A-level English literature Summary of time periods and style of poetry
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Course
Love through the ages
Institution
AQA
This A-Level English Literature summary provides an insightful overview of the various time periods and distinctive styles of poetry that have shaped the rich tapestry of literary history. From the ancient classics to the modern and contemporary voices, students will gain a comprehensive understand...
Medieval (500 – 1500) – mainly Latin, Christian morality
Renaissance (1550 – 1650) – classical period reborn, Aristotle unities, free expression (metaphysical poets: John
Donne, Andrew Marvell), classical myths e.g. Shakespeare, Wyatt
Neo classism (1650 – 1800) – Science understanding nature, age of enlightenment + restoration (with Charles) –
Cavalier poets (Richard Lovelace) and Puritans / Restoration poets (John Wilmot)
Romanticism (1800 – 1850) – imagination, beauty, nature, mortality = mysterious (kick start to era: publication of
lyrical ballads Coleridge and Wordsworth 1979) e.g. Byron, Robert Burns, William Blake, John Keats
Metaphysical- highly intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradox and contain extremely
complicated thought.
Naturalism - entailed presentation of modern society, often featuring lower-class characters in an urban setting or a
panoramic view of a slice of contemporary life
Decadent – movement led by nostalgia, radical themes of self-indulgence, erotism, rebelliousness (horrified
Victorians)
Cavalier poets - celebrate beauty, love, nature, sensuality, drinking, good fellowship, honour, and social life.” In
many ways, this poetry embodies an attitude that mirrors “carpe diem.
Pre-Raphaelite – moral seriousness, escape from the darkness, ugliness of contemporary society,
Elegies - a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially for one who is dead.
Lyrical - lyric poem is short, highly musical verse that conveys powerful feelings
Ballad - plot-driven song, with one or more characters hurriedly unfurling events leading to a dramatic conclusion.
Sonnet - One stanza of 14 lines. Usually written in iambic pentameter. Structured in three quatrains (each with their
own ABAB rhyme schemes) and a final couplet.
Epic - lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters
Blank verse - Blank verse is unrhyming verse in iambic pentameter lines.
Ode - A formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates a person, place, thing, or idea.
Epitaph - A short poem intended for (or imagined as) an inscription on a tombstone and often serving as a brief
elegy.
Haiku - The haiku is a Japanese poetic form that consists of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the
second, and five in the third.
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