European Literature, also called Western Literature, refers to literature in the Indo-European languages

including Latin, Greek, the Romance languages, and Russian. (Rhonnan)

In addition, it is considered as the largest body of literature in the world. (Kyna)

In Latin Literature, some of the authors are: (Jobs,1)

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE-43 BCE) was the greatest Roman orator. The first part of the Golden Age
of Latin Literature (70 BC-AD 18) is name after him, the Ciceronian period (70-43 BC). Using Latin as a
literary medium, he was able to express abstract and complicated thoughts clearly in his speeches. One
of his well-known speeches is Pro Cluentio.

On the other hand, Virgil (70BCE-19 BCE), the greatest Roman Poet, was known for Aeneid, an epic
poem. He wrote it during the Augustan Age (43 BC-AD 18), the second part of the Golden Age.

And lastly, Ovid was the last of the Golden Age poets; he wrote love poetry including the Ars Amatoria
and the Amores. He was exiled to Tomis on the Black Sea, and wrote the Tristia until his death.

In Italian Literature, some of the authors are: (Myka, 3)

Francesco Petrarca, or Petrarch (1304-1374) perfected the Italian sonnet, a major influence on European
poetry. Written in the vernacular, his sonnets were published in the Canzoniere.

The second one is Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375). He is known for Decameron, a classic Italian
masterpiece. The stories were written in the vernacular.

Last, Dante is one of the three Italian writers who are generally referred to as the “Three Jewels” or the
“Three Fountains”. He is also often called the father of the Italian language because he dared to write in
Italian while most others preferred to use Latin for their works. His most famous work is the “Divine
Comedy”.

In Greek Literature, some of the authors are: (Shiela, 2)

Homer is known for The Illiad and the Odyssey. These epics are about the heroic achievements of
Achilles and Odysseus, respectively.

While Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) was a tragic playwright. He was known for Oedipus the King, which
marks the highest level of achievement of Greek drama.

And Plato was one of the greatest classical Greek philosophers. He lived from 427 BC to 348 BC. He was
a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. One of Plato's most famous works is The Republic (In
Greek, Politeia, or 'city'). In that work, he describes Socrates's vision of an "ideal" state. The Republic
contains ideas of Socrates: "Socrates said it, Plato wrote it."
In Spanish Literature, some of the authors are: (Kyna)

Two well known Spanish writer of Siglo De Oro (1500-1681) are Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) and
Lope de Vega (1562-1635).

Miguel de Cervantes was known for his novel Don Quixote, one of the most widely read works of
Western Literature. Its titular character’s name is the origin of the word “quixotic”, meaning hopeful or
romantic in a way that is not pratical.

While Lope de Vega, an outstanding dramatist, wrote as many as 1800 plays during his lifetime including
cloak and sword drama, which are plays of under middle class manners and intrigue. Some of his
notable works are “The Dog in the Manger” and “Punishment Without Revenge”.

Also, Miguel de Unamuno (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish Basque essayist,
novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University
of Salamanca. His major philosophical essay was The Tragic Sense of Life (1912), and his most famous
novel was Abel Sánchez: The History of a Passion (1917), a modern exploration of the Cain and Abel
story.

In French Literature, some of the authors are: (CJ)

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), a novelist, was a major influence on the realist school. His masterpiece,
Madame Bovary (1857), marked the beginning of a new age of realism.

Then, Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) is considered as the greatest French short story writer. A
Naturalist, he wrote objective stories which present a real “slice of life”

Lastly, Albert Camus (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, and
journalist. His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism. He wrote in his essay
The Rebel that his whole life was devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still delving
deeply into individual freedom.

In Russian Literature, some of the authors are: (Kyna)

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is known for his novels War and Peace (1865-1869) and Anna Karenina (1875-
1877). A master for realistic fiction, he is considered as one of the world’s greatest novelists.

While, Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) is a master of the modern short story and a Russian playwright. His
works such as, “The Bet” and “The Misfortune” reveal his clinical approach to ordinary life.

And last but not the least, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist
of the Romantic era, who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of
modern Russian literature. While under the strict surveillance of the Tsar's political police and unable to
publish, Pushkin wrote his most famous play, the drama Boris Godunov. He also wrote a novel in verse
entitled, “Eugene Onegin”.
QUESTIONS

1. In World Literature, what literature refers to literature in the Indo-European languages including
Latin, Greek, the Romance languages, and Russian?
1. Asian Literature
2. European Literature
3. African Literature
2. In Italian Literature, who perfected the Italian sonnet, a major influence on European poetry?
Written in the vernacular, his sonnets were published in the Canzoniere.
1. Dante
2. Boccaccio
3. Petrarch

3. In Latin Literature, who was the greatest Roman orator to whom the first part of the Golden Age of
Latin Literature is name after him? One of his well-known speeches is Pro Cluentio.

1. Cicero
2. Virgil
3. Ovid

4. In Greek Literature, who is known for The Illiad and the Odyssey?

1. Sophocles
2. Homer
3. Odyssey

5. In Spanish Literature, who was known for his novel Don Quixote, one of the most widely read works
of Western Literature?

1. Cervantes
2. Vega
3. Unamono

6. In French Literature, who is the novelist who has a masterpiece entitled “Madame Bovary “?

1. Camus
2. Maupassant
3. Flaubert

7. In Russian Literature, who is known for his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina?

1. Tolstoy
2. Chekhov
3. Pushkin