King Cambyuskan of the Mongol Empire is visited on his birthday by a knight bearing gifts from the king of Arabia and India.He gives Cambyuskan and his daughter Canacee a magic brass horse, a magic mirror, a magic ring that gives Canacee the ability to understand the language of birds, and a sword with the power to cure any wound it creates.She rescues a dying female falcon that narrates how her consort abandoned her for the love of another.The Squire’s Tale is either unfinished by Chaucer or is meant to be interrupted by the Franklin, who interjects that he wishes his own son were as eloquent as the Squire.The Host expresses annoyance at the Franklin’s interruption, and orders him to begin the next tale.The Franklin’s Prologue and Tale

The Franklin says that his tale is a familiar Breton lay, a folk ballad of ancient Brittany.Dorigen, the heroine, awaits the return of her husband, Arveragus, who has gone to England to win honor in feats of arms.She worries that the ship bringing her husband home will wreck itself on the coastal rocks, and she promises Aurelius, a young man who falls in love with her, that she will give her body to him if he clears the rocks from the coast.Aurelius hires a student learned in magic to create the illusion that the rocks have disappeared.Arveragus returns home and tells his wife that she must keep her promise to Aurelius.Aurelius is so impressed by Arveragus’s honorable act that he generously absolves her of the promise, and the magician, in turn, generously absolves Aurelius of the money he owes.The Physician’s Tale

Appius the judge lusts after Virginia, the beautiful daughter of Virginius.Appius persuades a churl named Claudius to declare her his slave, stolen from him by Virginius.Appius declares that Virginius must hand over his daughter to Claudius.Virginius tells his daughter that she must die rather than suffer dishonor, and she virtuously consents to her father’s cutting her head off.Appius sentences Virginius to death, but the Roman people, aware of Appius’s hijinks, throw him into prison, where he kills himself.The Pardoner’s Introduction, Prologue, and Tale

The Host is dismayed by the tragic injustice of the Physician’s Tale, and asks the Pardoner to tell something merry.The other pilgrims contradict the Host, demanding a moral tale, which the Pardoner agrees to tell after he eats and drinks.The Pardoner tells the company how he cheats people out of their money by preaching that money is the root of all evil.His tale describes three riotous youths who go looking for Death, thinking that they can kill him.An old man tells them that they will find Death under a tree.Instead, they find eight bushels of gold, which they plot to sneak into town under cover of darkness.The youngest goes into town to fetch food and drink, but brings back poison, hoping to have the gold all to himself.His companions kill him to enrich their own shares, then drink the poison and die under the tree.His tale complete, the Pardoner offers to sell the pilgrims pardons, and singles out the Host to come kiss his relics.The Host infuriates the Pardoner by accusing him of fraud, but the Knight persuades the two to kiss and bury their differences.The Shipman’s Tale

The Shipman’s Tale features a monk who tricks a merchant’s wife into having sex with him by borrowing money from the merchant, then giving it to the wife so she can repay her own debt to her husband, in exchange for sexual favors.When the monk sees the merchant next, he tells him that he returned the merchant’s money to his wife.The wife realizes she has been duped, but she boldly tells her husband to forgive her debt: she will repay it in bed.The Host praises the Shipman’s story, and asks the Prioress for a tale.The Prioress’s Prologue and Tale

The Prioress calls on the Virgin Mary to guide her tale.In an Asian city, a Christian school is located at the edge of a Jewish ghetto.An angelic seven-year-old boy, a widow’s son, attends the school.He is a devout Christian, and loves to sing Alma Redemptoris(Gracious Mother of the Redeemer).Singing the song on his way through the ghetto, some Jews hire a murderer to slit his throat and throw him into a latrine.The Jews refuse to tell the widow where her son is, but he miraculously begins to sing Alma Redemptoris, so the Christian people recover his body, and the magistrate orders the murdering Jews to be drawn apart by wild horses and then hanged.The Prologue and Tale of Sir Thopas The Host, after teasing Chaucer the narrator about his appearance, asks him to tell a tale.Chaucer says that he only knows one tale, then launches into a parody of bad poetry—the Tale of Sir Thopas.Sir Thopas rides about looking for an elf-queen to marry until he is confronted by a giant.The narrator’s doggerel continues in this vein until the Host can bear no more and interrupts him.Chaucer asks him why he can’t tell his tale, since it is the best he knows, and the Host explains that his rhyme isn’t worth a turd.He encourages Chaucer to tell a prose tale.The Tale of Melibee Chaucer’s second tale is the long, moral prose story of Melibee.Melibee’s house is raided by his foes, who beat his wife, Prudence, and severely wound his daughter, Sophie, in her feet, hands, ears, nose, and mouth.Prudence advises him not to rashly pursue vengeance on his enemies, and he follows her advice, putting his foes’ punishment in her hands.She forgives them for the outrages done to her, in a model of Christian forbearance and forgiveness.The Monk’s Prologue and Tale The Host wishes that his own wife were as patient as Melibee’s, and calls upon the Monk to tell the next tale.First he teases the Monk, pointing out that the Monk is clearly no poor cloisterer.The Monk takes it all in stride and tells a series of tragic falls, in which noble figures are brought low: Lucifer, Adam, Sampson, Hercules, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Zenobia, Pedro of Castile, and down through the ages.The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue

