English  Literary Ages

Literary Ages

·   ANGLO SAXON                                                                                    670 – 1100

·ANGLO NORMAN OR MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD                        1100 – 1500             

·   RENAISSANCE OR ELIZABETHAN AGE   1500 – 1600

·   THE PURITAN AGE                                 1600 –1660

·   RESTORATION PERIOD                       1660 – 1700

·   CLASSICISM OR EIGHTEENTH CENTURY    1700 – 1744

·   AGE OF JOHNSON                                   1744 – 1784

·   ROMANTIC AGE                                      1798 – 1824

·   EARLY VICTORIAN                                1832 – 1870

·   LATER VICTORIAN                                1870 – 1900

·   MODERNISM                                             1900 – 1961

Anglo Saxon or Old English period (670-1100)

-                    It is the Earliest form of English literature

-                    It started with angles and Saxons, two ancestors tribes of the English race.

-                    English was a common name and tongue of these tribes.

-                    They belonged to the coasts of Sweden and Denmark, and the land they occupied was called Engle-land.

-                    They were fearless, adventurous and brave.

-                    Like other tribes they song at their feasts about battles, gods and heroes.

-                    Most of their poetry is lost, except a few.

-                    Beowulf was the famous poem of this period.

-                    Later they embraced Christianity and started writing about religious themes.

-                    The Angles and Saxons combined in themselves opposing traits of character- savagery and sentiment, rough living and deep feeling, splendid courage and deep melancholy.

-                    They followed five great principles - love of personal freedom, responsiveness to nature, religion, love for womanhood, and struggle for glory.

Middle English or

Anglo-Norman Period (1100-1500)

-                    The Norman (France) defeated the Anglo-Saxons King in 1066 and conquered England.

-                    The Norman Conquest inaugurated a new epoch in the literary and politic history of England.

-                    The Anglo-Saxon authors were displaced and the foreign types of literature was introduced.

-                    The Anglo-Saxon lost their hostility to the new comers and became part and parcel of one nation.

-                    The Normans brought with them soldiers, artisans and traders.

-                    English language was thrown in the background and Latin and French languages were used.

-                    The conquest of Anglo-Norman led to the invigoration of the monasteries.

-                    Clergy and Church were powerful in this period.

-                    It was a period of theo-centricism, related to God, church and Christ.

-                    People were confined to religion and religious knowledge.

-                    Worldly or secular knowledge was not acquired.

-                    The Romance was the most popular form of literature.

-                    Most of these Romances were borrowed from Latin and French sources.  

-                    The stories of King Arthur, the war of troy, and of Alexander the Great.

-                    Miracle plays also became very popular, they were based on Biblical stories, about the creation of man, his fall and banishment from Eden, the life of Christ and the day of judgement.

-                    Morality plays also flourished during the Middle age.

-                    These plays have uniform theme of the struggle between good, and ‘evil’, with the intent to teach right living and uphold religion.

-                    The parsonages were abstract virtues or vices, e.g., truth, honour, courtesy, loyalty, and evil abstract characters, e.g., pride, lust, greed, e.t.c, it was the start of allegory.

-                    William Lang land, John Gower and Jeoffery Chaucer were the prominent poets of this period.   

RENAISSANCE 1500 – 1600

1. Renaissance means Revival of learning or Rebirth of Knowledge.

(a)    “Man discovered himself and the Universe”

(b)   “Man so long blinded had suddenly opened his eyes and seen”

(c)    There was a shift from Theo - centricism to Anthropo- centricism, i.e. from God to Man.

2. It is also called Elizabethan age or Shakespearian age
3. Renaissance started after the fall of Constantinople (a city of Greece) in 1453 by Turks
4. Greek scholars spreaded in Europe, especially they took refuge in Italy. They brought their unique manuscripts with them. This knowledge created change, first in Italy, later in England.
5. Printing Machine was invented in this period. And books were printed in large scale.
6. Columbus discovered America in 16^th century.
7. Vasco da Gama circumnavigated the earth.
8. Copernicus discovered solar system.
9. There was a new trend in Voyaging, trading, science and philosophy.
10. It was also the start of Colonialism and Nationalism. It also started Protestantism and reformation movement, against Medievalism and Catholicism.
11. Italy became the 1^st centre of renaissance in 15^th Century.

