ENGLISH LITERATURE
scholar who lived in the kingdom of North
English literature began in the era of bards and
"gleemen" who, accompanying The Angles and
the Saxons, sang the tales of the Northland.
When they arrived in England in the 5th and 6th
century, the Angles and Saxon had no written
language. Their folk epic was Beowulf, which
depicts the heroic efforts of man against the evil
forces of their time. Their stories and songs were
recorded in The Far Traveler. When the heathen
Anglo-Saxons then came under the influence of
Christianity, they started building monasteries. It
was within the walls of these monasteries that
English literature had its beginnings. North
Umbria became the seat of learning for nearly
two centuries where the historian Bede, one of
the monks, started to write in prose.
BARDS AND "GLEEMEN” – a professional
story teller, an ancient Celtic poet and
singer of epic poems, “a professional entertainer
especially a singer”
ANGLES – Germanic people
SAXONS – Germanic tribe
TALE OF NORTHLAND – Collected stories of
the World’s Greatest Writers
BEOWULF – heroic poem, the highest
achievement of Old English literature and
earliest European vernacular epic.
THE FAR TRAVELER – a book which follow
the life of Gudrid, an early female settler who
appeared in two Icelandic Sagas
MONASTERIES – buildings occupied by a
community of monks and nun who chosen to
withdraw from society that living under
religious vows
NORTH UMBRIA – early medieval Anglo-
Saxons kingdom in what is now Northern
England and South-East Scotland
Historian Bede – English monk, historian, and
Umbria
OLD ENGLISH PERIOD
An important name to remember in this period is
that of Alfred the Great. Had it not been for him,
English Literature would have been long
extinguished. When Alfred the Great stopped
the Danes from invading England in the 9th
century, the center of learning was transferred
from the North to the South. Whitby became the
cradle of English poetry in the north, and
Winchester the seat of English prose in the
South. Alfred the Great is attributed with having
established schools, and having written
textbooks for the school so that every free-born
youth might attend to his books till he could
read English writing perfectly. Next to King
Alfred is the name Aelfric the Grammarian. His
translation of the Bible in English is the best
example of the language at the beginning of the
century. The greatest examples of Old English
prose can be found in his writings, especially
those in his sermons and lives of saints.
MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD
The literature that came out of this country was
almost entirely in Latin and French. For 300
years Latin exerted influence on the Anglo-
Saxon language, which made English more
flexible. Stories of King Arthur arose from
Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the King of
Britain. Chaucer, a poet whose brilliant
character portrayals made his Canterbury Tales
an enduring literary legacy. Although Chaucer
wrote in his Midland dialect, his English became
the basis of much of the English we know today.
To the genius of Chaucer, there arose o true
successor. There was little progress in the
development of literary art in the century
following Chaucer. The dearth of literature was
mainly due to the fact that the people's mind
were occupied by the struggle between the York
and the Lancaster families. A very important
contribution of the period was the printing press, religious. The second greatest name after
which was established by William Caxton when Shakespeare's is that of John Milton. His works
he came out with the first printed book in are considered perfect in Lyric qualities,
England, Dictes and Saying of the Philosophers. beautiful in imagery, and truthful in their
portrayal of emotions.
Other writers to mention in this century are
THE ELIZABETHANS
Francis Bacon, John Bunyan, and Pepys Samuel
Two historical forced, the Renaissance and the Bunyan is the prince of prose. What
Reformation, combined to make this period a Shakespeare is to the English dramatists, Milton
great intellectual age. In fact, it was referred to is to English epic poets, Bunyan is to writers of
as the Golden Age in English literature. It got its English allegory. Samuel Pepys Diary stands out
name from the reigning ruler, Queen Elizabeth. as most interesting prose work and Edward
This great period began with Edmund Spencer Hyde's historical work of the period.
and Christopher Marlowe, and climaxed in
John Dryden stands out as a transition poet
William Shakespeare, the period's superstar,
between the Puritan Age and the Eighteenth
whose uncanny perceptions of human nature
Century. He is considered the precursor of the
