The invasion by germanic tribes

Тж. _„_. ,■ ■ '-1 Л/ЧТТ'ТТГ TII

Оптовая торговля: (812) 251-33-94,259-68-17; (095) 148-35-12 Книга - почтой: 191119,Санкт-Петербург, а/я 55. Для К. II.

ОТ ИЗДАТЕЛЬСТВА

Издательский центр «Учитель и ученик» и издательство «КОРОНА принт» выпустили немало книг и учебных пособий для изучающих иностранные языки в школах и вузах. Эти книги оказывают неоценимую помощь в учебном процессе как преподавателям, так и учащимся.

Среди них особое место занимают издания на английском языке. Это такие бестселлеры, как: «Разговорные темы к экзаменам по английскому языку» (семь изданий общим тиражом более ста тысяч экземпляров); «Ролевые и ситуативные диалоги к экзаменам по английскому языку» (более 70 диалогов на все темы, изучаемые в школе, и более 100 сюжетов и ситуаций для самостоятельной работы); книги о Шекспире, Лонгфелло, сестрах Бронте; серия книг «История Англии в рассказах для детей» (с древнейших времен до XX века), в том числе «Короли и королевы» (42 рассказа об английских королях и королевах, включая Елизавету II); «Это Лондон» (история, архитектура, традиции, культура и быт, достопримечательности столицы Великобритании) и другие.

Книга «Английская и американская литература» представляет историю этих литератур в достаточно кратком, но очень информативном виде. Автор вводит читателя в круг писателей разных эпох и стилей, знакомит с историей создания произведений с древнейших времен до наших дней.

Отличительной особенностью данного издания является расширение временных рамок. Читатель узнает о модернистах XX века Джеймсе Джойсе и Вирджинии Вульф, о литературе военного и послевоенного времени, о театре абсурда, о прозе Джека Керуака, Джона Апдайка, Кена Кизи и, наконец, о Джоне Р. Р. Толкиене, авторе культового романа «Властелин колец».

Предлагаемое пособие является первой частью издательского проекта. Вторая — это хрестоматия по английской и американской литературе. Она включает лучшие образцы англоязычной прозы и поэзии. Неадаптированные отрывки из произведений позволят учащимся получить представление об их содержании и ощутить красоту английского языка.

Авторы и издатели надеются, что предлагаемые книги не только помогут изучить язык, но и доставят удовольствие от общения с прекрасным.

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ISBN 5-7931-0176-4© Учитель и ученик, 2002

ОТ АВТОРА

Настоящее учебное пособие по английской и американской литературе ориентировано преимущественно на учащихся IX — XI классов школ с углуб­ленным изучением английского языка. Оно может быть использовано на уро­ках литературного чтения и устной практики.

В книге изложена краткая история английской и американской литературы начиная с древних времен и до XX века включительно, дана характеристика той или иной исторической эпохи, в которую жил писатель, его биография, сведения о творчестве и анализ основных произведений. Изложение ряда произведений иллюстрируется отрывками из оригинала. Содержание одного из основных произведений писателя представлено полностью.

К каждому разделу пособия предлагаются вопросы и задания для контроля усвоения изученного материала и развития навыков устной речи. Некоторые задания могут быть использованы в качестве тем для докладов.

Трудные для понимания слова и выражения, встречающиеся в тексте, снабжены объяснительными примечаниями. В пособии дана транскрипция имен собственных.

Книга снабжена тематическим англо-русским словарем и списком произведений с переводом их заголовков на русский язык.

Пособие может быть также использовано на факультативных занятиях и во внеклассной работе в старших классах средней школы, на младших курсах языковых вузов, на курсах английского языка и всеми изучающими английский язык самостоятельно.

English Literature

The Dawn of English Literature

THE ANCIENT BRITONS AND THEIR LANGUAGE

Literature is closely connected with the life and history of the people. In order to understand English literature it is necessary to know the history of the country.

In the 4th century В. С.¹ the country we now call England was known as Britain. One of the tribes who lived there was named the Britons. They belonged to the Celtic race and spoke Celtic. There are still some traces of this language found in the English of today. Most of all we find them in geographical names:

dun/dum = down, dune (the towns of Dunscore, Dunedin, Dum­barton);

avon = river (Stratford-on-Avon); kil = wood (Kilbrook).

