21 Century

st

Literature
(World Literature)
 LEARNING COMPETENCIES

1.identify representative texts and authors from Europe

2.situate the texts in the context of the region, nation, and
the world
 WORD DRILL
TENET: A PRINCIPLE, BELIEF OR DOCTRINE
BIZARRE: CRAZY, ABSURD,
SUBCONSCIOUS: EXISTING IN THE MIND BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE TO
CONSCIOUSNESS
SUNBEAM: A RAY OF SUNLIGHT
EGOCENTRIC: SELF-CENTERED
FOLLIES: STUPIDITY
HASTINESS: RAPID IN ACTION OR MOVEMENT
IMPULSIVE: HAVING THE POWER OF OR ACTUALLY DRIVING OR IMPELLING
 ACTIVIT# 1:

WATCH THE GIVEN VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FF. QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT ROMEO AND JULIET’S LOVE AFFAIR?
2. WHAT IS ONE OF THE TRAGIC THEMES OF THE PLAY?
3. WHY DO YOU THINK THE PLAY IS STILL HIGHLY REGARDED EVEN IF IT
WAS WRITTEN CENTURIES AGO?
EUROPE
European Literature
• also called Western Literature, refers to literature in the
Indo-European languages including Latin, Greek, the
Romance languages, and Russian. It is considered as the
largest body of literature in the world.
 The Divisions of European Literature
1. Ancient Literature:
This covers the five ancient civilizations of Babylonia, Assyria,
Egypt, Greece, and Rome including the culture of the Israelites in
Palestine.
Papyrus Paper Rolls

Clay Tablets
Some Influential works of the Ancient Literature
• The Epic of Gilgamesh – the world’s oldest epic
• The Code of Hammurabi – the world’s first codified law
• The Book of the Dead – the compilation of Egyptian
pantheon, rituals
• The Holy Bible – the sacred scriptures of Jews
• Iliad and Odyssey – the epics of Greece
• Aeneid – the Epic of Rome
2. Medieval Literature (Dark Ages)
The Fall of the Roman Empire marked the beginning of the
Medieval or Middle Ages. Also known as Dark Ages, due to the
prevailing conditions during this period, barbarian invasion and
Muslim conquests marked this era. Wars, famine, plagues and
decline in culture and learning.
Vellum (Goat skin paper) Parchment (Sheep skin paper)
Popular Books during this period
• King Arthur – Geoffrey of Monmouth
• Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer
• History of British People – Venerable Bede
• Divine Comedy – Alighieri Dante
• Beowulf – Anglo-Saxon tradition
• Norse Mythology – Norse Tradition
• City of God – St. Augustine of Hippo
3. Renaissance Literature
The term Renaissance (rebirth or revival) is given to the historical
period in Europe that succeeded the Middle Ages. This period
marked the reawakening of a new spirit of intellectual and artistic
inquiry, which was the dominant feature of this political, religious,
and philosophical phenomenon, was essentially a revival of the
spirit of ancient Greece and Rome.

Written short stories, novella and tales were born in this period.
4. 17th Century Literature (Age of Reason) 1601-1700
• Discourse on Methods – Rene Descartes
• Pensees – Blaise Pascal
• Complete Essays – Francis Bacon
• Leviathan – Thomas Hobbes
• Iphigenie – Jean Racine
• Absalom – John Dryden
• The Tragedies – William Shakespeare
• Don Quixote – Miguel De Cervantes
• Life is a Dream – Pedro Calderon
• Paradise Lost – John Milton
5. 18th Century Literature (Reason and Passion) 1701-1800
• Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe
• A Tale of the Tub – Jonathan Swift
• An Essay on Understanding – Alexander Pope
• Encyclopedie – Denis Diderot
• Elegy written in a country churchyard – Thomas Gray
• Candide – Voltaire
• Social Contract Theory – Jean Jacques Rousseau
• Poems of Scottish Dialect – Robert Burns
• The Sorrows of Young Werther – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• A Dictionary of the English Language – Samuel Jonson
6. 19th Century Literature (Romanticism, Symbolism, Realism.) 1801-1900
7. 20th Century Literature 1901-2000

L. Frank Baum Rudyard Kipling Arthur Conan Doyle

21st Century European Literature
Joanne Rowling CH, OBE, HonFRSE, FRCPE, FRSL,
better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a
British novelist, screenwriter, producer, and
philanthropist. Wikipedia
Born: 31 July 1965 (age 54 years), Yate, United
Kingdom
Residence: Killiechassie, Scotland
Children: Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes, Mackenzie
Jean Rowling Murray, David Gordon Rowling Murray
Awards: Legion of Honour, Kids’ Choice Award for
Favorite Book
Education: University of Exeter (1983–1986),