第一篇：《英国文学》读后感
Puritanism Features: 1.Predestination: God decided everything before things occurred.2.Original sin: Human beings were born to be evil, and this original sin can be passed down from generation to generation.3.Total depravity4.Limited atonement: Only the “elect” can be saved.Influence1.A group of good qualities – hard work, thrift, piety, sobriety(serious and thoughtful)influenced American literature.2.It led to the everlasting myth.All literature is based on a myth – garden of Eden.3.Symbolism: the American puritan’s metaphorical mode of perception was chiefly instrumental in calling into being a literary symbolism which is distinctly American.4.With regard to their writing, the style is fresh, simple and direct;the rhetoric is plain and honest, not without a touch of nobility often traceable to the direct influence of the Bible.General features of Romanticism
A.Stressing emotion rather than reasonB.Stressing freedom and individuality
C.Idealism rather than materialismD.Writing about nature, medieval legends and with supernatural elements
Features of American Romanticism
A.Imitative
B.Independent
a.peculiar American experience(landscape, pioneering to the West, Indian civilization, new nation's democracy and dreams)
b.Puritan heritage(more moralizing, edifying more than mere entertainment)(careful about love and sex.example: Scarlet Letter)
“Father of American literature”“Father of the American short story”
The first American writher of imaginative literature to gain international fame.The short story as a genre in American literature began with Irving’s The Sketch Book.The Sketch Book also marked the beginning of American Romanticism.超越主义features:
A.Emphasis on Spirit(Oversoul)(超灵)against “world is made of matter”;against “neglecting of spiritual life in capitalist world”
B.Emphasis on individualsOld Puritan views: self-reliance and self-improvement Through communication with Oversoul, human being can be divine.against “total depravity” in Old Puritan doctrinesagainst dehumanization of capitalist world
C.Taking nature as the symbol of the Spirit(Oversoul)
encouraging people to find goodness and beauty from nature
against materialism in the society and the actions which broke the harmony between human and nature only for profits
D.Brotherhood of man(equal and liberty)interested in social reforms;endeavor to create an ideal society;against “everything for money” in the capitalist world
Significance:A.influenced a large group of writersB.summit of American RomanticismC.marked the independence of American literature
Emerson’s aesthetics brought about a revolution in American literature in general and in American poetry in particular.It marked the birth of true American poetry and true American poets.Robert Frost Features
(1)His poems mostly wrote about nature(influence from Wordsworth and Emerson)and New England landscape.(2)Deceptively simple style(reason for popular)(3)Symbolism(show his poems’ deep meaning)(4)He was likely to choose traditional forms for his poem, but the themes of his poems are mostly modern.(In his poems, traditional elements and modern elements mingle together.)
In Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, Frost uses the kind of familiar New England details that constitute his poetry for more than descriptive purposes.He shapes them into a meditation on the tension we sometimes feel between life’s responsibilities and the “lovely, dark, and deep” attraction that death offers.When the speaker’s horse “gives his harness bells a shake”, we are reminded that we are confronting a universal theme as well as a quiet moment of natural beauty.Emily Dickinson Features
A.Strong influence of Puritanism on her thought(pessimism and tragic tone of her poems)
B.Care about death and immortality(1/3 of all her poems talked about these two themes.)
C.exploring human’s inner world(psychology description in her poems)
D.severe economy of expressionE.original imagesF.direct and plain language G.great influence on the Imagist Movement in the 20th century
The poem is discussing death, a very gloomy subject, but it is done with a rather light tone.The tone is light just because the author does not take death as a catastrophe;instead, she treats the angel of death as a very polite gentleman, as a long-missing guest, giving up her work and leisure, putting on her fine silky dresses, she accompanies death in the same carriage to eternity.All the beauty of this work lies in the poetess’ open-minded attitude towards death.Edgar Allan Poe 诗的特点：father of modern short story，father of detective story
father of psychoanalytic criticisma.Gothic elements(terror and romance)
b.deep analysis of human psychology(He noticed subconscious of human mind nearly one hundred year before Freud.)(He was also the first American author who took neurotic characters as main characters in his stories.)c.precursor of detective stories(e.g.“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”)and science stories
The aim of poem writing is beauty;the most beautiful thing described by a poem is the death of a beautiful woman;the desirable tone of a poem is melancholy;
Whiteman featuresA.He extols the ideals of and and celebrates the B.employing “free verse” as the form of his poems with two characteristics: parallelism;phonetic recurrence(P92-P93)What is the difference between free verse and blank verse?(blank verse has no rhyme, but it should be iambic pentameter)C.frankness of the commonplace and the ugly sides in human lifeD.direct, plain and even vulgar languageE.“untold latencies”(his poetry suggests rather than tell)F.great influence on the 20th century American poets
The Jazz Age
Specifically the 1920s, when young men and women indulge in a whirl of frenetic social excitement or dissipation fostered by the collapse of moral standards during and following World War I.The term was established by Fitzgerald in his Tales of the Jazz Age(1922)
The Great Gatsby Symbolism
Gatsby: the country’s historyDaisy: seemingly beautiful American Dream
Tom: commercialization which brought the country only moral depravityNick: hope of the countryMore: The green light on Daisy’s dock, the eyes of Doctor T.J.Ekleburg, the valley of ashes, Gatsby’s parties, East Egg, West Egg.Theme: disillusionment of American Dream in the materialized America
The decline of the American dream, the spirit of the 1920s, the difference between social classes, the role of symbols in the human conception of meaning, the role of the past in the dreams of the future.
