BRITISH LITERATURE English 12

Course Description In this course, students will read, comprehend, and analyze the development of British literature; students will learn about the characteristics, major works, and contributing authors of each literary period and understand how political, social, and economic events were reflected in the literature of the time; students will develop critical thinking, close reading, and rhetorical strategies in order to communicate their ideas in clear, organized, writing; students will prepare for life after high school by completing college applications, and writing personal statements, resumes, and cover letters.

Units of Study ➢ Unit 1 – Research and Writer’s Workshop ➢ Unit 2 – Anglo-Saxon and Medieval ➢ Unit 3 – Renaissance ➢ Unit 4 – 17 th and 18 th Centuries ➢ Unit 5 – Romantic ➢ Unit 6 – Victorian ➢ Unit 7 - Modern and Postmodern

Why Study British Literature? Because......language is our greatest tool. It provides us the power to communicate, create, destroy, bind, liberate. We should know where it started, how and why it has changed over time, and how it continues to evolve....the modern view of our world is too narrow. Experiencing literature from different time periods and perspectives can give us insight into modern problems through a historical lens helping us to understand our progress and regress.

Enduring Understandings  The hero’s journey in Anglo Saxon literature is an archetype for future epics.  The foundation of the Anglo Saxon society can be found in the epic writings of Anglo Saxon literature.  Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales displayed the social and religious aspects of the Middle Ages.  Allegories inspire moral teachings not only for the Middle Ages, but also for future. generations.

Throughout the study of British Literature, we’ll experience... …The heroes of old, monsters and treasure, glorious kings and knights Damsels in distress …Unutterable dread and glorious joy, poets that speak to man’s darkest hours, poets that celebrate the surreal beauty of life …The growth and fall of empires, the span of the English language, oppressive, futuristic dystopias, rage against the machine …Political intrigue, deceit and murder, gluttony and greed, heroes of the people, the plight of the poor

Anglo-Saxon Period

Essential Questions  What kind of English did the Anglo-Saxons speak?  What common themes appear in Anglo- Saxon literature?  How are the social, political, and economic events of the time reflected in texts from the Anglo-Saxon period?  How does literature characteristic of the oral tradition differ from the literature of today?

Language of the Period The time period of about AD in British history was characterized by foreign invasions and internal struggles. This resulted in the mixing of several races, tongues, cultures, and religions. The language of this whole period ( ) is known as Old English. No exact date exists for its beginning. The first written records of the language date from around 690 AD (however, people had spoken it long before then). Most Old English words were Germanic, having come from the languages of the Angles, Jutes and Saxons. Latin, however, also had a strong influence on early English. Later, the Scandinavians (Vikings) contributed many words to Old English. By the end of the Old English period (marked by the Norman conquest), Old English had been established as a literary language with a remarkable polish and versatility.

The Evolution of the English Language Old, Middle, and Modern English 1 Old English or Anglo-Saxon (circa CE) 2 Middle English (circa AD) 3 Modern English (from about the time of Shakespeare) 4 Modern English (present day)

Major Works of the Anglo- Saxon Period Some examples of Anglo-Saxon poetry are The Seafarer, The Wanderer, The Wife’s Lament, and the epic poem, Beowulf.

Beowulf ➢ A long poem of over 3,000 lines ➢ The first piece of English literary work ➢ The national epic of the English people

Anglo-Saxon – Literary Devices ➢ Caesuras – rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines where the reciter could pause for a breath ➢ Kennings- two word poetic renamings of people, places, and things, such as whale’s home for the sea ➢ Alliteration- the repetition of initial consonant sounds ➢ Assonance- the repetition of vowel sounds in unrhymed stressed syllables ➢ Elegy- solemn, formal poem about death

Medieval Period

Essential Questions ➢ How is Medieval romance different from what we commonly think about “romance”? ➢ How does medieval literature reflect the social structure of the period? ➢ How are the social, political and economic events of the time reflected in texts from the Medieval period?

Medieval Period In European history, the Middle Ages, or Medieval period, lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.

Major Works of the Medieval Period ➢ The Canterbury Tales ➢ Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ➢ Adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer ➢ Born sometime between ➢ His family was well off, though not nobility ➢ One of the first to write in vernacular English rather than in French or Latin ➢ Considered by many to be the greatest English writer before Shakespeare. ➢ Most famous book: The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales ➢ Chaucer’s most famous book ● He himself is a character in the book as a short, plump, slightly foolish pilgrim who commands no great respect ➢ This book was still unfinished when he died ➢ Type: Fiction ➢ Format: Collection of stories within a frame story

The Time Period ➢ Medieval period (Middle English) ➢ At least once in their lifetime, people made a pilgrimage (religious journey) to the shrine of St. Thomas á Becket in the city of Canterbury ● Becket had been the archbishop of Canterbury ● He was murdered in his own cathedral ➢ Chaucer uses this idea of a pilgrimage to help form his frame story.

