A Concise History of British Literature

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1、Part1AConciseHistoryofBritishLiteratureI.OldEnglishLiteratureOldEnglishliteratureencompassesliteraturewritteninoldEnglishinAnglo-SaxonEngland,intheperiodfromthe7thcenturytotheNormanConquestin1066.Theseworksaremostlychronicleandpoetry-lyric,descriptivebutchieflynarrativeorepic.Amongthemostimportant

2、worksofthisperiodisthepoem〈Beowulf〉，whichhasachievednationalepicstatusinEngland.Ⅱ.TheMiddleEnglishLiteratureMiddleEnglishliteraturereferstotheliteraturewrittenintheformofMiddleEnglish,fromthe12thcenturyuntilthe1470s.Itwaswiththe14thcenturythatmajorworksofEnglishliteraturebeganonceagaintoappear.The

3、seincludetheso-calledPearlPoet'sPearl,Patience,Cleanness,andSirGawainandtheGreenKnight,andtheworksofGeoffreyChaucer,whoisregardedastheFatherofEnglishPoetry.Hisrepresentativeworksare.Ⅲ.TheRenaissancePeriodTheEnglishRenaissancewasaculturalandar

4、tisticmovementinEnglanddatingfromthelate15thandearly16thcenturiestotheearly17thcentury.TheElizabethanerainthesecondhalfofthe16thcenturyisusuallyregardedastheheightoftheEnglishRenaissance.Inthatperiod,avigorousliterarycultureinbothdramaandpoetryflourished.Themainwritersandtheirworksareasfollows:1.E

5、dmundSpenser（1552~1599）Heiscalledthepoet'spoet,thefirsttobeburiedinthePoet’sCornerofWestminsterAbbey.Worksmainlyinclude.2.ThomaslMore(1478~1535)HeisoneofthegreatestEnglishhumanists.Hismostfamousworkis.3.FrancislBacon1561~1626HeisthefirstEngli

6、shessayist,andalsophilosopherandscientist,wholaysthefoundationofmodernscience.Worksinclude,inwhichthereisafamousonecalled.4.BenJonson1572~1637Hewasadramatist,poetandactor.Heisbestknownforhissatiricalplays,particularlyVolpone,TheAlchemist,andBartholomewF

7、air.5.ChristopherlMarlowe1564~1595Heiscalled"UniversityWits",thepioneerofEnglishdrama,whoimprovedtheblankverse.Worksinclude2. WilliamShakespeare1564~