r12 English Literature I
| Autor: Jan Přikryl | Škola: G Opatov |
| Strany: 1 A4 | Obrázky: ne |
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| Textový náhled: ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH LITERATURE The oldest literary monument of the Anglo-Saxon period is the old Germanic legend about pagan hero Beowulf (the 8th century). During the Middle Ages Roman Catholic Church was strongly criticized by John Wycliffe (1320-1384) a professor of Oxford University. With his students he translated the whole Bible into English. He influenced Master John Huss and our Hussite movement. The end of Middle Ages and the beginning of 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 4 stories. The greatest personality of English renaissance is William Shakespeare(1564-1616). He is considered to be the greatest of all dramatists all over the world. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1592 he came to London and joined a group of actors known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which became the King's Men under the patronage of James I. In 1599 he bought the Globe Theatre. First he helped adapt or re-write older plays but later he started to write his own plays and he was very successful. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and beautiful sonnets. His mastery lies in his human vision and in the richness of his language. He wrote comedies, history plays and tragedies, e.g. The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Much Ado about Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Henry VI., Richard III... John Milton(1608-1674) is the main figure of the 17th century. He was one of the first who stated in his that a king who was a tyrant and not worthy of ruling should be legally punished. In the 18th 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. Daniel Defoe(1660-1731) was a politician, traveller and journalist. His 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. Towards the end of the 18th century and during the first third of the 19th century romanticism appears in literature with its emphasis upon emotions and passions rather than on an intellectual attitude. Sir Walter Scott(1771-1832) is a founder of historical novel. His most famous work Ivanhoe is from the period of Richard the Lionhearted. Critical Realism belongs to Victorian Age (19th Century). This period produced great novels criticizing various evils of prosperous but imperialistic society. Charles Dickens(1812-1870) described truly life of poor people in England in the 19th century. He combines comic and serious situations. He himself suffered in childhood and his bitter experience can be found in his works as The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield,… English literature is also known thanks to the authors of contemporary literature. George Orwell(1903-1950) wrote excellent allegory novels criticizing totalitarian society and that is the reason, why his name was kept in secret till 1989. His best novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty- Four were also made into a film. The books of J.R.R. Tolkien(1892-1973) has became very popular in the present time. He created a phantasy world of Middle-Earth where small hobits seek happiness, goodness and live many adventures (Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings,…). One of the most known science-fiction writer is author of 2001: A Space Odyssey Arthur C. Clarke(1917). English and Scottish literature Přikryl Jan, 4.Z | |