英国文学史考试试题及答案!

The Anglo-Saxon Period(449-1066)

ⅠDefine the literary terms listed below

alliteration (A repeated initial consonant to successive words. In Old English verse. Any vowel alliterates with any other， and alliteration is not an unusual or expressive phenomenon but a regularly recurring structural feature of the verse， occurring on the first and third， and often on the first， second and third， primary-stressed syllables of the four stressed line.)

epic (Epic is one of the ancient types of poetry and plays a very important role in early development of literature and civilization. An epic is a long narrative poem of great scale and grandiose style about the heroes who are usually warriors or even demigods. It deals with noble characters and heroic deeds.)

ⅡAnswer the following questions)

1. What do you know about the Teutons? ( Before the invasion of Britain， the Teutons inhabited the central part of Europe as far as the Rhine， a tract which in a large measure coincides with modern Germany. The Jutes， Angles and Saxons were different tribes of Teutons. These ancestors of the English dwelt in Denmark and in the lands extending southward along the North Sea).

2. Please give a brief description of The Song of Beowulf

According to the contents of the story， the poem can be divided into four parts：

Part 1. the fight against Grendel

Part 2. the fight against Grendel’s mother

Part 3.the fight against the Dragon.

Part 4. Bewoulf’s funeral

Beowulf， which centers on the narration of the exploits of the heroic figure. Beowulf， is mainly about his three major adventures. It reflects a life of fights and feasting， of ceremony， of brilliant gold and sudden darkness. However， thematically the poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the natural world under a wise and mighty leader.