Evolution of English Poetry and Literature

The evolution of British literature is a fascinating discovery of talentthat continues to impress us. Literature has been blessed with greatwriters that come from a relatively small country. Literature often tellsus much about society, the author, and ourselves. When we read Chaucer'sThe Canterbury Tales, we cannot help but be reminded of our quirky nature.When we read Hamlet or Othello, we are reminded of our frail humancondition. When we read Milton's "Paradise Lost," we become aware of thespiritual side of life. All of these writers influenced literature intheir time and continue to influence audiences today because of their When we consider the birth and expanse of literature, we first beginwith the Middle Ages, which covers approximately 1000 years to roughly1485. Earliest influences on literature stem from what is commonlyreferred to the Dark Ages. M. H. Abrams notes that this is a particularterm used to define the period, given that the time was only relativelydark" (Abrams Vol. II. 1). Literature from this time is varied but manystories and poems revolved around the idea of the heroic. Courtly life isa common theme as well as dying for a glorious purpose,
Abrams contends that Yeats'poetry represents the "history of English poetry from 1890 to 1939" (1731). Abrams notes the Beowulf is a poem about courage even though doom gets thebetter of him at the end of the story. WhileRomantic poets used regular language to express their notions of thebeautiful world, their poetry is still difficult because of its"conceptions and psychological states it explores" (41). We need only tolook at the poetry of William Blake to understand this point of view. To be more specific, Perkins notesthat Shelley appeals to us through "imagery, versification, tone, andrhetorical pattern" (953). Both of thesetechniques can be seen in his poem, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci," in whichthe poet depicts a mysterious woman in a mysterious setting to which heprovides no answers. The poem is also unique in that it utilizes satire andromance to illustrate its points. Because he died at the age 25, we cannot know what he could haveaccomplished. Learning and the revival of classicalliterature created a time of growth, which is expressed in literature thatexplores humanity and all of the types of thought present at the time. This includingbreaking free from traditional forms and trying their hands at new metricalmethods. He was not afraid to approach difficult issuesand this can be seen in his great epic Paradise Lost. John Keats was the youngest of the Romanticwriters. Each period reflects anage and tone of mankind that helps us understand the past. Auden experienced popularity until World War II, whichushered in the era of the "New Apocalypse" (1732). Perkins also observes that most Romantic poets"believed in the reality or supersensousness or noumenal realm of being"(10).