(a)    Dante wrote “Divine comedy” in Italy, against priesthood and God’s Authority.

(b)   Machiavelli wrote “the prince” // Petrarch and Boccaccio were two great poets of this period.

12. In England Elizabethan Prose progressed to a great extent.
13. Elizabethan loved decorative modes of expressions & flowery style.
14. There was a new movement of humanism it means man’s concern with himself - proper study of mankind
15. Man is responsible for his own actions.
16. There was enhanced sensitiveness to formal beauty & aesthetic sense.
17. Martin Luther founded Protestantism, they Challenged the authority of pope and burnt pardons
18. There was also a strong trend of sensuousness. Now the writers started to write about women and women beauty. E.g. John Donne’s Poems.
19. It was also a period of utilitarianism, individualism, selfishism, deceive, double cross.

PURITANISM 1600 – 1660

–             17^th Century may be divided into two periods.

The puritan age or the age of Milton.

–             17^th Century was marked by the decline of the renaissance spirit the negative impacts of Renaissance.

–             The writers either imitated the great master of Elizabethan period or followed new paths.

–             There is a marked change in temperament i.e. modern. There was a complete break away with medieval times.

–             It is Considered as the second and greater Renaissance

–             It was a reaction against narrow minded, gloomy dogmatist who were against all pleasures, but they were not so.

–             It was a period of Genuine liberty-politically and intellectually.

–             It was a period of analysed, classified, systematised knowledge.

–             For the first time the writers began using English language as a vehicle for conveying facts.

–             It was a period of science, Newton, Bacon, Descartes belong to this period.

–             There was Popularization of autobiography in literature.

–             There was touch of realism and they satirize on actual men belonging to opposite political and religious groups.

–             There was the rebirth of the moral nature of man which followed the intellectual awakening.

–             Unfortunately, despotism was still order of the day.

Ø  Fanaticism was still rampant.

Ø  Puritanism became a national movement against the tyrannical rule of the King-Charles-I.

Þ    Puritan stood for change liberty and tolerance though there were some fanatics and extremist among them.

–             Charles-I was defeated and beheaded in 1649.

Ø  After the defeat of king many severe laws were passed under Cromwell.

Ø  Many simple modes of recreation and amusement were banned, and an austere standard of living was imposed on people.

–             There were no fixed literary standards imitations so of the older poets and exaggerations of the metaphysical poets replaced the original dignified and highly imaginative composition of Elizabethans.

John Milton

–             Milton was the greatest poet of puritan age; he stands head ad shoulders above all his contemporaries.

–             Unlike Shakespeare, he was egoistic, in all his poetry he sings about himself and his lofty soul.

–             He was deeply religious man.

–             He combined in himself the spirit of Renaissance and reformation.

–             He was a great humanist.

–             He thinks poetry as a serious business of life.

–             Wordsworth wrote about him.
Thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart.

–             In the Civil War in , Milton actively participated in the struggle against King Charles-I.

–             Finding himself unfit to fight as a soldier, he became the Latin secretary of Cromwell and spent the best period of his life for national movement instead of poetry.

–             Milton became friend less, after the death of Cromwell and the coming of Charles-II to throne.

–             His own wife and daughter turned against him.

–             He also found himself completely blind.

–             But undaunted by these misfortunes, he girded up his loins and wrote his greatest poetical works.

–             Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonists.

–                             In Paradise Lost & Regained he tried
“to justify the ways of God to Man”

JOHN DONNE

–             Brought up as a priest.

–             Studied in a school / church.

–             He learned rhyme and rhythm in school

–             He emerged as a skill-full poet.

–             He was an intellectual and witty person.

–             He is considered to be the leader of metaphysical school of poetry.

–             Meta means beyond, and physical mean concrete or tangible.

–             So mete-physical means beyond physical i.e., spiritual or philosophical.

–             His poetry is full of exaggeration, display of learning, far-fetched smiles, metaphors and conceits (conceit is a far fetched imagery, it is an intellectual reference and require strong knowledge to understand it)

–             He was the monarch of wit and used heterogeneous ideas together.

®    He was a mechanical poet, he writes poetry with a skill, with a formula.

