Major Terms of English Literature(2)

Major Terms of English Literature

pictures．Some times they resort to symbolic methods．In contrast to the rationalism of the enlighteners in the 18th century，the romanticists paid great attention to the spiritual and emotional life of man. Nature often personified，plays an important role in their works．The passions of man and the beauties of nature appealed strongly to the imagination of the writer，and the glory of lakes and mountains，the little joys and sorrows of children，the weal and woe of ordinary，uncultured peasants，the wonder of the fairy world，and the classical art all became the fountain-heads of the writer’s inspiration．

Chronologically the Victorian period roughly coincides with the reign of Queen Victoria over England from1836 to 1901. The period has been generally regarded as one of the most glorious in the English history. the main characteristics of the English literature in Victorian Period ：Victorian literature，as a product of its age，naturally took on its quality of magnitude and diversity．It was many-sided and complex，and reflected both romantically and realistically the great changes that were going on in people’s life and thought．Victorian literature，in general，truthfully represents the reality and spirit of the age. The high-spirited vitality，the down-to-earth earnestness，the good-natured humor and unbounded imagination are all unprecedented．In almost every genre it paved the way for the coming century，where its spirits，values and experiments are to witness their bump harvest．

Dramatic Monologue：In some degree almost every poem can be called a dramatic monologue：a single speaker is saying something to some one，even if only to himself．Frost’s lyric beginning“Whose woods these are I think I know”is an obvious example．But whereas the speaker of a lyric usually seems to be the poet，the speaker of a dramatic monologue is a fictional character or an historical figure caught at a critical moment．His utterance is conditioned by the situation，and is usually directed to a silent audience．The speaker commonly reveals aspects of his personality of which he himself is unaware；in a“My Last Duchess，”Browning’s duke is insufferable but doesn’t know it.

Modernism was a complex and diverse international movement in all creative arts，originating about the end of the 19th century．It provided the greatest renaissance of the 20th century．It was made up of many facets，such a symbolism, surrealism, cubism，expressionism，futurism，etc．It has also been called“the tradition of the new” a conscious rejection of established rules，traditions and conventions，and“the de-humanization of art”pushing into the background traditional notions of the individual and society．

The main theme of Yeats' “Sailing to Byzantium” and its symbolic significance In his famous poem, “Sailing to Byzantium”, Yeats explored the problems of death, love, old age and art. Being at the junction of East and West, the city became a refuge from tome, and, at once, purgatory and paradise, a haunt of spirit, symbolizing the unity of opposites.