Periods of English Literature (Raskin Shiddiq 0808477)

Name : Raskin Shiddiq Arasyid

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Literary Periods of British Literature

For ease of study, literary scholars divide British into segments referred to as "periods." While the exact number, dates, and names of these periods vary, the following lists conform to widespread acceptance. Following the tables, in chronological order, is a brief description of each period and major writers within it.

Periods of British Literature

450-1066 : Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) Period
1066-1500 : Middle English Period
1500-1660 : The Renaissance
1558-1603 : Elizabethan Age
1603-1625 : Jacobean Age
1625-1649 : Caroline Age
1649-1660 : Commonwealth Period (or Puritan Interregnum)
1660-1785 : The Neoclassical Period
1660-1700 : The Restoration
1700-1745 : The Augustan Age (or Age of Pope)
1745-1785 : The Age of Sensibility (or Age of Johnson)
1785-1830 : The Romantic Period
1832-1901 : The Victorian Period
1848-1860 : The Pre-Raphaelites
1880-1901 : Aestheticism and Decadence
1901-1914 : The Edwardian Period
1910-1936 : The Georgian Period
1914-1945 : The Modern Period
1945-present : Postmodern Period

The Old English Period or the Anglo-Saxon Period refers to the literature produced from the invasion of Celtic England by Germanic tribes in the first half of the fifth century to the conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror.

During the Old English Period, written literature began to develop from oral tradition, and in the eighth century poetry written in the vernacular Anglo-Saxon (also known as Old English) appeared. One of the most well-known eighth century Old English pieces of literature is Beowulf, a great Germanic epic poem. Two poets of the Old English Period who wrote on biblical and religious themes were Caedmon and Cynewulf.

The Middle English Period consists of the literature produced in the four and a half centuries between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and about 1500, when the standard literary language, derived from the dialect of the London area, became recognizable as "modern English." Prior to the second half of the fourteenth century, vernacular literature consisted primarily of religious writings. The second half of the fourteenth century produced the first great age of secular literature. The most widely known of these writings are Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur. While the English Renaissance began with the ascent of the House of Tudor to the English throne in 1485, the English Literary Renaissance began with English humanists such as Sir Thomas More and Sir Thomas Wyatt.

In addition, the English Literary Renaissance consists of four subsets: The Elizabethan Age, the Jacobean Age, the Caroline Age, and the Commonwealth Period (which is also known as the Puritan Interregnum).

The Elizabethan Age of English Literature coincides with the reign of Elizabeth I, 1558 - 1603. During this time, medieval tradition was blended with Renaissance optimism. Lyric poetry, prose, and drama were the major styles of literature that flowered during the Elizabethan Age. Some important writers of the Elizabethan Age include William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Ben Jonson.

The Jacobean Age of English Literature coincides with the reign of James I, 1603 - 1625. During this time the literature became sophisticated, sombre, and conscious of social abuse and rivalry. The Jacobean Age produced rich prose and drama as well as the King James translation of the Bible. Shakespeare and Jonson wrote during the Jacobean Age, as well as John Donne, Francis Bacon, and Thomas Middleton.

The Caroline Age of English Literature coincides with the reign of Charles I, 1625 - 1649. The writers of this age wrote with refinement and elegance. This era produced a circle of poets known as the "Cavalier Poets" and the dramatists of this age were the last to write in the Elizabethan tradition.
The Commonwealth Period, also known as the Puritan Interregnum, of English Literature includes the literature produced during the time of Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell. This period produced the political writings of John Milton, Thomas Hobbes' political treatise Leviathan, and the prose of Andrew Marvell. In September of 1642, the Puritans closed theatres on moral and religious grounds. For the next eighteen years the theatres remained closed, accounting for the lack of drama produced during this time period.

The Neoclassical Period of English literature (1660 - 1785) was much influenced by contemporary French literature, which was in the midst of its greatest age. The literature of this time is known for its use of philosophy, reason, skepticism, wit, and refinement. The Neoclassical Period also marks the first great age of English literary criticism.