®    He writes poetry from head and it appeal to head. He does not write from heart and does not touch the heart. His poetry lacks in emotions and feelings.

–             He also worked as a court poet.

–             He was very skilful in the form of poetry.

–             He never repeated his form, but changed his stanzas according to his theme.

–             His form or stanzas in the poem represents the theme and content of the poem. He used loose stanzas for flirtious poetry and fix stanzas for divine poetry about God.

–             “Donne yokes the most heterogeneous ideas by violence together.”

–             There are three parts of his poetry.

–             Amorous or Love poetry – about his beloveds

–             Serious Love poetry – about his wife and nob ladies.

–             Divine (Love) poetry – about God after the death of his wife.

RESTORATI ON PERIOD

-       Charles II came to throne

-       Monarchy was restored.

-       Puritan ideal were broken

-       Strict Moral and discipline were defeated

-       New Frivolity, looseness, foppery were introduced, writer and poets started to

-       Imitate French – their vices, instead of Shakespeare and Elizabethan.

-       Later, Realism, preciseness and argumentative style was introduced.

-       Couplet, intellectual satires were introduced.

-       Simple language was introduced at 1^st for vices rather than virtues later on simple language for wholesome realism.

DRYDEN

-       Supreme master of Restoration poetry.

-       He used Satirical and realistic, heroic couplet

-       He emancipated poetry from false taste and artificial style of metaphysical writers who used conceits and exaggeration.

-       He laid the foundation of classical school of thought.

-       Formalism, intellectual precision, argumentative skill, realism were introduced.

-       Reason in verse started to be used.

Eighteen Century , Classicism

Age Of  Pope , Or Augustan

-       It is also called (i) the Age of good sense (ii) the age of reason and
(iii) Augustan age.

-       This age can be divided into three distinctive periods:

(i) Dryden period, (ii) Pope period, (iii) Dr. Johnson period.

-       It is called classical age on account of three reasons.

-       The term classics was first applied to the works of he great Greek and Roman writers – like Homer (Greek) and Virgil (Roman).

-       The writers of 18^th Century in England tried to imitate the rules and methods laid by ancient writers, so they bean to be called as Neo-classics.

-       On the second place the Writers of high rank produced the work of great merit in large number so it was called as classical age.

-       In this period there was Abundance of literary productions.

Neo-classics Rebelled against the exaggerated and fantastic style of Elizabethan and Puritans.

-       They were influence by French writers specially Boileau & Rapin

-       They followed classical rules of Horace & Aristotle, but unfortunately they worked on only external performance. They lacked in inner sublimity and grandeur, therefore, their classicism is called Pseudo – classicism, false or sham classicism.

-       In this period Prose occupied the front position.

-       There were Social, political, religious & literary controversies.

-       There was the Development of satire in this period Whigs & Tories were two political parties.

-       There was also the Development of Novel.

-       But this period was Deficient in drama.

-       Poetry became polished witty and artificial but it lacked fire, fine feelings, enthusiasm, and the poetic glow of the Elizabethan age and the moral earnestness of Puritanism.

-       It (poetry) became more interested in the portrayal of actual life like prose, but it lacked in inspiration and imagination.

-       It was no longer used for lofty and sublime purposes; its subject matter became satire and criticism.

-       Two main characteristics of the Restoration period Realism and precision – were carried to further perfection during the eighteen century.

-       Heroic couplet was introduced in poetry.

-       They talked about society rather than individual.

-       They talked about duty rather than desire.

-       They talked about Elite and Aristocratic Class rather than common and rustic people.

ROMANTIC AGE 1798 - 1824

-       It was a Revolt against classical school of thought.

-       Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley & Keats belong to this period.

-       Romanticism started with the publication of Lyrical Ballads – 1798, a book on the nature and scope of poetry by Wordsworth.

-       Unlike classicism Simplicity of style & diction became the order of the day.

-       They started to depend on Poetic imagination instead of fancy.

®    They used common Language in poetry – a language used by rustics.

®    They disliked artificial way of town life, talked about common and rustic people.

-       There was an inevitable role of imagination & emotion in romantic poetry.

-       It was the period of Political & social revolutions.

-       French revolution was also looming.

There was American war of independence; here Liberty of a nation from foreign domination represents Liberty of a poet from tyranny of literary rules said in Eighteen century.

