A SHOR
OF ENG
LITERAT
RT HISTORY
GLISH
TURE
THE ANGLO-SAX
EARLIEST TIME – 1066)
Social Background:- the m
invasion of Roman Empir
of Vikings etc.
Literature:- Beowulf, the
national epic of the Anglo
features- the use of alliter
Epic – A long narrative po
presenting characters of
adventures which form an
earliest epic: Homer’s Ilia
XON PERIOD (THE
making of England; the
re in the 4th AD; the attacks
earliest literature, the
o-Saxon,one of the striking
ration.
oem in elevated style
high position in a series of
n organic whole. The
ad and Odyssey.
Alliteration – In an a
certain accented wor
with the same conso
alliterative verse,
rds in a line begin
onant sound.
THE MEDIEVA
(1066 – 15TH CENTURY
Social Background:- the N
William, Duke of Normand
1066; the mark of establish
Literature:- Langland; Eng
Chaucer.
Langland – Piers the Plow
Allegory – A form of extend
objects, persons and actio
equated with the meanings
narrative itself.
Ballad – The most importa
folk literature: a story told i
AL PERIOD
Y)
Norman Conquest under
dy, the battle of Hasting in
hment of feudalism.
glish Ballad; Romance;
wman and allegory.
ded metaphor in which
ons in a narrative are
s that lie outside the
ant department of English
in song.
Romance – The most pre
in feudal England; a long
in verse,sometimes in pro
and adventures of a nobl
Chaucer – The founder o
father of English poetry; I
rhymed stanza of various
great poet who wrote in t
The Canterbury Tales –
century England; beginni
prologue; with the influen
Decameron.
evailing kind of literature
g composition sometimes
ose,describing the life
le hero.
of English poetry; the
Introduction of the
s types in poetry; the first
the English literature.
– A picture of the 14th
ing with a general
nce of Boccaccio’s
ENGLISH RENA
(15TH AND 16TH CENTUR
Social Background:- Hundred
the weakening of nobility and
new monarchy; the Reformati
power of church; enclosure m
expansion.
Literature:- Renaissance; Hum
Edmund Spencer; Francis Ba
Renaissance – The Renaissan
from the medieval to the mode
revival of letters; it is a historic
features of this movement are
classical literature and the kee
humanity.
AISSANCE
RY)
d Years War and Civil Wars;
the rising bourgeoisie; the
ion and the weakening of the
movement and commercial
manism; Thomas More;
acon; Drama.
nce marks the translation
ern world; it means rebirth or
cal period. Two striking
e the thirsting curiosity for the
en interest in the activities of
Humanism – keynote of th
emphasis on the dignity o
importance of the present
Thomas More and his Uto
Edmund Spencer and his
his reputation known as ‘t
Francis Bacon – the first E
famous for his Essays.
Drama – The highest glor
Renaissance with Shakes
Marlowe and Ben Jonson
Christopher Marlowe – th
University Wits, Doctor F
first used in his drama.
he Renaissance;
of human beings and the
t life.
opia.
s The Faerie Queene;
the poets’ poet’.
English essayist,
ry of the English
speare, Christopher
n.
he most gifted of the
Faustus, blank verse
Ben Jonson – his praise of
Soul of the Age.
The applause I delig
The wonder of our st
-------------------
To whom all scenes
Europe homage owe
He was not of an ag
But for all time!
Shakespeare – his life – bo
Avon and died in 1616, his
sonnets and 2 long poems,
Shakespeare, Volpone.
ght!
tage!
s of
e.
ge,
orn in 1564 in Stratford on
work – 38 plays, 154
his status.
Years of experiments/apprenti
Henry VI
Richard III
The taming of the shrew.
Years of great comedies and m
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice
As You Like It
Twelfth Night
Years of great tragedies and d
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
iceship (mainly history plays).
mature historical plays.
m
dark comedies.
Years of romantic tragic c
Cymbeline
The Winter’s Tale
The Tempest
Sonnet – A poem in a fou
scheme.
Rhyme Scheme of Shake
abab cdcd efef gg.
comedies.
urteen lines with a rhyme
espearean Sonnet –
THE PERIOD 0F REVO
RESTORATION (THE 17T
Social Background:- the clash
parliament; the civil war betwe
Ist was executed in 1649; the d
Commonwealth and the compr
remnants.
Literature:- John Milton: John B
Metaphysical Poets
Milton:- a revolutionary poet, p
art; Paradise Lost, Paradise R
Agonists.
Bunyan:- The Pilgrim’s Progr
the spiritual pilgrimage of Chris
OLUTION AND
TH CENTURY)
between the king and
een 1642 – 1649; Charles
decline of Cromwell’s
romise with the feudal
Bunyan: John Dryden:
political both in life and his
Regained, Samson
ress, a religious allegory,
stian.
Dryden:- the most distinguish
Restoration Period; use of he
writing.
Heroic Couplet – two success
in length and with rhyme.