Much like the English Literary Renaissance, the Neoclassical Period can be divided into three subsets: the Restoration, the Augustan Age, and the Age of Sensibility. The Restoration, 1660 - 1700, is marked by the restoration of the monarchy and the triumph of reason and tolerance over religious and political passion. The Restoration produced an abundance of prose and poetry and the distinctive comedy of manners known as Restoration comedy. It was during the Restoration that John Milton published Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Other major writers of the era include John Dryden, John Wilmot 2nd Earl of Rochester, and John Locke.

The English Augustan Age derives its name from the brilliant literary period of Vergil and Ovid under the Roman emperor Augustus (27 B.C. - A.D. 14). In English literature, the Augustan Age, 1700 - 1745, refers to literature with the predominant characteristics of refinement, clarity, elegance, and balance of judgment. Well-known writers of the Augustan Age include Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and Daniel Defoe. A significant contribution of this time period included the release of the first English novels by Defoe, and the "novel of character," Pamela, by Samuel Richardson in 1740. During the Age of Sensibility, literature reflected the worldview of Enlightenment and began to emphasize instinct and feeling, rather than judgment and restraint. A growing sympathy for the Middle Ages during the Age of Sensibility sparked an interest in medieval ballads and folk literature. Another name for this period is the Age of Johnson because the dominant authors of this period were Samuel Johnson and his literary and intellectual circle. This period also produced some of the greatest early novels of the English language, including Richardson's Clarissa (1748) and Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1749).

The Romantic Period of English literature began in the late 18th century and lasted until approximately 1832. In general, Romantic literature can be characterized by its personal nature, its strong use of feeling, its abundant use of symbolism, and its exploration of nature and the supernatural. In addition, the writings of the Romantics were considered innovative based on their belief that literature should be spontaneous, imaginative, personal, and free. The Romantic Period produced a wealth of authors including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Jane Austen, and Lord Byron.

It was during the Romantic Period that Gothic literature was born. Traits of Gothic literature are dark and gloomy settings and characters and situations that are fantastic, grotesque, wild, savage, mysterious, and often melodramatic. Two of the most famous Gothic novelists are Anne Radcliffe and Mary Shelley.

The Victorian Period of English literature began with the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837, and lasted until her death in 1901. Because the Victorian Period of English literature spans over six decades, the year 1870 is often used to divide the era into "early Victorian" and "late Victorian." In general, Victorian literature deals with the issues and problems of the day. Some contemporary issues that the Victorians dealt with include the social, economic, religious, and intellectual issues and problems surrounding the Industrial Revolution, growing class tensions, the early feminist movement, pressures toward political and social reform, and the impact of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution on philosophy and religion. Some of the most recognized authors of the Victorian era include Alfred Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, her husband Robert, Matthew Arnold, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy. Within the Victorian Period, two other literary movements, that of The Pre-Raphaelites (1848-1860) and the movement of Aestheticism and Decadence (1880-1900), gained prominence. In 1848, a group of English artists, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, formed the "Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood." It was the aim of this group to return painting to a style of truthfulness, simplicity, and religious devotion that had reigned prior to Raphael and the high Italian Renaissance. Rossetti and his literary circle, which included his sister Christina, incorporated these ideals into their literature, and the result was that of the literary Pre-Raphaelites.

The Aestheticism and Decadence movement of English literature grew out of the French movement of the same name. The authors of this movement encouraged experimentation and held the view that art is totally opposed "natural" norms of morality. This style of literature opposed the dominance of scientific thinking and defied the hostility of society to any art that was not useful or did not teach moral values. It was from the movement of Aestheticism and Decadence that the phrase art for art's sake emerged. A well-known author of the English Aestheticism and Decadence movement is Oscar Wilde.

