在9世纪后半期，阿尔弗雷德国王，威塞克斯的统治者领导盎格鲁-撒克逊的国王们团结一致打败了入侵者。
(7) In the early 11th century, the Danes, after controlling the whole England for 23 years, were driven away. But in l066, the Duke of Normandy, as the leader of the subjects from Normandy in northern France, invaded England and took control of it.
在11世纪早期，整个英格兰已经被丹麦统治23年了。后来丹麦人被驱逐出境，但是1066年，诺曼人从法国北部的诺曼底登陆，在诺曼底公爵的领导下袭击英格兰，宣布他对英国的统治。
Ⅱ. Northumbrian School and Wessex literature（诺森伯兰流派和西萨克斯文学）
There were two highlights in the development of the Anglo-Saxon literature.
盎格鲁-撒克逊文学发展史上有两个制高点：
(1) The first highlight was the Northumbrian School, centering on the monasteries and abbeys in the kingdom of Northumbria. A closely relevant figure was Caedmon. He lived in the 7th century and rewrote the biblical stories in the form of verse. The Venerable Bede (673～735), a monk, is also a highly respected figure of this school. His works were written in Latin and he earned the title of “Father of English History” by The Ecclesiastical History of English People.
第一个制高点是诺森伯兰流派。它的中心是诺森伯兰王国的寺庙和修道院。和这个学派密切相关的是生活在7世纪的凯德蒙，他将圣经中的故事转化成诗歌的形式。另外一位代表人物是可敬的修道士圣彼得(673～735)，他的作品是用拉丁文写成的，他凭借《英吉利教会史》一书，被誉为“英国历史之父”。
(2) In 871 Alfred was crowned king of Wessex. He promoted the development of English literature in the following three aspects. Firstly, some educational books written in Latin were translated into West Saxon dialect. King Alfred himself is said to have translated the history by Bede. Secondly, Alfred helped push ahead with the writing of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which covered the history from Caesar’s conquest to major events until 1154. It carries significant historical value as well as literary value. Thirdly, he was a pioneer in the intelligible style of the Anglo-Saxon prose.
871年，阿尔弗雷德成了威塞克斯之王，他对英国文学的贡献包括以下三个方面：①一些具有教育价值的拉丁文书籍被翻译成西撒克逊方言。据说阿尔弗雷德本人翻译了彼得写的史书；②他推动了《盎格鲁-撒克逊编年史》的撰写。史书包括从凯撒征战到1154年间发生的重要事件。它具有重要的历史价值和文学价值；③他是通俗易懂的盎格鲁-撒克逊散文的先驱。
Ⅲ. Anglo-Saxon poetry（盎格鲁-撒克逊诗歌）
About 30, 000 lines of Anglo-Saxon poetry, including the long epic poetry Beowulf, some religious poems, heroic poem and elegies, have been preserved. The first one is Widsith. Maldon is the latest one and it centers on the battle of Maldon. The best known one is Beowulf.
被保存下来的盎格鲁-撒克逊诗句大约有30,000句。其中包括长篇史诗《贝奥武甫》、宗教诗、英雄诗和挽歌。最早的诗是《威德西兹》，最后一首诗歌是《马尔顿》，此诗关于马尔顿战役。最著名的盎格鲁-撒克逊诗歌是《贝奥武甫》。
Ⅳ. Beowulf（《贝奥武甫》）
(1) About the Poem（关于诗歌）
Beowulf, written in the Wessex dialect, is an Old English epic poem consisting of 3,182 lines. It is preserved in a manuscript that dates back circa 1000 and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. And these materials came from the native lands of the Anglo-Saxons.
