english literature study

1. Presented by: super ong
LITERATURE
ENGLISH

2. English literature refers to the literary works of England,
originating in the 7th century and spanning periods like Old
English (e.g., Beowulf), Middle English (Geoffrey Chaucer), the
Renaissance (William Shakespeare), and continuing through
the Romantic, Victorian, Modern, and Contemporary ages,
reflecting societal, linguistic, and cultural shifts. Key themes
include epic poetry, romance, the rise of drama, and the
exploration of human experience, often defined by major
historical events and influential authors like Chaucer and
Shakespeare.
ENGLISH LITERATURE

3. PERIODS OF
ENGLISH
LITERATURE

4. O l d E n g l i s h L i t e r a t u r e
M i d d l e E n g l i s h l i t e r a t u r e
E l i z a b e t h a n l i t e r a t u r e
T h e r o m a n t i c p e r i o d
T h e V i c t o r i a n P e r i o d
T w e n t i e t h C e n t u r y

5. OLD ENGLISH
LITERATURE
OLD ENGLISH, THE EARLIEST
FORM OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE, WAS SPOKEN BY THE
ANGLO-SAXONS, A GERMANIC
TRIBE LIVING IN BRITAIN
DURING THE FIFTH CENTURY.

6. ANGLO-
SAXONS
THE ANGLO-SAXONS WERE A
GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO
SETTLED IN WHAT IS NOW
ENGLAND DURING THE EARLY
MIDDLE AGES (AROUND THE 5TH
TO 11TH CENTURIES).

7. THEY WERE MADE UP MAINLY OF THREE
TRIBES FROM WHAT IS NOW GERMANY,
DENMARK, AND THE NETHERLANDS:
ANGLES SAXO
NS
JUTE
S

8. AFTER THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
IN BRITAIN (EARLY 400S), THESE GROUPS
MIGRATED ACROSS THE NORTH SEA AND
ESTABLISHED SMALL KINGDOMS. OVER TIME,
THEY FORMED A DISTINCT ANGLO-SAXON
CULTURE, WITH THEIR OWN LANGUAGE (OLD
ENGLISH), CUSTOMS, AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS.

9. BEOW
ULF
THE LONGEST EPIC POEM IN OLD
ENGLISH, KNOWN FOR IT’S USE
OF KENNINGS, WHICH ARE
PHRASES OR COMPOUND
WORDS USED TO NAME PERSON,
PLACES, AND THINGS
INDIRECTLY

10. KENNINGS
A KENNING IS A SPECIAL KIND OF METAPHOR USED
IN OLD ENGLISH AND OLD NORSE POETRY.
INSTEAD OF USING A SIMPLE WORD, POETS
COMBINED TWO WORDS TO CREATE A MORE
IMAGINATIVE EXPRESSION. IT’S LIKE A POETIC
RIDDLE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN BEOWULF:
• "WHALE-ROAD" = THE SEA
• "BATTLE-SWEAT" = BLOOD
• "SKY-CANDLE" = THE SUN

11. EPIC
IN OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE, AN EPIC IS A LONG NARRATIVE POEM THAT
TELLS THE STORY OF A HEROIC FIGURE AND THEIR GREAT DEEDS.
KEY FEATURES OF AN EPIC:
• LENGTHY NARRATIVE: IT’S MUCH LONGER THAN A REGULAR POEM, OFTEN
DIVIDED INTO SECTIONS.
• HEROIC FIGURE: THE MAIN CHARACTER IS A LARGER-THAN-LIFE HERO
WITH STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND LOYALTY.
• ADVENTURES AND BATTLES: THE HERO FACES MONSTERS, ENEMIES, OR
SUPERNATURAL CHALLENGES.
• FORMAL STYLE: WRITTEN IN AN ELEVATED, SERIOUS TONE.
• CULTURAL VALUES: EPICS REFLECT THE BELIEFS, TRADITIONS, AND IDEALS
OF THE SOCIETY THAT PRODUCED THEM.
• GOOD VS. EVIL: A CENTRAL THEME, OFTEN SHOWING THE STRUGGLE

