英美文学选读学习笔记 Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), a resentative of the Renaissance in England, is a well-known philosopher, scientist and essayist. He lays the foundation for modern science with his insistence on scientific way of thinking and fresh observation rather than authority as a basis for obtaining knowledge. His Essays is the first example of that genre in English literature, which has been recognized as an important landmark in the development of English prose. And some phrases have even entered the English literary tradition.

Being the younger son of Elizabeth's first Lord Keeper, Bacon had a fortunate heritage and background. He studied at Cambridge and Gray's Inn, entered Parliament, and gradually established his reputation. At the height of his career, under King James, he became Lord Keeper and then Lord Chancellor of England. But he was later accused of taking bribes in office. He admitted accepting sents but defended the justice of his act. After a token imprisonment, Bacon retired in disgrace to his estate of Gornhambry to spend the last five years of his life….