were carved into his immortal plays and sonnets.
new period. He is well known for his cynical
The age also produced the metaphysical John
attitude and epigrammatical wit, exemplified in
Donne and John Webster. Spencer, "the poet's
his political unrest and coarse social life. Other
poet," with his metrical forms paved the way for
names of the period are Jonathan Swift, Joseph
such poets as Byron, Shelley, and Keats.
Addison, and Richard Steele.
The drama had its full development in this age,
which produced such greats as Marlowe, Francis
Beaumont, John Fletcher, and of course, THE ROMANTIC AGE
William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's fame is
Among the distinguished poets of the Age of
worldwide, prompting the comment that "the
Romanticism were Lord Byron, Shelley, and
measure of greatness is his universality He was
Keats. It was, however, William Blake, a
"not of an age, but for all time." In 1597 Sir
visionary poet, who took the first steps that led
Francis Bacon published his volume of essays,
to the Romantic Age with his "Songs of
and his "Of Studies" was a gem of precision
Experiences" Two important names to
writing.
remember in this period are those of William
Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They
were responsible for articulating the
PURITAN AGE
philosophical foundations of Romanticism.
The Puritan Age sharply contrasts with the
The Romantic Period began roughly around
preceding Elizabethan Age. The reign of Queen
1798 and lasted until 1837. Romanticism was a
Elizabeth was characterized by peace within the
reaction against this spread of industrialism, as
realm, general prosperity, and much worldliness.
well as a criticism of the aristocratic social and
The Stuart reign, however, was marked by open
political norms and a call for more attention to
conflict between the King and the Parliament,
nature. Although writers of this time did not
which eventually caused the long Civil War. If
think of themselves as Romantics, Victorian
the great literature of the Elizabethan Age was
writers later classified them in this way because
poetry, the Puritan Age's was prose. The
of their ability to capture the emotion and
literature of this period presented the somber
tenderness of man.
tone of the age and was, to a large extent,
THE START OF ROMANTICISM
Robert Burns is considered the pioneer of the
Romantic Movement. Notable Works; "Auld
Lang Syne" (1788) and "Tam o' Shanter" (1791).
William Blake was one of the earliest Romantic
Period writers. Blake can be seen as one of the
founders of this movement. His works, Songs of
Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience
(1794), are two of his most significant.
POETRY
Scholars say that the Romantic Period began
with the publishing of Lyrical Ballads (1798) by
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
"The Solitary Reaper" (1807).- one of
Wordsworth's well-known works. His greatest
piece is The Prelude (1850),
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)- the
only one poem Coleridge completed His two
other long form poems are Kubla Khan (1816)
and Christabel (1816).
The Second Generation of Romantic Poets
John Keats is still one of the most popular of
these poets, with his work continually read and
analyzed today "Ode to a Nightingale"
(1819)and "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (1819) are
most famous.
Percy Bysshe Shelley was seen as a radical
thinker for his religious atheism and largely
ostracized by his contemporaries for his political
and social views. One of his most famous works
is Adonais (1821). Another of his well-known
works was Ode to the West Wind (1819
Lord Byron Don Juan (1819-1824) is told in 17
cantos, divisions of long poems Byron's other
notable work is Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
(1812-1816).
NOVEL
Walter Scott gained popularity during this time,
both in Britain and around Europe.
Scott's first major novel was Waverly (1814),
which is set during the Jacobite Rebellion of
1745.
While this was his first success, generally The
Antiquary (1816), Old Mortality (1816), and
The
Heart of Midlothian (1818) are considered his
masterpieces.
Gothic Fiction
John William Polidori's The Vampyre (1819)
and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) stand
out as two of the genre's most enduring pieces.
Women Have Arrived
The most significant female writer during this
period was Jane Austen
Some of her famous novels include Sense and
Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813),
Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), and
Northanger Abbey (1817).
THE VICTORIAN AGE (1873 – 1901)
The ascendancy of Queen Victoria in 1873
