英国文学史 The Victorian Age习题

I. Blank filling

英国文学史习题The Victorian Age

1. In the 19th century English literature, a new literary trend ____________________________

appeared after the romantic poetry. 2. The greatest English realist of the 19 century was ___________________________, who

pictures bourgeois civilization, and shows the misery and suffering of the common people. 3. The Victorian Age in English literature was largely on age of prose, especially of the

_________________.

4. Robert Browning is a great experimenter in poetic art. He is best known for the technique of

__________________. 5. The most important poet of the Victorian Age was _________________________. Next to

him were Robert Browning and his wife. 6. The Chartist writers introduced a new theme into literature: the struggle of the

_________________________ for their rights.

7. The novel________________________ deals with the adventure of Mr. Pickwick, a retired old merchant, who is the founder and chairman of the Pickwick Club.

8. The novel “Oliver Twist” tells the story of a poor child named_________________ who is born in a workhouse and brought up under miserable conditions.

9. In “A Tale of Two Cities”, the two cities are _________ and ________ in the time of revolution.

10. The subtitle of “Vanity Fair” is __________________________. The writer’s intention was

not to portray individuals, but the bourgeois and aristocratic society as a whole.

11. The main plot of “Vanity Fair” centers on the story of two women: Amelia Sedley and

___________________. Their characters are in sharp contrast. 12. The Bronte sisters are Charlotte Bronte, _____________________ and Anne Bronte. 13. Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece is _____________________________. 14. Emily Bronte’s masterpiece is _____________________________. 15. The author of “Mary Barton” is ________________________.

16. The author of “ The Return of the Native” is _______________________. 17. Chronologically the Victorian Period refers to _______________________.

18. George Eliot produced three remarkable novels including “Adam Bede”, “The Mill on the Floss” and _____________________.

19. In the novel “Adam Bede”, Adam falls in love with a village girl

called__________________________ who is seduced and deserted by a squire.

20. Hardy’s novels of character and environment, which are also called ______________________________, are of great significance.

21. Among Hardy’s novels, the best-known are ___________________________ and “Jude the Obscure”.

22. Hardy’s novel _________________________ talks about the life of a merchant who leaves

the big city and return to his home village.

23. __________________________ is the representative among the writers of aestheticism and

decadence. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a typical decadent novel written by him.

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24. “In Memoriam” is a collection of 131 short poems intended as a lament for the death of his friend___________________________.

25. It was while living in Italy that Robert Browning published his finest volume of poems

__________________ . II.

Multiple choice

1. Although writing from different points of view and with different technique, writers in the

Victorian Period shared one thing in common, that is, they were all concerned about________.

A. the love story between the rich and the poor

B. the techniques in writing C. the fate of the common people

D. the future of their own country

2. The author of the work “Dombey and Son” is _____.

A. Charles Dickens B. Henry James C. Robert Browning D. Thackaray 3. In the following figures, who is Dickens’s first child hero?

A. Fagin B. Mr. Brownlow C. Oliver Twist D. Bill Sikes

4. As a love story, Wuthering Heights is one of the most moving: the passion between_______ proves the most intense, the most beautiful and at the same time the most horrible.

A. Hareton and Cathy B. Heathcliff and Catherine C. Hareton and Catherine D. Heathcliff and Cathy

5. Which of the following statements about Emily Bronte is not true?

A. She was famous for here Wuthering Heights. B. She wrote 193 poems.

C. She lived a very short life.

D. Her masterpiece is noted for its optimistic tone.

6. The most important characteristic in Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson is ___________.

A. mastering of language B. excellent choice of words C. use of the dramatic monologue D. excellent metaphor

7. In the Robert Browning’s works, which established his position as one of the great English poets?

A. Pauline B. The Ring and the Book C. Sordello D. Dramatic Romances and Lyrics 8. Which of the following poems is not by Victorian poets?

A. “Break, Break, Break” B. “My Last Duches” C. In Memoriam D. The Isles of Greece 9. “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?…And if God had gifted me with some beauty, and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you.” The above passage is most probably taken from___________.

A. Great Expectations B. Wuthering Heights C. Jane Eyre D. Pride and Prejudice 10. The sentences “And now he stared as here so earnestly that I thought the very intensity of his gaze, would bring tears into his eyes; but they burned with anguish, they did not melt” are found

in ________.

A. Wuthering Heights B. Jane Eyre C. Gulliver’s Travels D. Pride and Prejudice 11. The first two lines of Alfred Tennyson’s well-known poem “Break, Break, Break” read “Break, break, break, / On thy cold grey stones, O Sea!” the repeated word “break” suggests_______.

