9. English literature
Vocabulary
Courageous
Pilgrims
Vivid
Revolt
Emerge
Emphasis
Attitude
Haunt
Vain
Comments
Aid
Accuse
Expectation
Hypocrisy
Snobbery
Angle
Stream
Solitude
Decency
Generosity
Unspoilt
Everlasting
Artificial
Odvážný
Poutníci
Živá
Vzpoura
Objevit se
Důraz
Postoj
Oblíbené místo
Marný
Poznámky
Pomoc
Nařknout
Očekávání
Pokrytectví
Snobství
Úhel
Proud
Samota
Slušnost
Velkorysost
Neposkvrněný
Trvalý
Umělý
Speech
1. The middle Ages (1100 - 1500)
The oldest literary monument of the Anglo-Saxon period is the old Germanic legend about Beowulf
(from the 8th century). This heroic poem is about the strong and courageous pagan hero Beowulf.
During the middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church was strongly criticized by John Wycliffe (1320
- 1384), a professor at Oxford University. With his students he translated the whole Bible into English.
He influences Master Jon Huss and our Hussite movement very much.
2. The Renaissance and Humanism (1500-1650)
The end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance in literature is marked by
Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (1345 - 1400). It is a brilliant portrait of 30 pilgrims who
travel to Canterbury and each tells four stories. In this way we are given a vivid picture of the l4
century society.
In 1476 William Caxton introduced printing In England which helped spread literature and
philosophy.
The Middle Ages scholastic philosophy was under theological influence while the renaissance
philosophy turned to Plato and Aristotles and formed a new philosophical learning - humanism.
The greatest personality of the English renaissance is William Shakespeare (1564- 1616). The
Authorized Version of the Bible (called the King James Version) was also finished in the year 1611.
This translation into English is still in use today.
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3. The Age Of Reason (1650- 1780)
John Milton (1608- 1674) is the main figure of this period. He was one of the first who stated in his
work that a king who was a tyrant and not worthy of ruling should be legally punished. His
masterpiece is Paradise Lost, which is about the revolt of Satan against Heaven and God, who is
presented as despotic and unjust in his treatment of Satan. Satan In his discussions with the fallen
angels supports the principles of independence and reason.
In the l8 century, with the development of the society and economy, journalism, novels and drama
developed very much. Literature became popular among the middle class and the first authors emerged
from these circles.
Jonathan Swift. His most popular work is Gulliver’s Travels, an allegory of Lemuel Gulliver’s
traveling through imaginary countries. He criticizes politics in England, kingdoms, corruption, armies,
bad politicians, etc.
Daniel Defoe (1600? - 1731) was a politician, traveler and journalist. Hs most famous work is
Robinson Crusoe. Robinson, shipwrecked on a lonely Island, represents the qualities which the
middle class needed in capitalist competition to be successful.
4. Romanticism (1780-1830)
It appears in literature with its emphasis upon emotions and passions rather than on intellectual
attitude. The Gothic novel was one type of novel in this era. The exotic and cruel middle ages with
haunted castles and other places were written about in mystery and horror stories for example, Horace
Walpole‘s The Castle of Otranto.
Sir Walter Scott is a founder of the historical novel. He uses themes for his romantic novels from old
folk ballads and medieval romances, especially from Scottish history. Ivanhoe is from the period of
Richard the Lionhearted.
The romantic period is especially known for its poetry. The pre-romantic period is represented by
William Blake who wrote very simple but very beautiful poems which were recognized only in this
century with the development of modem poetry. His best poems are ‘Songs of Innocence’ and ‘Songs
of Experience’
The best English romantic poets are William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, Lord George
Gordon Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Byron and Shelley represent revolutionary romanticism - unhappy and usually lonely heroes fight
for freedom and their fight ends in vain. Lord Byron‘s main work is ‘Childe Harold‘s Pilgrimage’. The
hero travels au over Europe and makes comments of the hypocritical society and unfairness in life.
Shelly’s greatest work is Prometheus Unbound, based on an aid Greek legend about Prometheus
who steals fire from Olympus to give it to people.