After seventeen noble “falls” narrated by the Monk, the Knight interrupts, and the Host calls upon the Nun’s Priest to deliver something more lively.The Nun’s Priest tells of Chanticleer the Rooster, who is carried off by a flattering fox who tricks him into closing his eyes and displaying his crowing abilities.Chanticleer turns the tables on the fox by persuading him to open his mouth and brag to the barnyard about his feat, upon which Chanticleer falls out of the fox’s mouth and escapes.The Host praises the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, adding that if the Nun’s Priest were not in holy orders, he would be as sexually potent as Chanticleer.The Second Nun’s Prologue and Tale

In her Prologue, the Second Nun explains that she will tell a saint’s life, that of Saint Cecilia, for this saint set an excellent example through her good works and wise teachings.She focuses particularly on the story of Saint Cecilia’s martyrdom.Before Cecilia’s new husband, Valerian, can take her virginity, she sends him on a pilgrimage to Pope Urban, who converts him to Christianity.An angel visits Valerian, who asks that his brother Tiburce be granted the grace of Christian conversion as well.All three—Cecilia, Tiburce, and Valerian—are put to death by the Romans.The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue and Tale

When the Second Nun’s Tale is finished, the company is overtaken by a black-clad Canon and his Yeoman, who have heard of the pilgrims and their tales and wish to participate.The Yeoman brags to the company about how he and the Canon create the illusion that they are alchemists, and the Canon departs in shame at having his secrets discovered.The Yeoman tells a tale of how a canon defrauded a priest by creating the illusion of alchemy using sleight of hand.The Manciple’s Prologue and Tale

The Host pokes fun at the Cook, riding at the back of the company, blind drunk.The Cook is unable to honor the Host’s request that he tell a tale, and the Manciple criticizes him for his drunkenness.The Manciple relates the legend of a white crow, taken from the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses and one of the tales in The Arabian Nights.In it, Phoebus’s talking white crow informs him that his wife is cheating on him.Phoebus kills the wife, pulls out the crow’s white feathers, and curses it with blackness.The Parson’s Prologue and Tale As the company enters a village in the late afternoon, the Host calls upon the Parson to give them a fable.Refusing to tell a fictional story because it would go against the rule set by St.Paul, the Parson delivers a lengthy treatise on the Seven Deadly Sins, instead.Chaucer’s Retraction

Chaucer appeals to readers to credit Jesus Christ as the inspiration for anything in his book that they like, and to attribute what they don’t like to his own ignorance and lack of ability.He retracts and prays for forgiveness for all of his works dealing with secular and pagan subjects, asking only to be remembered for what he has written of saints’ lives and homilies.WILLIAM LANGLAND(1330-1400)The Vision of William Concerning 'Piers the Plowman.'

Incipit liber de Petro Plowman Prologus

PROLOGUE The Field Full of Folk 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

