MODULE 2

INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH – BRITISH LITERATURE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this module, students are expected to:

 Understand the history of English – British Literature;

 Identify the different notable authors in different periods;
 Differentiate the different period in English Literature;
 Analyze the different literary elements and devices used in “Beowulf”.

INTRODUCTION:

Let’s Answer!

1. What is the difference between English and American Literature? Why is there a
misconception that they are similar?
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VIDEO GUIDE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaSxhcns7Y

Introduction to English Literature

Initially, literature was a form of entertainment for the people. Over time, it attained the purpose
of reform as well. The writers stated highlighting the social issues in their writing. Thus, it
became a medium to draw the audience’s attention to certain matters and urge them to think
about the reform. From ancient civilizations to the modern era, indeed, all the works of literature
have given us insight into the issues and trends prevailing at that time. Literature also provides
escape from the ‘grim realities’ of life. While many people read to escape the boredom of their
life. Moreover, the higher type of literature helps the reader to escape from trivial reality into
significant reality.

English literature, however, emerged with the beginning of the history of English people. It
refers to all the literary works (novels, short stories, poems, fiction, nonfiction, and plays)
composed in English. The earliest works of English literature mirror the life lived by the people
of that region at that specific period. For instance, all the changes undergone by English society
from the earliest to the modern time have left their imprints on English literature. 

Being the literature of a nation characterized by the spirit of determination, adventure, and
diligence, English literature is rich in vitality, diversity, and essence. 
A Brief History of English Literature

The major eight (8) periods in the history of English literature are:

 The Anglo-Saxon or Old English Period (450–1066)

 The Anglo-Norman or Middle English period (1066–1500)
 The Renaissance Period (1500–1660)
 The Neoclassical Period (1660–1798)
 The Romantic Period (1798–1837)
 The Victorian Period (1837–1901)
 The Modern Period (1901-1945)
 The Contemporary Period (1945–Today)

1. The Anglo-Saxon or Old English Period (450-1066 AD)

Angles and Saxons were the ancestors of the English race. After the fall of the Western Roman
Empire in the early 5th Century, three Germanic tribes—the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—saw an
opportunity to fill in the power gap and started migrating to Britain. The Anglo-Saxons were
fearless, adventurous, and brave people. By 670 A.D. they had occupied the major part of the
country, and the land of Anglos or Angloland—present day England—became their permanent
abode.

The Anglo-Saxons were fond of singing about battles, gods and their ancestral heroes. It is,
however, these songs of religion, wars, and agriculture that marked the beginning of English
poetry in ancient England. 

2. The Anglo-Norman or Middle English Period

(1066-1500 AD)

With the Norman conquest began a new era in the history

of England literature. The Normans brought with them
their rich French culture and language. The literature of
this period comes under the category of Norman-French
Literature or Anglo-French Literature. Since the Anglo-
Norman period belonged to the Middle Ages or Medieval
times in Britain History, we also call it the Middle English period in the history of English
literature.
The Norman Conquest brought a radical change in English culture, law, language, and character.
English became the language spoken only by the poor and powerless. While Norman-French
became the language of the rich. It also became the symbol of social status and prestige.

The Normans brought with them their soldiers, artisans, traders, chroniclers, minstrels, and
scholars. With their help, they wanted to revive knowledge, record memorable events, celebrate
victories, and sing of love and adventure. In addition, the most popular forms of writing for the
Anglo-Normans were chronicles, religious and didactic writing, poetry, romances and drama.  
 
POPULAR WRITERS AND STORIES IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD:
 Geoffrey Chaucer – Canterbury Tales
 Story of Nibelungenlied

3. The Renaissance Period (1500–1660)

The Renaissance Period in the history of English literature

is also known as the Elizabethan Period or the Age of
Shakespeare. It is, in fact, the ‘golden age’ in the history of
English literature. After the Middle Ages in Europe came
the Renaissance, meaning revival or rebirth. As a result, the
darkness of the middle ages was replaced by the
enlightenment of the human mind with the ‘Revival of
Learning’, which the Renaissance prompted. 

Renaissance had numerous subordinate trends which were actually the significant aspects of
Humanism. These include:

 The rediscovery of classical antiquity, particularly of ancient Greece.

 The rediscovery of the external universe, and its importance for man.
 The problems of human personality.
 The enhanced sensitivity to formal beauty, and the cultivation of the aesthetic sense. 
 The belief that men are responsible for their own actions. 

POPULAR WRITERS AND STORIES IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD:

 The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli (1513)
 Don Quixote – Miguel Cervantes
 Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare

4. The Neoclassical Period (1660-1798)

The Restoration Period (1660-1700)

The period from 1660 to 1700 is called the Restoration Period because monarchy was restored in
England, and Charles II came back to England from his exile in France and became the King. It
is also known as the Age of Dryden because Dryden was the most significant literary figure of
the age. The Puritans who were previously controlling the country were finally defeated. As a
result, a reaction was launched against whatever they held sacred. All restraints and discipline
were casted away, and a tide of indecency and frivolity swept the country.

