british literature through time
DESCRIPTION
It's a brief summary of the periods in british literatureTRANSCRIPT
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
conceitsURSULA HUANCAS DONAYRE
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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