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Unit 1: Development of Prose Writing through the Literary Ages

be as great as the author’s. But it would be unkind for the literary critic or historian to attempt to Notes
rescue insignificant names from the“ poke of oblivion “ where time in its mercy has permitted
them to rest in peace. In such names the sixteenth century was as rich as any other, though mere
antiquity does often seem to lend a specious importance to writings otherwise not important. But
the author has endeavored to choose his materials always with an eye to the main point, which
has been to trace the growth of a temper and attitude of mind towards the use of speech, to show
the development of taste and feeling for prose expression by directing attention to those writings
which reveal some skill and originating power in the practice of the art of prose composition.

1.1 Periods of English Literature—An Overview

Historians normally divide English literature into periods for convenience of discussion. Sometimes
the numbers, dates or the names of the periods seem to vary.
The four and a half century between the Norman Conquest in 1600, which became the cause for
radical changes in the language, life and culture of England, and about 1500, when the standard
literary language has become “modern English” that is similar to the language of ours. The period
from 1100 to 1350 is sometimes called the Anglo-Norman Period because the non-Latin literature
of the era was written in Anglo-Norman. Among the important works of the period were Marie de
France’s “Lais” and Jean de Meun’s “Roman de La Rose”. When the native vernacular - descended
from Anglo-Saxon period.
The native vernacular descended from Anglo-Saxon with widespread syntactic and lexical elements
assimilated from Anglo-Norman which was later called “Middle English” came into literary
application. Therefore, it became primarily the medium of homiletic and religious writings.
The 15th century was known by what was called “Scottish Chaucerians”. It was important more
for popular literature than the artful sorts of literature normally addressed to the upper class. It
was the age of excellent songs, secular and folk ballads.

The second half of the 14th century produced secular kind of literature along with
native English literature. This was the age of Chaucer and John Gower which
gave great kind of religious and satirical poems like “Piers Plowman”. There was
the most famous prose romance written by Thomas Malory called “Morte
d’ Arthur”.

The Renaissance Period (1500-1600)
Many historians consider this age an “early modern” age. It refers to a rebirth commonly applied
to the period of European history following the Middle Ages. During this period the European
arts of sculpture, painting and literature reached a peak. The development came late to England in
the 16th century which didn’t have its flowering until the emergence of Elizabethan or Jacobean
period. In fact sometimes, John Milton (1608-74) is considered as the last greatest renaissance poet.
Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)
Elizabethan Age is often used to describe the late 16th and early 17th centuries even after the
death of Elizabeth. This was the time of swift expansion in English commerce and the development
of nationalist feeling - the time of the defeat of Spanish Armada in 1588. It is considered as a great
age English literature - the greatest in the field of drama. You can call it the age of Sir Phillip
Sidney, Christopher Marlow, Edmund Spencer, Francis Bacon, Ben Jonson, shakespeare and other
excellent writers of prose and dramatic, lyrical and narrative poetry. Many scholars have considered
this age as one of intellectual coherence and social order.

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