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北京大学2004研究生入学考试试题

北京大学英语标准试题（美国研究与翻译方向）

1．Define the word “decorum, ” and describe the cultural/historical background in which the word became a well-known literary concept. Then, use 3 works (poems, novels, or essays) respectively by 3 authors and discuss how they abide by, support, and illustrate the idea of decorum. Be specific. （50分）

2．In praise of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Earnest Hemingway said: “It ’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that.” Write on the achievements of the book and its influence on later American novels.（50分）

3．Write on the differences (thematic, stylistic, etc.) between the Iliad and the Odyssey. Illustrate your points by textual details from these two epics.（50分）

答案部分：

北京大学英语标准试题（美国研究与翻译方向）

1. Define the word “decorum, ” and describe the cultural/historical background in which the word became a well-known literary concept. Then, use 3 works (poems, novels, or essays) respectively by 3 authors and discuss how they abide by, support, and illustrate the idea of decorum. Be specific. （50分）

参考答案：

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Definition: In classical rhetoric styles were classified into three main levels: the grand style, the middle style and the low (or plain) style. Certain types of diction were thought appropriate for certain stylistic levels. This was called the principle of decorum, which was an influential concept well into the eighteenth century. John Dryden, for example, famously agonized over the appropriateness of the word ‘marjoram ’ (the herb) for the middle style (he eventually decided it was too low a word).

in literary style, the appropriate rendering of a character, action, speech, or scene. The concept of literary propriety, in its simplest stage of development, was outlined by Aristotle. In later classical criticism, the Roman poet Horace maintained that to retain its unity, a work of art must be consistent in every aspect: the subject or theme must be dealt with in the…

Decorum: In literary parlance, the appropriateness of a work to its subject, its genre and its audience.

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