COLEGIO DE LA PURISIMA CONCEPCION

The School of Archdiocese of Capiz

Roxas City

Course Subject: Literary Criticism (LIT 6)

Topic A: Literary Period (EARLY PERIODS OF LITERATURE)

Prepared by: Group 3 Professor: Simplicia G. Pacifico Ph.D.

These periods are spans of time in which literature shared intellectual, linguistic,
religious, and artistic influences. In the Western tradition, the early periods of literary history
are roughly as follows below:
A. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (1200 B.C.E - 455 C.E)
The period known as “archaic” Greece begins around 800 years before the birth of
Christ. This is the era of the epic poets Homer and Hesiod, and of the lyric poets Archilochus,
Ibycus, Alcaeus and Sappho. What we call the _Classical_ period emerges around 500 B.C., the
period of the great dramatists Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles, the philosophers Socrates,
Plato and Aristotle, the schools of rhetoric, and the rise of Athenian democracy and power.
After this is the _Hellenistic_ period, witnessing the diffusion of Greek culture through much of
the mediterranean and middle east, a diffusion vastly accelerated by the conquests of
Alexander the Great, and the various dynasties established by his generals after his death in 323
B.C. Over the Hellenised domains there was a common ruling class culture, using a common
literary dialect and a common education system.1 The city of Alexandria in Egypt, founded by
Alexander in 331 B.C., became a centre of scholarship and letters, housing an enormous library
and museum, and hosting such renowned poets and grammarians as Callimachus, Apollonius
Rhodius, Aristarchus and Zenodotus. We know of these figures partly through the work of
Suetonius (c. 69-140 A.D.) who wrote the first histories of literature and criticism.2
The Hellenistic period is usually said to end with the battle of Actium in 31 B.C.in which
the last portion of Alexander_s empire, Egypt, was annexed by the increasingly powerful and
expanding Roman Republic. After his victory at Actium, the entire Roman world fell under the
sole rulership of Julius Caesar_s nephew, Octavian, soon to become revered as the first Roman
Emperor, Augustus. During this span of almost a thousand years, poets, philosophers,
rhetoricians, grammarians and critics laid down many of the basic terms, concepts and
questions that were to shape the future of literature as it evolved all the way through to our
own century. These include the concept of _mimesis_ or imitation; the concept of beauty and
its connection with truth and goodness; the ideal of the organic unity of a literary work; the
social, political and moral functions of literature; the connection between literature, philosophy
and rhetoric; the nature and status of language; the impact of literary performance on an
audience; the definition of figures of speech such as metaphor, metonymy and symbol; the
notion of a _canon_ of the most important literary works; and the development of various
genres such as epic, tragedy, comedy, lyric poetry and song
Homeric or Heroic Period (1200-800 BCE)
Greek legends are passed along orally, including Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey.
This is a chaotic period of warrior-princes, wandering sea-traders, and fierce pirates.

Classical Greek Period (800-200 BCE)

Greek writers, playwrights, and philosophers such as Gorgias, Aesop, Plato, Socrates,
Aristotle, Euripides, and Sophocles. The fifth century (499-400 BCE) in particular is renowned as
The Golden Age of Greece. This is the sophisticated period of the polis, or individual City-State,
and early democracy. Some of the world's finest art, poetry, drama, architecture, and
philosophy originate in Athens.

Classical Roman Period (200 BCE-455 CE)

Greece's culture gives way to Roman power when Rome conquers Greece in 146 CE. The
Roman Republic was traditionally founded in 509 BCE, but it is limited in size until later.
Playwrights of this time include Plautus and Terence. After nearly 500 years as a Republic, Rome
slides into dictatorship under Julius Caesar and finally into a monarchial empire under Caesar
Augustus in 27 CE. This later period is known as the Roman Imperial period. Roman writers
include Ovid, Horace, and Virgil. Roman philosophers include Marcus Aurelius and Lucretius.
Roman rhetoricians include Cicero and Quintilian.

Patristic Period (c. 70 CE-455 CE)

Early Christian writings appear such as Saint Augustine, Tertullian, Saint Cyprian, Saint
Ambrose and Saint Jerome. This is the period in which Saint Jerome first compiles the Bible,
when Christianity spreads across Europe, and the Roman Empire suffers its dying convulsions.
In this period, barbarians attack Rome in 410 CE and the city finally falls to them completely in
455 CE.

B. THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD (455 CE-1485 CE)

Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works
available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (that is, the one thousand years from
the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. AD 500 to the beginning of the Renaissance in the
14th, 15th or 16th century, depending on country). The literature of this time was composed of
religious writings as well as secular works. Just as in modern literature, it is a complex and rich
field of study, from the utterly sacred to the exuberantly profane, touching all points in-
between. Works of literature are often grouped by place of origin, language, and genre.

