lesson 1 english literature
?Requirements of the Course
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?The Old and Medieval Period ?II Recitation:
? 1. Romance:
?①It uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly
adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period.
?②It has developed the characteristic medieval motifs of
the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.
?③The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a
journey to accomplish some missions. There are often mysteries and fantasies in romance.
?The Old and Medieval Period ?④Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance.
?Characterization is standardized, While the structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward. ?⑤The importance of the romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world.
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1343-1400) Geoffrey Chaucer was born into a middle-class family of a wealthy wine merchant around the year 1343. In 1357 and 1358 he was a page to the wife of Lionel, Duke of Clarence. As a young man, he fought for King Edward Ⅲ, and was captured and ransomed later. He married in 1366, and pursued a public life, eventually holding jobs as Italian diplomat, customs official, and a Justice of the Peace. Chaucer’s varied experiences gave him a
broad opportunity to find much to write about, and he wrote through his entire life. His early writings followed French trends, but his later ones were greatly influenced by Italian authors. He began his The Canterbury Tales in 1373 and was occupied by it on and off for the rest of his life. The Canterbury Tales was his famous but unfinished work. It’s unique for its variety, humor, grace and realism. Because of this, Chaucer became the first great poet of the English nation and gave strong influences over the development of English literatur e. In his works, Chaucer affirmed man’s right to pursue to pursue earthly happiness and opposed asceticism; he praised man’s energy, intellect, quick wit and love of life; he exposed and satirized the social vices, including religious abuses. Chaucer bore marks of humanism and anticipated a new era to come and created heroic couplet. So he was honored as “the Father of English Poetry”.
?Geoffrey Chaucer’s Works
?Canterbury Tales《坎特伯雷集》
?Troilus and Criseyde《特洛伊斯和克丽西达》?Book of the Duchess《公爵夫人之书》
?Other Major Poems
The House of Fame《声誉之宫》
The Legend of Good Women《贤妇传说
》
naturalism of its narrative, the variety of stories the pilgrims tell and the varied characters who are engaged in the pilgrimage. Chaucer drew on real life for his cast of pilgrims: The many jobs that Chaucer held in medieval society—page, soldier, messenger, valet, bureaucrat, foreman and administrator— types of people he depicted in the Tales. He was able to shape their speech and satirize their manners in what was to become popular literature among people of the same types.