History of English Literature

History of English Literature
● M ZAHID : BS- ENGLISH 2nd semester

GPGC KOHAT
What Literature Actually Is?
❑ Literature means anything that is in text/written form.
❑ In literary sense, literature is something that gives the

reader an aesthetic (beautify or artistic often describes
something pleasing to look at) sense or we can say an
natural imaginative creative skills expressed by author
in his work in the form of poetry, drama etc.
❑ Generally, literature refers to different types of text
including novels, non-fiction, poetry, and plays,
among other forms.
Why we need to study literature?
❑ By studying literature make us to know about the

different periods and eras of English society.
❑ It moves from one corner to another.
❑ It entertain us with artistic work.
❑ We learn to empathise with characters, to feel their
joys and pain.
❑ Literature develops in students enduring values, such
as integrity, compassion, loyalty and responsibility.
For example, in a text like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible,
the main character chooses to sacrifice his own life
rather than betray his friends and neighbours.
❑ You may also hear that reading literature is lie a
mirror. What is by this mean is that it allows you to
look at yourself.
❑ As we read, we noticed how characters may be like us
or not.
❑ We compare our situation with characters and want to
solve in the same way.
❑ What would we do in such a situation?
❑ Would we act as particular character would act?
Periods in English Literature
1. Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (450–

1066)
2. Middle English Period (1066–1500)
3. The Renaissance (1500–1660)
4. The Neoclassical Period (1600–1785)
5. The Romantic Period (1785–1832)
6. The Victorian Period (1832–1901)
7. The Edwardian Period (1901–1914)
8. The Georgian Period (1910–1936)
9. The Modern Period (1914–?)
10. The Postmodern Period (1945–?)
Renaissance Period (1500-1660)
❑ Renaissance means rebirth.

Rebirth of What?
❑ Rebirth of Ancient Greek and Roman eras cultural
practices i.e. arts, paint, writing style etc.
❑ The Renaissance was a cultural and scholarly
movement which stressed the rediscovery and
application of texts and thought from classical
antiquity, occurring in Europe c. 1400 – c. 1600.
Renaissance Period (1500-1660)
❑ There remains debate about what exactly constituted

the Renaissance.
❑ Essentially, it was a cultural and intellectual
movement, intimately tied to society and politics, of
the late 14th to early 17th centuries.
❑ Although it is commonly restricted to just the 15th
and 16th centuries. It is considered to have originated
in Italy.
This period is often subdivided into four parts, including
the Elizabethan Age (1558–1603), the Jacobean Age
(1603–1625), the Caroline Age (1625–1649), and the
Commonwealth Period (1649–1660).
Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)
❑ The Elizabethan Age (Also known as

Shakespeare’s age) was the golden age of English
drama.
❑ Some of its noteworthy figures include Christopher
Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter
Raleigh, and, of course, William Shakespeare.
❑ The Jacobean Age is named for the reign of James I.
It includes the works of John Donne, Shakespeare,
Michael Drayton, John Webster, Elizabeth Cary, Ben
Jonson, and Lady Mary Wroth.
❑ The King James translation of the Bible also appeared
during the Jacobean Age. The Caroline Age covers the
reign of Charles I (“Carolus”).
❑ John Milton, Robert Burton, and George Herbert are
some of the notable figures.
Elizabethan Age
❑ Elizabethan Age is often used to describe the late 16th

and early 17th centuries even after the death of
Elizabeth.
❑ This was the time of swift expansion in English
commerce and the development of nationalist feeling -
the time of the defeat of Spanish Armada in 1588. It is
considered as a great age English literature - the
greatest in the field of drama.
❑ Shakespeare contributed a lot to this period in the
form of dramas, novels etc. which people liked very
much and were getting enterained.
William Shakespear
❑ William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

❑ English poet and playwright – Shakespeare is widely
considered to be the greatest writer in the English
language.
❑ He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets.
❑ Shakespeare is the national poet of England.
❑ He is often called England's national poet and the
"Bard of Avon".
List of Shakespeare’s Plays
COMEDIES
❖ All's Well That Ends Well
❖ As You Like It
Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Measure for Measure
Merchant of Venice
Merry Wives of Windsor
Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado about Nothing
Taming of the Shrew
Tempest
Twelfth Night
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale
● HISTORIES
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry V
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Henry VIII
King John
Pericles
Richard II
Richard III
● TRAGEDIES
● Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
THANKS
FOR
PAYING
KEEN
ATTENTION…..

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History of English Literature

● M ZAHID : BS- ENGLISH 2nd semester

❑ Literature means anything that is in text/written form.

❑ In literary sense, literature is something that gives the

❑ By studying literature make us to know about the

1. Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (450–

❑ Renaissance means rebirth.

❑ There remains debate about what exactly constituted

❑ The Elizabethan Age (Also known as

❑ Elizabethan Age is often used to describe the late 16th

❑ William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

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