英国文学的形成与发展

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(1) Old and Medieval English Literature(中古时期英国文学) 

Old English began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement, the 600-year Anglo-Saxon period of England, from the mid-5th century to the Normal Conquest of 1066.

The Norman C onquest marked the beginning of Medieval English Literature.

Beowalf is the national epic of Anglo-Saxon, which is the oldest surviving epic in British literature.

Geoffrey Chaucer: Father of English Poetry; his master piece is The Canterbury Tales.

(2) English Literature of the Renaissance Period (文艺复兴时期英国文学，16th英国文学)

Renaissance is a revival or rebirth of the artist and scientific revival which originated in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over the Europe. It has two striking features: a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature, and keen interest in activities of humanity.

Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance, which emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of present life. It is against the Medieval feudal value and blind faith in after-life, the humanist believed in man’s capability of self perfection and emphasized the importance of personal worth and joy of the present life.

(3)The 17th Century ---the period of Revolution and Restoration(17世纪英国文学, )

English literature of this period was very much concerned with the tremendous social upheavals of the time. The dominant literary genre of the early half of the 17th century is poetry. The greatest poet is John Milton. His Paradise Lost is regarded as the only English epic after Beowulf. In this book, the real hero created by Milton is Satan.

There also existed two other schools of poets, the Cavalier poets, influenced by Ben Jonson, and the Metaphysical poets, influenced by John Donne.

(4)The 18th Century ---The Age of Enlightenment in England(18世纪英国文学)

The 18th century England is also known as “The Age of Enlightenment”. In the field of literature, the Enlightenment Movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works. This tendency is known as Neoclassicism, which believed that artistic ideals should be order, logic, retrained emotion and accuracy, and that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity.

The representative writers of Neoclassical School are John Dryden; Alexander Pope; Samuel Johnson.

(5)The Romanticism in England(浪漫主义时期英国文学)

Imagination, emotion, and freedom are certainly the focal points of romanticism. The particular characteristic of the literature of romanticism includes: subjectivity and an emphasis on individualism; freedom from rules; solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason; and love of and worship of nature.

The two generations of Romantic poets: the Lake Poets(including Wordsworth and Coleridge and Southey); young poets (including Byron, Shelley and Keats).

(6)The Victorian Period---English Critical Realism(维多利亚时期英国文学)

Realism seeks to portray familiar characters, situations, and setting in a realistic manner. This is done primarily by using an objective narrative point of view and through the buildup of accurate detail.

The Victorian Age is a golden period of novel. The novels became the most widely read and the most vital, and challenging expressions of progressive thoughts. The most important novelists include Dickens, Thackeray and George Eliot.  

(7)The 20th Century English Literature(20世纪英国文学)

The 20th Century has witness the decline of the British Empire, and the social changes and conflicts were reflected in the literature of the time. The writers of early 20th century divided themselves into various trends and schools. And it witnessed the coming of the age of Modernism.

Modernism as a literature period in English literature began roughly with the emergence of the aesthetes in the 1890s and flourished until 1950s. Among the greatest modernist writers are Ezra Pound, T.S.Eliot, James Joyce and W.B.Yeats.