Literary Periods

Questions on Literary Periods of English Literature
Due on April 17th

1. Why is the Germanic Epic Poem Beowulf so relevant to British literary history accounts?

It is relevant becausethis poem allowed a movement from oral tradition to written literature. This poem appeared in the eight century and it is the first piece of literature that Anglo-Saxon culture has known.

2. Inyour opinion, why is Geoffrey Chaucer such an important author in British literature?

Geoffrey Chaucer is an important author for two main reasons. Firstly, he moved from religious writingto secular writing and secondly, he set a standard literary language known as “modern English”.

3. Which general literary period does Shakespeare belong in? What are some of the maincharacteristics of the period?


Shakespeare belongs to English literary renaissance which is set in Elizabethan age period. During this time, medieval tradition mixed with renaissance optimism and theliterature was performed in public. Writers started to write poetry, prose and drama as well.

4. What important issue took place during one of the sub-sets of the Neoclassical Period? How doesDaniel Defoe relates to Chile?


This period is characterized by the beginning of English literary criticism. One of the most important contributions of this period was made by Daniel Defoe whowrote the first English novels. This author is related to Chile because he wrote a novel setting on an island. This island was called “Robinson Crusoe”.

5. What are some of the topics thevictorians were concerned with, and why do you think writers and intelectuals of the time started to be concerned about these topics?


Victorian literature started to deal with issues andproblems of the day. Some of these topics were the social, economic, religious, intellectual issues, problems surrounding the industrial revolution, growing class tensions, the early feminist movement,...