The Edwardian Period is named for King Edward VII and spans the time from Queen Victoria's death (1901) to the beginning of World War I (1914). During this time, the British Empire was at its height and the wealthy lived lives of materialistic luxury. However, four fifths of the English population lived in squalor. The writings of the Edwardian Period reflect and comment on these social conditions. For example, writers such as George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells attacked social injustice and the selfishness of the upper classes. Other writers of the time include William Butler Yeats, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, Henry James, and E.M. Forster. The Georgian Period refers to the period of British Literature that is named for the reign of George V (1910-36). Many writers of the Edwardian Period continued to write during the Georgian Period. This era also produced a group of poets known as the Georgian poets. These writers, now regarded as minor poets, were published in four anthologies entitled Georgian Poetry, published by Edward Marsh between 1912 and 1922. Georgian poetry tends to focus on rural subject matter and is traditional in technique and form.

The Modern Period applies to British literature written since the beginning of World War I in 1914. The authors of the Modern Period have experimented with subject matter, form, and style and have produced achievements in all literary genres. Poets of the period include Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and Seamus Heaney. Novelists include James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, and Virginia Woolf. Dramatists include Noel Coward and Samuel Beckett.

Following World War II (1939-1945), the Postmodern Period of British Literature developed. Postmodernism blends literary genres and styles and attempts to break free of modernist forms.
While the British literary scene at the turn of the new millennium is crowded and varied, the authors still fall into the categories of modernism and postmodernism. However, with the passage of time the Modern era may be reorganized and expanded.

Reference: http://englisharticles.info/free-reading-articles/literature/literary-periods-of-english-liter.html

Periods of English Literature (Dwi Undayasari)

Periods of English Literature (Dwi Undayasari)
A Note on the Naming of Periods :
Dwi undayasari
0807344/3B

Periods in literature are named for fulers, historical events, intellectual or political or religious movement, or artistic styles. Most literary periods therefore have multiple names. What's worse,some of these names are debate. is the later 17th Century the Baroque eta? The term baroque isan intractable term derived from art criticism, though it may usefully be applicableto some writers as well. isthe earlyy 17th Century the Shakespearean era? Is it the Mannerist era? How widely do we wish to apply the term Elizabethan period? Other question arise. Does Romanticism begin with Wordsworth? With Blake?

In Addition, Romanticism has various dates according to the national literature we refer to. In the separate art form -- music, painting, and evensome literary genres -- the dates may vary yet more. Recent histories of literature and the latest Norton Anthology of English Literature offer the latest example of term applied to literary periods. My best advice is to use the relatively neutral names that refer to monarchs, political periods, and whole centuries. Then when you wish to emphasize what you are talking about,rather than by habitual use of terms, use the more specialized artistic and intellectual adjectives.In the following table, I attempt to catagorize some of the references generally used by English and American students of English literature, and to proveide examples of chief works or authors for each period. I've avoided simply naming the Centuries, and I'he not taken terms like Victorian to refer merely to the rulers -- although I do prefer to date Queen Victoria's death,with the changes it syimbolized, as the start ofthe Modern Era. Whereas Queen Victoria riled from 1837 until her death in 1901, many scholars select 1830 as the beginning of theVictorian Period, and for two good reasons. In 1830, the world's first public railway system opened between liverpool and Manchester, enhancing the trade and industrial development particular to the Victorian era. Also in that year, the Reform Parliament opened, which was to pass the Reform Bill of 1832, a bill which would far increse the power of the English middle class and thereby affect British class structure. This list is far less detailed than it might be, and omits details for periods surrounding the Reanaissance.

Literary Periods
Time Span, Terms, movements, Examples

600-1200 Old English (Anglo-Saxon) : Beowulf
1200-1500 Middle English : Geoffrey Chaucer
1500-1660 The English Renaisssance
1500-1558 Tudor Period : Humanis Era : Thomas More, John Skelton
1558-1603 Elizabethan Period : High Renaissance : Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, William Shakespeare
1603-1625 Jacobean Period : Mannerist Style (1590-1640) other styles: Metaphysical Poets; Devotional Poets : Shakespeare, John Donne, George Herbert, EmiliaLanyer
1625-1649 Caroline Period : John Ford, John Milton
1649-1660 The Commonwealth & The Protectorate : Baroque Style, and later, Rococo Style : Milton, Andrew Marvell, Thomas Hobbes
1660-1700 The Restoration : John Dryden
1700-1800 The Eighteenth Century : The Enlightenment; Neoclassical Period; The Augustan Age : Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson
1785-1830 Romanticism : The Age Revolution : WilliamWordsworth, S.T. Coleridge, Jane Austen, The Brontes
1830-1901 Victorian Period : Early, Middle and Late Victorian : Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Robert Browning, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
1901-1960 Modern Period : The Edwardian Era (1901-1910); The Georgian Era (1910-1914) : G.M Hopkins, H.G. Wells, James Joiyce, D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Ellot
1960- Postmoder and Contemporary Period : Ted hughes, Doris Lessing, John Fowlers, Don DeLillo, A.S. Byatt

