21ST POA

Old English Literature (450 - 1066) 

• “Dark Ages”

Literary works: Beowulf

Middle English Period (1066 - 1500) 

• huge transition in the language, culture, and lifestyle of England 

• a form of “modern” english

Literary works: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

English Renaissance (1500 - 1660) 

• the rise of English theatrical drama, William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. 

• Known as the Elizabethan Period.

Literary works: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth by Shakespeare 

Neo-Classical Period (1600 - 1785) 

• a revival or adaptation of the classical especially in literature, music, art, or architecture.

Literary works: Gulliver’s Travel by Jonathan Swift

Romantic Period (1785 - 1831) 

• Romanticism (also known as the Romantic era)

• artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement; originated in Europe

Literary works: 

- The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

- Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The Victorian Period (1832 - 1901) 

• is in strong contention with the Romantic period for being the most popular, influential, and prolific period in all of English (and world) literature.

Literary works: The man with the hoe by Edwin Markham

The Modern Period (1914 - onwards) 

• works written after the start of World War I. Bold experimentation with subject matter, style, and form, encompassing narrative, verse,

and drama

Literary works: 

- Ulysses by James Joyce 

- To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

● Homer

Literary Writing: Iliad and Odyssey

- The Iliad, a tale of war, feats of individual heroes and the gods on both sides of the conflict. 

- The Odyssey tells of one hero's adventures as he and his men try to return home after the war. The forces that opposed them include one-eyed monsters and a sorceress who turns men into pigs.

● Virgil

Literary Writing: Aeneid

- The Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil is an epic poem; story of the foundation of Rome from the ashes of Troy. 

- written down in Rome from 30-19 BC during the period of the Emperor

Augustus.

● Dante Alighieri

Literary Writing: Divine Comedy

- a man, assumed to be Dante himself, enabled to

undertake an ultramundane journey, which leads him to visit the souls in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

● Giovanni Boccaccio

Literary Writing: Tales of Decameron

- Decameron is a collection of 100 tales by Giovanni Boccaccio, set during the Black Death. 

- showcases the resilience of humanity and provides timeless lessons on love, wit, and the power of storytelling.

Literary Writing: Federigo’s Falcon

- The story of Federigo Falcon follows a nobleman named Federigo degli

Alberighi, who is deeply in love with Monna Giovanna.

Federigo is unable to win her heart due to his

poverty, as he has squandered his wealth on extravagant gifts and

entertainment in the past.

● Victor Hugo

Literary Writing: Hunchback of Notre Dame

- the journey of a hunchback who finds real love despite his physical appearance and social discrimination to him

Literary Writing: Les Misérables

- Les Misérables is a French novel by Victor Hugo; criticizes how society

treats members of lower social classes. 

- It’s about a man named Jean Valjean who goes to prison for stealing bread. 

- Another major character is Fantine— shunned because she has a daughter outside of marriage.

● Leo Tolstoy

Literary Writing: Anna Karenina

- The narrative revolves around the adulterous affair between Aleksey Karenin's wife Anna and young bachelor Count Vronsky, who, despite Anna's promises of secrecy, becomes pregnant.

Literary Writing: Where Love Is, There God Is Also

- often translated simply as Where Love is, God is, or even Martin the Cobbler, is a short story by the famous Russian

author Leo Tolstoy. The title is a nod to the Catholic hymn Ubi Caritas.