History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"History of English Literature from 'Beowulf' to Swinburne" by Andrew Lang is a comprehensive historical account written in the early 20th century. This literary work surveys the evolution of English literature, tracing its roots from Anglo-Saxon texts through to the Victorian era. Lang aims to inspire readers to engage with the influential works of the past, emphasizing the importance of classic literature in shaping contemporary English culture. At the start of the text, Lang provides a preface outlining his approach to the immense topic of English literature, emphasizing that his book will not serve as an exhaustive encyclopedia but rather as a selective exploration focused on significant authors and their works. He reflects on the challenges of capturing a vast literary landscape and expresses his desire to spark interest among readers, encouraging them to discover these texts for themselves. The opening also emphasizes the foundational role of Anglo-Saxon literature, discussing the characteristics of early poetry and prose, including notable works like "Beowulf" and the cultural context that produced them, preparing the reader for a deeper exploration of historical literary currents. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

Preface

List of authors

Anglo-Saxon literature

Anglo-Saxon Christian poetry

Anglo-Saxon learning and prose

After the Norman conquest

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Layamon's "Brut"

The romances in rhyme

Alliterative romances and poems

Chaucer

"Piers Plowman," Gower

The successors of Chaucer

Late mediaeval prose

Malory

Early Scottish literature

Popular poetry; ballads; professional poetry

Rise of the drama

Wyatt and Surrey; Gascoigne; Sackville

Prose of the Renaissance

The Elizabethan stage and playwrights

Other dramatists

Elizabethan and Jacobean prose writers

Late Elizabethan and Jacobean poets

Late Jacobean and Caroline prose; Caroline prose

Caroline poets

Restoration theatre

Augustan poetry

Augustan prose

Georgian poetry I

Georgian poetry II

Georgian prose I

Georgian prose II

The romantic movement

Later Georgian novelists; magazines and essayists

Poets after Wordsworth; general writers

Late Victorian poets; poetic underwoods

Latest Georgian and Victorian novelists

Historians.

Credits:

Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues and Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (Images generously made available by the Internet Archive)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 62.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2018-02-21