第二篇：英国文学傲慢与偏见读后感
Pride and Prejudice
There is no doubt that pride and prejudice is one of Jane’ masterpieces.It tells the story of Mr.and Mrs.Bennet, and their five young, unmarried daughters.The plot revolves mainly around Elizabeth and her troublesome romance with the wealthy but arrogant Mr.Darcy.Also, this novel introduces other “love and marriage” stories to us.Thus, we know that it focuses on the theme of “love and marriage”.There are five different kinds of marriages.First one is the marriage between Mr.and Mrs.Bennet.Mr.Bennet married Mrs.Bennet because of her appearance.So he had all the time to regret his mistakes and could not stop mocking his wife.Second one is the marriage between Mr.Collins and Charlotte.Their marriage is based on economics rather than on love or appearance.So we can learn that their marriage can be called as a material trade.Third one can be described as the worst one in the novel.Lydia and Wickham’s marriage was based on appearances, good looks, and youthful vivacity.Once all these disappeared, the once strong relationship will slowly fade away.Then the love story between Jane and Bingley, they fall in love at the first sight.However, due to their personalities, they miss each other at first.Luckily, with the help of Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy, they eliminated the misunderstanding and expressed their love to each other.Their marriage is better than the preceding three ones.Finally，the marriage between Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy.Mr.Darcy represents the pride, while the prejudice is represented by Elizabeth’s attitude to Mr.Darcy.At first, Mr.Darcy was so proud that he looked upon Elizabeth’s family.And Elizabeth has some prejudice on him.Mr.Darcy’s persistence and his change for love make Elizabeth accept him at last.I think it is the perfect love in the novel because the marriage is based on both true love and material.From this novel, I learnt that if “love and marriage” is only based on money or social status, it would be unhappy, but it is also stupid without considering all of these.Both true love and material should be considered if we want to establish a home.
第三篇：英国文学练习题
英国文学选读练习
1.English Romanticism is generally said to have begun with_____in 1798.A.the publication of Lyrical BalladsB.the death of Sir Scott
C.the birth of William WordsworthD the passage of the first Reform Bill in the Parliament
2.The Romantic Period is first of all an age of_____.A.NovelB.poetryC.dramaD.prose
3.Romanticism does not emphasize_____.A.the special qualities of each individual’s mindB.the inner world of the human spirit
C.IndividualityD.the features that men have in common
4._____ is not a Romantic poet.A.William BlakeB.Sir ScottC.P.B.ShelleyD.Lord Byron
5._____ is a Romantic novelist but is impressed with neo-classic strains.A.Walter ScottB.Mary ShelleyC.Jane AustenD.Ann Radcliff
6._____ is not characteristic of William Blake’s writing.A.plain and direct languageB.compression of meaningC.supernatural qualityD.symbolism
7.Wordsworth published Lyrical Ballads in 1789 with _____.A.ByronB.ColeridgeC.ShelleyD.Keats
8.Wordsworth thinks that _____ is the only subject of literary interest.A.the life of rising bourgeoisieB.aristocratic lifeC.the life of the royal familyD.common life
9.Don Juan is the masterpiece of_____.A.Lord Byron’sB.P.B.Shelley’sC.John Keats’sD.Samuel Coleridge’s
10._____ is not a novel written by Jane Austen.A.Jane EyreB.Sense and SensibilityC.Pride and PrejudiceD.Emma
II.Decide whether the following statements are true or false and write your answers in the brackets.(T)1.The Romantic period is also a great age of prose.(T)2.Romantics also tend to be nationalistic, defending their own literary heritage against the advocates of classical rules.(F)3.Coleridge has been rewarded as Poet Laureate.(F)4.Keats is one of the “Lake Poets.”
(F)5.Jane Austen is a typical Romantic writer.III.Name the author of each of the following literary work.1.“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”-----Coleridge
2.Songs of Innocence-----Blake
3“Ode to a Nightingale”-----Keats
4.“A Song: Men of England”-----Shelley
5.The Prelude-----Wordsworth
IV.Define the literary terms listed below
1.Romanticism: Romanticism is a movement that flourished in literature, philosophy, music and art in western culture during most of the nineteenth century, beginning as a revolt against classicism.There have been many varieties of Romanticism in many different times and places.The leading features of Romantic movements are Wordsworth, Shelley, etc.2.Ode:Ode is a complex and often lengthy lyric poem, written in a dignified formal style on some lofty or serious subject.Odes are often written for a special occasion, to honour a person or a season or to commemorate an event.V.For each of the quotations listed below please give the name of the author and the title of the literary work from which it is taken and then briefly interpret it.1….Be through my lips to unawakened Earth.The trumpet of a prophecy!O, Wind,If winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
2.For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.V.1.It is taken from Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind.In this poem, Shelley eulogizes the powerful west wind and expresses his eagerness to enjoy the boundless freedom from the reality.In these last lines, the poet shows his optimistic spirit for the future.2.It is taken from Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” The poet thinks that it is a bliss to recollect the beauty of nature in his mind while he is in solitude.He expresses his strong affecting for nature in the poem.1.The Renaissance is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, which one of the following is not such an event?
