[PDF] An outline history of English literature

Gbe3. of

IRineteentbCentury

^literature jpuvcbasebinpart tbrougbacontributiontotbe

Xibrarp3funt>smaoeb^tbe

DepartmentofBnQlisbin

College.

ANOUTLINEHISTORYOF

ENGLISHLITERATURE

ENGLISHCLASS-BOOKS

reset.365pages.Crown8vo.55.net net.

HistoryoftheEnglishLanguage.By

andRevisedEdition.Crown8vo.55.net.

Bell'sShortMonographsonGreat

Writers.EditedbyG.C.WILLIAMSON,Litt.D.

Pott8vo.Illustrated,is.each.

Moliere,Shakespeare,Spenser,Horace.

College,London.

Catalogueattheendofthisbook.

LONDON:G.BELL&SONS,LTD.

ANOUTLINEHISTORY

OF

ENGLISHLITERATURE

BY

WILLIAMHENRYHUDSON

LONDONUNIVEKSITY

SPECIMEN!

rLONDON

G.BELLANDSONS,LTD.

1913

PR85H83

PREFACE

therefore,areneeded. anddevelopment. viPREFACE andEnglishlife.

WILLIAMHENRYHUDSON.

CONTENTS

CHAPTERPAGE

I.INTRODUCTORYi

III.THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)20

IV.FROMCHAUCERTO"TOTTEL'SMISCELLANY"

(1400-1557)36

V.THEDEVELOPMENTOFTHEDRAMATO156147

VII.THEAGEOFSHAKESPEAREContinued.THE

DRAMA64

IX.THEAGEOFMILTON(1625-1660).MILTON93

X.THEAGEOFMILTONConcluded.OTHERPOETS

ANDPROSEWRITERS105

XI.THEAGEOFDRYDEN(1660-1700).VERSEin

XII.THEAGEOFDRYDENConcluded.PROSEAND

THEDRAMA121

XIII.THEAGEOFPOPE(1700-1745).VERSE133

XIV.THEAGEOFPOPEConcluded.PROSEANDTHE

DRAMA-146

XV.THEAGEOFJOHNSON(1745-1798).GENERAL

PROSE160

viiiCONTENTS

CHAPTEKPAGE

XVI.THEAGEOFJOHNSONContinued.THENOVEL174

XVII.THEAGEOFJOHNSONConcluded.VERSE191

XVIII.THEAGEOFWORDSWORTH(1798-1832).THE

OLDERPOETS218

XIX.THEAGEOFWORDSWORTHContinued.THE

YOUNGERPOETS235

XX.THEAGEOFWORDSWORTHContinued.GENERAL

PROSE-246

XXI.THEAGEOFWORDSWORTHConcluded.THE

NOVEL-256

XXIII.THEAGEOFTENNYSONContinued.GENERAL

PROSE-284

CHAPTERI.

INTRODUCTORY.

authorofthemenwhowrotethem. involves. A

2ENGLISHLITERATURE

INTRODUCTORY3

:_-J

4ENGLISHLITERATURE

"schools"and"movements" ;andwheneverany

INTRODUCTORY5

regardeverywriterasa"product "ofhistime,and arepurely literary ;thatis,theybelongtothesphere

6ENGLISHLITERATURE

mostprofoundlyaffectliteraturearenot" literary andspace.Wemustthinkofitastheworkofaman scienceduringthenineteenthcentury :itisenoughto shapingoftheirwork.

INTRODUCTORY7

people.

8ENGLISHLITERATURE

literaturetorecord.

INTRODUCTORY9

withtheperiodsofgeneralhistory. survey.

PeriodsofEnglishLiterature.

10ENGLISHLITERATURE

PERIODSOFENGLISHLITERATURE.

LITERARYPERIODS.

CHAPTERII.

called"Anglo-Saxon "andthatnewspeech,whichthey

Anglo-Saxonisnowcommonlydroppedand"Old

English

12ENGLISHLITERATURE

presentlytobecomethehomeoftheirrace. andCaedmon's.WehavetolearnCaedmon'sOld literarystyle :thatofCaedmonisbasedonprinciples starting-pointofournarrative.

