Periods and Movements in Literature

 

a)    Medieval and Early Modern Literature: Dominic Rainsford (2014), says that medieval means ‘of the middle ages.’ So, the medieval period, which was considered as ‘Dark Ages’ and ‘Middle ages’ (English of this time is ‘Old English’ and ‘Middle English’ respectively), is the period between two glorified periods of the classical period and the Renaissance period. During this period, all Greek and Latin intellectual sources were overlooked. The medieval narrative is based on moral principles and have characteristics of genre. In addition, Old English of this period is related to Anglo-Saxon and the oldest literary work in English is the poem ‘Beowulf’ which is about mythical heroes. The Old English poetry was unique because it did not have any verse form or meter in it and the beliefs of Christians and Pagans were mixed in it. Furthermore, the chaotic condition at that time was highlighted through rituals, monarchy, and storytelling. In middle English period, the early literature blossomed, and Geoffrey Chaucer played a great role by writing the book of poetry ‘Canterbury Tales’.

 

                                                              Beowulf

Picture Resource: Encyclopedia Britanica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beowulf

 

                                                          Canterbury Tales

Resource:https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/literature/most-influential-fiction/canterbury-tales/

 

   b) Restoration English Literature:  During the colonial period, development in the literary genre was observed with the more printed text composition. The duration after the civil war is considered a neo-classical period. One of the neo-classical period's sub-periods is the restoration period, which was the recovery of kingship and the excluded culture in 1660. In restoration English literature, the geographical complexity, rise of literary criticism, and emergence of classical literature were observed. A famous poem "Paradise Lost (1667)" by John Milton has a significant part in responding to the political and religious conflicts of Civil war and unnecessary monarchy. John Milton's works show Biblical and classical work's intermixing and the conflict between literary figures and the church. So, his poem 'Paradise lost' is related to Greek tradition and Latin verse form. Apart from Paradise lost, another literary text, 'The pilgrim progress (1678)' by John Bunyan, was also based on religious context, but it never showed religion's supremacy. It depicts the evolution of divine authority to the human-centered viewpoint. 

The 'restoration plays' were prominent in British history because of comedies in urban, elegant, and sarcastic ways. Furthermore, these were directed to middle- and upper-class people to have their affection. William Congreve was considered as the famous play writer of that time. The poetry during the restoration period has the features of urbanity and creativity. Alexander Pope is a renowned poet from this period. Immanuel Kant from Germany, Voltaire from France, and Benjamin Franklin from America are considered the inventors of 'The Enlightenment' who developed the local English and culture.

                                                                    John Milton

Picture Resource: Poetry foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-milton

 

                                                            John Bunyan

Picture Resource: Roger Sharrock, (2020), “John Bunyan” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Bunyan

 

c) Renaissance English Literature: Early modern period is also known as the renaissance period, whose duration is 1500-1660, known as the age of discovery. The printing press is considered the major innovation of this period because it helped ease texts and ideas. Galileo's discovery (earth revolves around the sun) changed human perspectives that opposed the Biblical truth. Some other developments include the rebirth of classical texts, enlightenment, rethinking, and exploration. Renaissance period refers to Reformation (splitting of catholic church and rise of protestants), religious movements, and one's connection with God. Shakespeare's work has a significant role in the renaissance; for example, the central theme and narrative of 'Macbeth' made it to restage in different regional contexts. Likewise, Edmund Spenser wrote 'Farie Queene' during this period. Renaissance literature changed after the English civil war, and the monarchy never remained the same. Moreover, people started questioning the authorities and eventually moved to free literary culture, and human development took place. 

                                                            William Shakespeare

Picture Resource: Stephen Greenblatt (2020), “What Shakespeare Actually Wrote About the Plague”, New yorker.

 https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/what-shakespeare-actually-wrote-about-the-plague

                                                              Edmund Spenser

Picture Resource: A. Kentt (2020), “Edmund Spenser”, Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Spenser

 

c) Romantic English Literature: When Britain started a war with America to have control over them and after being defeated, they saw the emergence of romanticism in literature from 1785 to 1832. There are many causes for the rise of the romantic period, such as the French Revolution, industrialization, and Enlightenment. As far as romantic literature is concerned, William Wordsworth, Blake, and Samuel Taylor are known as the 'first generation.' Lord Byron and John Keats are known as 'second generation.' (Rainsford, 2014). 

Romanticism is related to 'Nature,' and a wide range of people, writings, and art come under the romantic world category. In addition, the ideas of societal and political betterment are associated with the character and beauty of the romantic period. Moreover, romanticism undermines the concept of Enlightenment because of the prominence of subjectivity and its recommendation for expressing human experiences. In the British romantic period, many female writers were neglected for so long, including Charlotte Bronte. One of the famous writers of this age, William Wordsworth, wrote about nature and related his writings to individual dilemmas. Similarly, John Keats (1795-1821) was observant of seasons and has written a lot about beauty. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) has written about imagination, Lord Byron (1788-1824) has written about romantic ideas, and Percy Shelley (1792-1822) has written about Biblical myths.

 

                                                    William Wordsworth

Resource: Biography (2020), https://www.biography.com/writer/william-wordsworth

                                                                   John Keats

Resource: Biography (2020), https://www.biography.com/writer/john-keats

 

d) Postmodern Literature: Postmodernism is a contradictory term that emerged after being influenced by the architectural history of different eras. In general, it is the blending of all forms of traditions, art, and cultures. Dominic Rainsford (2014) explains, "Postmodernism is associated with a rejection of hierarchies of past, present and future, and of value, and with a reluctance to settle on specific meanings." (116). In addition, it has excluded the 'grand narratives' and accepted abstract meanings. As far as post-modernist literature's characteristics are concerned, the significant themes are individualism, experimentation, and absurdity. 'Theatre of the Absurd' is considered a substantial sub-genre of post-modern literature, which has neglected the traditional agreements of character and plot and made us fall into a world that lacks cultural and ethical growth. Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) is the prominent writer of this genre who has written 'Waiting for Godot (1953)'. Moreover, the famous American and Britain novelists in the Post-modernist era were Toni Morrison, Don DeLillo, and Angela Carter, Julian Barnes, respectively. These writers combined the uneven characters and undefined endings from past and future with the actual life.

 

 

                                                                Samuel Brackett

Resource: M. J, Esslin, (2020), “Samuel Brackett”, encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Beckett

 

 

Toni Morrison

Picture Resource: Margalit Fox, (2019), The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/books/toni-morrison-dead.html

References:

·           Dominic Rainsford (2014), "Periods and movement-Studying Literature in English an introduction” Routledge, Pg (73-118)

·           M. J, Esslin, (2020), “Samuel Brackett”, encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Beckett

·           Margalit Fox, (2019), The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/books/toni-morrison-dead.html