Literary Movements in English Literature - Part I

1. MOVEMENTS IN
ENGLISH LITERATURE
Keiser University eCampus

2. ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD (449-1066)
Historical Context / Main Ideas
Life centered around self-ruling tribes and clans
Tribes and clans were initially warriors from invading areas; later, they
became primarily agricultural
Christianity helps the spread of literacy
Roman alphabet was introduced to Britain
Oral tradition helps to unite diverse people and their myths

3. ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD (449-1066)
Genres and Styles
Oral tradition of literature
Poetry – mostly heroic or Christian
Most poets of this era are anonymous

4. ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD (449-1066)
Examples
Bede’s An Ecclesiastical History of the English People
The Dream of the Rood
Beowulf

5. THE NORMAN CONQUEST AND MIDDLE
ENGLISH LITERATURE (1066-1485)
Historical Context and Main Ideas
In 1066, William the Conqueror’s army defeats Harold II’s army at the
Battle of Hastings. This defeat results in the “Norman Invasion,” which
brings about the influence of French on the English language.
William Caxton introduces the printing press in 1476
Church instructs its people through plays
Illiterate population hears and sees literature through performance
Chivalric code of honor
Religious devotion
Shift to non-religious subjects in the late 14th century

6. THE NORMAN CONQUEST AND MIDDLE
ENGLISH LITERATURE (1066-1485)
Genres and Styles
Oral tradition continues
Folk ballads
Mystery plays – representation of Bible stories
Morality plays – personified qualities (sin, charity, etc.) as main characters
Miracle plays – reenactments of miraculous interventions of saints in the lives
of everyday people
Epic poetry
Religious allegory

7. THE NORMAN CONQUEST AND MIDDLE
ENGLISH LITERATURE (1066-1485)
Examples
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
William Langlan’s Piers Plowman
Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur
Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (see next slide)

8. THE NORMAN CONQUEST AND MIDDLE
ENGLISH LITERATURE (1066-1485)
Examples
Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a notable example in that it is a
critical portrait of 14th century English society. It is still widely considered
one of the most important pieces of English literature.
The premise of The Canterbury Tales is that a group of pilgrims, who are
traveling from London to Canterbury to visit the Shrine of Thomas Becket,
pass the time by telling stories.
Chaucer originally intended each pilgrim (30 in all) to tell two stories on
the way to Canterbury and two stories on the way back (making for a total
of 120 stories). The work is considered unfinished, as only 24 stories were
completed.

9. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY (1485-1603)
Historical Context / Main Ideas
1485: The end of the War of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the
House of York. Henry VII from the House of Lancaster becomes King of England. He
marries Elizabeth from the House of York, uniting the two warring factions.
1509-1558: Henry VIII is King of England
1558-1603: Elizabeth I rules (known as the Elizabethan Period) – English drama
develops into a sophisticated art form
1576: The Theater is built, the first permanent structure in England for the
performing of plays

10. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY (1485-1603)
Historical Context / Main Ideas
Economy shifts from farm-based to international trade
Worldview shifts from religion to secular life
Focus on education and establishment of important universities
Young people (mostly men) traveled to European continent, requiring
them to learn other languages, as few spoke English
Noblemen sought power from the court
Rapid growth of cities
Significant (and sometimes violent) disputes between Catholics and
Protestants

11. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY (1485-1603)
Genres and Styles
Poetry
• sonnets
• metaphysical poetry, characterized by elaborate metaphors
Drama, often written in verse and supported by royalty. Drama developed
into a sophisticated art form in the Elizabethan Period (1558-1603).

12. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY (1485-1603)
Examples
• William Shakespeare’s plays, including Much Ado About Nothing,
Othello, and Hamlet
• Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene
• Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnets
• Christopher Marlowe’s poetry, including “The Passionate Shepherd to his
Love,” and his plays, including Doctor Faustus and Tamburlaine

13. THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
(1603-1660)
Historical Context / Main Ideas
1603: Death of Elizabeth I and accession of James I
1625: death of James I, accession of Charles I, who belonged to the Church of
England
1642: The Puritan Rebellion begins and theaters are closed. Charles I is
defeated and beheaded in 1649. Oliver Cromwell is named “Lord Protector.”
John Milton served as Cromwell’s secretary.
1660: Charles II, oldest son of Charles I, invited to return from exile and assume
the crown. Theaters are reopened, and, for the first time, women are allowed to
perform

14. THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
(1603-1660)
Historical Context / Main Ideas
Tensions increased between the monarchy and its subjects
James’s court was known for its excesses
First English settlements in North America (Jamestown, Plymouth)
Puritans believed that humans were predestined to be saved (“the elect”) or damned
Conflict between new scientific theories and the older way of thinking
Belief in hierarchies
• nature – God above angels, angels above humans, humans above animals, animals above
plants, etc.
• social – king over nobles, nobles over gentry, gentry over yeomen, yeomen over laborers
• familial – husband over wife, parents above children, master and mistress above servants,
elderly above the young
All are required to attend church

15. THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
(1603-1660)
Genres and Styles
Poetry – less focus on sonnets and more focus on metaphysical poetry
Drama
Satire
Essays

16. THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
(1603-1660)
Examples
King James Bible (1611)
John Donne’s poems “The Flea” and holy sonnets
John Milton’s Paradise Lost
Francis Bacon’s Essays