Argyll International

British Literature 

  • Lessons on each literary period
  • Minimum Level required: B1
  • Lesson duration: 30' - 45'
  • Age 15+

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Old English Literature (450–1066)

Old English literature, also known as Anglo-Saxon Literature, encompasses the surviving literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period following the settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic tribes in England (Jutes and the Angles) c. 450, after the withdrawal of the Romans, and ending soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. These works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles and riddles. In all there are about 400 surviving manuscripts from this period.

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Middle English Literature (1066-1500)

Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the written form of the Anglo-Saxon language became less common. Under the influence of the new aristocracy, French became the standard language in courts, parliament, and amid the social elite. As the invaders integrated, their language and literature mingled with that of the natives, and the Norman dialects of the ruling classes became Anglo-Norman. From then until the 12th century, Anglo-Saxon underwent a gradual transition into Middle English. Political power was no longer in English hands, so that the West Saxon literary language had no more influence than any other dialect and Middle English literature was written in many dialects that corresponded to the region, history, culture, and background of individual writers.

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English Renaissance (1500 - 1660)

The English Renaissance as a part of the Northern Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the late 15th to the 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century. Similarly most of northern Europe, England saw little of these developments until more than a century later — Renaissance style and ideas were slow in penetrating England. Many scholars see the beginnings of the English Renaissance during the reign of Henry VIII and the Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century is usually regarded as the height of the English Renaissance. 

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) stands out in this period as a poet and playwright as yet unsurpassed. Shakespeare wrote plays in a variety of genres, including histories (such as Richard III and Henry IV), tragedies (such as Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth) comedies (such as Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night) and the late romances, or tragicomedies. Shakespeare's career continues in the Jacobean period.

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Restoration Age (1660–1700)

Restoration literature includes both Paradise Lost and the Earl of Rochester's Sodom, the sexual comedy of The Country Wife and the moral wisdom of Pilgrim's Progress. It saw Locke's Two Treatises on Government, the founding of the Royal Society, the experiments and the holy meditations of Robert Boyle, the hysterical attacks on theatres from Jeremy Collier, the pioneering of literary criticism from Dryden, and the first newspapers. The official break in literary culture caused by censorship and radically moralist standards under Cromwell's Puritan regime created a gap in literary tradition, allowing a seemingly fresh start for all forms of literature after the Restoration. During the Interregnum, the royalist forces attached to the court of Charles I went into exile with the twenty-year-old Charles II. The nobility who travelled with Charles II were therefore lodged for over a decade in the midst of the continent's literary scene.

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British Romanticism (1798–1837)

The Romantic period was one of major social change in England and Wales, because of the depopulation of the countryside and the rapid development of overcrowded industrial cities, that took place in the period roughly between 1750 and 1850. The movement of so many people in England was the result of two forces: the Agricultural Revolution, that involved the Enclosure of the land, drove workers off the land, and the Industrial Revolution which provided them employment. Romanticism may be seen in part as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, though it was also a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, as well a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. The French Revolution was an especially important influence on the political thinking of many of the Romantic poets.

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Victorian Literature (1837–1901)

Victorian literature refers to English literature during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). The 19th century is considered by some to be the Golden Age of English Literature, especially for British novels. It was in the Victorian era that the novel became the leading literary genre in English. English writing from this era reflects the major transformations in most aspects of English life, from scientific, economic, and technological advances to changes in class structures and the role of religion in society. Famous novelists from this period include Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, the three Brontë sisters, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling.

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Edwardian Literature

Oftentimes referred to as 'Golden Age' and 'British Belle Époque', the Edwardian era is a period in British history that commonly dates from the end of the Victorian era in 1901 until the beginning of the First World War in 1914. The period is named after the reign of King Edward VII. Even though Edward's reign ended with his death in 1910, the four years that succeeded are also referred to as 'Edwardian'. The Edwardian era is the last in British history to be named after a reigning monarch.

The early 20th century saw a sudden overlap between Victorian and Edwardian literature. Renowned authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Joseph Conrad were prolific in both periods and could be considered either Victorian or Edwardian.

The Edwardian era brought forward a dramatic shift in children literature and storytelling. For that reason, we will primarily look at individual texts written between 1901 and 1914, such as The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit (1905); The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908); and Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie are very deeply associated with the period.

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Modernist & Post-mordernist British Literature

Many works published in the twentieth century were examples of genre fiction. This designation includes the crime novels, spy novel, historical romance, fantasy, graphic novel, and science fiction.

Among significant writers in the fantasy genre were J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, and J.K. Rowling who wrote the highly successful Harry Potter series.

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