12. BEOWULF
BEOWULF IS AN OLD ENGLISH EPIC ABOUT A WARRIOR-HERO.
1.GRENDEL: BEOWULF SAILS TO DENMARK TO HELP KING HROTHGAR,
WHOSE MEAD-HALL IS ATTACKED BY THE MONSTER GRENDEL. HE FIGHTS
GRENDEL BAREHANDED AND KILLS HIM.
2.GRENDEL’S MOTHER: THE NEXT NIGHT, GRENDEL’S MOTHER SEEKS
REVENGE. BEOWULF DIVES INTO HER UNDERWATER CAVE AND SLAYS HER
WITH A GIANT SWORD.
3.BEOWULF AS KING: BEOWULF RETURNS TO GEATLAND, BECOMES KING,
AND RULES FOR FIFTY YEARS.
4.THE DRAGON: IN OLD AGE, HE FACES A DRAGON THREATENING HIS
KINGDOM. HE DEFEATS IT WITH THE HELP OF WIGLAF, BUT IS FATALLY
WOUNDED.
5.DEATH AND LEGACY: BEOWULF DIES A HERO, AND HIS PEOPLE MOURN

13. MIDDLE ENGLISH
LITERATURE
MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE
EMERGED AFTER THE NORMAN
CONQUEST OF 1066, WHEN OLD
ENGLISH BLENDED WITH
NORMAN FRENCH AND LATIN
INFLUENCES. THE PERIOD IS
MARKED BY THE DEVELOPMENT
OF A MORE RECOGNIZABLE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND A RICH
VARIETY OF LITERARY WORKS.

14. THE CANTERBURY
TALES
THE CANTERBURY TALES (C. 1387–1400) BY GEOFFREY
CHAUCER IS A FRAME NARRATIVE ABOUT A GROUP OF
29 PILGRIMS TRAVELING FROM LONDON TO
CANTERBURY TO VISIT THE SHRINE OF ST. THOMAS
BECKET. TO PASS THE TIME, THEY AGREE TO TELL
STORIES, WITH THE PLAN THAT EACH PILGRIM WOULD
TELL TWO ON THE WAY THERE AND TWO ON THE WAY
BACK (THOUGH CHAUCER ONLY COMPLETED 24).
THE TALES ARE WRITTEN IN MIDDLE ENGLISH AND
SPAN MANY GENRES—ROMANCE, FABLE, COMEDY,
MORAL ALLEGORY, AND SATIRE—REFLECTING THE
WIDE RANGE OF MEDIEVAL LIFE. EACH TALE ALSO
MIRRORS THE TELLER’S SOCIAL BACKGROUND AND
PERSONALITY, FROM THE NOBLE KNIGHT AND BAWDY
MILLER TO THE OUTSPOKEN WIFE OF BATH AND THE
CORRUPT PARDONER.
OVERALL, THE WORK OFFERS A LIVELY PORTRAIT OF

15. ELIZABETHAN
LITERATURE
THE ELIZABETHAN AGE, NAMED
AFTER QUEEN ELIZABETH I, IS
OFTEN CALLED THE GOLDEN AGE
OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. IT WAS
A PERIOD OF CULTURAL
FLOURISHING, MARKED BY THE
GROWTH OF POETRY, DRAMA,
AND PROSE, AS WELL AS THE
SOLID ESTABLISHMENT OF
ENGLISH AS A POWERFUL
LITERARY LANGUAGE.

