Chapter I An Introduction to Old and Medieval English Literature & The Renaissance Period
II. Read the quoted part and answer the questions: 1.“For herein Fortune shows herself more kind Than is her custom. It is still her use To let the wretched man outlive his wealth, To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow An age of poverty; from which ling’ring penance Of such misery doth she cut me off”
1.Identify the title of the works and author. 2.Explain “from which…cut me off”.
3.What happened to him, which caused the words?
参考答案:
The lines are from “The Merchant of Venice”, William Shakespeare. (P48)
2) This sentence means she, ’Lady Fortune(命运女神)’, is more kind to him because she is taking away both his wealth and life.
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3) The speaker is Antonio, it’s said that his ship have all been lost, and he is penniless, and will have to pay the pound of flesh. (Because Shylock has made a strange bond that requires Antonio to pay him a pound of flesh if he can’t repay him the money that he borrowed for his friend in due time.) (P38)
2.“Read not to contract and confuse, not to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider” 1)Identify the work and author. 2)What idea does the passage express?
参考答案：
1) The sentence comes from “Of Studies” written by ’Francis Bacon’. (P61)
2) The Sentence talks about the proper way to read: When you read, don’t be puzzled by the content of the book; don’t take it for granted; don’t quote too much from the book; before accepting its idea, you’d better think about its shortcomings and consider it from all sides.
3.“ Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
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1) Where does the poem comes from? Who wrote it? What does “eternal lines” mean? Interpret it briefly.
参考答案：1) The poem is “ Shall I Compare thee to a Summer’s Day”, by Shakespeare. (P38)
2) Eternal lines means the lines of the poem and other sonnets. (P38)
3) It means: you will not lose your beauty, and death will not threaten you with darkness, either. As long as man can live in the world, they will see your beauty in my lines of my poem, which has given you eternal life. (Or A nice summer’s day is usually transient, but the beauty in poetry can last for ever. (P37)
4.“… All is no lost: the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome?…… Irreconcilable to our grand Foe” 1) Please identify the poem and the poet. 2) Interpret“all is not lost”.
3) What does the whole passage mean?
参考答案：1) It is taken from John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”.(P74)
2) “all is not lost” is the word from Satan----Satan and other angels rebel against God,
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but they are driven from Heaven into hell. In the fire of the hell, Satan is determined to fight back, just like what he says: not all is lost, the unconquerable will, the deep hatred, and the courage to fight till death still remain. (P71)
3) This passage shows Satan’s will not to submit (服从), and the desire to long for freedom; to beg God for mercy and worship his power is more shameful and disgraceful than the downfall.(P71)
5.“If he be not apt to beat over matters, let him study the lawyer’s cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.”
Questions: 3)What does “beat over matters” mean? 4)What does “receipt’ refer to?
5)From which essay does the above sentences come, what is the essay mainly about? 参考答案：1)It means: make through examinations of things. (P63) 2)“Receipt” refers to cure, prescription. (P63)
3)The sentences are from “Of Studies” (Francis Bacon). It is the most popular of bacon’s essays. It analyzes what studies chiefly serve for, the different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies, and how studies exert influence over human character. (P60—61)
6.“What, is great Mephistophilis to passionate For being deprived of the joys of heaven? Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitude And scorn those joys thou never shalt possess.
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Say he will spare him Four and twenty years Letting him live in all voluptuousness Having thee ever to attend on me… Questions:
1)Identify the passage and author;
2)“Say he surrenders up to him his soul”, who will surrender his soul? What for? 3)Who are thee? What will he do? 参考答案：
1) The passage comes from “Dr.Faustus” written by Christopher Marlowe. (P25—26) 2) Dr.Faustus will surrender his soul to devil. Because he was a great scholar who has a strong desire to ’get knowledge’ in vain, finally he ’made a bond’ to sell his soul to Devil in return for 24 years of life in which he may get anything he desires. (P22) 3) The “thee”, refers to “Mephistophilis”, the Devil’s servant. He helped Dr.Faustus to do anything he wants. (P22) 7.“Busy old fool, unruly sun, Why does thou thus,
Through windows and through curtains call on us?” Questions:
6)Identify the work and author. 7)What idea does the passage express?
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英美文学题库
