Abstract: Milton’s pastoral elegy has always been the hot topic both at home and abroad, typically for Lycidas which was written in 1937.This paper aims to study the death consciousness in Lycidas by textual and archetypal analysis.Taking textual analysis is largely due to obscure context and fixed elegiac pattern. Milton really has borrowed mass materials from this modeled genre.Because this poem belongs to long-established pastoral elegy. It is necessary for us to comprehend this didactic genre.In fact, Milton’s contemplation to death consciousness is also an important inspiration for readers and acts as a road-map for current undergraduates.

Key words: Milton; Lycidas; textual analysis; archetypal analysis; pastoral elegy

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1.-Introduction-1

1.1-Introduction to John Milton and Lycidas-1

1.2-Previous Studies on Lycidas-1

2.-The Textual Analysis of Death Consciousness in Lycidas-3

2.1-The Generation of Death Consciousness in Lycidas-3

2.1.1-The Panic of Edward King’s Premature Death-3

2.1.2-The Allusion of Orpheus’s Unexpected Death-4

2.1.3-Milton’s Idealistic Poet and Poetry Ideal-5

2.2-The Pattern of Death and Rebirth in Lycidas-6

2.2.1-Study in the Affecting Structure-6

2.2.2-Analysis in Objective Imageries-7

3.-The Archetypal Analyses of Death Consciousness in Lycidas-11

3.1-Death Consciousness in Traditional Pastoral Elegy-11

3.2-The Reason of Employing the Pastoral Elegy for Lycidas-13

3.3-The Imitation of Traditional Pastoral Elegy-16

3.3.1-The Imitation of the Style and Spirit-16

3.3.2-The Funeral Decoration with Pastoral Characters-20

3.3.3-The Rebirth of Decedent with Christian Traditions-21

4.-Conclusion-23

5.-Reference-25