This lesson contains 29 slides, with interactive quiz, text slides and 2 videos.
Items in this lesson
Week 12: Literature
You asked for it
Slide 1 - Slide
A word starting with a C
To describe something
Something which stands out
Slide 2 - Slide
The word of the week
Conspicuous
Clearly visible,
something which stands out
The bird has a
conspicuous red head
Slide 3 - Slide
Your turn! Conspicuous
Slide 4 - Open question
A very small English literature course
In order to understand literature, we need historical context
Slide 5 - Slide
Before England
From c. 700 BC: modern Britain inhabited by great number of Celtic tribes
55 BC: Julius Caesar tries to invade Britain but fails
43: the Romans successfully invade Britain (emperor Claudius) and start their conquest
Britannia (Roman Britain)
410: last Roman legions leave Britain
c. 450: Anglo-Saxon invasions begin
Slide 6 - Slide
Roman Britain: characteristics
urban civilization (first towns, Londinium)
construction of roads > army, trade
Slide 7 - Slide
Roman Britain
Slide 8 - Slide
Romain Britain >>
Anglo-Saxon England
AD 410: last Roman legions leave Britain
445-450: first Germanic settlers invited to Britain to help defend the country
c. 450-500: Germanic tribes invade in large numbers
c. 500: Anglo-Saxon settlement completed
Slide 9 - Slide
Slide 10 - Video
The Old English Period
c. 500-1066: Anglo-Saxon England
until c. 900: present-day England divided into 7 seperate kingdoms
c. 800: attacks and invasions by Danes (Vikings)
Danes control much of modern England: Danelaw
Anglo-Saxons unite: Alfred the Great (c. 875)
an abrupt end: 1066, the Norman Conquest
Slide 11 - Slide
Anglo-Saxon England: characteristics
c. 500-800: period of the seven kingdoms, often at war with each other
from c. 800: a slow process of unification (under pressure from Danish invaders)
period of relative prosperity
gradual conversion to Christianity
highly developed craftsmanship
This is where old English ended, for a while speaking French became everything . Middle English which used certain French words was born
Slide 12 - Slide
Great, now that we know more about the language
Slide 13 - Slide
Slide 14 - Slide
The canterbury tales
Written somewhere between 1387 and 1400
Twenty four stories written in Middle English, mostly written in verse
The Canterbury Tales is revered as one of the most important works in English literature.
Slide 15 - Slide
Let's jump forward to Shakespeare
1500 -> 1750
Slide 16 - Slide
Shakespeare
Shakespeare wrote in what we call 'early modern English'
The language in which Shakespeare wrote is referred to as Early Modern English, a linguistic period that lasted from approximately 1500 to 1750. The language spoken during this period is often referred to as Elizabethan English or Shakespearian English.
Slide 17 - Slide
The man behind drag?
As most people were not able to read
Shakespeare wrote screenplays.
Did you know that women were not
allowed to perform?
Women were usually played by men
in wigs and dresses.
Slide 18 - Slide
Not only Romeo and Juliet
154 sonnets
38 plays which can be placed into 3 categories:
Tragedies
Comedies
Historical piece
Slide 19 - Slide
Why is he so famous?
He invented certain words and phrases which are still used today:
Uncomfortable
All that glitters is not gold
Jealousy is the green eyed monster
Cold blooded
Slide 20 - Slide
Do you have a favourite Shakespeare phrase?
Slide 21 - Slide
Then..
Things got dark
Slide 22 - Slide
Slide 23 - Video
Gothic literature
Elements of the supernatural
Gloom and horror
Certain vocabulary such as: amazement, agony and omen
An ancient atmosphere
My personal favourite? ->the cask of amontillado
Why? There is so much cruel irony in this story!
Slide 24 - Slide
The victorian era
The golden age of British literature
1837 - 1901
Dickens, Austen, Lewis Caroll
Slide 25 - Slide
Victorian literature represents the lives and people
Moral lessons
Everyday people (such as the Chrachit family in the christmas carol)
Hard lives
varied social classes of people rather than just the aristocracy. This made it more popular among the middle classes.
Slide 26 - Slide
Victorian literature
Childrens stories became a thing -> Alice in wonderland
The emphasis was on life lessons and religion
Aristrocacy was made fun of a lot in works for the middle class -> the importance of being earnest