A.The rediscovery of ancient Rome and Greek culture.B.England's domestic rest.C.New discovery in geography and astrology.D.The religious reformation and the economic expansion.2.Which of the following is regarded as the most successful religious allegory in the English language.A.The Pilgrim's ProgressB.Grace Abounding to the Chief of SinnersC.The Life and Death of Mr.BadmanD.The Holy War
3.It isalone who, for the first time in English literature, presented to us a comprehensive realistic picture of the English society of his time and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life.A.Geoffrey Chaucer B.Martin Luther C.William Langland D.John Gower
4.All of the following four exceptare the most eminent dramatists in the Renaissance England.A.Francis Bacon B.Christopher Marlowe C.William Shakespeare D.Ben Jonson
5.It is generally regarded that Keats's most important and mature poems are in the form of.A.elegy B.ode C.epic D.sonnet
6.Daniel Defoe's novels mainly focus on.A.the struggle of the unfortunate for mere existenceB.the struggle of the shipwrecked persons for security
C.the struggle of the pirates for wealthD.the desire of the criminals for property
7.In Beowulf,fought against the monster Grendel and a five breathing dragon.A.the Anglo-Saxons B.Beowulf C.the Scandinavian D.the Winter Dragon
8.Francis Bacon is best known for hiswhich greatly influenced the development of this literary form.A.essays B.poems C.works D plays
9.Most of Thomas Hardy's novels are set in Wessex.A.a crude region in EnglandB.a fictional primitive regionC.a remote rural areaD.Hardy's hometown
10.We can perhaps describe the west wind in Shelley's poem “Ode to the West Wind” with all the following terms except.A.swift B.proud C.tamed D.wild
11.“Blindness”, “partiality”, “prejudice”, and “absurdity” in the novel “Pride and Prejudice” are most likely the characteristics of.A.Elizabeth B.Darcy C.Mr.Bennet D.Mrs.Bennet
12.The modern English novel came into being in.A.the middle of the 17th centuryB.the 17th centuryC.the late 18th centuryD.the middle of the 18th century
13.Who is not the major figure of modernist movement?
A.Eliot B.Joyce C.Charles Dickens D.Pound
14.Who is considered to be the best known English dramatist since Shakespeare?
A.Oscar Wilde B.John Galsworthy C.W.B.Yeats D.George Bernard Shaw
15.Of the following poets, which is not regarded as “Lake Poets”?
A.Samuel Taylor Coleridge B.Robert Southy C.William Words worth D.William Shakespeare
16.In the first part of Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver told his experience in.A.Lilliput B.Brobdingnag C.Houyhnhnm D.England
17.Which of the following cannot describe “Byronic hero”?
A.proud B.mysterious C.noble origin D progressive
18.In the history of literature, Romanticism is generally regarded as.A.the thought that designates a literary and philosophical theory which tends to see the individual as the very center of all life and all
experience.B.the thought that designates man as a social animal
C.the orientation that emphasizes those features which men have in common
D.the modes of thinking
19.The term “metaphysical poetry” is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of.A.John Milton B.John Donne C.John Keats D.John Bunyan
20.“The Vanity Fair” is a well-known part in.A.The Pilgrim's Progress B.Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
C.The Life and Death of Mr.Badman D.The Holy War
21.In Oliver Twist, Charles criticizes.A.money worshipping tendencyB.dehumanizing of workhouse systemC.hypocrisy of the upper societyD.distortion of human heart
22.Which of the following plays by Shakespeare is history play?
A.Otharo B.The Merry Wives of Windsor C.Henry IV D.King Lear
23.Who is regarded as a “worshipper of nature”.A.John Keats B.William Blake C.William Wordsworth D.Jane Austen
24.Which of the following writing is not the work by Charles Dickens?
A.A Tale of Two Cities B.Hard Times C.Oliver Twist D.Sons and Lovers
25.The 18th century England is known as thein the history.A.Romanticism B.Classicism C.Renaissance D.Enlightenment
26.Romance, which uses narrative verse or prose to tell stories of ___ adventures or other heroic deeds, is a popular literary form in the medieval period.A.ChristianB.knightlyC.GreekD.Primitive
27.The Romantic writers would focus on all the following issues EXCEPT the ___.A.individual feelingsB.idea of survival of the fittestC.strong imaginationD.return to nature
28.Generally , the Renaissance refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries, its essence is.A.scienceB.philosophyC.artsD.humanism
29.In the field of literature, the Enlightenment Movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works.This tendency is known as.A.ClassicismB.NeoclassicismC.RomanticismD.pre-Romanticism
30.Paradise Lost is actually a story taken from
A.the RenaissanceB.the Old TestamentC.Greek MythologyD.the New Testament
Complete each of the following statements with a proper word or a phrase according to the textbook.(20×1 points)
1.In “The Canterbury Tales”, Chaucer employed theheroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature.2.Christopher Marlowe is the most gifted of the “University Wits ”.3.The term “ metaphysical poetry” is commonly used to name the work of the 17th“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”, which might appear rhetorical, but is more probably intended to indicate Shelley's own uncertainty.It is important to note that Shelley did not advocate the willing application of force and revolution.Clearly the poet hoped that radical social change, or a rebirth of personal inspiration, could be accomplished without violence.His comments in his notebook are useful to help us to read this final line: “the spring rebels not against winter but it succeeds it-the dawn rebels not against night but it disperses it.” The unanswered question in this poem is whether or not the same cyclical inevitability will apply to social and political change as it does to the changes within Nature.
