Old English Literature

The best-known Old English literary works are poems, many of which are either elegiac, such as
"The Wanderer", "The Wife's Lament" or "Wulf and Eadwacer", or epic, most notably
"Beowulf", the gem of the Old English heroic poetic tradition. Old English texts are belonging to
many other genres: some were translations and glosses of Latin texts, others were created in Old
English. The former group includes Christian literature such as hagiographies (lives of saints)
and three different versions of the Gospels. Among the latter, we may find riddles, fables, magic
and medical texts, and historical records known as annals, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a
historical account of the most important events year by year, written in prose by anonymous
scribes in different monasteries from 890 to the 12th century.

Middle English Literature

The Middle English Period means the literature developed in the period from 1100 - 1500
century.

During this unique period, the English language got maturity. Chaucer's poetry made English as
a perfect medium for literature, this was the beginning of English literature in the middle ages.

some salient features of this age were

1. Anonymity- means we don't know the names of those who wrote in this age example is
Beowulf
2. Originality was not required for writing story material looked upon as common property
like it led Geoffrey of Monmouth and even great writer to claim such a source when none
existed. It is not surprising that such an attitude raised translation to the level of the
original creation, the reader must be prepared for a less personal quality in medieval than
in modern literature and to find that the original author of a work is often, for us, without
a local habitation or a name.
3. Religion-religion was an important element of social life in the medieval ages, people
were constantly in fear of hell and its torments were vitally concerned with the problem
of salvation for their souls.that's why religion writings form a greater part of Middle
English literature.
4. Another important characteristic of middle English literature is oral quality, most of the
people of that age listen to the stories instead of reading because no printing facility was
available in those days.
5. Courtly Love- this is a code that finds a relationship between aristocratic love in western
Europe, there were some requirements for courtly love their requirements were
elaborated by the Roman poets. An example of courtly love is A knight show who was in
love with a married woman of high rank or high birth required to prove his heroic deeds
as well as presenting love letters to his beloved with disclosing his identity.
6. Chivalry-it is a code of conduct associated with a medieval institution of knighthood
developed in the medieval ages.
7. Romance- romance is a chivalric narrative written in prose or verse which deals with
loyalty, on courtly love and heroic deeds of knights they were most popular in middle
ages.
Renaissance Literature

The English renaissance was particular in its preoccupation with religion and the place of man in
a relationship with God. England had undergone an especially fraught period in its religious
convictions with Henry VIII having taken the country through the reformation, the country has
gone from being Catholic to becoming Protestant, adherents of the newly formed Church of
England. Some might claim that the King James Bible and Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer
stand as particular examples of English renaissance rhetoric that were to be profoundly
influential upon English Literature of the period.

Elizabethan Literature

The Elizabethan Age is considered the Golden Age of English literature. English writers were
intrigued and heavily influenced by Italian Renaissance writing and readily adopted this
model. This period also saw the introduction of a new genre in English theatre, the tragicomedy,
which became very popular. The era is also considered the era of sonnets. The works of writers
such as Shakespeare, Wyatt and Thomas Campion became very popular as printed literature and
was widely distributed in households. Drama, under Elizabeth's reign, became a unifying
influence, drawing people of different social classes together, since watching a play became a
common experience and was not exclusively restricted to the gentry or upper class. Commoners
and royalty could enjoy the same performance in each other's company, albeit in separate seating
arrangements.

Elizabethan Literature has so deeply stamped its authority on all future literate endeavors and
developments, that we, almost half a millennium later, still study it and admire its exceptional
beauty and greatness.

Neoclassical Literature

1. 1. Characteristics of neoclassical literature Name: Rinkal Jani Roll no: 30 Seam: 1 Year:
2016-2018 Enrolment no: 2069108420170012 Email Id: rinkaljani1807@gmail.com
Paper: The neoclassical literature Topic: Characteristics of the Neoclassical literature
2. 2. Broken into three-part… The Restoration period TheAugustan era The age of
Johnson...
3. 3. Neoclassicism • Introduction • Main Characteristics • Main Figures • John Dryden •
Alexander Pope • Samuel Johnson
4. 4. An introduction • is written between 1660 and 1798 • Nestled between Renaissance
and Romantic • The era of Enlightenment • The term Neo- means new while classical
refers to the roman and Greek • Emulated the Greek and Roman style of writing • It is a
movement against too much use of individualism and imagination in literature • The
violation of classical rules & Regulation
5. 5. Characteristics of Neoclassicalliterature • Neoclassical literature was defined by
Common sense, order, accuracy, and structure. • Their character also practiced
conservatism, self-control, and restraint. • A large number of literary works came out
during this period which included parody, fables, melodrama, rhyming with cuplates
satire, letters, diaries, novels, and essays.
 6. 6. Characteristics of Neoclassicalliterature Influence of the classics • Writers looked back
to the ideals and art forms of classical times • Political and socials affairs too they were
guided by the wisdom of the past The Classical values • the neoclassicists' emphasis upon
the classical values of objectivity, impersonality, rationality, decorum, balance, harmony,
proportion, and moderation.
7. 7. Characteristics of Neoclassicism • Aristotelian Notion of Probability and the "Unities":
• The neoclassicists might be thought of as heirs to the Aristotelian notion of probability,
as well as the "unities" of action, time, and place.
8. 8. Characteristics of Neoclassicism • Nature of Literature: • The neoclassical writers
reaffirmed literary composition as a rational and rule-bound process, requiring a great
deal of craft, labor, and study. • Gave more importance to social needs as compared to
individual needs. • They believed that men can find meaning in society, religion, natural
order Government and literature
9. 9. Characteristics of Neoclassicism • Imitation and Nature: Two of the concepts central to
neoclassical literary theory and practice were imitation and nature, which were intimately
related. • Imitation The imitation of classical models, especially Homer and Vergil. •
Nature the harmonious and hierarchical order of the universe, including the various social
and political hierarchies within the world.
10. 10. Characteristics of Neoclassicism • "Nature" had a deep moral significance,
comprehending the modes of action that were permissible and excluding certain actions
as "unnatural". The neoclassical vision of nature was very different from the meanings
later given to it by the Romantics.

