21st

• England


  Derived from the Old English name ENGLA LAND, which means "LAND OF THE ANGLES"
• Anglo-

  Refers to English or British Literature
• Few surviving texts with little in common. Language closer to modern German than modern English. Frequently reflect non-English influence.
• Surviving texts

  • Beowulf, "The Wanderer"
• The Anglo-Saxon Period

  • Britain before the Anglo-Saxons
  • The Germanic Invasions
  • Anglo-Saxon Society
  • Anglo-Saxon Literature
• When the Romans arrived, they found the land inhabited by "Britons", known as the Celts. Stonehenge had no written language.
• Romans withdraw, leaving the Britons/Celts behind. Invasions from Northern Europe.
• By 600, Anglo-Saxons conquer the Britons. Language becomes more Germanic but still retains some Latin.
• The Anglo-Saxons


  • Their two urgings--war and wandering become part of the oral tradition
  • Beowulf is an example of an Anglo-Saxon hero tale
• Beowulf


  • The earliest literature, the national epic of the Anglo-Saxon, one of the striking features - the use of alliteration
• Christian missionaries arrive to convert the pagans. Latin (the language of the Church) returns.
• King Alfred

  • The Britons become organized, first true king of the Britons
  • Period of prosperity
• Works frequently of a religiously didactic content. Written for performance at court or for festivals.
• Geoffrey Chaucer


  Known as the Father of English literature, widely considered the greatest English poet of the middle Ages, was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey
• Social background

  • The Norman conquest under William, Duke of Normandy, the battle of Hastings in 1066; the mark of establishment of feudalism
• Literature

  • Langland; Chaucer
  • Allegory
  • Ballad
  • Romance
• The 3 Estates in the Middle Ages

  • Clergy - Latin chiefly spoken, those who pray, purpose was to save everyone's soul
  • Nobles - French chiefly spoken, those who fight, purpose was to protect—allow for all to work in peace—and provide justice
  • Commoners - English spoken, those who work, purpose was to feed and clothe all
• Feudalism


  The economic system of much of the Middle Ages (800-1100), where commoners (peasants) lived on a feudal manor and received land to farm in return for protection and taxes/crops to the lord
• Chivalry


  • A product of feudalism, an idealized system of manners and morals restricted to nobility, including loyalty to God, lord, and lady
• Characteristics of Medieval Literature

  • Heroism from both Germanic and Christian traditions, sometimes mingled
  • Presentations of idealized behavior - literature as moral-loyalty to king, Chivalry
  • Romance - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes
  • Christian message - concern with salvation and the world to come, no interest in social change until the late 14th century
• The High Middle Ages saw the writing of music and poetry by authors like Cretien de Troyes, Walter von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Marie de France, including works on Arthur and his knights, the Song of Roland, and the Niebelungenlied.
• During the High Middle Ages, there was a new interest in ancient Greek philosophy, translated into Latin from Arabic, bringing about a focus on philosophy, religion, and science.
• The Late Middle Ages produced great works like Dante's Divine Comedy and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, as well as continued interest in Arthurian legends.
• The Renaissance marked the transition from the medieval to the modern world, with a revival of interest in classical literature and a focus on the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life.
• Humanism

  The key-note of the Renaissance, emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, and the ability to perfect oneself and perform wonders
• Francis Bacon


  • An English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, essayist, and author who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England, and was a philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution
• Three important uses of studies according to Francis Bacon


  • for delight, for ornament, and for ability
• Drama was the highest glory of the English Renaissance, with playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Ben Jonson.
• Christopher Marlowe


  • The most gifted of the "university wits", known for using blank verse in his drama Doctor Faustus
• William Shakespeare


  • His life - born in 1564 in Stratford-on Avon, died in 1616
  • His works - 38 plays, 154 sonnets
• "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones."
• The Restoration Period

  • The clash between the King and Parliament, the Civil War between 1642-1649, the declining of Cromwell's Commonwealth and the compromise with the feudal remnants
• John Milton


  • A revolutionary poet, political both in his life and his art, known for works like Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes
• John Bunyan


  • Author of the religious allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, about the spiritual pilgrimage of Christian
• John Dryden


  • The most distinguished literary figure of the Restoration period, known for his use of the heroic couplet in his writing
• ignatius joseph n estroga
• The Restoration Period


  (17th Century)
• Social background

  • The clash between the King and Parliament
  • The Civil War between 1642-1649
  • Charles I was executed in 1649
  • The declining of Cromwell's Commonwealth and the compromise with the feudal remnants
• John Milton


  A revolutionary poet, political both in his life and his art
• John Bunyan


  The Pilgrim's Progress, a religious allegory, the spiritual pilgrimage of Christian