第四篇：英国文学概论
一、中世纪文学
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落——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，但掺有基督教成分，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，所用的头韵、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)既有难得的史实,又有富于哲理的传说，受到推崇，并译成了英文。
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为英文，并鼓励编写《盎格鲁—撒克逊编年史》，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层语言的影响,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，其中艺术性高的有《高文爵士与绿衣骑士》。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定的，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，传诵至今。
二、文艺复兴时期文学
16世纪，由于新航路发现后海外贸易发达，英国国力逐渐充实，民族主义高涨，1588年一举击败大陆强国西班牙派来入侵的“无敌舰队”。文化上也出现了一个活动频繁、佳作竞出的文艺复兴局面。
一如在14世纪的意大利，文艺复兴在英国是以重新发现希腊、罗马的古典文化开始的。大学里恢复了古希腊语的教学，接着出现了规模宏大的翻译活动，众多的学者、作家将古代希腊、罗马和近代意、法等国的学术和文学名著译成了早期近代英语。哲学家、教育家、历史家、政治家、宗教人士纷纷从事著述，用不同方式表达了人文主义思想，其中有托马斯·莫尔用拉丁文写的《乌托邦》(1516)。这部作品借一个旅行者谈海外见闻的方式，描绘了一个没有私有制和宗教压迫而崇尚学术的理想社会，而对为了能多产羊毛而大规模圈地、迫使贫苦农民流离失所的“羊吃人”的现实英国作了有力的谴责。
诗歌创作空前活跃，大批诗集出版，开一时风气的重要诗选也陆续问世，其中《杂集》(1557)发表了华埃特和萨里两人对于意大利十四行诗的仿作，使这一诗体在英国生根。到了90年代，锡德尼等著名诗人都出版了十四行诗集，虽然仍以歌颂爱情为主，却能突破旧格局而注入新内容。比十四行更重要的还有其他诗体，或抒情，或叙事，或讽刺，或探讨哲理，都有出色的代表作家，而成就最大的则数斯宾塞。他的主要作品《仙后》(1590～1596)规模宏大，内容丰富，利用中古骑士传奇的体裁，以寓言为主要手法，在精神上却反对天主教而歌颂作为英国民族象征的伊丽莎白女王，传达了正在兴起的清教主义的严峻的道德观，并且出之以优美而多变的韵文，使得斯宾塞不仅独步当时诗坛，而且成为后世讲究诗艺的作家所仰慕的“诗人的诗人”。
诗歌的成就还包括无韵体诗在剧本里的成功运用。诗同剧的结合产生了这一时期文学最骄傲的成果：诗剧。从16世纪80年代起，诗剧作者们摆脱了中古神秘剧、奇迹剧、道德剧的宗教色彩和粗糙技巧，建立了一种生气勃勃的新戏剧，敏锐、强烈地表达了时代精神，在艺术上作了多方面的大胆创新。第一个成功地使无韵体诗变成戏剧媒介的是马洛。他用“壮丽的诗句”写壮丽的人物，如《帖木儿》（1590）中的中亚大帝国的创立者和《浮士德博士的悲剧》(1604)中的追求无限知识的德国博士，同时又在《爱德华二世》（1594）里将一个国王的遭遇写成了英国第一个历史剧。马洛早死，但是诗剧继续成长，经过基德、格林、查普曼、德克、米德尔顿、马斯顿、海伍德等人的创作实践，题材扩大，技巧更趋成熟，至莎士比亚而集大成。
莎士比亚是演员和剧作家，一生写了37部剧本。他博采众长而又自有创造，在历史剧、喜剧、悲剧、传奇剧各方面都写出了杰作。他的9个历史剧包括了从约翰王到亨利五世（亦即从13世纪初到15世纪末）之间连续300年的英国历史,场面之大实属空前，而作者也写得波澜壮阔,反封建、反内战,热情地歌颂了民族国家的形成。他的喜剧活泼多趣，有浓厚的生活气息，其中《仲夏夜之梦》（1596）和《皆大欢喜》(1600)又充满浪漫诗情，令人神驰；《威尼斯商人》(1597)用生动的法庭对抗的场景提出了海外贸易和犹太人放高利贷等经济问题；而结构完整、语言锋利则又数揭露清教徒虚伪的《第十二夜》(1601)。他写悲剧的天才首先见于《罗密欧与朱丽叶》(1595)，这个歌颂自由恋爱的剧本象朝露一样新鲜，而一对纯真青年的死又对封建门第的残酷作了有力的控诉，为后来的西欧乃至世界的文学艺术提供了又一个有长远吸引力的主题。1600年以后，他的思想更深刻，技巧也更老练，创作了一系列卓越的悲剧，其中《哈姆雷特》(1601)写一个年轻的人文主义者面对邪恶势力，在怀疑、犹豫之后终于为“重整乾坤”而献出生命；《奥瑟罗》（1604）写一个威尼斯的黑人大将虽然武功盖世，却仍然受到邪恶势力的捉弄，以至亲手杀了无辜的爱妻；《李尔王》(1606)写一个国王在老年做了极不合情理的事，因此也受到极不合情理的对待,终于流落在民间,而在这过程中反而悟到了真理；《麦克白》(1606)则深入探索了野心的毁灭性，在充满迷信和恐怖的气氛里，作者却让他笔下的罪人不时剖析内心，沉思和反省给了这个悲剧以更大的深度。这一时期的作品标志着莎士比亚达到了他的戏剧艺术的顶点。以后他转入传奇剧的写作，以宽恕和解为主题，其中《暴风雨》(1611)仍是有魅力的佳作。