The Classical or Augustan Age (18th Century)

The 18th century in English literature is called the Classical Age or the Augustan Age. We also
call it the Age of Reason or the Age of Good Sense. The writers of the age produced works of
great significance and merit. The major characteristics of the Restoration period—precision and
realism—were carried to further perfection. It was during the 18th century that for the first time
in the history of English literature prose occupied the front position. 

POPULAR WRITERS AND STORIES IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD:

 Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744), Translation of the Iliad, Pastorals and An Essay
on Criticism
 Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745), Gulliver’s Travels
 Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784), A Dictionary of the English Language

5. The Romantic Period (1798-1837)

Pride & Prejudice (2005) : Pride and Prejudice is a
romantic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813

The most flourished period in the history of English

literature is the Romantic Period. It was a revolt
against the Classical school of the 18th Century.

The Romantic poets focused on the simplicity of

language and chose the language of the common
people. They looked back to the Elizabethan masters
—Shakespeare, Spenser and others—in order to take inspiration from them. Their poems usually
dealt with the events of everyday life.

The Romantic poets proved that if the trivial aspects of nature and the common things of life are
treated in the right way, they could be as interesting and significant as the grand aspects of nature
and life. 

6. The Victorian Period (1837–1901)

Beginning in the second quarter of the 19th

Century, the Victorian Period is so long as well
as complicated. Moreover, there are numerous
great writers who flourished during that period.
That’s why, for the sake of convenience, the Victorian Period is divided into two further periods
—Early Victorian Period (1837-1870) and Later Victorian Period (1870-1901). 

6.1. Early Victorian Period

The Earlier Victorian Period was, in fact, dominated by middle class supremacy, the age of
‘laissez-fair’ or free trade, and of unrestricted competition. The great writers of this period were
Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Matthew Arnold, Carlyle, Thackeray and
Ruskin.

6.2. Later Victorian Period

The Later Victorian Period began after 1870. The most prominent writers of that period were
Christiana Rossetti, Charles Swinburne, George Eliot, William Morris, Thomas Hardy, Oscar
Wilde, Pater and others.

The Victorian Period exhibits a unique and complex amalgamation of two opposites—
Romanticism and Classicism.

POPULAR WRITERS AND STORIES IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD:

 Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
 Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
 Dracula – Bram Stoker

7. The Modern Period (1901-1945)

From the beginning of the 20th Century started the Modern Period in English literature. The
most significant feature of Modern literature was that it opposed the general attitude of Victorian
writers and people to life and its problems. During the first decade of the 20th Century, the
young people regarded the Victorian age as hypocritical, and the Victorian ideals as superficial,
mean and stupid. This rebellion hugely affected modern literature which was directed by moral
values, spiritual ideals as well as mental attitudes that were dramatically opposed to those of the
Victorians. 

8. The Contemporary Period (1945–Today)

After World War II, new trends appeared in English literature. Although poetry was the most
memorable form to come out of World War I, the novel was the form which told the stories of
World War II. This was because mass media, cinema, newspapers, and radio had changed the
way of information and entertainment. There were many writers who wrote about war. For
instance, Henry Greene’s novels— Nothing (1950), The End of Affair (1951), and A Burnt-out
Case (1961) deal with war. These novels explore regions of human unhappiness  in many
different areas of the world. 
A Brief Overview & Timeline of British Literary Periods

Literary Periods Major literary Trends, Movements and Highlights

Anglo-Saxon or Old Heroic Tradition: poetry focused on hero’s bravery

English Period Elegiac Tradition: writers mourned the passing of earlier,
(450–1066) better times.

Anglo-Norman or
Middle English Period Popular forms of Writing: Chronicles, Poetry, Drama,
(1066–1500) Religious and Didactic writing.

Trends: Revival of learning, Rediscovery of classical

Renaissance Period or philosophy, literature and art, focus on ‘Humanism’ and
Age of Shakespeare ‘Puritanism’.
(1500–1660) Major Forms of literature: poetry and drama. 

Trends: Revival of classical art and culture of ancient

Greece and Rome, focus on order, accuracy, and structure. 
Neoclassical Period or Poetic Trends: Use of allusions, heroic couplet and strict
the Enlightenment Age meter and rhyme. 
(1660–1798) Chief Contribution: The Modern Novel.

Trends: The Romantic Movement in Poetry, Gothicism in

literature. 
Romantic Period Chief Contribution: Romantic Poetry and The Gothic
(1798–1837) Novel.

Literary Trends & Movements: Symbolism, Utilitarianism,

Oxford Movement, Romantic Protestantism. Age of Prose
& Novel. 
Victorian Period Main Focus: individually, morality note, conflict between
(1837–1901) religion and science, human beings than nature.

Literary Trends: structuralism, deconstruction,

poststructuralism, postmodernism, postcolonialism, and
magic realism. 
Main Focus: horrors of war, genocide, life experiences,
Contemporary Period real-life themes, alienation, transformation, consumption &
(1945-Today) relativity of truth.

