Literatura Angielska

What it an example of alliterative romance? What is it about? What levels of allegorical meanings can be identified in it?

alliterative romance- „The Faerie Queene” Edmund Spenser

12 books (6 completed)

stories about adventures of particular knights who were asked by Gloriana, the queen of Fairyland to help various strangers deal with giants, tyrans, dragons.

allegory- moral, religious, political, historical

What are the names of Renaissance poets, who wrote sonnets? Who were the first English sonneteers?

Renaissance poets who wrote sonnets- sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare

First English sonneteers- sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

What are the most important cycles of the Renaissance? Who wrote them?

„Astrophel and Stella” sir Philip Sidney, „Amoretti” Edmund Spenser, „Sonnets” William Shakespeare 

What is Petrarchan sonnet?

The Petrarchan sonnet- named after the Italian poet Petrarch, 14-line poem

Structure- Divided into two parts: an octave and a sestet. The volta occurs between the octave and sestet.

Rhyme Scheme- Octave ABBAABBA. Sestet Variations such as CDECDE, CDCDCD, or other flexible patterns.

Themes- unattainable love, beauty, and longing, inner conflict, the fleeting nature of life. Often portrays emotional struggles between earthly desires and spiritual aspirations.

What is a Shakespearean sonnet? How is it different from Petrarchan sonnet?

The Shakespearean sonnet, (the English sonnet)- 14-line poem

Structure- Divided into three quatrains (4 lines each) and a concluding couplet (2 lines). The volta often occurs in the third quatrain or the final couplet.

Rhyme Scheme- ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Themes-  love, beauty, time, and mortality. Reflects on the transient nature of life and the immortality of art. Includes witty or ironic observations in the concluding couplet.

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

154 sonnets

What is the new genre named after the work by Thomas More? What is it about?

New genre named after Thomas More work- Utopia (named after the book he wrote)

Depicts a fictional island society in the New World and its religious, social and political customs, a description of an „ideal” commonwealth.

What is characteristic of euphuistic romance? +example of a book

Romance written in a very sophisticated style. Extremely long, excessive use of literary devices.

Example- „Euphues, or the Anatomy of Wit” John Lyly

What is the characteristic of pastoral romance? +example

Love plots, long descriptions of nature and gardens, written in semi poetic prose often interspersed with songs.

Example- „The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia” sir Philip Sidney

What is characteristic of picaresque romance? +example

A parody of chivalric romance, episodic structure, motif of travel.

Example- „The Unfortunate Traveller” Thomas Nashe

Briefly characterise: the names of Anglo-Saxon tribes, warrior culture, Christian culture and the terms: the thanes, the scop, the meadhall, kenning.

Anglo-Saxon Tribes- the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.

 Warrior Culture- loyalty, bravery, and honor. 

Christian Culture- forgiveness and salvation blended with pagan heroic ideals.

The Thanes- Loyal warriors who served their lord in exchange for rewards and protection.

The Scop- A poet or bard who preserved history and heroic deeds through oral storytelling and songs.

The Meadhall- A communal hall where warriors gathered to feast, share stories, and celebrate victories.

Kenning- A figurative compound expression used in Old English poetry.

What were Old poetic genres? +examples if possible

Short forms (charms and riddles), monologues (lament/complaints) example-„Deor’s Lament”, „The Wife’s Lament”, paraphrases of the bible example- „Genesis”, „Exodus”, allegory example- „The Dream of the Rood”, epic example- „Beowulf”

Who is the first known Old English poet?

Caedmon

What is the most important Old English heroic epic? Who wrote it? What is it about?

„Beowulf”. The author is unknown

It tells the story of the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, who gains fame as a young man by vanquishing the monster Grendel and Grendel's mother; later, as an aging king, he kills a dragon but dies soon after, honoured and lamented.

Who was BEDA VENERABILIS and what was his greatest achievement?

Bede Venerabilis- Anglo-Saxon monk and historian, best known for his work “Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (731).

What was „the anglo-saxon chronicle”, who was it written by and in what language? Why is it significant?

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle-  collection of historical records written by monks in Old English. It is significant for documenting early English history.

