English Essay

english

Lernplattform: FRONTER

Reading list

To be bought:

W. Shakespeare: Richard II

Hamlet

A Midsummer Night’s Dream



C. Marlowe: Dr. Faustus



W. Wycherley: The Country Wife



From the reader:

G. Chaucer: General Prologue

The Miller’s Tale



E. Spenser The Faerie Queene, Book Two: The Bower of Bliss

Mistery play,- arcadia – beginning of drama

miracle play – saints life

morality play – interlude of 4 elements, the castle of perseverance,

W. Shakespeare Sonnets XII, XVIII

Renessaince

Metaphysical Poetry:

J. Donne “The Flea”

“The Bait”

A. Marvell “To His Coy Mistress”

G. Herbert “Easter Wings”

J. Milton





Periods:

Old English – Beowulf

Middle English: Chaucer (epic), Mistery plays, Morality plays (drama)

Renaissance: John Donne, Edmund Spenser (lyric), W. Shaekspeare, (drama)

Restoration: Dryden, W.Wycherley (comedy)



11.3. 2010

The lecture covers literature from the beginning to 1700.

5th/6th century: Angles, Saxons and Jutes emigrate from the continent and invade England. This leads to a conflict with the Celts who already live there.

Angles, Saxons and Jutes had their own language/literature: Old English (German dialects).

Only few words are handed down from this language, an example is Beowulf. Beowulf is a heroic epic of 3182 long lines – from 8th century, but only later manuscripts esp. from 10th century. Beowulf was handed orally through generations

.   Epic: a tale of heroic adventures; examples of Old English

    • Latin was the main language of this time esp. Of educated and ruling class.

Latin literature consists of saints’ legends, chronicles, prayers etc. The church, of course, preferred Latin, but after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the following Norman Conquest, French became the second official language (after Latin).

1066-1485: Norman rule was about 300 years and Middle English Period

In the 14th...