1. British Literature

2. Fiction  The 16 th Century  Thomas More and Utopia  Written during the outbreak of the Reformation  More was against King Henry VIII’s decision to leave the Catholic Church  Beheaded by the King  Utopia means “any visionary system of political or social perfection”  Promotes a communal society (alternative to Feudalism)  Exposes the poverty of the laboring classes

3. Reformation  Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife- Catherine of Aragon- for failing to produce a male heir.  Catholic church in Rome rarely granted divorce.  Henry VIII used the fall of the church’s popularity, rise of nationalism, theological/political disputes, and common law to break away from Rome.  “Church of England”

4. Feudalism  17 th Century  Country run based upon: Political, Social, Military  Aristocrats/Nobles in control  Land traded in exchange for protection.  Characterized by: Lords, Vassals, and Fiefs

5. Lords, Fiefs & Vassals  Lords granted land (fief) to their vassals  Vassals- Someone who commits to the monarchy through military support or providing protection in exchange for territory.

6. Fiction  The 17 th Century  John Bunyan and a Pilgrim’s Progress  Pilgrimage- “a religious quest”  John Bunyan wrote about this pilgrimage while in prison  Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into more languages than any other book other than the Bible.  Wrote of the importance of “saving one’s soul”

7. Fiction  The 18 th Century  Daniel Defoe and Robinson Crusoe  Adventure novel  The story of a man deserted on an island  Tries to create his own society on the island  Think of British Imperialism  Jonathon Swift and Gulliver’s Travels  Lemuel Gulliver travels to four fictional islands  Gulliver tries to understand the different societies  Eventually rejects human society  Criticizes both British and European Governments

8. British Imperialism  16 th /17 th Century  Colonies  Trading Posts  British Empire gains global power- covering most territory since the Romans.

9. Fiction  19 th Century – “The Golden Age of the Novel”  Charles Dickens – a “realist” who wrote about the working class  Great Expectations is said to be a book about Dickens’s life  Pip goes from being a laborer to a gentleman (working class to upper class)  A story of growing up and dealing with the social norms (rules) of the times  Female writers, Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters  Jane Austen-  Pride and Prejudice- A story of “love, reputation, and class”  Mrs. Bennet is desperate to see all of her middle-class daughters married to rich husbands. The story follows the sisters Elizabeth and Jane.  Emily and Charlotte Bronte  Also wrote love stories  Notice that these writers focus mainly on the “middle to upper-class”

10. Fiction  20 th Century  Joseph Rudyard Kipling was the first British novelist to win the Nobel Peace Prize  Wrote about colonial life in India (The British Empire)  Believed that British (“white people”) were superior to other cultures  The Jungle Book is the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the Indian Jungle  James Joyce was an Irish writer known for his command of the English language  Dubliners shows the lives of Irish people in the city of Dublin (the capital of Ireland).  Describes with political and religious issues in Ireland  Joyce and Virginia Woolf are known as “stream-of-consciousness” writers

11. Poetry  7 th Century  Beowulf – a reflection of tribal society  Written in “Old English”  14 th Century  Geoffrey Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales  Founder of English literature (the Tales are in “Middle English”)  Most literature was written in French or Latin during this time  Insight into life of people during Middle Ages  Characters are on a pilgrimage (a religious journey)  See characters such as the Knight (soldier), the Merchant, and even the Cook

12. Poetry  17 th Century  John Milton and Paradise Lost  The story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden  Mostly known for his style  Neo-classical- a return to the Greek style of literature  18 th Century  William Wordsworth and Daffodils (video)  Whenever he is sad, the flowers make him happy  We can see Wordsworth’s respect and love for nature  He celebrated the “common man” with simple language  19 th Century  Alfred Tennyson and In Memoriam  Tennyson (and also Robert Browning) is known for the emotion he expresses in his works  In Memoriam covers a period of 3 years and the death of loved ones (friends and relatives)  The poem jumps from grief to joy (shows his style)

13. Poetry  20 th Century  William Butler Yeats and The Second Coming  A famous Irish writer, Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923  Leader of the Irish literary renaissance  The Second Coming describes the end of the world  “Everything as we know it” will be changed  Ireland gaining independence, World War I, etc.  Thomas Stearns Elliot and The Waste Land  Elliot won the Nobel Prize in 1948 (He is one of the most influential writers on the 20 th century)  The Waste Land describes Europe after World War I

14. Drama  William Shakespeare  Now we will see the birth of “Modern English”  Shakespeare was one of the greatest writers who ever lived  Wrote 37 plays  Also known for his poetry  In his plays one can discover “the spirit of the time”  Many of the words we use today originate from Shakespeare's works

15. Romeo and Juliet  Romeo and Juliet  Takes place in Italy  There are two rival families, the Montague and the Capulets  Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet  They fall in love at a party  They plan a secret wedding  Romeo kills Tybalt (a Capulet) in a fight  Juliet drinks a potion to appear dead  Romeo does not know of this and believes she is dead  He kills himself  Juliet awakes and sees Romeo  She kills herself with the dagger  When the two families find the two lovers, they end their disputes (rivalry)

16. Drama  Oscar Wilde and The Importance of Being Earnest  Advocates “art for art’s sake”  This means he was not trying to question society during this time, he simply enjoyed writing plays  He is known for his witty, clever and sharp language  In The Importance of Being Earnest is about two men (Jack and Algernon) who lead double lives and fall in love with multiple women  George Bernard Shaw and Pygmalion  Won the Nobel Prize in 1925  Was a social reformer (contrast to Oscar Wilde)  In Pygmalion a phonetics teacher tries to make a “lady” out of a simple flower girl  Although the girl is lower-class, she is received in upper-class society  The play questions social class and human behavior