Give examples of chronicles written in Latin and Old English.

Latin- Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum 

Old English- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Explain: influence of the Norman conquest,  chivalry, courtly love on medieval English Literature.

The Norman Conquest brought Norman French culture and language, influencing English literature. 

Chivalry promoted themes of bravery and honor in knightly tales. 

Courtly love inspired romantic ideals in medieval poetry and stories.

Define literary genres and give examples: debate, fabliaux, chivalric romance, allegory, alliterative romance.

Debate- A form of dialogue where two sides argue,  „The Owl and the Nightingale”

Fabliaux- Humorous, naughty, obscene, „The Miller’s Tale” in The Canterbury Tales.

Chivalric Romance- passion for adventures, the quest motif and knight-errantry, three „matters”: matter of France, Rome and Britain

Allegory- A narrative with symbolic meanings, „Piers Plowman”.

Alliterative Romance- A type of poem using alliteration, „Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”.

Explain these terms connected with the Arthurian Legend: Excalibur, Avalon, the Quest of the Holy Grail.

Excalibur- King Arthur’s magical sword.

Avalon- A mystical island where Arthur is taken to heal.

The Quest of the Holy Grail- The knights’ search for the sacred, divine Grail.

What were the major 3 works of the 14th century? What medieval genres did they represent?

„Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”-alliterative romance, „The pearl”-allegory, „Piers Plowman”-allegory, Geoffrey Chauncer’s works

Who is considered „the father of English literature”? What’s his life’s work?

Geoffrey Chaucer 

His life’s work-„The Canterbury Tales”

Characterise „The Canterbury Tales” as a collection of tales. What is it narrative framework? What kind of takes does it include?

“The Canterbury Tales” is a collection of stories told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

The narrative framework is a storytelling contest during the journey. 

The tales include romances, fabliaux, saints’ lives, and moral lessons, representing a wide range of social classes and themes like love, greed, and morality.

Who and when coined the term „metaphysical poetry”?

Who- Samuel Johnson

When- 1st half of the 17th century

What are the characteristic features of metaphysical poetry? Who are the representatives?

known for intellectual wit, complex metaphors, and philosophical themes. 

John Donne, George Herbert, Andrew Marvell

Explain the term conceit, give example

conceit- figure of speech, usually a simile or metaphor.

„A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” John Donne

What are characteristic features of cavalier poetry? Who are the representatives

Occasional poetry, sometimes satirical. Courtly themes: sensual, romantic love, beauty, loyalty, the idea of carpe diem.

Richard Lovelace, John Cleveland, Robert Herrick

Characterise Restoration poetry.

Direct continuation of the Cavalier school, themes: love, nature

Who is the main representative of Restoration poetry?

John Dryden- „Annus Mirabilis”, „Absalom and Achitophel”

Who is the „father of English Criticism”?

John Dryden

Explain the idea of the Poet Laureate. Who was the first Poet Laureate? Who was the first woman Poet Laureate? Who is the Poet Laureate now?

Poet Laureate- poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions.

The first Poet Laureate- John Dryden

The first woman Poet Laureate- Carol Ann Duffy

Current Poet Laureate- Simon Armitage

What is the most important work by John Milton? Briefly explain what it is about. Explain how it connects the elements of literature and Christian ethics

„Paradise Lost”-  epic poem about the Fall of Man. It tells the story of Satan’s rebellion against God, the temptation of Adam and Eve, and their expulsion from Eden. It  connects literature and Christian ethics by exploring themes of sin, free will, and redemption, showing the consequences of disobedience and the path to salvation.

When were the theatres closed? Why?

1642-1660 because of the Puritans that ruled England.

What were the changes introduced to the theatre in the Restoration period?

Changes included women on stage, the rise of professional theatre companies, the emergence of Restoration comedy focused on wit and satire, elaborate stage designs, and plays centered on urban life.

What 2 types of drama were characteristic for the Restoration period?

Comedy of manners and heroic drama

What are the characteristic features of comedy of manners?

Typical setting: the world of the upper class, a mirror to society, witty dialogue and cleverly constructed scenarios, little depth of characterisation

What authors wrote comedies of manners?

