摘 要
   
宗教与文化互为关照。其中，宗教的起源与发展对英国文学的演绎有重要影响。本文首先以班扬为例讨论宗教对文学的深刻影响。然后介绍英国文学的发展状况，主要探讨英国文学发展的三个时期。民族史诗《贝奥武甫》是古英语时期的缩影。莎士比亚及他作品中体现的原罪观念是中世纪英语时期的文学主流。维多利亚时期的历史完美地诠释了现代英语作品的文化根源。从作品《德伯家的苔丝》我们可以感受到宗教文化的深远影响，小说中使用了大量圣经中的意象。苔丝的软弱形象、亨利八世的反叛形象以及哈姆雷特的矛盾复杂形象无一例外生动地展现在宗教的链条上。作为读者，我们不一定信仰基督教，但是我们可以通过认识到宗教的影响更好地理解英国文学作品。
   
关键词：宗教；英国文学；原罪；文化

ABSTRACT
     
Religion and literature go hand in hand. The deduction of English literature depends on the derivation of the religious culture. This paper first takes John Bunyan for example to discuss the huge impact religion has had on literature. Then it shows the progress of English literature and talks out three periods of the evolution of English literature. The national epic Beowulf is the epitome of the Old English. Shakespeare and the sense of original sin in his works are the mainstream of Middle English literature. And the history of Victoria Age is the best illustration of the cultural roots of the Modern English. Religious culture has a far-reaching effect as we can see from the masterpiece Tess of the d’Urbervilles, in which a large number of Biblical symbols have been used. The cowardly disposition of Tess, the rebel image of Henry VIII and the complex image of Hamlet are all vividly exposed in front of the religious chains. As readers, we may not act as faithful Christians, but we can understand English literature works better by realizing the influence of the religion.
   
Key words: Religion; English literature; Original sin; Culture