《英美文学鉴赏导读》是为大学英语专业开设英美文学课程而编写的文学赏析教程。同时,由于该书的设计具有突出的自主学习特征,也可供英美文学爱好者自学之用。
《导读》共有六大部分。**部分为“文学鉴赏总论”;第二至第五部分依次为“英语诗歌鉴赏分论”、 “英语戏剧鉴赏分论”、“英语小说鉴赏分论”和“英语散文鉴赏分论”;第六部分是“简明文学术语词表”,按字母顺序把常用的文学术语以词表形式列出,以方便读者随时查阅。
**部分“文学鉴赏总论”,主要从宏观上对文学领域里的关键要素进行简明阐述,使学生对文学鉴赏有一个全面把握主要内容包括:文学的本质;为何学文学;如何阅读文学;怎样写文学评论;怎样有效应对文学测试;主要的文学批评方法;重要的文学流派。
第二至第五部分分别为诗歌、戏剧、小说、散文鉴赏四个分论,分别对各类文体的性质、特征、思想内容、艺术表现形式、鉴赏方法等文学要素进行系统阐释.以帮助学生理清学习思路,掌握基本方法,*终达到有效鉴赏文学作品的目的。
在上述第二至第五部分的四个分论之后,分别遴选了英美文学中该类文体具���代表性的作品为例文.供教师课堂教学或者学习者自主学习时选择使用,选读作品

Before we begin our discussions on any specific topics about English literature, let us firstdeal with some basic issues concerning literature at large so as to prepare our minds forspecific studies of English literature.
The original source of literature arises from human interest in telling a story aboutsome aspects of human experiences by arranging words in artistic forms. Initially, theliterary impulse exists only in one's mind. It is the writer who turns this impulse ofexperience into literature, by means of language, and in such forms as fiction, poetry,drama, or essay. To a certain extent, literature may be briefly defined as fictional texts inthe form of language artistically employed to achieve identifiable literary qualities andconvey meaningful messages.
The word "literature" came into English from the 14th century in the sense of politelearning through reading. Thus a man of literature, or a man of letters, referred to what wewould now describe as a man of wide reading, somewhat like the modem meaning of theword "literacy". From the mid-18th century, literature referred to the practice andprofession of writing. And since the 19th century, literature has been the high skills ofwriting with exuberant imagination.
1 What Is Literature?1.1 Types of literatureLiterature may be classified into four categories or genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama,and nonfiction prose.
Prose fiction, or narrative fiction, includes myths, parables, romances, novels andshort stories. The essence of prose fiction is narration, the relating of a sequence of eventsor actions. Fictional works usually focus on one or a few major characters who changeand grow as a result of how they deal with other characters and how they attempt to solvetheir problems.
通过基础阶段的英语学习,英语专业的学生虽然掌握了一定的听说读写能力,但他们的文学基本知识仍相对薄弱,要真正理解和透彻赏析英美文学作品的精华所在,仍不同程度地存在一定的困难。即使他们有时能在文字层面上读懂原文,但要对作品的文学价值进行真正有效的把握,不免会有“老虎吃天、无从下手”之感。《英美文学鉴赏导读》的编写遵循文学赏祈教学应壶坚持“掌握方法为手段、文本阅读为载体、有效赏析为目标”的宗旨,努力帮助学习者克服上述困难。
《导读》的突出特点是,编者从介绍文学原理和鉴赏方法切入,紧密结合文本分析,力图解决传统文学教学中文本阅读与鉴赏实践严重脱节的突出矛盾。古人云:“授之以鱼,不如授之以渔。”授之以“鱼”,数量再多,终会穷尽;授之以“渔”,学生掌握了捕鱼的本领,固化了审美意识,必将受用终生。笔者认为,“授之以渔”不仅是《导读》编写的指导性纲领,更乏一种行之有效的教学方法和一种崭新的教育理念,对教师在文学教学过程中培养学生刨造性的思维能力以及提高学生分析问题和解决问题的水平具有普遍的指导意义。

Part 1 An Overall Guide to Appreciating Literature
1What Is Literature?
1.1Types of literature
1.2Literature is language
1.3Literature is fictional
1.4Literature is true
1.5Literature is aesthetic
2Why Do We Read Literature?
2.1To acquire knowledge and wisdom
2.2To consolidate language competence
2.3To read for pleasure
2.4To improve understanding about life
2.5To cultivate capacity of artistic appreciation
3HOW to Learn Literary Texts?
3.1Copying
3.2paraphrase
3.3Summary
3.4Description
3.**nalysis
4How to Write About Literature?
4.1Having something to say
4.2Choosing a topic
4.3Considering your audience
4.4Collecting evidence
4.5Developing argument
4.6Writing die first draft
4.7Revising
4.8Documentation
4.9The "Works Cited" page
4.10Sample Essay 1
4.11Sample Essay 2
5How to Take Essay Tests?
5.1Prepare thoroughly
5.2Plan your answer wisely
5.3Respond directly to the assignment
5.4Add inserts when necessary
5.5Write clear, simple, and correct prose
5.6Be creative
5.7Sample Test Essays
6Major Critical Approaches
6.1Formalistic criticism
6.2Biographical criticism
6.3Historical criticism
6.4Psychological criticism
6.5Sociological criticism
6.6Feminist criticism
6.7Reader-response criticism
6.8Cultural studies criticism
6.9Practical criticism
6.10Some tips on applying critical approaches
7Major Literary Schools
7.1Classicism and neoclassicism
7.2Romanticism
7.3Realism
7.4Naturalism
7.5Modernism
7.6Postmodernism

Part 2 A Guide to Appreciating English Poetry
1Introduction
1.1Nature of poetry
1.2Various descriptions about poetry
1.3Value of learning poetry
2Scansion of Poetry
2.1Rhythm
2.2Meter and foot
2.3Rhythmic patterns
2.4Metrical mutations
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Part 3 A Guide to Appreciating English Drama
Part 4 A Guide to Appreciating English Fiction
Part 5 A Guide to Appreciating English Essays
Part 6 Short Glossary of Literary Terms
References

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