V5 Reader Literatuurgeschiedenis 2024-2025 - AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH and AMERICAN LITERATURE V - Studeersnel (2024)

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AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH and AMERICAN

LITERATURE V

2024-

Content:

• Chapter 1 The Middle Ages 450-1500 p.
• Chapter 2 The Renaissance 1500-1660 p.
• Chapter 3 The Romantic Period p.
• Chapter 4 The Victorian Period 1830-1900 p.
• Chapter 5 United States 1900-1945 p.
• Chapter 6 United States since 1945 p.
• Appendix 1 Literary Terms (general list) p
• Appendix 2 Footnotes (List of Literary Terms used) p

Chapter 1 The Middle AgesThe English Middle Ages can be divided into 2 periods. The Old English period (450 –1066) and the Middle English period (1066 – 1500) This division is based on thelanguage of the time.Old English PeriodThe first inhabitants of Britain were the Iberians; they came from Spain and Portugal andinvaded Britain in 5000 BC. Then the Celts invaded Britain between 700 – 300 BC. In 43AD the Romans invaded Britain; they brought civilization, roads, introduced trade andagriculture. They founded cities like London and Bath. And although they had a hugeinfluence on the lives of the Britons, they did not influence the language very much.In 450 the Romans were called back to Rome to defend it in a war, leaving the Britonsdefenceless. The Anglo-Saxons (from Germany) and the Jutes (from Denmark) invadedBritain. The Celts fled to Scotland and Wales, some even fled to France (to Brittany =Bretagne). The native Britons rallied for a brief resistance under their great hero KingArthur. But at his death the kingdom fell apart. The newcomers settled in Britain andmade themselves at home in the land.The Anglo-Saxons had a great influence on Britain. During their stay Christianity wasintroduced which changed life forever. They also had a great influence on the language.The Anglo-Saxons spoke a common language called “Anglo-Saxon”. It was a Germanicspeech, the parent-tongue of modern English, Norwegian, Swedish and German. It wasin this period the name England was first used: Anglo-lond. The Anglo-Saxons alsobrought to England an oral literature: battle-songs, old charms, tales of heroes and theirdeeds.The greatest single piece of Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic-poem 1 Beowulf. It wasone of the oral sagas that were brought in from the mainland by the invaders. We do notknow who wrote it (= anonymous). The monk who finally wrote it down in the year 1000AD left out all references to pagan gods. But the dragons and monsters remained. Thetheme of Beowulf is the struggle between good and bad (described as light and dark).Originally, the 3,000 lines were sung or told by bards or minstrels. It does not haverhyme but alliteration. Apart from the literary value it also gives us an idea of society inthe Anglo-Saxon period.Story:The epic, Beowulf, takes its name from its hero, a warrior and king of the Geats, wholived in Sweden. Hrothgar, king of the Danes and a friend of Beowulf’s father, was introuble. His hall, Heorot, was being attacked nightly by a man-eating monster namedGrendel. Beowulf single-handedly met and killed Grendel and then Grendel’s mother.Beowulf returned to Geats where he became king. He ruled his people well and after along life died a heroic death.In order to give you an idea of the language, style and texture take a look at thefollowing passage in the original Old English followed by a modern verse translation.The passage describes Grendel on his way to Heorot, king Hrothgar's hall, whereBeowulf is waiting for him.

• Video summary of Beowulf (6 minutes) A+ Gradesaver: youtube/watch?v=pkOi7c13yYM
• The following fragment is read aloud on Youtube ‘Beowulf, unabridged. read in Anglo Saxon by Trevor Eaton, part 3. 4 minutesyoutube/watch?v=tr7TbWxpLOA&list=PLy15QmrEHX6jndHsMbFCPqqkPh2Dlm0Sm&index=Cóm on wanre niht In the colourless night camescríðan sceadugenga· scéotend swaéfon slinking the shadow-wanderer; the shooters slept,þá þæt hornreced healdan scoldon they that the horned-house were obliged to guard,ealle búton ánum --þæt wæs yldum cúþ all but one --it was known to menþæt híe ne móste· þá metod nolde· 706 that they could not, when the Maker did not wish it,se synscaþa under sceadu bregdan-- by the malefactor be drawn under the shadows--ac hé wæccende wráþum on andan but he watching in angry indignationbád bolgenmód beadwa geþinges. bided in rising rage for the result of battle.Ðá cóm of móre under misthleoþum Then came from the moor under the misty cliffsGrendel gongan· godes yrre bær· 711 Grendel walking, God's wrath he bore;mynte se mánscaða manna cynnes the vile ravager meant from mankindsumne besyrwan in sele þám héan· a sample to snare in the high hall;wód under wolcnum tó þæs þe hé wínreced he waded under the clouds until he the wine-hall,goldsele gumena gearwost wisse --the gold-hall of men-- mostly-certainly saw,faéttum fáhne· ne wæs þæt forma síð 716 shining gold; it was not the first timeþæt hé Hróþgáres hám gesóhte· that he Hrothgar's home had sought;naéfre hé on aldordagum aér ne siþðan he never in the days of his life, ere nor after,heardran haéle healðegnas fand. harder luck or hall-thanes found.