William Congreve, John Dryden, George Etheredge

Who invented the term heroic drama? What are the characteristic features of this type of drama?

Invented by John Dryden

the highest form of drama, the play should be composed in heroic verse, the hero of the drama must be powerful.

Name 3 authors who represent Restoration prose

Samuel Pepys, John Bunyan, Aphra Behn

Which prose work represents a type of documentary on the life manners of the age? Who is the author?

„Diary” Samuel Pepys

Why was „Pilgrim’s Progress” influential for the development of the novel? Who wrote it?

It played an important part in shaping early American culture. Written by John Bunyan.

Who was the first professional woman writer? What is the original theme in „Oroonoko”?

Aphra Behn. It was the first text in English to suggest indignation against the slave trade and to show sympathy for the oppressed.

The concept of Enlightenment and neoclassicism

The Enlightenment emphasized reason and progress. 

 Neoclassicism revived classical ideals of order, restraint, and morality in literature and art.

What are the main features of neoclassical poetry?

Formal structure, reason and restraint, universal themes like morality, wit and satire, and frequent classical allusions.

Who is the main neoclassical (Augustan) poet?

Alexander Pope- „The Rape of the Lock”

What is a mock-heroic epic?

Parody of epic- „The Rape of the Lock”

What was characteristic of the novels in the Augustan period?

Satire, realistic depictions of social life, and themes of morality and reason, often in structured plots.

What were two famous authors and novels of the Augustan period?

Daniel Defoe- „The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe”

Jonathan Swift- „Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Lemuel Gulliver”

What  3 types of novels appeared in the 18th century?

Epistolary novel- „Pamela, or the Virtue Rewarded” Samuel Richardson

The „realistic” novel- „The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” Henry Fielding 

A challenge to the novelistic convention- „The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy” Laurence Sterne

Give an example of an epistolary novel. What opportunities did such a novel give to an author?

„Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded” opportunity of express the thoughts of the protagonist in a more intimate way

List 3 important elements of H. Fielding's History of Tom Jones.

Motif of travel, picaresque elements, omniscient narrator

In what way is Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy a challenge to the novelist conventions of the 18th century?

Tristram Shandy challenges 18th-century novel conventions with its non-linear structure, digressions, and focus on character and storytelling rather than plot.

What is the main achievement of Samuel Johnson?

„A Dictionary of the English Language”

How do you understand the concept of Pre-romanticism? When did it happen? What are its characteristic features? What does it oppose?

Pre-romanticism- literary movement 

Time period- Late 18th century (1750s-1780s).

Characteristics- Focus on emotion, individualism, and imagination. Emphasis on nature and the sublime. Exploration of personal feeling and subjectivity.

Opposition- Reacts against rationalism and Neoclassical constraints.

What 4 trends can be observed in Pre-romantic poetry? Which poets represent each of them

Interest in Nature and Sensibility- James Thomson „The Seasons”

Graveyard Poetry and Melancholy- Thomas Gray „Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”

Focus on Individual Emotion and Sensibility- William Blake „Songs of Innocence and of Experience”, Robert Burns „A Red, Red Rose”

Interest in Folklore, Ballads, and the Gothic- Thomas Percy „Reliques of Ancient English Poetry”

In what ways does Thomson depart from neoclassical conventions in his poetry?

Nature presented for its own sake, in its outdoor, grand and impressive aspects

Briefly explain the characteristic features of the graveyard school of poetry.

Death, gloomy meditations on morality, skulls and coffins, reflective, full of grief, melancholic

What was the Antiquarian Movement?

In opposition to neo-classicist inspirations in ancient Greece and Rome, interest in commoners and their culture, especially folklore

The Works of Ossian- James Macpherson

Reliques of Ancient English Poet- Thomas Percy

Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect- Robert Burns

Who is the greatest Scottish poet ? Why is his poetry so important for Scotland?

The greatest Scottish poet is Robert Burns. His poetry is important for Scotland because it celebrates Scottish culture, language (Scots dialect), and folk traditions.