16. GOLDEN AGE OF LITERATURE
IT’S CALLED THE GOLDEN AGE OF LITERATURE
(ESPECIALLY DURING THE ELIZABETHAN
PERIOD) BECAUSE IT WAS A TIME OF
UNMATCHED CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND
INNOVATION IN ENGLISH WRITING.
FLOURISHING OF DRAMA:
• PLAYWRIGHTS LIKE WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE, CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE,
AND BEN JONSON CREATED MASTERPIECES
THAT ARE STILL PERFORMED AND STUDIED
WORLDWIDE.
RISE OF POETRY:
• THE SONNET BECAME A DOMINANT
FORM, PERFECTED BY SHAKESPEARE,
SIDNEY, AND SPENSER.
• EDMUND SPENSER’S THE FAERIE
QUEENE STOOD AS A GREAT
NATIONAL EPIC CELEBRATING
ENGLAND AND QUEEN ELIZABETH I.

17. • GROWTH OF PROSE:
• Writers like Francis Bacon developed the essay, while chronicles
and early fiction expanded English prose style.
• NatiONAL PRIDE AND RENAISSANCE INFLUENCE:
• THE SPIRIT OF THE RENAISSANCE—EMPHASIS ON HUMANISM,
DISCOVERY, AND CLASSICAL LEARNING—SHAPED ENGLISH
LITERATURE.
• EVENTS LIKE THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA (1588)
GAVE ENGLAND CONFIDENCE AND INSPIRED PATRIOTIC
WORKS.
• ENDURING LEGACY:
• WORKS FROM THIS ERA ARE STILL CONSIDERED
FOUNDATIONAL TO ENGLISH LITERATURE, INFLUENCING

18. WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564–1616) WAS AN
ENGLISH PLAYWRIGHT, POET, AND ACTOR, WIDELY
REGARDED AS THE GREATEST WRITER IN THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE WORLD’S MOST
FAMOUS DRAMATIST. HE LIVED DURING THE
ELIZABETHAN AND EARLY JACOBEAN ERAS AND
WROTE 39 PLAYS, 154 SONNETS, AND SEVERAL LONG
NARRATIVE POEMS.
SHAKESPEARE IS CALLED THE “BARD OF AVON” AND
REMEMBERED AS THE GREATEST ENGLISH WRITER, WHOSE
PLAYS AND POEMS CONTINUE TO SHAPE LITERATURE AND
DRAMA TODAY.

19. HIS WORKS
TRAGEDIES (HIS MOST FAMOUS PLAYS)
• Hamlet – A prince struggles with revenge,
madness, and fate.
• Macbeth – A Scottish nobleman’s ambition
leads to murder and downfall.
• Romeo and Juliet – A tragic love story of two
“star-crossed lovers.”
• Othello – A tale of jealousy, manipulation,
and betrayal.
• King Lear – A king’s pride brings family
conflict and tragedy.
COMEDIES (STILL WIDELY
PERFORMED)
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S
DREAM – A MAGICAL MIX OF
LOVE, CONFUSION, AND
FAIRIES.
TWELFTH NIGHT – COMEDY OF
MISTAKEN IDENTITY, LOVE,
AND DISGUISE.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING –
WITTY BANTER, ROMANCE,
AND TRICKERY.
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – A

20. ROMANTIC
PERIOD
THIP PERIOD IS THE GOLDEN AGE OF
LYRIC POETRY BECAUSE THE EXPRESSION
OF THE POET'S PERSONAL FEELINGS AND
EMOITIONS. A FEW NOTABLE WORKS OF
POETRY OF THE PERIOD ARE SONGS OF
INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE BY
WILLIAM BLAKE. LYRICAL BALLADS BY
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH AND SAMUEL
TAYLOR COLERIDGE. THE EVE OF ST.
AGNES, AND OTHER POEMS BY JOHN
KEATS, "DON JUAN" BY LORD BYRON AND
"ODE TO THE WEST WIND" BY PERCY

