从新文科建设之视角看英文学科的起源与跨学科性

The Origins and Cross-disciplinariness of English as a Branch of Learning

从新文科建设的视角出发,本文对英文学科的起源、现状和跨学科特点作出梳理,提出英语文学学科的兴起是以文艺复兴、宗教改革运动、启蒙运动、法国革命和工业革命等为背景,较之基于拉丁文的传统文学或“古典学”更具进步性和实用性。很大程度上由于这种特质,当今英美英文学科表现出一种与时俱进、不受少数诗歌、戏剧和小说“经典”束缚的强烈倾向,其突出的跨学科性正源于此。

Adopting a perspective of the development of New-humanities,this paper explores the origins,present condition and crossdisciplinariness of English as a branch of learning at British and American universities.It argues that English language and literature arose as a discipline against the background of Renaissance,the Reformation,the Enlightenment,the French Revolution,the Industrial Revolution and etc.,thus possessing a greater progressive and pratical value.To a considerable extent because of this in-born political and social orientation,the present-day subject of English at British and American universities has displayed a strong tendency to keep up with the times and not to be confined to a few'classics'of poetry,drama and fiction,which is exactly the cause of its prominent cross-disciplinariness.