¹ В. С (before Christ [kraist]) — before our era

Another Celtic tribe Gaels [geilz] lived in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Their descendants still live there and use some words of Celtic origin, such as Loch Lomond, loch [k>h] — lake.

The life of the ancient Britons was very primitive. They be­lieved that different gods lived in the darkest parts of the woods. Some plants such as mistletoe and the oak-tree were considered to be sacred. Ancient Britons planted corn, lived upon fish and the flesh of their cattle, made coarse cloth for their clothes, and were good warriors. They also built many temples and altars, frag­ments of which can still be seen in Great Britain.

The Britons had a strange and cruel religion — the religion of the Druids. They sacrificied human beings and often burnt men and their animals together with them.

Some customs of the Druids are kept in England nowadays. On New Year's Day the mistletoe, which becomes green at this time of the year, is hung up in all houses.

Vocabulary

altar ['o:lta] n алтарь mistletoe ['misltau] n омела

ancient ['emjbnt] а древний origin |'Dna^in| n происхождение

cloth [klrjG] n ткань, материал primitive ['pnmitiv] о примитивный

coarse [ko:s] а грубый ч race [reisj n род; племя

custom ['kAstam] n обычай sacred f'seikrid] а священный

dawn [do:n] n рассвет; начало sacrifice ['ssknfais] v приносить жертвы

descendant [di'sendant] n потомок temple ['tempi] n храм

fragment ['frsegmgnt] n обломок, ос- tribe [traib] n племя

колок; pi остатки warrior ['wonal n воин

10. What customs of the Druids are still kept in the country nowadays?

11. What traces of the Celtic language can we find in the English of today?

12. What Celtic tribe lived in Ireland, Scotland and Wales?

THE ROMAN INVASION

In the year 55 В. С Britain was conquered by the Romans. Their language was Latin. The Romans were very practical men. They were good at building many-storeyed houses, bridges and roads.

The Romans had heard from travellers about some valuable metals which had been found in Britain. Julius Caesar [' chirijas' si:za] was the first Roman who invaded the country in the 1st century B.C. To conquer the Britons the Romans had to encamp troops all over the country. The English cities later rose from these camps. The word castra — camp was later pronounced fkesta], ['Jesta] and fsesta]. Now there are many English towns which have the Latin ending, such as Lancaster, Manchester, Worcester and others.

The Romans brought their civilization with them and taught the Britons to build bridges, houses and roads.

In England one can still find interesting remains of the Roman times, such as some ruins of public baths and tiled floors of Roman villas. Many of the great highways of England have been built on the military roads once made by the Romans. A large number of English words come from the Latin language, e. g. street comes from strata, wall from vallum, port from portus, etc.

The Roman occupation lasted for more than 400 years till 407 A. D. when the Romans troops left Britain.

Questions and Tasks

1. When was England called Britain?

2. What people lived there?

3. What race did they belong to?

4. What language did they speak?

5. What can you say about their culture?

6. Prove that their culture was very primitive.

7. How did the ancient Britons live?

8. By whom were the Britons governed?

9. Prove that the religion of the Druids was cruel.

Vocabulary

bath [ba:9] n баня

civilization [sivilai'zeijsn] n цивилиза­ция; культура

encamp [т'кагтр] v располагать ла­герем

' A. D. (Anno Domini) — in our era

highway ['haiwei] n шоссе, автома­гистраль invade [m'veid] v вторгаться military ['militan] а военный remains [n'meinz] n pi остатки

ruin [rum] n pi развалины, руины troop [tru:p] n войска

tiled [taild] а покрытый плиткой valuable ['vaeljuabl] а ценный

Questions and Tasks

1. By whom was Britain conquered in the year 55 before our era?

2. What language did the Romans speak?

3. What were the Romans good at?

4. Why did they decide to occupy the island?

5. Who commanded the Romans?

6. What did the Romans have to do to conquer the Britons?

7. Prove that there are still some traces of the Romans' influence in modern English.

8. What interesting remains of Roman times can you still find in England?

THE INVASION BY GERMANIC TRIBES

When in about 410 the Romans were withdrawn to protect Rome itself the Germanic tribes—Angles [ 'asnglz], Saxons [ 'sseksnz] and Jutes [ 'd3u:ts] began their invasion of Britain. They came from the shores of the North Sea and the Baltic and settled in what is now the county of Kent. They spoke different dialects of the West Ger­manic language. From this language modern German was deve­loped.

