Chapter1OldandMedievalEnglishLiterature(450—1066-1340)1.Beowulf:atypicalexampleofOldEnglishpoetryisregardedasthenationalepicoftheAnglo-Saxons.Itisanexampleoftheminglingofnaturemythsandheroiclegends.2.Romance:①Itusesnarrativeverseorprosetosingknightlyadventuresorotherheroicdeedsisapopularliteraryforminthemedievalperiod.②Ithasdevelopedthecharacteristicmedievalmotifsofthequest,thetest,themeetingwiththeevilgiantandtheencounterwiththebeautifulbeloved.③Theheroisusuallytheknight,whosetsoutonajourneytoaccomplishsomemissions.Thereareoftenmysteriesandfantasiesinromance.④Romanticloveisanimportantpartoftheplotinromance.Characterizationisstandardized,Whilethestructureislooseandepisodic,thelanguageissimpleandstraightforward.⑤Theimportanceoftheromanceitselfcanbeseenasameansofshowingmedievalaristocraticmenandwomeninrelationtotheiridealizedviewoftheworld.2.Heroiccouplet:Heroiccoupletisarhymedcoupletofiambicpentameter.ItisChaucerwhouseditforthefirsttimeinEnglishinhisworkTheLegendofGoodWoman.3.ThethemeofBeowulf:Thepoempresentsavividpictureofhowtheprimitivepeoplewageheroicstrugglesagainstthehostileforcesofthenaturalworldunderawiseandmightyleader.Thepoemisanexampleoftheminglingofthenaturemythsandheroiclegends.5.Chaucer’sachievement:①Hepresentedacomprehensiverealisticpictureofhisageandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersinhisworks,especiallyinTheCanterburyTales.②Heanticipatedanewear,theRenaissance,tocomeundertheinfluenceoftheItalianwriters.③Hedevelopedhischaracterizationtoahigherlevelbypresentingcharacterswithbothtypicalqualitiesandindividualdispositions.④HegreatlycontributedtothematuringofEnglishpoetry.Today,Chaucer’sreputationhasbeensecurelyestablishedasoneofthebestEnglishpoetsforhiswisdom,humorandhumanity.6.“TheFatherofEnglishpoetry”:Originally,OldEnglishpoemsaremainlyalliterativeverseswithfewvariations.①ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplaceit.②InTheRomauntoftheRose(玫瑰传奇),hefirstintroducedtotheEnglishtheoctosyllabiccouplet(八音节对偶句).③InTheLegendofGoodWomen,heusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishheroiccouplet.④Andinhismasterpiece,TheCanterburyTales,heemployedheroiccoupletwithtrueeaseandcharmforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.⑤HisartmadehimoneofthegreatestpoetsinEnglish;JohnDrydencalledhim“thefatherofEnglishpoetry”.【例题】Theworkthatpresented,forthefirsttimeinEnglishliterature,acomprehensiverealisticpictureofthemedievalEnglishsocietyandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflifeismostlikely______________.(0704)A.WilliamLangland’sPiersPlowmanB.GeoffreyChaucer’sTheCanterburyTalesC.JohnGower’sConfessionAmantisD.SirGawainandtheGreenKnight【答案】BChapter2:TheRenaissancePerio...