English Literature from the 19th Century Through Today (The Britannica Guide to World Literature)

As the British empire expanded ever outward, English writers of the 19th and early 20th centuries such as Charles Dickens, T.S. Eliot, and Virginia Woolf turned their gaze inward to matters of ethical and moral import. Modern writers continue to examine British identity by reformulating and reinventing literary movements and devices introduced by their predecessors. Readers of this volume are invited to observe the progression of English literature and enjoy the stories behind some of the most seminal works in the world. TITLE......Page 4 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 INTRODUCTION......Page 9 CHAPTER 1 THE POST-ROMANTICAND VICTORIAN ERAS......Page 18 CHARLES DICKENS......Page 20 THACKERAY, GASKELL, AND OTHERS......Page 41 THE BRONTËS......Page 42 EARLY VICTORIAN VERSE......Page 43 ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON......Page 44 ROBERT BROWNING AND ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING......Page 51 CLOUGH AND ARNOLD......Page 55 EARLY VICTORIAN NONFICTION PROSE......Page 63 THOMAS CARLYLE......Page 64 JOHN RUSKIN......Page 70 LATE VICTORIAN LITERATURE......Page 81 THE NOVEL......Page 82 VERSE......Page 112 THE VICTORIAN THEATRE......Page 133 OSCAR WILDE......Page 134 ARTHUR WING PINERO......Page 139 VICTORIAN LITERARY COMEDY......Page 141 EDWARDIAN NOVELISTS......Page 142 G.K. CHESTERTON......Page 144 JOSEPH CONRAD......Page 147 GEORGE BERNARD SHAW......Page 153 HARLEY GRANVILLE-BARKER......Page 163 ANGLO-AMERICAN MODERNISM: POUND, LEWIS, LAWRENCE, AND ELIOT......Page 165 CELTIC MODERNISM: YEATS, JOYCE, JONES, AND MACDIARMID......Page 169 THE LITERATURE OF WORLD WAR I AND THE INTERWAR PERIOD......Page 173 BROOKE AND SASSOON......Page 174 ALDOUS HUXLEY......Page 175 THE OLD AND NEW GUARD......Page 177 VIRGINIA WOOLF......Page 184 WOMEN AND MODERNISM......Page 204 THE 1930S......Page 206 W.H. AUDEN......Page 208 ELIZABETH BOWEN......Page 213 GEORGE ORWELL......Page 214 THE LITERATURE OF WORLD WAR II (1939–45)......Page 221 T.S. ELIOT......Page 222 EVELYN WAUGH......Page 231 CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE AFTER 1945......Page 234 FICTION......Page 235 INFLUENTIAL FICTION WRITERS OF THE PERIOD......Page 243 KINGSLEY AMIS......Page 244 MARTIN AMIS......Page 247 JULIAN BARNES......Page 248 A.S. BYATT......Page 249 WILLIAM GOLDING......Page 250 DORIS LESSING......Page 251 IAN MCEWAN......Page 253 MURIEL SPARK......Page 254 POETRY AND NOTABLE POETS......Page 256 JOHN BETJEMAN......Page 260 SEAMUS HEANEY......Page 261 TED HUGHES......Page 263 PHILIP LARKIN......Page 265 DRAMA......Page 266 HAROLD PINTER......Page 271 TERENCE RATTIGAN......Page 274 TOM STOPPARD......Page 275 THE 21ST CENTURY......Page 278 EPILOGUE......Page 281 GLOSSARY......Page 283 THE 20TH CENTURY: FROM 1900 TO 1945......Page 285 LITERATURE AFTER 1945......Page 287 INDEX......Page 288 BACK COVER......Page 303 As the British empire expanded ever outward, English writers of the 19th and early 2th centuries turned their gaze inward to matters of ethical and moral import. The social and psychological realities of the human condition were increasingly explored in the fiction and verse of writers such as Charles Dickens, T.S. Eliot, and Virginia Woolf. Although the body of English literature became less cohesive as the empire declined, modern writers continue to examine British identity by reformulating and reinventing literary movements and devices introduced by their predecessors. Readers of this volume are invited to observe the progression of English literature and enjoy the stories behind some of the most seminal works in the world. Weaving together imagination and social commentary, the literature of a nation is often the most effective way to understand the ethos of its people at any given time. The written word offers a sharpened lens through which readers can perceive the world they inhabit, so as to better comprehend personal or universal truths. This captivating series presents major authors, poets, and texts from the world over, immersing students in the life stories of authors that are often as engaging as the narratives these writers have crafted. Discussions on significant literary movements place the works in social context and reveal the Zeitgeist of each era. BOOK COVER; TITLE; COPYRIGHT; CONTENTS; INTRODUCTION; CHAPTER 1 THE POST-ROMANTICAND VICTORIAN ERAS; CHAPTER 2 THE 20TH CENTURY: FROM 1900 TO 1945; CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE AFTER 1945; EPILOGUE; GLOSSARY; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX; BACK COVER; This book describes English literary development from the Post-Romantic and Victorian eras of the nineteenth century to the post-World War II era of the twentieth century