English Literature

There were at least four popular dialects,the Northern,the Southern,the East Midland and the West Midland dialects. Each had its own literature and each was struggling for supremacy so that it was impossible in 1380 to say which of them would have the greater future. Chaucer chose the London dialect, "the King's English'' and his choice shows his intelligence and foresight.

To the close of the Italian period belongs the incomplete Legend of Good Women. The different legends have been borrowed from Latin sources, though they have been freely altered to suit the purpose of Chaucer. The poem is remarkable for  its narrative skill and charm and show Chaucer's mastery over the Heroic Couplet. As Albert points out , "The poem is the first known attempt in English to use the Heroic Couplet, which is nonetheless, handled with great skills and freedom."

The poem �The Owl� by Edward Thomas is a sharp focus on the undeniable necessity of three fundamental things � food, fire and rest for a healthy and comfortable life. The poem gives two contrasting pictures: fulfillment and deprivation.  The speaker in the poem �The Owl� was hungry but not starved when he was coming down the hill. Though he was trembling by dint of cold, he was warm enough inside to protect himself against the chilling north wind. He was very tired. He was feeling weary and getting faint. Evidently, he was badly in need of rest. Nothing other than rest under a roof was the �sweetest thing� to him in such hard times.  The second stanza of the poem �The Owl� by Edward Thomas shows the fulfillment of the speaker�s needs for immediate comfort. He came across an inn at the foot of the hill. At the inn, he got food, fire and rest. He got shelter in a room with fireplace to warm up himself, food to satisfy his hunger and a bed to lie down. Satisfaction and happin...

The story �Packing� by Jerome K. Jerome is full of fun and amusement from beginning to end. But the butter episode is the most amusing as it tickles our ribs and makes us laugh to death.  The episode starts when George treads on the butter, gets it off his slipper and tries in vain to put it into a kettle. Then George puts the butter down on a char and Harris sits on it and it sticks to his buttocks. The situation becomes funny when they find the butter disappeared from the chair and start looking for it all over the room. Both Harris and George are surprised at the mysterious disappearance of the butter from the chair. Suddenly, George gets round at the back of Harris, finds the butter there to his utter amazement. Adding to the fun, Harris begins to spin round himself to notice where the butter is at his back. George makes a roar and asks Harris to stand still. At last, they get the butter off and pack it in the teapot.  So, it is no exaggeration to describe the butter epi...

A particular �code� is consistently used to form the heroes of Ernest Hemingway�s various works of literature. In The Sun Also Rises, this �code� was referred to when Hemingway created the character of Jake Barnes, the main character and narrator of the novel. The heroic personalities and morals of this character (or lack thereof) make him an excellent example of what a �Hemingway hero� truly is. These traits are shown by how he associates with others, how he deals with his own problems, and how he deals with societal issues. This Hemingway hero always has very particular character traits. Unlike a �code hero� (the epitome of what a hero should be), the Hemingway hero has a number of shortcomings to go along with their admirable qualities. The Hemingway hero often suffers from an unreasonable or unbelievable wound or loss. They often choose to act rather than think or discuss things with others. The character is required to reject the norms and values generally accepted in society. Ins...

ODE ON A GRECIAN URN Keats as a Poet John Keats (1795-1821) was the pure poet among all the Romantics. He was not only the last but the most perfect of the Romanticists. He was devoted to poetry and had no other interest. Unlike Wordsworth who was interested in reforming poetry and upholding the moral law; unlike Shelley who advocated impossible reforms and prophesied about the golden age; and unlike Byron who made poetry a vehicle of his strongly egoistical nature and political discontents of the time; unlike Coleridge who was a metaphysician and had philosophical concerns; and unlike Scott who relished in story telling, Keats did not take much notice of the social, political and literary turmoils, but devoted himself entirely to the worship of beauty, and writing poetry as it suited his temperament. He was, above all, a poet and nothing else. Unlike Byron who was a Lord and unlike Shelley who belonged to an aristocratic family, Keats came of a poor family, and at an ea...

Syllabus UGC NET 2011

Hi! Literature has been a passion, inspiration and it has always been guiding me wherever I am. I welcome all the lovers of Literature to share whatever the questions or Ideas they have to guide one another. Welcome all of you Thanks Rohit Chaturvedi