Canterbury Cathedral

The Story Frame ➢ Group of travelers (pilgrims) ➢ Gather at Tabard Inn (outside of London, approx. 70 miles from Canterbury) ➢ Harry Bailey, the innkeeper/host suggests a storytelling competition to pass the time while traveling ● Each person will tell two stories each way ¼ completed before Chaucer died 30 people x 4 stories per person 120 stories

Medieval Romance Medieval romances are adventure stories that feature kings, knights, and damsels in distress that tell of quests, battles, and doomed love. They often contain elements of fantasy, supernatural events, heroic figures, contests.

Nobles developed a code of conduct called chivalry. According to the Song of Roland, knights were expected: To fear God and maintain His Church To serve the liege lord in valour and faith To protect the weak and defenceless To give succor (aid) to widows and orphans To refrain from the wanton giving of offence To live by honour and for glory To despise pecuniary (monetary) reward To fight for the welfare of all To obey those placed in authority To guard the honour of fellow knights To eschew (avoid) unfairness, meanness and deceit To keep faith At all times to speak the truth To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun To respect the honour of women Never to refuse a challenge from an equal Never to turn the back upon a foe

Renaissance Period Essential Questions ➢ What does Renaissance mean? ➢ What major changes to society, thinking, and art did this period usher in? ➢ What were the major works of the Renaissance period? ➢ Who were the major authors of the Renaissance period? ➢ How did Shakespeare contribute to the development of the English language and to literature? ➢ How did the sonnet develop as a prominent poetic form? ➢ How did the monarchy influence literature? ➢ How did Middle English evolve into Early Modern English? ➢ Why are the subjects of love, death, and nature so prevalent in Renaissance poetry and drama? ➢ How is drama different from fictional prose?

Historical Background The word Renniassance comes from the French word that means “re-birth.” This references a cultural re-birth that began in Italy and spread to England. Over half of England’s population was decimated by the plague. Printing presses were invented. The major religion of time was split into three factions. There were major advances in science, art, literature, philosophy, and world exploration. It was an age of discovery, and doubt, and questioning, and challenges to old ways of thinking about the universe and mankind’s place in it.

Major Works of the Renaissance Period ➢ The Fairie Queen by Edmund Spenser ➢ Death Be Not Proud by John Donne ➢ Paradise Lost by John Milton ➢ Song to Celia by Ben Johnson ➢ The Passionate Shepard to His Love by Christopher Marlowe ➢ The Collected Works of William Shakespeare ➢ The King James Bible

17 th and 18 th Centuries ➢ How does the author create meaning in fiction and in poetry? ➢ How do the structure and elements of nonfiction support understanding of those texts? ➢ How do writers use diction, imagery, and tone (especially a humorous or an ironic tone) to reveal important political, social, and cultural attitudes? ➢ Why is satire so prevalent during this period? ➢ What cultural influences led to the development of the novel as a literary form? ➢ How can the knowledge of an author’s purpose create a deeper understanding of a text? ➢ How can the author’s choice of words advance the theme or purpose of the work?

Romantic Period ➢ How did the spread of the British Empire impact the English language? ➢ How did the Age of Revolution and spread of Romanticism affect literature? ➢ How did the rise of industrialism impact literature? ➢ How did Romanticism influence the arts? ➢ How have the poetic styles and forms changed over time in British literature? How are significant political, social, and cultural attitudes of the time reflected in the literature? ➢ What cultural influences contributed to the development of the novel as a literary form? ➢ How is “romantic“ in reference to this literary period different in meaning from “romance” in Medieval literature, and from our common understanding of the word “romantic” today? ➢ What characterizes works of British Romanticism?

Literary Characteristics of the Romantic Period ➢ The most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England ➢ A long composition describing the life and adventures of a noble hero ➢ Central character – the knight ➢ Theme – loyalty to king and his lord

Major Works of the Romantic Period Adventure of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Victorian Period ➢ How did Victorian reserve impact use of language? ➢ How did the spread of reform and imperialism impact literature? ➢ How did psychology, realism, and naturalism impact literature? ➢ How did the influx of women writers impact the development of literature? ➢ What characterizes Victorian literature? ➢ How do writers of poetry, fiction, and/or drama reveal important political, social, and cultural ideas and issues of the Victorian era? ➢ How are poetry, drama, and novels from the Victorian era similar to and different from these genres in earlier periods?

Modern and Post Modern ➢ How did the World Wars impact literature? ➢ How does British English differ from American English? ➢ How did concepts of modernism and postmodernism develop? ➢ How did the waning of the British Empire affect literature? ➢ How do Modern and Postmodern texts break with tradition? ➢ What characterizes Modernism and/or Modernity? What characterizes Postmodernism? ➢ Why so we see so much experimentation in Modern and Postmodern literary works? ➢ How can an author manipulate facts and details to relate a particular version of the truth in a text? ➢ What is intertextuality and why is it important? How has technology affected modern and postmodern texts?