-
Important Literary Term
Enlightenment
（启蒙运动）
：
The
Enlightenment
was
a
progressive
intellectual
movement
throughout Western Europe in the 18th
century. It was an expression of struggle of the
bourgeoisie
against
feudalism.
The
Enlighteners
thought
the
chief
means
for
bettering
the
society
is
enlightenment or education for the
people
Sentimentalism
（感情主义）<
/p>
：
It indulges in emotion and
sentiment, which are used as a sort of
relief for the grief felt towards the
world
’
s wrongs and as a kind
of mild protest against the social
injustice.
?
What are the characteristic of English
literature in the 18th century?
The main literary stream
of the 18
th
century was realism. What the writers described in
their
works were social realities. The
main characters of their works were usually common
men. Most
of the writers concentrated
their attention on daily life. In this century the
newspaper was born.
And prose
literature which include the book, the newspaper
and the magazine, became the chief
instument of the
nation
’
s progress. The new
social and political conditions demanded
expressions
not simply in books but
more especially in pamphlets, magazines and
newspapers. Poetry, which
had been the
glory of English literature in the preceding ages,
was inadequate for such a task. So
prose
had
a
rapid
development
in
this
age.
The
18
th
century
was
an
age
of
prose.
A
group
of
excellent prose writers,such as
Addison, Steele, Swift, Fielding, were produced.
Novel writing
made a big advance in this century. The main
characters in the novels were no
longer
kings and nobles but the common people.
In
this
age
satire
was
much
used
in
writing.
Since
there
was
fierce
strife
between
the
two
political
parties
in
society,
nearly
every
writer
of
this
century
was
employed
and
rewarded
by
Whigs
or Tories for satirising their enemies. English
literature of this age produced some excellent
satirists, such as Pope, Swift and
Fielding.
?
What are Jonathan
Swift
’
s writing features?
⑴
Jonathan
Swift
is
one
of
the
realist
writers.
His
realism
is
quite
different
from
Defoe
’
s.
Defoe
’
s
stories
are
based
upon
the
reality
of
human
life,
while
all
of
Swift
’
s
plots
come
from
imagination, which is the important
device he uses in his satires. His satire is
marked by outward
gravity
and
apparent
earnestness.
This
makes
his
satire
all
the
more
powerful.
He
not
only
criticises
the
evils
of
the
English
bourgeoisie
but
those
of
other
bourgeois
countries.
⑵
Swift
expresses
democratic
ideas
in
his
works.
This
exerts
strong
influence
on
later
writers,
such
as
Sheridan,
Fielding,
Byron
and
even
Bernard
Shaw.
⑶
Swift
is
one
of
the
greatest
masters
of
English prose. His language is simple,
clear and vigorous. He said,
“
Proper words in proper
place,
makes the true definition of a
style.
”
There are no
ornaments in his writings. In simple, direct and
precise prose, Swift is almost
unsurpasses in English literature.
?
How are the
poems in
Songs of Innocence
contrasted with the poems in
Songs of
Experience
?
Songs of innocence
contains
short lyrical poems with little children as the
speakers. Through the
mouths of the
little children, the poet expresses his own love
for the beauty of the world. Each
poem
in the collection is the expression of love and
tender feeling and of belief in the goodness of
nature. Using the language of small
babies, Blake expresses his delight in the sun,
the hills, the
streams,
the
insects
and
the
flowers.
The
best-known
poems
in
the
collection
are
“
The
Lamb
”
,
“
Holy
Thursday
”
and
“
Laughing
Song
”
.
The
whole
collection
is
pervaded
with
the
breath
of
simplicity and fancy. The sweetest
poems are those cradle songs. The melody is
simple, artless,
and yet exquisite.
Songs of
Experience
is the counterpart of the
first collection. It is a much maturer and
Blakes
’
s
most
important work. The poems in this collection show
that the poet
’
s eyes are
open to the evils
and
vices
of
the
world.
He
points
out
that
the
earth
is
unhappy
and
lacks
love
and
gaiety.
The
miserable
living conditions
of the poor are reflected. The savation
is
to come through revolt or
revolution.
Through
symbolic
devices,
Blake
expresses
his
progressive
democratic
ideas.
The
best-known
poems
in
the
collection
are
“
The
Tyger
”
,
“
The
Fly
”
,
“
London
”
,
and
“
The
Chimney-Sweeper
”
.
?
What are the features of Robert
Burns
’
poetry?
1) Burns is one of the
greatest songwriters in the world.
He
is the national poet of Scotland.
Most
of his poems and songs are written in the Scottish
dialect. 2) Burns is a plowman. He comes
from the people and writes for the
people. He is the people
’
s
poet. 3) Burns has a deep knowledge
and
an excellent mastery of the old Scottish song
tradition. He learns a lot from it in his poems.
This is the main factor of his great
success.
Selected Reading
A
Red
，
Red Rose
by Robert Burns
O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in
June;
O my luve is like the
melodie
That's sweetly
played in tune.
As fair thou art, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still,
my dear,
Till a' the seas
gang dry.
Till
a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still
, my dear,
While the sands
o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve,
And fare thee weel a while;
And I will come again, my
luve,
Tho'it wre ten
thousand mile!