Lyka D.

Quiambao BSED 3C

Short History of English literature

1. OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, was written
from 600 -1100. The greatest Old English poem is a long epic called Beowulf,
whose author is unknown. Two Old English authors that are known by name
are Caedmon, the author of a short hymn, and Cynwulf, the author of four
long poems.
2. MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE Middle English was used from about
1100 to about 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 they performed, and morality
plays, in which the characters personify moral qualities (such as charity or
vice) or abstractions (as death or youth) and in which moral lessons are
taught.
3. ELIZABETHAN LITERATURE This is literature written approximately
during the time Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603). Poetry: The most important
poets include Edmund Spenser, the author of The Faerie Queene, Walter
Raleigh, and William Shakespeare. Drama: Drama is the greatest form
written during the Elizabethan age. William Shakespeare is considered one of
the greatest playwrights of all times. His best works include Hamlet, King
Lear, Macbeth, Othello, and Merchant of Venice. Other important dramatists
include Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson.
4. THE AGE OF MILTON The most important poet after the Elizabethan
period is John Milton. Miltons greatest work is the epic Paradise Lost. One of
the best poets of this period is Robert Herrick, who is famous for his beautiful
lyrics (songs).
5. RESTORATION DRAMA A great change in literature happened after
Charles II became king. After a period of closing, the theatres were reopened
and new forms of drama appeared. The main forms of drama of this period
are the heroic plays, as written by John Dryden; and the comedy of manners,
as written by Richard Sheridan and William Congreve.
6. NE0CLASSICISM The main characteristics of Neoclassicism: Poetry
should be guided by reason. The role of the poet is that of the teacher.
Poetry should be written according to fixed rules. Poetry should use

Lyka D. Quiambao BSED 3C

special diction. The major representatives of this school are John Dryden and
Alexander Pope.
7. ROMANTICISM The main characteristics of Romantic poetry: Poetry is
the expression of personal feelings and emotions. Imagination is a main
source of poetry. Nature in Romantic poetry is a living thing, a teacher of
man, and a healing power. Some important Romantic poets are William
Wordsworth, Keats, Byron, Shelley, and Coleridge.
8. THE VICTORIAN PERIOD It includes the second half of the nineteenth
century. Poetry: Alfred Tennyson and Robert Browning are the major poets of
the period. The Novel: The novel was the main literary production of the
Victorian period. This was the time of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Emily
Bronte, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy. Drama: The best dramatist of the
period is Oscar Wilde. His masterpiece is The Importance of Being Earnest.
9. THE TWENTIETH 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 traditions are the
mark of modern literature. Some major literary 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.