themselves and their professions and through these stories the reader is given awonderful insight in Chaucer’s Medieval England. Some of the stories are serious, someare bawdy, some hypocrite. Chaucer seems impartial to the travellers but as the readergets to know them it is all too clear that all the pilgrims are heavily criticized andridiculed.

The following lines are the first 18 lines of “The Prologue” in the original Middle English.Try to translate these lines with the help of the glossary. Read aloud on Youtube:‘Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales Prologue in Middle English (not complete)’Whan that Aprille with his shoures sooteThe droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,And bathed every veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour;Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breethInspired hath in every holt and heathThe tender croppes and the yonge sonneHath in the Ram his halfe course y-ronne,And smale fowles maken melodye,That slepen al the nyght with open ye,so priketh hem nature in hir corages:Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,And palmers for to seken straunge strondesTo ferne halwes couthe in sundry londes:And specially, from every shires endeOf Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,The holy, blissful martir for to seke,That hem hath holpen whan that they were seke.line 1 shoures = rain soote = sweet/gentleline 3 veyne = vein, vassel of saplines 3-4 swich ... vertu = a liguid such that by its powerline 4 flour = flowerline 5 Zephirus = god of the West Wind eek = alsoline 6 holt = woodline 7 croppes = growth of leaves on trees and bushes yonge = 25 March beginning of new yearline 8 has half his course through Ram's sign run (sterrebeeld ram is halverwege voorbij)line 9 smale = little fowles = birdsline 10 ye = eyesline 11 so nature stirs within each heartline 12 longen = want for, long toline 13 palmers = pilgrims seken = seek, look for straunge strondes = strange/foreign shoresline 14 remote/ distant shrines of various landsline 15 shires ende = the end of every countyline 16 wende = make their wayline 17 seke = seek/ look forline 18 holpen = helped seke = sick

In company she liked to laugh and chatAnd knew the remedies for love’s mischances,An art in which she knew the oldest dances.The story the Wife of Bath tells her fellow pilgrims takes us back to the good old days ofKing Arthur, when, she tells us, fairies and elves had not yet been driven away by friars,monks and other worthy members of the Church. One day a knight out riding meets agirl walking all by herself forgetting all a knight should remember, he rapes her. He isarrested, brought before the king and sentenced to death. The queen, however, begsher husband to show mercy and at last he leaves it to her to decide upon the knight’sfate. She sends for him and tells him that if within a year and a day he is able to find ananswer to a question she will ask him, his life will be spared. If not, he will have to dieafter all. The knight has no choice but to accept and sets out into the world to find ananswer to the question what it is that women most desire. He receives a bewilderingvariety of answers. Some people tell him it is wealth, others fine clothes, sexualpleasure, or an old and rich husband. But none of them seems quite right and when theyear has passed, he returns to court in a most dejected mood. Riding along he suddenlynotices twenty-four fairies dancing on the edge of a wood, who vanish into thin air whenhe approaches them. When he comes to the spot there is only an old and ugly womansitting in the grass. When he tells her what has happened to him she assures him shecan give him the answer he is looking for, on the condition that he will swear to dowhatever she will ask of him next. The knight agrees, she whispers something in his earand together they return to the queen.The following text is read aloud on Youtube by Scott Howard:youtube/watch?v=4o2i03q5SmY At 30 minutes: They came to court. The knight, in full array, Stood forth and said, “O queen, I’ve kept my day And kept my word and have my answer ready.” There sat the noble matrons and the heady5 Young girls, and widows too, that have the grace Of wisdom, all assembled in that place, And there the queen herself was throned to hear And judge his answer. Then the knight drew near And silence was commanded through the hall.10 The Queen then bade the knight to tell them all What thing it was that women wanted most. He stood not silent like a beast or post, But gave his answer with the ringing word Of a man’s voice and the assembly heard:15 “My liege and lady, in general,” said he, “A woman wants the self-same sovereignity Over her husband as over her lover, And master him, he must not be above her. That is your greatest wish, whether you kill

