British literature
Old English literature (700-1100)
Fiction was influenced by Pagan traditions, magic, Christian ideas, moral values
The masterwork of the time is the epic poem Beowulf. Also the Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were written in that time
Poets Caedmon and Cynewulf wrote fiction based on the Bible
Medieval English literature (1100-1500)
Period follows after the Norman conquest (William the Conqueror's victory at the Battle of Hasting in 1066); during the Norman invasion, English was enriched with French words and grammar
Geoffrey Chaucer
Is considered to be the father of English poetry (he didn't write in Latin); his poetry was realistic, ironic and humoristic
The most famous work:
• the Canterbury Tales
o it is an unfinished collection of comic and moral stories told by a group of pilgrims while travelling to a religious shrine in Canterbury
English renaissance (1500-1600)
It's a period between medieval and modern times
Common forms of literature were: poetic drama, songs, lyrics and ballads
William Shakespeare
Is one of the world's well-known playwrights, he wrote historical plays, comedies and tragedies;
his sonnets are well-known as well earlier plays include histories, comedies and tragedies, for example Richard III, Comedy of Errors and Romeo and Juliet, later his great works came - tragedies, for example Hamlet
Shakespeare's later work (1608-1613) consists of romances and "reconciliation" plays based on fairytale fantasy and miraculous solutions of conflicts, for example, The Winter's Tale
Revolution literature of 17™ century (1600-1700)
John Milton
Supporting the Puritan (English) Revolution, he wrote famous works such as:
• Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained
o both works are philosophical and religious
English literature of 18™ century - classicism (1700-1800)
Fiction of this time uses much more social and political criticism as there was unbelievably huge corruption in the ruling classes
Daniel Defoe
He was a journalist who became famous for his novel
• Robinson Crusoe
o the story about a castaway on a deserted island.
Jonathan Swift
Wrote satirical prose - was especially popular with children for his
• Gulliver Travels
o in part one, the hero comes to the Land of Lilliput where only very tiny people live
o next tells about his life among giants, then Gulliver is faced with the absurd lives of the people of the flying island of Laputa - these pictures symbolized rulers ignoring the everyday lives of their subjects
o in the last part, Gulliver comes to an island where dominated horses and people behaved as animals.
Romantic literature (1780-1832)
A group of poets settled in the Lake District and came to be known as the Romantics of the Lake School, these were: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.
The next generation of Romantic poets were: Lord George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats; they were born at turn of century; their works contain social criticism conveying their deeply felt protest against oppression and hypocrisy.
Walter Scott
He was a romantic prose writer and the founder of the historical novel; his most famous novel
• Ivanhoe
o Is set in the medieval age of knights under the rule of Richard the Lion-heart.
Jane Austen
She was a romantic prose writer and she created the domestic novel dealing with family life.
• Pride and Prejudice
o it shows the resulting conflict and tension between reason and feelings
Victorian literature (1832-1901)
The social novel is the major type of works of this period as it depicts all the various problems of he society
Charles Dickens
He was a representative of critical realism. In his novels he depicted the life of the poor in 19th century.
What made him different from other critical realists was his humour.
• Oliver Twist
o Story about a small boy who grew up in a orphanage. One day he was taken by Mr.Sowerberry and small Oliver would become a gravedigger as his new master. But he wasn't happy so he left this house in secret and he wanted to go to London. In London he joined a group of thieves. One day Oliver was caught and arrested. But Mr.Brownlow who was the man whom they wanted to rob took him to a tutelage. Oliver went back to group and he had to do burglary but Oliver was injured during this action. Madam Maylie found Oliver and she decided that Oliver would stay in her house for a short time. In the end, Mr.Brownlow adopts him.
Oscar Wilde
Became famous through his fairy tales - The Happy Prince, comedies - The Importance of Being Earnest and his only one novel The Picture of Dorian Gray
20™ century literature
George Orwell
Born in India, Orwell was educated in England, and lived even in the poorest parts of London and Paris, which gave him inspiration for his own works.
• Animal Farm
o Is meant to satirize the politics of the Soviet Union
• 1984
o Anti-utopian novel which is considered one of the most fruitful novels of the century
Agatha Christie
Known as the Queen of Detective Fiction.
Christie wrote about 100 detective stories, novels and plays. She gave life to marvellous detectives - Ms Jane Marple, a woman of intuition who knows well both the people and the habits of a small town, and Hercule Poirot, a Belgian-born detective, now retired, speaking bad English.
Her play Mousetrap has been running in London for more than 50 years now.
George Bernard Shaw
A writer and philosopher who promoted a new view of the man and satirized old values and retarded lifestyle. Shaw had an excellent way of expression and the audience were often shocked as they had expected something totally different.
• Pygmalion
o his most famous play, depicts how two different social classes meet and how the two major characters go through major change
o later, a film musical was made based on the play, called My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn.
American literature
Colonial and revolutionary literature (1607-1800)
Popular works of that time especially included historical essays and religious prose and poetry
In the late 18th century, with Independence finally gained, the Founding Fathers, who were mainly philosophers, produced the most important works
in revolutionary America, both prose and poetry had political roles to play; for example, Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography was a famous work of that time
19™ century literature (1800-1900)
Herman Melville
Hugely influenced by his young days spent on the sea; in most of his works there is a struggle
between good and evil; his heroes always seek the truth of life.
• Moby Dick
o A famous symbolic novel about chasing a whale and fight between an obsessed man and an animal
o Captain Ahab's positive and negative sides clash with the negative taking over eventually as the Captain kills Moby Dick (which stands for God or Fate) and sinks with his boat
Mark Twain
His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and he belongs to the most popular American writers ever.
The most famous works are:
• The Adventures of Hucklebery Finn
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
o with depictions of Huck's adventures on the Mississippi and critical insights into American society of that time
Edgar Allan Poe
Is the author of many horror stories and a famous poem called The Raven
20™ Century literature
Ernest Hemingway
One of the most famous 20th century writers, Hemingway brought psychological realism together with symbolism.
Also, he depicted what the Lost Generation felt; for example, his first novel
• From whom the Bell tolls
• The Old Man and the Sea
o This novella is about one cuban old man Santiago. He is a fisherman and he fishes with small boy. One day the small boy didn´t come and Santiago went to the sea alone. He caught very big fish, but this fish was very strong and the old man had to fight with it for a two days. Then he attached it to his boat and he started to think, what he will do with the money which he will get. But the blood from the fish attract sharks and they ate the fish. So Santiago came back only with skeleton of his fish, but everyone knew that he caught very big fish
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