5. Victorian Age (Critical Realism) (1830-1880)
The Victorian Age produced great novels criticizing various evils of the prosperous but imperialistic
society. Two of the best authors of this time are Emily Bronte who wrote Wuthering Heights,
Charlotte Bronte, her sister who wrote Jane Eyre. Both are about moral and psychological problems.
Charles Dickens described the true life of poor people in England in the 19m century. He combines
comic and serious situations and accuses bath the aristocracy and the middle class of acting heartlessly
towards the common people. Among his major novels belong David Copperfield, Great Expectations,
and Oliver Twist. William Makepeace Thackeray wrote novels against snobbery and hypocrisy.
6. The Modem Age (1880- 1950)
Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote romantic adventurous stones (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Treasure
Island). Oscar Wilde was from Dublin. He wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, many excellent
dramas and fairy tails in which he sympathizes with the poor and unhappy. Virginia Woolf creates her
heroes from the imaginative impression when one moment is seen through many different angles. She
wrote To the Lighthouse and Mt. Dalloway
James Joyce (Eveline) with Marcel Proust and Franz Kafka, mark the turning point in a modem
novel. Their prose contains a stream of consciousness. His masterpiece is Ulysses. Homer‘s Ulysses
wandered for about 20 years around the Mediterranean. Joyce‘s Ulysses wanders around Dublin for
the course of one day and all the characters in the book correspond to the characters of the legend.
George Bernard Shaw is the most famous personality in drama Of this period. He attacked the
whole society. He wrote Pygmalion. He was awarded the Nobel Prize In 1925.
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7. Contemporary Literature (1950 - present)
George Orwell wrote excellent allegorical novels criticizing totalitarian society. You probably
recognize the names of Animal Farm and 1984 -Describes a future world where every word and
action are controlled and seen by the state. The special TV watches people even in their bedrooms.
The language undergoes significant changes too. It‘s the world without love, friendship, privacy,
humor or truth. The all-powerful, All-seeing Party controls everything. The symbol is Big Brother
whom nobody knows. A new language Newspeak is formed. The main hero who wants to protest love and live normally is totally crashed - not physically only, but psychically as well / the prison/. .
Agatha Christie is the most widely read author in the world. She is the Queen of the detective story
and wrote about 70 novels, 20 dramas, 15 short story books, and poem collections. Arthur C. Clarke is
a well-known science-fiction writer, who wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey.
William Golding – Lord of the flies
Oscar Wilde
Son of a surgeon and a lady poet. He grew up in the adult company and took part in the sophisticated
conversation. At school he hated sport and preferred books, clothes and solitude. He won scholarship
at Trinity Collage. Then he went to Oxford. After inheriting 4000pounds he decided to go to London
and become a writer.
He reacted against Victorian society and its values /stress on decency, good family, conventional
behaviour/. He provoked the society by wearing extravagant clothes, behaving in a non-conformist
way and writing immoral books. He went through a lot of scandals and finally went to live in France
but was unable to earn his living. He lived of the generosity of his friends.
His masterpiece is the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray“.
It‘s about important problems of those days: morality, art and beauty. The novel shows gradual
degradation of an extraordinarily beautiful young man who comes to London and unspoilt like an
angel. He gets under the influence of 2 men - one cynical and cruel, the other good and honest.
Finally, Dorian listens more and more to the evil and heartless one and is led as far as murdering the
friend. The secret of Dorian is that his face is as innocent and beautiful as ever, even though his soul
gets dark. The changes are visible on his portrait. He tries to destroy it, but by stabbing the portrait, he
kills himself and the portrait becomes as beautiful as Dorian looked a couple of years before.
The message - the real and everlasting beauty lies only in a piece of art. A real beauty can‘t
accompany an immoral life.
The plays: “The importance of Being Earnest“
The fairy-tales: here Wilde seems to be a different person. The beauty lies not in artificial things, but
in love, honesty and sympathy with suffering people or creatures. “The Happy prince“, “The Selfish
Gianť‘, “The Nightingale and the Rose“
Philosophical essay: “De Profundis“
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