Synopsis of Course Material III: Eras of Literature

Classical Antiquity: Oedipus, the Odyssey, Aristotle; essentially, Ancient Greek and Roman Tragedy. 

·         Iambic trimester and lyric style

·         uses elevated language

·         poetry, meant to be sung

·         heavily features tragedy using catharsis, and epics

·         tragedies end in a final scene of suffering

·         features a tragic hero with a fatal flaw (hamartia) who fails to follow the will of the gods and suffers

·         Contains the message: follow the gods, or bad things will happen

·         Strict code of masculinity,

Medieval: Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Le Morte de Arthur

·         translated from Old English

·          elevated language, long, and detailed

·         Poetry, meant to be sung

·         Epic tales of knights and kings and smiting

·         Strict code of masculinity, and honorable death in battle

Renaissance: Shakespeare!!!!!

·         originated in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe

·         Took great interest in Classical Antiquity, allusions to Greek and Roman literature

·         Humanists take interested in the mind of the human being

·         Reflects reality

Romantic/Victorian: Dickens, the Brontes, Hugo, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, Les Miserables

·         Looks at issues of gender, class, money, industrial society, religion

·         Challenges society, often political and pushing for reform

·         Authors think about marriage—for love or for money? And Social Darwinism—are the poor to blame for their own situation?

·         Writers start really writing the way people actually talk

Realist/Naturalist: Wordsworth

·         Relationship between man and nature

·         Realistic portrayal of life, about everyday people, and their everyday lives.  Often quite pessimistic

·         Naturalists looked at human beings and how they are governed by passion and struggle to keep a cap on their tumultuous emotions, and their struggle with their inner beast and strong emotions of lust and passion.  Nature shapes the actions of man, and is a very indifferent force.  In this era, authors tend to argue that free will is an illusion. 

Modern/Post Modern: Albee, Miller,

·         Tests the conventional limits of literature: plots tend not to be chronological, or not everything is resolved at the end.  The theatre of the Absurd emerges.

·         Playwrights Albee and Miller are social critics of the consumer society around them