英國文學史名詞解釋1.sonnetThesonnetisoneofthepoeticformsthatcanbefoundinlyricpoetryfromEurope.Theterm"sonnet"derivesfromtheOccitanwordsonetandtheItalianwordsonetto,bothmeaning"littlesong".Bythethirteenthcentury,ithadcometosignifyapoemoffourteenlinesthatfollowsastrictrhymeschemeandspecificstructure.Theconventionsassociatedwiththesonnethaveevolvedoveritshistory.Thewritersofsonnetsaresometimesreferredtoas"sonneteers,"althoughthetermcanbeusedderisively.Oneofthebest-knownsonnetwritersisShakespeare,whowrote154ofthem.AShakespeareansonnetconsistsof14lines,eachlinecontainstensyllables,andeachlineiswritteniniambicpentameterinwhichapatternofanon-emphasizedsyllablefollowedbyanemphasizedsyllableisrepeatedfivetimes.TherhymeschemeinaShakespeareansonnetisABABCDCDEFEFGG,inwhichthelasttwolinesarearhymingcouplet.2.IambicpentameterIambicpentameterisacommonlyused\o"Line(poetry)"metricallineintraditional\o"Poetry"verseand\o"Versedrama"versedrama.Thetermdescribestheparticularrhythmthatthewordsestablishinthatline.Thatrhythmismeasuredinsmallgroupsofsyllables;thesesmallgroupsofsyllablesarecalled"\o"Foot(poetry)"feet".Theword"\o"Iamb(foot)"iambic"describesthetypeoffootthatisused(inEnglish,anunstressedsyllablefollowedbyastressedsyllable).Theword"pentameter"indicatesthatalinehasfiveofthese"feet."3.HeroiccoupletHeroiccoupletisatraditionalformforEnglishpoetry,commonlyusedforepicandnarrativepoetry;itreferstopoemsconstructedfromasequenceofrhymingpairsofiambicpentameterlines.Therhymeisalwaysmasculine.UseoftheheroiccoupletwasfirstpioneeredbyGeoffreyChaucerintheLegendofGoodWomenandtheCanterburyTales.Chaucerisalsowidelycreditedwithfirstextensiveuseofiambicpentameter.4.StreamofconsciousnessThecontinuousflowofsense-perceptions,thoughts,feelings,andmemoriesinthehumanmind:oraliterarymethodofrepresentingsuchablendingofmentalprocessesinfictionalcharacters,usuallyinanunpunctuatedordisjointformofinteriormonologue.5.TheRenaissanceTheRenaissancewasaculturalmovementthatspannedroughlythe14thtothe17thcentury,beginninginItalyinthelateMiddleAgesandlaterspreadingtotherestofEurope.Thetermisalsousedmorelooselytorefertothehistoricera,butsincethechangesoftheRenaissancewerenotuniform,thisisaverygeneraluseoftheterm.6.HumanismHumanismisaliteraryandphilosophicalviewemphasizinghumankindasitscenterconcerns.HumanismoriginatedintheRenaissance,thetermhasbeenusedmanyways,butalwayssuggestshumanityasthecentralconcern,withthenaturalworld(science)andthespiritualworld(religion)valuedfortheirrelationtopeople.7.TheEnlightenmentTheEnlightenmentwasanintellectualmovementoriginatinginFrance，whichattractedwidespreadsupportamongtherulingandintellectualclassesofEuropeandNorthAmericainthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury.ItcharacterizestheeffortsbycertainEuropeanwriterstousecriticalreasontofreemindsfromprejudice,unexaminedauthorityandoppressionbyChurchorState.ThereforetheEnlightenmentissometimescalledtheAgeofReason.8.RomanticismRoughlythefirstthirdofthe19thcenturymakesupEnglishliterature’sromanticperiod.Writersofromanticliteraturearemoreconcernedwithimaginationandfeelingthanwiththepowerofreason.AvolumeofpoemscalledLyricalBalladswrittenbyWilliamWordsworthandSamuelTaylorColeridgeisregardedastheromanticpoetry’s“DeclarationofIndependence.”Keats,ByronandShelley,thethreegreatpoets,broughttheRomanticMovementtoitsheight.Thespiritofromanticismalsooccurredinthenovel.9.CriticalRealismCriticalrealismisaphilosophicalviewofknowledge.Ontheonehanditholdsthatitispossibletoacquireknowledgeabouttheexternalworldasitreallyis,independentlyofthehumanmindorsubjectivity.Thatiswhyitiscalledrealism.Ontheotherhanditrejectstheviewofna?verealismthattheexternalworldisasitisperceived.Recognizingthatperceptionisafunctionof,andthusfundamentallymarkedby,thehumanmind,itholdsthatonecanonlyacquireknowledgeoftheexternalworldbycriticalreflectiononperceptionanditsworld.Thatiswhyitiscalledcritical.10.Aestheticism(美學主義)ThebasictheoryoftheAestheticmovement----“artforart’ssake”----wassetforthbyaFrenchpoet,TheophileGautier.ThefirstEnglishmanwhowroteaboutthetheoryofaestheticismwasWalterPater,themostimportantcriticalwriterofthelate19thcentury.ThechiefrepresentativeofthemovementinEnglandwasOscarWilde,withhisPictureofDorianGray.Aestheticismplacesartabovelife,andholdsthatlifeshouldimitateart,notartimitatelife.Accordingtotheaesthetes,allartisticcreationisabsolutelysubjectiveasopposedtoobjective.Artshouldbefreefromanyinfluenceofegoism.Onlywhenartisforart’ssake,canitbeimmortalTheybelievedthatartshouldbeunconcernedwithcontroversialissues,suchaspoliticsandmorality,andthatitshouldberestrictedtocontributingbeautyinahighlypolishedstyle.ThiswasoneofthereactionsagainstthematerialismandcommercialismoftheVictorianindustrialera,aswellasareactionagainsttheVictorianconventionofartformorality’ssake,orartformoney’ssake.11.ModernismModernismreferstoaformofliteraturemainlywrittenbeforeWWII.Itischaracterizedbyahighdegreeofexperimentation.Itcanbeseenasareactionagainstthe19thcenturyformsofRealism.Modernistwritersexpressthedifficultytheyseeinunderstandingandcommunicatinghowtheworldworks.Often,Modernistwritingseemsdisorganized,hardtounderstand.Itoftenportraystheactionfromtheviewpointofasingleconfusedindividual,ratherthanfromtheviewpointofanall-knowingimpersonalnarratoroutsidetheaction.OneofthemostfamousEnglishmodernistwritersisVirginiaWoolf.12..MetaphysicalpoetryaderogatoryterminventedbyJohnDryden(1631-1700)andlateradoptedbySamuelJohnson(1709-1784)describingaschoolofhighlyintellectualpoetrymarkedbyboldandingeniousconceits,incongruousimagery,complexityofthought,frequentuseofparadox,andoftenbydeliberateharshnessorrigidityofexpression.Themainthemesofmetaphysicalpoetsarelove,death,andreligion.Accordingtothem,allthingsintheuniverse,nomatterhowdissimilartheyaretoeachother,arecloselyunifiedinGod.ThechiefrepresentativeofthisschoolwasJohnDonne.13.Lakepoets（湖畔詩人）WilliamWordsworth,SamuelTaylorColeridge,andRobertSoutheybecameknownastheLakePoets,becausetheylivedintheLakeDistrictinthenorthwesternpartofEngland.Accordingtothecritics,suchas,FrancisJeffrey,ThomasDeQuincey,theLakePoetssharedonlyfriendshipandbriefperiodsofcollaboration,notsimilarphilosophiesorpoeticstyles.Wordsworthusedhisimaginativepowerstoidealizenature,Coleridgeexploredthephilosophicalaspectsofpoetry14.Epic(史詩)Anepicisalongoralnarrativepoemthatoperatesonagrandscaleanddealswithlegendaryorhistoricaleventsofnationaloruniversalsignificance.Mostepicsdealwiththeexploitsofasingleindividualandalsointerlacethemainnarrativewithmyths,legends,folktalesandpastevents;thereisacompositeeffect,theentirecultureofacountrycoheringintheoverallexperience