marked the beginning of the Victorian Age,
which lasted till the end of the 19th century.
Among the eminent Victorians were Robert
Browning who perfected the dramatic
monologue, Alfred Lord Tennyson who delved
into the depths of human sorrow and death, and
Sir Walter Scott who is credited with the origin
of the historical novel. Meanwhile, new writers
began revolting against Victorian formalism,
which they termed "straitlaced," "prim," and
"prudish." This revolt paved the way for the next
age.
The Victorian period of literature roughly
coincides with the years that Queen Victoria
ruled Great Britain and its Empire.
During this era, Britain was transformed from a
predominantly rural, agricultural society into an
urban, industrial one. New technologies like
railroads and the steam printing press united
Britons both physically and intellectually.
Victorian literature reflects these values,
debates, and cultural concerns. Victorian
literature differs from that of the eighteenth
century and Romantic period most significantly
because it was not aimed at a specialist or elite
audience; rather, because the steam printing
press made the production of texts much cheaper
and because railroads could distribute texts
quickly and easily, the Victorian period was a
time when new genres appealed to newly mass
audiences.
Poetry
Poetry was one of the most popular genres of the
Victorian period. The Romantic poets,
particularly William Wordsworth (who lived
through the beginning of the period, dying in
1850) were revered and widely quoted.
The Victorians experimented with "narrative
poetry," which tells a story to its audience,
including Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Aurora
Leigh (1856), an entire novel written in verse."
The poem tells the story of Aurora Leigh, a
woman who seeks a career as a poet after
rejecting an inheritance and a male suitor, and so
tells, in part, the story of Barrett Browning's own
struggles to make her poetic way in the world.
Narrative poetry could also be much shorter, like
Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market" (1862),
which recounts how a woman is seduced into
eating beautiful fruity by goblins and how her
sister saves after she sickens.
Victorian poets also developed a new form
called the "dramatic monologue," in which a
speaker recites the substance of the poem to an
audience within the poem itself.
Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" (1842),
in which the Duke of Ferrara describes how he
(probably) killed his last wife to the man who is
arranging his next marriage, is one of the most
famous examples of a dramatic monologue.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson also used the form in
"Ulysses" (1842), in which Ulysses recounts his
reasons for setting out on a last voyage to the
men with whom he will sail.
Tennyson also wrote lyric, or non- narrative
poetry, including what is perhaps the most
famous poem of the Victorian era, In Memoriam
A. H. H. (1849). Tennyson wrote this book-
length sequence of verses to commemorate the
death of his close friend Arthur Henry Hallam.
The poem contains some of the most famous
lines in literature, including "Tis better to have
loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all,"
and was widely quoted in the Victorian period.
Poets like Tennyson, the Brownings, and
Rossetti frequently wrote poetry in order to
create a powerful emotional effect on the reader,
but some Victorian poets also wrote simply to
entertain.
Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear wrote "nonsense
or light verse," a genre that plays with sounds
and rhythm in melodious ways.
Famous examples include Carroll's
"Jabberwocky" (1871), a poem that uses many
invented words to narrate the killing of a
monster called the Jabberwock, and Lear's "The
Owl and the Pussycat" (1871), which describes
the adventures of the title characters.
Novel
Novels were not at all popular in the 19th
century, generally considered boring or a waste
of words by the rest of society.
Despite this, Sir Walter Scott went on to create
his own form: the modern historical novel.
These novels featured the recognizable names,
families, and events of (usually Scottish) history
with added flairs of romance and speculated
personalities.
The Waverley Novels, a series of more than two
dozen historical novels published by Sir Walter
Scott between 1814 and 1832. Although the
novels were extremely popular and strongly
promoted at the time, he did not publicly reveal
his authorship of them until 1827.
It tells the story of Edward Waverley, a naïve,
sensitive young man who is posted to Scotland
with his regiment, and becomes caught between