In a somer seson whan soft was the sonne, I shope me in shroudes as I a shepe were, In habite as an hermite vnholy of workes, Went wyde in þis world wondres to here.Ac on a May mornynge on Maluerne hulles, Me byfel a ferly of fairy, me thou¥te;I was wery forwandred and went me to reste Vnder a brode banke bi a bornes side, And as I lay and lened and loked in þe wateres, I slombered in a slepyng it sweyued so merye, Thanne gan I to meten a merueilouse sweuene, That I was in a wilderness wist I neuer where;As I bihelde in-to þe est an hiegh to þe sonne, I seigh a toure on a toft trielich ymaked;A depe dale binethe a dongeon þere-Inne, With depe dyches & derke and dredful of sight, A faire felde ful of folke fonde I there bytwene, Of alle maner of men þe mene and þe riche, worchyng and wandryng as þe worlde asketh Some putten hem to þe plow pleyed ful selde, In settyng and in sowyng swonken ful harde, And wonnen that wastours with glotonye destruyeth.And some putten hem to pruyde appareiled hem þere-after.In countenaunce of clothyng comen disgised.In prayers and in penance putten hem manye, Al for loue of owre lorde lyueden ful streyte, In hope forto haue heuenriche blisse;As ancres and hermites that holden hem in here selles, And coueiten nought in contre to kairen aboute, For no likerous liflode her lykam to plese.And somme chosen chaffare they cheuen the bettere, As it semeth to owre sy¥t that suche men thryueth;And somme murthes to make as mynstralles conneth, And geten gold with here glee giltles, I leue.Ac iapers & iangelers Iudas chylderen, Feynen hem fantasies and foles hem maketh, And han here witte at wille to worche ¥if þei sholde.That Poule precheth of hem I nel nought preue it here: Qui turpiloquium loquitur is luciferes hyne.Bidders and beggeres fast aboute ¥ede, With her belies and her bagges of bred ful ycrammed;Fayteden for here fode fou¥ten atte ale;In glotonye, god it wote gon hij to bedde, And risen with ribaudye tho roberdes knaues;Slepe and sori sleuthe seweth hem eure.[...]

In a summer season, when soft was the sun, I enshrouded me well in a shepherd's garb, And robed as a hermit, unholy of works, Went wide through the world, all wonders to hear.And on a May morning, on Malvern Hills, strange fancies befell me, and fairy-like dreams.I was weary of wand'ring, and went to repose On a broad green bank, by a burn-side;As I lay there and leaned and looked on the waters, I slumbered and slept, they sounded so merry.Came moving before me a marvellous vision;I was lost in wild waste;but where, I discerned not.I beheld in the east, on high, near the sun, A tower on a hill-top, with turrets well wrought;A deep dale beneath, and a dungeon therein, With deep ditches and dark, and dreadful to see.A fair field full of folk, I found there between, Of all manner of men, the mean and the rich, All working or wand'ring, as the world requires.Some ploughed with the plough;their play was seldom;Some sowing, some earning, with sweat of their brows, The gain which the great ones in gluttony waste.In pride of apparel some passed on their way, And in costliest clothing were quaintly disguised.In prayer and in penance some placed their delight, And all for our Lord's love lived strictly and hard, In hope to have after their heavenly meed;These hermits and anchorites held to their cells, Not caring to roam through the country around For doles of sweet dainties, their flesh to delight.Some chose to be chapmen, to chaffer for gain;As it seems to our sight, such surely succeed.And some, to make merry, as minstrels are wont, Getting gold with their glee, yet guiltless, I trust.As for jugglers and jesters, all Judas's children, That feign silly fancies, apparelled as fools, Having wit, if they willed it, to work as they oughtis a lie, I'd say!

(5)

But Arthur would not eat till all were served.He bubbled to the brim with boyish spirits: liked his life light, and loathed the thought of lazing for long or sitting still longer.So his young blood boiled and his brain ran wild, and in many ways moved him still more as a point of honor never to eat on a high holiday till he should have heard a strange story of stirring adventures, of mighty marvels to make the mind wonder, of princes, prowess, or perilous deeds.Or someone might come, seeking a knight to join him in jousting, enjoying the risk of laying their lives on the line like men leaving to fortune the choice of her favor.This was the king's custom at court, the practice he followed at pleasant feasts held in his hall;

therefore with bold face

he stood there straight and tall.As New Years proceeded apace

he meant to have mirth with them all.(6)

So he stood there stock-still, a king standing tall, talking of courtly trifles before the high table.By Guinevere sat Gawain the Good, and Agravaine of the Heavy Hand on the other side: knights of great worth, and nephews to the king.Baldwin, the bishop, was above, by the head, with Ywain, Urien's son, sitting across.These sat at the dais and were served with due honor;and many mighty men were seated on either side.Then the first course came with a clamor of trumpets whose banners billowed bright to the eye, while kettledrums rolled and the cry of the pipes wakened a wild, warbling music whose touch made the heart tremble and skip.Delicious dishes were rushed in, fine delicacies fresh and plentiful, piled so high on so many platters they had problems finding places to set down their silver bowls of steaming soup: no spot was clear.Each lord dug in with pleasure，and grabbed at what lay near:

twelve platters piled past measure，bright wine, and foaming beer.(7)

