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Chapter6literatureI.TheoldEnglishperiod•ThemostfamousworkistheepicBeowulf.•Beowulfisa6th-centurySwedishwarrior.OnhearingthenewsthatthegreatwallofHrothgar,KingofDanesisraidedbyadreadfulmonster.Beowulfkillingmonsterandhismother.Later,Beowulf,Kingofhisownland,dieskillingadragonthatisthreateninghispeople.•Beowulfisafolklegendandithadbeenpasseddownbywordofmouthforhundredsofyearsbeforeitwaswrittendowninc.1000.II.TheMiddleEnglishPeriodWiththeNormanConquestin1066,BritainenteredtheMiddleAges.ThemostfamousauthoristhepoetGeoffreyChaucer.HewasthefirstcourtpoettowriteinEnglish.TheCanterburyTalesishismasterpieceandoneofthemonumentalworksinEnglishliterature.ItisacollectionofstoriestoldbypilgrimstoentertaineachotherontheirwaytotheChristianchurchinCanterbury.Thestoriescoverpracticallyallthemajortypesofmedievalliterature,suchasromance,folktale,fableandsermon.“”ThehighestgloryoftheEnglishRenaissanceisunquestionablydrama.Producingtheworksofmanyfamousplaywrights,includingChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespeare.II.TheRenaissanceChristopherMarloweisthegreatestpioneerofEnglishdrama,whoseeffortsinreformingitpavesthewayforShakespeare.•HismostimportantplayisTheTragicalHistoryofDr.Faustus,inwhichFaustus,ayoungandbrilliantscholar,sellshissoultothedevilinreturnforpower.WilliamShakespeareisrecognizedinmuchoftheworldasthegreatestofalldramatists.Shakespeare’splaysfallintothreecategories:comedy,tragedyandhistoricalplay.ThemerchantofveniceAmidsummernight’sdreamAsyoulikeitTwelfthnightRomeoandJulietOthelloKingLearMaebethAmongthebest–knownisHamlet,whichisregardedasamilestoneinShakespeare’sdramaticdevelopment.Heachievesartisticmaturityinthisworkthroughhisbrilliantdepictionofthehero’sstrugglewithtwoopposingforces.TheNeoclassicalPeriodBackground•TheGloriousRevolutionmarkedtheendofacenturyofdisputesandbattles.•Capitalismdevelopedfreely.•Englishliteratureofthisperiodwasoftenconcernedwiththetremendoussocialupheavalsofthetime.JohnMilton,poet,pamphleteerandhistorian.•Apartfrompoems,hewrotepamphlets.ThemostfamousofthemisAreopuagitica.•Heretiredintoobscurityandproducedhismasterpiece,theepicParadiseLost,itssequelParadiseregainandthetragedySamsonAgonistes.ThetwinspoemsL’AllegroandIIPenserosodescriberespectivelythecheerfulsocialmoodandthemeditativesolitarymood.AlexanderPope•PopealsotranslatedHomer’sIliadandOdyssey.•Pope’sworkswereonceconsideredpartofthementalfurnitureofthewelleducatedpeople.HisfirstmajorcontributiontotheliteraryworldisconsideredtobeAnEssayonCriticism.TheRapeoftheLock,hismostpopularpoem,whichrevealstheidlevanityofthecourtlife.JonathanSwiftisprobablytheforemostprosesatirist.Gulliver’sTravelsishisgreatestwork.ItisafancifulaccountofGulliver’sfourvoyagestoLilliput,thelandoftinypeople;Brobdingnag,thelandofgiants;theIslandofSorcerers,wherehespeakswithgreatmenofthepastandlearnsfromthemtheliesofhistory;andthelandgovernedbyhorses.DanielDefoeisafamousEnglishpamphleteer,journalist,andnovelist.ThenovelRobinsonCrusoewonhimgreatacclaim.Itisthemostfamoustaleofashipwreckandsolitarysurvivalinliterature.ThebestpartofthenovelistherealisticaccountofthesuccessfulstruggleofRobinsonaloneagainstthepitilessforcesofnatureontheuninhabitedisland.TheRomanticPeriod•Attheturnofthe19thcentury,RomanticismappearedasanewtrendinEnglishliterature.ItisarevoltagainsttheprescribedrulesofClassicism.•WilliamWordsworthandSamuelTaylorColeridgebeganthetrend.TheyarealsorepresentativesoftheLakePoets.•ThemajorsecondgenerationofRomanticpoetsincludesLordByron,PercyByssheShelleyandJohnKeats.GeorgeGordonByron,knownasLordByron,traveledextensivelyinEurope.HeproducedtheChildHarold’sPilgrimageHismasterpieceisDonJuan,whichowesitstitleandpartsofitsstorytotheoldlegendofthegreatloverDonJuan.PercyByssheShelley•HismasterpiecePrometheusUnbound,alyricaldrama,symbolizesthevictoryofman’sstruggleagainsttyrannyandoppression.•Hisshortpoemsonnature,suchas“OdetotheWestWind”and“ToaSkylark”Hiswritingsencompassabroadrange.Thelongpoem“TheRevoltofIslam”preachesrevolution;thepoliticallyric“TheMasqueofAnarchy”singsfortheworkingclass;andtheessay“ADefenseofPoetry”upholdstheplaceofimaginationandloveinarts.TheVictorianPeriod•ItwasItheVictorianErathatthenovelbecametheleadingformofliteratureintheEnglishlanguage.•ThegreatestEnglishrealistisCharlesDickens.CharlesDickens,heretainedanempathyforthecommonman.Dickens’novelsareworksofsocialcommentary.Hefirstnovel,ThePickwickPapers,whichshowedararecomicgift,broughthimfame.AmonghisbestknownworksareGreatExpectations.OliverTwist,thestoryofanorphanchilddrawnintocrimeintheLondonunderworldonlylatertodiscovertheerrorofhiswaysthroughtheloveandunderstandingofanoldermentor.ATaleofTwoCities,whichtakestheFrenchRevolutionasthesubject.DavidCopperfield,whichisarguedbysometobehisbestandmostautobiographicalnovelJaneAustenSheisregardedasoneofthegreatmasteroftheEnglishnovel,andhermostnotableworksincludeSenseandSensibility,PrideandPrejudice,MansfieldParkandEmma.GeorgeEliotisthepennameadoptedbyMaryAnnEvans•HerrepresentativeworksincludeAdamBede,TheMillontheFlossandSilasMarner.•Middlemarchisnotonlyhermast