famous writers in english literature

famous writers in english literature

Exploring the Contributions of Famous Writers in English Literature

1. Introduction to English Literature and its Significance

This contribution, after revising literature, its meaning, its relationship with the literary canon, and also its significance in the English-teaching and learning curriculum, gives an introduction to the lives, works, and influence of some famous writers who have made significant contributions to English literature. The major aim is to facilitate the understanding of part of world history, belief, cultures, and societies using their texts by sharing with students the lives and works of, for example, Ferrante, W. Shakespeare, J. Austen, W. Scott, C. Bronte, A. Trollope, J. Buchan, G. H. James, S. Maugham, and G. Orwell. By doing so, readers will learn about highly relevant periods during the English history and important facts about geography, philosophy, language, and the role of women in such societies. Life was quite different then not only for the upper but also the lower classes.

Western literature from the sixteenth century to modern times is studied by almost everyone in English departments. While many students and scholars go on to learn about literature from other parts of the world, it is a beginning and required course for almost all students at almost all western universities. Knowledge of the conventions, the themes, and the relationship with literary trends of cultures are important because they are generally used to convey the tradition, the customs, the political and social movements of other countries and societies. Therefore, literature is an essential tool which promotes interest, understanding, and respect among people of different cultural backgrounds.

Literature plays a fundamental role in the education and ennoblement of the human race, inspiring faith in man’s nobler life and lifting the processes of life by its administration of ideals. The capacity of literature to communicate experience subtly and symbolically is a major reason for the influence on the human mind. Literature influences each individual differently as it depends on the method employed during reading. Hence, this study emphasizes the significance of literature.

2. Key Periods and Movements in English Literature

The fourth period is known as the Restoration Age, spanning the years 1660 to 1700. This period was a spectacular time for prose writings, with great works of poetry and drama. It is also the age of Dryden, in which sober classical principles are the chief incentives. Additionally, in English literature, this period reaffirms the Puritan era.

The third main period is known as the English Renaissance. During this period, English literature developed and changed radically. Nearly all literature, both public and private, was created and distributed through manuscripts. Printed literature was still in its adolescence at the start of this period.

The next period of English literature is the Middle English period, which lasts about 300 years. This period extends from 1150 to the end of the fifteenth century. The most famous work of Middle English literature is the Canterbury Tales, composed by Geoffrey Chaucer. It is considered one of the great works of English literature. This collection of tales is still the most widely-known medieval literary work today.

To retrieve the historical and mythological old times and bring them to life, the writings during the Anglo-Saxon period earned a great reputation. Literature is a term commonly used to refer to works of creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and song. English literature has developed over fifteen centuries. The first period is the Old English Period or the Anglo-Saxon period, which spans about seven centuries and ends with William the Conqueror’s Norman Conquest of England in 1052. The written works of this period are in Old English and are considered some of the best old writings.

3. Notable Writers and Their Works

John Dryden was the great poet, dramatist, and critic of English literature. His keen insight into the social ways and his radical thinking helped him in casting a new world of independent literature. His political and social contributions are precious. His “An Essay on Dramatic Poesie” shows his new way of approach to the world of literature. Henry Fielding was an avant-garde and revolution-minded poet. His notable contribution is The Historical Novel. The novel marks a turning point in English literature. It is a dynamic and satirical work that holds a unique position in the history of English literature. Samuel Johnson could sense a wind of change and proved that a great literary success arises when literature is not solely ethics bound. He was the first lexicographic masterpiece in English literature who carried out his Dictionary project type activities. He is also the first author to achieve commercial success and popularize English columns. He has enormous insight for moral imagination and his letters, sayings, the biography illustrated that fact.

Discussion of the writers and their contributions to English literature will contribute an explanatory tribute and provide a concrete and explicit understanding of the subject matter. This also includes an elaborative discussion of the contributions of famous writers in English literature. Contributions of John Dryden, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, William Wordsworth, William Shakespeare, and some additional contributions by authors are carefully taken into states. Also, mentioned important quotes provided by authors, and discussions of symbols, themes, and characters created by writers and their distinctive qualities. Poems, dramatists, novelists, and their works such as Dryden’s “An Essay on Dramatic Poesie”, Fielding’s The Historical Novel, Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary project, the contributions of Wordsworth – “A Voice – A Slumber Did My Spirits Seal”, Shakespeare’s plays and poems, Easy Virtue, The Good Person of Szechwan, Induction, Shangri-La Hotel, Goa, Burglars, Knowledge Curtained Rooms, and The Scottish Play are evaluated.

4. Literary Themes and Influences

It’s the start of an extraordinary writing career. Their first collection of poems, published in 1846 under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, achieved a measure of success. Emily Bronte’s mother had died in 1821 and her two sisters suffered from tuberculosis, a disease that would later kill them. At the age of 33, Emily Bronte also contracted tuberculosis. It was believed to have appeared in June 1848 after her brother’s death. Imprisoned inside the parsonage due to the moor climate failed to cure her. And on December 19, 1848, she died. Her complete works, including the novels Villette and Shirley, were published posthumously under her own name.

The Gothic novel deals with themes of change, death, and societal status. Born on 30 July 1818 in Thornton, near Bradford, Emily Bronte had two older sisters, Charlotte and Anne, and a brother called Branwell. Emily Bronte is known primarily for her novel Wuthering Heights, the only published work in her life. Wuthering Heights combines romance (the wild passionate children of the Earnshaw family & the Lowood-educated foundling, Catherine Earnshaw, love him) and morality (Heathcliff’s manipulation and his obsession with Catherine Earnshaw are evil).

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

5. Impact and Legacy of English Literature

Andrew Sanders expresses another concern about the welfare of English literature when he writes: “This is an anthology, designed to issue students in English and the humanities, but anyone who has learned to value human freedom, individuality, and the rich texture of human emotions displayed in Homer, the Bible, Shakespeare, or Jane Austen, will naturally care about the understanding of these qualities that is revealed by literature.” A more specific example of the impact of this aspect of English literature is found when the United in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the radicalism motivated by the writings of Paine, and the plays of writers such as Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, and Henrik Ibsen, that started to provoke people into fighting for greater democracy and social justice.

The impact of all periods of English literature is apparent throughout the world. Without English literature, the world would be a far poorer place. Many of the most common expressions in the world are derived from the works of William Shakespeare, the most famous British playwright in history, who also exemplifies the astonishing impact one writer can have on the subsequent culture of his formative society. The language Shakespeare used is a legacy, a gift to modern humanity, and the themes are universal and timeless: love, jealousy, envy, ambition, murder, justice, and the human spirit. The work of great writers such as Chaucer, Johnson, Wordsworth, Keats, and Dickens influences a plethora of aspects of existence by laying down the norms and attitudes of society. Their work is a reflection of British culture, society, politics, and the British people. When they write in a particular form or style, they consider literary tradition and conventions.