BEOWULF

(Anonymous) – Anglo – Saxon Literature

 CHARACTERS IN BEOWULF

Beow Son of Scyld. Had 4 sons & daughters.

Beowulf Hygelac's thane. (A Geat or Weder). Son of Ecgtheow, great warrior

whom Hrothgar knew.

Breca A young warrior friend of Beowulf. Competed with him in a swimming

match.

Eschere Hrothgar's comrade, closest counsellor & friend. Murdered by

Grendel's mother.

Grendel Monster terrorizing the Danes.

Hrethric & sons of Hrothgar & Wealhtheow.

Hrothmund 

Hrothgar Great warrior. King in story. Had a great mead-hall--Herot or the Hall
of the Hart, where he feasted & rewarded his warriors.

Hygd Hygelac's young wife.

Hygelac Prince of the Geats to whom Beowulf declares allegiance. Son of

Hrethel.

Scyld Dead king who led the Danes. Was found as a baby on a ship.
Established dynasty.

Unferth Herald at Hrothgar's court. Name means "disturber of the peace." He's
envious, backbiting, cowardly. Eventually comes to respect & befriend
Beowulf.

Wealhtheow Queen. Hrothgar's wife.

Wiglaf Helps old King Beowulf slay dragon. Wechstan's son, relation of
Beowulf.

King Hrothgar of Denmark, a descendant of the great king Shield Sheafson, enjoys a prosperous
and successful reign. He builds a great mead-hall, called Heorot, where his warriors can gather to
drink, receive gifts from their lord, and listen to stories sung by the scops, or bards. But the
jubilant noise from Heorot angers Grendel, a horrible demon who lives in the swamplands of
Hrothgar’s kingdom. Grendel terrorizes the Danes every night, killing them and defeating their
efforts to fight back. The Danes suffer many years of fear, danger, and death at the hands of
Grendel. Eventually, however, a young Geatish warrior named Beowulf hears of Hrothgar’s
plight. Inspired by the challenge, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a small company of men,
determined to defeat Grendel.

Hrothgar, who had once done a great favor for Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow, accepts Beowulf’s
offer to fight Grendel and holds a feast in the hero’s honor. During the feast, an envious Dane
named Unferth taunts Beowulf and accuses him of being unworthy of his reputation. Beowulf
responds with a boastful description of some of his past accomplishments. His confidence cheers
the Danish warriors, and the feast lasts merrily into the night. At last, however, Grendel arrives.
Beowulf fights him unarmed, proving himself stronger than the demon, who is terrified. As
Grendel struggles to escape, Beowulf tears the monster’s arm off. Mortally wounded, Grendel
slinks back into the swamp to die. The severed arm is hung high in the mead-hall as a trophy of
victory.

Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and treasure at a feast in his honor. Songs are
sung in praise of Beowulf, and the celebration lasts late into the night. But another threat is
approaching. Grendel’s mother, a swamp-hag who lives in a desolate lake, comes to Heorot
seeking revenge for her son’s death. She murders Aeschere, one of Hrothgar’s most trusted
advisers, before slinking away. To avenge Aeschere’s death, the company travels to the murky
swamp, where Beowulf dives into the water and fights Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair.
He kills her with a sword forged for a giant, then, finding Grendel’s corpse, decapitates it and
brings the head as a prize to Hrothgar. The Danish countryside is now purged of its treacherous
monsters.

The Danes are again overjoyed, and Beowulf’s fame spreads across the kingdom. Beowulf
departs after a sorrowful goodbye to Hrothgar, who has treated him like a son. He returns to
Geatland, where he and his men are reunited with their king and queen, Hygelac and Hygd, to
whom Beowulf recounts his adventures in Denmark. Beowulf then hands over most of his
treasure to Hygelac, who, in turn, rewards him.

In time, Hygelac is killed in a war against the Shyflings, and, after Hygelac’s son dies, Beowulf
ascends to the throne of the Geats. He rules wisely for fifty years, bringing prosperity to
Geatland. When Beowulf is an old man, however, a thief disturbs a barrow, or mound, where a
great dragon lies guarding a horde of treasure. Enraged, the dragon emerges from the barrow and
begins unleashing fiery destruction upon the Geats. Sensing his own death approaching, Beowulf
goes to fight the dragon. With the aid of Wiglaf, he succeeds in killing the beast, but at a heavy
cost. The dragon bites Beowulf in the neck, and its fiery venom kills him moments after their
encounter. The Geats fear that their enemies will attack them now that Beowulf is dead.
According to Beowulf’s wishes, they burn their departed king’s body on a huge funeral pyre and
then bury him with a massive treasure in a barrow overlooking the sea.

REFERENCES:
 Sparknotes. Retrieved at: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/summary/
 ElifNotes. Retrieved at: https://elifnotes.com/introduction-history-of-english-literature/