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英美文学名词解释

Directions: Give brief explanations for the following terms.

1. Differences between literary and non-literary language

Non-literary language aims at a one-to-one correspondence between the language and the meaning. It aims to meet a practical need of communication, or provide information and findings accurately. While literary language is not necessarily merely one to one correspondence. It is expressive and indirect, conveying writer’s feelings, attitudes and tone between the lines. It is ambiguous and the interpretation varies with context and reader.

2. Beowulf

Beowulf is an old English heroic epic poem of unknown authorship, which is set in Denmark and Sweden. It is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. With 3182 lines, it is noted for its length. Beowulf is considered an epic poem in that the main character is a hero who travels great distances to prove his strength at impossible odds against supernatural demons and beasts.

3. Renaissance

A cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence the Late Middle Ages later spreading to the rest of Europe, being viewed as a bridge between the Medieval time and the Modern Era. The literary creations of Renaissance get influence from the classics in philosophy and language. They also exhibit an optimistic forward-thinking approach to the potential of humans, which is known as Renaissance humanism. Humanism is the essence of renaissance, which considered humans empowered, limitless in their capacities for development, and led to the notion that people should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible.

4. Roaring Twenties

It refers to the time from 1918 to 1929: the years after the end of World War I, continuing through the Twenties and ending with the rise of the Great Depression. Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the "roaring" 1920s as the economy soared. The 1920s were called the 'Roaring 20s' due to the period's social, cultural and artistic dynamism. This was a period of pleasure seeking & reckless exuberance, characterized by people defying any forms of prohibition, indulging in new styles of dancing and dressing and rejecting many traditional moral standards. The decade of the twenties is often referred to as the “Jazz Age’. However, the term has much as much to do with the jazzy atmosphere of the time as with the music!

5. Realism

It is a term used to identify a movement as a reaction against romanticism in the writing of novels during the 19th century in France, England and America. It is also used to refer to a literary technique or theory of writing, particular manner of representing human life and experience. In American literature, the term "realism" encompasses the period of time from the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century (1865- 1918). William Dean Howells, Henry James, Mark Twain and others wrote fiction devoted to accurate representation and exploration of American lives in various contexts. In their writing, they try to resist the romantic and sentimental, the contrived and the melodramatic and to register as accurately as possible the way Americans were living.

6. American dream

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved

through hard work. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adam in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

7. Charles Dickens’ characterization

Dickens' characters span all social classes and he wrote compassionately about the lives of the poor and campaigned for better conditions for them. Dickens captured the everyday man on paper and thus created a memorable character to whom readers could relate, and envision as a real person. They can be believed to be living a life outside the novels that their stories have been continued by other authors.

8. The theatrical conventions of shakespeare’s time

The popularity of the theatre reached people from all walks of life - from Royalty to the Nobility and the Commoners. The theatre is roofless with a courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries and no artificial lighting. The cost of the show is 1 penny to stand and 2 or 3 to sit in the balcony. Only men and boys can be actors. Young boys whose voices had not changed play women’s roles. All spectators but wealthy ones were uneducated or illiterate. There was much more interaction than today.

9. Romanticism

It’s a broad literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that developed in Western Europe and America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is a reaction against the basic ideas of Neoclassicism and Enlightenment. An important historical starter of the movement was the French Revolution, particularly in its emphasis on liberty and equality. Romanticism is characterized by the words beginning with “I”: Imagination, Intuition, Idealism, Inspiration, and Individuality. Now it is not only a historical period, but also an attitude toward literature and life.

10. Shakepeare’s language

Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English.” His language is a mix of old and very new, full of rural and urban words and images. It is understandable by the lowest peasant and the highest noble. The English language owes a great debt to Shakespeare. He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words wholly original.

英美文学史名词解释

英美文学史名词解释 TYYGROUP system office room 【TYYUA16H-TYY-TYYYUA8Q8-

英美文学史名词解释 1.English Critical Realism English critical realism of the 19th century flourished in the forties and in the early fifties. The realists first and foremost criticized the capitalist society from a democratic viewpoint and delineated (portrayed) the crying (extremely shocking) contradictions of bourgeois reality. The greatness of the English realists lies not only in their satirical portrayal of bourgeoisie and in the exposure of the greed and hypocrisy of the ruling classes, but also in their sympathy for the laboring people. Humor and satire are used to expose and criticize the seamy (dark) side of reality. The major contribution of the critical realists lies in their perfection of the novel. Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray are the most important representative of English critical realism. 2.The "Stream of Consciousness" The "stream of consciousness" is a psychological term indicating "the flux of conscious and subconscious thoughts and impressions moving in the mind at any given time independently of the person's will." In late 19th century,

英美文学名词解释(1)