A. joy B. fear C. fondness D. hatred 12. In the long poem “The Ring and the book”, the “book” is compared to ______.

A. love B. comprehensive knowledge C. the hard truth D. the method of study 13. Most of Thomas Hardy’s novels are set in Wessex _______.

A. a crude region in England B. A fictional primitive region

C. a remote rural area D. Hardy’s hometown

14. Middlemarch is considered to be George Eliot’s greatest novel, owning to all the following reasons except ________

A. it vividly depicts English country life B. it probes into perpetual philosophical thoughts C. it provides a panoramic view of life D. it reveals women’s true feelings

15. Tess of the D’Urbervilles, one of Thomas Hardy’s best known novels, portrays man as __________.

A. being hereditarily good or bad

B. being self-sufficient

C. having no control over his own fate

D. still retaining his own faith in a world confusion

16.In the play “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Wilde, the upper-class people is described as the following except_______.

A. corrupt B. snobbish C. hypocritical D. ambitious 17. The success of Jane Eyre is not only because of its sharp criticism of the existing society, but also due to its introduction to the English novel the first ______ heroine. A. worker B. peasant C. governess D. explorer

18. Which of the following descriptions of Thomas Hardy is wrong?

A. most of his novels are set in Wessex

B. Tess of the D’Urbervilles is one of the most representative of him as both a naturalistic and a critical realist writer.

C. Among Hardy’s major works, Under the Greenwood Tree is the most cheerful and idyllic. D. From The Mayor of Casterbridge on, the tragic sense becomes the keynote of his novels. 19. “Every day, every hour, brought to him one more little stroke of her nature, and to her one more of his”, the sentence is found in ___________.

A. Middlemarch by George Eliot B. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Hardy C. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte D. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

20. In ______ Tennyson dealt with the theme of women’s rights and positions.

A. The Princess B. Memoriam C. Idylls of the King D. Poems

21. Which of the following best describes the protagonist of Thomas Hardy’s “The Mayor of Casterbridge”?

A. He is a man of self-esteem. B. He is a man of self-contempt.

C. He is a man of self-confidence. D. He is a man of self-sufficiency.

22. _________ not only continued to expose and criticize all sorts of social iniquities, but finally came to question and attack the Victorian conventions and morals.

A. George Eliot B. Thomas Hardy C. D. Lawrence D. Charles Dickens

23. Robert Browning created the verse novel, transferring the thematic interest from mere narration of the story to revelation and study of characters’ inner world and brought to the Victorian Poetry____________.

A. some psycho-analytical element B. some romantic element

C. some realistic element D. some classical element 24. Dicken’s works are characterized by a mingling of __________ and pathos.

A. metaphor B. passion C. satire D. humor 25. Among the writings by George Eliot, _______ is her only novel on English politics.

A. Felix Holt, the Radical B. Middlemarch C. Daniel Deronda D. Romola

26. The poetic form which Browning attached to maturity and perfection is _________.

A. dramatic monologue B. use of symbol C. use of ironic language D. use of lyrics

27. Among George Eliot’s seven novels, ________ is essentially an autobiographic account of her life.

A. Felix Holt, the Radical B. Middlemarch

C. Daniel Deronda D. The mill on the Floss

28. The author of ______ makes clear in the novel that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of social status, and it is cruel and destructive to break genuine, natural human passions.

A. Jane Eyre B. Wuthering Heights C. Pride and Prejudice D. Tess of the D’Urbervilles

29. George Eliot holds that the individual life is determined basically by two major forces:

A. the spiritual self and the physical self B. the good and the evil

C. the individual’s personality and the outer social circumstances

D. the divided self and the integrated self

30. A typical feature of the English Victorian literature is that wriers became___________, exposing all kinds of social evils.

A. didactic writers B. individual idealists C. moral critics D. religious advocators 31. Thomas Hardy wrote novels of _______.

A. psychoanalysis B. pure romance

C. character and environment D. religious advocators

32. The title of the Alfred Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” reminds the reader of the following except ________.

A. the Trojan War B. Homer C. quest D. Christ 33. Tennyson’s poem, Idylls of the King, was based on _________. A. the Celtic legends B. an Italian document C. a Roman murder case D. the Bible

34. One of the typical features of Dickens’ novels is __________.

A. complicated narration B. exaggerated caricature

C. compressed syntax D. streams of consciousness

35. In style, Thomas Hardy is a traditionalist, though there are obvious traits of ______ in thematic matters.

A. neo-classicism B. modernism C. romanticism D. utilitarianism

III. Error correction

1. In the period of Victorian Age, a new literary trend called preromanticism appeared, which

flourished in the forties and in the early fifties.