I need say no more how they served the food, for what fool would fancy their feast was a famine? But a new noise announced itself quickly enough to grant the high lord leave to have dinner.The music had finished but a moment before, the first course just served, and set before the court, when a horrible horseman hurtled through the doors, his body as brawny as any can be, so bull-necked, big-thighed, bulky and square, so long-legged, large-limbed, looming so tall I can hardly tell if he were half troll, or merely as large as living man can be--a handsome one too;as hearty a hulk as ever rode horse.His back and chest were broad as a barrel, but he slimmed at the waist, with a slender stomach, and his face was well formed, with features sharp and clean--

Men sat there gaping, gasping

at his strange, unearthly sheen，as if a ghost were passing，for every inch was green.(8)

He was got up in green from head to heel: a tunic worn tight, tucked to his ribs;and a rich cloak cast over it, covered inside with a fine fur lining, fitted and sewn with ermine trim that stood out in contrast from his hair where his hood lay folded flat;and handsome hose of the same green hue which clung to his calves, with clustered spurs of bright gold;beneath them striped embroidered silk above his bare shanks, for he rode shoeless.His clothes were all kindled with a clear light like emeralds: His belt buckles sparkled, and bright stones were set in rich rows arranged up and down himself and his saddle.Worked in the silk were too many trifles to tell the half of: embroidered birds, butterflies, and other things in a gaudy glory of green and inlaid gold.And the bit and bridle, the breastplate on the horse, and all its tackle were trimmed with green enamel, even the saddlestraps, the stirrups on which he stood, and the bows of his saddle with its billowing skirts which glimmered and glinted with green jewels.The stallion that bore him was the best of its breed it was plain，a green horse great and strong，that sidled, danced and strained，but the bridle-braid led it along，turning as it was trained.(9)

He was a fine fellow fitted in green--And the hair on his head and his horse's matched.It fanned out freely enfolding his shoulders, and his beard hung below as big as a bush, all mixed with the marvelous mane on his head, which was cut off in curls cascading to his elbows, wrapping round the rest of him like a king's cape clasped to his neck.And the mane of his mount was much the same, but curled up and combed in crisp knots, in braids of bright gold thread and brilliant green criss-crossed hair by hair.And the tossing tail was twin to the mane, for both were bound with bright green ribbons, strung to the end with long strands of precious stones, and turned back tight in a twisted knot bright with tinkling bells of burnished gold.No such horse on hoof had been seen in that hall, nor horseman half so strange as their eyes now held in sight.He looked a lightning flash，they say: he seemed so bright;

and who would dare to clash

in melee with such might?

(10)

Yet he had on no hauberk, nor a helmet for his head, neither neck-guard nor breastplate to break heavy blows, neither shaft nor shield for the shock of combat.But he held in one hand a sprig of holly that bursts out greenest when branches are bare;and his other hand hefted a huge and awful ax, a broad battleax with a bit to tell(take it who can)with a large head four feet long: the green steel down the grain etched with gold, its broad edge burnished and bright, shaped razor-sharp to sheer through steel, and held high on a heavy staff which was bound at the base with iron bands gracefully engraved in bright green patterns.A strap was strung through the steel head, running loop after loop down the length of the handle, which was tied with tassels in abundance, attaching by rich braids onto bright green buttons.This rider reined in as he rode through the doors direct to the high dais without a word, giving no greeting, gazing down on them all.His first word came when he stopped.“Where,” he said, “is the master of these men? I've a mind to see his face and would fancy a chat with the fellow who wears the crown.”

To each lord he turned

and glancing up and down

he fixed each face to learn

which knight held most renown.(11)

They stared at the stranger, stunned, a very long time.For each man wondered what it might mean that man and mount both shone a shade as green as the grass, and greener even than green enamel glows when gold makes it brighter.All eyes were on him, and some edged closer, wondering what in the world he would do.They had seen enough strange sights to know how seldom they are real;therefore they feared him for a phantom, a sending from the Unseen Realm.So of all those noble knights, none dared answer but sat there stupefied by the strength of his voice.A silence fell filling that rich hall as if they'd all fainted or suddenly slept: their voices just vanished at their height.Some, I suppose, were not floored，but chose to be polite，letting their leader and lord

be first to speak to that knight.(12)