21. 1. SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE (WILLIAM BLAKE, 1789 &
1794)
• Concept: A collection of paired poems exploring two contrasting states
of the human sOUL: INNOCENCE (CHILDLIKE PURITY, JOY, FAITH) AND
EXPERIENCE (HARSHNESS, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF FAITH).
• STYLE & THEMES: SIMPLE LANGUAGE, OFTEN CHILDLIKE IN TONE, YET
DEEPLY SYMBOLIC. THEMES OF CHILDHOOD, NATURE, RELIGION,
POVERTY, AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE.
• SIGNIFICANCE: SHOWS BLAKE’S VISION OF HUMAN DUALITY AND
CRITIQUES THE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES OF HIS TIME.
FAMOUS POEMS INCLUDE THE LAMB, THE TYGER, AND THE CHIMNEY
SWEEPER.

22. 2. LYRICAL BALLADS (WILLIAM WORDSWORTH & SAMUEL TAYLOR
COLERIDGE, 1798)
• Concept: Considered the manifesto of English Romanticism, this poetry
collection aimed to make poetry accessible by using the language of
“real men.”
• Style & Themes: FOCUS ON ORDINARY LIFE, NATURE AS SPIRITUAL
TEACHER, EMOTION OVER REASON, AND THE IMAGINATION.
• NOTABLE WORKS:
⚬ WORDSWORTH: LINES COMPOSED A FEW MILES ABOVE TINTERN
ABBEY, MICHAEL.
⚬ COLERIDGE: THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, THE
NIGHTINGALE.

23. 2. LYRICAL BALLADS (WILLIAM WORDSWORTH & SAMUEL TAYLOR
COLERIDGE, 1798)
• Concept: Considered the manifesto of English Romanticism, this poetry
collection aimed to make poetry accessible by using the language of
“real men.”
• Style & Themes: FOCUS ON ORDINARY LIFE, NATURE AS SPIRITUAL
TEACHER, EMOTION OVER REASON, AND THE IMAGINATION.
• NOTABLE WORKS:
⚬ WORDSWORTH: LINES COMPOSED A FEW MILES ABOVE TINTERN
ABBEY, MICHAEL.
⚬ COLERIDGE: THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, THE
NIGHTINGALE.

24. THE EVE OF ST. AGNES, AND OTHER POEMS (JOHN KEATS, 1820)
• Concept: A collection showcasing Keats’s mature style, filled with
sensuous imagery, medieval romance, and reflections on beauty and
mortality.
• The Title Poem: The Eve of St. Agnes TELLS A ROMANTIC, ALMOST FAIRY-
TALE-LIKE STORY OF YOUNG LOVERS MADELINE AND PORPHYRO, SET ON
THE MYSTICAL NIGHT OF ST. AGNES.
• OTHER NOTABLE POEMS: ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE, ODE ON A GRECIAN
URN, LAMIA, HYPERION.
• SIGNIFICANCE: DISPLAYS KEATS’S PHILOSOPHY OF “NEGATIVE
CAPABILITY” (DWELLING IN UNCERTAINTIES AND BEAUTY WITHOUT

25. DON JUAN (LORD BYRON, 1819–1824, UNFINISHED)
• Concept: A satirical epic poem retelling the legend of Don Juan, but with
a twist—Byron makes Juan not the seducer, but the one who is seduced.
• Style & Themes: Humorous, irreverent, digressive, FULL OF SOCIAL AND
POLITICAL SATIRE. THEMES INCLUDE LOVE, LUST, HYPOCRISY,
CORRUPTION, AND THE FOLLIES OF HIGH SOCIETY.
• SIGNIFICANCE: BYRON’S MASTERPIECE, SHOWCASING HIS WIT,
CYNICISM, AND CREATION OF THE “BYRONIC HERO”—REBELLIOUS,
PASSIONATE, FLAWED, AND LARGER THAN LIFE.

