“The History of English Literature”

Hello everybody J! I thought I'd start the blog off by giving you a short overview of the British Literature’s Periodization.

The term “English Literature” includes written works produced in the English language by inhabitants of the British Isles (including Ireland). So, yes, it means that creations from the U.S.A., Canada, Australia and New Zealand are excluded. It encompasses works written from the 7th century to the present time.

Basically, we could divide English literature into seven periods:

·       Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066),

·       The Middle English Period -  also known as Medieval Period (1066-1485),

·       The Renaissance (1485-1660),

·       The Neoclassical Period (1660-1798),

·       The Romantic Period (1798-1832),

·       The Victorian Period (1832-1901),

·       The Modern Period (1901 – present day).

During the Anglo-Saxon Period the oral tradition was very important. A large number of the first works were praising brave warriors or gods. Some of them were transcribed (Latin alphabet was brought by the Christian missionaries). One of the oldest examples is an anonymous epic poem “Beowulf”. It tells a story of the title character – great hero who defeated a monster, became a king and was fatally wounded in the battle with a dragon (which Beowulf, obviously, won). Literature from this period was characterised by strong belief in fate. It often expressed religious fate and gave moral instructions. Due to the Roman’s influence the old ideal - the warrior -  was replaced by a new ideal, the saint.

Catholicism had a huge impact on the literature of The Middle English Period. Many of the authors were Clerics. A large part the works were basically religious and primarily didactic in nature. The majority of the Medieval English Literature was anonymous. Most of the texts were produced in Latin, despite the fact that only small percentage of the population could understand it. It was essentially an oral literature. Significant of works from that period are "The Ancrene Riwle" "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Le Morte d'Arthur".

The  Renaissance was the period of the Elizabethan theatre, the Protestant Reformation, and the invention of the printing press. Its literature of the was characterised by a tendency toward humanistic ideas (such as the dignity of man) and nonreligious, topics. Its most important genres were poetry (sonnets and metaphysical poetry) and drama. Some of the key works of that time are: William Shakespeare’s plays (such as "Macbeth" and "Romeo and Juliet"),  Thomas Wyatt’s sonnets and Christopher Marlowe’s tragedy "Tamburlaine the Great".

After The Renaissance came The Neoclassical Period. Literature became increasingly popular during this time as a result of many people sharing the literature with others. The culture of ancient Greece and Rome strongly influenced this period - many English writers tried to imitate their style. Harmony, stability and wisdom were stressed. Society was driven by logic and reason. Main genres of this period were satire, poetry, novels and essays.  Some of the important written works of the period were: Jonathan Swift’s "Gulliver's Travels", Alexander Pope’s poem "The Rape of the Lock", Samuel Johnson’s  " Dictionary of the English Language" and Daniel Defoe’s "Robinson Crusoe".

During the Romantic Period poets were seen as individuals, distinguished from their fellows. It was the time of protests - the society began to desire for personal freedom. In those times writers were more concentrated on their feelings not their minds. This period has introduced Gothic elements to the English literature. Key Romanticism Novelists were Jane Austen ("Sense and Sensibility ", "Mansfield Park", "Emma") and Mary Shelley ("Frankenstein"). Important Poets were i.e. Robert Burns ("A Red, Red Rose", "To a Mouse"), William Wordsworth ("Daffodils", "The World Is Too Much With Us"), William Blake ("Songs of Innocence", "Songs of Experience ")

The Victorian Period is probably one of the most notorious periods in English history. It has been an inspiration to several films and TV series  (just to name a few - "Penny Dreadful ","Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Sherlock Holmes"). Writers such as Bronte sisters still sell robustly on best-selling books lists. The Victorian Period was the era of the unprecedented growth of industry. Paper has cheapened which enabled poorer people to reach the literature. The class conflict was a popular theme then. The shocking life of “sweat factories” (workplace with socially unacceptable working conditions) and urban poor was highlighted in literature to inspire on reform. It is clearly visible in the works of Charles Dickens. "Oliver Twist" is a shocking story about an orphan forced to lie and steal in order to survive.  The main character of another novel, "A Christmas Carol", is an old miser – a man blinded by his money. In this novella "Tiny Tim" is a representative of the impoverished. That sick boy takes a  large part in Scrooge's change – makes him see what is really important in life. Without the men’s help Tim would have died. Another significant authors of the Victorian Period were Oscar Wilde ("The Picture of Dorian Gray"), Thomas Hardy ("Far from the Madding Crowd") and Lewis Carroll ("Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland").

The Modern Period includes the most recent works. It’s a very diverse era, full of dramatic changes. Modernist literature was a mainly English genre of fiction writing. At the time of the first half of the 20th century English society was strongly influenced by WWI and WWII. The terrifying events made many people question the future of humanity. At that time Virginia Woolf wrote such novels as well-known "Mrs Dalloway" (a story of high-society woman throwing a party in post–First World War England) or "To the Lighthouse". During this period J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his outstanding novels ("The Hobbit or There and Back Again" and "The Lord of the Rings") and C.S. Lewis published "The Chronicles of Narnia". Another important historical event of that times was the colonies’ demand for independence. With the rapid development of technology, the British literature also began to change – becoming more adjusted to the widening the group of addressees. Some of the other key modernism authors are James Joyce ("Ulysses"), George Orwell ("Animal Farm") and T. S. Eliot  ("The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock")

+ If you are more of a visualizer I’ve found an amazing timeline containing all literary periods & history. Enjoy ;)

Bibliography

·       http://gridirongrammar.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/8/3/22833318/intro_to_british_lit.pdf

·       https://www.britannica.com/art/English-literature

·       http://www.online-literature.com/periods/

·       https://www.slideshare.net/jeaguirre/timeline-and-characteristics-of-british-literature-5512725

·       http://britlitbernie2012.wikia.com/wiki/BritLitBernie2012_Wiki

·       https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-major-characteristics-of-middle-English-period

·       https://www.reference.com/art-literature/

·       https://www.reference.com/history/