Whose poetry is associated with mysticism and the revival of religious poetry

William Blake, „The Book of Thel”

What are key aspects of Blake’s mythology?

Visionary cosmology, four Zoas, conflict and duality, divine inspiration

Briefly define Gothic romance

Gothic romance- literary genre combining elements of horror and romance, featuring dark, mysterious settings, intense emotions.

Horace Walpole- „The Castle of Otranto”

Clara Reeve- „The Old English Baron”

What later novels encompass the elements of Gothic fictions? Explain in what ways.

Mary Shelley „Frankenstein”-  Supernatural creation and themes of fear.

Emily Brontë „Wuthering Heights”-  Dark atmosphere and ghostly elements.

Older Generation of Romantic Poets:

• William Wordsworth
  
  

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  
  

• William Blake

Younger Generation of Romantic Poets:

• Lord Byron
  
  

• Percy Bysshe Shelley
  
  

• John Keats

Characteristic Features of Romantic Poetry:

Emphasis on emotion, nature, individualism, imagination, the supernatural, and rebellion against industrialization and reason.

Beginning of English Romanticism:

Lyrical Ballads (1798) by Wordsworth and Coleridge.

“Manifesto” of English Romanticism:

1. Preface to Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth.
   
   

   • Poetry should use everyday language and express ordinary people’s emotions.
     
     

   • Focus on nature, emotion, and imagination over reason.

Wordsworth’s “New” Definition of Poetry

“The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings… recollected in tranquility.”

Byronic Hero Concept:

1. A rebellious, dark, passionate, and flawed character, often isolated and haunted by the past.
   
   

   • Example: Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage by Lord Byron.

One Poem per Author (with brief explanation):

• Blake: The Tyger – explores creation, evil, and divine power.
  
  

• Wordsworth: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – reflects on joy and beauty in nature.
  
  

• Coleridge: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – a supernatural tale of guilt and redemption.
  
  

• Byron: She Walks in Beauty – admiration of a woman’s beauty and grace.
  
  

• Shelley: Ozymandias – the fall of power and impermanence of human achievements.
  
  

• Keats: Ode to a Nightingale – longing for escape through art and nature.

Three Trends in Romantic Prose:

• Gothic Fiction – horror and the supernatural.
  
  

  • Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
    
    

• Historical Fiction – romanticized national past.
  
  

  • Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
    
    

• Social/Political Critique – social injustice and reform.
  
  

William Godwin, Caleb Williams

Characteristic Features of the Victorian Novel:

Realistic depictions of society, focus on morality, class, industrialization, social issues, and often a didactic tone with detailed plots and complex characters.

Important Victorian Novelists and One Work Each:

• Charles Dickens – Great Expectations
  
  

• Charlotte Brontë – Jane Eyre
  
  

• Emily Brontë – Wuthering Heights
  
  

• Thomas Hardy – Tess of the d’Urbervilles
  
  

• George Eliot – Middlemarch
  
  

• William Makepeace Thackeray – Vanity Fair

Characteristics of Charles Dickens’s Prose:

• Vivid characters
  
  

• Social criticism (poverty, injustice)
  
  

• Humor and satire
  
  

Complex plots

Examples: Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Bleak House

Bildungsroman Concept:

A coming-of-age novel focusing on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist.

Example: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Novel of Social Intervention Concept:

Focuses on exposing and criticizing social injustices to inspire reform.

Example: Hard Times by Charles Dickens (critique of industrial society)

“Romantic” Aspects of Wuthering Heights:

Intense emotions, supernatural elements, wild nature, and the focus on individual passion over social norms.

Main Tendencies in Victorian Poetry:

• Blend of Romantic emotion and Victorian realism
  
  

• Concern with faith, doubt, and progress
  
  

• Medievalism: Interest in the Middle Ages, chivalry, and legends (e.g., Tennyson’s Idylls of the King)
  
  

• Hellenism: Fascination with Greek culture and beauty (e.g., Matthew Arnold’s The Scholar-Gipsy)

Victorian Poet Laureate:

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Example: The Charge of the Light Brigade, Ulysses

Important Themes in Tennyson’s Poetry:

Loss, longing, heroism, faith vs doubt, the past, and national identity.