2. The greatest English critical realist was Charles Dickinson.

3. Both Robert Browning and his wife Elizabeth Gaskell were well-known poet. 4. Heathcliff is a character in the novel “Emma”.

5. In “Mary Barton”, Carson is an active Chartist.

6. Optimism and positivism are strongly reflected in Hardy’s writings.

7. The subtitle of Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” is “a Novel without a Hero”.

8. Oscar Wilde is the representative among the writers of aestheticism and critical realism.

9. The greatest Chartist poet was Thomas Cooper, who wrote a long poem “The revolt of Hindostan” in his imprisonment.

10. The short poem “Break, Break, Break” was written by Shelly.

IV. Exercises on Selected Reading

Exercise 1

The room in which the boys were fed was a large stone hall, with a copper at one end, out of which the master, dressed in an apron for the purpose, and assisted by one or two women, ladled the gruel at mealtimes; of which composition each boy had one porringer, and no more－ except on festive occasions, and then he had two ounces and a quarter of bread besides. The bowls never wanted washing—the boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again: and when they had performed this operation, (which never took very long, the spoons being nearly as large as the bowls) they would sit staring at the copper with such eager eyes as is they could devour the very bricks of which it was composed; employing themselves meanwhile in sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon. Boys have generally excellent appetites. Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the tortures of slow starvation for three months; at last they got so voracious and wild with hunger, that one boy, who was tall for his age, and hadn’t been used to that sort of thing, (for his father had kept a small cook’s shop) hinted darkly to his companions, that unless he had another basin of gruel per diem, he was afraid he should some night eat the boy who slept next him, who happened to be a weakly youth of tender age. He had a wild, hungry eye, and they implicitly believed him. A council was held; lots were cast who should walk up to the master after supper that evening, and

ask for more; and it fell to Oliver Twist.

The evening arrived; the boys took their places; the master in his cook’s uniform stationed himself at the copper; his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was served out, and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared, and the boys whispered to each other and winked at Oliver, while his next neighbours nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger and reckless with misery. He rose from the table, and advancing, basin and spoon in hand, to the master, said, somewhat alarmed at his own temerity－

“Pleased, Sir, I want some more.” The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.

“What!” said the master at length, in a faint voice. “Please sir,” replied Oliver, “I want some more.”

The master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.

QUESTIONS:

1. This passage is taken from a well-known novel entitled _____________________. 2. The writer of the novel is ____________________. 3. What can you see from this passage?

Exercise 2

MRS WARREN: (piteously) Oh, my darling, how can you be so hard on me? Have I no rights over you as your mother? VIVIE: Are you my mother?

MRS WARREN: (appalled) Am I your mother! Oh, Vivie!

VIVIE: Then where are our relatives? my father? our family friends? You claim the rights of a mother: the right to call me fool and child; to speak to me as no woman in authority over me at college dare speak to me; to dictate my way of life; and to force on me the acquaintance of a brute whom anyone can see to be the most vicious sort of London man about town. Before I give myself the trouble to resist such claims, I may as well find out the whether they have any real existence.

MRS WARREN: (distracted, throwing herself on her knees) Oh no, no. Stop, stop. I am your mother: I swear it. Oh, you can’t mean to turn on me－my own child! It’s not natural. You believe me, don’t you? Say you believe me.

VIVIE: Who was my father?

MRS WARREN: You don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t tell you.

VIVIE: (determinedly) Oh yes you can, if you like. I have a right to know; and you know very well that I have that right. You can refuse to tell me, if you please; but if you do, will see the last of me tomorrow morning.

MRS WARREN: Oh, it’s too horrible to hear you talk like that. You wouldn’t－you couldn’t leave me.

VIVIE: (ruthlessly) Yes, without a moment’s hesitation, if you trifle with me about this. (Shivering with disgust) How can I feel sure that I may not have the contaminated blood of that brutal waster in my veins? MRS WARREN: NO, no. On my oath it’s not he, nor any of the rest that you have ever met. I’m certain of that, at least.

VIvie’s eyes fasten sternly on her mother as the significance of this flashed on her.

QUESTIONS:

1. This passage is taken from a play entitled________________ . 2. Who is the writer of this play?

3. Do you know what is Mrs. Warren’s profession? 4. What is the theme of the play?

V. Questions and Answers

1. Comment on Tess of the D’ Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. 2. Make comments on Samuel Butler’s novels.

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