Samuel Johnson’s Literary Criticism in Life of Dryden开题报告

 2022-07-31 14:50:29

1. 研究目的与意义

Samuel Johnson was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer.The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes Johnson as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history”. In the biography of poets, as another outstanding figure in the history of English literature, John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made England’s first Poet Laureate in 1668. As the literary critic, how to describe the biography of the other, and what kind of characteristic will be shown in it.

As the main biographical work of Samuel Johnson, The Lives of the Poets is composed of biographies of 52 poets. In The Lives of the Dryden, Johnson described Dryden’s life, character and his works from Johnson’s perspective but in a relatively objective way. The author describes his life through multiple structures. As one of the most influential figures in biographical works, Johnson''s view of events and the way of thinking, how to use these critical thinking for the collection and induction of materials, has an important reference role. In the Biography of the Poet, Johnson divides the description of biographies into three parts: the life of the writer, the description of the characters and the analysis of his works. A ternary structure with character description as the core is formed. However, the variability of the subject of biographies tells us that in the biographies of others, the author''s personal feelings and experiences will have a great influence on the description of biographies. Therefore, it has become a new angle to understand Johnson''s life experience and to look at the criticism in his works. Why criticism will be the main object of our study.

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2. 研究内容和预期目标

In understanding Johnson''s biographies, our first task is to distinguish between structures. Johnson divided biographies into three levels—ternary structure. While Johnson kept the functions of each part of the 'ternary structure' relatively independent, he was able to connect them with a clue, keep each part permeating, blending and expounding each other, so that the whole literary biography became an integrated structure. We focus on the criticism of ternary structure and understand Johnson''s criticism from different angles. Through the retrieval and study of the literature, we understand that the main research direction at abroad is the level of moral education in Johnson''s works. Therefore, the thesis will focus on three aspects: Johnson''s criticism of moral education, professionalism and rhyme in the biography of Dryden. These three levels can also gradually deal with the ternary structure in Johnson''s works. The critical character and reason of finding Johnson''s literature is the key to our research.

3. 国内外研究现状

Dryden may be properly considered as the father of English criticism, as the writer who first taught us to determine upon principles the merit of composition(Johnson, Life of Dryden). In the study of Johnson''s biography, different scholars put forward different views. And that was, according to what Ye Lixian (2018) argued, While Johnson kept the functions of each part of the 'ternary structure' relatively independent, he was able to connect them with a clue, keep each part permeating, blending and expounding each other, so that the whole literary biography became an integrated structure. Leopold Damrosch(1976) and Greg Clingham(2000) have pointed out that in some chapters of the Lives of the poets, the mind, poetry, life and creation of the subject of the biography are related to each other and explained to each other, which brings a certain degree of unity to the whole biography.

Walter Jackson Bate(1955) correctly assimilates it to the Rambler and The Vanity of Human Wishes when he perceives that 'in addition to everything else that can be said of them, the Lives of the Poets are a final chapter in Johnson''s tragic exploration of man''s destiny. In this ''literary biography of England'' . . . the writers of England appear, as on a stage, each animated by hopes, fears, and ambition for a short while, and then give way to others. And as Johnson said by himself that “My purpose was only to have allotted to every Poet an Advertisement . . . containing a few dates and a general character; but I have been led beyond my intention, I hope, by the honest desire of giving useful pleasure” (McCarthy, 1977). Johnson''s writing and literary criticism have obvious purpose and personal emotion. How to find the internal relationship is the problem we''ve been searching for. “The great manifestations and events of vulgarity omit some, more thinking leads to the personal affairs of the family, shows the detailed details of daily life, where the external aura is put aside, only by caution and virtue to win. ”(Abrams, 2000). compared John Clark with Samuel Johnson and pointed out that Johnson was excessively moralistic in his literary criticism. That’s because Samuel Johnson attached great importance to the moral education function of biography (Sun Yongbin, 2017). On the stage of British history in the 18th century, Johnson showed a sense of responsibility for worrying about the country and the people, and assumed the important task of building the humanistic spirit of that era(Zhang Xin, 2015).

In addition, he seems to be critical of professionalism. He is ashamed of Dryden''s flattering behavior in his biography, intolerable of works without preface, and ashamed of plagiarism(Johnson, Life of Dryden). As a criticism of the work itself, it mainly focuses on rhyme and thought. The content and the tone of this passage, in which Johnson echoes the harmony he describes, suggest that Dryden''s vigor and elegance result in an ease of experience whose depth and attractiveness released the reader from the disconcerting obtrusiveness of such relatively minor, decorous issues as technical diction and a loose rhyme scheme(Kelly, 1968). Indeed, Johnson''s treatment of the word 'diapason' in the Dictionary indicates that he realized that the harmony of Dryden''s verse, as it works to inculcate a harmony between man and the world of history and nature, hinged on the use of the word 'diapason'. He doesn''t define 'diapason' but gives several illustrations of its meaning(Clingham, 1988).

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4. 计划与进度安排

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Literature review

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5. 参考文献

McCarthy, W. (1977). The Moral Art of Johnson''s Lives. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 17(3), 503-517.

Samuel Johnson. Lives of the English Poets, ed. G. B. Hill, 3 vols. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905), 1:183.

Clingham, G. (1988). Johnson''s Criticism of Dryden''s Odes in Praise of St. Cecilia. Modern Language Studies, 18(1), 165-180.

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