Dramatic Monologue:

 A poem where a speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing character and situation.

Poet: Robert Browning

Examples: My Last Duchess, Porphyria’s Lover

Two Victorian Female Poets and Their Works:

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning – Sonnets from the Portuguese
  
  

• Christina Rossetti – Goblin Market

Representative of Late Victorian Realism:

1. Thomas Hardy
   
   

   • Characterized by pessimism, fate, rural life, and tragic characters in conflict with society.
     
     

   • Examples: Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure

Major Strands in the Turn Away from Realism:

• Gothic: Dark, mysterious, supernatural elements
  
  

  • Bram Stoker – Dracula
    
    

• Science Fiction: Technology, future, alternate worlds
  
  

  • H.G. Wells – The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds
    
    

• Fantasy: Invented worlds, mythical elements
  
  

  • George MacDonald – Phantastes

Exotic Novel of Adventure:

1. Action-filled stories set in distant lands, often reflecting colonial views.
   
   

Authors: Rider Haggard – King Solomon’s Mines, Rudyard Kipling – The Jungle Book

“Herald of English Imperialism”:

1. Rudyard Kipling
   
   

   • Celebrated and justified British colonial rule, especially in India.
     
     

   • Example: Poem The White Man’s Burden

Author Rooted in Two Cultures:

1. Joseph Conrad (Polish name: Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski)
   
   

   • English works: Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim

How Conrad Connects Victorian and Modernist Conventions:

• Victorian: Adventure, moral questions, imperial settings
  
  

• Modernist: Psychological depth, narrative complexity, unreliable narrators

How His Novels Differ from Typical Exotic Adventures:

• Instead of glorifying empire, he critiques it
  
  

• Focuses on inner conflict, moral ambiguity, and existential themes

His Novel Critiquing European Imperialism:

Heart of Darkness – exposes the brutality and hypocrisy of European colonialism in Africa.

Characteristic Elements of Modernism

• Break from tradition
  
  

• Fragmentation in form and narrative
  
  

• Alienation and loss of faith
  
  

• Subjectivity and inner experience
  
  

• Rejection of realism
  
  

• Interest in symbolism and myth

Features of Experimental Modernist Novels

• Nonlinear structure
  
  

• Stream of consciousness
  
  

• Multiple perspectives
  
  

• Disrupted chronology
  
  Examples:
  
  

• James Joyce – Ulysses
  
  

• Virginia Woolf – To the Lighthouse

What is Stream of Consciousness?

A literary technique that replicates the natural flow of thoughts

Pioneered by: Edouard Dujardin

Used by: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner

Why Ulysses by James Joyce is the Quintessential Modernist Nove

• Plot: Follows one day (June 16, 1904) in the life of Leopold Bloom in Dublin.
  
  

• Form: Highly experimental—stream of consciousness, inner monologues, parodies of literary styles, mythological structure (based on Homer’s Odyssey), nonlinear narrative, linguistic innovation.

Why is A Room of One’s Own Important for Feminism?

• Advocates for women’s independence and financial freedom as necessary for creative work.
  
  

• Argues that societal restrictions have prevented women from reaching their artistic potential.

Why Did Lady Chatterley’s Lover Become a Scandal?

• Explicit sexual content and depiction of an affair between a noblewoman and a working-class man.
  
  

• Challenged British obscenity laws; banned until a landmark trial in 1960.

Main Representatives of Modernist Poetry

• T.S. Eliot – The Waste Land
  
  

• Ezra Pound – Cantos
  
  

• W.B. Yeats – The Second Coming

Themes and Structure of The Waste Land

(T.S. Eliot)

• Themes: Fragmentation, cultural decay, spiritual emptiness, post-WWI disillusionment.
  
  

• Structure: Nonlinear, collage of voices, multiple languages, allusions to mythology, religion, and literature.

Inspirations in W.B. Yeats’ Poetry

• Irish mythology and folklore
  
  

• Occult and mysticism
  
  

• Political and national identity
  
  

Personal relationships and aging

Examples: The Second Coming, Easter 1916