26. DON JUAN (LORD BYRON, 1819–1824, UNFINISHED)
• Concept: A satirical epic poem retelling the legend of Don Juan, but with
a twist—Byron makes Juan not the seducer, but the one who is seduced.
• Style & Themes: Humorous, irreverent, digressive, FULL OF SOCIAL AND
POLITICAL SATIRE. THEMES INCLUDE LOVE, LUST, HYPOCRISY,
CORRUPTION, AND THE FOLLIES OF HIGH SOCIETY.
• SIGNIFICANCE: BYRON’S MASTERPIECE, SHOWCASING HIS WIT,
CYNICISM, AND CREATION OF THE “BYRONIC HERO”—REBELLIOUS,
PASSIONATE, FLAWED, AND LARGER THAN LIFE.

27. ODE TO THE WEST WIND (PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, 1819, PUBLISHED 1820)
• Concept: A lyrical ode in which the poet addresses the powerful autumn
wind as both destroyer and preserver.
• Structure: Five cantos, written in terza rima (Italian verse form).
• Themes: Renewal, revoLUTION, AND THE CYCLE OF NATURE. SHELLEY
ASKS THE WIND TO CARRY HIS WORDS ACROSS THE WORLD, HOPING
FOR TRANSFORMATION—POLITICAL, PERSONAL, AND POETIC.
• FAMOUS LINE: ENDS WITH THE HOPEFUL QUESTION: “IF WINTER
COMES, CAN SPRING BE FAR BEHIND?”
• SIGNIFICANCE: A GREAT EXAMPLE OF SHELLEY’S RADICAL SPIRIT AND
BELIEF IN THE POWER OF ART TO INSPIRE CHANGE.

28. VICTORIAN
PERIOD
THE PERIOD SAW THE RISE OF THE
NOVEL. CHARLES DICKENS,
CONSIDERED TO BE THE GREATEST
ENGLISH NOVELIST OF THE 19TH
CENTURY. WROTE GREAT
EXPECTATIONS. THIS NOVEL WAS
PUBLISHED AS A SERIAL IN A
WEEKLY PERIODICAL FROM
DECEMBER 1860 TO AUGUST 1861

29. ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON AND Robert Browning each wrote poetry during
the Victorian period. Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H. is an elegy for his close
friend Arthur Henry Hallam and is widely considered one of THE GREATEST
POEMS OF THE 19TH CENTURY. BROWNING, KNOWN FOR HIS MASTERY OF
THE DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE, WROTE THE FAMOUS POEM MY LAST
DUCHESS. IN A DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE, THE POET ADOPTS A FICTIONAL
SPEAKER’S VOICE, ADDRESSING A SILENT LISTENER AND REVEALING THE
CHARACTER’S INNER THOUGHTS AND PERSONALITY.

30. WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS AND
THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT WROTE
MODERNIST POETRY DURING THE
PERIOD. YEATS WROTE THE TOWER,
THE WINDING STAIR, AND NEW
POEMS, ALL OF WHICH ARE NOTED
FOR THEIR POWERFUL IMAGERY.
ELIOT’S MASTERPIECES INCLUDE
THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED
PRUFROCK AND THE WASTE LAND.
TWENTIETH
CENTURY

31. VIRGINIA WOOLF IS KNown for her
story Mrs. Dalloway and James Joyce
in his work Ulysses use sTREAM OF
CONCIOUSNESS, A LITERARY
TECHNIQUE IN WHICH THE FLOW OF
THOUGHTS OF A A CHARACTER IS
DESCRIBED IN WORDS

32. WILLIAM BUTLER
YEATS
WOR
KS:
- THE TOWER (1928)
- THE WINDING STAIR
(1933)
- NEW POEMS (1938)

33. THOMAS STEARNS
ELIOT
WOR
KS:
- THE LOVE SONG OF J.
ALFRED PRUFROCK
(1915 MAGAZINE/ 1917
BOOK)
- THE WASTE LAND
(1922)

34. VIRGINIA
WOOLF
WOR
KS:
- MRS. DALLOWAY
(1925)

35. JAMES
JOYCE
WOR
KS:
- ULYSSES
(1922)