在莎士比亚创作的末期，诗剧仍然繁荣，不仅有鲍蒙特与弗莱彻等人在写传奇剧，还出现了莎士比亚所未曾尝试的社会讽刺剧，其代表作家是琼森。他的最好的剧作是《狐狸》（1606年上演）和《炼金术士》（1610年上演），它们把17世纪初年伦敦社会上的骗子、方士、食客、荡妇、清教徒之流暴露得淋漓尽致，诗句也典丽有力。但琼森后来为了投合宫廷所好而去写假面剧。同时舞台上出现了韦伯斯特、特纳等人写的凶杀剧，他们以绝好的诗才而渲染色情和恐怖，诗剧的败象已现。等到福特、修莱等人的剧本上演，不仅内容猥琐，韵文也虚浮，深为在政治上日益强大、信仰清教主义的资产阶级所不喜，他们所控制的国会于1642年通过法令，封闭了所有戏院。从16世纪兴起的英国诗剧，在经历了60年的光辉灿烂的成长过程之后，至此乃告衰竭
文艺复兴文学中还有丰富多采的散文作品。16世纪的英语虽然稍嫌芜杂，却十分富于表达力，叙事、状物、写景、辩难,无所不能,因此出现了各种风格的散文，繁丽工整如黎里的《尤佛伊斯》(1579～1580)，明白晓畅如纳什的《不幸的旅人》（1594），绵密雅洁如胡克的《论教会政策的法则》(1594～1597)，简约隽永如培根的《随笔》(1597～1625)。上述黎里与纳什二书也是原始形态的小说。此外还有德洛尼写小城镇手工业者的三本书，特别是写鞋匠的《高贵的行业》(1600)，在细节的叙述上已接近后来的现实主义小说。正是由于这时英语表达力强，所以在大规模的翻译活动中也产生了许多优秀的译作，如诺斯所译的普卢塔克的《希腊罗马名人比较列传》(1579)和弗洛里奥所译的蒙田的《随笔集》(1603)。它们都是莎士比亚参考过的书。17世纪初最重要的译作则是1611年由国王詹姆斯一世下令出版的英文《圣经》。它是47位学者集体翻译的成果，吸收了以前英文译本的优点，用词纯朴而富于形象，韵律也饶声调之美，对后来的英语产生了重大而持久的影响。以上思想、学术、诗、诗剧、散文、翻译等方面的活动成就卓越，尤以诗剧为最，使这一时期文学成为欧洲以至世界文学的高峰之一。
三、17世纪文学16、17世纪之交,英国国内政治经济的矛盾加深,人心动荡，反映于文学的，除了上述诗剧的衰败，还有在散文作品中围绕政治与宗教问题的论争文章的急剧增多，在诗歌中出现了以多恩为代表的玄学派诗和一些称为骑士派的贵族青年所写的爱情诗，前者用新奇的形象和节奏写怀疑与信念交替的复杂心情，显示出当时科学大进展冲击传统文化的影响；后者则表达了一种末世情调。17世纪40年代，革命终于爆发。人民经过公开审判，处决了国王查理一世，并在打了一场激烈的内战之后建立了以克伦威尔为首的资产阶级政权。在文学上，革命主要表现于两个方面：一是有大量的传单和小册子印行，各种集团特别是属于革命阵营左翼的平均派和掘地派通过它们来发表政见，其中李尔本、温斯坦利等人写得犀利有力；二是出现了一个革命的大诗人——弥尔顿。
弥尔顿对于革命的贡献，首先在于他的政论文。从1641年起，他搁下了早以优美著称的诗笔，而用英文和拉丁文写了许多政论小册子，为英国人民处死国王的革命行动辩护,也发表他的进步主张,如《论离婚》(1643)和《论出版自由》(1644)。他的文章虽然句式繁复，却有雄奇之美，在英国散文中自成一格。
1660年革命遭受了重大挫折，王政复辟。这时弥尔顿已经双目失明,受着政治迫害,但他痛定思痛，把自己的一腔孤愤写进了他一生最后的三大作品。首先是《失乐园》(1667)。这首以人类祖先失去乐园的圣经故事为主题的史诗表达了作者的清教主义，而在对于撒旦的描写中则又倾注着他的革命思想，正是那些歌颂叛逆者的响亮诗行构成了诗中最动人的篇章。继之而来的《复乐园》(1671)叙述耶稣拒绝撒旦诱惑的节操,虽见平淡,仍多佳句。同时出版的《力士参孙》是英文中最出色的希腊式古典悲剧，结构严谨而人物突出。作者写参孙双目失明，身陷囹圄，而仍力抗强暴，终于与敌人同归于尽。这当中有弥尔顿对自己不平凡的一生的回顾，炽热的情感溢出诗行，表示他依然壮怀激烈，不变革命初衷。在艺术上弥尔顿力求完美，以希腊、罗马的古典文学为典范，然又不失英国本色，在他的笔下无韵诗更具有庄严灿烂之美，表现了“雄伟的风格”。
王政复辟以后，文学风气为之一变，盛行嘲笑清教徒的讽刺诗，法国式的“英雄悲剧”和反映浮华、轻佻的贵族生活的“风尚喜剧”。这类喜剧中也有意存讽刺的，如康格里夫的《如此世道》(1700)。这时文坛上的领袖人物是德莱顿，他有多方面的才能，主要成就在政治讽刺诗和文论。也有作家反对当时的社会风尚，如来自下层人民的班扬，他的《天路历程》(1678)用朴素而生动的文字和寓言的形式叙述了虔诚教徒在一个充满罪恶的世界里的经历，对居住在“名利场”的上层人物作了严峻的谴责。这里有清教主义的回响，而作品的卓越的叙事能力又使它成为近代小说的前驱。
还有两类散文作品，带来了新气象。一类是科学文章。1660年成立的皇家学会要求会员用“工匠、乡下人、商人的语言”，尽力把一切事物表达得“象数学那样朴实无华”。另一类是哲学著作，先有霍布斯，后有洛克，都用清楚、有力的文字发表了他们的经验主义哲学和政治思想，特别是洛克的影响深远的社会契约论成了近代资产阶级民主政治的理论基础。求实的文风和民主思想都是资产阶级所欢迎的；国王虽复位，实权还在他们手里。1688年,他们把另一个不得人心的国王赶下了台,从此政权被商人和地主的联盟所牢牢掌握，文学也进入一个新的发展时期。
四、18世纪文学
18世纪前半叶，英国社会安定，文学上崇尚新古典主义，其代表者是诗人蒲柏。他运用英雄偶句体极为纯熟，擅长写讽刺诗，但以发泄私怨居多。表现出启蒙主义精神的主要是散文作家，他们推进了散文艺术，还开拓了两个文学新领域，即期刊随笔和现实主义小说。
