Middle Ages
Chaunticleer is the pompous rooster in this man's "Nun's Priest's Tale," a fable told on the way to a pilgrimage site.
Who is Geoffrey Chaucer?
Traditionally considered one of the "Major Authors" of English literature, he published his religious epic poem in 1664.
Who is John Milton?
These poets, including William Cowper and William Collins, employed a serious tone while considering everyday things—including death.
Who are the Graveyard Poets?
Sonnet 116 (Let me not to the marriage of true minds)
and
Twelfth Night
Who is William Shakespeare?
The sonnet was especially popular in this period, which begins around 1500.
What is the Elizabethan (Early Modern, Renaissance) period?
It's a comical piece that criticizes someone or something.
What is satire?
He wrote Le Morte Darthur while imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Who is Sir Thomas Malory?
"If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love."
This stanza is the opening of "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd," by this man: a poet, politician, spy, and explorer.
Who is Sir Walter Ralegh?
Alexander Pope satirized the aristocracy's preoccupation with trivial matters (such as appearance) in this mock-epic poem.
What is "The Rape of the Lock"?
"The Flea"
and
"Meditation 17"
Who is John Donne?
Satire was a popular literary form during this period.
What is the Enlightenment period (18th century)?
This is a kind of poem that is gloomy and serious in tone, often written to or about someone who is deceased.
What is an elegy?
"Stond wel, moder, under rode," a devotional poem containing a dialogue between the dying Christ and his mother, was originally written in this language.
What is Middle English?
John Donne and George Herbert are two of these kind of poets, who fused intellect with emotion while attempting to mimic natural speech rhythms.
Who are the Metaphysical Poets?
This 1729 political pamphlet, in which Jonathan Swift called for the sale and cooking of Irish babies, sparked fierce debate as people tried to figure out whether he was being satirical.
What is "A Modest Proposal"?
"Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College"
and
"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"
Who is Thomas Gray?
During this period, roughly 1100–1500, Middle English was the language most commonly spoken in Britain.
What is the Late Middle Ages?
It's a central character that is not conventionally heroic, and may even be bad—like Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost.
What is an anti-hero?
In this heroic epic, Byrhtnoth and the Anglo-Saxons unsuccessfully fight against Vikings on the south-east coast of England.
What is The Battle of Maldon?
"If music be the food of love, play on," commands this man in the opening line from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Who is Duke Orsino?
"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air,"
laments Thomas Gray in this poem about unsung heroes.
What is "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"?
"The Altar"
and
"Easter Wings"
Who is George Herbert?
This period begins in 1660, when King Charles II became the king of Britain.
What is the Restoration period?
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are"
is an example of this poetic form.
What is a rhyming couplet?
The Wanderer, an elegaic poem, was originally written in this language.
What is Old English?
Some of his many essays led to the development of the scientific method.
Who is Sir Francis Bacon?
In "Ode to Evening," he praises the beauty and mystery of night-time.
Who is William Collins?
Sir Orfeo
and
Beowulf
Who is Anonymous?
The Old English period begins with the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in England, in this year.
What is 449 (450)?
It's a genre featuring sexual obscenity and scatalogical humor, popularized in medieval France.
What is a fabliau?