Special Introductory Verbs

9 Form - English Centre

Lesson 1 - United Kingdom

Lesson 2 - Historical Places of GB

! Prepare some interesting information about Scotland

Lesson 3 - LONDON

! Be ready to speak about London: task 4 and task 9.

Lesson 5 - Literature (Famous Writers and Poets in GB)

English literature is traditionally divided into the Old English, Middle English, Renaissance and Elizabethan, Jacobean, Restoration, 18^th century, Romantic, Victorian, and Modern periods.

Old English is the first recorded English literature. Caedmon /770?/, Anglo-Saxon poet and monk composed “Hymn” in the 8^th century. Manuscripts from AD 1000 contain the best known OE work, Beowulf, a heroic poem written in the 700s.

Middle English begins with the Norman conquest of 1066. This brought both the French language and a French literary tradition. The Arthurian cycle became the central myth for English literature. Arthur was a Romano-British leader in the wars against the Saxons. A great legend grew around him, his knights, their quest for the Holy Grail, and his famous Round Table. Geoffrey Chaucer /1340-1400/ occupies the central position in Middle English literature. “The Canterbury Tales” is his most popular work, for their comedy, realism, insight and warm humanity. His greatest innovation was the introduction of the French and Italian styles. Chaucer did not greatly reform the English language, but by the popularity of his writings he set it firmly on its way towards modern English.

The European Renaissance had filtered into England in the 16^th century. Neo-Platonism /belief that the human spirit can participate in the divine/ through E. Spencer /1552-1599/ and lyrical poetry, became the dominant philosophical theme. Humanism emerged in the works of Sir Philip Sidney /1554-1586/, Francis Bacon /1561-1626/, and William Shakespeare /1564-1616/. In addition to writing 35 known plays, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets and sometimes acted small parts in his own plays – he is known to have played the Ghost in “Hamlet”. His best known plays include “Romeo and Juliet”, “King Lear”, “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night Dream”. He is the central figure of the English Renaissance. It was the golden age of English literature. John Milton /1608-1674/ and his epic Paradise Lost provided a link between the puritan era and the restoration of the monarchy.

Restoration period began with the return of Charles II /1630-1685/ in 1660. The diary and biography forms emerged. S. Pepys’ /1633-1703/ “Diary” provides a vivid account of events of the period. John Dryden /1631-1700/ reformed English poetry, his comedy “Marriage a la Mode” was the best.

The 18^th century contains two major literary currents. Neoclassical period was marked by appearance of literary elite. A. Pope /1688-1744/ established mock-heroic satires, J. Swift with his allegory was the greatest satirist. The novel rose in the works of D. Defoe, H. Fielding, and S. Richardson.

Romanticism was a reaction against the elitism. Poets W. Blake, W. Wordsworth and S. Coleridge concentrated on the universal power of nature. The basic form of the historical novel was established by Sir Walter Scott /1771-1832/ in the 1800s. Scottish poet and novelist displayed his passion for the history of his country in his works. His narrative poems “The Lay of the Last Minstrel”, “Marmion”, “The Lady of the Lake” were immensely popular. The novel “Waverley” was the first of a long series, published anonymously, including “Ivanhoe” and “The Talisman”.

The most popular novelist of the Victorian age was Charles Dickens. Many of his works highlight the injustice of the 19^th century social institutions and the inequalities between the rich and the poor. His most famous works include “Oliver Twist”, “A Christmas Carol” and “David Copperfield”. Following Dickens were George Eliot, William Thackeray. Thomas Hardy marks the end of Victorian era.

The Modern age began with World War, which created a sense of disillusion, as seen in the Modernist poetry of T. Eliot and the novelist of Virginia Woolf /1882-1941/. The second half of the 20^th century has been characterized by no particular movement. This period is marked by works of G. Greene, E. Waugh, W. Golding and I. Murdoch.

(https://en.islcollective.com/english-esl-worksheets/vocabulary/countries/literature-famous-writers-and-poets-great-britain/64390)