the clans of the Jacobite Rising and the forces of
the Hanoverian regime.
Realism
Realism, which aims to portray realistic events
happening to realistic people in a realistic way,
was the dominant narrative mode of the
Victorian novel - but it had many variants.
Satirical Realism
A mode that emphasizes the worst qualities of
each character and suggests that the world is a
dark and unfair place.
The Vanity Fair
The novel follows the adventures of Becky
Sharpe, a scheming and amoral heroine who
manipulates all those around her (and does very
well for herself), in contrast to Amelia Sedley, a
trusting and virtuous young woman who
struggles to find happiness.
Psychological Realism
It emphasizes portraying the rich inner life of
characters their thoughts, feelings, motivations,
anxieties, etc.
In George Eliot's Middlemarch (1871-72) for
instance, she portrays the progress of several
marriages in a small provincial town. Dorothea
Brooke, the heroine, is an idealist who marries
an elderly scholar, Casaubon, in the hopes of
helping him with his work. But she becomes
disillusioned and finds herself attracted to his
nephew Will Ladislaw.
Social Realism
Social realism focuses on the foibles,
eccentricities, and remarkable characteristics of
people, who are frequently caricatured.
In novels like Oliver Twist (1837-39) in which
Dickens uses the plight of the orphan Oliver to
critique a heartless orphanage overseen by
eccentric bumblers, Dickens both criticized the
social system and created a vibrant world of
memorable characters.
In his masterpiece Bleak House (1852-53)
Dickens takes aim at the bureaucratic excesses
of the court system as seen in the never-ending
court case Jarndyce v. Jarndyce.
Industrial Novels
The rapid transformation of Britain into an
industrial society prompted some writers to
write novels which exposed the difficult plight
of the working class.
In Dickens' Hard Times (1854), the millworker
hero, Stephen Blackpool, faces ostracism after
his refusal to join the millworkers' union.
Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South (1855) uses
the viewpoint of Margaret Hale, an emigrant
from southern England to a northern industrial
city, to address the plight of millworkers.
The Fin De Siècle
The last part of the Victorian period, roughly
1880-1900, is referred to as the "fin de siècle," a
French term that means "end of the century."
Novels from this period tend to be more
melancholy and bleak than earlier Victorian
works, which conventionally had happy endings.
Thomas Hardy's famously depressing novels
Tess of the d'Urbervilles, (1892) and Jude the
Obscure (1895), for instance, describe how their
protagonists' lives are ruined by social forces.
Tess gives birth to a child out of wedlock, which
causes the husband she later marries to shun her
when he finds out. Jude Fawley's dreams of
becoming a student at an elite university are
destroyed both by his low social status as a
stoneworker and by a disastrous early marriage.
Fin de siècle literature is also characterized by a
move away from the forms of realism that had
dominated the earlier part of the century and into
genre fiction.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective,
Sherlock Holmes, made his first appearance in
1886. Science fiction also became popular in the
fin de siècle, as H. G. Wells imagined future
worlds in The Time Machine (1895) and an
alien invasion in The War of the Worlds (1897).
It was a time of change, a time of great
upheaval, but also a time of GREAT Literature!
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
The 20th-century writers wrote against the
background of two world wars, tremendous
insights from psychology, and the unbelievable
technological progress. Consequently, their
traditional values and attitude were no longer
adequate to meet the needs of his fast- changing
world. The constant search for new ideas, new
philosophies, and new approaches was reflected
in the works of the modern writers. We find the
first great fiction detectives in Arthur Conan
Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. In John Galsworthy,
we see the dramatization of social conditions,
while in Gilbert Keith Chesterton we see the
emphasis on the paradox of life. James Joyce,
who is class by himself, shows shrewd insights
into people who harbor secret fears and desires.
His random style is known as "stream of
consciousness". In the field of science fiction,
Aldous Huxley brought us a step closer to the
futuristic mind and the controlled chaos brought
about by technological advancement. Frank
O'Connor tackled the frailties of the human race,
and Dylan Thomas in his tragically short life
recorded his individual struggle from darkness
