Literary movement
English Public
Whether you call yourself a voracious reader or not, literature has a significant influence on all our lives. Today's artistic endeavours, including films, television, YouTube, and even internet celebrities, owe a great deal to literature. Of course, trying to understand literature as a whole is a Herculean task. But one way to get an overview is to break it down into literary movements (or epochs).
Literary movement
For more info...
https://crgsoft.com/characteristics-of-literary-movements/
What are 'literary movements'?
A literary movement or epoch is a body of literary works (plays, novels, novellas, serialised stories, poems) composed during a set time period, or era. This body of literary works is grouped together based on certain features, such as a common perspective, philosophy or ideology, aesthetic, school of thought, or its social, political and cultural influences.
Just as you have more than one opinion or philosophy or idea about the things that go on around you, so do literary texts and the authors or poets who compose them. This means there is often a considerable overlap between literary movements, whereby two different or even contradictory literary groups or philosophies coexist in the same period of time. When learning about literary movements and the literary canon, it is helpful to examine the circumstances that created a need for a certain idea, philosophy or perspective to be born and thrive.
Why are literary movements important?
While you could definitely read a literary text without knowing which literary movement it belongs to, knowing about the literary movement and time period it belongs to will certainly enhance your understanding and perhaps even your enjoyment of it. History and literature go hand in hand. Learning about the context of a work of literature and the literary movement it belong to, will result in a better appreciation of it and an enhanced ability to analyse it. You will not only have opinions but informed opinions on what you analyse.
Chronological Development of Literary Movements in England
Old English (450-1066)
Overview
The Old English period lasted from circa. 450 CE till the Norman conquest in 1066 CE. Old English is the earliest form of written English, and was influenced by the languages of the Anglo-Saxons, as well as Latin. At the time, there was linguistic exchange among the countries of Western Europe, particularly Germany, Italy and France. This is why we can find traces of German, Latin and French in Old English (and also in modern day English). The Anglos, Saxons and Jutes took up residence in Britain, bringing their language and culture with them.
In this period, Latin was the language of scholars (and education), so it had a wide range of vocabulary, including words for flora and fauna, elements and metals, domestic objects and all kinds of medical, social, political and military concepts. The Vikings had already established their presence in Britain by this time and further influenced popular speech. Old Norse is said to have introduced third person plural pronouns to English. King Alfred (c. 849-899) is credited with encouraging the spread of education in Britain. Old English began to lose its inflectional endings along with other linguistic changes, which brought about a transition from Old English to what became Middle English.
Key Works
Beowulf (c. 700-1000 CE): Beowulf , the author of which is unknown, is one of the most translated works in Old English. It is an 'epic poem' written in the Germanic Heroic tradition and consists of approximately 3180 lines. At first, the work contained mainly pagan elements, to which Christian elements were later added. The work features the hero Beowulf, who defeats a number of monsters and enemies to eventually reign as King of the Geats. Modern translations of the Beowulf are by Seamus Heaney and JRR Tolkien. As professor in the Medieval faculty at Oxford, Tolkien was an expert in Old and Middle English, and you can see the influence of Beowulf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Cædmon 's Hymn ( c . 731 CE): Cædmon's Hymn was composed by a Northumbrian monk named the Venerable Bede, and is about an illiterate herder who is touched by God and sings in his honour. Some pages of the poem can be found in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Middle English (1066-1500)
Overview
The Middle English period lasted for approximately 300 years. The Norman conquest of 1066 significantly impacted the grammar, spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary of Old English. Middle English is remarkably close to English as we know it today. A large portion of texts from this period are religious, along with some fictional texts. Even these contain religious themes and symbols. Around the year 1400, the Great Vowel Shift commenced, bringing considerable change to English pronunciation.
The Great Vowel Shift lasted from c. 1400-1700 and marked a shift in English pronunciation. There was a considerable change in long vowel sounds, as well as the silencing of some consonants. This was a result of the migration of large groups of people leading to a mixing of accents and French influence as a result of the Norman conquest, as well as the war with France.
Key Works
The Canterbury Tales : Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387) is the most well-known works of this period. Chaucer is a notable author who had a significant influence on the development of the English literary canon. The work, which is unfinished, survives in 92 manuscripts and consists of stories told by a group of pilgrims while on a pilgrimage from the Tabard Inn in Southwark to the shrine of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury, hence the title. While Chaucer had planned for a 100 tales, only 24 survive.