期刊文学是应广大读者的要求而兴起。斯梯尔与艾迪生两人有首创之功。前者创办《闲谈者》报(1709～1711)，后者继出《旁观者》报(1711～1712)，将街谈巷议和俱乐部里的风趣幽默写上了期刊。艾迪生的文笔尤见典雅。后来笛福、斯威夫特、菲尔丁、约翰逊、哥尔德斯密斯等名家都曾主编期刊或为期刊撰稿，可见此风之盛。由于他们的努力，英国式的随笔得到进一步的提高，题材更广泛，文笔也更灵活。
更具英国特色而又对欧洲大陆产生重大影响的则是散文小说。笛福的《鲁滨孙飘流记》(1719)、《摩尔·弗兰德斯》(1722)等书把水手和女仆当做英雄人物来介绍，细节写得十分逼真，虽然书的结构松散，作者却有娓娓动听的说故事的本领，使读者始终保持兴趣。他的文字口语化，善于绘声绘形，而又迅捷有力。这些特点，加上笛福对英国城乡诸色人等的深刻了解，使他奠定了英国现实主义小说的基础。斯威夫特的《格利佛游记》（1726）是以讽刺朝政、表现人类的丑恶为目的的寓言，然而作为故事，也是十分引人入胜。他把现实细节放在十分奇特的幻想的情景之中，而幻想也是正在发展中的英国小说所需要的。世纪中叶，理查逊用书信体小说细致地描写遭遇不幸的少女的内心,以《克拉丽莎》(1747～1748)等大部头小说感动了一整代英国和西欧的读者，法国启蒙思想家狄德罗称之为伟大创造力的表现。但在菲尔丁的眼里，理查逊只是市侩哲学的代表，于是他起而用仿作去讽刺之，其结果却掌握了写小说的艺术，于是有了他自己的创作，其中最受称道的是《弃婴托姆·琼斯的故事》(1749)，它的人物、风景、场面都是典型的英国式的。作者歌颂真诚、热心、忠实而又不受传统束缚的青年男女，全书有一种爽朗、清新的空气，而又结构完整，把现实主义小说推进到了一个新的水平。当时及稍后还有斯摩莱特、哥尔德斯密斯、斯特恩等人的小说，或扩充了题材，或实验了新写法，都有建树，因此虽然世纪末出现了渲染神秘恐怖的“哥特小说”，但是现实主义已经成为英国小说中的主流，继续向前发展。
菲尔丁的作品《弃婴托姆·琼斯的故事》插图
出色的散文还见于其他文学品种。约翰逊的《诗人传》(1779～1781)是传记和文论的卓越结合，鲍斯韦尔的《约翰逊传》(1791)开辟了传记文学的新境界，伯克的《论美洲的赋税》（1774）展示了政治讲演术的力量，吉本的《罗马帝国衰亡史》(1776～1788)更以其深刻的启蒙主义思想和典丽的文笔成为全欧钦仰的史学杰作。
然而散文之势虽盛，诗歌并未沉寂，不仅有世纪初的蒲柏和汤姆逊在创作，就是一些散文名家，如斯威夫特、约翰逊和哥尔德斯密斯，也善于写诗。等到世纪后半叶，感伤主义抬头，诗歌也复振，出现了扬格的《夜思》(1742～1745)和格雷的《墓园挽歌》(1750)等佳作，反映了英国许多人在产业革命加紧进行中所感到的痛苦和彷徨。珀西编的《英诗辑古》(1765)引起了对古民歌的爱好，于是仿作者有之，伪造者有之，形成一种对中世纪神往的风气。这时从经济不甚发达的苏格兰传来了农民诗人彭斯的声音,他既是旧民歌的整理者,又是新诗篇的创造者，而吟唱的内容则是爱情和自由、平等、博爱的新思想。后者正是法国启蒙思想的结晶，在80年代之末导致了法国大革命。对这次革命的迎或拒，同情或反对，使英国散文作家发生了严重的分裂，但大多数诗人却在革命初起的“黎明”时刻对人类的未来充满了希望。在这样的气氛中产生了浪漫主义诗歌。
第五篇：英国文学课外阅读书单
英美文学网站推荐
★英美文学课程介绍
迷宫图书馆：中古时期研究(Labyrinth Library of Medieval Studies)
线上文学数据库(Literature Online)
英美文学课程介绍 飞梭之声：英语课程网络(Voice of the Shuttle: English Courses #lit renaissance
★英美文学书目系统
英语服务器（The English Server)
C.S.路易士网络本页（C.S.Lewis Home Page）
缪思计划网络本页（Project Muse Home Page）
迷宫（Labyrinth）
荣誉书架厅(Book Stacks-Hall of Fame)威廉S.布洛斯(William S.Burroughs)档案 1
牛津书目学社(Oxford Bibliographical Society)
维吉尼亚书目学社(The Bibliographical Society of Virginia / Studies in Bibliogra
加州大学人文学科研究中心书目(The UC Humanities Research Institute Bibliographie
以知识分子为主题之书目(Bibliography of Writing on Intellectuals)
文化分析学者书目(Bibliographic References)
奥古斯汀时期讽刺文学(Augustan Satire Bibliography)
欧洲文艺复兴时期(1300-1700)书目(Iter: The Bibliography of Renaissance Europe)
晚古时期世界(The World of Late Antiquity)
堪萨斯大学中古时期研究索引：书目篇(U.Kansas Index of Medieval Studies)...val/bibliographies/
藏书狂：网络图书馆(Bibliomania: The Network Library)
英国语文书目年鉴(ABELL: The Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature信息网上文学研究资源 信息网上作者书目(Author Webliography)英语服务器(The English Server)奇姆(Kim)
