Page 4 - DENG402_HISTORY_OF_ENGLISH_LITERATURE

SYLLABUS

History of English Literature

Objectives:

• To acquaint the learners with the history of English literature.
• To provide learners with essential knowledge of the various trends.
• To enable the learners to interpret various literary terms.
• To enable the learners to recognise distinguished features of various literary genres.

Sr. Content
No.
1 The Anglo-Saxon literature,The Norman French period, The age of Chaucer
2 The medieval drama; mystery plays, morality plays and the interludes, The early

renaissance- beginning of the era: Age of Queen Elizabeth I, The Renaissance-

Elizabethan Age, University Wits
3 The Renaissance- Contribution of Shakespeare to this age, The Puritan Age or Age of

Milton: Milton as a poet and his contribution, The Restoration period or beginning of

Neoclassicism, Comedy of Manners
4 The Restoration period or beginning of Neoclassicism ( Dryden's contribution,

Glorious Revolution of 1688),The Augustan Age or the triumph of Neo-classicism
(Age of Prose and Reason), The Augustan Age or the triumph of Neo-classicism (Pope

and Heroic couplet, poetic diction and satire)
5 The Age of Johnson-the decline of Neo-classicism (Devotional verse, popularity of

periodical essays, Gothic novel), The Eighteenth century-approach/ transition towards

Romanticism (Progress of education, philosophical thought and science), The
Eighteenth century-approach/transition towards Romanticism (Decline of novel,

Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution)

6 The triumph of Romanticism (social, economic, political ,cultural conditions,
Renaissance of wonder and influence of French Revolution on poets of the Age) ,The

triumph of Romanticism ( Elements of Medievalism, Escapism, supernaturalism and
melancholy in poetry of the Age) , The Victorian Age (social, economic, political,

cultural conditions)
7 The Victorian age (women novelists, pre-Raphaelite poetry, Oxford Movement), The

Nineteenth Century (Reflection of changes in the English society due toIndustrial