Exploring Literary Landmarks in English to 1700

John Milton  John Milton | Biography, Poems, Paradise Lost, Quotes, & Facts | Britannica Who is John Milton ? Born in 1608 and died in around1674 during the Neoclassical Period, Milton was the writer of many poems. In summary, he was an educated individual and went to the University of Cambridge. After eventually losing his sight, Milton still continued to dictate works to be published.  Links: Ten famous poems of Milton's:  10 Greatest Poems Written by John Milton | Society of Classical Poets   

  Geoffery Chaucer. Image found at:   Geoffrey Chaucer - Canterbury Tale, Books & Poems - Biography Who is Chaucer and what is his importance to the English Literary World?       You can see a detailed bibliography from the link above. In summary, his lifespan was from 1343-1400, landing him in the Middle English Period. He was most famous for his works  The Canterbury Tales. These works, although notable, were not appreciated by all audiences. The nature of these stories could be interpreted as both offensive and entirely unchivalrous. Needless to say, this writing style opened a door to future parodies and controversial writings. Links involving Chaucer: General Prologue: Hhttps://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43926/the-canterbury-tales-general-prologueere is a link to a poem written about Geoffery Chaucer: A poem about Chaucer: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44627/chaucer  Fun You Tube link about Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales | Sum...

  📜This is a critical time-period marked at approximately 700 CE to the late 1600’s. This is shaped by an assortment of  English literary landmarks. The development during this time period in the English language and style is drastic. 📜 Links: Fun YouTube Link on English Language: Where did English come from? - Claire Bowern - YouTube

  Page from Beowulf  https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf   Beowulf       Beowulf is an extremely important piece of English Literature. The reason for this is not only does it remain to be this extremely long and interesting poem, but it is actually a rare find from the Old English time-period. There is no know author and during this Medieval time, there is extremely little writing that survived. It is interesting to wonder what other literature during this time-period would have looked like.

  Literary Landmarks in English to 1700 (Drawing by Christina O'Hara)      Language and writing adapts over time. From 700 CE to the late 1600's English literature works through vast changes, yet similar themes can be seen. Some of these include: focus on chivalrous and unchivalrous character types, a moral lesson to be learned and romantic conflicts. For the average reader, the readings of Beowulf  and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are written in language that is complex and different than English writings found in modern day. As we get closer to the 1600's in our readings, one will find that these readings are more comparable to language we see today.       By reading these texts, an individual can gain a better understanding of adaptations over time. We can see how language grows and develops over time. There is no better way to see and understand the language of today and how it will develop, than gaining knowledge of writings of ...