Metaphysical School of Poetr
convention, simple diction, co
and cadences, actual life ima
poets beloved, with God or w
and Andrew Marvell.
John Donne – leading figure
School of Poetry, his conceit.
Andrew Marvell – To His Coy
hed literary figure of the
eroic couplet in his
sive lines of verse, equal
ry:- break away from the
ommon speech words
agery argument with
with himself; John Donne
of the Metaphysical
.
y Mistress
THE PERIOD OF ENLI
CLASSICISM (THE 18TH
Social Background:- the age o
reason, a progressive intellect
whole world with the light of m
artistic idea, to celebrate reas
Literature:- the school of Clas
novel; Sentimentalism; Pre-Ro
Classicism – All forms of litera
the classical works of the anci
controlled by some fixed laws
should be order; logic, restrain
Addison, Steele and Pope as
Steele and The Tatler ; Addis
IGHTENMENT AND
CENTURY)
of enlightenment or the age of
tual movement to enlighten the
modern philosophical and
son, equality and science.
ssicism, the rise of modern
omanticism, Sheridan’s drama.
ature should be modeled after
ient Greek and Roman writers,
s and rules; artistic ideals
ned emotion and accuracy;
representative.
son and The Spectator.
Pope – the most important rep
poetry, so perfect in heroic cou
able to approach him.
Modern Novel:- the mid-centu
realistic novel, Defoe, Swift, R
and Sterne are representative
adventures.
Defoe and Robinson Crusoe
Sterne and Tristram Shandy;
Travel; Fielding and Tom Jon
Random.
Sentimentalism:- By the mid o
Sentimentalism came into bei
discontent among the enlighte
reality. Dissatisfied with reaso
sentiment, to the human heart
presentative of classical
uplet that no one has bee
ury predominated by a new
Richardson, Fielding, Smollett
es ; description of
e; Richardson and Pamela;
; Swift and Gulliver’s
nes; Smollett and Roderick
of the 18th century,
ing as a result of a bitter
ened people with social
on, Sentimentalists turned to
t.
Thomas Gray and Elegy Writ
Churchyard.
Pre-Romanticism:- the later ha
strong protest against the bon
recognition of the claims of pa
Blake and Robert Burns as re
William Blake – The poems fro
Innocence indicate the condit
consolation, a prospect of illus
poems from The Songs of Ex
nature of religion which brings
Robert Burns – remembered m
in the Scottish dialect.
Sheridan:- the only important
century; The Rivals and The
true classics in English comed
tten in a Country
alf of the 18th century: a
ndage of Classicism, a
assion and emotion; William
epresentatives.
om The Songs of
tions which make religion a
sory happiness and the
xperience reveal the true
s misery to the poor children.
mainly for his songs written
English dramatist in the 18th
School for Scandal, the
dy.
THE ROMANTIC PE
18TH AND 19TH CENTURY)
Social Background:- two impo
Revolution of 1789 – 1794 an
Revolution.
Literature:- The Romantic Per
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron
major Romantic poets; prose
Romanticism:- It designates a
theory which tends to see the
of all life and all experience. It
the centre of art, making litera
expression of his or her uniqu
attitudes. Nature is not only th
imagery, but also provides the
Romantics also tend to be nat
ERIOD (THE TURN OF THE
ortant revolutions – the French
nd the English Industrial
riod is an age of poetry;
n, Shelley and Keats are the
writers and novelists.
a literary and philosophical
individual as the very centre
t also places the individual at
ature most valuable as an
ue feelings and particular
he major source of poetic
e dominant subject matter:
tionalistic.
Lake Poets – The poets Word
Southey lived I the Lake distri
path in politics and in poetry fi
Revolution, later changed into
Wordsworth – his definition of
spontaneous overflow of the p
originates, from “emotion reco
nature poet; working in collabo
Lyrical Ballads.
Coleridge – Kubla Khan, Chr
Ancient Mariner.
Byron – Don Juan, Childe Ha
Shelley – Prometheus Unbou
Keats – his mature and impor
Nightingale, Ode on a Greci
dsworth, Coleridge and
ict. They traversed the same
irst inspired by French
o conservative.
f poetry, “Poetry is the
powerful feelings” and poetry
ollected in tranquility”: a
oration with Coleridge in
ristabel and The Rime of the
arold’s Pilgrimage.
und, Ode to the West Wind.
rtant odes, Ode to a
ian Urn.
Prose Writers – Hazlitt and Le
Quincey and his Confessions
Eater, Charles Lamb and his
Jane Austen – Love and marr
themes of her novels; Pride a
and Sensibility etc.
Walter Scott – a romantic hist
Ivanhoe.
eigh Hunt, Thomas de
s of an English Opium-
Essays of Elia.
riage as the major
and Prejudice, Sense
torical novelist,
CRITICAL REALIST
AND LATE 19TH CENTURY)
Social Background:- the strug
capitalists; the Chartist Movem
Literature:- Fiction is the highe
Dickens as its representative.