《贝奥武甫》是一首用威塞克斯方言写成的古英语史诗，共有3182行。它被保存在一个可追溯到公元约1000年的手稿中，据说是在公元700年到750年之间创作的。没有证据表明贝奥武甫是历史上真实存在的人物，但诗中的一些人物、地点和事件能够得到史料证实。这些素材来源于盎格鲁-撒克逊人的故土。
(2) Synopsis（故事梗概）
Beowulf opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar’s splendid mead hall, Heorot, has been ravaged for 12 years by nightly visits from an evil monster, Grendel, who carries off Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them, because he was disturbed by the sound coming from the hall. Young Beowulf, nephew to King Hygelac of the Geats, arrives with fourteen companions. He receives a warm reception and promises to kill the monster even at the cost of his own life. Grendel comes in the evening and swallows one of Beowulf’s companions. In the fierce duel with the monster, Beowulf wins by tearing one arm and a shoulder off the monster. The monster flees away but dies finally. Hrothgar awards a lot of gifts to Beowulf.
《贝奥武甫》以丹麦为背景，国王荷罗斯加恢弘的宫殿希奥罗特，12年来每夜都被一个邪恶的叫哥伦多的怪兽侵袭，他带走了荷罗斯加的勇士并吞食了他们，原因是大厅传来的声音打扰了他。贝奥武甫，耶阿特国王许基拉克的侄子听说了哥伦多的恶行后，带上十四名同伴坐船来帮助荷罗斯加。他受到了热情的款待，并承诺就算牺牲自己的生命也要杀死怪物。哥伦多深夜来袭，吃掉了贝奥武甫的一个同伴。一场激烈的斗争随之而来，贝奥武甫撕下了怪兽的一条手臂和连着的肩膀，怪兽身受重伤，最终身亡。贝奥武甫取得了胜利。荷罗斯加赏赐他丰厚的礼品。
In the evening, Grendel’s mother comes to seek revenge for the murder of her son and took away Hrothgar’s favorite aeschere. Beowulf goes to search for the monster together with his followers. He jumps into a pool and finds a cave beneath the sea, where he fights with the monster and finally wins the duel with the help of the magic sword in the cave. He takes back the heads of two monsters and gains a lot of rewards from Hrothgar. Then he returns to the Geats. The next year witnesses the death of King Hygelac dies and then his son succeeds to the throne but is soon killed in battle with the Swedes. Beowulf is elected king and does well for fifty years.
晚上，哥伦多的母亲来为他的儿子复仇，她带走了荷罗斯加最心爱的参事。贝奥武甫奉命带领他的同伴去搜索海怪。他跳入一个池中，在海底发现一个洞穴。他在那儿和海怪展开战斗，并最终用挂在洞穴上的一把神奇的宝剑赢得了胜利。他带着两个怪兽的首级而归，又受到了重赏。后来他回到耶阿特。次年基拉克去世，他的儿子继承王位，但没多久就在与瑞典人的交战中牺牲。贝奥武甫当选为国王，在位五十年之久，表现良好。
Then a runaway slave steals part of the treasure guarded by a dragon that is irritated and destroys the land with fiery breath. Beowulf is very old now, but he determines to kill the dragon in person and goes there with the company of twelve people. He goes down to the mound of treasure alone, leaving his companions outside. There he shows great courage when fighting against the dragon. But the sword fails him and leaves him in danger. One of the companions, Wiglaf, comes to help him and injured the monster. After killing the dragon with a knife, Beowulf dies from heavy injury, leaving his order about his funeral. After Wiglaf announces the king’s death, people visit the battlefield and take away the treasure. They discard the dragon into the sea and bury Beowulf’s remains in a pyre. The epic ends with people bewailing Beowulf’s demise and paying tribute to his feasts as a king.
