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1304
Reneissance
Petrarch was a celebrated poet, scholer and one of the earliest humanists in Reneissance Italy. In ¨Canzionere¨ he exposes a collection of Italian sonnets, even though he wrote most of his poems in Latin. -
1564
Medieval Ages
Shakespeare birthdate is assumed from his baptism on April 25. His father John was the son of a farmer who became a successful tradesman; his mother Mary Arden was gentry. He studied Latin works at Stratford Grammar School, leaving at about age 15. About this time his father suffered an unknown financial setback, though the family home remained in his possession. An affair with Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior and a nearby farmer's daughter, led to pregnancy and a hasty marriage. -
Elizabethan Era
Between 1599 and 1602, famous English poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare composes the play ´Hamlet´, recognized as Shakespeare´s most famous throughout his lifetime. The play depicts a young man, Prince Hamlet of Denmark that plots revenge against his uncle Claudius directed by the ghost of Hamlet´s father, King Hamlet. Full of literary devices, drama, and suspension. Shakespeare traps the reader in an original story. -
Modern Ages
Miguel de Cervantes ; Spanish:; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616] was a Spanish writer who is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. His novel Don Quixote has been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible.[8] Don Quixote, a classic of Western literature, is sometimes considered both the first modern novel[9] and the best work of fiction ever written. -
Restoration Era
During the Renaissance period Edmund Spenser wrote The Faerie Queen. An allegorical poem written in celebration of the reign of Elizabeth I. This poem highly influenced John Bunyan's work "The pilgrims progress". A religious poem that was very influential during the Restoration Era. Its an allegorical treatment of christian life. -
Enlightenment Era
During this time period Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote Emile. Rousseau’s Èmile is a kind of half treatise, half novel that tells the life story of a fictional man named Èmile. He considered this the best and most important of his writings. This book was banned in Paris and Geneva. During the French Revolution, Emile served as the inspiration for what became a new national system of education -
Age of Reason
The Age of Reason, was a cultural movement led by philosophers. It was characterized by the rational and scientific. During this time period Alexander Pope wrote The Rape of the Lock. Its a satirical poem of the ruling clases of England. It aim was to make fun of societies failings. -
Contemporary Ages
Jane Austen The author of such literary classics as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility has a deserving place among Britain’s most famous writers. Born in 1775, Jane Austen is known for six novels, all set among the aristocracy and fundamentally romantic, but each also containing much humour and social commentary. Her novels have inspired numerous television and film adaptations, which have served to widen her appeal still further. Characters including Elizabeth Bennet, -
Romanticism
Thomas More is considered a talented and influencial lawyer and writer in the late 15th century to mid 16th century AC. One of his most popular works is the Utopia, published in 1551 AC, where he discusses and explains a ¨perfect¨ world where everyone is equal and there is zero materialsim. More died a saint in 1535 AC, decapetated by King Louis VIII. -
Romantic Period (1798-1870)
Mary Wallstonecraft Godwin, also known as Mary Shelley, was an English novelist, writer, dramatist, biographer, travel writer and essayist. She is best known for her Gothic novel: Frankenstein, published in 1818. -
Transcendental Movement
Transcendentalism reacted against rationalisation, it was quite similar to Romanticism but it was a movement developed in America. During this time period Louis May Alcott wrote Little Women. This book continues to be highly popular currently. Little Women is a novel that follows the life of the four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy). It had immediate critical and commercial success. -
Victorian Era
This period featured works such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky´s novel ´Crime and Punishment´. It is the second of his full length novels following his 5 year exile in Siberia. It is also considered the first great novel of his ¨mature¨ period of writing. -
The Edwardian Period (1901-1914)
In this literary period is named after King Edward VII and lasts from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the beginning of World War I in 1914. The writings of the Edwardian Priod reflect the social conditions of the time. For example, Irish writer, critic, and playwright George Bernard Shawn attacked and criticized social injustice and the upper classes of the society. In "Pygmalion", published in 1913 he talks about an Ancient Greek sculptor who falls in love with one of his sculptures -
Modernist Era
During this period, Ernest Hemingway wrote ¨The Sun Also Rises¨ based on his trip to Spain in 1925. The characters are based on real people in Hemingway´s circle. He visited the festival of San Fermin in Pamplona where he had managed to get enough experiences for an entire novel. Many of his works were considered classics of American Literature, and he even won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. -
Cold War Era
Camus wrote ¨The Plague¨ during this time period and was able to win a Nobel Prize in Literature because of it. The novel talks about human destiny and the human condition. It is often labeled as an ¨existentialist¨ novel. -
The Beat Generation
The Beat Generation was a literary movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. During this time period Allan Ginsberg wrote his poem Howl. Ginsberg began work on "Howl" in 1954 and it's considered to be one of the great works of American literature. -
Postmodern Period
During this period, Chinua Achebe wrote stories in his book ´Things Fall Apart´ that chronicled pre-colonial life in the south eastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. Achebe´s novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of Western and traditional African values during and after the colonial era.
