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1、Chapter1ThreestagesofEnglishliterarydevelopment:i.OldEnglish/Anglo-Saxon(OE.Asthelanguageupto1066isusu.called) TheoldEnglishlanguage,alsocalledAnglo-Saxon,wastheearliestformofEnglish.Itisdifficult togiveexact datesfortheriseanddevelopmentofalanguage,be
2、causeitdoesnotchangesuddenly;but perhapsitistruetosaythatOldEnglishwasspokenfromaboutAD.600toabout1100.ii.MiddleEnglishliterature(about1100-1500)iii.ModernEnglishliterature(about1500-present)BeowulfwritteninOldEnglishsometimebeforethetenthcenturyA.D.,de
3、scribestheadventuresofagreatScandinavianwarriorofthesixthcentury.Arichfabricoffactandfancy,Beowulfistheoldestsurvivingepic（史诗）inBritishliteraturenWhatisanEpic?
Itisalongversenarrativeonaserioussubject,toldinaformalandelevatedstyle,andcenteredonaheroicor
4、quasi-divinefigureonwhoseactionsdependsthefateofatribe,anation,orthehumanrace.GeoffreyChaucer(1343---1400)thegreatestnameintheMiddleEnglishliterature.father/founderofEnglishpoetry.HeisnamedinthattrioofEnglishpoetrygiants:Chaucer,Shakespeare,andMilton.Th
5、ewritingcareerofChaucercanbedividedintothreeperiods:theFrenchperiod,theItalianperiod,andtheEnglishperiod.nTheCanterburyTales,hismasterpiece,presented,forthefirsttimeinEnglishliterature,acomprehensiverealisticpicturesofthemedievalEnglishsocietyandcreated
6、awholegalleryofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflife.nHepresents,forthefirsttimeinEnglishliterature,acomprehensiverealisticpictureofthemedievalEnglishsocietyandcreatesawholegalleryofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflife，influencedbyhumanism.nHeintroducedheroicc
7、oupletintoEnglishpoetrynItwasChaucerwhomadeLondondialectthefoundationformodernEnglishspeechSelectingfromtheprologueofTheCanterburyTalesTherewasaKnight,amostdistinguishedman,
Whofromthedayonwhichhefirstbegan
Torideabroadhadfollowedchivalry,
Truth,honour,
8、freedomandallcourtesy
Hehaddonenoblyinhissovereign’swar,
Andriddenintobattle,nonemorefar
AswellinChristendomasinheathenplaces,
Andeverhonouredforhisnoblegraces.
WhenwetookAlexandria,hewasthere.
Heoftensatattableinthechair
ofhonou
