english literature book

english literature book

Exploring the Evolution of English Literature: From Beowulf to Contemporary Works

1. Introduction to English Literature

While theoretical exchanges exist in literature about areas influenced by historical occasions, authors and works are often described as part of a known cultural tradition or in an individual presentation of recognized writing packets. The literature of this themed course starts in the sixth century C.E. and consists of a combination of compositions covering poetry and official documents written by men and women. It spells out a historical framework of how people lived, social order and governance, organized religion, creation and the existence of life, and the waging and resolution of battles in various geographies and times. These attitudes, among many others, can be viewed through the reading of literary works. An example of the significance of these early writings is in the connection of religious teachings, Anglo-Saxon values, and collegiate education through the writings of Aelfthryth. Her writings, in accordance with the orders of bishops, King, and Pope, provided solemn occasions for Edward, who was a founding member of the Oxford community.

Defined as the study of all written works in the English language without regard to the origins of the work, English literature is a reflection of English history and an art form. The study of English literature cuts across a range of political, social, and economic contexts. The writings of authors within a given time period often reveal generalizations about other societies, and these works are continually read to provide a historical perspective and to introduce them to students through various readings. This study requires meaningful dialogue between the text as an artifact and the modern reader as an interpreter of that writing. Moreover, the dialogue itself should develop over time as the engagement of literature with its readers enables interpretive structures.

2. Key Periods and Movements in English Literature

2.2 The Renaissance The word Renaissance means a revival in English and is used to denote the historical defining period in early modern European history. It marked the end of the medieval Europe period and the beginning of the early modern Europe period, as well as the Modern English in the literature of Europe. The literature of the Renaissance was written in such languages as Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, as well as in many romance languages. Not only the work of the creative touch of the classical ages in Europe, but also the Renaissance age is one of culture and learning for its perfection. As well as in every aspect of life, such as art, science, literature, recreational activities, and music. Some of the greatest and most notable texts and literature in European history can be marked as the texts of this Renaissance age. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson, and Spenser were the significant figures in English literature of the Renaissance period.

2.1 Old and Middle English Literature Old English literature, or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses the surviving literature written from the end of Germanic migration in the 5th century until the Conquest of 1066, including just about everything in Old English. During this time, the oldest people living in England, who spoke the English language, wrote and performed everything from poems and riddles to epic poems. The Viking raids of the 9th century led to a decline in Old English literature due to the trials of the time, but after some time, the declining period came to an end and a new form of literature emerged in English society. Middle English literature, the period following the Norman Conquest and proceeding in the late 15th century, refers chiefly to the literature produced in the area that forms present-day England, generally by conscious extensions of the various written standards of Old English.

3. Notable Authors and Their Works

John Milton (1608–1674). One of the greatest English poets of the seventeenth century, Milton received the classical Renaissance education. His most famous work, Paradise Lost, is a high epic that sought to neutralize human suffering. Written in ten “books” (sections), this long poem deals with the Fall of Man and its effects. Milton addresses his audience and “invokes the Muse train,” who helps to justify the ways of God to human beings. His other famous works include Comus and Samson Agonistes, addressing one’s soul by means of self-inspection and a loss of sight, respectively.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Routinely described as the greatest writer the English language has produced, Shakespeare’s work includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and five major poems. He introduced the iambic pentameter into the English language and wrote in the new Modern English. Some of his works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. His sonnets 126 to 154 are to a young man and address the mysteries and uncertainties inherent in relationships.

Sir Thomas More (1478–1535). Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, philosopher, and statesman who harshly criticized the abuses of power by the Catholic Church and proposed a society where goods, women, and children could be communal. He wrote Utopia, an almost perfect place, where no idleness is seen. It was More’s only work in English and an excellent example of Renaissance literature.

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400). Chaucer’s work was the first to use the dialect of the common people and is considered a masterpiece. Considered the Father of English Literature, Chaucer is best known for The Canterbury Tales, a series of stories told by an ensemble of characters on their pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket. Chaucer was the first author to adopt the new “iambic” style, although he didn’t follow all the rules completely.

4. Themes and Symbols Across English Literature

Themes not only add additional layers to the meaning of a poem but also help to create atmosphere. Often this is achieved through the use of symbolism. The use of symbol in Middle English Literature was a very important rhetorical device. To its writers, symbols were the building blocks of content. The ensuing symbolic images appear as if they represent real things, yet the conjured reality grants insight on greater themes and concepts. According to Middle English Literature, the world is a place in which the spiritual hint is honored. Its people are creatures who participate in two realities, the inner communicating with the outer. However, while the ‘true world’ hope to bring about through the use of symbols enforces their realization in others, these are malevolent and deceitful in Middle English works.

Commenting upon the mood and atmosphere, the passing of the seasons and the related transformation of the natural environment into the mirror of the state of mind: “but now the time passes that comes once in the year when all things appear of a new heart and the sun appears with his beaming to comfort man!”

A single work of English literature typically is a source of enjoyment for us. There is likely no other work in the world that considers things as diverse and unrelated as ‘peace’ and ‘war’, life and death, ‘living’ and ‘existing’. To do so in a few lines from a dramatic monologue is no mean feat. Consider the Middle English Alliterative work, “The Parlement of the Thre Ages”: “Miche was hear of the mourments in this lond mannes muchele, the crie of mele, wop and weping, of wemen and other wiste.” Such powerful and expressive language, such use of assonance and alliteration, what effects are achieved here! The rich structure of such poetic elements captivates and engages, as is evident.

5. The Impact of English Literature on Society and Culture

The plays, essays, and well-told tales are the DNA of human life, from which readers draw important lessons that help to shape and personalize their own lives, and to make sense out of the world they live in. By reading and discussing the canon, students can move the inherited wisdom of the ages orchestra and contemplation. What they do is not always admirable, but even the worst actions are transformed into lessons. When explored through the lens of the literature, the social constructs and moral paradigms that humans often follow become ingrained as opportunities for learning and personal development. This became clear to me when I was presented with a plaque inscribed with Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” while visiting a school in England to meet with students who had been discussing themes in English literature.

English literature stands in an envious position. It was the first literature to conquer the globe. Shakespeare’s plays have been performed in countries the Bard did not even know were in existence. Numerous non-native literary writers have used English as their medium of creation. It has a deep reservoir from which scholars and casual readers can draw important lessons about important aspects of society, history, and culture. Society constantly grapples with issues such as the moral compass for dealing with other people, and what kind of principles humans should use for organizing their lives. These questions and the answers society provides are often the focus of works in the literary canon.