本资料来自英语自考网 http:/www.absee.net英语自考网 www.absee.net 以优质资料及高效的访问速度，为大家提供最新自考信息，祝愿大家早日毕业!English LiteratureIntroduction :The old and Medieval English literature.*A. The old English literature1.The time period :The period of Old English literature extends from about 450 to 1066.2.The classification of the old English poetry :The old English poetry can be divided into two groups : the religious group and the secular one . a.)The religious group is mainly on biblical themes. b.)The secular group concludes; The national epic poem , Beowulf ,and lyrical poems of shorter length . 3.The representative of this period : Beowulf .a.)The nature Beowulf is regarded today as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. b.)The setting The story took place in Scandinavia. c.)The theme:The poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage under a wise heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader . d.)The significance : The poem is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends. The battle between Beowulf and the Dragon Symblically represent that phrase of Winter and Summer myth in which the Summer God,here embodied by Beowulf . *B. The medieval English literature 1.The time period : From 1066 up to the mid-14th century.2.The classification of the medieval English Literature: Middle English literature deals with a wider range of subjects.a.)popular folk literature also occupies an important place in this period . b.)Romance which uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the Medieval period .3. The representative of this period : Chaucer and the Canterbury tales.a.)The influence of Renaissance : The influence of Renaissance was already felt in the field of English literature when Chaucer was learning from the great Italian writers like Petrarch and Boccaccio.本资料来自英语自考网 http:/www.absee.net英语自考网 www.absee.net 以优质资料及高效的访问速度，为大家提供最新自考信息，祝愿大家早日毕业!b.)The contributions to English Literature : 1)Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas to replace the old English alliterative verse. 2)In the Romaunt the Rose , he fixst introduced into English the octosyllabic couplet. 3)In The Legend of Good Women , he used for the first time in English the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter.And in The Canterbury Tales , Chaucer employed the heroic couplet with true ease. 4)Chaucer also developed the art of literature itself . In Troilus and Criseyde, he gave the world what is virtually the first modern novel . 5)In The Canterbury Tales , he developed his art of poetry still further towards drama and the art of novel. John Dryden, called Chaucer the father of English peotry . For the Renaissance , he was the English Homer.= Chapter 1 The Renaissance Period (文艺复兴时期)本章概述 一. 文艺复兴运动和人文主义思想产生的历史, 文化背景; 二. 文艺复兴时期文学创作的基本特征和基本主张; 三. 文艺复兴时期的哲学与文艺理论对同时代及后世英国文学与文化的影响. 四. 主要作家与作品.文学史分析 * A. The time period The Renaissance marks a transition from the medieval to the modern word . It refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries . * B. The definition of Renaissance : a. The birthplace : In Italy b. The meaning : The Renaissance means rebirth or revival . c. The nature : The Renaissance ,in essence , is a historical period. * c. The theoretical basis of the Renaissance : 1. The essence of the Renaissance : a.) The source Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance , It sprang from the endeavor to restore a medieval reverence for the antique authors . b.) The basis of the Humanism .it was based on such a conception that man is the measure of all things . 2.The representative : a. The symbol :Humanism began to take hold in England when the Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus came to teach the classical learning b. The major representatives :本资料来自英语自考网 http:/www.absee.net英语自考网 www.absee.net 以优质资料及高效的访问速度，为大家提供最新自考信息，祝愿大家早日毕业!Thomas More , Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists . * D. The cultural Background of the Renaissance :1. The national feeling :Strong national feeling in the time of the Tudors gave a great incentive to the cultural development in England . English schools and universities were established in place of the old monasteries . 2. The introduction of printing :William Caxton Introduced printing into England . In this lifetime ,Caxton printed about one hundred books in English . 3. The emergence of an age of translation With the introduction of printing , an age of thranslation came into being . 4. The significance :The introduction of printing led to a commercial market for literature , making everything ready for the appearance of the great Elizabethan writers. * E. The literature forms during the Renaissance :1. The poetry a. The feature :The first period of the English Renaissance was o