Romantic Period Literature

 Emphasis on emotional and imaginative spontaneity

 The importance of self-expression and individual feeling. Romantic poetry is one of
the hearts and the emotions, exploring the ‘truth of the imagination' rather than scientific
truth. The ‘I' voice is central; it is the poet's perceptions and feelings that matter.
 An almost religious response to nature. They were concerned that Nature should not
just be seen scientifically but as a living force, either made by a Creator, or as in some
way divine, to be neglected at humankind's peril. Some of them were no longer Christian
in their beliefs. Shelley was an atheist, and for a while Wordsworth was apantheist (the
belief that god is in everything). Much of their poetry celebrated the beauty of nature, or
protested the ugliness of the growing industrialization of the century: the machines,
factories, slum conditions, pollution and so on.
 A capacity for wonder and consequently a reverence for the freshness and innocence of
the vision of childhood. See The world of the Romantics: Attitudes to childhood
 Emphasis on the imagination as a positive and creative faculty
 An interest in ‘primitive' forms of art – for instance in the work of early poets (bards),
in ancient ballads and folksongs. Some of the Romantics turned back to past times to find
inspiration, either to the medieval period, or to Greek and Roman mythology. See
Aspects of the Gothic: Gothic and the medieval revival
 An interest in and concern for the outcasts of society: tramps, beggars, obsessive
characters and the poor and disregarded are especially evident in Romantic poetry
  An idea of the poet as a visionary figure, with an important role to play as prophet (in
both political and religious terms).

Modernism Literature

Modernist literature was a predominantly English genre of fiction writing, popular from roughly
the 1910s into the 1960s. Modernist literature came into its own due to increasing
industrialization and globalization. New technology and the horrifying events of both World
Wars (but specifically World War I) made many people question the future of humanity: What
was becoming of the world? Writers reacted to this question by turning toward Modernist
sentiments. Gone was the Romantic period that focused on nature and being. Modernist fiction
spoke of the inner self and consciousness. Instead of progress, the Modernist writer saw a decline
in civilization. Instead of new technology, the Modernist writer saw cold machinery and
increased capitalism, which alienated the individual and led to loneliness.

Post Modernism Literature

As in postmodernism, all ideas are new, so sometimes it becomes difficult and confusing to
properly understand these terms.

Irony, playfulness, black humor:

Postmodern authors were certainly not the first to use irony and humor in their writing, but for
many postmodern authors, these became the hallmarks of their style. Postmodern authors are
very frustrated for World War II, the Cold War, conspiracy theories. They try to amalgate it from
indirect way so, irony, playfulness, black humor comes. In fact, several novelists later to be
labeled postmodern were first collectively labeled black humorists. : John Barth, Joseph Heller,
William Gaddis, Kurt Vonnegut, Bruce Jay Friedman, etc. It's common for postmodernists to
treat serious subjects playfully and humorously.

Some examples of texts that bear the above features--Roland Barthes's The Pleasure of the Text.
The central concept of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is the irony of the now-idiomatic "catch-22",
and the narrative is structured around a long series of similar ironies. Thomas Pynchon, in
particular, provides prime examples of playfulness, often including silly wordplay, within a
serious context. The Crying of Lot 49, for example, contains characters named Mike Fallopian
and Stanley Koteks and a radio station called KCUF, while the novel as a whole has a serious
subject and a complex structure.

Gothic Literature

The term Gothic novel broadly refers to stories that combine elements from horror and
romanticism. The Gothic novel often deals with supernatural events, or events occurring in
nature that cannot be easily explained or over which man has no control, and it typically follows
a plot of suspense and mystery.

Here is a list of some common elements found in Gothic novels:

  Gloomy, decaying setting (haunted houses or castles with secret passages, trapdoors, and
other mysterious architecture)
 Supernatural beings or monsters (ghosts, vampires, zombies, giants)
 Curses or prophecies
 Damsels in distress
 Heroes
 Romance
 Intense emotions

We'll look at a few characteristics - the supernatural, madness, and romance - in more detail in
the following paragraphs, along with classic examples.