English Literature refers to the study of texts from
around the world, written in the English language . By
studying a degree in English Literature, you will learn
how to analyze a multitude of texts and write clearly
using several different styles.
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The
English language has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years.[1] The earliest forms of
English, a set of Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon invaders in the fifth
century, are called Old English. Beowulf is the most famous work in Old English, and has achieved
national epic status in England, despite being set in Scandinavia. However, following the Norman
conquest of England in 1066, the written form of the Anglo-Saxon language became less common.
Under the influence of the new aristocracy, French became the standard language of courts, parliament,
and polite society.[2] The English spoken after the Normans came is known as Middle English. This form
of English lasted until the 1470s, when the Chancery Standard (late Middle English), a London-based
form of English, became widespread. Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400), author of The Canterbury Tales,
was a significant figure in the development of the legitimacy of vernacular Middle English at a time when
the dominant literary languages in England were still French and Latin. The invention of the printing
press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 also helped to standardise the language, as did the King James
Bible (1611),[3] and the Great Vowel Shift.[4]
Poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the
English language and one of the world's greatest dramatists.[5][6][7] His plays have been translated into
every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.[8] In the
nineteenth century Sir Walter Scott's historical romances inspired a generation of painters, composers,
and writers throughout Europe.[9]
The English language spread throughout the world with the development of the British Empire between
the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history.[10] By 1913, the
British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23% of the world population at the time,[11] During
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries these colonies and the USA started to produce their own
significant literary traditions in English. Cumulatively, over the period of 1907 to the present, numerous
, writers from Great Britain, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the US, and former British
colonies have received the Nobel Prize for works in the English language, more than in any language.
Old English literature (c. 450–1066)
edit
Main article: Old English literature
The first page of Beowulf
Old English literature, or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses the surviving literature written in Old
English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period after the settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic
tribes in England (Jutes and the Angles) c. 450, after the withdrawal of the Romans, and "ending soon
after the Norman Conquest" in 1066.[12] These works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography,
sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles and riddles.[13] In all there are about 400 surviving
manuscripts from the period.[13]
Widsith, which appears in the Exeter Book of the late 10th century, gives a list of kings of tribes ordered
according to their popularity and impact on history, with Attila King of the Huns coming first, followed by
Eormanric of the Ostrogoths.[14]: 187 It may also be the oldest extant work that tells the Battle of the
Goths and Huns, which is also told in such later Scandinavian works as Hervarar's saga and Gesta
Danorum.[14]: 179 Lotte Hedeager argues that the work is far older, however, and that it likely dates
back to the late 6th or early 7th century, citing the author's knowledge of historical details and accuracy
as proof of its authenticity.[14]: 184–86 She does note, however, that some authors, such as John Niles,
have argued the work was invented in the 10th century.[14]: 181–84
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English, from the 9th century, that chronicles
the history of the Anglo-Saxons.[15] The poem Battle of Maldon also deals with history. This is a work of
uncertain date, celebrating the Battle of Maldon of 991, at which the Anglo-Saxons failed to prevent a
Viking invasion.[16]
Oral tradition was very strong in early English culture and most literary works were written to be
performed.[17][18] Epic poems were very popular, and some, including Beowulf, have survived to the
present day. Beowulf is the most famous work in Old English, and has achieved national epic status in
England, despite being set in Scandinavia. The only surviving manuscript is the Nowell Codex, the precise
date of which is debated, but most estimates place it close to the year 1000. Beowulf is the conventional
title,[19] and its composition is dated between the 8th[20][21] and the early 11th century.[22]
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