BEFORECHAUCER(500-1340)13

greatlytothevalueofafineoldpoem. theworksofCaedmonandCynewulf,bothofwhom endowedwiththefacultyofpoetry.Threefree

14ENGLISHLITERATURE

martyrdom. rime"asitismorestrictlycalled)itemploys "beginning

BEFORECHAUCER(500-1340)15

Anglo-Saxonverse,asinthislinefromBeowulf

Grendelgongan,Godesyrrebaer

(GrendelgoingGod'sangerbore). preserved(see13). (toadopthis

6.FromtheConquesttoChaucer.FromtheNorman

16ENGLISHLITERATURE

BEFORECHAUCER(500-1340)17

i8ENGLISHLITERATURE nationalEnglishpoets.

BEFORECHAUCER(500-1340)19

TABLEOFENGLISHLITERATUREBEFORE

CHAUCER.

SettlementoftheJutes,Saxons

andAnglesinBritain,449- 547-

Christianityintroducedinto

KentbySt.Augustine,597;

Cynewulf,b.between720and

73-

FashioningofBeowulfintoan

epic,?8thcentury.

John,1199-1216.

EdwardIII.,1327-1377.

EnglishRevival.

Layamon'sBrut,about

TheOwlandtheNightingale,

about1220.

Mannyng'sHandlyngSynne,

I303-

CursorMundi,1320-25.

AyenbiteofInwyt,1340.

Chaucer,b.1340?

CHAPTERIII.

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400).

8.TheAgeofChaucer.GeoffreyChaucerwasborn

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)21

ofitssternrealities.

22ENGLISHLITERATURE

(about1320-84), "themorningstaroftheReformation." religiouspamphlets,senthis"poorpriests "oritinerant scripturesintoanymodernvernaculartongue. ofGreeceandRome.Anenormousimpetuswasthus

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)23

influencesoftheliteratureofChaucer'sage.

24ENGLISHLITERATURE

royalpensionatonceplacedhimbeyondwantand thePoets'Corner. pletelydazed.Buthewasnotamerebookman,nor

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)25

lifeitself.

26ENGLISHLITERATURE

work. holdthemtogether.Someofthemwerecertainly asRomeandJerusalem;butoneofthefavourite expeditionsnearerhomewastotheshrineofthe murderedSt.ThomasaBecketatCanterbury;and welcomeandasupperofhisbestgoodvictualand makesthisproposal :thattobeguilethetediumofthe asupperontheirreturntotheTabardInn.The

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)27

theresult. tion,andsubtlehumour.Allthecharactersare theEnglandofhistime.

28ENGLISHLITERATURE

asdothosebywhomtheyaretold.Thus,totake inverse. theyrideouttohunt.Theseusdoomsthembothto

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)29

view.

30ENGLISHLITERATURE

aswhen,forexample,hewrites:

Thatxtheeissentreceyveinbuxomnesse2

Thewrastlingofthisworldaskethafal;

Hereisnohoom,3hereisbutwildernesse.

Lookuponhye,andthonkeGodofal.

thepersonalaccentisunmistakable.

1Thatwhich.'-cheerfulness.3home.4beast.

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)31

inEnglishpoetry.

32ENGLISHLITERATURE

Lollards.

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)33

asintheopeninglines:

Inasomersesonwhansoftwasthesonne

IshopemeinsAroudesasIasAepewere.1

spiritednarrative. C

34ENGLISHLITERATURE

thefirstEnglishproseclassic.

TABLEOFTHE

EdwardIII.,1327-1377.

BeginningoftheHundredYears'

WarwithFrance,1338.

BattleofCrecy,1346.

TheBlackDeath,1348-9.

BattleofPoictiers,1356.

RichardII.,1377-99.

WatTyler'sRebellion,1381.

AGEOFCHAUCER.

JohnBarbour,b.1316?

WilliamLangland,b.1332?

Chaucer,b.1340?

TheRomauntoftheRose,\360-

65?

BokeoftheDuchesse,1369.

Langland'sVision,\362-90.

Barbour'sBrus,1375.

SpeculumMeditantis,1378?

Wyclif'sBible,1380.

TroylusandCreysede,\380-83.

THEAGEOFCHAUCER(1340-1400)35

TABLEOFTHEAGEOFCHAUCERContinued.

OfficialcondemnationofWyclifs

opinions,1382.

HenryIV.ascendsthrone,1399.

VoxClamantis,1382?

HouseofFame,1383-4.

LegendeofGoodWomen,1384-5.

