文学术语解释

An Introduction to Old and Medieval English Literature(450

—

1066)

Definitions of Literary Terms(

名词解释与文学术语

)

1. Couplet

对句

(

指两行尾韵相谐的诗句

)

A couplet is two consecutive lines of poetry that

rhyme.

The

couplet

composed

of

two

iambic

pentameter

lines

(

五音步抑扬格诗行

)

—

more

commonly known as the heroic couplet (

英雄偶句诗

)

—

--is the most favored form.

2. Elegy

哀歌、

挽歌

A poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual. It may also be a

lament over the passing of life and beauty or a meditation on the nature of death. An elegy is a

type of lyric poem, usually formal in language and structure.

3.

Epic

史诗

An

epic

is

a

long

narrative

poem

telling

about

the

deeds

of

a

great

hero

and

reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. Many epics were drawn from an oral

tradition and were transmitted by song and recitation before they were written down.

4.

Exodus

《出埃及记》

The

second

book

of

the

Old

Testament,

containing

an

account

of

the

departure of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

5. Genesis A

：

《创世纪》

The second book of the Old Testament, containing an account of the

departure of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

6. Homer

荷马

Greek epic poet, probably of the 8th century BC, to whom are ascribed the Iliad

(

《伊利亚特》

) and Odyssey (

《奥德赛》

). Nothing is known about his life, nor even of the

genesis of the poems.

7. Iambic pentameter

五音步抑扬格：英诗的韵律主要包括两方面的内容

: 1)

每个音步中轻重

音节的排列形式

,

即格律。

抑扬格指每一音步中含有一个轻音和一个重音

; 2)

这种排列形

式在一个诗行中出现的次数

, < /p>

也就是每行内所含有的音步数目。

下面以教材中

< br>Thomas Gray

的

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

为例

,

诗歌第一行如下

:

/

┃

/

┃

/

┃

/

┃

/

The

curfew

tolls the

knell

of

parting

day

(

表示

“抑”

,

即轻读的音节

, /

表示

“扬”

,

即重读的音节

;

┃表示音步的分布情况

)

8.

Lyric

抒情诗

A

poem, usually

a

short

one,

that

expresses

a

speaker

’

s

personal

thoughts

or

feelings. The elegy, ode, and sonnet are all forms of the lyric. As its Greek name indicates, a lyric

was originally a poem sung to the accompaniment of a lyre

（古代希腊的七弦竖琴）

, and lyrics

to this day have retained a melodic quality.

9. Motif

主题、母题

A motif generally contributes in some way to the theme of a short story,

novel, poem, or play. At times, motif is used to refer to some commonly used plot or character

type in literature. It can also be motive, a main subject, pattern, etc. on which a work of art is

based, or from which it is developed.

10. New Testament

《新约全书》

The part of the Bible which contains the life and teachings of

Christ

recorded

by

his

followers,

together

with

their

own

experiences

and

teachings.

It

is

the

second of the two principal divisions of the Christian Bible.

11.

Old

Testament

《旧约全书》

The

earlier

and

larger

part

of

the

Bible,

which

contains

the

religious and social laws of the Hebrews, a record of their history, their important literature, and

writings of their prophets.

12. Romance

骑士传奇、浪漫文学

Any imaginative literature that is set in an idealized world

and

that

deals

with

heroic

adventures

aand

battles

between

good

characters

and

villains

or

monsters. Originally, the term referred to a medieval tale dealing with the loves and adventures

of kings, queens, knights, and ladies, and including unlikely or supernataural happenings.

13.

Verse

韵文

Form

of

writing

arranged

in

lines,

each

containing

a

pattern

of

accented

and

1