学术英语人文Unit1

学术英语学术英语 人文人文Academic English Academic English for HumanitiesHumanitiesUnit 1 The Art of Literature Lead-in Text A Text B Text C Academic Language and Discourse Listening Speaking WritingUnit Contents Lead-in Lead-in activities Supplementary informationUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureWhat is literature?Choose from the following forms of writing what can be counted as literature: news report novel research paper diary poem letterLead-inActivitiesUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureHow do you make the choice? (What makes you treat something as literature while dismissing others as non-literature? )What is literature?Many college professors, upholding a traditional standard of literary quality, believe that students should read works whose artistic merit has been established over the years. However, some have begun to question the very notion of literary quality and the notion of what is literature. There have been an increasing number of studies of writers mainly for what they have to say rather than how well they say it. Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureLead-inSupplementary informationThe historical and social impact of works is gaining importance, while the once-honored standards such as grace of style and originality of expression have been downgraded.Literature as defined in dictionariesl stories, poems and plays, especially those that are considered to have value as art and not just entertainment (MacMillan Dictionary)l writings in prose or verse; especially writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest (Merriam-Websters Online Dictionary, 11th Edition)Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureLead-inSupplementary informationLiterature as defined in dictionariesUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureLead-inSupplementary informationl written artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting artistic value (Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary)l written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit (Compact Oxford English Dictionary)Unit 1 The Art of Literature Text A The Scope and Content of Literature Classroom activities Supplementary information Suggested answer keyThe Scope and Content of Literaturel Do Task 1 Critical Reading and Thinking P7l Summarize Text A on the basis of your answers to Task 1 Critical Reading and Thinking P7Scope of literatureContent of literaturel Work in pairs to compare your answers to the questions in Task 2 Critical Reading and Thinking P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText AClassroom activitiesThe Scope and Content of Literaturel The original article “The Art of Literature” Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationText A is adapted from the article “The Art of Literature”, written by Kenneth Rexroth. The original article consists of seven parts: the scope of literatureliterary compositioncontent of literatureliterature and its audienceliterature and its environmentliterary genres1.writings on literatureThe Scope and Content of Literaturel The Muses In Greek mythology, poetry and literature, Muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationCalliope: Muse of heroic or epic poetry (often holding a stylus and wax tablets)Clio: Muse of history (often holding a parchment scroll or a set of tablets)Erato: Muse of lyric and love poetry (often playing a lyre)Euterpe: Muse of music or flutes (often playing a flute)Melpomene: Muse of tragedy (often holding a tragic mask)Polymnia: Muse of sacred song and oratory (often with a pensive look)Terpsichore: Muse of dancing and choral song (often dancing and holding a lyre) Thalia: Muse of comedy (often holding a comic mask)Urania: Muse of astronomy (often holding a globe)The Scope and Content of Literaturel Classic surveys of history as noble examples of the art of literatureUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationThe History of the Peloponnesian War was written by ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who, as an Athenian general, served in the war. Some scholars view the work as an objective and scientific account of the past, written from a purely intellectual point of view. But some understand it as a piece of literature, in which the author is “an artist who responds to, selects and skillfully arranges his material, and develops its symbolic and emotional potential”.One example: History of the Peloponnesian WarThe Scope and Content of Literaturel EssaysUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationan analytic, interpretative, or critical literary compositionFrancis Bacons essays, published in book form in 1597, 1612, 1625, were the first works in English that described themselves as essays. The Scope and Content of Literaturel Dialogues by PlatoUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationPlato (428/427 BC 348/347 BC), the greatest philosopher and mathematician of ancient Greece, wrote extensively. Most of his writing takes the form of dialogues, in which several characters argue a topic by asking questions of each other. This form allows Plato to raise various points of view and let the reader decide which is valid. The subjects of dialogues range from philosophy, logic, rhetoric to mathematics. The Scope and Content of Literaturel Dialogues by PlatoUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationPlato was a pupil of Socrates, who appears as a character in many of the dialogues. Following the death of Socrates, Plato travelled widely in search of learning. After twelve years he returned to Athens and founded his Academy, which is often described as the first European university. The subjects offered in the Academy included astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory, and philosophy. Among Platos pupils was Aristotle. The Scope and Content of Literaturel Meditations by Marcus AureliusUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationMeditations is a series of personal writings by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180). It consists of reflections jotted down by the emperor at odd moments, while he was on campaign. The entries appear to be in no particular order and may simply be in the original order of composition. They record the passing thoughts, the maxims, the musings on life and death, and Stoic philosophy. According to Meditations, one should avoid indulgence in sensory affections, and this skill can free a man from the pains and pleasures of