Arthur stood watching adventure advance and answered quickly as honor bid, neither awed nor afraid, saying, “Wanderer, know you are welcome here.dismount, if you may;make merry as you wish, and we may learn in a little while what you would like.” “So help me God who sits on high,” he said, “No.” “It is not my purpose to pass any time in this place.But I have been told that your reputation towers to heaven: that your court and castle are accounted the finest, your knights and their steeds as the sturdiest in steel, the best, the boldest, the bravest on earth, and as fitting foes in any fine sport.True knighthood is known here, or so the tale runs, which is why I have come calling today.You may be sure by this branch that I bear that I come in peace, with no plans for battle.I have a hauberk at home, and a helmet too, and other weapons I know well how to wield.Yet as war is not my wish I am wearing soft silk, but, if you are as bold as men believe you to be，you will be glad to grant me the game that is mine by right.”

Then Arthur said, “I swear,”

“most courteous, noble knight，if you'd like to battle bare，you'll not fail to find a fight.”

(13)

“Never fear,” he said, “I'm not fishing for a fight with the beardless children on the benches all about.If I were strapped on steel on a sturdy horse no man here has might to match me.No, I have come to this court for a bit of Christmas fun fitting for Yuletide and New Years with such a fine crowd.Who here in this house thinks he has what it takes, has bold blood and a brash head, and dares to stand his ground, giving stroke for stroke? Here!I shall give him this gilded blade as my gift;this heavy ax shall be his, to handle as he likes.and I shall stand here bare of armor, and brave the first blow.If anyone's tough enough to try out my game, let him come here quickly and claim his weapon!I give up all rights;he will get it for keeps.I'll stand like a tree trunk--he can strike at me once, if you'll grant me the right to give as good as I get in play.But later is soon enough，a full year and a day.Get up, if you think you're rough，let's see what you dare to say!”

(14)

If at first he had stunned them, now they sat stone-still: the whole hall, both high and low.The mounted man moved in his saddle, glared a red glance grimly about, arched his bushy brows, all brilliant and green, his beard waving as he waited for one man to rise, to call or came forward.He coughed loudly, stretched slowly, and straightened to speak.“Hah!They call this King Arthur's house, a living legend in land after land? Where have your pride and your power gone, your bragging boasts, your big words? The glories and triumphs of the Round Table have toppled at the touch of one man's words!What? Fainting with fear, when no fight is offered?” He let out a laugh so loud that Arthur winced with shame;the blood shot to his flushed face and churned

with rage and raised a storm

until their hearts all burned.All king in face and form，he reached that rider, turned，(15)

and said, “Look here, by heaven!Have you lost your mind? If you want to be mad, I will make you welcome!Nobody I know is bowled over by your big words, so help me God!Hand me that ax--I will grant you the gift you beg me to give!” He leaped lightly up and lifted it from his hand.Then the man dismounted, moving proudly, while Arthur held the ax, both hands on the haft, hefted it sternly, considered his stroke.That burly man bulked big and tall, a head higher than anyone in the house.He stood there hard-faced, stroking his beard, impassively watching as he pulled off his coat, no more moved or dismayed by his mighty swings than anybody would be if somebody brought him a bottle of wine.Gawain, sitting by the queen，could tell the king his mind:

“Lord, hear well what I mean，and let this match be mine.”

(16)

“Grant leave, good lord,” said Gawain to the king, “to stir from my seat and stand by your side;that I might rise without rudeness from this table without fear of offending your fair queen, and come before your court as a counselor should.It is plainly improper, as people know well, to point this proposal at the prince himself.Though you may be eager to act for yourself, there are so many bold knights on the benches all about, none more masterful in mind maybe than move move under heaven, nor many built better for the field of battle.Of all your men of war I am the weakest and least wise, and my life little enough to lose, if you look at it clearly.My only honor is that you are my uncle;my only boast is that my body carries your blood.Since this whole matter is such a mockery, it is not meant for you;and I am first on the field: let this folly be mine.If my claim is uncalled-for let the court judge;I will bear the blame.”

