NAME: CHIBUIKE CHRISTIAN CLASS: S.S.

1 THE THREE ERAS OF LITERATURE THE ELIZABETHAN ERA The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (155816 !"# $istorians often %epict it as the gol%en age in English history# The sy&bol of 'ritannia was first use% in 15() an% often thereafter to &ar* the Elizabethan age as a renaissance that inspire% national pri%e through classical i%eals+ international e,pansion+ an% na-al triu&ph o-er the hate% .panish foe# In ter&s of the entire century+ the historian /ohn 0uy (1188" argues that 2Englan% was econo&ically healthier+ &ore e,pansi-e+ an% &ore opti&istic un%er the Tu%ors2 than at any ti&e in a thousan% years#314 This 2gol%en age23)4 represente% the apogee of the English 5enaissance an% saw the flowering of poetry+ &usic an% literature# The era is &ost fa&ous for theatre+ as 6illia& .ha*espeare an% &any others co&pose% plays that bro*e free of Englan%'s past style of theatre# It was an age of e,ploration an% e,pansion abroa%+ while bac* at ho&e+ the 7rotestant 5efor&ation beca&e &ore acceptable to the people+ &ost certainly after the .panish 8r&a%a was repulse%# It was also the en% of the perio% when Englan% was a separate real& before its royal union with .cotlan%# The Elizabethan 8ge is -iewe% so highly largely because of the perio%s before an% after# It was a brief perio% of largely internal peace between the English 5efor&ation an% the battles between 7rotestants an% 9atholics an% the battles between parlia&ent an% the &onarchy that engulfe% the se-enteenth century# The 7rotestant:9atholic %i-i%e was settle%+ for a ti&e+ by the Elizabethan 5eligious .ettle&ent+ an% parlia&ent was not yet strong enough to challenge royal absolutis&# Englan% was also well;off co&pare% to the other nations of Europe# The Italian 5enaissance ha% co&e to an en% un%er the weight of foreign %o&ination of the peninsula# <rance was e&broile% in its own religious battles that woul% only be settle% in 1518 with the E%ict of =antes# In part because of this+ but also because the English ha% been e,pelle% fro& their last outposts on the continent+ the centuries long conflict between <rance an% Englan% was largely suspen%e% for &ost of Elizabeth's reign# The one great ri-al was .pain+ with which Englan% clashe% both in Europe an% the 8&ericas in s*ir&ishes that e,plo%e% into the 8nglo;.panish 6ar of 158516 ># 8n atte&pt by 7hilip II of .pain to in-a%e Englan% with the .panish 8r&a%a in 1588 was fa&ously %efeate%+ but the ti%e of war turne% against Englan% with an unsuccessful e,pe%ition to 7ortugal an% the 8zores+ the ?ra*e; =orris E,pe%ition of 1581# Thereafter .pain pro-i%e% so&e support for Irish 9atholics in a %ebilitating rebellion against English rule+ an% .panish na-al an% lan% forces inflicte% a series of re-ersals against English offensi-es# This %raine% both the English E,che@uer an% econo&y that ha% been so carefully restore% un%er Elizabeth's pru%ent gui%ance# English co&&ercial an% territorial e,pansion woul% be li&ite% until the signing of the Treaty of Aon%on the year following Elizabeth's %eath# Englan% %uring this perio% ha% a centralise%+ well;organise%+ an% effecti-e go-ern&ent+ largely a result of the refor&s of $enry BII an% $enry BIII# Econo&ically+ the country began to benefit greatly fro& the new era of trans;8tlantic tra%e# RENAISSANCE ERA

