About English Literature

Here are three interesting books about English Literature. Enjoy them


The Routledge History Of Literature In English Britain And Ireland

A History of English Literature

English Literature

thanks to ya Hush ..................we need more books if you wanna

Here is another book about English Literature since Englishforever wants more.We are here to help each other.


This's the first part of the book:

English Literature 1
Here's the second part of the book:

English Literature 2

Enjoy!

Could you please give us other books about American literature ?

Thank you so much in advance !

Hi, I need some information about Fact and Fiction in English literature. Please help me.THANKS

Hi EmilySo I worked on that for my thesis (Fiction vs. reality in Gothic fiction) but what do you need in particular? Is it Realism as a movement versus Romanticism or what?
It really depends on what you need Emily because your question is really complex it can mean:
- The capacity of literature in creating reality, and here what sort of reality (a propaganded reality or reality based on individual and sometimes social perspectives)
- Or, the ability of literature in creating a reality built by the author's psyche (that was my case study for Gothic literature) by discussing what is the extent of the real and unreal in literature (this one needs further lingering on the matter because considering literature as imagination and hence as a creation of the human psyche needs us to go deeper in literary theories)
- Or, as I said before literary movements of Realism and Romanticism, their opposition and sometimes their co-operation in a same literary work and in literature at large.
So, where are you situated in these?

Hi Sassy,first of all I want to thank you for your reply to my question. Exactly what I asked is your third suggestion.i.e how can I discuss fact and fiction in relation to Realism and Romanticism.Also, I need some refrences which is tackling that topic.So, I hope you get me. THANKS

Let's
start then with Realism, and leave the best (Romanticism for the end)

Realism, before being a literary movement, had always been a way; if not THE way how the
world should be perceived. This philosophy as antiquely advanced by ancient
Roman, Greek writers and playwrights was one which was applauded and worshiped.
The principles of 'truth' and 'moderation', often seen as the pillars of the
commonsensical 'Realism', became the dominating 'rules' advocated by these who
came to found what will be called Classicism in literature. Hence, sticking to
these rules and imitating the classics in their restriction of imagination and
adherence to 'truth' was what was
indeed needed. 'Truth' was just another word for 'nature' and 'fact'.
Therefore, writers sought to reproduce faithful representations of nature and
human nature by giving vivid details about each of their traits in order to
create 'verisimilitude'. The latter term refers to a "faithful representation
of reality', which is taken as synonym of Realism.


Often considered to be a reaction against Realism mode, Romanticism comes to
transgress such principles of 'commonsense', 'truth' and 'moderation' with its
worship of 'excess' and 'imagination'. If Realism sought to faithfully sketch
reality, Romanticism challenged this attempt and went 'against the tide'. Reality
for Romanticism is selective. In other words, the Romantic writer chooses to exploit
just one detail amongst the extensive and often lingered details exposed by the
Realistic writers. This selection is often made according to the effect it
would create on the reader. Hence, there is little care about reality as much
as on the effect or 'sentiment' reality produces. The Romantic writer creates
an illusion of reality and here I would rather say 'defamiliarizes reality',
destructing old and cliché-like representations of reality, offering a
different and alternative perception of the world.


This; I wrote just now, just what came to my mind. I really want to expose to you
other aspects of Realism and Romanticism, notably defamiliarization, and
discussing literary periods along with the relation of cooperation between
Realism and Romanticism, but I don't yet know if you're working on American
literature or British one??? So tell me more and I'll tell you more


I have a bunch of documents for you on the matter, I'll upload them and be right back

*Check these links first, which I think would give you a brief idea on the subject:

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng372/intro-h4.htm
http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm

* There's this table I really love, it helped me a lot when writing my thesis because it gives comprehensive characteristics about the two literary modes of writing

http://www.macalester.edu/~hammarberg/russ251/romreal.html

* There is this essay I downloaded from googlebooks yesterday, it's called Fiction and Reality by A. Peter Foulkes in his fascinating Literature and Propaganda , I uploaded here

http://ifile.it/41907hu
http://ifile.it/zhips3l
http://ifile.it/w1qjuez
http://ifile.it/1t4l95j
http://ifile.it/la3ihxn
http://ifile.it/9d1jbh2
http://ifile.it/sdn0mj5
http://ifile.it/qig8nvr

Hi, I'm working on British literature and the you gave helped me a lot.SO, thank you so much. but you didn't give me some of the famous writers who interested both in Realism and Romanticism. thanks in advanced.

