A Survey of British LiteratureI. Early and Medieval Literature (Unit 2) 1. three conquests2. the medieval period: 476 A. Dthe 15th century3. Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066): -oral traditions;-“Beowulf”: the national epic-Caedmon: the first known English religious poet4. Anglo-Norman Period (1066-15th century):-Popularity of romancens;-Chaucer: the father of English poetry;-Ballads developed;5. “Beowulf” -longest; an epic; features (Pagan and Christian coloring; kenning; metaphor)6. Romance-Definition: It is a narrative verse of prose singing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds. Romances are popular in the medieval period.-“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”7. Geoffrey Chaucer -the father of English literature/poetry;-The Canterbury Tales: a double fiction; the Wife of Baths prologue; The Wife of Baths Tale; heroic couplet)8. Ballad: -Definition:A story told in song, usually in four line stanzas, with the 2nd and the 4th lines rhymed.-Robin Hood Ballads. 9. Appreciation:-from “Beowulf”-from “The Canterbury Tales”II. The Renaissance (Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5,Unit 6)1. three discoveries2. Renaissance-a thristing curiosity for classical literature;-a keen interest in life and human activities.3. Humanism-individualism; the joy of the present life; reason; the affirmation of self-worth-Humanism emphasizes the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life. Humanists voiced their beliefs that man was the center of the universe and man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of the present life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders.4. Sonnet: -Definition: It is a poem of 14 lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure; it expresses a single idea or theme. (Thomas Wyatt first introduced it to England)5. Shakespearean sonnet: -Definition: A Shakespearean sonnet consists of three four-linestanzas(calledquatrains) and a finalcoupletcomposed iniambic pentameter with the rhymeschemeabab cdcd efef gg.6. Blank verse: having a regular meter, but no rhyme. (Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey)7. Spenserian stanza: -Definition: Each stanza contains nine lines in total: eight lines in iambic pentameter followed by a single Alexandrine line in iambic hexameter. The rhyme scheme of these lines is ababbcbcc. 8. Appreciation:-Edmund Spenser and “The Faerie Queene”(written in blank verse)-Thomas More and “Utopia”-Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus (Appreication); Tamburlaine;The Jew of Malta; The Passionate Shepherd to His Love;-Sonnet 18 by Shakespeare (“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day”): time, mortality, immortality9. The first English essayist: Francis Bacon (“Of Studies”)10. Elizabethan theatrethe golden age of English drama;11. Shakespearean comedies: As You Like It; The Merchant of Venice; A Midsummer Nights Dream; Much Ado About Nothing; Twelfth Night12. Shakespearean tragedies: Macbeth; King Lear; Hamlet; Othello13. Shakespearean comedies:-Features: clowns, servants, jesters, fools; dramatic irony; mistaken identity, cross-dressing;-Patterns: The Green World Pattern (Sample: A Mid-summer Nights Dream)19. Shakespearean tragedies: -Features: characters; structure; soliloquy; traveling; the role of fate/chance20. Appreciation: -“To be, or not to be” (from Hamlet) (Hamlets dilemma)-“Tommorrow, tomorrow,” (from Macbeth) (Mabeth is tired of the world; bored with life; metaphors:) III. The Period of Revolution and Restoration (the 17th century) (Unit 7)1. 17th: the beginning of modern England;2. Cavalier poets: -Reflected the royalist values;-Themes: beauty, love, loyalty, morality;-Style: Direct, short, frankly erotic-Motto: “Carpe Diem” “Seize the Day” -Robert Herrick, Ben Johnson, Rochard Lovelace, etc;-Appreciation: “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” (Herrick; “to seize the day”) 3. Metaphysical school:-the founder of the Metaphysical school: John Donne-conceit: an extended metahpor involving dramatic contrasts or far-fetched comparisons;-John Donnes love poems: “The Flea”; “Valediction: Forbidden Mourning” (Appreciation)-Andrew Marvell: “To His Coy Mistress”4. Puritan writers:-John Bunyanh: “The Pilgrims Progress” (a religious allegory)-John Milton: “Paradise Lost” (based on The Old Testament) (Paradise Regained”; “Samson Agonistes”) (Appreciation)IV. The 18th Century LiteratureThe Age of Enlightenment (Unit 8 and Unit 9)1. 18th century: the golden age of English novels2. Enlightenment-an intellectual movement in Europe in the 18th century;-Reason as the guiding principle for thinking and action;-the belief in eternal truth, eternal justice, natural equality ;-a continuation of Renaissance; (Belief in the possibility of human perfection through education).3. Neo-classicism: -A revival of clas