An Introduction to Literature 2024/2025 PDF

University of Algiers 02 Course: Literature Faculty of Foreign Languages Teacher in charge: Dr Z.Yousfi Department of English Groups: 1 & 14 & 15 (2nd year) Academic year: 2024/...

University of Algiers 02 Course: Literature Faculty of Foreign Languages Teacher in charge: Dr Z.Yousfi Department of English Groups: 1 & 14 & 15 (2nd year) Academic year: 2024/2025 AN INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE 1 Literature. An Introduction to Literature- 2nd year English - Dr. Z. YOUSFI  What is Literature? A simple simplistic definition would be: anything that’s written! However, the term has mostly been associated with what is known as the canon i.e. the major well acclaimed literary works. Many elements should be present in a literary work to be considered as part of the literary canon; such elements vary from stylistic to thematic ones. What is certain is that literature is needful, interesting, and fun! … You will be convinced, eventually. 2 Literature. An Introduction to Literature- 2nd year English - Dr. Z. YOUSFI  The Pre-Romantic Literary Eras Heroes and legends: Stories were orally transmitted and passed down. Tales of Gods and Men The writing was mostly dedicated for historical, mythical, spiritual and religious accounts. The first form of literature is the Epic which is a long narrative poem of legends; heroes and warriors and their battles to protect people from evil forces and enemies. Epic poems usually combine mythology and historical adventures which seem to reflect a specific culture in a memorable way and inform people about the origins of a specific civilisation. The Epic continued to thrive over time: The Greek Epic the Odyssey by Homer: it establishes Greece as a great power. The Latin Epic Aeneid by Virgil: it establishes Rome as a great power. The first complete Anglo-Saxon Epic Beowulf by an unknown poet (Old English Literature) From Europe to other lands Norse Mythology had its fair share of Epic poems known as the Poetic Edda such as Vǫluspá. In the rest of Europe, nobility was entertained by poets who revisited/told Greek and Roman myths, narrated stories of the battles with the Moors, and the adventures of British legends like King Arthur and the Legends surrounding the Holy Grail. In the East (Asia) during what is known to be the Golden Age of Islamic Culture, the Epic Narrative Tales of One Thousand and One Nights i.e. The 3 Arabian Nights were acclaimed for their capacity to entertain. Literature. An Introduction to Literature- 2nd year English - Dr. Z. YOUSFI Greek Drama Drama became a tradition for storytelling in Ancient Greece. Eventually Drama developed a new art form that brought the story to life; the art form is Theatre. Theatre does to Drama what Cinema does to Novels, for Theatre translates Drama on stage just like Cinema adapts novels on screen. Drama is a work intended to be acted out on stage (a play) before an audience. We distinguish two main genres: Tragedy: a play in which events move towards a catastrophic conclusion. The hero experiences terrible suffering and has always a tragic flaw leading to his downfall. Comedy: is a play that aims to make people laugh and entertain them by dealing with mundane elements of life. They unlike tragedies, comedies use happy endings. Drama grew more sophisticated with time and theatre became an integral part of different cultures. Renaissance Renaissance is a cultural movement that spread across Europe from Italy in the 14th century (1301- 1400). Three of the era’s famous works are the Divine Comedy by Italian poet Dante Alighieri, The Decameron by Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio, and The Canterbury Tales by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (Middle English Literature). 4 It was marked by a change/a break from the medieval attitudes to a more humanist approach/perspective. Literature. An Introduction to Literature- 2nd year English - Dr. Z. YOUSFI  Humanism is an intellectual movement that revived classical Greek and Roman philosophies focusing more on the human rather than the divine agency i.e. religion/church This revival and rebirth of classical thought i.e. Greek and Roman philosophies did not prevent innovation. The Renaissance dominated the Elizabethan era (Britain during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 15th-17th century). The dominant literary forms during the Elizabethan Era were Poetry and Drama. Elizabethan Poetry is known for its famous poet Edmund Spenser who wrote: The Shepherd’s Calendar 1579: a Pastoral poem (this poetic genre revolves around the lives of shepherds). The Faerie Queen 1590: a poem that glorified Queen Elizabeth. Elizabethan Drama gave birth to English Literature greatest names and leading figures: Christopher Marlowe: The Jew of Malta William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth night, Hamlet The Renaissance succeeded to restore the position of the church. 5 Literature. An Introduction to Literature- 2nd year English - Dr. Z. YOUSFI