Romantics Looked Pack to Elizabethan Masters like Shakespeare and Spencer for guidance.

-       Wordsworth wrote about events of everyday life and naturalism

-       Coleridge wrote about supernaturalism.

-       Early romantics had social harmony but later romanticism became a social conflict.

-       Romantics Preferred blank verse or stanza for poetic style

-       Elizabethan age can also be called as the first Romantic age in English literature, though there is a difference between both.

-       Romantics dealt with events of everyday life, insignificant aspects of nature.

-       They also believed in mysticism in the world.

®    They talked about desire than duty.

®The talked about individual than society.
VICTORIAN PERIOD 1832 – 1900

-       It is also called the Continuation of romanticism; it was because of the early death of young romantics. – It was fundamentally an age of realism rather than romance.

-       To be more exact it is the Combination of romanticism & classism

-       However, it was an Age of doubts, confusion, anxiety, and English empire was threatened to fall after its peak.

-       There were many Upheavals and turmoil, colonial sway was threatened.

-       It was also the period of New democracy, industry, science

-       Theory of Evolution by Darwin was introduced.

-       The people were in search of Balance, stability and rational understanding.

-       It was also the period of Self restraints, discipline and morality.

EARLY VICTORIAN

-       It was the period of Middle class supremacy.

-       It was the period of Laissez – Faire and free trade.

-       Tennyson, Browning, Thackeray and Dickens were the prominent figures.

Humour
Humanism
Morality
Satire

LATER VICTORIAN 1870

-       George Eliot, Hardy

MODERN LITERATURE (1920-1961)

®    It was opposed to the Victorian ideals hypocritical, mean & superficial.

®    Nothing was certain in this period everything was questioned.

®    Radical changes came in artistic standards.

-       Victorian accepted the voice of authority.

-       There was an Innate desire to affirm & confirm believer

-       Moderns did not take anything as granted

-       Simple faith was replaced by modern man’s desire to probe and question.

-       Bernard show attacked on old superstitions of religion & new superstitions of science.

-       They challenged the voice of authority.

®    Question! Examine! Test became the criterion.

-       People produced the interrogative habit of mind.

®    People questioned religion & morality.

®    Disintegration of values.

-       Material prosperity is essential

-       Sex no longer remained a mystery.

-       Karl Marx, Engles, Rusking etc. were followed.

-       There was the influence of world wars.

-       Scientific thought

®    Universe looks like a colossal blunder

-       Man has to live by the clock.

®    There were No common grounds and writers.

MODERN NOVEL

-       Modern novel Competes with film & radio.

-       Poetry lost its place in Modern Society.

-       Poetry provides compression of meanings though metaphysical expression.

-       Many divorces & domestic disturbances were mentioned.

-       Author & audience should consider same meaning.

-       It was an Age of disintegration & interrogation.

-       Old values discarded & replaced by new values.

-       Man was caught between two worlds, one dying, the other seeking to be born.

-       Society is not homogenous.

-       It was Difficult to choose between communism & capitalism.

-       Lock of Belief in God & Scepticism was prevailing

-       There was Confidence in science & fear of atomic bomb.

-       Every belief was riddled with doubt.

-       There was the Absence of any common values.

-       Compression of meaning not possible in poetry.

-       In prose ambiguity can be clarified.

-       There was Analytical scientific approach.

-       There was Development of psychology.

-       Realism / Impressionism / Symbolism were introduced.

-       Technique of Stream of consciousness was introduced.

-       Self consciousness.

-       Boldness and Sexual frankness.

-       There was the Disintegration of society.

VIRGINIA WOOLF

-       Stream of consciousness.

-       Use of symbols.

-       Study of inside, inner drama of mind.

-       Poetic temperament.

-       Life and process of living is important.

-       Usual, mental & emotional impressions.

JAMES JOYCE

-       Free association, stream of consciousness.

-       Use of symbols being an Artist.

-       Born linguist considers language machinery.

-       Speech occupies the dominant association area.

JOSEPH CONRAD

-       Impressionistic technique

-       Unusual insight.

-       Third person as if in conversation.

-       Characters frustrated by their own passions & impulses.

-       Expose social abuses & social prejudices.

-       Intellectual sympathy, single – heartedness.

-       Realism.