English literatutre - Authors, history (0)

THE ANGLO- SAXON PERIOD – English literature came when the Angles, the Saxons ,
the Jutes and the Frisians invaded Britain . During this time English was called Anglo-
Saxon or Old English. In the chronicles of Roman history (composed in Latin ) is said that
Britain makes its first appearance in written language when Romans invade the England .
BEOWULF – most important poem , surviving in a 10th - cent manuscript. The historical
period of the poem ’s events can be dated in the 6th to 8th century . Much of the material of
the poem is legendary and paralleled in other Germanic historical-mythological literature in
Norse, Old English, and German .
GEOFFREY CHAUCER (1340- 1400 ) – Politician and writer , fought in France during the
100 years war. He visited Genoa and Florence where he became acquainted with Italian
literature and in particular with the works of Dante , Petrarch and Boccaccio . The French
period (up to 1370). – early works were based mostly on French models. The Italian period
(up to c. 1387 ). Was influenced by Italian literature, especially Dante and Bocaccio . The
English period. – Wrote Canterbury tales .
CANTERBURY TALES This unfinished poem of about 17,000 lines was written mostly
after 1387. The poem introduces a group of pilgrims who are journeying from London to the
shrine of Thomas à Becket at Canterbury. Chaucer originally planned that the work should
contain 120 tales, four for each pilgrim, but at the time of his death he had only written
twenty -four and some of them were not complete . The Prologue. The pilgrims are described
in the General Prologue; together, they represent a wide cross - section of fourteenth-cent.
English life, although the nobility and the poor are missing as they would not have taken part
in this type of group pilgrimage. Why masterpiece : It is written in English in a period when it
was forgone conclusion that all serious writing had to done in Latin or French. It is a
valuable social document as it gives us an insight into a cross-section of 14th-cent.
LITERATURE IN THE MIDDLE AGES. Languages spoken : English, French, Latin. There
was four major dialects, east became the basic dialect because it was spoken in London. By
1476, when William Caxton introduced printing, Old English into New English. Latin was
generally considered to be the language of serious writing. Religious lyrics also made an
appearance at this time. Throughout the Middle Ages ballads, short folk tales that tell stories ,
were very popular . THE RENAISSANCE : The Literary Background 16th century, -
humanism . Thomas More- brought it to England and he was arrested because he refused to
acknowledge Henry VIII as the Head of the Church . Elizabeth’s reign was a period of
unprecedented prosperity, and both the court and the emerging middle class dedicated a lot
of time to art and literature. W. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, E. Spencer 88. . Spenser ’s
belief that poetry should deal with subjects far removed from everyday life and should be
written in refined language – unlike that which was used by common people – became the
basic principle for poetry throughout much of the Elizabethan period. CHRISTOPHER
MARLOWE 1564-1593, born in Canterbury, was working for the government . Also wrote
plays – where he was successful. In the end got stabbed to death.
SHAKESPEARE (1564- 1616 ) – he was an actor , poet , playwright and the best dramatist in
writing. 37 plays, he used many sources for his plays including the classical Greek and Latin
writings. Shakespeare did not publish his plays, two former actors and friends of him did,
after he died. From 1600 to 1608 Shakespeare wrote his great tragedies. These plays have
given world theatre unforgettable characters such as Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and
Macbeth . The comedies that were written in this period no longer have the bright , optimistic
appeal of earlier works. SHAKESPEARE WAS A THEATRICAL GENIUS . Plays for audiences:
The relationship between audiences and performers was very intimate in Elizabethan
theatres. POETRY IN THE PURITAN AGE - John Donne ( 1572 -1631), born in London,
intoa a Roman Catholic family. Throughout this period Donne was tormented by the question
of his religion , in 1593 decided to convert to the Protestant faith. In 1601 he was elected
Member of Parliament . He wrote essays and pamphlets condemning the Church of Rome.
Donne wrote poetry exclusively for personal pleasure. His use, for example, of religious
imagery in love poems and images of physical love in religious poetry shocked his
contemporaries, and his work was not widely appreciated in the 18th and 19th c. His
reputation grew at the beginning of the 20th c, when his passionate, dramatic poetry became
popular again, and it is only since then that he has been widely recognised as one of the great
poets of the English language. JOHN MILTON (1608- 1674 ) – born in London, wealthy
family, smart . Political views : supporter of Cromwell and Parliament. He eventually went
totally blind . Phase I: Early poems and a masque . Phase II: Prose writings. Phase III: Poetic
masterpieces.
Metaphysical poetry Donne was a great literary innovator and is widely considered to be the founder of the metaphysical school of poetry.
The features of Metaphysical poetry are:

• The use of conceits (Figures of speech which draw a comparison between two strikingly different things. Metaphysical poets made wide use of conceits in which the comparison was drawn with subjects from fields such as astronomy, mathematics and geography .): comparison between the objects which at first glance seem to have nothing in common;
  
• The argumentative quality of the love poems, in which the poet tries to persuade his lover to share his point of view;
  
• The dramatic quality of the language, which often seems to be one side of a dialogue between the poet and his lover, or God, or himself ;
  
• The wide range of subjects from which the poet draws his imagery. Metaphysical poets used, for example, the areas of science , travel , medicine, alchemy and philosophy to create original imagery. This is in stark contrast with much of Elizabethan poetry which used the stock imagery of the period (birds, flowers, sun, moon , stars );
  
• The use of wit: wit in the 17th c. referred to the ability to relate dissimilar ideas , and implied intellectual genius. The Metaphysical poets displayed this form of genius in the use of paradoxes, conceits and puns.
  

Thus, Donne’s work was characterised by the use of paradoxes, conceits, epigrams and puns, i.e. striking images that associate dissimilar ideas. Much of the poetry written in the period in which he lived was musical , ornate and respectful : he rejected these standards and wrote poems which were original, striking and irreverent.