18thcenturyDrama

TheEnglishdramaofthe18thcenturydoesnotreachthesamehighlevelasitsnovel.OneofthemainreasonsisthattheLicensingActof1737whichdroveFieldingoutofthetheatrerestrictedthefreedomofexpressionbydramatists.Thegreatestnamein18thcenturyEnglishdramaisnotthatofaplaywright,butthatofaplayer,DavidGarrick(1717-1779),whowasagreatpopularizerofShakespeare.TheEnglishdramaexperiencedabrieffloweringinthesecondhalfofthe18thcenturyforthecomediesofSheridanandGoldsmith.Sheridan(1751-1816)RichardBrinsleySheridan,themostimportantEnglishplaywrightinthe18thcentury,wasborninDublin.Hisfatherisanactorandhismotheranovelist.In1772,SheridanfellinloveandelopedwithElizabethAnnLinley,abeautifulsinger,afterfightingtwoduelswithhisrival.Aftermarriage,theSheridanslivedhappilyinacountrycottage.thelateryearsofSheridan’slifeweresaddenedbythedeathofhiswifein1792andthelossofhistheatrebyafirein1809.

HismajorworksTheRivals(1775)ThemainplotofthiscomedyrevolvesroundtheloveaffairofLydiaandCaptainAbsolute.Lydia,agirlfullofromanticfancies,prefersanadmirerwithoutsocialstanding社會地位totheheirofabaronet準男爵of3,000poundsayear.SohersuitorCaptainAbsoluteassumesthecharacterofapoorensign(海軍少尉)tocaptureherfancy,andhiscourtshipisfavorablyreceived.ButhehasarivalinBobAcres,whoisacowardbutcompelledtofightaduel.Onhiswaytotheduel,Acresfindshiscouragealready“oozingoutatthepalmofhishands.”FortunatelyatthecrucialmomenthediscoversthathisrivalisnoneotherthanhisfriendCaptainAbsolute,soherefusestofightandgivesuphisclaimtoLydia.AndLydia,afteraquarrelwithherloverfordeception,finallyforgiveshim.Mrs.Malaprop,Lydia’saunt,isafamouscomiccharacterinthisplay.Shehasalikingforforeign,bigwordswhichsheoftenusesincorrectly.Shesays“epitaph”碑文insteadof“epithet”描述詞,“illiterate”insteadof“obliterate”(抹去).Fromherisderivedtheterm“malapropism”(詞語誤用，荒唐的用詞錯誤)whichmeansaridiculousmisusageofbigword.TheSchoolofScandal

(1777),hasbeencalledagreatcomedyofmanners風俗喜劇;世態(tài)喜?。ㄓ弥S刺文抨擊特殊社會群，常是針對上流社會.）ItgivesabrilliantportrayalandabitingsatireofEnglishhighsociety.Intheplay,theauthorcontraststwobrothersCharlesSurfaceandJosephSurface.Charlesseemsaprodigalfromalloutwardappearance,butheisfrank,honestandgood-hearted.Josephseemstobepious,alwaysutteringmoralspeechesandappearingtobeamanofhonor.Butbehindhismask,heisahypocrite,backbiterandseducerofhisfriend’swife.Thisplay,repudiating(批判)thehighsocietyforitsvanity,greedandhypocrisy,hasbeenregardedasthebestEnglishcomedysinceShakespeare.

Significanceofhisplays:

a.TheRivalsandTheSchoolforScandalaregenerallyregardedasimportantlinksbetweenthemasterpiecesofShakespeareandthoseofBernardShaw,andastrueclassicsinEnglishcomedy. b.Inhisplays,moralityistheconstanttheme.Heismuchconcernedwiththecurrentmoralissuesandlashesharshlyatthesocialvicesoftheday. c.Sheridan’sgreatnessalsoliesinhistheatricalart.Heseemstohaveinheritedfromhisparentsanaturalabilityandinbornknowledgeaboutthetheatre.Hisplaysaretheproductofadramaticgeniusaswellasofawell-versedtheatricalman. d.Hisplotsarewell-organized,hischaracters,eithermajororminor,areallsharplydrawn,andhismanipulationofsuchdevicesasdisguise,mistakenidentity認錯人anddramaticironyismasterly.Wittydialoguesandneatanddecentlanguagealsomakeacharacteristicofhisplays.Goldsmith(1730?-1774)Twopoems(botharewritteninheroiccouplet):TheTraveller旅游人TheDesertedVillage荒村Goldsmith’sbestpoemTheVicarofWakefield威克菲爾德牧師傳anovel,Goldsmith’smasterpiece.Inthisnovel,thedepravityofthelandedgentryandthecorruptionofthetownlifearecontrastedtoanidyllofquitefamilyhappinessinthebosomofnatureandthepeaceable(平靜的)mannersofthevillage.TheGoodNaturedMan好心人acomedySheStoopstoConquer屈身求愛acomedyofmannersTheCitizensoftheWorld世界公民acollectionofessays

Goldsmith’spositioninEnglishliterature:

Goldsmithwasapoet,novelist,dramatist,andessayist,allcombinedinoneperson.Inhisworks,hedepictedthesocialandeconomicevilsinEngland.Inpoetry,headoptedtheconventionalformofheroiccouplet,buthehadadelicateromanticspiritofhisown,whichmadehimoneoftherepresentativepoets,called“sentimentalists”byliteraryhistorians,whowroteinthetransitionalperiodfromclassicismtoromanticism.SentimentalismandPre-RomanticisminPoetrySentimentalism

