Thinking Activity - paper No. - 105 History of English Literature from 1350 to 1900
Hello readers! The following blog is about the age of chaucer to Elizabeth. In this particular blog, I am going to mention some important points. This blog is inspired by Dr. Dilip sir barad, as a part of thinking activity regarding to the history of English literature.
This book by William J. Long represents the splendid history of English literature. As a student of literature, we have to know that what has been written about literature. An another important thing we need to mention here is that we have to interpret literature bin both the ways.
1. Personally 2. Historically.
Introduction - The meaning of literature:
Literature derived from the word - Littera which means
" A letter of the Alphabet." The very first known use of the word literature was in the 15th century.
Literature means, " A body of written works."
Or Literature means, "An art of a literally work. "
Definition:-
As there is no such exact definition of literature. Everyone will define literature in their own way.
According to Oxford dictionary, Literature means "pieces of working that are valued as works of Art especially novels, plays and poems. "
From this Image we can totally relate this thing with our present time. We have so many books to read but people will always says that we do not have that much time for reading.
" Books are the best gifts that can open again & again. "
It was Geoffrey chaucer who really turned English language into a literary language.
He was one of the great literary figures of his age.
Chaucer also referred as the father of English literature.
For most of the people, the desire to study literature begins with a love of reading.
The important thing need to mention here is that we have now reached a point where we wish to understand as well as to enjoy literature.
What is the importance of literature :-
In this particular point, we need to understand that As a students what are the advantages and benefits of the literature. Or how literature helps us. What is it's importance.
When students study literature, they learn to appreciate words and their power
Students undert about their own culture as well as other cultures by reading literature.
As we know that literature expresses our feelings and emotions. Students will read literature they will learn to empathise with characters to feel their joys and pain.
By studying literature it always helps us to develop a deep knowledge about literary history and literary criticism.
Literature enhances our understanding of cultures.
Literature inspires imagination, when you watch any movie, it only requires very little mental work. Whereas, reading words from a page it leads reader to some kind of Exercise. Which helps us to thinking out of the box.
We can say that literature cultivates the hapbit of Reading.
Literature helps us to increase our vocabulary and knowledge. You know, As a student it is very much useful to us.
As a part of literature students, we can see the things in a very different way.
Literature is free to entertain people.
It is free to give aesthetic pleasure to the readers.
Literature is free to making a world better.
It is free to educate people. Because As we know that it is very much useful as an educational point of view.
But we can not force literature for all this thongs. If it is happening than it's good but no one can force or we can say burden literature for this things.
So, These all are the advantages or benefits of literature. From all this points, one can understand that how literature helps us in many ways.
Qualities of literature:-
There are so many qualities of literature. We need to understand that what are this qualities that makes literature good.
1. Literature as a artistic work of revelation :
All art is the expression of life in forms of truth and beauty. Or it is the reflection of some truth and beauty which are there in the world. But, as we all know that everything will remain un - noticed until it catches our attention towards it. " Literature is the artistic record of our life. "
All artistic work must be a kind of revelation.
2.Literature expresses our emotions and feelings :
The essence of human nature deals with emotion and as we know that everyone has a different way of expressing their emotions. Literature is any piece of writing that expresses human experiences and feelings through their Imagination. We have seen this thing in many literary works. Literature itself is the reflection of our own work.
3. Literature as a mirror of society:
The literature is a reflection of the society - is a fact. It indeed reflects the society about it's good values and its ill. Literature mirrors the ills or we can say bad things of the society with a view to making the society realizes its mistakes. Literature is basically a reflection of human action in that particular society and we know every action by human being is captured in literature. So, we can say that "Literature is a mirror of society. "
4. Literature as an imaginative work of Art :
Literature is imaginative. In fact, it has to be imaginative. If there is no any kind of imagination then we can not consider it as a literature. " Art beautifies reality. " Literature mostly depends on our imagination rather than our intellect. So, we can see literature as an imaginative work of art.
