THE HISTORY OF LITERATURE. CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY Ancient Greek Writers (Before 300 A.D.) Homer is...
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Transcript of THE HISTORY OF LITERATURE. CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY Ancient Greek Writers (Before 300 A.D.) Homer is...
THE HISTORY THE HISTORY OF OF
LITERATURELITERATURE
CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
Ancient Greek Writers(Before 300 A.D.)
Homer is considered the forefather of Greek Literature.
He wrote two epic poems: The Iliad and The Odyssey.
The Iliad chronicles the events of the Trojan War in which the Greeks
infamously invade Troy by hiding in a wooden horse. The Odyssey is about
Odysseus and his epic journey at sea in which he escapes the infamous Cyclops.
Famous Greek Playwrights who wrote
“Classical Tragedies”
AeschylusThree plays called
The Oresteia
EuripidesMedea
SophoclesOedipus the King
The Romans pretty much imitated the Greeks. Virgil’s Aeneid emulated
Homer’s The Iliad.
Virgil took a character from The Iliad, and gave him connections to Rome.
We also see this kind of copycatting in mythology:
Greek Mythology
ZEUS
POSEIDON
APHRODITE
Roman Mythology
JUPITER
NEPTUNE
VENUS
THE MIDDLE AGES
Beginning in the 5th century A.D., Christian scribes transcribed Anglo Saxon poems,
producing some of the very first writings in the English language
(Old English).
One of these poems is entitled Beowulf. Robert Zemeckis ruined
it.
Legit version Tainted, smutty version
In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. It’s a collection of stories written in verse (in a language
called Middle English) told from the perspective of medieval pilgrims, trading
tales while on a pilgrimage.
An Example of Middle English:
Chaucer utilized the “heroic couplet,” which later became the traditional English form
for epic and narrative poetry.
During the Renaissance, the invention of the printing press (1400 A.D.) changed
literature forever.
THE ELIZABETHAN ERA
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603), there were many gifted authors who wrote famous poems and dramas. You might
recognize one.
Christopher Marlowe
William Shakespeare
Sir Philip Sydney
During this time, the “Great Chain of Being” reigned.
The First NovelsAll three works have been suggested as the first novel written in English..
Oroonoko by Aphra Behn
1688
Robinson Crusoe
By Daniel Defoe1719
PamelaBy Samuel Richardson
1740
Augustan Literature
The politically-charged and satirical literature of the early 18th-century—especially that of
Pope and Swift—which viewed the Rome of Caesar Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) as a Golden Age. This was the period when Ovid, Horace, and Virgil wrote their greatest works using
the ode, the epic, and the “Heroic Couplet.”
Infamous Augustan Poets
Alexander Pope
Author of “Rape of the Lock”
Master of the Heroic Couplet
Jonathan Swift
Author of Gulliver’s Travels
Master of Satire
GOTHIC LITERATURE
A genre of late-18th century, Gothic literature featured mysterious or supernatural elements and set the stage for what we now call “horror
stories.”
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Matthew Lewis’ The Monk
ROMANTICISM
Causes of the Romantic Movement
Execution of Charles I French Revolution
Copernican Theory Technological Advancements
In the 18th century, Romantic art and poetry explored themes such
as nature, emotion, beauty, freedom, and individualism.
British Romantic Poets
William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Lord Byron
Early American Romantic Novels
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Moby DickBy Herman Melville
TRANSCENDENTALISM
In the early to mid 19th century, Transcendentalism was an American
philosophical and literary movement that rejected materialism, focusing on a return to nature and the idea that we all share
one spirit.
Famous Transcendental Writers
Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau
Victorian Literature
Produced during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), Victorian literature is often considered a bridge between the
romantic-era works of the previous century and what would become the literature of the newly industrialized
world of the 20th century. It was concerned with realism, morality, and
imagination.
Famous Victorian Writers
Charles Dickens
Great Expectations
Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland
Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
Paul Clifford
REALISM
19th century Realism, as opposed to Romanticism, depicted everyday,
commonplace events. Stories were often social or historical realities.
One of the most famous realist works is the French novel entitled Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.
Mark Twain is a famous American Realist.
Mark Twain His famous protagonist Huck Finn
NATURALISM
Naturalism is a mid-19th century literary movement that sought to depict a believable
world where heredity and environment shaped a character’s personality. Known for frankness and pessimism, Naturalism was highly influenced by
Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859).
Famous Naturalist Writers
Edith Wharton
Ethan Frome
Jack London
White Fang
MODERNISM
Modernism was a 20th century literary and artistic movement that provided radical breaks with traditional modes of Western art, thought, religion, and morality. Novels criticized social
hierarchies and experimented with new forms of storytelling, such as stream of consciousness.
T.S. Elliot’s The Waste Land is a quintessential Modern poem.
Causes of the Modern Movement
Sigmund Freud
Industrial Revolution
World War I
Modern MinimalismModern Minimalism• ““Slice of lifeSlice of life”” stories stories
• Realistic instead of Realistic instead of floweryflowery
• Economy with Economy with words (no fluff)words (no fluff)
• ““No ideas but in No ideas but in thingsthings””– W.C.W.– W.C.W.
• Shortest short Shortest short story ever: story ever: ““For For sale: baby shoes, sale: baby shoes, never used.never used.”” – –Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingway
Famous Modern Writers
Franz KafkaThe Metamorphosis
Joseph ConradHeart of Darkness
James Joyce
Ulysses
POSTMODERNISM
Mid to late 20th century Postmodern literature is characterized by a disjointed, fragmented blend of high and low culture that reflects the absence
of tradition and structure in a world driven by technology and consumerism.
George Orwell’s 1984 depicted a nightmarish vision of the future where the government controlled every aspect of a citizen’s life: even
thought and emotion.
Causes of Postmodernism
World War II Holocaust
Nuclear War Mass Consumerism
Postmodern works oftentimes Postmodern works oftentimes intend to get away from the intend to get away from the illusion of literatureillusion of literature through through
fragmentation, paradox, and an fragmentation, paradox, and an absence of “meaning.”absence of “meaning.”
::
Famous Postmodern Writers
Albert CamusThe Stranger
Eugene IonescoRhinoceros
Ken KeseyOne Flew Over
The Cuckoo’s Nest