A brief history of English literature

AbriefhistoryofEnglishliteratureLiteraryformsLiteraryformssuchasthenovelorlyricpoem,orgenres,suchasthehorror-story,haveahistory.Inonesense,theyappearbecausetheyhavenotbeenthoughtofbefore,buttheyalsoappear,orbecomepopularforotherculturalreasons,suchastheabsenceoremergenceofliteracy.Instudyingthehistoryofliterature(oranykindofart),youarechallengedtoconsiderwhatconstitutesagivenform,howithasdeveloped,andwhetherithasafuture.ThenovelsofthelateCatherineCooksonmayhavemuchincommonwiththoseofCharlotteBrontë,butisitworthmimickinginthelate20thcentury,whatwasground-breakinginthe1840s?WhileBrontëexamineswhatiscontemporaryforher,MissCooksoninventsanimaginedpastwhichmaybeofinteresttotheculturalhistorianinstudyingthepresentsourcesofhernostalgia,butnottothestudentoftheperiodinwhichhernovelsareset.DanielDefoe'sRobinsonCrusoeisalongworkofprosefiction,butcriticsdonotnecessarilydescribeitasanovel.Whymightthisbe?Knowingworksintheirhistoricalcontextdoesnotgiveeasyanswers,butmayshedmoreorlesslightonourdarknessinconsideringsuchquestions.OldEnglish,MiddleEnglishandChaucerOldEnglishEnglish,asweknowit,descendsfromthelanguagespokenbythenorthGermanictribeswhosettledinEnglandfromthe5thcenturyA.D.onwards.Theyhadnowriting(exceptrunes,usedascharms)untiltheylearnedtheLatinalphabetfromRomanmissionaries.TheearliestwrittenworksinOldEnglish(astheirlanguageisnowknowntoscholars)wereprobablycomposedorallyatfirst,andmayhavebeenpassedonfromspeakertospeakerbeforebeingwritten.Weknowthenamesofsomeofthelaterwriters(Cædmon,ÆlfricandKingAlfred)butmostwritingisanonymous.OldEnglishliteratureismostlychronicleandpoetry-lyric,descriptivebutchieflynarrativeorepic.Bythetimeliteracybecomeswidespread,OldEnglishiseffectivelyaforeignanddeadlanguage.AnditsformsdonotsignificantlyaffectsubsequentdevelopmentsinEnglishliterature.(Withthescholarlyexceptionofthe19thcenturypoet,GerardManleyHopkins,whofindsinOldEnglishversethemodelforhismetricalsystemofsprungrhythm.)MiddleEnglishandChaucerFrom1066onwards,thelanguageisknowntoscholarsasMiddleEnglish.IdeasandthemesfromFrenchandCelticliteratureappearinEnglishwritingataboutthistime,butthefirstgreatnameinEnglishliteratureisthatofGeoffreyChaucer(?1343-1400).Chaucerintroducestheiambicpentameterline,therhymingcoupletandotherrhymesusedinItalianpoetry(alanguageinwhichrhymingisarguablymucheasierthaninEnglish,thankstothefrequencyofterminalvowels).SomeofChaucer'sworkisproseandsomeislyricpoetry,buthisgreatestworkismostlynarrativepoetry,whichwefindinTroilusandCriseydeandTheCanterburyTales.OthernotablemediaevalworksaretheanonymousPearlandGawainandtheGreenKnight(probablybythesameauthor)andWilliamLanglands'PiersPlowman.TudorlyricpoetryModernlyricpoetryinEnglishbeginsintheearly16thcenturywiththeworkofSirThomasWyatt(1503-1542)andHenryHoward,EarlofSurrey(1517-1547).Wyatt,whoisgreatlyinfluencedbytheItalian,FrancescoPetrarca(Petrarch)introducesthesonnetandarangeofshortlyricstoEnglish,whileSurrey(asheisknown)developsunrhymedpentameters(orblankverse)thusinventingtheverseformwhichwillbeofgreatusetocontemporarydramatists.AfloweringoflyricpoetryinthereignofElizabethcomeswithsuchwritersasSirPhilipSidney(1554-1586),EdmundSpenser(1552-1599),SirWalterRalegh(1552-1618),ChristopherMarlowe(1564-1593)andWilliamShakespeare(1564-1616).ThemajorworksofthetimeareSpenser'sFaerieQueene,Sidney'sAstrophilandStellaandShakespeare'ssonnets.RenaissancedramaThefirstgreatEnglishdramatistisMarlowe.Beforethe16thcenturyEnglishdramameanttheamateurperformancesofBiblestoriesbycraftguildsonpublicholidays.Marlowe'splays(Tamburlaine;Dr.Faustus;EdwardIIandTheJewofMalta)usethefiveactstructureandthemediumofblankverse,whichShakespearefindssoproductive.Shakespearedevelopsandvirtuallyexhauststhisform,hisJacobeansuccessorsproducingworkwhichisrarelyperformedtoday,thoughsomepieceshaveliterarymerit,notablyTheDuchessofMalfiandTheWhiteDevilbyJohnWebster(1580-1625)andTheRevenger'sTragedybyCyrilTourneur(1575-1626).TheexcessiveandgratuitousviolenceofJacobeanplaysleadstotheclamourforclosingdownthetheatres,whichisenactedbyparliamentaftertheCivilwar.MetaphysicalpoetryThegreatestofElizabethanlyricpoetsisJohnDonne(1572-1631),whoseshortlovepoemsarecharacterizedbywitandirony,asheseekstowrestmeaningfromexperience.Thepreoccupationwiththebigquestionsoflove,deathandreligiousfaithmarksoutDonneandhissuccessorswhoareoftencalledmetaphysicalpoets.(Thisname,coinedbyDr.SamuelJohnsoninanessayof1779,wasrevivedandpopularizedbyT.S.Eliot,inanessayof1921.Itcanbeunhelpfultomodernstudentswhoareunfamiliarwiththisadjective,andwhoareledtothinkthatthesepoetsbelongedtosomekindofschoolorgroup-whichisnotthecase.)Afterhiswife'sdeath,Donneunderwentaseriousreligiousconversion,andwrotemuchfinedevotionalverse.ThebestknownoftheothermetaphysicalsareGeorgeHerbert(1593-1633),AndrewMarvell(1621-1678)andHenryVaughan(1621-1695).EpicpoetryLongnarrativepoemsonheroicsubjectsmarkthebestworkofclassicalGreek(Homer'sIliadandOdyssey)andRoman(Virgil'sÆneid)poetry.JohnMilton(1608-1674)whowasCromwell'ssecretary,setouttowriteagreatbiblicalepic,unsurewhe