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1342-1400 Works: Canterbury Tales Theme: Decline of moral values, honor and chivalry. Style: Old "Middle English." Wrote in southern English Dialect. Important Info: Considered the first great English poet.

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Geoffrey Chaucer*

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1460-1529 Works: Garlande of Laurell, Bowge of Court. Theme: Satire against court, the pope, and Cardinal. Style: Short lines, perfectly rhymed, called Skeltonics. Important Info: Poet laureate of England. Tutor to Henry VIII.

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John Skelton*

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1517-1547 Works: Two Translations of Virgil's Aenid. Created the first English sonnets, which Shakespeare later used. Theme: Style: Used the Sonnet form of poetry Important Info: Executed for being Catholic. Known as the "Father of the English Sonnet"

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Henry Howard-Earl of Surrey

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1536-1605 Works: Translations from Latin into English, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Caesar's Commentaries, and John Calvin's works. Theme: Wrote from other famous works. Style: Uncommon for the day, he translated even "pagan" works like Metamorphoses. Important Info: Calvinist who primarily translated Protestant texts.

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Arthur Golding

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1539-1678 Works: A Discourse of the Adventures of Master FJ, The Supposes (first English comedy play), and an essay on English verse. Theme: None in particular Style: Wrote essay, poems, fiction, and drama. Important Info: Considered most important Renaissance poet, since there were few of note.

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George Gascoigne

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1552-1599 Works: The Faerie Queene Theme: Allegory of morality and virtue Style: Long epic poems, using archaic language and rhyme Important Info: Created a distinctive verse form, the Spenserian stanza.

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Edmund Spenser*

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1554-1600 Works: Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Politics. Theme: Theology, defended the church of England against both Catholicism and Puritanism. Style: Let scripture speak for itself. Important Info: Major theologian.

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Richard Hooker

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1554-1586 Works: Arcadia, Astrophel and Stella. Theme: Love and longing Style: Sonnets and songs about romance. Important Info: A favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth, he was a knight, and considered "the flower of chivalry."

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Sir Phillip Sidney*

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1554-1618 Works: What is Our Life?, The Lie, The Passionate Shepherd to his Love, the Nymph's Reply to The Shepherd Theme: contempt of the world in some poems, in others, romance. Style: Simple rhyme scheme, AABB. Important Info: This man is famous for much more than his writing, he was a courtier, soldier, aristocrat, and explorer.

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Sir Walter Raleigh*

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1561-1626 Works: Novum Organum, The Advancement of Learning, and essays about politics. Theme: Learning, Observation, Politics. Style: Educational. Important Info: Renaissance man who invented, wrote, philosophized, and was involved in politics.

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Sir Francis Bacon*

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1565-1616 Works: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Hamlet. Theme: Romance, politics of the day. Style: Solioquy and blank verse. Impressive vocabulary!

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William Shakespeare*

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1567-1601 Works: The Unfortunate Traveller, Dido: Queen of Carthage. Theme: Controversial Satire Style: Witty, concise diction. Important Info: Wrote plays, pamphlets, poems, and stories.

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Thomas Nashe*

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1572-1631 Works: Holy Sonnets, Of the Problems of the Soul, Problems and Paradoxes, Devotions. Theme: Love poems, and spiritual musings. Style: Classical. Important Info: This man was a eloquent pastor, and wrote of spiritual things, but after his wife's death, his writings grew more dark.

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John Donne*

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1573-1635 Works: Volpone, The Alchemist, Every Man in His Humor Theme: Attacked the vices of the age, greed and religious hypocrisy. Style: Drama to be performed, and masques for the court Important Info: Considered the leading playwright after Shakespeare.

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Ben Johnson*

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1585-1639 Works: The Tragedy of Miriam Theme: Historical tragedy. Style: Drama Important Info: First woman to write a play performed in England.

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Elizabeth Cary

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1591-1674 Works: To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. Hesperides. Theme: Life is short, love is beautiful, have fun. Style: Easier to understand than contemporaries, simple ABAB rhyme scheme. Important Info: Wrote in the "carpe diem" genre, "seize the day."

