English literature

Beowulf
8th century
The oldest literary monument of English literature is called Beowulf. It was written in the 8th century by an unknown author. It’s the poem abut hero Beowulf.
The king of Denmark Hrothgar built a palace not far from a large lake where lived an ugly monster Grendel. Hrothgar and his warriors gathered in the palace every evening. Grendel did not like their noisy entertainment and got very angry. Every evening he killed thirty warriors and drank their blood. Even the bravest and strongest men could do nothing. Beowulf was the strongest man of the tribe Geats who lived in the southern part of Sweden. He decided to help the Danish king so he sailed to Denmark with fourteen warriors. He fought with Grendel for a long time. Finally blooding Grendel ran back into the lake. The people were singing and laughing again. But at night an ugly witch (Grendel’s mother) killed one man and carried his body away to the lake. Beowulf jumped into the deep water and killed the witch with a magic sword he found in a cave under the level. He became a winner and after Hrothgar’s death he happened to the king.
Geoffrey Chaucer
1340 – 25. 10. 1400, The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer is called the father of English poetry. His masterpiece is The Canterbury Tales. It is a series of poems. It is about 31 people who travel to Canterbury. The pilgrims agree to tell two tails each on their way to Canterbury and second on their way back. But only 23 tales were written and the book stayed unfinished. Among the pilgrims was for example the knight, or the cook. The most interesting part of The Canterbury Tales is the Prologue that gives us a vivid picture of the 14th century society.
John Milton
9. 12. 1608 – 8. 11. 1674, Paradise Lost
John Milton was a leading poet of English Revolution. His masterpiece is called Paradise Lost The main hero is Adam representing humanity as a whole but the most fascinating passages are about the revolt of Satan against Heaven and God. In Satan’s speech God is presented as despotic and unjust. Satan in his discussions with fallen angels supports the principles of independence and freedom.
Jonathan Swift
30. 11. 1667 – 19. 10. 1745, Gulliver’s Travels
Jonathan Swift was sharp satirist and critic of English society His most popular work is called Gulliver’s Travels which consists of four books. In the first part the captain Lemuel Gulliver is shipwrecked and he comes to an island inhabited by Lilliputians. In the second book Gulliver appears in the land of giants. In the third one he visits a flying island and the fourth part describes the country of clever horses (Houyhnhnms). In his three books Swift satire is directed against politics in England, bad politicians, unjust judges, etc. In the last book ho attacks the corruption of the human race in general.
Daniel Defoe
1660 – 24. 4. 1731, Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe was a politician, traveller, and journalist. His most famous work is Robinson Crusoe. The book is written as a real history of Robinson Crusoe who shipwrecked on a lonely island. He is energetic, hardworking, skilful. On the deserted island he creates a miniature civilisation with his own hands.
Robinson Crusoe leaves home as young man. He goes by sea and lives many adventures. Once his ship is shipwrecked and he saves himself alone on a lonely island. There he must live with only a few things he saved from the wreck. He has four friends a dog, two cats and a parrot. He becomes a hunter, a framer, a breeder, a carpenter, a potter, a ship maker, etc. He rescues a savage from cannibals and names him Friday. Finally they return home in an English ship after they conquer rebels from it. The book ends when Robinson is married and old and comes to his island again.
Henry Fielding
22. 4. 1707 – 8. 10. 1754, Tom Jones
Henry Fielding is the greatest novelist of the 18th century and the founder of the modern English novel. His main book is called Tom Jones or History of a Foundling. It is a novel about an adventurous sincere boy who acquires wisdom, happiness and the heart of beautiful Amelia after many misdeeds and criminal offences. The writer depicts England of the 18th century and touches upon spheres of life. We are shown the courts of law, the prison, the church, the homes of the people of all classes and even the theatre.
William Shakespeare
23. 4. 1564 – 23. 4. 1616
Comedies:    The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night.
Tragedies:    Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Mac Beth.
Historical plays:    Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Richard II, Richard III, Julius Cesar.
William Shakespeare is the greatest personality of the English renaissance. He is considered to be the greatest dramatist all over the world.
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. She was 8 years older than William and they had two daughters and a son, who died at the age of 11. Little of Shakespeare’s life is known until 1592 when he came to London. In 1599 bought the Globe Theatre. First he helped adapt or rewrite older plays but later he started to write his own plays and he was very successful. Both the Queen Elizabeth I and James I liked him very much. His plays were first published in 1623. After acting and writing and after his son’s death he went back to Stratford and lived a quiet life with his family. He died in the same day as he was born (on the 23rd April). The legend says that he died after a louder and noisier birthday celebration with his friends. He is buried at local Trinity Church.
Marry Shelley - Frankenstein
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1818. It is a horror story, which is thought to be the original science fiction novel.
The story is told trough the letters of a man called Walton, an English explorer. We are told of Victor Frankenstein, a student from Geneva, who discovers the secret of life.
So he collects bones and bodies from graveyards, and constructs a creature, which is more monster than man. People are terrified of it because it is so huge and ugly. The poor monster has no friends and feels lonely and depressed, so it asks Frankenstein to make it a wife.
This he refuses to do. Then the monster attacks and kills not only Frankenstein’s friend, but also his brother and his brother’s bride Elizabeth. Frankenstein is heartbroken and is determined to kill the monster. However he is killed first by the monster, which then kills itself.
Frankenstein is a fascinating story because of the character of the monster, which is both sad and frightening at the same time.
Romanticism
Walter Scott (1771-1832)
Sir Walter Scott is a founder of historical novel. He drew the themes for his romantic novels from old folks ballads and medieval romances, especially from Scottish history. His famous novel is for example Ivanhove, which is from the period of Richard the Lionhearted.

