Old English Literature The early inhabitants of the island of England, the Celts and other tribes, left no written literary works.
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the domestic political and economic contradictions in Britain Intensified, the turmoil of people's hearts was reflected in literature. In addition to the decline of poetic drama mentioned above, there was also a sharp increase in polemic articles surrounding political and religious issues in prose works. In poetry, metaphysical poetry and poetry represented by Donne appeared. Love poems written by some aristocratic young people called knights. The former uses novel images and rhythms to write about the complex mood of alternating doubt and belief, showing the impact of the great scientific progress at that time on traditional culture; the latter expresses a kind of apocalypse. Sentiment. After the Restoration, the literary trend changed. Satire poems mocking the Puritans, French-style "heroic tragedies" and "comedy of manners" reflecting the glitz and frivolous aristocratic life became popular. Such comedies also contain intentional satire. Such as Congreve's "The Way of the World" (1700). The leading figure in the literary world at this time was Dryden. He had many talents, and his main achievements were in political satire and literary theory. There were also writers who opposed the social trends of the time. For example, Bunyan, who came from the lower class, his "Pilgrim's Progress" (1678) used simple and vivid words and fables to narrate the experience of devout believers in a world full of sin, and to those who lived in "Vanity Fair". The upper-class people made severe condemnations. There are echoes of Puritanism here, and the excellent narrative ability of the work makes it a precursor of modern novels.
There are also two types of prose works, which brought new Meteorology. One category is scientific articles. The Royal Society, established in 1660, requires members to use "the language of craftsmen, countrymen, and merchants" and try their best to express everything as "as simple and unpretentious as mathematics." The other category is philosophical works. Hobbes, and later Locke, all expressed their empirical philosophy and political thoughts in clear and powerful words. In particular, Locke's far-reaching social contract theory became the theoretical basis of modern bourgeois democratic politics. Realistic The literary style and democratic ideas were welcomed by the bourgeoisie. Although the king was restored, the real power was still in their hands. In 1688, they ousted another unpopular king. From then on, the regime was firmly held by the alliance of businessmen and landowners. In the first half of the 18th century, British society was stable and neoclassicism was advocated in literature. Its representative was the poet Pope. He used the heroic couplet style very skillfully. He was good at writing satirical poems, but mostly vented his personal grievances. Prose writers mainly showed the spirit of Enlightenment. They promoted the art of prose and opened up two new fields of literature, namely journal essays and realistic novels. However, although the power of prose is Poetry has not been silent since then. Not only Pope and Thomson were writing at the beginning of the century, but also some famous prose writers, such as Swift, Johnson and Goldsmith, were also good at writing poetry. By the second half of the century, sentimentalism Poetry also revived, with the emergence of such masterpieces as Young's "Night Thoughts" (1742-1745) and Gray's "Graveyard Elegy" (1750), which reflected the pain felt by many people in Britain as the industrial revolution intensified. The "Ancient Poems in English" (1765) edited by He Helan and Percy aroused the interest in ancient folk songs, so there were imitators and forgers, forming a trend of fascination with the Middle Ages. At this time, the economy was not very good. The voice of the peasant poet Burns came from developed Scotland. He was both the organizer of old folk songs and the creator of new poems. The content of his songs was the new ideas of love and freedom, equality and fraternity. The latter is precisely The crystallization of French Enlightenment thought led to the French Revolution in the late 1980s. The acceptance or rejection of this revolution, sympathy or opposition, caused serious divisions among British prose writers, but most poets " The "dawn" moment is full of hope for the future of mankind. In such an atmosphere, romantic poetry was produced.