5. Universality:
Literature has its universality. It presents in many countries and many languages. It has universal appeal. and it works with joy, sorrow, faith, fear, love and hate. It gives us aesthetic pleasure and delight. As earlier I mentioned that we have to understand and enjoy literature.
Here I want to put some quotations about writing and literature.
" Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree. "
- Ezra pound.
" The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean. "
- Robert Louis Stevenson.
The age of Elizabeth (1550 - 1620)
During the age if Elizabeth all doubts seems to vanish from English history. After the reigns of Edward and Mary, with defeat and humiliation abroad and persecutions and a rebellion at home, the accession of a popular sovereign was like the sunrise after a long night.
'' A noble and puissant nation, rousing herself , like a strong man after sleep and shaking her invincible locks."
- words by john Milton.
It is as an age of dreams, adventures, of unbounded enthusiasm. such an age of great thought and action, appealing to the eyes as well as to the imagination and intellect. Hence, we can clearly say that the age of Elizabeth literature turned instinctively to the drama and brought it very rapidly to the highest stage of its great development.
Question 1 Write in brief about Chaucer or Edmund Spenser or Ben jonson or on any one of their works.
Answer : I am going to write about Edmund Spenser.
Edmund Spenser ( 1552 - 1599)
Edmund Spenser ( 1552-13th January 1599) was an English poet best known for his works. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of modern English verse and considered as the greatest poet in the English language.
Life of Spenser : Of Spenser's early life and about his parentage we know very little, except that he was born in East Smithfield, near the tower of London. He was poor. His education began at thethe Merchant tailor's school in London and continued in cambridge.
Here in the glorious world that only a poor scholar knows how to create for himself, he read the classics. He made Acquaintance with the great Italian poets. and wrote numberless poems of his own.
In the year of 1595, when Spenser visited to London - he published "Astrophel" - an elegy ( A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead. He published this poem on the death of his friend-sidney.
Edmund spenser met Shakespeare and the other literary lights of the Elizabethan Age.
In 1599 he died in an inn at Westminster. According to Ben jonson he died " For want of bread. "
But, whether that it is a poetic way of saying that he had lost his property or that he actually died of destitution, will probably never be known.
Spenser was buried beside his master Geoffrey chaucer in Westminster Abbey.
We can divide any poet's or writer's work into two parts: 1) Major works 2) Minor works
Edmund Spenser was an English poet. So, we will look at his major poems and minor poems.
Major poems of Spenser:
- "The faery queen"
- "Prophalamion"
- "Colin clouts come home againe"
Minor poems of Spenser:
- "Shepherd's calender"
- "The briar and the oak"
- "Mother hubbard's tale"
- "Astrophel"
Characteristics of Spenser's poetry:
As we know that Edmund Spenser was a great poet at the age of Elizabethan. There are 5 main qualities of Spenser's poetry.
- A Perfect melody
- A rare sense of beauty
- A splendid imagination
- A lofty moral purity and seriousness
- A delicate idealism
All these characteristics of Spenser's poetry could make all nature and every common thing beautiful.
"The Faery Queen":
Edmund Spenser's "The Faery Queen" is the great work upon which the poet's fame chiefly rests. The original plan of the poem included 24 books. Each of which recounts. The adventure and Trimpuh of a knight, who represented a moral virtue. Spenser's purpose as indicated in a letter to Raleigh, which introduced the poem. Each of the virtues appears as a knight, fighting his opposing vice and the entire poem tells the story of conflicts. It is therefore allegorical, not only in its personified virtues but the poem also represents the life as a constant struggle between good and evil.
The poem Faery Queen sometimes represents the glory of god and sometimes Elizabeth, who was naturally flattered by the parallel. For the poem Faery Queen Edmund Spenser invented a new verse form, which has been called since his day The Spenserian Stanza because of its rare beauty. It has been much used by nearly all over poets in their work.
Though, We can say that Edmund Spenser was one of the great figure of the Elizabethan age. For his characteristics he known as the poets of poet.
Total Words: 1724
Well done
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