english literature university

english literature university

The Evolution and Impact of English Literature: A Comprehensive Study

1. Introduction to English Literature

We have literature in all the world languages, but English literature has its uniqueness. The things happening in England and other parts of the world, and their emotions, are better recorded compared to other languages, which made it happen. English literature is possessed by English people with high interest and thoughts, so it has become great day by day, developing from the era of Shakespeare, Chaucer, moving towards humanism, romanticism, contemporary English literature, and the present. The cosmopolitanism, aggressive tradition, and history-related advantage have made English literature most favorable. Through the study of English literature, we enhance knowledge, experiment with new beliefs, and learn the traditions required to deal with the inner society.

The importance of English literature has been increasing with every rising sun. As now, all want prominence in society, the best way to achieve it is through the study of literature. Through literature, one can learn how to manage society in a better way, how to maintain friendships, and how to minimize occasions of conflict or enmity. When we compare English literature and English language, we find that English literature is nothing but English language itself. Language is the medium of communication. Language works both as a communicator and messenger to society, having rules and expressions.

2. Key Movements and Periods in English Literature

The usual division of English literature into Anglo-Saxon literature, Middle English, and Modern English does not take into account that the Norman Conquest of 1066 was successful for only one of the three elements which have formed the national pride and strength of English people.

The news story of today might refer to England, Scotland, or Wales; contain Welsh or Gaelic names; or allude to social customs which probably originated before England was an independent nation. The ambitious playwright, novelist, or poet thus sets himself a difficult task. He must put himself in the place and the times of his characters, and, further, adapt their language to his artistic needs. For never in the history of English literature since 1066 has the language changed more rapidly than during the last 100 years.

Age of Chaucer The Renaissance and after Elizabethan Age Post-Elizabeth Restoration 18th Century The Romantic Age, 1797-1837 The Victorian Age, 1850-1900 Into the 20th Century The Imagiste School

3. Influential Authors and Works

Other important authors include the following. Geoffrey Chaucer, born in London in 1343, is another famous poet. His masterwork, The Canterbury Tales, is one of the most important works in English literature. The poem is generally accepted as a moment and the most important work in Middle English. Some of the other poets are John Milton and Edmund Spencer. Furthermore, Chaucer wrote in verse, which stressed the rhythms rather than the number of beats-per-line. Radical in its day, this style began a turn in English literature towards modern English, emphasizing the split between the language containing a rhythm and the language tied to the beat. Although representing major changes in the face of English literature, Shakespeare maintained the typical style of English literature, which is characterized by characters in the form of groupings to highlight a singular story within the way of life.

The most important author in English literature is William Shakespeare, undoubtedly. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and died in 1616. He wrote at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and a number of longer poems. His work falls in the field of drama and poetry. Drama includes those plays, which can be performed on stage. Shakespeare wrote not only great tragedies but also famous comedies such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. His plays are marked by fascinating characters, rich poetry, imaginative plots, and his keen understanding of human nature. His vivid language contains many expressions that are still in use today. William Shakespeare is universally acknowledged as the greatest playwright and poet in the English language. Of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan contemporaries, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and John Donne are noteworthy.

4. Themes and Motifs in English Literature

In truth, the roots of concern identified early in the Roman de la Rose grow in diverse profusion, and can yield variously to scrutiny, sympathetic understanding, satire, allegory or sheer jest. For inevitably, the flowering out of the ingrained preoccupation has many diverse shapes of literary sustenance. Eminent critic or ingenuous creator is not as restricted as the potter makes his clay. Language defies the tidy categorization of mere thought. It shapes literary forms to match the aspiration of the age. The ease of explication through the humble image often marries a greater depth or a more intense expression. Only through study will such oppositions reveal an attribute of the complex and problematic unity that is a hallmark of English literature.

From Beowulf to the newest avant-garde poems, English poetry has grown to astounding variety. Within these volumes can be found a far larger range of personal and public themes in as many forms. Here and there, couples wishing their tale could be more subtly presented, as in the riddle-constructed verse, showing “though you cannot see me, you yet feel me”. Language specializes as eminently as expression that couples feeling with meaning. While form most familiar draws on use, examples of both are many and various. Many studies can remind, amuse and instruct us with a terza rima composed to list all months or a ballad portraying the unity of three in a complex poetic canon.

5. The Global Influence of English Literature

The results of these brief comments show that we have a situation where a nation has used its literature to exert the greatest influence in the history of the world. In addition, never was a single nation’s literature so widely disseminated over the whole surface of the earth. The British Empire of the past, together with the United States, has initiated a task they can be proud of having brought to fruition.

From a determination of the racial composition of the population of the world, few realize that Great Britain, essentially English-speaking, and the United States have a population barely exceeding a hundred million, less than five percent of the world’s population. As far as the language itself is concerned, today the population speaking English as its mother tongue has been estimated to be approximately one hundred and fifteen or one hundred and twenty million. The number of English-speaking people is almost seven times this figure.

Politically, since the close of World War II, Great Britain and the English-speaking peoples have achieved an amassing supremacy in the destinies of mankind. In ancient times, Greek civilization had the same influence, but on the other hand, nobody knew that Chinese civilization existed.

English literature, as has been pointed out earlier, has implications for some other literatures. In its initial stages, the literature of the English language attracted not a little attention. Considering that up to the beginning of the sixteenth century, the number of people speaking English probably did not exceed five million, it must be admitted that English literature has had a vast influence on all other literatures.