The fifteenth an% si,teenth centuries are the perio% of the European 5enaissance or =ew 'irth+ one of the three or four great transfor&ing &o-e&ents of European history# This i&pulse by which the &e%ie-al society of scholasticis&+ feu%alis&+ an% chi-alry was to be &a%e o-er into what we call the &o%ern worl% ca&e first fro& Italy# Italy+ li*e the rest of the 5o&an E&pire+ ha% been o-errun an% con@uere% in the fifth century by the barbarian Teutonic tribes+ but the %e-astation ha% been less co&plete there than in the &ore northern lan%s+ an% there+ e-en &ore+ perhaps+ than in <rance+ the bul* of the people re&aine% Aatin in bloo% an% in character# $ence it resulte% that though the Ci%%le 8ges were in Italy a perio% of terrible political anarchy+ yet Italian culture reco-ere% far &ore rapi%ly than that of the northern nations+ who& the Italians continue% %own to the &o%ern perio% to regar% conte&ptuously as still &ere barbarians# 'y the fourteenth an% fifteenth centuries+ further+ the Italians ha% beco&e intellectually one of the *eenest races who& the worl% has e-er *nown+ though in &orals they were sin*ing to al&ost incre%ible corruption# 8lrea%y in fourteenth century Italy+ therefore+ the &o-e&ent for a &uch fuller an% freer intellectual life ha% begun+ an% we ha-e seen that by 7etrarch an% 'occaccio so&ething of this spirit was trans&itte% to 9haucer# In Englan% 9haucer was followe% by the &e%ie-alizing fifteenth century+ but in Italy there was no such interruption# The whole of Englan% was profoun%ly stirre% by the 5enaissance to a new an% &ost energetic life+ but not least was this true of the 9ourt+ where for a ti&e literature was -ery largely to center# .ince the ol% nobility ha% &ostly perishe% in the wars+ both $enry BII+ the foun%er of the Tu%or line+ an% his son+ $enry BIII+ a%opte% the policy of replacing it with able an% wealthy &en of the &i%%le class+ who woul% be strongly %e-ote% to the&sel-es# The court therefore beca&e a brilliant an% crow%e% circle of unscrupulous but unusually a%roit states&en+ an% a center of la-ish entertain&ents an% %isplay# Dn%er this new aristocracy the rigi%ity of the feu%al syste& was rela,e%+ an% life beca&e so&ewhat easier for all the %epen%ent classes# Co%ern co&forts+ too+ were largely intro%uce%+ an% with the& the Italian artsE Tu%or architecture+ in particular+ e,hibite% the originality an% splen%or of an energetic an% self;confi%ent age# <urther+ both $enries+ though perhaps as essentially selfish an% tyrannical as al&ost any of their pre%ecessors+ were politic an% far;sighte%+ an% they too* a genuine pri%e in the prosperity of their *ing%o&# They encourage% tra%eE an% in the peace which was their best gift the well;being of the nation as a whole increase% by leaps an% boun%s ROMANTICISM ERA 'y the late 18th century in <rance an% 0er&any+ literary taste began to turn fro& classical an% neoclassical con-entions# The generation of re-olution an% wars+ of stress an% uphea-al ha% pro%uce% %oubts on the security of the age of reason# ?oubts an% pessi&is& now challenge% the hope an% opti&is& of the 18th century# Cen felt a %eepene% concern for the &etaphysical proble&s of e,istence+ %eath+ an% eternity# It was in this setting that 5o&anticis& was born# 5o&anticis& was a literary &o-e&ent that swept through -irtually e-ery country of Europe+ the Dnite% .tates+ an% Aatin 8&erica that laste% fro& about 1(5 to 18( # $owe-er+ the 5o&antic Co-e&ent %i% not reach <rance until the18) 's# 5o&anticis&'s essential spirit was one of re-olt against an establishe% or%er of things;against precise rules+ laws+ %og&as+ an% for&ulas that characterize% 9lassicis& in general an% late18th;century =eoclassicis& in particular# It praise% i&agination o-er reason+ e&otions o-er logic+ an% intuition o-er science;&a*ing way for a -ast bo%y of literature of great sensibility an% passion# In their choice of heroes+ also+ the ro&antic writers replace% the static uni-ersal types of classical 18th;century literature with &ore co&ple,+ i%iosyncratic characters# They beca&e preoccupie% with the genius+ the hero+ an% the e,ceptional figure in general+ an% a focus on his passions an% inner struggles an% there was an e&phasis on the e,a&ination of hu&an personality an% its &oo%s an% &ental potentialities#