20 Or spare me; please yourself. I wait your will.” In all the court not one that shook her head Or contradicted what the knight had said; Maid, wife and widow cried, “He’s saved his life!”But the knight’s joy is short-lived. The old woman reminds him publicly of his promiseand asks him to marry her. Much against his will, the knight accepts her as his wife. Great was the anguish churning in his head25 When he and she were piloted to bed; He wallowed back and forth in desperate style. His ancient wife lay smiling all the while;At last she said “Bless us! Is this, my dear,How knights and wives get on together here?30 Are these the laws of good King Arthur’s house? Are knights of his all so contemptuous? I am your own beloved and your wife,And I am she, indeed, that saved your life;And certainly I never did you wrong.35 Then why, this first of nights, so sad a song? You’re carrying on as if you were half-witted Say, for God’s love, what sin have I committed? I’ll put things right if you will tell me how.” “Put right,” he cried. “That never can be now!40 Nothing can ever be put right again! You’re old, and so abominably plain, So poor to start with, so low-bred to follow; It’s little wonder if I twist and wallow! God, that my heart would burst within my breast !”45 “Is that,” said she, “the cause of your unrest ?” “Yes, certainly,” he said, “and can you wonder ?” “I could set right what you suppose a blunder, That’s if I cared to, in a day or two, If I were shown more courtesy by you.50 Just now,” she said, “you spoke of gentle birth, Such as descends from ancient wealth and worth. If that’s the claim you make for gentlemen Such arrogance is hardly worth a hen. Whoever loves to work for virtuous ends,55 Public and private, and who most intends To do what deeds of gentleness he can, Take him to be the greatest gentleman. “You say I’m old and fouler than a fen, You need not fear to be a cuckold, then.60 Filth and old age, I’m sure you will agree, Are powerful wardens upon chastity. Nevertheless, well knowing your delights, I shall fulfill your worldly appetites.”

Chapter 2: The RenaissanceIn English literature the Renaissance began about 1500 and ended about 1660. In thisperiod many works of great literary value were written. It is also a very important periodin English history because it was a period of great economic growth and of course therulers at the time: The Tudors.Kings and KingsIn 1485 King Henry VII became king of England, he was of the House of Lancaster. Hiswife Elizabeth was of the House of York. The marriage and Henry’s accession broughtan end to the War of the Roses and ended a period of bitter power struggles. The newmatch brought forth the House of Tudors and with it came a period of relative peace andstability.In 1509 Henry VIII succeeded his father. He is best known for his six wives and forfounding The Church of England. Henry wanted to divorce his first wife Catherine ofAragon so he could marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. The Pope refused and so Henrysevered all ties with Rome and appointed himself head of the Church of England. Hethen married Anne Boleyn but because she couldn’t give him his much desired son shewas executed by the king. Four more wives followed.When Henry died his 9-year-old son Edward VI came to the throne, he reigned for justeight years with a Council of Regents.After his death Henry’s catholic daughter pressed her claim to the throne. A period ofbloody persecution of Protestants followed. To repair relations with Rome she marriedthe Spanish crown prince Philip. She reigned for a mere five years but it was longenough for her to be given the nickname “Bloody Mary”.Mary was succeeded by her protestant half-sister Elizabeth (1559-1603) who wouldreign for forty-four years. Bringing stability to England and thus allowing the country togrow both economically as well as culturally. During her reign Shakespeare wrote themajority of his work, because of her the English Renaissance is also called theElizabethan Period.Show: Horrible Histories song on Henry VIII:youtube/watch?v=rTdTDCRKvvMShow ‘Elizabeth I YouTube: youtube/watch?v=ddB20U1hQt0 (3 min)LiteratureIn the Renaissance people gradually became less interested in religion and life afterdeath. They discovered that before the coming of Christianity people also had greatideas, had achieved an admirable culture, and had produced great works of art. Therewas a renewed interest in the Classics and people began to study Latin and Greek,began to read the great classic poets, philosophers, statesmen, etc. They began tostudy the earth and the possibilities there were for men and women to become happy on

