Chapter 1 Old English Literature 1
Ⅰ．Historical Background 1
Ⅱ．The Development of the English Language 2
Ⅲ．Literary Features 3
Ⅳ．Representative Writers and Works 4
Ⅴ．Beowulf and the Heroic Epic Tradition 5
Chapter 2 Middle English Literature (1066-1510) 8
Ⅰ．Historical Background 8
Ⅱ．Literary Features 10
Ⅲ．Romance andSir Gawain 13
Ⅳ．PopularBallad 15
Ⅴ．Medieval Drama 15
Ⅵ．William Langland andPiers Plowman 16
Ⅶ．Geoffrey Chaucer 17
Ⅷ．Reading 23
Chapter 3 Litetrature of Renaissanceand Reformation（1510-1620) 26
Ⅰ．Historical Background 26
Ⅱ．Literary Features 28
Ⅲ．Renaissance Poetry 29
Ⅳ．Renaissance Prose 33
Ⅴ．Renaissance Drama 34
Ⅵ．William Shakespeare 39
Ⅶ．Reading 57
Chapter 4 Literature of Revolution and Restoration 1620-90) 60
Ⅰ．Historical Background and Literary Features 60
Ⅱ．Seventeenth-Century Prose 62
Ⅲ．Seventeenth-Century Drama 67
Ⅳ．Seventeenth-Century Poetry 71
Ⅴ．JohnMilton 76
Ⅵ．Reading 83
Chapter 5 The Eighteenth Century Literature(1690-1780) 87
Ⅰ．Historical Background 87
Ⅱ．LiteraryFeatures 90
Ⅲ．Eighteenth-CenturyPoetry 91
Ⅳ．Eighteenth-Century Prose 95
Ⅴ．Eighteenth-Century Novel 101
Ⅵ．Eighteenth-Century Drama 110
Ⅶ．Reading 112
Chapter 6 The Literature of the Romantic Period(1780-1831) 119
Ⅰ．Historical Background 119
Ⅱ．LiteraryFeatures 121
Ⅲ．Romantic Poetry 123
Ⅳ．RomanticEssayists 143
Ⅴ．TheNovelintheRomanticPeriod 145
Ⅵ．Reading 154
Chapter 7 Victorian Literature (1832-1900) 162
Ⅰ．Historical Background 162
Ⅱ．LiteraryFeatures 164
Ⅲ．VictorianNovel 164
Ⅳ．Victorian Poetry 205
Ⅴ．VictorianCriticsandHistorians 216
Ⅵ．VictorianDrama 220
Ⅶ．Reading 226
Chapter 8 The Twentieth Century Literature(1900-45） 230
Ⅰ．Historical Background 230
Ⅱ．LiteraryFeatures 232
Ⅲ．Modern Poetry to 1945 233
Ⅳ．Modern Drama to 1945 243
Ⅴ．Modern Novels to 1945 247
Ⅵ．Reading 276
Chapter 9 English Literature Since 1945 281
Ⅰ．Historical Background 281
Ⅱ．LiteraryFeatures 282
Ⅲ．DramaSince 1945 284
Ⅳ．NovelSince 1945 294
Ⅴ．PoetrySince 1945 303
Ⅵ．Reading 308
Selected Bibliography 316