★英美诗歌网站
电子诗文中心出版品书目(Electronic Poetry Center / Biblioteca: A Project Extendi莎孚与费恩（Sappo and Phaon）
英诗1780-1910(British Poetry, 1780-1910)
网际网络上诗文档案(Internet Poetry Archive)
电子诗文中心(Electronic Poetry Center)
★综合线上英国语文与文学书目(Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literaturgopher://rsl.ox.ac.uk/11/lib-corn/hunter
巴比特计画(The Bartleby Project)http:///
早稻田大学文学﹑电子书﹑期刊收集站(Rice University Collection of Literature ,Elgopher://chico.rice.edu/11/Subject/LitBooks
古登堡电子文本全球网络本页(Gutenberg Etext World Wide Web Home Page)
学生课外阅读书单 英国文学推荐书目：
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice 《傲慢与偏见》
Elizabeth Bowen: The Death of the Heart 《心死》，Look at All Those Roses 《瞧瞧这些玫瑰》
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre 《简·爱》
Emily Bronte: Wuthering Height 《呼啸山庄》
S.Byatt: Possession 《占有》
Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 《爱丽丝漫游奇景记》
Angela Carter: The Company of Wolves 《与狼共舞》
Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express 《东方快车上的谋杀案》 Ivy Compton-Burnett: A Family and a Fortune《家庭和财富》
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness《黑暗的中心》
Lord Jim 《吉姆爷》
Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe 《鲁宾逊漂流记》
Charles Dickens: David Copperfield 《大卫·科波菲尔》
Sir Arthur C.Ddyle: Adventure of Sherlock Holmes《福尔摩斯历险记》
Margaret Drabble: The Waterfall 《瀑布》
The Ice Age 《冰期》
Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca 《蝴蝶梦》
E.M.Forster: Where the Angels Fear to Tread《天使们望而却步的地方》
A Passage to India 《印度之行》
John Fowles: The French Lieutenant's Woman 《法国中尉的女人》
John Galsworthy: The Man of Property 《有产业的人》
William Golding: Lord of the Flies 《蝇王》
Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'Urbervilles《德伯家的苔丝》，Jude the Obscure 《无名的裘德》
Aldous Huxley: After Many a Summer Dies the Swan 《多少个夏天之后》
Fairy Godmother 《天使教母》
Henry James: Daisy Miller 《黛西·密勒》
James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 《一个青年艺术家的画像》 Araby 《阿拉比》
Charles Lamb: Tales from Shakespeare《莎士比亚故事选》
D.H.Lawrence: Sons and Lovers 《儿子与情人》
John Le Carred: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Doris Lessing: The Grass Is Singing 《草儿在歌唱》
David Lodge: Nice Work 《好工作》
W.Somerset Maugham: The Moon and Sixpence 《月亮与六便士》，Of Human Bondage 《人性的枷锁》
Iris Murddoch: The Black Prince《黑王子》，the Sea, the Sea 《大海啊，大海》
George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-four 《一九八四》
Salman Rushdie: Midnight Children.《午夜的孩子》