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Robert Herrick

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1593-1633 Works: The Altar, A Priest to the Temple, The Sacrifice. Theme: Religion Style: Hymn like poems and witty proverbs. Important Info: Some of his poems are modern hymns, and his proverbs are sayings of today.

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George Herbert*

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1600-1671 Works: Lex Rex, Liberty of Conscience, and letters. Theme: Controversial theology, he proposed new government forms that Locke used for U.S. Style: He wrote devotional works and personal letters too. Important Info: "Lex, Rex" was banned and burned and he was accused of treason for it's treasonous ideas.

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Samuel Rutherford*

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1608-1674 Works: Paradise Lost, Paradise regained Theme: Religious works, but also wrote poetry. Important Info: He was extremely well learned, considered the most of all English poets. This author was very influential to later authors.

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John Milton*

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1613-1649 Works: Steps to the Temple, The Delights of the Muses Theme: Metaphysical religious poetry. Style: passionate to a disturbing degree. Important Info: fluent in Latin and other romantic languages. He fled to France during the English Civil War and embraced Catholicism.

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Richard Crashaw

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1659-1691 Works: The Saint's Everlasting Rest Theme: Puritanism Important Info: Reputedly kind and conscientious, he united many ministers in ministry to the poor.

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Richard Baxter

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1621-1695 Works: Silex Scintillans "The World" Theme: mysticism and love of nature. Style: poetry Important Info: he influnced Wordsworth.

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Henry Vaughan

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1627-1695 Works: Letters to Sir William Temple Theme and Style: These were personal letters to her husband to be. Important Info: These letters are considered the best in English literature.

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Dorothy Osborne

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1628-1688 Works: Pilgrim's Progress, Grace Abounding (autobiography), plus many sermons. Theme: Religious allegory Style: Simple, easy to read, inspiring. Important Info: Pilgrim's Progress was the most widely read and translated book ever except the Bible.

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John Bunyan*

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1631-1700 Works: To His Sacred Majesty, To My Lord Chancellor, Marriage-a-la-Mode, All for Love. Theme: He wrote what would please the public, so he dabbled in comedic plays. He also wrote poems to honor the monarchy. Important Info: Led the way in Restoration comedy. He went to Westminster school.

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John Dryden*

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1660-1731 Works: Robinson Crusoe (over 500 bks) Theme: Politics Style: Wrote first English novel, wrote for entertainment. Important Info: Was a Whig political activist and spy. His writings reflected these views.

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Daniel Defoe*

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1664-1721 Works: City Mouse and Country Mouse, The Progress of the Mind, Queen Mary. Theme: Wrote humorous lyrical poems. Style: Mimicked Horace and wrote like this master, also wrote satire. Important Info: His poem "Alma" or "The Progress of the Mind" is the longest humorous poem.

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Mathew Prior

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1667-1745 Works: Gulliver's Travels Theme: Satirist prose. Style: wrote political pamphlets, essays and satire, as well as poems. Important Info: He published works under pseudonyms.

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Jonathan Swift*

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1685-1732 Works: The Beggar's Opera, What d'ye call it? (dramatic skit) Theme: He wrote drama about various subjects, with numerous patrons. Important Info: Good friend of Alexander Pope.

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John Gay

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1688-1744 Works: Rape of the Lock, translations of Homer. Style: Mastered the heroic couplet. Important Info: Considered the "Greatest poet of the Century"

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Alexander Pope*

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1700-1748 Works: Liberty, The Castle of Indolence. Theme: Dedicated poems to royalty Style: Poems and playwright Important Info: His poems were political, and therefore he fell in and out of favor.

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James Thomson

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1709-1771 Works: Dictionary of the English Language, The Idler, The Rambler, Lives of the English Poet. Theme and Style: essays, biographies, wrote for "The Gentleman's Magazine." Important Info: Best known for refutation of the Bishop's Idealism.

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Samuel Johnson

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1716-1771 Works: Elegy Written in a Country Courtyard, Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes. Theme and Style: He used traditional forms like the ode with new topics. Important Info: Considered a classically focused precursor of the romantic revival

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Thomas Gray

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