English Literature Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is English Literature?
English Literature is an expansive field of study that encompasses a wide range of topics, eras, and authors. It includes everything from classic works such as William Shakespeare’s plays and poems to contemporary novels like J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. English Literature is a broad topic that covers literature produced in England, in the United Kingdom, and worldwide in the English language.The origins of English Literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages when writers began to compose poetry and other works in English instead of Latin or French. This period saw some of the most famous works written by authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, and John Gower among others. During this time there was also a great deal of religious writing with writers producing many books about Christian faith such as The Bible or The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. In the Renaissance period which followed, literature flourished with many new genres including lyrical poetry, romantic comedy plays, adventure stories, sonnets and more being created by authors such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare who wrote some of the most famous works ever written in English Literature such as Hamlet or Romeo & Juliet respectively. The 18th century saw even more changes with authors like Samuel Johnson penning literary criticism while using satire to point out society’s flaws. In addition to his work on literary criticism he also wrote many other works including biographies and dictionaries which are still used today. During this time period there was also a great deal of literary experimentation with many genres being explored including Gothic fiction (Frankenstein) and Romanticism (The Prelude). In modern times there has been an explosion in the number of books being published exploring all sorts of different topics from science fiction (The Hunger Games) to fantasy (The Lord Of The Rings). This has opened up opportunities for new authors from diverse backgrounds who have something unique to contribute to English Literature whether it be through their writing style or their subject matter itself. Overall English Literature is an incredibly rich subject that has much to offer readers no matter what genre they are interested in exploring further or what type of stories they find themselves drawn towards reading about; it truly is one field that stands apart from all others due its sheer vastness.