Hi Emily. you're welcome. ok then great, I'm working on British literature too. So these are some writers of both movements:

Romantic writers:
Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, William Godwin, Mary Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas Carlyle...etc
In Poetry:
Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake...etc

Realistic writers:
George Eliot, William M. Thackeray...

Now that i'm listing the realistic writers, i'm really hesitating because there are some i would say they belong to this category but if you take Charles Dickens for example, his works undeniably display realitic characteristics but who can deny the romantic and sentimentality aspects?!

Take Thomas Hardy too, he is a naturalistic writer (i don't remember if i mentioned it before but naturalism is also included in realistic modes of writing) but you can clearly sense through his works that he lived in a transitory period (between Romanticism and Enlightenment) and he was undoubtedly fascinated by the supernatural (another aspect of Romanticism)

And the same thing goes for Charlotte Brontë, who was a writer of the Gothic (which belongs to Romanticism) but her works have this sort of shifts between Realism and Romanticism which is due to the constraints of publication. In other words, the period she lived in was one which favored reason and realism , so she would adopt a realistic way in telling her romantic story so that she would be accepted by the readership of the period. And this is what i was talking of earlier when i said that Realism and Romanticism may co-exist in a literary work sometimes of intrinsic or extrinsic reasons.

Hi Sassy,REALLY thank you soooooooooooooo much . I don't find the words to express my appriciation. well, studing movements is not easy. The more I go deeper the more I become confused and things getting mixed in my mind. When I finsh my researchs on that topic, I move to MODERNISM.so, if you please I want you to help me too. you know why? because I trust YOU a lot.thanks again.

Hi Emily You're welcome dear, I just hope it will help you in a way or another and I'll try to be at the level of your expectations. As for modernism, i'll try to make a post as soon as I have time because I'm teaching these days but surely I'll know how to exploit the week-ends.
But tell me, do you just want to study literary movements or do you have something in mind for a thesis??

Hello Sassy, Iam glad to contact with you. I tell you the reason behind my study of literary movements.. I'm trying to collect those topics in an organize way just to simplify reading it. It is not only for me but also for the students who need it as well.Indeed, let's say, it is a kind of "enjoyment" and fullfilment(if we can say) of time. I grduated this year and I have nothing to do.I was looking for job, I tried many times but my bad luck prevented me to got just one chance . Iam so sorry to tell you the story of my life..Don't care about me. Thank you so much for you question.

My dear Sassy you are always the best Thank you soooooooo much sweety for your posts, they are really helpful. The links you gave about realism and romanticism are great.

Hats off

@ Sabine: You're soooooo kind sister, I'm so happy that you found them useful.

@ EmilySo: First, I really liked that you're still studying and willing to enlarge your knowledge in literature even after your graduation, that's honorable (and so rare).
Second, when it comes to working and so on, believe me sister, it will come on the right time (and when you don't even expect it). So do not worry, and concentrate all your efforts on preparing yourself for being a good teacher, whose knowledge is respected because students do distinguish very very well.

So carry on like this and with God's help, I'll try to post as soon as I can, since it helps me too to keep in the world of literature.

Regards

Hello dear Sassy, I REALLY appriciate your words that gave me a hope and patience.Believe me I like Literature,thanks to my teacher of Eng lit that let me love what I'm reading and enjoying it.So, my purpose of studing was not just to take a diploma in English lge.But to enlarge my knowledge, to enjoy my time in studing and the most important thing is to be responsible on my diploma. I mean I try to improve my self to be a good teacher in future who can help those who need help.Well,THANKS so much for you. You encouraged me to go ahead and not give up. My Hot greetings

I didn't do anything dear You have enthousiasm already in you ! I really liked what you said about your teacher, the one who inspired you because it was just the same for me! I owe everything I came to today ; to one teacher. So let's always try to be one of those teachers who inspire, if not change the lives of their students by pursuing knowledge and self-satisfaction rather than fame or other earthly ends...

I 'm so happy to talk to you :Dand I feel comfort to disscuss together. I promise to do my best to become a good teacher like mine and like YOU. I considered you my teacher,if you accept me as your student.I'll be so thankful.

My goodness! that's really too much for me. Let's rather be mates and sisters and help each others mutually

I learn a lot from any word you write.Even I see your beauty through your articles,expressions,words and letters.GOD bless you.