Discourse of Literature

Though it is very difficult to make a clear division between or among the various ages of English literary history. But for ease, scholars have made a division based on the literary style and subject that were popular in that particular age. So the different ages in literature are as follows- 1. Old English period (Anglo-Saxon) 450-1066 2. Middle English period- 1066-1500 3. The Renaissance period (or Early Modern)- 1500-1600      It is further divided into :-          1558-1603 Elizabethan Age          1603-1625 Jacobean Age          1625-1649 Caroline Age          1649-1660 Commonwealth period (or Puritan Interregnum) 4. The Neoclassical Period - 1660-1785       It is further divided into :-        1660-1700 The Restoration        1700-1745 The Augustan Age        1745-1785 The Age o...

Literature refers to works that embody essential human qualities such as emotion, imagination, permanence, and artistic value, which have universality.   The word Literature is derived from the Latin " litteraturae " meaning "writing". "Literature" is commonly used since the eighteenth century to designate   fictional and imaginative writings (poetry, prose, fiction, and drama). Characteristics of literature:- Artistic -  It is an essential quality of all literature. All art is an expression of life in the form of truth and beauty. Which remain unnoticed until brought to our attention by some sensitive human soul.                                     Suggestive -  It's an appeal to our emotions and imagination. For example, when Faustus, in the presence of Helen, asks, "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships"? He does not state a fact; rather, he opens a door of ou...