English prose 精讲.docVIP

起源 人物及作品：Montaigne’s “Essais”(1580) 法国蒙田的随笔集 特点：conversational tone，intimate approach Renaissance period (immature)幼年期 人物：Bacon 作品：collection of brief prose writings.(1597) 时期特点：（1）quotations, examples, and figures of speech （2）Bacon’s are almost purely expositive and with moral purpose Revolution period（mature）成熟期 背景：（1）The 17th century was a period of revolution and restoration, the time of turmoil. （2）Much of the prose was devoted to political and religious controversies. 人物：John Dryden（always placed himself on the winning side） 作品：“An Essay of Dramatic Poesy”（establishing his position as the leading critic of the day） 特点：clarified，precise, concise，flexible The Enlightenment period (highest achievement)鼎盛期 背景：In England, 18th century marked the beginning of the modern era. 人物及作品：Addison “The Spectator” Steele “The Tatler” Swift pamphlets on Ireland (He is a master satirist, and his irony is deadly.) Samuel Johnson “Dictionary” (marked the end of English writers’ reliance on the patronage of noblemen for support) 意义：(1) The English essay had completely established itself as a literary genre. (2) Using it as a form of character sketching and story-telling. The 19th century (the popularity and diversity) 背景：（1）periodicals（期刊）increased （2）modern magazines sprang up （they were instrumental to the rapid development of essays） 人物：Lamb, Hazlitt, Hunt, De Quincy 意义：（1）They made the informal essay a pliable vehicle for expressing the writer’s own personality. （2）They brought the familiar essay( informal essay/personal essay) into English literature. Informal Essay 定义： The informal essay is written mainly for enjoyment. A good informal essay has a relaxed style but retains a strong structure. The informal essay tends to be more personal than the formal. The informal essay is personal, intimate, relaxed, conversational, and frequently humorous. 代表人物： Jonathan Swift, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, Thomas De Quincey, Mark Twain, James Thurber, E. B. Wh