this planet. They decided that many things in their society, in their politics, in theirreligion had to change before people could really be happy and they worked hard tobring about these changes. In their eyes faith was not so important anymore: what reallymattered was knowledge. They lost interest in invisible, inaudible things like God,religion, eternal life and directed their attention to the concrete: to this earth and thepeople on it, to the facts that were to be known about the earth and about people and tothe beautiful things that could be enjoyed in this earthly life: beautiful nature, music,literature, etc. They had a high opinion of man and his possibilities to create valuable,beautiful things.ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare, the most influential writer in all of English literature, was born in1564 to a successful middle-class glove maker in Stratford-upon-Avon. He went togrammar school there and in 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway. Theyhad three children. Round 1590 Shakespeare left his family behind and travelled toLondon where he worked as an actor and a writer. He quickly earned public and criticalacclaim, and eventually became the most popular playwright and part-owner of theGlobe Theatre.Shakespeare’s career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, and he was afavourite of both monarchs. James paid Shakespeare’s company a great compliment bygiving its members the title of King’s Men. Shakespeare retired to Stratford a wealthyand renowned man and died in 1616 at the age of 52.His works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following hisdeath. He left and enormous legacy: 38 plays and 154 sonnets.Shakespeare and the sonnet

important themes were man and human life with its happiness and its misery. Very greatwas the influence of the great classical dramatists of ancient Greece and Rome. In thebeginning of the renaissance many Greek and Latin plays were translated into Englishand then performed. Other writers started imitating the classical plays. Only later in therenaissance did the dramatists become freer and did they dare to do things differentlyfrom the way they were done by their Greek and Latin examples.Shakespeare’s plays can be divided into three major categories: comedies, tragediesand histories. He wrote most of the comedies at the beginning of his career. Theselighthearted plays concern love, exclude death, and almost always end with a marriage.Famous comedies are for example: The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing,As You Like It, etc (13 in total). Among his most famous plays are his tragedies, most ofwhich he wrote later in his career. The tragedies usually end with the deaths of many orall of the main characters. Famous tragedies are for example: Hamlet, MacBeth, KingLear, etc (10 in total). In his history plays Shakespeare fictionalizes the lives of historicalEnglish rulers: Henry IV pt1, Richard III, King John (10 in total).Shakespeare wrote very beautiful poetry. He was a real artist with words. Listening to aperformance of one of his plays is a great pleasure for the ear. The reader of his playswill be struck by the number of words Shakespeare knew and used and by how well heused them. Furthermore, he had a great insight into human nature. He understoodpeople. He knew much about the different sorts of people and the different ways inwhich people think, feel, act, etc. Finally, he understood much of life. By readingShakespeare we can learn so many lessons about life in general. About what sort ofcirc*mstances, thoughts and actions produce happiness or misery. The themes aretimeless and universal.

