英美概况unit10.ppt

Chapter 6 British Literature * * This unit is about British literature. As you may know, British literature has an extremely long history. It has produced a large number of excellent novels, dramas, poems and other forms of literary writings. There are many famous writers in the history of British literature, such as Shakespeare and Dickens. This chapter will give you an overall picture of the most important writers and their major works. Before we start, here are some questions for you to consider. Lets see if you know the answers. There is a space below each question. Please write down your answer in the space and then check your answer to see if it is correct. 1. Have you heard of the name of Chaucer? Is he the author of　(a) Beowulf (b) The Canterbury Tales 2.Have you ever read any plays written by Shakespeare, either in English or Chinese translation? Which of his plays listed below is NOT a tragedy:? (a) Hamlet (b) Othello (c) Twelfth Night3. Who wrote the long poem Paradise Lost?　(a) Shakespeare (b) Milton 4. Which of the following novels is written by Charles Dickens?　(a) Wuthering Heights (b) Oliver Twist (c) A Passage to India Wife of Bath Literature in the Middle Ages: Old English period Most of early Celts are illiterate, leaving no any literary works until the invasion of Germanics ----- Beowulf Late 6th century the introduction of Christianity to England. Poetry were written down by the monks, giving it a religious coloring. Late 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer “The Canterbury Tales ” gathering of stories by pilgrims. It gives us a picture of contemporary English life, its work and play, its deeds and dreams, its fun and sympathy and hearty joy of living such as no other single work of literature has ever equaled. His work is filled with buoyant free-thinking, so characteristic of the age of Renaissance whose immediate forerunner Chaucer thus becomes. 16th C, The Renaissance A period of breaking up o