CanterburyTales,1385onward.

ConfessioAmantis,1393?

Chaucer,d.1400.

Langland,d.1400.

Maundeville'sTravels,1400.

Gower,d.1408.

CHAPTERIV.

FROMCHAUCERTOTOTTELSMISCELLANY.

(1400-1557). tionwasemployedtostampoutah

1effortstowards

CHAUCERTOTOTTEL'SMISCELLANY37

century.

38ENGLISHLITERATURE

farstrongerthaninthesouth.Thereisnotmuch

CHAUCERTOTOTTEL'SMISCELLANY39

GAWAINorGAVINDOUGLAS(1474-1522),Bishopof

laterEnglishliterature. withthefifteenthcenturymen.

40ENGLISHLITERATURE

whomhewastooradical,madeaboldbreakwitha

CHAUCERTOTOTTEL'SMISCELLANY41

42ENGLISHLITERATURE

intwoways :itdidmuchtoemancipatethoughtfrom

CHAUCERTOTOTTEL'SMISCELLANY43

Elizabeth.

44ENGLISHLITERATURE

WYATT(1503-1542)andHENRYHOWARD,EARLOF

speech.

CHAUCERTOTOTTEL'SMISCELLANY45

popularlyapplied. itdistinctlymarksthedawnofthenewage. thisimportantsubjectinournextchapter.

Hoccleve'sGovernailofPrinces,

1412.

JamesI.'sTheKing*sQuair,

1422.^

Lydgate'sFallesofPrinces,\430.

Pecock'sRepresser,1449.

Fortescue'sDifferencebetween

AbsoluteandLimitedMon-

archy,1450?

Malory'sMorteDarthur,1470;

pub.1485.

HenryIV.,d.1413.

WarsoftheRoses,1455-86.

Progressofclassicalstudiesat

OxfordandCambridge,1475

onward.

Caxton'sprintingpresssetup,

1476.r

BattleofBosworth,1485.

HenryVII.,1485-1509,

Hawes'sPastimeofPleasure,

1506?

Dunbar'sDanceoftheSeven

DeadlySins,\507.

46ENGLISHLITERATURE

HenryVIII.,1509-47.Douglas'Aeneid,1513.

More'sUtopia;Latin,1516;

English,1551.^J

SirThomasWyatt,1503-42.>

HenryHoward,EarlofSurrey,

1516-47.

Tyndale'sNewTestamentand

otherportionsoftheBible,

1525-36.>/Coverdale'sBible,1535.

EdwardV.,1547-1553-

Mary,1553-58.TotteFsMiscellany,1557./

CHAPTERV.

THEDEVELOPMENTOFTHEDRAMATO1561.

20.TheBeginningsoftheEnglishDramaMiracle

soonfounditswayintoEngland.Itspurposewas employedwastheLatinoftheservice.Butasthe mysteryormiracleplay,

1asitwascalled,increasedin

48ENGLISHLITERATURE

complete :theChestercycleof25plays;theCoventry,

DEVELOPMENTOFTHEDRAMATO156149

50ENGLISHLITERATURE

additionofactionturnstheformintoasortof elementarycomedy.

DEVELOPMENTOFTHEDRAMATO156151

52ENGLISHLITERATURE

Englishpoetryonlyafewyearsbefore(see19).

TABLEOFTHE

HenryI.,1110-1135.

HenryIII.,1216-1272.

EdwardIII.,1327-77.

HenryVI.,1422-1471.

RichardIII.,1483-1485.

HenryVII.,1485-1509.

HenryVIII.,1509-1547.

EdwardVI.,1547-1553.

Elizabeth,1558-1603.

DEVELOPMENTTO1566.

OFTHEDRAMA

Firstrecordeddramaticperfor-

manceinEngland,Ludusde

S.Katherina,about1110../

InstitutionoftheFestivalof

CorpusChristi,bywhicha

greatimpulsewasgiventothe performanceofmiracleplays,

1264.xx

Yorkcycle,about1340.

Chestercycle,middleof141!)

century.

Wakefieldcycle,middleof15th

century.

Coventrycycle,I5thcentury.

Earliestextantmoralityplay,

TheCastellofPerseverance,

middleofI5thcentury.

Interludes,earlyi6thcentury.

TheFour/'

.v,about1520.

RoisterDoixter,about1550.

