Eras and AgesEras and AgesJL Ilsley High School

English 12

KNOW YOUR HISTORYKNOW YOUR HISTORY

History is often thought of in eras or ages

Literature reflects the values of each age

Where should we begin?

Around 500 CE the Roman Empire fell

It was replaced by a loose association of Germanic tribes (Goths, Ostrogoths, etc.)

The Dark AgesThe Dark Ages

The Dark Ages lasted from the end of the Roman Empire (500 CE) until the Renaissance (beginning around the 1400s) The Dark Ages were considered backward due to a lack of education and scholarship, a loss of historical documentation, little architecture, and few cultural achievements.

The CrusadesThe Crusades

The Christian Crusades were an attempt by European Christians to control The Holy Land (AKA Israel).

The Crusades lasted from about 1100 until about 1300.

The Crusaders mainly fought Muslims, but they also took on Jews and Orthodox Christians, among others.

The RenaissanceThe Renaissance

The word “Renaissance” means re-birth

The Renaissance took place from around 1300 until around 1600

Resurgence of Latin and Greek – “classical” scholarship

Art, literature, language, learning

Renaissance Art…Ninja Turtles?Renaissance Art…Ninja Turtles?

Michelangelo's David…Swinging that Slingshot

Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa

Henry VIII – “Renaissance Man”

Played instruments

Spoke many languages

Educated in the classics

Dancer

Singer/Songwriter

Poet

Author

Religious Scholar

(He was a bit of a dog with the women, though.)

Protestant ReformationProtestant Reformation

Up until the 1400s, Europe was almost exclusively Catholic, and controlled by the Vatican

Henry the Eighth started out as a staunch Catholic, but then couldn’t divorce his first wife. He decided to form the (Protestant) Church of England, or the Anglican Church.

There was a lot of fighting between Catholics and Protestants during the Renaissance.

Religious Differences (traditional)Religious Differences (traditional)

Catholics ProtestantsTraditionalMass in LatinIcons, gold, money

Controlled by the Vatican

Sacraments, group participation

No DivorceNo Birth Control

Newly-formedServices in native

languagesControlled by smaller

bodiesAbout an individual

relationship with GodDivorceSome allow Birth

Control

The Age of The Age of ReasonReason

In the Age of Reason (1600-1789), people started focusing on science, nature, and non-fiction texts.

People liked dictionaries, encyclopaedias, travelogues, scientific texts, and biographies; fiction took a back seat

Age of Reason - InventionsAge of Reason - Inventions

- 1687 – Newton’s Three Universal Laws of Motion

- 1714 – Fahrenheit – Mercury Thermometer- The Flying Shuttle Loom- The Steam Engine- The Cotton Gin- Ben Franklin – Lightning rod – 1752- 1781 – William Herschel discovers Uranus

The Romantic Era

After the French Revolution (1789) Europe entered the Romantic Era

Not about rules – about love, individuality, sex, poetry, fighting, etc

Frankenstein, “Kubla Khan”, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, “Ode to the West Wind” – famous texts from that era.

Sex, drugs, and blank verse – like the 1960s, except that the Romantics existed in the early 1800s.

The Victorian Era

After the madness of the Romantic Era, the Western world became frigid once again. Enter Queen Victoria, and an era of etiquette, manners, reserved behaviour, “polite society”, restrictive fashion and strained poetry. Victoria reigned from 1837 until 1901.

Coming Soon…The 20th Century!