british literature through time

BRITISH LITERATURE

THROUGH TIME

OLD ENGLISHANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

449 – 1066

CONTENTStrong belief in fateJuxtaposition of the church

and pagan worldsAdmiration of heroic warriors

who prevail in battleExpress religious faith and

give moral instruction through literature

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EFFECT

♠Christianity helps literacy to spread

♠Introduces Roman alphabet to Britain

♠Oral tradition helps unite diverse people and their myths

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Style / Genres♠Oral tradition of literature♠Poetry is the dominant

genre♠Unique forms includes:o Caesurao Alliterationo Repetitiono 4 beat rhythm

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Historical Context♠ Life centered around ancestral

tribes/clans that ruled themselves♠ At first the people were warriors

from invading outlying areas: Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Danes

♠ Later they became primarily agricultural

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Key Literature: Authors

BeowulfExeter BookThe Venerable Bede

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MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD

(The MEDIEVAL Period)1066 – 1485

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CONTENT

♣Plays that instruct the illiterate masses in morals and religion

♣Chivalric code of honor♣Religous devotion♣Romances

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STYLE / GENRE♠Oral tradition continues♠Folk ballads♠Mystery and miracle plays♠Morality plays♠Stock epithets♠Kennings♠Moral tales♠Frame stories

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EFFECT

♣Church instructs its people through the morality and miracle plays

♣An illiterate population is able to hear and see the literature

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Historical Context

♣Crusades bring the development of a money economy for the first time in Britain

♣Trading increases deamatically as a result of the Crusades

♣William the Conquerer crowned king in 1066♣Henry III crowned king in 1154, brings a

judicial system, royal courts, juries, and chivaly to Britain

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Key Literature: authors♠Domesday Book♠L’Morte de Arthur Geoffrey Chaucer

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The Renaissance1485 – 1660

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CONTENTWorld view shifts from religion and

afterlife to one stressing the human life on earth

Popular them: development of human potential

Popular theme: exploding the many aspects of love:

Unrequited loveConstant loveTimeless love

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Courtly love Love subject to

change

STYLE / GENRES Poetry o sonnet Dramma: o Written in verseo Supported by royaltyo Tragedies, comedies, historics Methaphysical poetry:o Elaborate unexpected metaphors called

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Historical Context

War of Roses ends in 1485 and political stability arrives

Printing press helps stabilize English as a language and allows more people to read a variety of literature

Economy chages from farm-based to one of international trade

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Key Literature: authors William Shakespeare John Donne Cavalier poets Metaphysical poets Christopher Marlowe Andrew Marvel

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Neoclassical Period(The Restoration)

1660 – 1798

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CONTENT

Emphasis on reason and logic Stresses harmony, stability and

wisdom Locke: a social contract exists

between the government and the people. The government governs guaranteeing «natural rights» of life, liberty, and property

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STYLE / GENRE Satire: uses irony and exaggeration

to poke fun at human faults and foolishness in order to correct human behavior

Poetry Essays Letters, diaries, biographies Novels

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EFFECT Emphasis on the individual Belief that man was basically

evil Approach to life «the world as

it should be»

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Historical Context 50% of men are functionally literate (a

dramatic rise) Fenced enclosure of land cause the

demise of traditional village life Factories begin to spring up as the

industrial revolution starts Impoverished masses begin to grow as

farming life declines and factories build Coffe houses – where educated men

spend evenings with literary and political associates URSULA HUANCAS DONAYRE

Key Literature: authors

Alexander Pope John Dryden Jonathan Swift Daniel Dafoe Samuel Johnson John Bunyan

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