ManytranslationsofSeneca's

tragedies,secondhalfofi6lh century.

Gorboduc,1561.

(ininmcrGurtoifsNeedle(by

JohnStill,secondEnglish

comedy),1566.

CHAPTERVI.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625).

Non-DramaticVerse.

23.TheAgeofShakespeare.Wenowenterwhat

whichweuseheretheAgeofShakespeare.

54ENGLISHLITERATURE

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)55

andextravagantloyaltytoEngland'squeen. certaintobereflectedinit.

24.ElizabethanPoetrybeforeSpenserWemay

in1579asmarkingtheopeningofthe"goldenage "of

56ENGLISHLITERATURE

andwasdesignedtoincludealongseriesof" tragical

25.SpenserandhisPoetry.EDMUNDSPENSER,the

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)57

year,andoni6thJanuary,1599,d^dinaninnat

Westminster.

58ENGLISHLITERATURE

thenoblestweddinghymnin-thelanguage."

SirWalterRaleigh.TheFairyQueenkeepingher

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)59

60ENGLISHLITERATURE

allegorymustneverbealtogetherignored.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)61

romanticrevival.

Protestantism.

andwhichisnowalwaysknownbyhisname.Thisis (ababbcbc)ofTheMonkesTale.

62ENGLISHLITERATURE

werethenwritten,andaboutafewofthemenwho helpedtoswellthechorusofElizabethansong. merelyfeigned.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)63

toil."Wemustrememberthatsuchpoemswerethe generation.Meanwhile,anewkindofpoetrywas "schoolofpoetry,ofwhichweshall havesomethingmoretosaypresently. seepp.89-92.

CHAPTERVII.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(Continued.}

TheDrama.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)65

ofthepopularstage.

Beforeweturntotheirwork,however,wemustbe

tic"typesofplay. episodewaspermittedinit;acomedyhadtobea

66ENGLISHLITERATURE

inconnectionwithitscentralsubject.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)67

TheseareLylyandMarlowe.

LYLYismostwidelyknownastheauthorofaprose

68ENGLISHLITERATURE

muchtohisexample.FromLylyShakespearealso

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)69

mind. man,hisfewyearsatschoolthusgavehimasound

70ENGLISHLITERATURE

year.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)71

tohimtothebestpossibleaccount. thefinestlyricalpoetryoftheirtime.

72ENGLISHLITERATURE

ofeachperiodismarked. (i)1588-93 :Periodofearlyand,toalargeextent, technicalfeatures. (ii)1594-1600 :Periodofthegreatcomediesand

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)73

inpowerandtechnique.Itisfarmoremassivein

Athens.

74ENGLISHLITERATURE

temporaryandfriend,Fletcher(see34) tualandartistichistory.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)75

nooneelsehascreatedsomanymenandwomenwhom thatnumber.

76ENGLISHLITERATURE

world'sdramatists.

33.BenJonson.Shakespeare'sagewasmarkedby

comedyEveryManinhisHumour.Formanyyears bynineteenyears.Jonsondidagooddealofwork

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)77

intothreegroups :hiscourtmasques;hishistorical particularqualityor"masterpassion "which(forthe ;8ENGLISHLITERATURE onceindicatetheirspecial"humours" ;as,forinstance, ofwhatisknownastheComedyofManners,andhis mostpositionsinthesecondrank.JOHNWEBSTER

1616)andJOHNFLETCHER(1579-1625)arealways

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)79

tionhimhereas,inCharlesLamb'sphrase, "thelastofa menwhomweneednotpausetoname,thedeclineof signofthegeneraldecay.

35.ThePlayhousesofShakespeare'sTime.Itis

80ENGLISHLITERATURE

wereprovidedforthe"groundlings "inthe"yard"or legendsas"ThisisAthens,"and"Thisisawood" ofpaintedscenery :thecontinualchangeinthelocality

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)i

performers. seepp.89-92.

CHAPTERVIII.

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(Concluded}.

Prose.

considerableprogresswasmade. sandhisEngland.Theformerwaspublishedir;

THEAGEOFSHAKESPEARE(1558-1625)83

84ENGLISHLITERATURE

vincemeoflightnessinansweringsuchtoys" ;inwhich, lightness,""givingear"and"answer- combinedwithalliteration,as,forexamplequotesdbs_dbs31.pdfusesText_37