toward some measure of light in a language as
"genuinely impassioned".
We conclude our brief review of the history of
English literature with Dylan Thomas. The
authors have been treated chronologically, to
enable us to see the trends of literary thought
and style. We will see how historical forces
influence writers, and how though some sites
break away from the restrictions of their milieu
This will be a parade of stars-literary luminaries
who pulsate through the centuries And even
when the light of these stars shall have been
snuffed out by the winds of time, their glow will
continue to radiate and travel through the space
of literary history.
AMERICAN LITERATURE
Unlike the other literatures of others countries,
American literature was not born solely out of
American soil. It was brought in by people who
emigrated from lands already possessed with a
culture. From the very first, American writers
began with a long tradition behind them. As they
started, they already had behind them an
intimate familiarity with a rich literature and a
burning interest in some problems of religion
and conduct. However, at first they did not have
the leisure to write, since they were too busy
trying to conquer a new land. It took some time
before they could develop a literature with an
individuality all their own. We can approach
American literature by simply dividing it into
four major historical periods.
COLONIAL PERIOD (1607-1765)
Although American literary history started with
accounts of life, travels, and adventures, the
period was dominated by the Puritans in which
the writings reflected the best qualities of early
Puritanism, Puritanism was characterized by two
basic beliefs: first, to secure salvation; and
second, to subdue the body in preparation for the
joys of heaven. Two writers of contrasting
temperaments easily dominated the period-
Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin.
In 1754 a book, published by Jonathan Edwards,
created a sensation both in American and
Europe, particularly in Scotland where
Calvinistic theology was at its zenith. The subtle
philosophical reasoning makes it less appealing
to the modern taste. In Benjamin Franklin,
however, the modern reader will find affinity in
spirit. Franklin stressed the practical aspects of
life. His Autobiography was candid and
humorous. His almanacs contained numerous
bits of useful information, including the witty
saying of Poor Richard, many of which are still
relevant today.
Historical Context
Started with the founding of Jamestown
Half-way Covenant- 1662
Salem Witch Trials- 1692
First printing press in Charleston- 1730
Great Awakening- 1740-1741
Ended with the Stamp Act, when colonists were
forced to see themselves as separate from
England
Description of Period
Writing was "generally utilitarian, polemical or
religious" Religious poetry, sermons, etc.
Influenced Awakening by Puritanism,
Enlightenment, the Great
Belles-lettres (imaginative works) didn't flourish
Had other things to deal with: wilderness,
Indians, disease; later: wealth, government,
progress, political, rights
Benjamin Franklin created first American
Fictional character (Richard Saunders)
Lots of high-quality literature but "very little
that did not self-consciously take English
authors as models and even less that could merit
the term belletristic."
Major Groups, Schools, and Movements
A lack of creative writing stymied the
development of groups, schools, and movements
Great Awakening ministers wrote sermons •
William Byrd wrote cavalier descriptions about
life in Virginia and North Carolina
"Newspapers and almanacs flourished"
Major Authors and Works
Edward Taylor- religious poetry
Jonathan Edwards- religious and philosophical
treatises (Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God)
Benjamin Franklin- Poor Richard's Almanac
Anne Bradstreet- The Tenth Muse, Lately
Sprung Up in America
Bay Psalm Book (first book printed in America)
THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
Ballads and satirical verses marked this
particular stage in American literature. The
balled on the death of Nathan Hale is one of the
most notable among all the patriotic ballads
written in this period because of its real poetic
quality. With the Stamp Act of Congress in
1765-the first formal protest against England,
the Revolutionary Period began. The very
atmosphere created a literature that was
combative in nature. It was a period of great
speeches. Among the great orators were John
Adams and Patrick Henry.
Who could ever forget Henry's Speech on
Liberty with its stirring pleas, "Give me liberty
or give me death!" There were outstanding
political writers such as Alexander Hamilton,
Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.
