A Brief Summary of  English Literature 
(From the Neo-classicism to Critical Realism)
Abstract: Britain is a magical and ancient country, is the first one to launch Industrial Revolution, rise the Enlightenment, create a legendary of the empire on which the sun never sets in this dazzling piece of land. Generally, the history of literary process in the country largely depends on the development of a country. In the history of literature, as the poetry in the Tang and Song dynasties reached unprecedented and fiction drama reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties, British also creates its different stages of the myth on different historical literature. English literature originated in the Middle Ages, through the Old English, Middle English, Renaissance, 17th century, the 18th century, the 19th century, the 20th century literature altogether seven stages, has made remarkable achievements. This page may make a brief summary about the development and main characteristics of English literature from the 17th century to 19th century, including the neo-classicism, romanticism and critical realism.
The key words: neo-classicism, romanticism, criticism, characteristic
1. Neo-classicism
1.1The History Background
  The neoclassical period began from the return of Stuarts to the English throne in 1660 and the full assertion of Romanticism which came with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge.
  After the tempestuous event of the 17th century, like the Great London fire in 1665, the Glorious Revolution in 1688, England became a constitutional monarchy and power passed from the king to the parliament and the cabinet minister. Then the 18th century saw the comparatively peaceful and fast development of England as a nation, including the Industrial Revolution, the complement of the Enclosure Movement and the beginning of the Enlightenment which flourished in France and enlightened the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas.
1.2The Characteristics of Neo-classicism
  In the field of literature, the Enlightenment Movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works. This tendency was known as neo-classicism. The neoclassicists tried to control literary creation by some fixed laws and rules drawn from Greek, Latin, contemporary French works. For example, drama should rime couplet in three unites of time, place and action, regularity in construction and the presentation of types instead of individuals; poetry, following the ancient division, should be lyric, epic, didactic, satiric or dramatic ,should be guided by some peculiar principles; prose should be precise, direct and flexible. And in the last few decades of the 18th century, the neoclassical emphasis upon reason intellect, wit and form was rebelled by sentimentalist and later was gradually replaced by Romanticism.
1.2.1 The Poetry in Neo-classicism
  The neoclassical period witnessed that the flourish of English poetry in the classical style, which was given much attention to the form, wit and art of poetry, climaxing with John Dryd
en, Alexander, Pope and the last standard-bearer of school, Samuel Johnson. Besides the elegant poetic structure and form, the neoclassical poetry was also noted for its seriousness and earnestness in tone and constant didacticism.
Pope, is considered a leading literary critic and the epitome of English neo-classicism, though his physical defects made him an easy target form heartless mockery. He completed and enlarged the heroic complete which was constructed from a sequence of rhyming pairs of lines in iambic pentameter and became the greatest achievement in the history of English poem.
1.2.2 The Novel in Neo-classicism
  The modern English novel contrary to the traditional romance of aristocrats, gave a realistic presentation of life of the common English people, which has given the world such novelists as Swift, Richardson, Fielding, Smollett and Sterne.
  Swift is good at exploring human nature profound, whose novel-Gulliver’s Travels is one o
f the most effective and devastating criticism and satires all aspects in European life socially, politically; Fielding ,Father of the English novel, wrote specially a comic in his most of works. He gave praise to the hard-working, sturdy middle class and showed his sympathy for the unfortunate.
  Later, from the middle part of the end of the 18th century, the apparent interest shifted from the classic literary tradition to originality and imagination from society to individual, from the didactic to the confessional, inspirational and prophetic.

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