The Britains fought many battles until at last they were either made slaves or driven to the west and the north of Britain (Wales, Cornwall and Scotland).

The Angles, Saxons and Jutes were pagans. They believed in many gods: Tu, or Tuesco, — god of Darkness, Woden — god of War, Thor — the Thunderer, and Freia — goddess of Prosperity. When people began to divide time into weeks and weeks into days, they gave the days the names of their gods.

Sunday is the day of the sun, Monday — the day of the moon, Tuesday — the day of the god Tuesco, Wednesday — the Woden's day, Thursday — Thor's day, Friday — Freia's day and Saturday — Saturn's day.

All these invaders created the Anglo-Saxon England — "An­gle-land" . During that period the land was divided into little kingdoms. The most important were Mercia ['imtjja], North-umbria [ 'по:0лтЬпэ], Kent and Wessex. The political power soon shifted to Wessex.

TrtfTU

Runes (letters carved on stone and wood, 5th century)

The Anglo-Saxons were comparatively well-developed. They liked to hold meetings in which people could express what they thought and left. They were brave, hardy, artistic, poetic people who had a highly developed feeling for beauty. The Anglo-Saxons had no written language when they con­quered Britain, but they had letters called runes, which they carved on wood and stone. The songs, stories and poems they made up had to be memorized and were handed down from generation to generation. One Saxon poem called Beowulfh&s reached our days. We can call this period the dawn of English literature.

Vocabulary

pagan ['peigsn] n язычник prosperity [pros'penti] n процветание rune [ru:n] n руна settle ['setl] v поселяться, обосновы­ваться shift [fift] v перемещаться withdraw [wi6'dro:] v (withdrew; with­drawn) забирать; отзывать withdrawn [wi6'dro:n] p.p. от withdraw

artistic [a:'tistik] а артистический comparatively [kam'pasretrvli] advсрав­нительно express [iks'pres] v выражать generation [^dsera'reijbn] n поколение goddess [gndis] n богиня hardy ['ha:di] а выносливый, стойкий invader [m'veida] n захватчик invasion [m'vei39n] n вторжение memorize [ 'memaraiz] v запоминать; заучивать наизусть

After Christianity was officially adopted by the ruling classes monastic schools were established where Latin was taught. The most learned people of that time were monks. Some of them began to put in writing poems and songs that reached them. Such people were called "scribes". "Scribe" comes from the Latin word "scribere" — "to write". The written Anglo-Sax­ons language developed on the basis of the Latin alphabet.

Questions and Tasks 1. What literature did the Germanic Tribes have? 2. Why didn't the poems remain unchanged? 3. Were there professional poets at that time too? 4. What did they do? 5. What were most of the early poems based on? 6. Were the Germanic tribes pagans or Christians before the 7th century? 7. When did Anglo-Saxons become Christians? 8. Who were the most learned people of that time? 9. What did some of the monks begin to do? 10. Prove that the written Anglo-Saxon language developed on the basis of the Latin alphabet.

Questions and Tasks

1. When did the Romans leave Britain?

2. By whom was Britain conquered?

3. What dialects did they speak?

4. What happened to those who stayed in Britain? ,

5. What were the gods of the Anglo-Saxons?

6. How did people name the days?

7. What land did all the invaders create?

8. What were the most important kingdoms the land was divided?

9. Prove that the Anglo-Saxons were comparatively well-developed.

10. Did the Anglo-Saxons have letters of their own by the time they conquered Britain?

11. What were the names of the letters?

12. Did the Anglo-Saxons have a written language?

13. What did they have to do with their songs, stories and poems?

14. What poem has reached our own time?