Thomas Paine, however, had the greatest impact
on literature. His Common Sense was the first
open work championing the cause of American
independence.
THE CREATIVE PERIOD
Although the last two centuries of American
writing were too limited in scope, it paved the
way to rapid development in the first decades of
the 29th century. Some literary historians would
divide this period into two-the First National
Period and the Second National Period. During
the early decades at the height of harsh criticism
of American writers, a group of young writers
started writing humorous established the
prestige of American writers in England. He was
recognized as the Addison in America. His
Sketch Book was issued in New York and
London, a popular book that contained the
memorable "Rip Van Winkle". James Fenimore
Cooper wrote of excitement and adventure. We
remember him most for The Last of the
Mohicans.
Perhaps the greatest of the poets that emerged in
this period are Edgar Allan Poe and Walt
Whitman, Poe's haunting poetry and horror tales
made a great impact during this period. Walt
Whitman, the controversial poet, wrote his
"Leaves of Grass" in free verse. He was the first
of the free verse poets and his "frankness of
expression" disturbed many. Some condemned
his work as sheer trash; others praised it.
William Cullen Bryant should be mentioned
here. He created a number of memorable poems
such as "To a Waterfowl" and "Thanatopsis". An
American writer worth mentioning is Stephen
Crane who wrote The Red Badge of Courage, a
story about the Civil War.
During this period the New England writers
were considered the most creative. Included in
this group were Emerson, Hawthorne,
Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, Thoreau, and
Lowell. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet
Letter and The House of the Seven Gables
became classics. Longfellow wrote more poems
than any other poet at that time. Most youngsters
could recite from memory his The Arrow and
the Song and The Psalm of Life but his Song of
Hiawatha and Evangeline were considered
masterpieces. Oliver Wendell Holmes who
created The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, a
unique book of chatty essays, was an essayist
par excellence. The modern man's craving for
communion with nature will find Henry David
Thoreau a kindred soul. He was considered as
America's foremost nature writer. His love for
nature was clearly expressed in his book
Walden, or Life in the Woods. James Russel
Lowell wrote The Vision of Sir Launful, a
narrative poem in ode form. His "Under the Old
Elm" could very well have been written by one
of the Beatles. Such was Lowell's ability to seize
universal themes.
THE MODERN PERIOD (1945-1979)
To assess the Modern Period is rather difficult
not only because of the remark explosion of
published works that took place especially after
World War II but because of its closeness to our
time. We live so close to the Modern Period that
whatever generalization or evaluation we may
make will necessarily lack a certain objective
and perspective. The best we can do, perhaps, is
to drop a few names: O Henry for the shor story;
Robert Frost for poetry; Eugene O'Neill for
drama and E. B. White for the essay. For the
novel, dropping names might not do justice to
any of the modern novelists since ther are so
many of them who have made their mark. Time
and Newsweek, American weekly magazines
with international editions, usually keep an up-
to-date listing of outstanding fictionists as well
as non-fictionists, and such names as Sinclair
Lewis, Ernest Hemingway Salinger, Updike,
Baldwin, and Michener appear in their lists from
time to time.
The American literary explosion is part of the
total technological explosion Universities turn
out potential writers like Richard Bach and Erich
Segal. Printing is so technically advanced that
several thousands of books could be made in just
a few days With a little push from mass media, a
book could be turned into a movie overnight.
Some American writers are so rated that they are
paid even before they start to write. Naturally.
score of new writers enter the field. Some make
it to top once or twice, and then kaput Others
linger, and quite a few are here to stay. These
few that has staying power, you will meet in this
book.
The term modern period or modern era
(sometimes also modern times) is the period of
history that followed Middle Ages between 1350
and 1500. It is further divided into an early
period of development called the early modern
period, which lasted from 1500-1800. The
modern era is an historical periodization that is
applied primary to European History. The later