source : stephen.gottlieb@comcast.net

period of english literature by mohammad fahmi (0808471)

PERIODS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

At this age, English literature term known as writing valued as works of art written in English. English literature has been divided in some periods such as Middle English period and the renaissance.

Periods of English literature

· Old English period : 5^th-11^th century (450-1066)

· Middle English period: 12^th-15^th century (1066-1500)

· The Renaissance: 16^th-17^th century (1500-1660)

o Elizabethan Age: 1558-1603

o Jacobean Age: 1603-1625

o Caroline Age: 1624-1649

o Commonwealth period: 1649-1660

· The Augustan Age: 18^th century (1700-1745)

· The Romantic Period: first half of 19^th century (1785-1830)

· The Victorian Period: second half of 19^th century (1830-1901)

· The Modern Period: first to second world war (1901-1960)

· The Post modern period: 1960s-present

1. OLD ENGLISH PERIOD

Old English period also known as Anglo-Saxon period is regarded as beginning with the invasion of Britain by Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) tribes in the 5^th century AD and lasting until the French invasion under William the conquer in 1066. This period existed in the middle age, from 5^th century until 11^th century. It became the earliest period of English literature.

In this period, number of texts which have been handed down is very small, comprising anonymous magic charms, riddles, and poems such as “The Seafarer”(c. 9^th century) or “The Wanderer” (c. 9^th-10^th century). Several epic works, such as the mythological Beowulf (c. 8^th century) or The Battle of Mardon (c. 100) which is based on historical facts also complete this period.

2. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD

The Middle English period exist from 12^th -15^th century when England was conquered by the French-speaking Normans. It happened when the standard literary language acquired from the dialect of the London area, and then became as “Modern English”.

Numbers of literature works from various literary genres have been preserved in this period. Lyric poetry and epic “long poems” have been listed in several genres such as religious, with it Piers Plowman (c. 1330-1386). Another genre of this age is romance. This genre is a part of secular literature and produced in second half of this age. It has several popular works, such as the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (fourteenth century) and Le Morte d’ Arthur by Thomas Malory (1470). Middle English literature also produced cycles of narratives, such as Canterbury tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1387) which was similar to Giovanni Boccacios’, IL Decamerone (c. 1349-1351) in Italy and comparable works of other national literatures, which are important models for the short story of the nineteenth century.

3. THE RENNAISANCE

The English Renaissance is also called the Early New English period. It appeared from sixteenth century until seventeenth century. The English renaissance consists of four ages, Elizabethan age, Jacobean age, Caroline age, and Commonwealth age.

· The Elizabethan Age

This age was appeared in 1558-1603 when Queen Elizabeth I led England. Political rule became one of it characteristic beside focus on the history of language. The Greco-Roman genres were influenced and dominated this age. In this age, appeared several writers who became the most famous writer in Elizabethan age. One of them is William Shakespeare (1546-1616) with his phenomenon masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet. The others writers of this age are Christopher Marlowe (1546-1593) and Edmund Spencer (1552-1599) who wrote Faerie Queene (1590; 1596).

· The Jacobean Age

The Jacobean age was appeared in 1605-1625 when King James I overbearing England. This age produced a lot of prose, drama, and King James translation of Bible. In this age, literature became serious, complicated, refined, has social abuse and rivalry awareness.