Chapter 3: The Romantic Period 1789 –The Romantic Period in English literature is usually dated between 1789 (outbreak ofthe French Revolution) or else 1798 (publication of Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s LyricalBallads), and 1832, when Sir Walter Scott died and the passage of the Reform Billsignaled the political preoccupations of the Victorian era.However, literature started changing long before 1789. In the Age of Reason Nature, thepeasant, nor the child were seen as interesting topics for great poetry. Poets saw writingalmost as a science. Poetry was all about rhyme schemes.In the early part of the 18th century, however, there were a few pre romantic poets whomanaged to free themselves from the conventional language that was used in the 17thcentury and returned to the poetry of Shakespeare, Milton and their contemporaries.They were very interested in Nature because it allowed them to express their feelings.Romantic PoetryAt the end of the 18th century there are great changes in politics, society andindividuality. The French Revolution and the War of Independence in America gaveexpression to a new spirit of freedom. These changes can also be found in literature.The Industrial Revolution brought forth a migration of the population from the country tothe cities. There were no trade unions and the working circ*mstances of the poor werebad. Romantic literature is often concerned with the downtrodden. The writer feelssympathy for the simple people and their children. This is not only because they pitythem but also because they believe common people and children live closer to natureand have purer emotions than rich, educated people.In 1789 two young men, William Wordsworth and Samual Taylor Coleridge, published acollection of poems, which they called Lyrical Ballads. It was a work of enormousimportance and influence because it was the first conscious protest against the ideals ofclassicism and the product of the Romantic Spirit: a harmonious blending of sensibilityand imagination into one creative impulse. Together Wordsworth and Coleridge areseen as the first generation of Romanic Poets.William Wordsworth’s (1770-1850) inspiration mostly came from Nature. Brought up inthe Lake District, the landscape was a favourite source for his poetry. Wordsworthvisited revolutionary France and admired its new society. He was convinced that man inthe lower ranks of society also has his dignity and deeper feelings. Anothercharacteristic of his poetry is his deep reverence for the child. According to Wordsworthnature is a living soul which enters all created things. In nature he sees Man’s shortestway to God, to whom the child with its simple faith is nearest. I Wandered Lonely as aCloud was published in 1804 and is often seen as one of the highlights of WordsworthPoetry.

Eftsoons his hand dropt he.He holds him with his glittering eye—The Wedding-Guest stood still,And listens like a three years’ child :The Mariner hath his will.The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone :He cannot choose but hear ;And thus spake on that ancient man,The bright-eyed Mariner.’For the full text, go to:poetsgraves.co/Classic%20Poems/Coleridge/the_rime_of_the_ancient_marinerThe second generation of Romanic Poets is formed by the famous trio Keats, Byronand Shelley. George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) was born with a clubfoot but onthe other hand vigorous, handsome and muscular and thus very popular with women aswell as men. Educated at Harrow and Cambridge he led an extremely wild andadventurous life. In 1809 he set out on a long journey to Portugal, Spain, Albania,Greede and Turkey. In 1815 after a period of parties and other extravaganza he marriedArrabella Marchbanks, but separated from her the following year. London society wasshocked and Byron left England, never to return.Byron's magnum opus, Don Juan, a poem spanning 17 cantos, ranks as one of the mostimportant long poems published in England since John Milton's Paradise Lost. Themasterpiece, often called the epic of its time, has roots deep in literary tradition and,although regarded by early Victorians as somewhat shocking, equally involves itself withits own contemporary world at all levels — social, political, literary and ideological.For the full text, go to: gutenberg/files/21700/21700-h/21700-h.htmPercy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was educated at Eton and Oxford, but was expelledfor writing a pamphlet called The Necessity of Atheism. In this essay he openly declaredhe didn’t believe in the existence of God. When he was 19 he married Harriet Westbrookbut as she did not understand his ideas and his poetry he left her. He fell madly in lovewith Mary Godwin. When his wife committed suicide he decided to leave England neverto return. Shelly’s ideas were revolutionary. He wanted to change the order of society.He had faith in perfectibility of mankind and believed in liberty for the underdog andhope for the oppressed. Love was the only way the world could be reformed.His sonnet Ozymandias is considered his most successful short poem:I met a traveller from an antique landWho said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:And on the pedestal these words appear:‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'Nothing beside remains. Round the decayOf that colossal wreck, boundless and bareThe lone and level sands stretch far away.”

• On Youtube, show: ‘Ozymandias’ in 6,5 minutes: Quick Revision”John Keats (1795-1821) was the son of a London livery-stable keeper and thus did nothave the advantages of an education such as Shelley’s and Byron’s. He was influencedby Coledridge and Wordsworth. Keats’s favourite subject was beauty. The opening lineof Endymion is known to everybody and it is symbolic of his work.A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:Its loveliness increases; it will neverPass into nothingness; but still will keepA bower quiet for us, and a sleepFull of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. 5Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathingA flowery band to bind us to the earth,Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearthOf noble natures, of the gloomy days,Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways 10Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,Some shape of beauty moves away the pallFrom our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boonFor simple sheep; and such are daffodils 15With the green world they live in; and clear rillsThat for themselves a cooling covert make’Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:And such too is the grandeur of the dooms 20We have imagined for the mighty dead;All lovely tales that we have heard or read:An endless fountain of immortal drink,Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.For the full text, go to: bartleby/126/32.html