Epic: A long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecti ng the values of the society from which it originated. The style of epic is grand宏伟的 and elevated高尚的. John Milton wrote three great epics:Paradise Lost,Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. Sonnet(十四行诗 A sonnet is a lyric consisting of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter restricted to a definition rhyme scheme Renaissance the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival复活 of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition过渡from the medieval to the modern world.the essence of the Renaissance is Humanism The Renaissance Period A period of drama and poetry. The Elizabethan drama is the real mainstream of the English Renaissance. Humanism人文主义 Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. 2>it emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the impo rtance of the present life.Humanists voiced their belie fs that man was the center of the universe and man did not

英美文学名词解释总结.doc

英美文学名词解释总结 Romance:Anyimaginationliteraturethatissetinanidealizedworldandth atdealswithaheroicadventuresandbattlesbetweengoodcharactersandvi llainsormonsters.传奇故事：指以理想化的世界为背景并且描写主人公的英雄冒险事迹和善与恶的斗争的想象文学作品。 Alliteration:Therepetitionoftheinitialconsonantsoundsinpoetry.头韵：诗歌中单词开头读音的重复。 Couplet:Itisapairofrhymingverselines,usuallyofthesamelength;oneoft hemostwidelyusedverse-sinEuropeanpoetry.Chaucerestablishedtheus eofcoupletsinEnglish,notablyintheCanterburyTales,usingrhymingiam bicpentameterslaterknownasheroiccoupletsBlankverse:Versewritteni nunrhymediambicpentameter.素体诗：用五音步抑扬格写的无韵诗。 Conceit:Akindofmetaphorthatmakesacomparisonbetweentwostartlin glydifferentthings.Aconceitmaybeabriefmetaphor,butitusuallyprovid estheframeworkforanentirepoem.Anespeciallyunusualandintellectual kindofconceitisthemetaphysicalconceit.新奇的比喻：将两种截然不同的食物进行对比的一种隐喻。它虽被视为是一种隐喻，但是它往往构建了整首诗的框架，

英美文学名词解释

1. In the medieval period ， it is Chaucer alone who ， for the first time in English literature ， presented to usa comprehensive __picture of the English society of his time and created a whole galery of vivid ___ from all walks of life in his masterpiece “the Canterbury Tales ”。 A. visionary / women B. romantic /men C. realistic / characters D. natural / figures 2. Although ____ was essentially a medieval writer, he bore marks of humanism and anticipated a new era of literature to come. A. William Langland B. John Gower C. Geoffrey Chaucer D. Edmund Spenser 3. Humanism spume from the endeavor to restore a medieval reverence for the antique authors and is frequently taken as the beginning of the Renaissance on its conscious ，intellectual side ，for the Greek and Roman civilization was based on the conception that man is the ____ of all things . A. measure B. king C. lover D. rule 4. The essence of humanism is to ______. A. restore a medieval reverence for the church B. avoid the circumstances of earthly life C. explore the next world in which men could live after death D. emphasize human qualities 5. Many people today tend to regard the play “ The Merchant of Venice ” as a satire of the hypocrisy of ___ and their false standards of friendship and love ， their cunning ways of pursuing worldliness and their unreasoning prejudice against _________ . A. Christians / Jews B. Jews / Christians C. oppressors / oppressed D. people / Jews 6. In “ Sonnet 18 ”， Shakespeare has a profound meditation on the destructive power of _________ and the eternal __________ brought forth by poetry to the one he loves . A. death/ life B. death/ love C. time / beauty D. hate / love 7.In The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes The Vanity Fair in a ______ tone. A. delightful B. satirical C. sentimental D. solemn 8. The religious reformation in the early 16th-century England was a reflection of the class struggles waged by the _____. A. rising bourgeoisie against the feudal class and its ideology B. working class against the corruption of the bourgeoisie C. landlord class against the rising bourgeoisie and its ideology D. feudal class against the corruption of the Catholic Church 9. The ______ was a progressive intellectual movement throughout western Europe in the 18th century . A. Renaissance B. Enlightenmrent C. Religious Reformation D. Chartist Movement 10.The 18th century witnessed a new literary form -the modern English novel, which, contrary to the medieval romance, gives a ______ presentation of life of the common English people. A. romantic B. idealistic C. prophetic D. realistic 1. The title of the novel “ A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ” written by James Joyce suggests a character study with strong _________ elements .

