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Module3LiteraturePartTwoTeachingResourcesSection1BackgroundreadingsforModule3LiteratureI.CharlesDickensDickenssnovelscombinebrutalitywithfairy-talefantasy;sharp,realistic,concretedetailwithromance,farce,andmelodrama.;theordinarywiththestrange.Theyrangethroughthecomic,tender,dramatic,sentimental,grotesque,melodramatic,horrible,eccentric,mysterious,violent,romantic,andmorallyearnest.ThoughDickenswasawareofwhathisreaderswantedandwasdeterminedtomakeasmuchmoneyashecouldwithhiswriting,hebelievednovelshadamoralpurposetoarouseinnatemoralsentimentsandtoencouragevirtuousbehaviorinreaders.ItwashismoralpurposethatledtheLondonTimestocallDickensthegreatestinstructoroftheNineteenthCenturyinhisobituary.Alwaysconcernedtomakemoneywithhiswritings,Dickenstookseriouslythenegativeresponsemanyreadershadtohisdarkernovels.Hedeliberatelyaddressedtheirdiscontent(不满)whenhe,wroteGreatExpectationswhichheaffirmedwaswritteninamostsingularandcomicmanner.Duringhislifetime,CharlesDickenswasthemostfamouswriterinEuropeandAmerica.WhenhevisitedAmericatogiveaseriesoflectures,hisadmirersfollowedhim,waitedoutsidehishotel,peeredinwindowsathim,andharassedhiminrailwaycars.Intheirenthusiasm,Dickenssadmirersbehavedverymuchlikethefansofasuperstartoday.II.Dickensassessmentofhumanaffairs(fromATaleofTwoCities)1Itwasthebestoftimes,itwastheworstoftimes,itwastheageofwisdom,itwastheageoffoolishness,itwastheepochofbelief,itwastheepochofincredulity,itwastheseasonofLight,itwastheseasonofDarkness,itwasthespringofhope,itwasthewinterofdespair,wehadeverythingbeforeus,wehadnothingbeforeus,wewereallgoingdirecttoHeaven,wewereallgoingdirecttheotherway-inshort,theperiodwassofarlikethepresentperiod,thatsomeofitsnoisiestauthoritiesinsistedonitsbeingreceived,forgoodorforevil,inthesuperlativedegreeofcomparisononly.那是最美好的时代，那是最糟糕的时代；那是智慧的年头，那是愚昧的年头；那是信仰的时期，那是怀疑的时期；那是光明的季节，那是黑暗的季节；那是希望的春天，那是失望的冬天；我们全都在直奔天堂，我们全都在直奔相反的方向-简而言之，那时跟现在非常相象，某些最喧嚣的权威坚持要用形容词的最高级来形容它。说它好，是最高级的；说它不好，也是最高级的。III.AboutEnglishLiteratureEnglishliteratureisproducedinEngland,fromtheintroductionofoldthEnglishbytheAnglo-Saxonsinthe5centurytothepresent.TheworksofthoseIrishandScottishauthorswhoarecloselyidentifiedwithEnglishlifeandlettersarealsoconsideredpartofEnglishliterature.1.OldEnglish,orAnglo-SaxonEraThisperiodextendsfromabout450to1066,theyearoftheNormanconquest(ofEngland.TheGermanictribesfromEuropewhooverran蔓延)Englandinthe5thcentury,aftertheRomanwithdrawal,broughtwiththemtheOldEnglish,orAnglo-Saxonlanguage,whichisthebasisofModernEnglish.Theybroughtalsoaspecificpoetictradition,theformalcharacterofwhichremainedsurprisinglyconstantuntiltheterminationoftheirrule2bytheNorman-Frenchinvaderssixcenturieslater.2.MiddleEnglishPeriodExtendingfrom1066to1485,thisperiodisnotedfortheextensiveinfluenceofFrenchliteratureonnativeEnglishformsandthemes.FromtheNormanconquestofEnglandin1066untilthe14thcentury,FrenchlargelyreplacedEnglishinordinaryliterarycomposition,andLatinmaintaineditsroleasthelanguageoflearnedworks.Bythe14thcentury,whenEnglishagainbecamethechosenlanguageoftherulingclasses,ithadlostmuchoftheOldEnglishinflectionalsystem,hadundergonecertainsoundchanges,andhadacquiredthecharacteristicitstillpossessesoffreelytakingintothenativestocknumbersofforeignwords,inthiscaseFrenchandLatinones.Thus,thevariousdialectsofMiddleEnglishspokeninthe14thcenturyweresimilartoModernEnglishandcanbereadwithoutgreatdifficultytoday.3.TheRenaissance(文艺复兴时期)(AgoldenageofEnglishliteraturecommenced开始)in1485andlasteduntil1660.MalorysLemortedArthurwasamongthefirstworkstobeprintedbyWilliamCaxton,whointroducedtheprintingpresstoEnglandin1476.Fromthattimeon,readershipwasvastlymultiplied.Thegrowthofthemiddleclass,thecontinuingdevelopmentoftrade,thenewcharacterandthoroughness(完全)ofeducationforlaypeople(非神职人员)andnotonlyclergy(神职人员),thecentralizationofpowerandofmuchintellectuallifeinthecourtoftheTudorandStuartmonarchs,andthewideninghorizonsofexplorationgaveafundamentalnewimpetus(促进)anddirectiontoliterature.Thenewliteratureneverthelessdidnotfullyflourishuntilthelast20yearsofthe1500s,duringthereignofQueenElizabethI.Literarydevelopmentintheearlierpartofthe316thcenturywasweakenedbythediversionofintellectualenergiestothepolemics(辩论法)ofthereligiousstrugglebetweentheRomanCatholicChurchandtheChurchofEngland,aproductoftheReformation.4.TheRestorationPeriodandthe18thCenturyThisperiodextendsfrom1660,theyearCharlesIIwasrestoredtothethrone,untilabout1789.TheprevailingcharacteristicoftheliteratureoftheRenaissancehadbeenitsreliance(依靠)onpoeticinspirationorwhattodaymightbecalledimagination.TheinspiredconceptionsofMarlowe,Shakespeare,andMilton,thetrueoriginalityofSpenser,andthedaringpoeticstyleofDonneallsupportthisgeneralization.Furthermore,althoughnearlyallthesepoetshadbeenfarmorebound(限制)byformalandstylisticconventionsthanmodernpoetsare,theyhaddevelopedalargevarietyofformsandofrichorexuberant(丰富的)stylesintowhichindividualpoeticexpressionmightfit.5.TheRomanticAgeExtendingfromabout1789until1837,theRomanticagestressedemotionoverreason.OneobjectiveoftheFrenchRevolutionwastodestroyanoldertraditionthathadcometoseemartificial,andtoasserttheliberty,spirit,andheartfeltunityofthehumanrace.TomanywritersoftheRomanticagethisobjectiveseemedequallyappropriateinthefieldofEnglishletters.Inaddition,theRomanticageinEnglishliteraturewascharacterizedbythesubordinationofreasontointuition(直觉)andpassion,thecultofnaturemuchasthewordisnowunderstoodandnotasPopeunderstoodit,theprimacy(首位)oftheindividualwilloversocialnormsofbehavior,thepreferencefortheillusionofimmediateexperienceasopposedtogeneralizedandtypicalexperience,andtheinterestinwhatisdistantintimeandplace.46.TheVictorianEraTheVictorianera,fromthecoronation(加冕礼)ofQueenVictoriain1837untilherdeathin1901,wasaneraofseveralunsettlingsocialdevelopmentsthatforcedwritersmorethaneverbeforetotakepositionsontheimmediateissuesanimatingtherestofsociety.Thus,althoughromanticformsofexpressioninpoetryandprose(散文)continuedtodominateEnglishliteraturethroughoutmuchofthecentury,theattentionofmanywriterswasdirected,sometimespassionately,tosuchissuesasthegrowthofEnglishdemocracy(民主主义),theeducationofthemasses,theprogressofindustrialenterpriseandtheconsequentriseofamaterialistic(唯物主义的)philosophy,andtheplight(困境)ofthenewlyindustrializedworker.Inaddition,theunsettlingofreligiousbeliefbynewadvancesinscience,particularlythetheoryofevolutionandthehistoricalstudyoftheBible,drewotherwritersawayfromtheimmemorialsubjectsofliteratureintoconsiderationsofproblemsoffaithandtruth.7.20thCenturyLiteratureTwoworldwars,anintervening(干涉)economicdepressionofgreatseverity,andtheausterity(节俭)oflifeinGreatBritainfollowingthesecondofthesewarshelptoexplainthequalityanddirectionofEnglishliteratureinthe20thcentury.ThetraditionalvaluesofWesterncivilization,whichtheVictorianshadonlybeguntoquestion,cametobequestionedseriouslybeanumberofnewwriters,whosawsocietybreakingdownaroundthem.Traditionalliteraryformswereoftendiscarded,andnewonessucceededoneanotherwithbewilderingrapidity,aswriterssoughtfresherwaysofexpressingwhattheytooktobenewkindsofexperience,orexperienceseeninnewways.56
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