British Literature Midterm

covers twenty-nine pilgrims journeying to Canterbury to visits the shrine of Sir Thomas à Becket

Broad range of characters

Includes women as major characters

Satire - humor to make fun of social issues

Canterbury tales

1564-1616

Born and died in Stratford upon Avon

Associated with the globe theatre

Known for his plays (tragedies, histories, comedies) and sonnets

• Young Man and Dark Lady sonnets

William Shakespeare

14

How many lines are there in a rhyme scheme

Attended the University of Cambridge, published the Shepheardes Calendar

Worked with sir Philip Sydney

Moved to Ireland

Published The Faerie Queen a massively influential work of the English Renaissance

Two literary innovations: The Spenserian Sonnet, and The Spenserian Stanza

Over 36,000 lines long!

Very protestant

Allegorical

Not progressive in his use of English

Edmund Spencer

Six completed books out of an intended twelve

Each book represents a moral virtue

King author is in love with the faerie queen, aka Gloriana, aka Queen Elizabeth I

Redcross knight: holiness, book I

Una: truth, the RCK’s love interest

Britomart: book 3 female knight who represents chastity

Duessa: falsehood; Mary Queen of Scotts

Archimago: hypocrisy/King Philip of Spain

Consistent themes: good v evil, deception

The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spencer

emphasizes that suffering is part of a divine, rational order that humans may not fully understand

“telescope”

Alexander Pope’s philosophy on why there is suffering in the world

Mystery plays- a play based on biblical subjects

Miracle play- a play about the saints

Morality play- represents allegorically the battle in which vices and virtues wage for the human soul

Medieval religious play categories

Every Man

Most famous Medieval religious play categories

conceit

Literary forms

Song to Celia

Written by Ben Johnson

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Utopia

Sir Thomas More

“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Major Themes:

Love

Death

Grief

Acceptance

Summarizing something like one of john donnes works

449-1066

Anglo-Saxon period

1564-1616

William Shakespeare’s years

Beowulf and Paradise Lost are both famous English epics with national heroes and big stories. In Beowulf, the hero shows strength and bravery by fighting monsters to protect his people, while in Paradise Lost, Satan and other characters deal with the consequences of rebellion against God. Both epics explore the fight between good and evil, but Beowulf focuses on physical battles, and Paradise Lost deals with spiritual and moral struggles. Beowulf is about earthly heroism and immediate action, while Paradise Lost looks at deeper themes like free will and divine justice. In the end, Beowulf focuses on the world we live in, while Paradise Lost explores eternal, spiritual consequences.

Briefly compare and contrast Beowulf and Paradise Lost as famous examples of English epics

Include the qualities of an epic (both have national heroes) COMPLETE SENTENCES MAKE IT GOOD

John Milton

Wrote Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained

Alexander Pope

Wrote An Essay on Criticism

Wrote The Rape of the Lock

Translated the Illiad and the Odessey

Wrote Dunciad

Isaac Watts

Father of the English Hymnody

1674-1748

“Jesus Shall Reign”

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

Most notable contribution was the hymn

Wrote on English (The Art of Reading and Writing)