Types of writing
Religious
Theological works were the dominant form of literature typically found in libraries
during the Middle Ages. Catholic clerics were the intellectual center of society in the Middle
Ages, and it is their literature that was produced in the greatest quantity.
Countless hymns survive from this time period (both liturgical and paraliturgical). The
liturgy itself was not in fixed form, and numerous competing missals set out individual
conceptions of the order of the mass. Religious scholars such as Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas
Aquinas, and Pierre Abélard wrote lengthy theological and philosophical treatises, often
attempting to reconcile the teachings of the Greek and Roman pagan authors with the
doctrines of the Church. Hagiographies, or "lives of the saints", were also frequently written, as
an encouragement to the devout and a warning to others.
The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine reached such popularity that, in its time, it
was reportedly read more often than the  Bible. Francis of Assisi was a prolific poet, and
his Franciscan followers frequently wrote poetry themselves as an expression of their
piety. Dies Irae and Stabat Mater are two of the most powerful Latin poems on religious
subjects. Goliardic poetry (four-line stanzas of satiric verse) was an art form used by some
clerics to express dissent. The only widespread religious writing that was not produced by
clerics were the mystery plays: growing out of simple tableaux re-enactments of a single Biblical
scene, each mystery play became its village's expression of the key events in the Bible. The text
of these plays was often controlled by local guilds, and mystery plays would be performed
regularly on set feast-days, often lasting all day long and into the night.
During the Middle Ages, the Jewish population of Europe also produced a number of
outstanding writers. Maimonides, born in Cordoba, Spain, and Rashi, born in Troyes, France,
are two of the best-known and most influential of these Jewish authors.
Secular
The first page of Beowulf
Secular literature in this period was not produced in equal quantity as religious
literature. The earliest tales are based on oral traditions: the British Y Gododdin and Preiddeu
Annwfn, along with the Germanic Beowulf and Nibelungenlied. They relate to myths or certain
6th-century events, but the surviving manuscripts date from centuries later—Y Gododdin from
the late 13th century, Preiddu Annwfn from the early 14th century, Beowulf from c. 1000, and
the Nibelungenlied from the 13th century. The makers and performers
were bards (British/Welsh) and scops (Germanic), elite professionals attached to royal or noble
courts to praise the heroes of legendary history.
Prose tales first emerged in Britain: the intricate  Four Branches of the  Mabinogi about
princely families, notably anti-war in theme, and the romantic adventure  Culhwch and Olwen.
(The Mabinogi is not the same as the Mabinogion, a collection of disconnected prose tales,
which does, however, include both the Mabinogi and Culhwch and Olwen.) These works were
compiled from earlier oral tradition c. 1100.
At about the same time a new poetry of " courtly love" became fashionable in Europe.
Traveling singers—troubadours and trouvères—made a living from their love songs
in French, Spanish, Galician-Portuguese, Catalan, Provençal, and Greek. Germanic culture had
its Minnesänger tradition. The songs of courtly love often express unrequited longing for an
ideal woman, but there are also aubades (dawn farewells by lovers) and humorous ditties.
Following the earliest epic poems, prose tales, and romances, more long poems were
crafted—the chansons de geste of the late 11th and early 12th centuries. These extolled
conquests, as in The Song of Roland (part of the Matter of France) and Digenis Acritas (one of
the Acritic songs). The rather different chivalric romance tradition concerns adventures about
marvels, love, and chivalry. They tell of the Matter of Britain and the Matter of Rome.
Political poetry threads throughout the period from the very early Armes Prydein (10th-
century Britain) to the goliard rebels of 12th and 13th centuries, who were church trained
clerics unable or unwilling to be employed in the church.
Travel literature was highly popular in the Middle Ages, as fantastic accounts of far-off
lands (frequently embellished or entirely false) entertained a society that supported sea
voyages and trading along coasts and rivers, as well as pilgrimages to such destinations
as Jerusalem; Canterbury and Glastonbury in England; St. David's in Wales; and Santiago de
Compostela in Spain. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales became popular at the end of the
14th century.
The most prominent authors of Jewish secular poetry in the Middle Ages were Solomon
ibn Gabirol and Yehuda Halevi, both of whom were also renowned religious poets.
Women's literature
While it is true that women in the medieval period were never accorded full equality
with men, some women were able to use their skill with the written word to gain renown.
Religious writing was the easiest avenue—women who would later be canonized
as saints frequently published their reflections, revelations, and prayers. Much of what is
known about women in the Middle Ages is known from the works of nuns such as Clare of
Assisi, Bridget of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena.
Frequently, however, the religious perspectives of women were held to be unorthodox
by those in power, and the mystical visions of such authors as Julian of Norwich, Mechthild of
Magdeburg, and Hildegard of Bingen provide insight into a part of the medieval experience less
comfortable for the institutions that ruled Europe at the time. Women wrote influential texts in
the secular realm as well—reflections on courtly love and society by  Marie de
France and Christine de Pizan continue to be studied for their glimpses of medieval society.
For modern historical reflection, D.H. Green's (2007) historical work entitled,  Women
Readers of the Middle Ages explores literacy and literature in terms of women in medieval
society.[1] The book has been reviewed as "a radical reassessment of women's contribution to
medieval literary culture." [2]
Allegory
While medieval literature makes use of many literary devices, allegory is so prominent in
this period as to deserve special mention. Much of medieval literature relied on allegory to
convey the morals the author had in mind while writing—representations of abstract qualities,
events, and institutions are thick in much of the literature of this time. Probably the earliest and
most influential allegory is the Psychomachia (Battle of Souls) by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius.
Other important examples include the  Romance of the Rose, Everyman, Piers Plowman, Roman
de Fauvel, and The Divine Comedy.
The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (428-1066)
The so-called "Dark Ages" (455 CE -799 CE) occur when Rome falls and barbarian tribes
move into Europe. Franks, Ostrogoths, Lombards, and Goths settle in the ruins of Europe and
the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes migrate to Britain, displacing native Celts into Scotland, Ireland,
and Wales. Early Old English poems such as Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Seafarer originate
sometime late in the Anglo-Saxon period.
The Carolingian Renaissance (800- 850 CE) emerges in Europe. In central Europe, texts
include early medieval grammars, encyclopedias, etc. In northern Europe, this time period
marks the setting of Viking sagas.
The Middle English Period (c. 1066-1450 CE)
In 1066, Norman French armies invade and conquer England under William I. This marks
the end of the AngloSaxon hierarchy and the emergence of the Twelfth Century Renaissance (c.
1100-1200 CE). French chivalric romances--such as works by Chretien de Troyes--and French
fables--such as the works of Marie de France and Jeun de Meun--spread in popularity. Abelard
and other humanists produce great scholastic and theological works.
Late or "High" Medieval Period (c. 1200-1485 CE): This often tumultuous period is
marked by the Middle English writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, the "Gawain" or "Pearl" Poet, the
Wakefield Master, and William Langland. Other writers include Italian and French authors like
Boccaccio, Petrarch, Dante, and Christine de Pisan.

