第1章　盎格魯—撒克遜時期 (449～1066)

1.1　復習筆記

I. Background Knowledge—The Making of England（背景知識——英國的形成）

1The English Conquest（盎格魯-撒克遜征服）

(1) Brief Introduction（簡介）

While the Romans retreated, the Britain was invaded by swarms of pirates. They were three tribes from Northern Europe: the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Before the conquest, they still lived in the tribal society.

By the 7th century, an untied kingdom called England, or, the land of Angles was established.

當羅馬人撤離不列顛的同時，大群海盜入侵島內。他們是來自北歐的三支部落：盎格魯，撒克遜和朱特。征服之前，他們仍舊過著部落生活。

到7世紀，一個統一的王國—英國成立了，也被稱作盎格魯人之國。

(2) Influence（影響）

① he three tribes had developed into a whole people called English. And the three dialects had grown into a single language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English.

② he Britons experienced a transition from tribal society to feudalism because of the English Conquest.

③ he Anglo-Saxons were heathen people, believing in old mythology of Northern Europe. Later, The Anglo-Saxons were Christianized in the 7th century.

① 三支部落發展成一個統一的民族稱為英國人。三種方言逐漸成為一種單一的語言，稱為盎格魯—撒克遜語言，即古英語。

② 列顛人經歷了從原始部落社會向封建社會過渡的時期。

③ 格魯-撒克遜人是無神論民族，相信古老的北歐神話，但后來在7世紀被基督教化了。

II. Literary Features of Early English Literature（早期英國文學的特征）

The settlement of Anglo-Saxons in England marked the beginning of English literature. The early English literature mainly consisted of the Anglo-Saxon poetry, which was sung by the minstrels to the chiefs and warriors in praising of the old heroes’ deeds in the feasting hall. The Old English regularly used alliterations and rhymes, at the same time, metaphors and understatements were also put into the poetry. Beowulf is the most widely spread early poem.

英國文學始于盎格魯-撒克遜人在英國定居時期。古英國文學中所保留的作品多為詩歌或者盎格魯—撒克遜游吟詩人所唱的歌曲，這些游吟詩人在宴會大廳里為那些首領和勇士歌唱古時的英雄事跡。古英語中有規律地運用了頭韻和韻律，同時也用到了比喻和輕描淡寫手法。流傳最廣的早期英語詩歌是《貝奧武甫》。

III. Literary Terms（文學術語）

1Anglo-Saxon poetry（盎格魯-撒克遜詩歌）

Poems or, songs by the Anglo-Saxon minstrels who sang of the heroic deeds of old time to the chiefs and warriors in the feasting-hall. The typical work of Anglo-Saxon is Beowulf.

是由盎格魯—撒克遜游吟詩人吟唱的古代英雄事跡的詩歌或者歌曲。這些詩歌或者歌曲主要是在宴會廳唱給首領或者武士們。代表詩作是《貝奧武甫》。

2Alliteration（頭韻）

It means the repetition of the initial consonant sounds in poetry. There are generally 4 accents in a line, three of which show alliteration. There is an obvious use of alliteration in Beowulf.

就是詩歌里開頭輔音字母的重復。一行詩歌里一般有4個音節，三個音節能夠顯示出頭韻的效果。在《貝奧武甫》里對頭韻有明顯的運用。

3Epic (or Heroic Poetry)（史詩）

It is an oral narrative poem, majestic both in theme and style. Epics deal with legendary or historical events of national or universal significance, involving action of broad sweep and grandeur. Epic poems are not merely entertaining stories of legendary or historical heroes; they summarize and express the nature or ideals of an entire nation at a significant or crucial period of its history.

古代民間文學的一種體裁，通常指以傳說或重大歷史事件為題材的古代長篇民間敘事詩。史詩主要歌頌每個民族在其形成和發展過程中戰勝所經歷的各種艱難險阻、克服自然災害、抵御外侮的斗爭及其英雄業績。

IV. Major Writers and Works（英國早期主要作家及作品）

◆eowulf《貝奧武甫》

English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon poetry and the national epic of the English people.

英國文學始于盎格魯—撒克遜人的定居。《貝奧武甫》是一首盎格魯—撒克遜詩歌，同時也是一首英國人民的國家史詩。

1The Story of Beowulf（《貝奧武甫》主要情節）

Beowulf tells a story of Beowulf fighting against monsters Grendel and his mother, winning the battle and protecting his people.

該書講述了貝奧武甫這位英勇的武士與怪物格蘭戴和他母親斗爭取得勝利并保護了他的人民的故事。

2Analysis of Its Content（《貝奧武甫》內容評析）

Beowulf is a folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from their continental homes. Its main stories are folk legends of primitive Northern tribes.

Beowulf is a brave hero whose spirit and deeds reflect the life of tribal society on the continent. The historical significance of Beowulf lies in reflecting the features of the tribal society of ancient times.

《貝奧武甫》是一部民間傳說，由盎格魯—撒克遜人從他們本土帶到英格蘭。它的主要故事情節來源于原始北歐部落的民間傳說。

貝奧武甫是一個英雄，他的精神和行為都反映了當時的部落生活。它的歷史意義在于反映了古代部落社會的特征。

3Artistic Features of Beowulf（《貝奧武甫》的文學特征）

(1) The most noticeable artistic feature of Beowulf

(2) The use of alliteration is another notable feature and makes the strong stress more emphatic.

(3) There are also a lot of metaphors (the most common of metaphors used in old poetry is kenning) and understatements in the poem.

(1) 重讀一致性的特點很突出。

(2) 詩中的更加突出了重讀部分。

(3) 了很多暗喻以及含蓄陳述的修辭手法。