the material world, and the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him. The style of the writings is straightforward and plain, but the Meditations is regarded by many as “unendingly moving and inspiring”.l Natural History and Antiquities of SelbourneUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationGilbert White (1720-1793) was an English naturalist, ornithologist, and a pioneer of the study of birds and animals in their natural habitats, rather than as specimens. This method of observation enabled him to identify and record many previously unknown species. In 1789, he published his Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne as one volume. It was a compilation of letters to zoologist Thomas Pennant and barrister Daines Barrington, two leading figures of the Royal Society. In the letters, White discussed his observations and theories about the local fauna and flora in a charming and immediate way. He pictured himself as well as what he saw. The book is one of the most published in the English language and it has never been out of print.l Oratory of the American IndianUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationAmerican Indians were historically an oral people. For example, many told their histories by oral tradition. A chief of a tribe relied on persuasion rather than force to lead his people. Utilizing natural metaphors, Indian speeches were well calculated to impress their target audiences. The Scope and Content of LiteratureThe Scope and Content of Literaturel Ciceros influence on the development of English prose styleUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationCicero had a close study of the rhythms that were likely to appeal to an audience. He was the real creator of the “periodic sentence” style, in which the sentences tend to be periodic and phrase is balanced against phrase, with subordinate clauses woven into a complex sentence. For example, For the queen, the lover, pleading always at the hearts door, patiently waits. The normal order of the sentence is Always pleading at the hearts door, the lover waits patiently for the queen. The periodic style is more exotic and arguably more poetic.The Scope and Content of Literaturel The Gettysburg AddressUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationOn November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history the Gettysburg Address fewer than 300 words, delivered over 2-3 minutes.The Scope and Content of Literaturel Collective unconsciousUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary information“Collective unconscious” is a term of analytical psychology introduced by Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of analytical psychology. It represents a form of the unconscious common to human beings as a whole and related to the inherited structure of the brain. It influences all of our experiences, behaviors and emotions, but we only know about it indirectly, by looking at the effects. For example, love at first sight, the feeling that you have been somewhere before, the immediate recognition of certain symbols, the creative experiences shared by artists, and the striking similarities of dreams, fairy tales and mythologies all over the world, could all be understood as the effects of the collective unconscious. l The Dream of the Red ChamberUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationl The Dream of the Red ChamberUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationThe Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦), or The Story of the Stone (石头记), is the greatest masterpiece of Chinese classical novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The work is comprised of 120 chapters, the first 80 of which were written by Cao Xueqin. (Gao E added 40 additional chapters to complete the novel.The novel details the decline of the wealthy and aristocratic Jia clan. Revolving around Jia Baoyu and the tragic love between him and Lin Daiyu,it portrays the ruin of love, youth and life, and exposes the root of the tragedy the feudal system. l The Dream of the Red ChamberUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASupplementary informationThe novel is remarkable for its creation of characters with distinctive personality, great cultural richness, and precise observation of the life and society of the 18th-century China. Its success also lies in its written vernacular language (rather than classical Chinese), which has produced a profound impact on the development of Chinese novels.l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer keySuggested answer to Q1:Literature is a great medium to reflect the human condition, cultural and historical values, and to express feelings and thoughts. Some of the most common themes in literature are: the relationship between human beings and Nature the individual in society (e.g. mans struggle against societal pressure) human nature human relationship (e.g. love, hatred, etc.) personal growth (e.g. overcoming adversity) deathMajor forms of human expression include language, literature, music, visual art, cinema, drama, history, and philosophy. Cave paintings are perhaps one of the oldest forms of human expression. They could either record what had been caught on hunting trips or express what the hunters would like to catch in the future.l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer keySuggested answer to Q2:(Suggested answer to the first question: How do you understand these lines?)Artistic merit refers to the judgment of the perceived quality or value of cultural products as works of art. A piece of writing is considered as having artistic merit if it has high quality and some aesthetic value. However, it is hard to define the exact nature of artistic merit because the preferred standards may vary across time and place. A great writer is someone who can attain artistic merit almost effortlessly and naturally.