They huddled hushed around

and all advised the same:

respect the royal crown，and give Gawain the game.(17)

Then the king commanded him to rise and come forward, and he stood quickly, walked with stately steps to kneel before the king and claim his weapon.Arthur handed it over and held up his hand to give him God's blessing.With a glad smile he charged him to be hardy in heart.“Cousin, careful,” he said, “cut him but once.and if you teach him truly, I trust you will find you can bear the blow that he brings you later.” Gawain went to the warrior, weapon in hand, not the least bit bashful, as bold as can be.Then the Green Knight said to Gawain, “We should go over our agreement before we begin.First, knight, I would know your name, told truly as one I can trust.” “My name is Gawain,” he said, “I give it in good faith, as I will give you a blow and bear what comes after.At this time in twelve months I will take a blow back from what weapon you wish, but from no other knight alive.”

The other answering spoke，“Sir Gawain: good.I derive

great pleasure from the stroke

your hardy hands will drive.”

(18)

“Gad!” the Green Knight said.“Sir Gawain, I am glad that your fist will fetch me the fun I hoped to find.You have quickly retold in trustworthy words a correct account of the contract I asked of the king, save one stipulation that I must state: let it stand as your oath that you will seek me yourself, and search anywhere you feel I may be found to fetch back the same wages I am paid today before this proud court.” “Where should I look?” Gawain asked, “Where do you live?” “By Him that made me, your house is not known to me, neither do I know you, knight, nor your court nor your name.But teach me truly, tell me where to find you and I shall work my wits out to win my way there.I give my plain promise;I pledge you my word.” “That is enough for a New Year's pledge;you need say no more,”--So the green man answered gracious Gawain--“If I'm telling the truth, why, when I've taken your tap, and you've lopped me lovingly, you'll learn at once of my house and my home and how I am named.Then you can try my hospitality and be true to our compact.Or I'll have no words to waste, which would be well for you: you'd relax in this land, and not look for me further.But stop!

Take up the grim tool you need，and show me how you chop.”

“Gladly, sir,” he said, “Indeed,”

and gave the ax a strop.(19)

The green knight got ready, feet firm on the ground;leaned his head a little to let the cheek show, and raised the rich riot of his hair so the nape of his neck was naked and exposed.Gawain held the ax high overhead, his left foot set before him on the floor, swung swiftly at the soft flesh so the bit of the blade broke through the bones, crashed through the clear fat and cut it in two, and the brightly burnished edge bit into the earth.The handsome head fell, hit the ground, and rolled forward;they fended it off with their feet.The red blood burst bright from the green body, yet the fellow neither faltered nor fell but stepped strongly out on sturdy thighs, reached roughly right through their legs, grabbed his graceful head and lifted it from the ground, ran to his horse, caught hold of the reins, stepped in the stirrup, strode into the saddle, the head dangling by the hair from his hand, and seated himself as firmly in the saddle as if he were unhurt, though he sat on his horse without a head.He swiveled his bulk about;

the ugly stump still bled.They gaped in fear and doubt

because of the words he said.(20)

For he held the head up evenly in his hand, turned the face toward the top of the high table, and the eyelids lifted and looked on them all while the mouth moved, making these words: “Gawain, get ready to go as you have promised, Seek me out, sir;search till you find me as sworn here in this hall where all these knights heard.I charge you, come as you chose to the Green Chapel to get as good as you gave--you've got it coming and will be paid promptly when another year has passed.Many men know me as the Knight of the Green Chapel, so search faithfully and you'll not fail to find me.Come, or be called a faithless coward!” He roared like a raging bull, turned the reins, and drove for the door, still dangling the head, while fire flashed from the horse's feet as if its hooves were flints.Where he went no one knew, nor could they name the country he came from nor his kin.What then?

The king and Gawain grinned

and laughed at the Green Knight when

they knew full well it had been

a portent to their men.(21)

Though High King Arthur's heart was heavy with wonder he let no sign of it be seen, but said aloud with a king's courtesy to his lovely queen: “Beloved lady, never let this dismay you.It is good to get such games at Christmas, light interludes, laughter and song, or the whole court singing carols in chorus.But truly, I can turn now to my table and feast;as my word is good, I have witnessed a wonder.” He turned to Sir Gawain and tactfully said, “Hang up your ax;it has cut all it can.” It was attached to a tapestry above the high table for all men to marvel on who might see it there, as a true token of a tale of wonder.Then they sat in their seats to resume their feast, Gawain and the king together, while good men served them the rarest, dearest delicacies in double portions, with whole batteries of the best foods, and the singing of bards.The day finished, and their feast was filled with joy and zest.Sir Gawain, have a care

to keep your courage for the test，and do the deed you've dared.You've begun: now brave the rest.