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Medieval Period
500-1500
Medieval PeriodEssentially works written in the
middle ages in Europe
The types of book in this age1. Secular2. Religious3. Women’s Literature4. Allegory
Possibly the oldest surviving long poem in old English
The Divine Comedy is full of allegories to convey morals
English Renassainc
e1500-1670
The printing press became common in the 16th century
Shakespeare wrote 36 plays and 154 sonnets
Romeo and Juliet
“Don't waste your love on somebody, who doesn't value it.” ― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Hamlet
““Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” ― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
The Enlightment
1700-1800
Enlightenment thinkers questioned
traditional authority and embraced the
notion that humanity could be improved
through rational change.
"Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!"
"What Is Enlightenment?" (1784)
1. The Enlightenment thinkers thought that
advances in science and industry would bring
progress for humankind.
2. The industrial revolution decrease the cost of
literature during this period.
3. There was opposition from the church and
monarchs.
4. Reasoning and observation was a key element of
this period. (Scientific Revolution)
Isaac Newton
A man may imagine things that are false, but he can only understand things that are true
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.”
Isaac Newton
Voltaire attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works
Main Views
A satirical view of the state of European government, and of petty differences between religions
An inquiry into whether men are inherently corrupt or whether they become corrupted
“It is never too late to be wise.” ― Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
Romantic Period
1798-1870
1. Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct and
intuition above everything else.
2. The Romantics were interested in the supernatural.
Characteristics of the American Romantic Literature
Books
Books
Trascendentalism1830 - 1860
Trascendentalism
The movement professes skepticism of all established religionThe father of the movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson
Immanuel Kant Philosopher
Individuals have their power to reason for themselves whether a thing be true or not.
A healthy level of doubt and skepticism is encouraged, but not to the point of despair
humans must embrace the fact that some things cannot be known with certainty, no matter how advanced science and technology become.
Literary Works
“Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance and Other Essays
Literary Works
“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart, is true for all men--that is genius.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance and Other Essays
Victorian Period
1837-1901
The Victorian Period
• The movement roughly comprises the years from 1830 to 1900.
• In the early years of the Victorian Period, poetry was still the most
visible of literary forms.
• At some point in the Victorian era, the novel replaced the poem as
the most fashionable vehicle for the transmission of literature.
Novels
Charles Dickens is the most prominent victorian novelist
Charles Darwin
Realism1820-1920
What’s Realism?
Realism, in literature, an approach that attempts to describe life
without idealization or romantic subjectivity.
It is attention to detail, and an effort to replicate the true nature of
reality in a way that novelists had never attempted
Literary Works
Literary Works
“I do not wish any reward but to know I have done the right thing.” ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Literary Works
“If you tell the truth you do not need a good memory!” ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Literary Works
Naturalism1870 -1920
Naturalism
1. Many authors of that time were naturalist and realist.
2. The dominant theme of Naturalist literature is that persons are shaped to
whatever station in life their heredity, environment, and social conditions
prepare them for.
3. Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism
, violence, prejudice, disease, corruption, prostitution, and filth. As a result,
naturalistic writers were frequently criticized for focusing too much on human
vice and misery.
Ethan Frome
Existencialism
1850 till today
Existencialism
1. In the most general sense, existentialism deals with the
recurring problem of finding meaning within existence.
2. the individual must find or create meaning for his or her
life
Existencialism
1. The Existence precedes essence : We are not stereotypes , label ,
we are individuals
2. Absurdism : There is no meaning in the world unless we give it
one
3. Facticity: It is both a limitation and a condition of freedom
4. Authenticity : You must find your own purpose in life
Fear and Trembling
Albert Camus
The Beat Generation1945-1965
Central Elements of the Beat Generation
• rejection of standard narrative values
• the spiritual quest
• exploration of American and Eastern religions
• rejection of materialism
• explicit portrayals of the human condition
• experimentation with psychedelic drugs
• sexual liberation and exploration
The Beat Generation
Modernism1910-1965
Why Literary Modernism?
It is a response to a lot of destruction caused by WWI
Sigmond Freud questioned the rationality of mankind
Karl Marx questioned the rationality of mankind
the narrative constantly migrates from the present to the past, and from one
character’s mind to another’s
Post-Modernism
1965 till today
Post Modernism relies on literary conventions such as
ParadoxUnreliable narratorsDownright impossible plotsParodyParanoia
Stylistic techniques used in post-modern literature
Pastiche: The taking of various ideas from previous writings and
literary styles and pasting them together to make new styles.
Intertextuality: The acknowledgment of previous literary works
within another literary work.
Metafiction: The act of writing about writing or making readers
aware of the fictional nature of the very fiction they're reading.
Temporal Distortion: The use of non-linear timelines and narrative
techniques in a story.
Stylistic techniques used in post-modern literature
Maximalism: Disorganized, lengthy, highly detailed writing.
Faction: The mixing of actual historical events with fictional events
without clearly defining what is factual and what is fictional.
Reader Involvement: Often through direct address to the reader and
the open acknowledgment of the fictional nature of the events being
described.
It combines magical realism with minimalism
Magical Realism: The introduction of
impossible or unrealistic events into a
narrative that is otherwise realistic.
Minimalism: The use of characters and
events which are decidedly common and non-
exceptional characters.
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