Inthefirsthalfofthe18thcentury,PopewastheleaderofEnglishpoetryandtheheroiccoupletthefashionofpoetry.Bythemiddleofthecentury,however,sentimentalismgraduallymadeitsappearance.Sentimentalismcameintobeingastheresultofabitterdiscontentwithsocialreality.Dissatisfiedwithreason,whichclassicistsappealedto,sentimentalistsappealedto“sentiment”,tothehumanheart.Sentimentalismturnedtothecountrysideforitsmaterial,andsoisinstrikingcontrasttoclassicism,whichhadconfineditselftotheclubsanddrawingrooms,andtothesocialandpoliticallifeofLondon.PopeandAddisonentertainedandeducatedthemiddleclass,buthadnomessageforthelabouringpeople,whilethepoetryofthesentimentalistsismarkedbyasinceresympathyforthepoverty-stricken,expropriatedpeasants.TheappearanceanddevelopmentofsentimentalistpoetrymarksthemidwayinthetransitionfromclassicismtoitsoppositeromanticisminEnglishpoetry.Pre-RomanticismInthelatterhalfofthe18thcentury,anewliterarymovementaroseinEurope,calledtheRomanticRevival.ItwasmarkedbyastrongprotestagainstthebondageofClassicism,byarecognitionoftheclaimsofpassionandemotion,andbyarenewedinterestinmedievalliterature.InEngland,thismovementshoweditselfinthetrendofPre-Romanticisminpoetry,whichwasusheredinbyPercy,MacphersonandChatteron,andrepresentedbyBlakeandBurns.RobertBurns羅伯特·彭斯1759~1796BurnsismainlyrememberedforhissongswrittenintheScottishdialectonavarietyofsubjects.ARed,RedRose一朵紅紅的玫瑰AuldLongSyne往昔時光MyHeart’sintheHighlands我的心在那高原上FeaturesofBurns’poetry:a.BurnsischieflyrememberedforhissongswrittenintheScottishdialect.b.Hispoemsareusuallydevoidofartificialornamentandhaveagreatcharmofsimplicity.c.Hispoemsareespeciallyappreciatedfortheirmusicaleffect.d.Hispoliticalandsatiricalpoemsarenotedforhispassionateloveforfreedomandfierysentimentsofhatredagainsttyranny.SignificanceofhispoetryHispoetrymarksanepochinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.ThespiritoftheRomanticRevivalwasembodiedinthisobscureploughman.Love,humour,pathos,theresponsetonature–allthepoeticqualitiesthattouchthehumanheartareinhispoems,whichmarkedthesunriseofanotherday–thedayofRomanticism.2.WilliamBlake Works:SongsofInnocence天真之歌(alovelyvolumeofpoems,presentingahappyandinnocentworld,thoughnotwithoutitsevilsandsufferings.)SongsofExperience經驗之歌（TheSongsofExperiencepaintsadifferentworld,aworldofmisery,poverty,disease,warandrepressionwithamelancholytone.）SongsofInnocenceandSongsofExperienceholdthesimilarsubjectmatter,butthetoneemphasisandconclusiondiffer.

TheMarriageofHeavenandHell天堂與地獄的婚姻Blakeisasymbolist.Blakeidentifiesclassicismtoformalism.Asheputsit,thewritersoftheclassicalperiod“knewenoughofartifice(機智、策略、手段),butlittleofart.Hislyricpoetrydisplaysthecharacteristicsoftheromanticspirit,accordingtowhichnaturalsentimentandindividualoriginalityareessentialtoliterarycreation.Forthisreason,BlakeiscalledaPre-romanticoraforerunneroftheRomanticpoetryofthe19thcentury.TheTigerTiger,tiger,burningbright

Intheforestsofthenight,

Whatimmortalhandoreye

Couldframethyfearfulsymmetry?

Inwhatdistantdeepsorskies

Burntthefireofthineeyes?

Onwhatwingsdareheaspire?

Whatthehanddareseizethefire?

Andwhatshoulderandwhatart

Couldtwistthesinewsofthyheart?

Andwhenthyheartbegantobeat,

Whatdreadhandandwhatdreadfeet?

Whatthehammer?whatthechain?

Inwhatfurnacewasthybrain?

Whattheanvil?Whatdreadgrasp

Dareitsdeadlyterrorsclasp?

Whenthestarsthrewdowntheirspears,

Andwater'dheavenwiththeirtears,

DidHesmileHisworktosee?

DidHewhomadethelambmakethee?

Tiger,tiger,burningbright

Intheforestsofthenight,

Whatimmortalhandoreye

Dareframethyfearfulsymmetry?MeaningofthePoem

Stanza1:Whatimmortalbeingcreatedthisterrifyingcreaturewhich,withitsperfectproportions(symmetry),isanawesomekillingmachine?

Stanza2:Wasitcreatedinhell(distantdeeps)orinheaven(skies)?Ifthecreatorhadwings,howcouldhegetsoclosetothefireinwhichthetigerwascreated?Howcouldheworkwithsoblazingafire?

Stanza3:Whatstrength(shoulder)andcraftsmanship(art)couldmakethetiger'sheart?Whatbeingcouldthenstandbeforeit(feet)andshapeitfurther(hand)?

Stanza4:Whatkindoftool(hammer)didheusetofashionthetigerintheforgefire?Whataboutthechainconnectedtothepedalwhichthemakerusedtopumpthebellows?Whatoftheheatinthefurnaceandtheanvilonwh