History Of English Literature PDF

What is literature? Literature, in its broadest sense, is any written work. Etymologically, the term derives from Latin litaritura/litteratura “writing formed with letters,” although some definitions include spoken or sung texts. More restrictively, it is writing that possesses literary merit. L...

What is literature? Literature, in its broadest sense, is any written work. Etymologically, the term derives from Latin litaritura/litteratura “writing formed with letters,” although some definitions include spoken or sung texts. More restrictively, it is writing that possesses literary merit. Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction and whether it is poetry or prose. It can be further distinguished according to major forms such as the novel, short story or drama, and works are often categorized according to historical periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectations (genre). Major genres in literary works: The main literary forms are Fiction, Drama & Poetry. Although each of the three major literary genres, fiction, drama, and poetry are different, they have many elements in common. For example, in all three genres, authors make purposeful use of diction (word choice), employ imagery (significant detail) and each piece of literature has its own unique tone (emotional quality). An important element that you will find in all three genres is theme, the larger meaning(s) the reader derives from the poem, story, novel or play. Each of the literary genres is distinguished by its form: Fiction is written in sentences and paragraphs. Poetry is written in lines and stanzas. Drama is written in dialogue. 1 WHY IS KNOWING THEM IMPORTANT? As you read different forms of literature you will need to know specialized vocabulary to be able to best understand, interpret, and write about what you are reading. Also, how you approach a literary text and what you focus on will depend on its literary form. For instance, fiction and drama are typically anchored by a reader’s engagement with characters while many poems do not contain a character or tell a story. Therefore, plot is often not a factor in a poem. A poem can be an impression or reflection about a person, a place, an experience or an idea. POETRY Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry has been known to employ meter and rhyme, but this is by no means necessary. Etymology The word ''Poetry '' was coined in the late 14th century and was taken from the Greek ''Poetica'' which is derived from the verb ''poiein'' that means ''to make''. Date The first poem or poet really cannot be found. As we know, poetry is expressing feelings through words, and this has probably gone on forever. One belief, however, is that poetry arose in the form of magical spells in early agricultural 2 societies, used to ensure a successful harvest. But this is debatable, as well, because most people believe poetry has existed since the very beginning of history, or before that. DRAMA THE DIFFERENT TYPES AND STRUCTURE OF DRAMA: Drama Types: Tragedy – generally serious in tone, focusing on a protagonist who experiences an eventual downfall Comedy – light in tone, employs humour and ends happily Satire – exaggerated and comic in tone for the purpose of criticism or ridicule Experimental – can be light or serious in tone. It creates its own style through experimentation with language, characters, plot, etc. Musical – can be light or serious. The majority of the dialogue is sung rather than spoken. Drama Structure: Plays are organized into dialogue, scenes and acts. A play can be made up one act or multiple acts. Each act is divided into scenes, in which a character, or characters, come on or off stage and speak their lines. A play can have only one character or many characters. The main character is the protagonist and a character who opposes him/her is the antagonist. 3 The plots of plays typically follow this pattern: Rising Action – complications the protagonist must face, composed of any number of conflicts and crises Climax – the peak of the rising action and the turning point for the protagonist Falling Action – the movement toward a resolution FICTION THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FICTION: Short Stories are usually defined as being between 2000- 6000 words long. Most short stories have at least one “rounded” (developed and complex) character and any number of “flat” (less-developed, simpler) characters. Short stories tend to focus on one major source of conflict and often take place within one basic time period. Novellas generally run between 50-150 pages, halfway between a story and a novel. Novels don’t have a prescribed length. Because they are a longer form of fiction, an author has more freedom to work with plot and characters, as well as develop sub-plots and move freely through time. Characters can change and develop over the course of time and the theme(s) can be broader and more intricate than in shorter forms of fiction. 4