英国文学史

这是一篇关于英国文学史 English literature in the old and middle age 的思维导图，主要内容有1.1 The Making of England、1.2 The Roman Conquest、1.3 The English Conquest等。

Ch1-English Literature in the Old and Middle Ages

• 1.GENERAL INTRODUCTION
  • 1.1 The Making of England
    • The English people are of a mixed blood. The early inhabitants in the island now we call England were Britons, a tribe of Celts. From the Britons the island got its name of Britain, the land of Britons. The Britons were a primitive people .
  • 1.2 The Roman Conquest
    • In 55 B. C. the Britain was invaded by Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror, who had thenjust occupied Gaul. But as soon as the Romans landed on shore ofthe island,the Britons fought like lions underthe leadership of their chieftain. Britain was not completely subjugated to theRoman Empire until 78 A.D.
    • The Roman occupation lasted for about 400 years, during which the Romans, for military purposes, built a network of highways, later called the Roman roads, which remained useful for a long time to come. And in 410 A.D., all the Roman troops went back to the continent and never returned. Thus ended the Roman occupation in Britain .
  • 1.3 The English Conquest
    • At the same time Britain was invaded by Swarms of pirates. They were three tribes from Northern Europe: the Angles, Saxons and Jutes . And by the 7th century these small kingdoms were combined into a united kingdom called England, or, the land of Angles . The three tribes had mixed into a whole people called English, the Angles being the most numerous of the three. And the three dialects spoken by them naturally grew inter a single language caled Anglo - Saxon , or Old English , which is quite different from the English that we Know today .
  • 1.4 The Social Conditions of The Anglo-Saxons
    • Before the Anglo - Saxons settled down in Britain, they still lived in the tribal society. After the conquest of Britain, the social constitution of the Anglo - Saxons went through some rapid changes. The Anglo - Saxon period witnessed a transition from tribal society to feudalism.
  • 1.5 ANGL0-SAXON RELIGIOUS BELIEF AND ITS INFLUENCE
    • The Anglo - Saxons were heathen people . They believed in old mythology of Northern Europe . That is why the Northern mythology has left its mark upon the English language. The Anglo - Saxons were Christianized in the seventh entury . Then monasteries were built all over the country .
• 2. BEOWULF
  • 2.1-ANGL0-SAXON POETRY
    • English literature began with the Anglo - Saxon settlement in England . Of Old English literature , five relics are still preserved . All of them are poems , or , songs by the Anglo - Saxon minstrels who sang o the heroic deeds of old time to the chiefs and warriors in the feasting - hall . Four are short fragments of long poems . But there is one long poem of over 3,000 lines . It is Beowulf , the national epic of the people .
  • 2.2-THE STORY OF BEOWULF
    • Beowulf is the nephew of Hygelac , King of the Geats , a people in Jutland , Denmark . News reaches him that Hrothgar , king of the Danes , is in great trouble . Hrothgar has built a great hall . But a terrible monster , Grendel ,visits the hall from night to night and carries the warriors away . So the hall is deserted.
    • On hearing the news , Beowulf sails for Denmark with fourteen companions and offers to fight the monster . He cuts off the head of the she - monster . There he finds the body of Grendel himself and cuts off his head as well . With these trophies he goes back to the hall of the Danish king . The triumph is celebrated by feasting and song . And Beowulf sails home to the land of the Geats .
    • Now, he becomes king and reigns over his people for fifty years . Then it comes - to pass that a fire dragon comes out of its den and belches forth its fire to burn the people. The dragon is kiled at last. But Beowulf is hopelessly wounded too . The poem ends with the funeral of the hero.
  • 2.3-FEATURES OF BEOWULF
    • I. The defination of Epic
      • Epic is a lenthy narrative poem which deals with a hero or a man of historical or legendary significance . It is formal in style and follows a well - established format .
    • Il . Of Beowulf
      • It is a national epic , which is composed of 3183 lines , appearing in the 7th century in oral form , and in the 10th century in written form . British literature starts with Beowulf .
      • Main figures : Beowulf , Grendel , Hygelac , Hrothgar
      • The plot :
        • Part One deals with the fight between Beowulf and Grendel .
        • Part Two deals with the fight between Beowulf and the Fire Dragon .
      • AIliteration
        • In alliterative verse , certain accented words in a line begin with the same consonant sound . There are generaly 4 accents in a line , three of which show alliteration .( e. g. Speech is silver , silence is golden ; Safe and sound ; Rock and roll ; Pride and prejudice ; My love is a Red , Red Rose etc.)
      • Metaphors and understatements
        • Ring - giver for king; swan's bath or whale's road for sea; sea-wood for ship. not troublesome for very welcome; not bad for good; need not praise for a right to condemn.