大学英语自主阅读 II-2

Historical Characters in Various CulturesBook II-2

All the world is a stage. - Shakespeare held that

Introduction This unit will offer you an insight into the household masterpiece of Three Kingdoms, and draw you closer to the heroes and the major events of the romance.

Background Information for Three KingdomsA Romance of Three Kingdoms sets a grand stage for numerous heroes to put on ups and downs by Luo Guanzhong

Background Information for Three Kingdoms Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of the great chinese classics and is compiled into a semi-fictional literary masterpiece during the Ming Dynasty by Luo Guanzhong. The novel comprises around 70+% fact and 20+% fiction. e.g.– Some issues such as Guan Yu's weapon weighing around 40 kilograms, – the capabilities of Lu Bu, – Liu Bei's horses – some others are probably fictional.

Background Information for Three Kingdoms That period in history can be said as the golden age of chivalry and although it happened more than 1700 years ago, characters such as Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang have become household names among the Chinese.

Background Information for Three Kingdoms Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not only about the struggle and conflicts among the warlords, it is about loyalty, betrayal, courage, lust, determination, responsibilities, repaying the kindness of others and trust among people.Notice: More information you can derive from: http://doc.guandang.net/wiki/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms

1. What is Luo Guanzhong’s outlook on history, the author of the original work? He made the history a struggle between good and bad guys.

2. Why did Zhuge Liang submit “Memorial on Sending Out the Troops” to the emperor?Because he wanted to express his ambition that is settlement of the central China and restoration of the Han regime. It embodied the overall strategy in his Dialogue of Longzhong.

1. Introduction (Para. 1-3) 2. Comment on the novel (Para. 4-10) 3. Zhuge Liang was an outstanding politician and strategist. (Para. 11-18)

Introduction (Para. 1-3) Three Kingdoms is the first popular novel in China. (Para. 1) How the Three Kingdoms came from. (Para. 2) The author’s outlook on history seems not admirable, but a struggle between good and bad guys. (Para. 3)

Comment on the novel (Para. 4-10)A. The novel illustrates the Chinese warfare theories with stress on strategies. (Para. 4-7) Some examples:– “The Battle of Red Cliff” (Para. 5); – “The Strategy of the Unguarded City” (Para. 6-7)

B. Three Kingdoms is more like a schoolbook on life. (Para.8) C. It is one of Chinese novels that have the most reprints and sell best. (Para.9-10) The reasons:– For the last six hundred years Three Kingdoms has been circulated in different forms. ( Para.9) – Few novels can bear comparison with Three Kingdoms in terms of the multitude of represented characters. (Para. 10)

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huge Liang was an outstanding politician and strategist. (Para. 11-18)A. A brief introduce Zhuge Liang (Para. 11) B. “Three Calls to a Cottage”; “Dialogue of Longzhong”. (Para.12-13) C. A series of events after AD 225 (Para.14-16)– By capturing and releasing the ethnic chieftain Meng Huo seven times ( Para.14); – “Memorial on Sending Out the Troops” (Para. 15) – Some facts and fictitious made Zhuge Liang the soul of wisdom in people’s mind (Para. 16)

D. A high comment on Zhuge Liang: (Para.17-18)– He died at his post before his troops triumphed. (Para. 17) – The famous maxim “work with devotion until death” from his “work with devotion until death” is the very picture of Zhuge Liang’s life. (Para. 18)

such as (Para. 2)

Unable to detect the real situation (Para.6) Instead (Para. 13)