C. THE RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION (c. 1485-1660 CE)

During the Renaissance/Reformation period, literature flourished primarily

in Italy, France, Spain, and England. Thanks to the invention of printing (in 15th-century
Germany) and the Early Modern rise of the  middle class (which possessed the time and wealth
to partake in literacy), literature spread more quickly and to a wider audience than ever before.

Renaissance

The cultural shift known as the Renaissance (which emerged in Italy, then spread across
Western Europe) can be defined as "the full revival of humanism". The
term humanism denotes "an outlook that emphasizes human capabilities and concerns"; the
two most visible consequences of this outlook are secular appreciation (i.e. appreciation for
humans and the human world) and critical thought.

Propelled by humanism, Renaissance scholars sought to revive the study of classical

literature, as well as to create new literature in the spirit of the classics. Renaissance authors
embraced humanism by injecting a measure of realism (physical, social, emotional) into the
characters, plots, and settings of this new literature, distinguishing it from medieval work
(which lacked such realism). Though some new creative writing was produced in Latin, the
dominance of vernacular languages (which had been established by medieval writers) would
not be displaced.

While the Renaissance took place mainly within the period ca. 1400-1600, the roots of
the movement lie in the fourteenth century. This is especially true of literature, the earliest
field of Renaissance endeavor. Thus, in discussion of literary history, it is convenient to define
the span of the Renaissance as ca. 1300-1600. (Alternatively, the period ca. 1300-1400 can be
described as a transitional "pre-Renaissance".)

Reformation

The Renaissance overlaps with most of the Reformation, in which much of northern

Europe was converted to Protestantism (see Reformation). Since Protestantism emphasizes
salvation through individual faith (as opposed to relying on clergy as intermediaries), its
adherents were encouraged to become literate and personally read the Bible. Rates
of literacy improved, and the Bible was translated into many vernacular languages (including a
German translation by Luther).
 Early Tudor Period (1485-1558)
The War of the Roses ends in England with Henry Tudor (Henry VII) claiming the
throne. Martin Luther's split with Rome marks the emergence of Protestantism, followed by
Henry VIII's Anglican schism, which creates the first Protestant church in England. Edmund
Spenser is a sample poet.

Elizabethan Period (1558-1603)

Queen Elizabeth saves England from both Spanish invasion and internal squabbles at
home. Her reign is marked by the early works of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Kydd, and Sidney.

Jacobean Period (1603-1625)

Shakespeare's later work, Aemilia Lanyer, Ben Jonson, and John Donne.

Caroline Age (1625-1649)

John Milton, George Herbert, Robert Herrick, the "Sons of Ben" and others write during
the reign of Charles I and his Cavaliers.

Commonwealth Period or Puritan Interregnum (1649-1660):

Under Cromwell's Puritan dictatorship, John Milton continues to write, but we also find
writers like Andrew Marvell and Sir Thomas Browne.