George Gordon Byron - Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
Byron’s main work is Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. It has many autobiographical features. It is about Child Harold who is tired of life and travels all over Europe and makes comments of the unfairness in life.

Percy Bysshe Shelly – Prometheus Unbound
Percy Bysshe Shelly’s greatest work is Prometheus Unbound based on an old Greek legend about Prometheus, who steals fire from Olympus to give it to people. Shelly’s Prometheus is also chained to a rock, but in the end he is saved and with others fight against the tyrant Zeus (Jave).
Charles Dickens
7. 2. 1812 – 8. 6. 1870
 Sketches by Boz, Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby, Hard Times, Little Dorrit, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Barnaby Rudge, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens is the best representative of critical realism in the 19th century. He is one of the greatest English novelists. He was born in Porttea in 1812. He started writing stories when he was a boy at school. After his school he became a newspaper reporter on the Morning Chronicle. He married the daughter of his first publisher. However, after 22 years lasting marriage he shocked the Victorian England by leaving his wife.
Pickwick Papers - comic novel. In his books he describes many kinds of unpleasant people and places – bad schools and schoolmasters. Bad prison in David Copperfield or dirty houses as in Oliver Twist. These characters include thieves, murders, men in debt, stupid and unwashed men and woman, hungry children. In David Copperfield we can find many autobiographical features. Charles Dickens is also author of two historical novels. Their
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on October the 16th, 1854. Oscar loved poetry from an early age. He studied at Trinity College, and then at Oxford University, While Oscar was at Oxford, his father died and his mother moved to London. Oscar became well known for his lifestyle and his clever conversation.
In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales for children. In 1891 he published A Picture of Dorian Gray, but many English critics said it was immoral. His greatest success came with the performance of his comedies: Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest. He also wrote a tragedy: Salome, which was made illegal in England of its religious content.
A Picture of Dorian Gray
Painter Basil Hallward makes a great portrait of a rich, young and beautiful man, Dorian Gray. He does not want Dorian to meet Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil, because he has a bad reputation and Basil does not want Dorian to be influenced by him. Basil’s fears are well-founded. Henry and Dorian meet and the young man’s life is changed forever. Dorian’s wish to hide his mind into the portrait come true and his doings are only shown on the portrait.
Because of death of his great love: Sibil Vayne, he became an evil man. He started to hate the portrait and killed Basil Hallward (who painted it). Finally he couldn’t stand things and tried to destroy the portrait, but it only caused his own death.
Rudyarg Kipling
Rudyarg Kipling represents the literature of deed. He wrote many short stories dealing with Judia, the jungle and the sea. His most famous book is The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. The 1st book was awarded the Nobel Price for literature in 1907.
Herbert George Wells
Herbert George Wells is considered the father of science-fiction novel. His famous books are: The War of the Words, The Time Machine, The First Man on the Moon, The Invisible Man. The Books deal with fantastic events.

William Golding - Lord of the Flies
A Nobel Prize winner. Famous for his Lord of the Flies, the story which is set to the future, when an air-crash leaves a group of young boys on an island. First they are happy without their parents and try to form an ideal society, then they form two groups and the end is full of barbarian bestiality.
J.R.R. Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings
The stories based on knowledge of old German and Celtic myths. He created a phantasy world of Middle-Earth where small hobbits seek happiness, goodness and live many adventures.