The R !anti" St#le The ter& ro&antic first appeare% in 18th;century English an% originally &eant 2ro&anceli*e2;that is+ rese&bling the fanciful character of &e%ie-al ro&ances# 'ut a &oo% or &o-e&ent whose central characteristic is re-olt+ an% whose stress is on self;e,pression an% in%i-i%ual uni@ueness+ %oes not len% itself to precise %efinition# 8&ong the characteristic attitu%es of 5o&anticis& were the followingF Libertariani$! Cany of the libertarian an% abolitionist &o-e&ents of the late 18th an% early 11th centuries were engen%ere% by the ro&antic philosophy;the %esire to be free of con-ention an% tyranny+ an% the new e&phasis on the rights an% %ignity of the in%i-i%ual# /ust as the insistence on rational+ for&al+ an% con-entional subGect &atter that ha% typifie% neoclassicis& was re-erse%+ the authoritarian regi&es that ha% encourage% an% sustaine% neoclassicis& in the arts were ine-itably subGecte% to popular re-olutions# The general ro&antic's %issatisfaction with the organization of society was often channele% into specific criticis& of the 'ougeois society an% the feeling of oppression was fre@uently e,presse% in poetry# 7olitical an% social causes beca&e %o&inant the&es in ro&antic poetry an% prose throughout <rance an% other parts of Europe+ pro%ucing &any -ital hu&an %ocu&ents that are still pertinent# 5o&anticis& stresses on self;e,pression an% in%i-i%ual uni@ueness that %oes not len% itself to precise %efinition# 5o&antics belie-e% that &en an% wo&en ought to be gui%e% by war& e&otions rather than the col% abstract rules an% rituals establishe% by 'ourgeois society# The bourgeois+ who pro&ote%+ %efen%e%+ an% openly profite% by the 5e-olution of 18! + brought with the&+ when they rose to power+ certain social custo&s# =o %oubt all the 5o&antics woul% ha-e furiously %enie% that they were bourgeois+ an% &any of the& woul% in%ignantly ha-e repu%iate% =apoleon III+ rather than %eclare allegience to who& Bictor $ugo went into e,ile for 18 years# In the perio% of its &ost acti-e fer&entation+ the 5o&antic Co-e&ent was nothing &ore than a protest against bourgeois con-entions+ bourgeois society an% &orality# To be e,tre&e an% fla&boyant an% unusual an% -iolent e-en at the ris* of beco&ing grotes@ue was the %esire of e-ery young 5o&antic# The 5o&antics were+ in fact+ bourgeois origins+ who were trying har% to escape fro& their own sha%ows# Nat%re The 5o&antic association of nature an% spirit e,presse% itself in one of two ways# The lan%scape was+ on one han% regar%e% as an e,tension of the hu&an personality+ capable of sy&pathy with &an's e&otional state# Hn other han%+ nature was regar%e% as a -ehicle for spirit Gust as &anE the breath of 0o% fills both &an an% the earth# (.hro%er+ 8 "# ?elight in unspoile% scenery an% in the (presu&ably" innocent life of rural %wellers was a popular literary the&e# Hften co&bine% with this feeling for rural life is a generalize% ro&antic &elancholy+ a sense that change is i&&inent an% that a way of life is being threatene%# The L%re & the E' ti" In the spirit of their new free%o&+ ro&antic writers in all cultures e,pan%e% their i&aginary horizons spatially an% chronologically# They turne% bac* to the Ci%%le 8ges (1)th century to 15th century" for the&es an% settings an% ha% an obsessi-e interest in fol* culture+ national an% ethnic cultural origins# They foun% %elight notions of ro&antic lo-e+ &ystery an% superstition+ an% place% an e&phasis upon i&agination as a gateway to transcen%ent e,perience an% spiritual truth#
The (e"line & R !anti"i$! 'y about the &i%%le of the 11th century+ ro&anticis& began to gi-e way to new literary &o-e&entsF the 7arnassians an% the sy&bolist &o-e&ent in poetry+ an% realis& an% naturalis&#