La Morte d'Arthur : Written by Thomas Malory and published in 1485, the work features stories about the legendary King of Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It is one of the most important texts of Arthurian literature and features themes of chivalry and honour.
The Renaissance (1500-1660)
Overview
The Renaissance as a movement originated in Western Europe, primarily in Italy, and was based on principles of humanism. The renaissance marks the rebirth of society, culture and art in the renewed enthusiasm for classical culture, leading to innovation and reform all across Europe. The Renaissance significantly manifested in art, architecture, literature, scientific progress and technology, as well as politics. The Renaissance also marked the rise of figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michaelangelo in Italy, and notable authors such as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Edmund Spenser in England.
KeyWorks
The Faerie Queene : Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590) is an epic poem and pioneered a stanza style which became known as 'Spenserian stanza', featuring 9-line blocks of verse. The first 8 lines of the Spenserian stanza are written in the iambic pentameter and the final one in the iambic hexameter. The titular character is said to have been based on Queen Elizabeth I, who granted patronage to Spenser.
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet (1597) and Macbeth (1603). Both plays contain universal themes of love and envy.
Paradise Lost : John Milton's seminal work, Paradise Lost (1667) is an epic English poem narrating the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the fall of the devil.
The Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)
Overview
The title of this literary movement is derived from the then reigning Queen of England, Elizabeth I. A great patron of the arts, Queen Elizabeth I invited artists to perform for her and her court, including William Shakespeare. She was a poet herself, and proved to be a competent ruler. She survived numerous assassination attempts and is credited with defeating the Spanish Armada. She portrayed herself as 'The Virgin Queen' (for example in paintings of herself) to signify that she was married to Britain. Due to her patronage, art thrived during her reign, and is therefore often dubbed 'The Golden Age.' Because of her immense popularity, numerous works have characters that allude to her, such as Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene .
Keyworks
As you will notice, there is some overlap between the Renaissance and the Elizabethan Age, with some literary texts in common. Apart from those mentioned in the Renaissance section, other popular works during the Elizabethan Era include:
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1592) by Christopher Marlowe, which was inspired by Goethe's original.
Every Man in His Humor (1598) written by Ben Johnson, who is regarded as the second most important English dramatist after William Shakespeare.
Literary movement
For more info...
https://crgsoft.com/characteristics-of-literary-movements/
What are 'literary movements'?
A literary movement or epoch is a body of literary works (plays, novels, novellas, serialised stories, poems) composed during a set time period, or era. This body of literary works is grouped together based on certain features, such as a common perspective, philosophy or ideology, aesthetic, school of thought, or its social, political and cultural influences.
Just as you have more than one opinion or philosophy or idea about the things that go on around you, so do literary texts and the authors or poets who compose them. This means there is often a considerable overlap between literary movements, whereby two different or even contradictory literary groups or philosophies coexist in the same period of time. When learning about literary movements and the literary canon, it is helpful to examine the circumstances that created a need for a certain idea, philosophy or perspective to be born and thrive.
Why are literary movements important?
While you could definitely read a literary text without knowing which literary movement it belongs to, knowing about the literary movement and time period it belongs to will certainly enhance your understanding and perhaps even your enjoyment of it. History and literature go hand in hand. Learning about the context of a work of literature and the literary movement it belong to, will result in a better appreciation of it and an enhanced ability to analyse it. You will not only have opinions but informed opinions on what you analyse.
Chronological Development of Literary Movements in England
Old English (450-1066)
Overview
The Old English period lasted from circa. 450 CE till the Norman conquest in 1066 CE. Old English is the earliest form of written English, and was influenced by the languages of the Anglo-Saxons, as well as Latin. At the time, there was linguistic exchange among the countries of Western Europe, particularly Germany, Italy and France. This is why we can find traces of German, Latin and French in Old English (and also in modern day English). The Anglos, Saxons and Jutes took up residence in Britain, bringing their language and culture with them.
In this period, Latin was the language of scholars (and education), so it had a wide range of vocabulary, including words for flora and fauna, elements and metals, domestic objects and all kinds of medical, social, political and military concepts. The Vikings had already established their presence in Britain by this time and further influenced popular speech. Old Norse is said to have introduced third person plural pronouns to English. King Alfred (c. 849-899) is credited with encouraging the spread of education in Britain. Old English began to lose its inflectional endings along with other linguistic changes, which brought about a transition from Old English to what became Middle English.
