english literature examples

english literature examples

Exploring the Impact and Significance of English Literature through Notable Examples

1. Introduction to English Literature and Its Importance

The culturally diverse geographical regions of our world have developed their own patterns of human behavior to cope with the external reality surrounding them and also their own ways of expressing human emotions without a significant change in their original forms. These characteristic forms of expression have come down to us through the ages. Today, these forms have acquired the name of culture, when applied to a particular community or group of people with their characteristic patterns. When these forms are applied to a larger group or to a society in general, they are known as folkways, folk culture or simply, as tradition. Of these forms that are expressions of human personality, the written word occupies a very important place, whether it be through prose or poetry. The many pieces of written work that have come down to us from the past are significant contributions to our modern literature, for it is from these collections that we draw the past confidently into the present and pave the way for future development. The English literature, in particular, has been a great civilizing force in the growth and development of modern society. Its knowledge and understanding are essential for an intelligent awareness of reading, and pleasure derived thereof.

2. Key Literary Movements and Their Influence

An extended age of the middle class with Victorian religious doctrine spread among the common people, prompting further literature development. The author included notable works of Charles Dickens, among other writers. Through the exploration of basic economic and political concerns and prevailing social unrest, the English tradition of literary development and supremacy continued on a dramatic trajectory. Be it the waves of industrialization, or the continuing economic difficulties post both the two World Wars, English literature has expertly voiced the dilemmas and confusions experienced by an ever-evolving society. Note that Orwell initially expressed his ire for society and the moral stance of individuals via novels that addressed the subtle manipulation of reality at the hands of the dictatorial rule. Subsequently, as moral values – established and codified as an outcome of an earlier literary plethora, came up for public discussion, the subject of sexuality and gender disparities took center stage. This development has notably been articulated by female authors such as Margaret Atwood, whose works underscore the powerlessness of the woman over her own body. Such a deep connection between disquiet in society and corresponding literary development has given English literature a somewhat disproportionate influence over European social and cultural sensibilities. This influence continues to grow, reaching even the remotest parts of the world.

Much attention has historically been focused on understanding Romanticism as a literary movement that stemmed from a desire to explore and express various aspects of human nature, such as experience, freedom, metaphysical apprehensions, superstition, and collected poems. This literary movement has had a significant effect on the English literature tradition, predominantly informing a body of literature that developed during the 18th century. This period also gave rise to philosophical, critical, and historical voices, including those of Edmund Burke, the Father of Conservative Thought, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and the first historian of the world of nations, Edward Gibbon. Their collective contributions went a long way in establishing a definitive voice for the English National Character. The English literature of this age was reflective of the political and economic strain of the time, particularly when presented alongside industrial developments and the resulting social unrest. The early 19th century experienced numerous realistic-historical trends in literature. Collectively known as the Romantics, these authors were influential to the enduring status of English literature.

3. Notable English Literary Works and Their Themes

The work of Thomas More in Utopia, Sir Philip Sidney in ‘The Old Arcadia’, or Richard Hooker in ‘The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity’ is not so widely read these days; but it should be, because it is not only instructive, but it gives us an insight into the life and aspirations of the people of whose efforts our own day and surroundings are born. The sub-theme of most of these post-Elizabethan plays is love; but poetry doesn’t only affect our emotions; it provides us with some most beautiful expressions of logical thought. Its significance in today’s world is not limited to one small aspect of human expression. The fundamental problems which face the poet in Elizabethan times face many poets in our own day. They are, nevertheless, written and the chapters are closed; they stand as monuments to our common experience, to our loves and to our hopes, even if we should, as a society, ignore or neglect them.

Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ provides the reader with a poignant picture of life in the days of the changes in the feudal system, and also an insight into human nature which is always instructive. The stories have been used widely over the years and Chaucer has earned the place of the “father” of English letters for his efforts. Shakespeare is the man who, many feel, helps to humanize a large part of the English-speaking world as we know it. During the reign of Elizabeth I, many playwrights and writers touched on romantic and domestic themes, which is somewhat surprising considering that good Queen Bess had adopted many feminine wiles in order to control the power which the government entertained. Her efforts are revealed in many of the passages in the works of certain playwrights and writers.

4. Analysis of Iconic Characters and Their Symbolism

Man, myth or fictional, the challenge of the vampire-o-morph had been supremacy over the other half-entities. This supremacy is established beyond the shadow of a philosophical doubt, by nourishing from the other half-entities, albeit for understandable, but historically unwarranted reasons – for gaining strength, for sadly also feeling pleasure, and for finally ensuring both supremacy and existence. Ultimately, and for matters transcending the issue of which blood that was (and is) shed either in the red or in the blue, the vampire-o-morph might actually be the serious outsider in the family. It is apparent, however, with the symbolic more than adequate bite of the original vampire on the shoulders of the EEC that even nine fully realized jackets would fail in protecting a determined President.

Iconic characters are like magnets that draw readers closer to a book. But some characters become iconic precisely because they are a driving force or represent an entire notion or problem under the sun. This is evident from the variety of symbols that are associated with iconic characters out there in popular culture and academia. A prime example is the original idea of the vampire and the morphing of the vampires, its variants, and their resulting characteristics and respective conduct resulting in the final vampire-o-morph. First born in the 17th century tales or in the 18th century poem to find its roots in the 19th century novel, the ex-demonic specter, turned from a risen corpse from the grave to a resurrected brain as the ultimate ultimate-ness of a greater than man entity.

5. Conclusion: The Enduring Relevance of English Literature

Much literature contains great beauty and the imaginations of the writers of literature often present valuable ideals and types, shown in the new states they create and characters they present responses to these ideals. Literature has much to teach about many facets of human concerns. In their eagerness to teach readers about some particular social, psychological, or personal problems, the teachers of English are sometimes forgetful that their principal responsibility is to help the students, all kinds of young people, to learn to engage with the situations and characters presented by the books they will come to love. The classics are of permanent human concerns and reflect a broader range of human experience than we and our students are capable of finding in any other work.

Historic English literature and criticism have much to offer us. It expresses and affects many spheres of human existence; its study is undoubtedly valuable to all. Few would make or wish their children to make, as Winston Churchill described it, the raising of appearance or the sale of goods the supreme core of our ambition. In studying great literature, we can faithfully touch reality no less than by studying the physical life of people. A limitation of our own sympathies always enables people of other times and classes, customs, habits, and their modified motives and actions, which are far different from our own. The knowledge and acceptance of these differences may lead to a greater ability to study movement and to help bring a better understanding of others and hence to greater social responsibility.