Timeline of British Literature

Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 Strong belief in fate Juxtaposition of the church and pagan worlds Admiration of heroic warriors who prevail in battle Express religious faith and give moral instruction through literature

Anglo-Saxon Period Christianity helps literacy spread Introduces Roman alphabet to Britain Oral tradition helps unite diverse people and their myths Styles / Genres Oral tradition of literature Poetry is the dominant genre

Anglo-Saxon Period Historical Context Life centered around ancestral tribes/clans that ruled themselves At first, tribes/clans were warriors from invading outlying areas Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Danes Later, they became primarily agricultural

Medieval Period 1066-1485 Plays that instruct the illiterate masses in morals and religion “Morality Plays” Chivalric code of honor Knights, their ladies fair Religious devotion Romances

Medieval Period Style / Genre Oral tradition continues Folk Ballads A song that is traditionally sung by the common people of a region and forms part of their culture

Medieval Period Mystery plays Miracle plays Morality Plays Focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches Miracle plays Specifically re-enact miraculous interventions by the saints into the lives of ordinary people Morality Plays A kind of drama with personified abstract qualities (think: sin, charity, Christian) as the main characters. Presented a lesson about good conduct and character.

Medieval Period Stock epithets Kenning Any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality Ex: Richard the Lion-Hearted Kenning A poetic phrase used in place of the usual name of a person or thing Ex: “A wave traveler” for “A boat”

Medieval Period Church instructs its people through the morality and miracle plays An illiterate population is able to hear and see the literature

Medieval Period The Crusades bring the development of a money economy for the first time in Britain Trading increases dramatically Henry III crowned king in 1154 Brings a judicial system, royal courts, juries, and chivalry to Britain

The Renaissance 1485-1660 Worldview shifts from religion and afterlife to the human life on earth Popular Themes Development of human potential Love (unrequited, constant, timeless, courtly, Love subject to change)

The Renaissance Styles / Genres Poetry Drama Metaphysical poetry Sonnets Drama Written in verse Supported by royalty Tragedies, comedies, histories Metaphysical poetry Elaborate, unexpected metaphors called “conceits”

The Renaissance Historical Context War of Roses ends in 1485 and political stability arrives The printing press helps stabilize English as a language and allows more people to read a variety of literature Economy changes from farm-based to international trade

The Restoration 1660-1785 1660-1700: emphasis on decorum 1700-1745: emphasis on satire and on a wide public readership 1745-1785: emphasis on revolutionary ideas Literacy has expanded to include the middle classes and even some of the poor Emphasis on rules, reason, and logic The Age of Enlightenment

The Restoration Styles / Genre Satire Uses irony and exaggeration to poke fun at human faults and foolishness in order to correct human behavior Novels becoming better known than poetry Essays Letters, diaries, biographies Notes

The Restoration Historical Context 50% of men are functionally literate Factories begin to spring up as the industrial revolution starts Impoverished masses begin to grow as farming life declines and factories build Coffee houses: educated men spend evening with literary and political associates

Romanticism 1785-1830 A literary, artistic, and intellectual movement Partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution It was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of Enlightenment Celebrated emotion, spontaneity, imagination, subjectivity, and the purity of nature

Romanticism Validated intense emotion as an authentic source of experience New emphasis on Apprehension Horror and terror Awe Romantics wanted to escape the confines of population growth, urban sprawl, and industrialism

Romanticism Historical Context The Industrial Revolution Laissez Faire “Let (people) do (as they please)” The rich grew richer, the poor suffered even more

Realism /Naturalism 1830-1901 Realism Aimed for an honest portrayal over sensationalism, exaggeration, or melodrama Desired an accurate and detailed portrayal of ordinary, contemporary life

Realism /Naturalism Naturalism An offshoot of the realism movement An intensification of realism Used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character

Realism /Naturalism The novel begins to rise in popularity Historical context Great Reform Act Slavery banned in British colonies Irish potato famine Ten Hour Act

Modern/Post-Modern 1900-1980 The loss of the hero in literature Major theme: technology’s destruction of society Free verse poetry Novelists begin writing in “stream of consciousness”

Modern/Post-Modern Increasing role of science and technology Mass literacy and proliferation of mass media Spread of social movements Individualism Industrialization Urbanization

Modern/Post-Modern Historical Context World War I World War II