英美文学名词解释(1)

1puritanism清教主义 The dogmas 教条preached by Puritans. They believed that all men were predestined命中注定and the individual ‘s free will played no part in his quest for salvation. This was a rejection of the dogmas preached by the Roman Catholic Church and its rites仪式. The Puritans also advocated a strict moral code which prohibited many earthly pleasures such as dancing and other merry-makings.清教徒提倡严格的道德准则禁止如跳舞和其他许多世俗的快乐的气质。They stressed the virtues of self-discipline,自律thrift节俭and hard work as evidence that one was among the “elect” to be chosen to go to Heaven after death 2Romanticism The term refers to the literary and artistic movements of the late 18th and early 19th century. Romanticism rejected the earlier philosophy of the Enlightenment, which stressed that logic and reason were the best response humans had in the face of cruelty, 残忍的stupidity, superstition,迷信的and barbarism. Instead, the Romantics asserted that reliance 依赖upon emotion and natural passions provided a valid and powerful means of knowing and a reliable guide to ethics 伦理and living. The Romantic movement typically asserts 声称，代言the unique nature of the individual, the privileged status 特权地位of imagination and fancy想象和幻想, the value of spontaneity over “artifice” and “convention”价值的理解“技巧”和“公约”，the human need for emotional outlets, the spiritual destruction 精神上的摧残of urban life.城市生活。Their writings are often set in rural, or Gothic settings and they show an obsessive 强迫性的concern with “innocent” characters—children, young

英美文学四大思潮名词解释(全英)

Romanticism began in the mid-18th century and reached its height in the 19th century.It was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe.The ideologies and events of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution laid the background for Romanticism. The Enlightenment also had influence on Romanticism .It was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.The movement validated strong emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as apprehension, horror and terror, and awe.The Romantic literature of the nineteenth century concentrating on emotion, nature, and the expression of "nothing".famous romanticism writers are such as william Wordsworth:lyrical ballods、william whitman ：leaves of grass Realism beginning with mid nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-19th- and early-20th-century .It was a reaction againest romanticism and paved the way to modernism.the realism is product of europe capitalist system?s establishment and development.the philosophy and science of europe in 19th century has promated its production authors trend to depictions of contemporary life and society as it was, or is. In the spirit of general "realism" ,realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and banal activities and experiences, instead of a romanticized or similarly stylized

英美文学史名词解释

英美文学史名词解释 Document number：NOCG-YUNOO-BUYTT-UU986-1986UT

英美文学名词解释 2

01. Humanism(人文主义) Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.2> it emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. Humanists voiced their beliefs that man was the center of the universe and man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of the present life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. 02. Renaissance(文艺复兴) The word “Renaissance”means “rebirth”, it meant the reintroduction into westerm Europe of the full cultural heritage of Greece and Rome.2>the essence of the Renaissance is Humanism. Attitudes and feelings which had been characteristic of the 14th and 15th centuries persisted well down into the era of Humanism and reformation.3> the real mainstream of the English Renaissance is the Elizabethan drama with william shakespeare being the leading dramatist. 03. Metaphysical poetry(玄学派诗歌) Metaphysical poetry is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.2>with a rebellious spirit, the Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry.3>the diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or the Neoclassical periods, and echoes the words and cadences of common speech.4>the imagery is drawn from actual life. Metaphysical poets(玄学派诗人） It is the name given to a diverse group of 17th century english poets whose work is notable for its ingenious use of intellectual and theological concepts in surprising conceits, strange paradoxes and far-fetched imagery. The leading Metaphysical poets was John Donne, whose colloquial, argumentative abruptness of rhythm and tone distinguishes his style from the conventions of Elizabethan love lyrics. 04. Classcism(古典主义) Classcism refers to a movement or tendency in art, literature, or music that reflects the principles manifested in the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Classicism emphasizes the traditional and the universal, and places value on reason, clarity, balance, and order. Classicism, with its concern for reason and universal themes, is traditionally opposed to Romanticism, which is concerned with emotions and personal themes. 05. Enlightenment(启蒙运动) Enlightenment movement was a progressive philosophical and artistic movement which flourished in france and swept through western Europe in the 18th century.2> the movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance from 14th century to the mid-17th century.3>its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas.4>it celebrated reason or rationality, equality and science. It advocated universal education.5>famous among the great enlighteners in england were those great writers like Alexander pope. Jonathan swift.etc. 06.Neoclassicism(新古典主义)

(完整版)英美文学名词解释最全版

01. Humanism(人文主义) 1>Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. 2> it emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. Humanists voiced their beliefs that man was the center of the universe and man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of the present life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. 02. Renaissance(文艺复兴) 1>The word “Renaissance”means “rebirth”, it meant the reintroduction into western Europe of the full cultural heritage of Greece and Rome. 2>the essence of the Renaissance is Humanism. Attitudes and feelings which had been characteristic of the 14th and 15th centuries persisted well down into the era of Humanism and reformation. 3> the real mainstream of the English Renaissance is the Elizabethan drama with William Shakespeare being the leading dramatist. 03. Metaphysical poetry(玄学派诗歌) 1>Metaphysical poetry is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. 2>with a rebellious spirit, the Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry. 3>the diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or the Neoclassical periods, and echoes the words and cadences of common speech.4>the imagery is drawn from actual life. 04. Classicism(古典主义) Classicism refers to a movement or tendency in art, literature, or music that reflects the principles manifested in the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Classicism emphasizes the traditional and the universal, and places value on reason, clarity, balance, and order. Classicism, with its concern for reason and universal themes, is traditionally opposed to Romanticism, which is concerned with emotions and personal themes. 05. Enlightenment(启蒙运动) 1>Enlightenment movement was a progressive philosophical and artistic movement which flourished in France and swept through western Europe in the 18th century. 2> the movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance from 14th century to the mid-17th century. 3>its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas. 4>it celebrated reason or rationality, equality and science. It advocated universal education. 5>famous among the great enlighteners in England were those great writers like Alexander pope. Jonathan Swift. etc. 06.Neoclassicism(新古典主义) 1>In the field of literature, the enlightenment movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works.