(You may agree or disagree with the author, but you need to give your reasons.)l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer keySuggested answer to Q3:To test whether advertising copywriting, a purely commercial fiction, or cinema and television script is an accepted form of literary expression, one needs to judge whether that particular form can bring long-lasting satisfaction and convey the very truth of human beings and the world.l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer keySuggested answer to Q4:It cannot be denied that changes are taking place continuously, in peoples life, ideology, science, technology, environment, etc. However, there are certain universal and constant issues that transcend race, gender, creed and culture, and they are recurring themes in literature. For example, love, hatred, fear, family, honor, deceit and peace. The same patterns go on and on. l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer keySuggested answer to Q5:Integration of personality refers to positive changes in ones personality, for example, becoming emotionally mature, getting adjusted to the environment, being able to cope with inner conflict, etc.Disintegration of personality refers to unfavorable personality changes. This may occur when someone faces a series of crises: job loss, marriage failure, health problem, etc. l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer keySuggested answer to Q6:One notable example is the image of Daiyu burying the flowers (in Chapter 27). One day, Daiyu is overwhelmed by melancholy after a quarrel with Baoyu. Her inner sadness is reflected by her behavior. She goes to a hillside, buries some fallen petals there, weeps at the dead petals and even creates a long poem for the fading flowers. In Chapter 108, when Baoyu thinks of Daiyu, tears well up in his eyes, and he slips away to the Garden. The description of the bleak garden and miserable scene shows his sorrow over the declining family. The poems created by the characters in the novel are also perfect reflections of their personality. For example, the following poem composed by Daiyu (in Chapter 37) implies her own personality - unconventional, emotional, prone to melancholic spells.l Task 2 / Points for discussion P8Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText ASuggested answer key半卷湘帘半掩门，半卷湘帘半掩门，碾冰为土玉为盆。碾冰为土玉为盆。偷来梨蕊三分白，偷来梨蕊三分白，借得梅花一缕魂。借得梅花一缕魂。月窟仙人缝缟袂，月窟仙人缝缟袂，秋闺怨女拭啼痕。秋闺怨女拭啼痕。娇羞默默同谁诉，娇羞默默同谁诉，倦倚西风夜已昏。倦倚西风夜已昏。Beside the half-raised blind, the half-closed door, crushed ice for earth and white jade for pot.Three parts of whiteness from the pear-tree stolen,One part from plum for scent (which pear has not).Moon-maidens stitched them with white silken thread, and virgins tears the new-made flowers did spot，which now, like bashful maids that no word say,lean languid on the breeze at close of day. （translated by David Hawkes）Suggested answer to Q6: an example from The Dream of the Red ChamberUnit 1 The Art of Literature Text B Introducing Creative Writing Classroom activities Supplementary information Suggested answer keyIntroducing Creative Writingl What is the girl doing? Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BClassroom activitiesl How is the picture related to the main idea of Text B?Introducing Creative Writingl Read aloud the famous quotes by Hemingway, Moore and France in Text B, and work in pairs to share your understandingUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BClassroom activitiesl Discuss the questions in Task 2 / Critical reading and thinking P15l Give a 2-minute presentation on your findings in Researching P15Introducing Creative Writingl Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) and his Iceberg Theory Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSupplementary informationIntroducing Creative Writing began his writing career as a journalist deleting irrelevant and superfluous matter creating a surface story in which he merely hinted at or even skipped the point of the story as objective and honest as possible short simple sentences, largely of nouns and verbs. simple dialogues & simple use of dialogues understatement conveying great irony Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSupplementary informationl Ernest Hemingway and his Iceberg TheoryIntroducing Creative WritingIf a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. by Ernest Hemingway (in Death in the Afternoon) Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSupplementary informationl Ernest Hemingway and his Iceberg TheoryIntroducing Creative WritingMarianne Moore (1887-1972) was an American Modernist poet and writer. Among her many honors were the Bollingen prize, the National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. Her use of language was always condensed and precise, capable of suggesting a variety of ideas and associations within a single, compact image. “Picking and Choosing” is a poem about criticism. According to Marianne Moore, “A genuine achievement in criticism is an achievement in creation.”Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSupplementary informationl Marianne Moore and her “Picking and Choosing”Introducing Creative WritingAt the beginning of the poem, Moore tells critics the temptations to overcome: Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSupplementary informationLiterature is a phase of life: ifone is afraid of it, the situation is irremediable; ifone approaches it familiarly,what one says of it is worthless. Words are constructivewhen they are true; the opaque allusion the simulated flightupward accomplishes nothing.l Marianne Moore and her “Picking and Choosing”Introducing Creative Writingl Anatole FranceUnit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSupplementary informationAnatole France (1844-1924) is often regarded as the greatest French writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was elected to the French Academy in 1896 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921, in recognition of his literary achievements. His works are remarkable for the focus on social justice and for the witty, satirical writing style. His best-remembered work: Lle des Pingouins (1908, tr. Penguin Island, 1909)(which satirizes human nature by depicting the transformation of penguins into humans)Task 2 / Points for discussion P15 Unit 1 The Art of LiteratureText BSuggested answer keyThink of an empty page as open space. - As the first sentence of the text, it initiates us into the world of writing (on an empty page). It also illuminates the central idea of the text - A writer should regard an empty page as an open space where everything is endlessly possible.Think of that open space as an empty page. - This is the last sentence of the text. The author intentionally echoes the first sentence, with a subtle change of word order, i.e., moving “open space” ahead of “empty page”. The forwarding of “open space” enables the sentence to be closely tied to the previous sentence, which is about starting a journey: I hope that you have already begun the journey. If so, then everything is possible, at this point endlessly p