Sir Walter Scott: Ivanhoe 《艾凡赫》
Muriel Spark: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 《琼·布罗迪小姐的黄金时代》 Robert Louis Stevenson: Treasure Island 《金银岛》
Johathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels 《格里弗游记》
William M.Thackeray: Vanity Fair 《名利场》
Evelyn Waugh: A Handful of Dust 《一撮灰尘》
Mr.Loveday’s Little Outing 《洛弗戴先生一次短暂的外出》
H.G.Wells: The Invisible Man 《看不见的人》 Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray 《道林·格雷的画像》
Virginia Woolf: Mrs.Dalloway 《达罗威夫人》
To the Lighthouse 《到灯塔去》
George Eliot: Middlemarch, a Study of Provincial Life 《米德尔马契——外省生活
研究》,Adam Bede 《亚当·贝德》, Silas Marner 《织工马南》
The Mill on the Floss 《弗洛斯河上的磨坊》
J.M.Coetzee.Foe 《仇敌》
Jean Rhys.Wide Sargasso Sea 《藻海无边》
Oliver Goldsmith.The Vicar of Wakefield 《威克菲尔德牧师》
George Bernard Shaw.Mrs.Warren’s Profession 《华伦夫人的职业》
William Morris.News from Nowhere 《乌有乡消息》
Samuel Butler.The Way of All Flesh 《众生之道》
Isabella Augusta Gregory.Spreading the News《道听途说》
The Rising of the Moon《月亮上升的时候》
Enoch Arnord Bennett.The Old Wives’ Tale 《老妇谭》
Saki.Beast and Super-Beast 《野兽与超级野兽》
John Millington Synge.Riders to the Sea 《骑马下海的人们》
Bertrand Russell.Satan in the Suburbs 《撒旦在郊区》
John Masefield.The Widow in the Bye Street 《小街的寡妇》
Giles Lytton Strachey.Queen Victoria 《维多利亚女王》
Sean O’Casey.I Knocked at the Door 《我敲门》
Katherine Mansfield.The Garden Party 《园会》John Boynton Priestley.The Good Companions 《好伙伴》
Thomas Stearns Eliot.The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock 《阿尔弗雷德·普鲁夫洛
克的情歌》
Ivor Armstrong Richards.How to Read a Page: A Course in Efficient Reading with an
Introduction to a Hundred Great Words 《如何读一页书》
Leslie Poles Hartley.The Go-Between 《信使》
Victor Sawdon Pritchett.Midnight Oil 《挑灯夜读》
Frank O’Conner.Private Property 《私有财产》 Christopher Isherwood.Sally Bowles 《萨利·鲍尔斯》
Graham Greene.The Heart of the Matter 《问题的核心》
The Human Factor 《人性的因素》
Charles Percy Snow.The Conscience of the Rich 《富人的良心》
Peter Courtney Quennell.Four Portraits 《四幅画像：关于十八世纪的研究》 Angus Wilson.Anglo-Saxon Attitude 《盎格鲁·撒克逊态度》
Richard Hoggard.Speaking to Each Other 《交谈》
Kingsley Amis.Lucky Jim 《幸运的吉姆》
John Wain.Hurry on Down 《大学后的漂泊》
Brian Wilson Aldiss.Outside 《外界》
Alan Sillitoe.The loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
独》
John Osborne.Look Back in Anger 《愤怒的回顾》
Arnold Wesker.Chicken Soup with Barley 《大麦鸡汤》
《一位长跑运动员的孤
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