English Literature

Solitary Reaper is one of the finest Lyrical Ballads composed by Wordsworth. As Wordsworth   always longed for human beauty that is surrounded by some natural objects, here in the poem he paints a girl singing spontaneously in  Gaelic, a  Celtic   language, spoken in the Highlands of Scotland.  The Poem has a message that poetry should not rely on artificial diction for it's effort. Rather It should be written with plain language and simple form so that each class can appreciate it's objective. The poem is a beauty in this regard. He wrote this poem in a rustic setting as real music can be sought in a pure natural setting. A maiden singing song while reaping with full- throat-ed -ease attracts poet's attention. Her song is melodious enough to make the Nature sing with her. As the poet writes.........      " O listen! for the vale profound        Is overflowing with the sound." The poet goes on saying that nothing can be c...

Soldiers who fight in a war far from their homes and near ones are different from the common run of men.  The words �brave� and �courageous� are associated with the image of a soldier. But, Jack is not a true soldier in terms of bravery and fearlessness. He is an ordinary person of flesh and blood with fear of death. He makes a lame excuse to go back home and tries to cross the trench. Then a mine explodes and blows him into pieces. Evidently Jack is not a hero as he lacks the essential qualities of a true solider.    Click here for more English literature study notes      

  Chaucer: Art of Characterization In the universe of English poetry, Chaucer flourishes the fantastic colours of his words and paints different characters of his age with minute observation. Indeed, he is a great painter who paints not with colours but with words. Undoubtedly, he has: �The Seeing Eye, the retentive memory, the judgment to select and the ability to expound.� His keen analysis of the minutest detail of his characters, their dresses, looks and manners enable him to present his characters lifelike and not mere bloodless abstractions. His poetical piece, �The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales� is a real picture gallery in which thirty portraits are hanging on the wall with all of their details and peculiarities. Rather it is a grand procession with all the life and movement, the colour and sound. Indeed,   �His characters represent English society, morally and socially, in the real and recognizable types�. And sti...

By the word �Hero�, we think of a brave and courageous person. Jack the protagonist (principal character) is glorified as a hero in the poem. But the close reading of the poem reveals that Jack is a �cold-footed, useless swine�. From this perspective the title of the poem sounds irrelevant and illogical. However, the title �The Hero� is reflective of the poet�s satirical attitude to war. By giving such an ironical title the poet Siegfried Sassoon has exposed the truth of a soldier�s unpleasant death and satirized the tradition of glorifying a coward solider as a hero. So the title of the poem � The Hero � is substantial and relevant.      Click here for more English literature study notes

The Greek playwright Sophocles was Born in 496 BC at Colones, now Athens. Sophocles had the fortune of being revered for his genius during his lifetime, He lived to the ripe old age of ninety. Sophocles came from a  stable well-to- do family, and from the beginning, it seemed that he was blessed in every way. Handsome, wealthy and well educated, Sophocles lived and died as one of Athens' most beloved citizen. In 468 BC, his debut dramatic production took first prize at the festival of Dionysus-no small feat for a beginner in his twenties, considering that among his contemporaries was the great Aeschylus. By 450 BC, Sophocles had written some two dozen plays. He was the most prolific of the three great Greek tragedians, writing 120 plays over the spam of his remarkable career. Only seven plays survive. He received the prize at Dionysus a total of 24 times more than Aeschylus or Euripides and in the years...

FIFTEENTH CENTURY PROSE The Fifteenth century is comparatively barren and non productive in the field of English literature. During this time little poetry of quality was written. The English and Scottish poets were very poor imitators of Chaucer both in the command of subject matter and versification. But the prose literature of this age recorded considerable progress. Unlike the poetry of this age prose suffered from no retrogression. There was a perceptible increase in skill due to increased practice. There was a growing perception of the beauties of rhythm and cadence and there was the development of various prose styles including the ornate and the plain. The English prose certainly moved forward during the 15 th century to a richness that was unknown to the preceding age. During the 15 th century prose made some remarkable progress because the English men shaped the rough material of their native tongue to form a literature for providing instruction and entertainment. But ...