一个逃跑的奴隶偷了一部分由一条龙在看管的财宝，惹怒了那条龙，它喷出炙热的火焰报复这片陆地。贝奥武甫此时年事已高，但决心亲自除掉恶龙，在12名同伴的陪同下出发了。他把同伴留在外面守候，孤身一人深入藏宝之山。他与恶龙奋勇抗战，但是他的剑掉了，使他陷入了困境。同伴威格拉夫冲进来帮他，并弄伤了恶龙。贝奥武甫用匕首杀死了恶龙，但是自己也死于重伤，留下了关于自己身后事的遗言。威格拉夫宣布国王的去世，后来人们参观了战场，带走了财宝，将恶龙丢入海中，为贝奥武甫建立了一个葬礼柴堆，史诗以人们对贝奥武甫死亡的哀叹和对他生前政绩的赞美而告终。
(3) Characteristics（人物形象）
Like Homer’s Epics, Beowulf presents the legendary hero’s adventurous experiences. Beowulf is a courageous fighter, a good conductor, and a lover of honor and he is determined to serve his country and people. As a hero who defeated the devil at the cost of his own life, Beowulf’s sturdiness, bravery and selflessness stand out in this poem.
像荷马史诗一样，《贝奥武甫》歌唱传奇英雄的冒险经历，贝奥武甫英勇善战，善于指挥，热爱荣誉，决心为自己的国家和子民服务。贝奥武甫是一个不惜以自己的生命为代价打败魔鬼的英雄，他坚强、勇敢和无私的品质在这首诗中十分显著。
(4) Artistic Features（艺术特征）
① Old English poetry differs from later poetry mostly in the technical structure. Each line is broken into two parts by a caesura which means a pause, especially for sense, usually near the middle of a verse line; ② Apart from alliteration, figurative language were employed by minstrels to enhance the beauty of daily things; ③Repetition and variation can be frequently seen in Old English poetry, in which many different words usually convey the same meaning.
①古诗和后来的诗之间最显著的差别是它们的结构。古诗每一行都由休止分为两部分，休止指的是一种停顿，尤其是意义上的停顿，通常出现在诗行的中间；②除了头韵，吟游诗人采用一种修饰性语言来增强日常事物的美感；③反复和变异在古诗中很常见，许多不同的词常常表达相同的意思。
1.2考研真题与典型题详解
Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks.
1 Beowulf probably existed in its oral form as early as the _____ century and its hero and his adventures are placed in_____ and southern Sweden rather than in England. [国际关系学院2010研]
【答案】6th; Denmark
【解析】《贝奥武甫》最早在公元六世纪开始口头传诵，故事发生在丹麦和瑞典南部，诗中并没有提及英国。
2 In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The famous prose writers of that period were Venerable Bede and _____.
【答案】Alfred the Great
【解析】阿尔弗雷德大帝和圣彼得是盎格鲁-撒克逊时期的散文家。
3 The literature of the Anglo-Saxon period falls naturally into two divisions, _____ and Christian.
【答案】pagan
【解析】盎格鲁-撒克逊时期的英国文学主要是世俗诗和宗教诗两类。
4 Angles, Saxons and _____ usually known as Anglo-Saxons are the first Englishmen. Language spoken by them is called _____, which is the foundation of English language and literature.
【答案】Jutes; the Old English
【解析】盎格鲁-撒克逊人通常指盎格鲁、撒克逊、朱特三个部族的人，他们的语言是古英语，古英语是英语和英国文学的基础。
5 The _____ period witnessed a transition from tribal society to feudalism.
【答案】Anglo-Saxon
【解析】盎格鲁-撒克逊时期，英国由部族社会步入封建社会。
6 The early inhabitants on the island now we call England were ______, a tribe of Celts. From the Britons the island got its name of Britain, the land of Britons. The Britons were a _____ people.
【答案】Britons, primitive
【解析】作为凯尔特一个部族的不列颠人是英格兰的早期定居者，不列颠岛也因此而得名。
7 In 55 B.C., Britain was invaded by _____, the Roman conqueror. Along with the invasion came the _____ into Britain.
【答案】Julius Caesar, Roman mode of life
【解析】公元前55年，凯撒大帝率军征服不列颠。在罗马统治期间，罗马生活方式传入不列颠。
Ⅱ. Multiple Choices
1 The history of English literature begins in the _____ century. [北二外2009研]
A. 7th
B. 6th
C. 5th
D. 4th
【答案】C
【解析】英国文学始于盎格鲁-撒克逊人定居英国，即公元450年，所以是五世纪。