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1、英国文学补充资料1PARTONE:EARLYANDMEDIEVALENGLISHLITERATUREChapter1.TheMakingofEnglandⅠ.TheBritons: BeforeenteringuponthestudyofEnglishliterature,itisnecessarytoknowsomethingabouttheEnglishpeople.TheEnglishpeopleareofamixedblood.Theearlyinhabitantsintheislandnowwec
2、allEnglandwereBritons,atribeofCelts.FromtheBritonstheislandgotitsnameofBritain,thelandofBritons.TheBritonswereaprimitivepeople.Theyweredividedintodozensofsmalltribes,eachofwhichlivedinaclusteringofhuts."TheoldestCelticlawsthathavecomedowntoourdayshowthegensst
3、illinfullvitality."(Engels)TheBritonslivedinthetribalsociety.Ⅱ.TheRomanConquest: In55B.C.,BritainwasinvadedbyJuliusCaesar,theRomanconqueror,whohadthenjustoccupiedGaul.ButassoonastheRomanslandedonshoreoftheisland,theBritonsfoughtlikelionsundertheleadershipo
4、ftheirchieftain.AndwiththecomingsandgoingsofmanyRomangeneralswithinthetimeofacentury,BritainwasnotcompletelysubjugatedtotheRomanEmpireuntil78A.D.WiththeRomanConquesttheRomanmodeoflifecameacrosstoBritainalso.Romantheatresandbathsquicklyroseinthetowns.Alltheser
5、efinementsofcivilization,however,werefortheenjoymentoftheRomanconquerorswhilethenativeBritonsweretroddendownasslaves.TheRomanoccupationlastedforabout400years,duringwhichtheRomans,formilitarypurposes,builtanetworkofhighways,latercalledtheRomanroads,whichremain
6、edusefulforalongtimetocome.Alongtheseroadsgrewupscoresoftowns,andLondon,oneofthem,becameanimportanttradingcentre.ItwasalsoduringtheRomanrulethatChristianitywasintroducedtoBritain.Butatthebeginningofthefifthcentury,theRomanEmpirewasintheprocessofdeclining.Andi
7、n410A.D.,alltheRomantroopswentbacktothecontinentandneverreturned.ThusendedtheRomanoccupationinBritain.Ⅲ.TheEnglishConquest: AtthesametimeBritainwasinvadedbyswarmsofpirates.TheywerethreetribesfromNorthernEurope:theAngles,SaxonsandJutes.Thesethreetribesl
8、andedontheBritishcoast,drovetheBritonswestandnorth,andsettleddownthemselves.TheJutesoccupiedKent,inthesoutheasterncorneroftheisland.TheSaxonstookthesouthernpartandestablishedsomesmallking