英美文学术语解释

Postmodernism is the expression of thought and culture in art, literature, philosophy and politics in advanced capitalist period. “Post-” of “Postmodernism” is the inheritance and reaction to “modernism”. Postmodernism was originally used by artists and critics in New York in the 1960s and then employed by European theorists in the 1970s. Once this writing entered on the stage of history, it has brought us not only techniques such as parody, fragmentation, pastiche, collage, allegory, irony, playfulness, metafiction, but also intertextuality in history, philosophy, sociology, etc.. 英美文学名词解释(2013-06-29 16:58:29)转载▼ 标签：转载原文地址：英美文学名词解释作者：kiwi 01. Humanism(人文主义) Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. 2> it emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. Humanists voiced their beliefs that man was the center of the universe and man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of the present life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders. 02. Renaissance(文艺复兴) The word “Renaissance”means “rebirth”, it meant the reintroduction into westerm Europe of the full cultural heritage of Greece and Rome. 2>the essence of the Renaissance is Humanism. Attitudes and feelings which had been characteristic of the 14th and 15th centuries persisted well down into the era of Humanism and reformation. 3> the real mainstream of the english Renaissance is the Elizabethan drama with william shakespeare being the leading dramatist. 03. Metaphysical poetry(玄学派诗歌) Metaphysical poetry is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. 2>with a rebellious spirit, the Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry. 3>the diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or the Neoclassical periods, and echoes the words and cadences of common speech.4>the imagery is drawn from actual life. 04. Classcism(古典主义) Classcism refers to a movement or tendency in art, literature, or music that reflects the

英美文学赏析名词解释

1.A novel is a highly stylized prose account of fictional reality in the form of story with profundity for the purpose of changing the reader’s mind by the aid of the reader’s active involvement while providing entertainment and superior truth of life. 2.Character is an invented personality to resemble but never to equal a real person in life. Characters refer to people, animals, things, etc. in a literary work presented as people. 3.A plot is a particular arrangement of happenings in a novel that is aimed at revealing their causal relationships or at conveying the novelist’s ideas. 4.The theme of a novel is its controlling idea or its central insight about human beings and life. 5.Epistolary novel is a novel which consists of the letters the characters write to each other. 6.Roman a Clef is a novel with a key, and the key is usually a famous figure or, in some cases, the author. 7.Nonfictional novel is a novel that depicts real events with techniques of fiction. 8.Anagnorisis refers to the recognition by the tragic hero of some truth about his or her identity or actions that accompanies the reversal of the situation in the plot, the peripeteia. 9.Catharsis refers to the the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer of a tragedy. 10.Hamartia refers to the "tragic flaw" of the hero such as "sin," "error," "trespass,“and "missing the mark". 11.A ballad refers to a short simple narrative poem often relating a dramatic event (folk and literary). 12.A narrative poem is one that mainly tells a relatively complete story. 13.A sonnet is a lyric invariably of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, restricted to a definite rhyme scheme. 1）Petrarchan Sonnet: Italian sonnet; Named after Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374), the Italian poet; Introduced into English poetry in the early 16th century by Sir Thomas Wyatt; Structure: an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba and a sestet of various rhyme patterns such as cdecde, cdcdcd or cde edc.; Octave: projecting and developing a subject in the octave; sestet: executing a turn 2）Shakespearean Sonnet: Elizabethan sonnet; English sonnet; Developed first by Henry Howard (1517-1547) ; Structure: 3 quatrains and a terminal couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg; 1st quatrain: introducing an idea; 2nd quatrain: complicating it; 3rd quatrain: complicating it still further; final epigrammatic couplet: resolving the whole thing 3）Spenserian Sonnet: a variant on the English Sonnet; Named after the 16th Century poet Edmund Spenser; Structure: 3 quatrains and a couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme abab bcbc cdcd ee. 14.Rhyme refers to the repetition of the stressed vowel sound and all succeeding sounds. 15.Rhythm is communicated by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables 16.Image refers to the element in a poem that sparks off the senses, the representation of sense experience through language