Critical Realism – sticking to t
the 18th century realist novel t
their duty forward to the critici
defense of the mass. They we
fate of the common people. Th
people’s life and bitter and str
had done much in awakening
the social problem and in the
society.
TIC PERIOD (THE MID
ggle between workless and
ment; the Victorian morality.
est achievement with
.
the faithful representation of
to the critical realists carried
ism of the society and the
ere all concerned about the
heir truthful picture of
rong criticism of the society
the public consciousness to
actual improvement of
Charles Dickens – Oliver Tw
work – house system and the
life; David Copperfield conce
prison; A Tale of Two Cities
a master story-teller, characte
distinguishing feature of his w
Thackeray – Vanity Fair subt
description of the evils of the
Bronte – Charlotte Bronte and
for basic rights and equality; E
Wuthering Heights, the pass
George Eliot and her Mill on
Poets – Tennyson and Brown
representative, if not the grea
Memoriam, The Idylls of the
original poet of his time, his n
the term ‘dramatic monologue
wist about the dehumanizing
e dark criminal under world
erned about the debtor’s
about French Revolution; As
er – portrayal is the most
works.
titled a novel without hero, a
upper society.
d her Jane Eyre the struggle
Emily Bronte and her
sionate love.
the Floss.
ning: Tennyson is the most
atest Victorian poet; In
e King: Browning as the most
name is often associated with
e’.
Dramatic Monologue – In a d
crisis, the characters are mad
and about their minds and he
one-sided talks, readers can
and judgments about the spe
about what has really happen
Literary trends at the end of th
Naturalism; Neo-Romanticism
Hardy.
Naturalism – Literature must
reproduce real life, including
selection. Naturalists usually
poor and oppressed, or the ‘s
dramatic moment or
de to talk about the lives,
earts. In listening to those
form their own opinions
eaker’s personality and
ned.
he 19th century –
m, Aestheticism; Thomas
be true to life and exactly
all the details without any
write abut the lives of the
slum life’.
Neo-Romanticism – Dissatis
social reality and yet trying t
of the acute social contradic
emphasis on the invention o
fascinating stories. They led
telling and romance: Robert
representative with Treasur
Mr. Hyde.
Aestheticism – Theory of Art
serve no religious, moral or
except itself; Oscar Wilde an
Hardy – Wessex Novels, no
environment, the description
who live in an agricultural se
of invading capitalism, The R
Mayor of Casterbridge, Tes
Jude the Obscure; Hardy is
transitional writer.
sfied with the drab and ugly
to avoid the positive solution
ctions, the writers laid
of exciting adventures and
d the novel back to story-
Stevenson was a
re Island and Dr. Jekyll and
t for Art’s Sake, art should
social end, nor any end
nd Walter Peter.
ovels about characters and
n of vicissitudes of people
etting menaced by he forces
Return of the Native, The
ss of the d'Urbervilles,
s often regarded as a
THE MODERN
(THE 20TH CENTURY
Social Background:- the
and the poor; the postwa
and spiritual disillusion,
philosophical ideas – Ka
Socialism, Darwin’s The
Schopenhauer and Nietz
Literature:- Modernism r
and disillusion of capital
philosophy and the theo
its theoretical base.
PERIOD
Y)
e gap between the rich
ar economic dislocation
the rise of all kinds of
arl Marx’s Scientific
eory of Evolution,
zsche's Pessimism.
rises out of skepticism
lism, takes the irrational
ory of psychoanalysis as
Realistic Novels in the 20th Ce
Victorian tradition; the outstan
Galsworthy, H.G Wells and Ar
strong swing of leftism. In the
their attention to the urgent so
1950s and early 1960s there a
Youngman, launching a bitter
social and political values in th
the most important.
Modernism in Fiction – The fir
century were golden years of
theory of the Freudian and Ju
an important role; D.H Lawren
activities in his works Sons an
Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
Stream of Consciousness Sch
Virginia Woolf.
entury – the continuation of the
nding figures are John
rnold Bennett; with in the
1930s, novelists began to turn
ocial problems; In the mid-
appeared The Angry
r protest against the out moved
heir society, Kingsley Amis is
rst three decades of this
the modernist novels; the
ungian, psychoanalysis played
nce traced the psychological
nd Lovers, Women in Love,
hool of Novel – James Joyce,
Drama in 20th Century – Ber
considered to be the best- k
since Shakespeare. His play
criticism, John Galsworthy c
of social criticism; The Irish M
Modernism in Drama – the w
and The Theatre of Absurd
The Angry Youngman, Sam
Waiting for Godot.
Modernism in Poetry – a rev
conventional ideas and form
poetry, the poems of Eliot an
modern poetry.
rnard Shaw is
known English dramatist
ys are inspired by social
carried on this tradition
Movement.
working classes drama
d, John Osborne and
muel Beckett and
volution against the
ms of the Victorian
nd Yeats, the rise of