In a period of 1604-1611, William Tyndale translated Bible into English, and then became the standard Bible of the Church of England. This was the biggest project in history of literature. There were several famous writers who existed in this age, such as Ben Jonson with his phenomenon Volpone, Beamount and Fletcher with The Knight of the Burning Pestle, and John Donne with his song and sonnet “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”.

· The Caroline Age

The Caroline age was appeared in 1625-1649 when King Charles I overbearing England. This age produced circle poets or known with “Cavalier Poets”. The characteristics of this age were refinement and elegance. The political context was added to literature form while this age. This age has several drama writers, such as John Ford, Massinger, James Shirley, and Richard Brome. They published their works in the beginning of English Civil War.

· The Commonwealth Period

This period was also known as “The Puritan Interregnum”, because was under guidance of The Puritan Oliver Cromwell. It was appeared in 1649-1660. In this age, public theater and a drama performance for religious reason was closed and prohibited.

This age produced several political writers, such as John Milton and Thomas Hobbes, and prose writer such as Andrew Marvell. John Milton wrote Paradise Lost (1667) and Paradise Regained (1671), political pamphlets and religious epics. Then, Thomas Hobbes wrote his political treatise, “Leviathan”.

4. THE AUGUSTAN AGE

This age was appeared in the eighteenth century (1700-1745) which is referred to as the Golden Age or Neoclassical age. In this period, classical literature and literary theory were adapted to suit contemporary culture. John Dryden (1631-1719), Alexander Pope (1688-1744), Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) were the popular authors who wrote translation, theoretical essays and literary texts in variety genres.

This age was the time of influential change in distribution of texts, including the development of the novel, the introduction of newspaper and literary magazine as a new genre. The Tattler (1709-11), The Spectator (1711-14), Daniel Defoe’s (1660-1731) Robinson Crusoe (1719), Samuel Richardson’s (1689-1761) Pamela (1740-41) & Clarissa (1748-49), Henry Fielding’s (1707-54) Tom Jones (1749) were the pieces which marked the beginning of a new literary genre.

5. THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

Romantic period was appeared in the end of eighteenth century (1785-1830). Nature and individual, emotional experience play an important role in this age. Lyrical Ballads (1798) by William Wordsworth (1770-1850), William Blake (1757-1827), John Keats (1795-1821), Lord Byron and Jane Austen were the famous piece and authors of the Romantic period.

6. THE VICTORIAN AGE

This age appeared in the second half of nineteenth century or 1830-1901 when Queen Victoria’s reign just started. The social, economic, religious and intellectual problems were the themes of this period, which added with the industrial revolution, the early feminism movement, also the impact of the Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. There were several famous authors from this age, such as Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, George Elliot, Thomas Hardy, Matthew Arnold, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

7. THE MODERN PERIOD

This period can be seen as a reaction of the realist movements of the late nineteenth century. The modern period discovered innovative narrative techniques such as stream of- consciousness or structural forms such as college and literary cubism. The main pieces of this age were Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939) by James Joyce (1882-1941), Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Light House (1927) by Virginia Woolfs (1882-1941), three lives (1909) by Gertude Stein (1874-1946), The Cantos (1915-1970) by Ezra Pound (1885-1972), The Waste Land (1922) by T.S Elliot (1888-1965) and The Sound And The Fury (1929) by William Faulkner (1897-1962).

8. THE POST MODERN PERIOD

In this period, modern period issues concerning innovative narrative techniques are taken up again and adapted in an academic. The literary movement of this period indirectly deals with Nazi crimes and the nuclear destruction of World War II. The characteristics of this period were narratives techniques with multiple perspectives, interwoven strands of plot, and experiments in typography.

Literary works, such as Lost in the Funhouse (1968) by John Barth (*1930), The Crying of Lot 49 (1966) by Thomas Pynchon (*1937), Double or Nothing (1971) by Raymond Federsman (*1928), and The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969) by John Fowles (*1926) were the biggest literary works produced in this period.

REFFERENCES :

Klarer, Mario. 1998. An Introduction to Literary Studies. Routledge: London.

http://englishliterature99.wordpress.com/periods-of-english-literature/

http://sairam-english-literature.blogspot.com/2009/04/periods-of-english-literature.