History of English literature Brief History of English Literature

History of English literature
Brief History of English Literature...!
History of English literature is divided into following period
1.Old or Anglo Saxon literature
2.Middle English literature
3.Elizabethan literature
4.The age of Milton
5.Restoration drama
6.Neoclassicism
7.Romanticism
8.The Victorian period
9.The twentieth century (modern)
10.Post modernism (present)

1. Old English literature: was written from about 600-1100,
   The greatest old English poem called 'Beowulf ' whose
   author is unknown.
   The old English authors, are known by name are
   Cadmon,the author of a short hymn,and Cynewulf' the
   author of four long poems
   2.Middle English literature:(1100-1500)
   Poetry: the most important poet of the time is Geoffrey
   Chaucer, his greatest work is Canterbury tales.
   Drama: The three main types of medieval drama are
   mystery plays,about Bible stories,miracle plays about the
   lives of saints and the miracles the performed and
   morality plays,in which character s personify moral
   qualities such as charity or vice.
   3.Elizabethan literature: Written approximately during the
   time of queen Elizabeth (1558-1603).
   Poetry:
   Edmund Spencer the author of The Faerie Queen's, Walter
   Raleigh,and William Shakespeare.
   Drama:
   Drama is the greatest form written during the Elizabethan
   age.Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of
   all times ,his best works include Hamlet, king
   Lear,Macbeth Othello and merchant of vinice, Marlow six
   plays. Ben Johnson alchemist John donne 1572 -1631
   metaphysical school of poetry
2. The age of Milton
   Milton's paradise lost,
   Robert Herrick famous for beautiful lyrics.
   5.Restoration Drama
   The main form of drama of this period are the heroic
   plays as written by john Dryden,and the comedy of
   manners as written by Richard sheriden and William
   Congreve.
   6.Neoclassicsm:
   The characteristics of neoclassicism are;

1. Poetry should be guided by reason
2. The role of the poet is that of the teacher
3. Poetry should be written according to fixed rules.
4. Poetry should use special diction
   The major representative of this school
   Are john Dryden and Alexander pope.

1. Romanticism
   The main characteristics are

1. Poetry is the expression of personal feelings and
   emotions.
2. Imagination is a main source of poetry
3. Nature in romantic poetry is a living thing,a teacher of
   man,and a healing power Wordsworth' Keats, Byron,
   Shelley and Coleridge

1. The Victorian period.
   It includes second half of the nineteenth century.
   Poetry. Alfred tennyson and Robert Browning are the major
   poets of this period.
   (Novel) the novel was the main literary production of the
   Victorian age
   Charles Dickens, Jane Austen,Emily Bronte,George
   Eliot,Thomas hardy.
   (Drama)
   Oscar wild' s importance of being Earnest.
   9.(20th century)
   As a result of the political changes and the world wars,the
   sense of confidence in Victorian literature is replaced by
   the loss of faith,suffering, and uncertainty that modern
   literature expresses.stylistic experimentation and revolution
   against all literary tradition are the mark of modern
   literature. Some major figures include w.b Yeats, T.S. Eliot
   and W.H Auden in poetry,
   Virginia wolf and James Joyce in the novel, and Samuel
   Becket in drama.
   10.(Post Modernism (C.1945-present)
   A notoriously ambiguous term,specially as it refers to
   literature, post modernism can b seen as response to the
   elitism of high modernism as well as to the horrors of
   world war ll .post modern literature is characterized by a
   disjointed,fragmented pasticcio of high and low culture
   that reflects the absence of tradition and structure in a
   world driven by technology and consumerism,
   Julian Barnes,don't delillo,tony Morrison,Vladimir
   nobokov,Thomas Pynchon and Kurt Vonnegut are modern
   writers.