THE HISTORY THE HISTORY OF OF

LITERATURELITERATURE

CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY

Ancient Greek Writers(Before 300 A.D.)

Homer is considered the forefather of Greek Literature.

He wrote two epic poems: The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The Iliad chronicles the events of the Trojan War in which the Greeks

infamously invade Troy by hiding in a wooden horse. The Odyssey is about

Odysseus and his epic journey at sea in which he escapes the infamous Cyclops.

Famous Greek Playwrights who wrote

“Classical Tragedies”

AeschylusThree plays called

The Oresteia

EuripidesMedea

SophoclesOedipus the King

The Romans pretty much imitated the Greeks. Virgil’s Aeneid emulated

Homer’s The Iliad.

Virgil took a character from The Iliad, and gave him connections to Rome.

We also see this kind of copycatting in mythology:

Greek Mythology

ZEUS

POSEIDON

APHRODITE

Roman Mythology

JUPITER

NEPTUNE

VENUS

THE MIDDLE AGES

Beginning in the 5th century A.D., Christian scribes transcribed Anglo Saxon poems,

producing some of the very first writings in the English language

(Old English).

One of these poems is entitled Beowulf. Robert Zemeckis ruined

it.

Legit version Tainted, smutty version

In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. It’s a collection of stories written in verse (in a language

called Middle English) told from the perspective of medieval pilgrims, trading

tales while on a pilgrimage.

An Example of Middle English:

Chaucer utilized the “heroic couplet,” which later became the traditional English form

for epic and narrative poetry.

During the Renaissance, the invention of the printing press (1400 A.D.) changed

literature forever.

THE ELIZABETHAN ERA

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603), there were many gifted authors who wrote famous poems and dramas. You might

recognize one.

Christopher Marlowe

William Shakespeare

Sir Philip Sydney

During this time, the “Great Chain of Being” reigned.

The First NovelsAll three works have been suggested as the first novel written in English..

Oroonoko by Aphra Behn

1688

Robinson Crusoe

By Daniel Defoe1719

PamelaBy Samuel Richardson

1740

Augustan Literature

The politically-charged and satirical literature of the early 18th-century—especially that of

Pope and Swift—which viewed the Rome of Caesar Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) as a Golden Age. This was the period when Ovid, Horace, and Virgil wrote their greatest works using

the ode, the epic, and the “Heroic Couplet.”

Infamous Augustan Poets

Alexander Pope

Author of “Rape of the Lock”

Master of the Heroic Couplet

Jonathan Swift

Author of Gulliver’s Travels

Master of Satire

GOTHIC LITERATURE

A genre of late-18th century, Gothic literature featured mysterious or supernatural elements and set the stage for what we now call “horror

stories.”

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Matthew Lewis’ The Monk

ROMANTICISM

Causes of the Romantic Movement

Execution of Charles I French Revolution

Copernican Theory Technological Advancements

In the 18th century, Romantic art and poetry explored themes such

as nature, emotion, beauty, freedom, and individualism.

British Romantic Poets

William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Lord Byron

Early American Romantic Novels

The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Moby DickBy Herman Melville

TRANSCENDENTALISM

In the early to mid 19th century, Transcendentalism was an American

philosophical and literary movement that rejected materialism, focusing on a return to nature and the idea that we all share

one spirit.

Famous Transcendental Writers

Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau

Victorian Literature

Produced during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), Victorian literature is often considered a bridge between the

romantic-era works of the previous century and what would become the literature of the newly industrialized

world of the 20th century. It was concerned with realism, morality, and

imagination.

Famous Victorian Writers

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

Lewis Carroll

Alice in Wonderland

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

Paul Clifford

REALISM

19th century Realism, as opposed to Romanticism, depicted everyday,

commonplace events. Stories were often social or historical realities.

One of the most famous realist works is the French novel entitled Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

Mark Twain is a famous American Realist.

Mark Twain His famous protagonist Huck Finn

NATURALISM

Naturalism is a mid-19th century literary movement that sought to depict a believable

world where heredity and environment shaped a character’s personality. Known for frankness and pessimism, Naturalism was highly influenced by

Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859).

Famous Naturalist Writers

Edith Wharton

Ethan Frome

Jack London

White Fang

MODERNISM

Modernism was a 20th century literary and artistic movement that provided radical breaks with traditional modes of Western art, thought, religion, and morality. Novels criticized social

hierarchies and experimented with new forms of storytelling, such as stream of consciousness.

T.S. Elliot’s The Waste Land is a quintessential Modern poem.

Causes of the Modern Movement

Sigmund Freud

Industrial Revolution

World War I

Modern MinimalismModern Minimalism• ““Slice of lifeSlice of life”” stories stories

• Realistic instead of Realistic instead of floweryflowery

• Economy with Economy with words (no fluff)words (no fluff)

• ““No ideas but in No ideas but in thingsthings””– W.C.W.– W.C.W.

• Shortest short Shortest short story ever: story ever: ““For For sale: baby shoes, sale: baby shoes, never used.never used.”” – –Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingway

Famous Modern Writers

Franz KafkaThe Metamorphosis

Joseph ConradHeart of Darkness

James Joyce

Ulysses

POSTMODERNISM

Mid to late 20th century Postmodern literature is characterized by a disjointed, fragmented blend of high and low culture that reflects the absence

of tradition and structure in a world driven by technology and consumerism.

George Orwell’s 1984 depicted a nightmarish vision of the future where the government controlled every aspect of a citizen’s life: even

thought and emotion.

Causes of Postmodernism

World War II Holocaust

Nuclear War Mass Consumerism

Postmodern works oftentimes Postmodern works oftentimes intend to get away from the intend to get away from the illusion of literatureillusion of literature through through

fragmentation, paradox, and an fragmentation, paradox, and an absence of “meaning.”absence of “meaning.”

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Famous Postmodern Writers

Albert CamusThe Stranger

Eugene IonescoRhinoceros

Ken KeseyOne Flew Over

The Cuckoo’s Nest