stage of modern period is characterized
Enlightment in the 18th century and the
industrial revolution of the 19th century.
Henry Moseley
-invented the modern period in 1913. The first
who was able to arrange all the known elements
was Mendeleev, he gave the law called the
Mendeleev's periodic law.
Modern Period is divided into three:
Early Modern Period
Late Modern Period
Contemporary History
Father of modern period/literature
William Shakespeare
- He is considered to be the father of Modern
English literature. It is not just his popularity
and influence on modern writers that allows for
this tittle to be attributed to him but because of
the massive contributions he made to the
development of the English language.
Writers of modern period/literature:
Franz Kafka
Was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and
short- story writer, widely regarded as one of the
major figures of 20th century literature.
Born on July 3, 1883, Prague, Czechia
Died June 3, 1924, Kierling, Austria
Nationality, Czechoslovak, Hungarian
The famous literary piece of Franz Kafka is his
novel The Trial, in which a man is charged with
a crime that is never named, and the
metamorphosis, in which the protagonist wakes
to find himself transformed into an insect.
D.H. Lawrence
Was an English writer, novelist, poet and
essayist. His work reflect on modernity,
industrialization, sexuality, emotional health,
vitality, spontaneity and instinct.
Born on September 11, 1885, Eastwood, United
Kingdom
Died March 2, 1930, Vence, France
Full name: David Helbert Lawrence
Lawrence is best known for his novels Sons and
Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and
Lady Chatterley's Lover. In these book,
Lawrence explores possibilities for life within an
industrial setting. In particular Lawrence is
concerned with the nature of relationships that
can be had within such a setting.
Virginia Woolf(1882-1941)
is perhaps best known as the author of Mrs
Dalloway(1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927),
she was also a prolific writer of essays, diaries,
letters and biographies.
Was an English writer, considered one of the
most important modernist 20th century authors
and a pioneer in the use of stream of
consciousness as a narrative device.
Born on January 25, 1882, Kensington, London,
United kingdom.
Died March 28, 1941, Lewes, United Kingdom
Full name: Adeline Virginia Woolf
T.S. Eliot
Was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright,
literary critic and editor. Considered one of the
20th century's major poets, he is a central figure
in English-language modernist poetry.
On November 4, 1948 Eliot wins the nobel prize
in Literature, for his profound effect on the
direction of modern poetry.
Getrude Stein
Was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and
art collector.
Born on February 3, 1874, Allegheny
Died July 27, 1946, American Hospital of Paris
An art lover in its true sense, Gestrude was an
American writer, poet, and art collector. Her
well known books, The Making of Americans
(1925) and The Autobiography of Alice B.
Toklas (1933).
Joseph Conrad
Was a polish-british novelist and short story
writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest
writers in the English Language.
Born on December 3, 1857, Berdychiv, Ukraine
Died August 3, 1924, United Kingdom
Full name Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski
He is best known for writing the novels Lord
Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904), and The Secret
Agent (1907), and for the novella Heart Of
Darkness (1902).
Samuel Beckett
An Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer,
theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His
literary and theatrical work features bleak,
impersonal and tragicomic experiences of life,
often coupled with black comedy and nonsense.
Born on April 3, 1906, Foxrock, Ireland
Died December 22, 1989, Paris, France
Beckett is most famous for his play En attendant
Gobot. Like most of his work after 1947, the
play was first written in French. Beckett work
on the play between October 1948 and January
1949.
Other famous writers
William Carlos Williams
W.B Yeats
OZYMANDIAS OF EGYPT
Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land, -a
Who said "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone-b Stand in
the desert.... Near them, on the sand, -a
Half sunk a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown, -b
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, - a
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read-c
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, d
The hand that mock'd them, and the heart that fed; - c
And on the pedestal, these words appear: -e
