Appunti di letteratura inglese

Sommario

Appunti su beowolf, chaucher, ballate, Faust

Beowulf Beowulf -Deals with the deesds of Germanic tribes. -Beowulf is an hero who fought with Grendel,a minster in human shape,and defeats him. -He was an ideal Germanic warior: he is strong, brave, fearles and great of heart -This poem is a long epic poem(about 3.000 lines) written in Anglo-Saxon. It was composed in the 7th century but the manuscript of the poem dates from the 10th century. Anglo-Saxon poetry -Was oral -The poet was called “scop” -The lines were divided into 2 parts that were bounded by allitteration (The repetition of the initial consonant) -Formulae: fixed expression Chaucer -He was born between 1340 and 1345 into a middel-class family. He studied classics and can speak French and Italian -He died in 1400 and was buried in Westmister Abbey in the”Poets' corner” -He decided to write in English, and his decision is very revolutionary -Chaucer introduced metrical innovation, he invented the use of rhyme and the heroic couplet, and for his innovations he is called “father of English poetry” The Canterbury Tales -Were not finished -Chaucer probabily borrowed from Boccaccio's Decameron the device for a collection of story. -The work is not finished, it contains only 24 stories -The characters are from the middle-class -At the beginning there were 29 pilgrims, but later Chaucer and the host of”Tabard hin” decided to went with them. -Everyone had to tell 4 story -The characters are not depicted as stereotypes -The story are a means to illustrate tellers' personality and point of view Epic poem -Tells the deeds of a hero -It begins in media res -Repetition of fixed phrases and allitteration -Rhyme are never used Ballad -The story begin in the middle of the thing -There's a climax -Deal whit everyday life of commom people -Esch stanza has4lines wich rhyme abcb -Use of ripetition -The language is direct -Usaly there is a finaly testament -This jan litterer comes from North Europa The Sonnet -It originated in Italy in the 14th century and spread to Europe over the next 2 centuries -The original form is a composition of 14 lines divided into 2 quartainas and 2 tercets, the English one is divided into 3 quartainas and a couplet -In the Italian sonnet there are 11 syllabes, in the English one there are 10 syllabes -The standar theme of sonnet is courtly love -Usualy each group of lines present one aspect of the argoument -There are rhetorical figures, like metaphors and similes Dramma -Was used to give religious education -At first take place in the churches -Mystery Plays:the subject were biblical stories or events from the life of Christ -Guilds financed plays -Pageant: movable stage vagon divided into 2 parts -Actors were only men -The weather was very important -Morality Plays:told an allegorical tale with the aim of making a moral point -Betwen the1^and the2^parts of dramma actors play short funny plays Drama in English Renaissance -Henry the 8th's shism and the Reformation hastened the (...Segue)