ASurveyoftheDevelopmentofEnglishLiterature.docVIP

A Survey of the Development of English Literature English literature has a long history, rich legacy and great influence on the literature and life of the world. Its origin can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon Period with the production of the famous The Song of Beowulf and covers a history of more than 1000 years. 1. Early and Medieval English literature 5th C.-1485 1 Anglo-Saxon Old English Period 449-1066 The main literary contribution of this period is in the form of poetry and prose, and its masterpiece is the national epic The Song of Beowulf. 2 The Anglo-Norman Period 1066-1485 In 1066, the Normans headed by William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Anglo-Saxons at the battle of Hastings. After the conquest, the customs and ideals known as chivalry was introduced by the Normans into England and can be reflected in literature. The prevailing form of literature in the Feudal England was Romance 传奇，骑士文学 . The most famous Romance was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. 2. The English Renaissance The key-note of Renaissance is humanism and the greatest humanist is Thomas More, the author of Utopia. The representatives in literature are Shakespeare and Bacon. The former has the greatest contribution in drama and sonnets while the latter’s essays are condensed and witty. The most influential writer of the English middle Ages is Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Father of English Poetry”. 3. The 17th Century—The Period of Revolution and Restoration The greatest representatives of this period are the “Three Johns”: John Milton, John Donne, the representative of the Metaphysical School and John Bunyan, a great prose writer. 4. The 18th C.—The Age of Enlightenment In literature, Classicism, or Neoclassicism, dominated this century. The middle of this century in England sees the inception of a new literary current– sentimentalism . At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Pre-Romanticism emerged. 5. The Romantic Period 1798—1832 Romanticism in England came into being