Time Periods of Poetry

Old English 800-1066

The best known Old English text is Beowülf . The story is largely a folktale, but within the story exists popular themes of the time period, i.e. the contrast between youth and age, good vs. evil. Poetry transitioned from oral to written. Time of epics, i.e. The Iliad and The Odyssey . Writers were often newly established clergy, making God very present in their work. They sought perfection.

Storyteller often accompanied the words with music (i.e. harp)

Language almost is completely unrecognizable to the modern English speaker

Primary subject is struggle, battles between good and evil featuring chivalrous characters

Middle English (1066-ca.1300)

1066 marks the Norman Conquest. English begins to take a more recognizable form.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight(A story about a Green Knight who comes to King Arthur’s court to lay down a challenge which Sir Gawain accepts)

Language resembles modern English

Romance-knightly adventure, chivalry, courage, and loyalty, i.e. King Arthur (1205). Knight’s rarely fought dragons, but instead faced the danger of betraying their chivalric code

Tragedy-the fall of a great man. Often an honored knight or king who finds himself in the hands of fate

The Renaissance

(circa 1300s-1700s)

Literally “rebirth”

The literature of this time period reflects the vitality, audacity, and restless curiosity of Renaissance men.

The emergence of Protestantism introduced the idea that the Bible could be interpreted by the individual and salvation itself was regarded as a direct transaction between God and the individual.

With the discovery of the New World, England became a commercial hub as more and more people began going there. This influx of foreigners and foreign trade in England increased the resources for new literary forms.

Science moved thinking away from the belief in tradition or authority (God, witchcraft, magic, etc.) towards the use of scientific method.

The RenaissanceThe printing press is

developed c. 1456. This made the printed word more easily available

Classic poetic forms are modified and new forms are introduced

Subject matter is the dignity and worth of mankind, and the joy of earthly life, not the preparation for afterlife

The Romantic Period

(1700s-1900s)

The prevailing attitude favored innovation instead of traditionalism in the materials, forms, and style of literature. William Wordsworth and Samuel T. Coleridge defined it as dealing with materials from “common life” in “a selection of language really used by men.”

Poetic symbolism becomes a vital tool of the writer. Poets present the concept that objects have significance beyond their physical qualities.

Innovation instead of traditionalism

Focus on nature- sensual descriptions of nature

Nature’s beauty juxtaposed with man’s baseness

Poets become characters in their own writings with a focus on feelings

Important!! The Romantic Period is not about romance

Modern Time Period (20th century)

Often refers to literature written after the start of WWI, which included persistent and multidimensional experiments in subject matter and forms.

Horrific scenes of WWI helped poets move away from traditional forms and subjects

Poets question the traditional stimuli usually found in poetry (i.e.; social organization, religion, morality, and the conception of the human self)

Poems are about any subject and in any form

Violations of traditional literary forms become the norm