By Mrs. Lindsey
Content Strong Belief in fate Juxtaposition of Pagan and Christian world Admiration of heroic warriors who prevail in battles Express religious faith and give moral instruction through literature OLD ENGLISH/ANGLO SAXON
Style/Genre Oral tradition Of literature Poetry dominant genre Unique verse form: caesura, alliteration, repetion, four-beat rhythm
Effect Christianity helps literacy to spread Introduces Roman alphabet to Britain Oral tradition helps unite diverse peoples and their myths.
Historical Context Life centered around ancestral tribes or clans that ruled themselves At first the people were warriors from invading outlying areas:Angles, Jutes, Saxons, and Danes. Once settled they became agricultural
Key Literature and Authors Beowulf The Venerable Bede Exeter book
Content Plays that instruct the illiterate masses in moral and religion Chivalric code of honor/romances Religious devotion THE MIDDLE ENGLISH/MEDIEVAL (ROUGHLY)
Styles/Genre Oral tradition continues Folk ballads Mystery and miracle plays Morality plays Kennings Frame stories Moral Tales
Effect Church instructs its people through the morality and miracle plays An illiterate population is able to see and hear the literature
Historical Context Crusades bring the development of a money economy for the first time in Britain Trading increases dramatically as a result of the crusades William the Conqueror crowned king in 1066 Henry II crowned king in 1145 brings a judicial system, royal courts, juries, and chivalry to Britain
Key Literature and Authors Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Geoffrey Chaucer L’ Morte d Arthur
The Elizabethan period: the reign of Queen Elizabeth I The Jacobean Period: the reign of James I, Content World view switches from religion and after life to one stressing the human life on earth Popular theme: development of human potential Love: unrequited, constant, un-constant, timeless, courtly THE RENAISSANCE
Style/Genre Poetry: the sonnet, metaphysical poets-with elaborate and unexpected metaphors called conceits Drama: written in verse, supported by royalty, tragedies, comedies, and histories
Effect Commoners welcomed at some play productions(like ones at the Globe) while conservatives tried to close the theatre on grounds that they promote immoral behavior Not all middle class embraced the meta=physical poets and their abstract conceits
Historical Context War of Roses ends in 1445 and with it political stability Printing press helps stabilize English as a language and allows more people to read a variety of literature Economy to change from farm based to one of international trade
Key literature and authors William Shakespeare Thomas Wyatt Ben Jonson Andrew Marvell John Donne Robert Herrick Christopher Marlowe
The Restoration: The reign of Charles II, and after his restoration to the throne in 1660 following the English Civil War and Cromwell The Age of Enlightenment- the 1700s Content Emphasis on reason and logic Stresses harmony, stability, and wisdom Locke: A social contract exists between the government and the people. The government guaranteeing “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property NEOCLASSICAL
Style/Genre Satire Poetry Essays Letters, diaries, biographies Novels-not really
Effect Emphasis on the individual Belief that humanity is inherently evil Approach to life “the world is as it should be”
Historical Context 50% of males are functionally literate (a dramatic rise) Fenced enclosures of land cause demise of traditional village life Factories begin to spring up as Industrial Revolution begins Impoverished masses begin to grow as farming life declines and factories increase Coffee houses are a place where educated men spend evenings with literary and political associates
Key Literature and Authors Alexander Pope Daniel Defoe Jonathon Swift Samuel Johnson John Bunyan John Milton Aphra Behn The Earl of Rochester
Content Human knowledge consists of impressions and ideas formed in the individual’s mind Introduction of gothic elements and terror/horror stories and novels In nature one can find comfort and peace that man –made urbanized towns and factory environments cannot THE ROMANTIC PERIOD
Style/Genre Poetry Lyrical ballads Novels
Effects Evil attributed to society not to human nature Human beings are basically good Movement of protests: a desire for personal freedom Children seen as hapless victims of poverty and exploitation The common man is celebrated
Historical Context Napoleon rises to power in France and opposes England militarily and economically Gas lamps developed Tory philosophy: The government should NOT interfere with private enterprise Middle class representation in the British parliament Railroads become a form of transportation for supplies and people
Key Literature and Authors Jane Austen Mary Shelley William Blake Samuel Taylor Coleridge Lord Byron John Keats
Content Conflict between the wealthy and powerful and common masses of poor laborers Shocking life of sweatshops and and urban poor is highlighted in literature Country verses city life Sexual discretion or lack thereof Romantic triangles Heroines in physical danger Aristocratic villains Misdirected letters VICTORIAN
Genre/Style Novel rises in popularity and becomes mass produces Bildungsroman Political novels Detective and serialized novels
Effect Literature has finally reached the masses
Key Literature and Authors Joseph Conrad Virginia Woolf T.S. Eliot D.H. Lawrence Dylan Thomas George Orwell William Butler Yeats
Historical Context Paper becomes cheap, so novels and magazines are cheap to mass produce Unprecedented growth of industry and business in Britain Unparalleled dominance of nations, economics and trade abroad-England is the Superpower
Key Literature and Authors Charles Dickens Thomas Hardy Rudyard Kipling Charlotte Bronte Emily Bronte George Eliot Oscar Wilde
Content Scientific and Medical understanding grows exponentially Millions of lives lost to war Women begin to become educated and work outside the home An era marked by genocide THE MODERN PERIOD
Genre/Style Poetry: free verse Epiphanies begin to appear in literature Speeches Memoirs Stream of Consciousness
Historical Context The British Empire loses one million soldiers to WWI Winston Churchill leads Britain through WWII, and the germans bomb England directly The British Colonies demand independence The US begins to take over lead as Superpower The Civil Rights Movement gives Blacks equal treatment under law
Content American Literature blossoms Post colonialist Less people marrying or waiting to marry Masses, including women become educated Science and medicine make huge strides Transportation takes flight Technology explodes: computers, cell phones etc. Instantaneous news and communication POSTMODERNISM 1966-?
Style/Genre Novels Plays Multimedia Online/downloadable text Non linear/fragmented Intertextuality Pastiche
Effect Chaos-disorder embraced
Historical Context The US lose thousands in Vietnam War, and then Desert Storm. America comes under attack by Terrorists Bush begins the war effort called The War on Terror, which is ongoing Women make strides with equal rights in the Workplace Gay marriage is legalized in some states and eventually in all 50 states
Key Literature and Authors Cormac McCarthy Louise Erdrich Jack Kerouac Barbara Kingsolver Khaled Hosseini Allen Ginsberg Charles Bukowski Gloria Anzaldua J.D. Salinger