Key Works
Beowulf (c. 700-1000 CE): Beowulf , the author of which is unknown, is one of the most translated works in Old English. It is an 'epic poem' written in the Germanic Heroic tradition and consists of approximately 3180 lines. At first, the work contained mainly pagan elements, to which Christian elements were later added. The work features the hero Beowulf, who defeats a number of monsters and enemies to eventually reign as King of the Geats. Modern translations of the Beowulf are by Seamus Heaney and JRR Tolkien. As professor in the Medieval faculty at Oxford, Tolkien was an expert in Old and Middle English, and you can see the influence of Beowulf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Cædmon 's Hymn ( c . 731 CE): Cædmon's Hymn was composed by a Northumbrian monk named the Venerable Bede, and is about an illiterate herder who is touched by God and sings in his honour. Some pages of the poem can be found in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Middle English (1066-1500)
Overview
The Middle English period lasted for approximately 300 years. The Norman conquest of 1066 significantly impacted the grammar, spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary of Old English. Middle English is remarkably close to English as we know it today. A large portion of texts from this period are religious, along with some fictional texts. Even these contain religious themes and symbols. Around the year 1400, the Great Vowel Shift commenced, bringing considerable change to English pronunciation.
The Great Vowel Shift lasted from c. 1400-1700 and marked a shift in English pronunciation. There was a considerable change in long vowel sounds, as well as the silencing of some consonants. This was a result of the migration of large groups of people leading to a mixing of accents and French influence as a result of the Norman conquest, as well as the war with France.
Key Works
The Canterbury Tales : Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387) is the most well-known works of this period. Chaucer is a notable author who had a significant influence on the development of the English literary canon. The work, which is unfinished, survives in 92 manuscripts and consists of stories told by a group of pilgrims while on a pilgrimage from the Tabard Inn in Southwark to the shrine of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury, hence the title. While Chaucer had planned for a 100 tales, only 24 survive.
La Morte d'Arthur : Written by Thomas Malory and published in 1485, the work features stories about the legendary King of Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It is one of the most important texts of Arthurian literature and features themes of chivalry and honour.
The Renaissance (1500-1660)
Overview
The Renaissance as a movement originated in Western Europe, primarily in Italy, and was based on principles of humanism. The renaissance marks the rebirth of society, culture and art in the renewed enthusiasm for classical culture, leading to innovation and reform all across Europe. The Renaissance significantly manifested in art, architecture, literature, scientific progress and technology, as well as politics. The Renaissance also marked the rise of figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michaelangelo in Italy, and notable authors such as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Edmund Spenser in England.
KeyWorks
The Faerie Queene : Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590) is an epic poem and pioneered a stanza style which became known as 'Spenserian stanza', featuring 9-line blocks of verse. The first 8 lines of the Spenserian stanza are written in the iambic pentameter and the final one in the iambic hexameter. The titular character is said to have been based on Queen Elizabeth I, who granted patronage to Spenser.
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet (1597) and Macbeth (1603). Both plays contain universal themes of love and envy.
Paradise Lost : John Milton's seminal work, Paradise Lost (1667) is an epic English poem narrating the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the fall of the devil.
The Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)
Overview
The title of this literary movement is derived from the then reigning Queen of England, Elizabeth I. A great patron of the arts, Queen Elizabeth I invited artists to perform for her and her court, including William Shakespeare. She was a poet herself, and proved to be a competent ruler. She survived numerous assassination attempts and is credited with defeating the Spanish Armada. She portrayed herself as 'The Virgin Queen' (for example in paintings of herself) to signify that she was married to Britain. Due to her patronage, art thrived during her reign, and is therefore often dubbed 'The Golden Age.' Because of her immense popularity, numerous works have characters that allude to her, such as Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene .
Keyworks
As you will notice, there is some overlap between the Renaissance and the Elizabethan Age, with some literary texts in common. Apart from those mentioned in the Renaissance section, other popular works during the Elizabethan Era include:
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1592) by Christopher Marlowe, which was inspired by Goethe's original.
Every Man in His Humor (1598) written by Ben Johnson, who is regarded as the second most important English dramatist after William Shakespeare.
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