学习目标

1. 认识英国资产阶级革命对英国文学的影响。

2. 了解英国资产阶级革命时期的主要作家及代表作品。

3. 了解弥尔顿的创作生涯。

4. 赏析弥尔顿的作品《失乐园》。

学习指南

本课主要讲授英国资产阶级革命的历史背景、文学流派、主要作家作品，了解作家弥尔顿的创作生涯并赏析其代表作品《失乐园》。

教师运用课件、视频等多媒体手段进行讲授。课后布置习题，安排学生小组讨论并形成报告，通过整理这一时期主要作家作品提高收集信息、整合信息、归纳总结的能力。

知识内容

Revolution and Restoration Period

I. Historical background

A. The English Bourgeois Revolution

B. The establishment of a Commonwealth

C. The Restoration

D. The Glorious Revolution

II. Literature of the Revolution period

A. Features

B. Metaphysical poets

C. Cavalier poets

III. John Milton

A. Life and contributions

B. Literary career

1. Early period (before 1639)

2. Middle period (1639-60)

3. Last period (after 1660)

C. Appreciation of Paradise Lost

1. Plot

2. Theme

3. Significance

D. Miltonic style

实践

Please make a report on the Puritan writers in the English Revolution period. Log on to the Internet or dig up the information for this in the library.

案例

Literary Features of the Revolution Period

The Revolution Period was a period of confusion in literature. English literature of the period witnessed a conflict between the two antagonistic camps. It is different from the literature of Elizabethan Period in the following three aspects:

1) Elizabethan literature had a marked unity and the feeling of patriotism and devotion to the Queen, but in the Revolution Period, all this was changed, the king became the open enemy of the people, and the country was divided by the struggle for political and religious liberty. So literature was as divided in spirit as were the struggling parties.

2) Elizabethan literature was generally inspiring. It throbbed with youth and hope and vitality. Literature in the Puritan Age expressed age and sadness. Even its brightest hours were followed by gloom and pessimism.

3) Elizabethan literature was intensely romantic. The romantic spirit sprang from the heart of youth. People believed all things, even the impossible. But in literature of the Puritan period, we cannot find any romantic ardor.

The Revolution period produced one of the most important poets in English literature, John Milton, whose work would glorify any age and people, and in his work the indomitable revolutionary spirit found its noblest expression. For this reason, this period is also called Age of Milton.

The main literary form of the period was poetry. Among the poets, Milton was the greatest. Besides him, there were two other groups of poets, the Metaphysical Poets and the Cavalier Poets.

Restoration Comedy ( 复辟时期的喜剧 ): Restoration comedy, also the comedy of manners, developed upon the reopening of the theatres after the re-establishment of monarchy with the return of Charles II (1660). Its principal writers were Congreve, Etherege, Farquhar, Vanbrugh, and Wycherley, and its predominant tone was witty, bawdy, cynical, and amoral. The plays were mainly in prose, with passages of verse for the more romantic moments; the plots were complex and usually double, sometimes triple, though repartee and discussions of marital behaviour provide much of the interest, reflecting the fashionable manners of the day. Standard characters include fops, bawds, scheming valets, country squires, and sexually voracious young widows and older women; the principle theme is sexual intrigue, either for its own sake or for money. Playwrights came under heavy attack for frivolity, blasphemy, and immorality.

复辟时期的喜剧 ， 又为社会习俗讽刺喜剧 ， 是在查理二世君主复辟后剧院重新开业的基础上发展起来的。主要的作家有康格瑞夫、埃瑟里奇、法库哈、凡布卢和威彻利，其主要的基调是诙谐、淫秽、挖苦和非道德。这些戏剧大部分是散文形式，把诗歌段落用在更加浪漫的时期；情节复杂，经常有双重，有时有三重情节；关于婚姻行为的巧妙应答和讨论为剧本提供了很多乐趣，也反映了当时的社会风尚。标准的角色包括花花公子、鸨母、诡计多端的仆人、乡绅、性欲旺盛的年轻寡妇和老女人；主要的主题是奸情，有的为了性，有的为了钱。剧作家因其剧本的轻薄、亵渎和不道德而受到强烈攻击。

常见问题

What are the characteristics of the literature in the Revolution period?

1) The prose of this period was largely concerned with politics.

2) The influence was also shown in the realm of religion. Most of the bourgeoisie were Puritans. They believed in simple life. Worldly pleasure was forbidden after the revolution. So the literature of the period was overwhelmed by gloom and pessimism.

3) The main literary form of this period was poetry. John Milton was the greatest Puritan poet. He defended the revolution with his pen. Besides him, there also appeared the Metaphysical poets and the Cavalier poets.  

4 ） The Metaphysical poets were represented by John Donne and George Herbert. Their works were characterized by mysticism in content and fantasticality in form. The Cavalier poets were represented by Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace and Thomas Carew. Their poetry dealt with earthly and sensual love and expressed the spirit of hedonism （享乐主义） .

5) John Bunyan was another important writer in this period. His masterpiece was The Pilgrim's Progress.

Besides, the literary criticism of John Dryden also contributed a lot to the literature in this period.

知识结构