'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; - d
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!'-e
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay -f
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare e
The lone and level sands stretch far away." -f
PERIOD:
Romantic Era (1817)
THEME
The might and mystery of a king do not last; only great art
endurance.
All power is temporary, no matter how professional or
tyrannical a ruler is.
RHYME SCHEME (indicated above)
cdcedefef
TYPE OF POEM:
Shakesperean Sonnet
METER
Iambic Pentameter
LITERARY DEVICES:
Alliteration is the repetition of a sound or letter at the
beginning of multiple words in a sentence or paragraph.
There are several instances of alliteration in "Ozymandias"
including the phrases:
Two vast and trunkless legs
cold command
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed
boundless and bare
lone and level sands stretch
- Apostrophe is a poetic device where the writer addresses
an exclamation to a person or thing that isn't present well
those passions read (normally, read those passions well)
Enjambement is the continuation of a sentence beyond a
line break, couplet, or stanza without an expected pause.
In "Ozymandias" there are numerous examples of
enjambment, including "Who said "Two vast and trunkless
legs of stone/Stand in the desert.... Near them, on the sand,"
and "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/Of that
colossal Wreck, boundless and bare" In both examples, the
line break occurs in the middle of a sentence.
Also spelled without the first "e" shatter'd visage lies
Synecdoche is a substitution of a part to stand for the
whole., or the whole to stand to stand for a part hand that
mock'd them
MY NATIVE LAND SIR WALTER SCOTT
Breathes there the man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
'This is my own, my native land!'
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd
From wandering on a foreign strogo?
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung.
Breathes there the man with soul so dead
There is a man who is physically alive as he is breathing
but emotionally he is dead because his soul is dead. Writer
wrote so dead to emphasize that it is a miserable death.
Who never to himself hath said
"This is my own, my native land" In this line poet is
describing what kind of person is emotionally dead. To
hima person with dead soul is the one who has never told
himself that his motherland is his own, native land. Hath
simply means have.
Whose heart hath never within him burned?
By this phrase poet means that who is that person who has
no heart? Who is the person whose heart is burned or
destroyed within him?
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand! These two lines are
the answer to previous question that poet poses. According
to him if a person does not return to his native land and is
lost within the environment of foreign country, the person
lacks a heart
If such there breathe, go mark him well
If you find such person who has no love for his motherland
you can blame him.
For him no minstrel raptures swell
The meaning of minstrel is a traditional singer who
wanders from place to place singing song that are
emotionally very touchy for his living. Roptures, mean s
extreme joy and happiness whereas swell means to increase
in volume or quantity. By this line poet means that no any
minstrel is going to sing a song for him and about him. No
any minstrel will increase his happiness.

High though his title, proud his name

Boundless his wealth as wish can claim

Here poet means that even though a person is extremely

rich, has a great fame, and is proud of his name.

Despite those titles, power and pelf,

The wretch concentrated all in self

Despite of all his wealth, prestige and power he is a

miserable person because a person who is concentrated
about only himself (a selfish person) is a poor person
despite the enormous wealth.

Living, shall forfeit fair renown

He is alive but should penalize all his fame.

And doubly dying shall go down

Here by doubly dying poet means that such an unpatriotic

person dies twice. Once he dies due to his physical death,
when his breathing is stopped. Next, he is not remembered
by anyone after his death. So along with his death, he also
dies from the memory of people.

To the vile dust from where he sprung. His dead body turns
into an ash and it mix with the dirt within the ground from
where he learnt to crawl.

Unwept, unhonored and unsung.

No one drops tear in his death, and no one honors him at

the time of funeral and no one is there to tell the funeral
prayer.

RHYME SCHEME: aaaaaabbccddeeff METER: AMBIC

TETRAMETER

THEME: PATRIOTISM/NATIONALISM