English Culture

1593

English playwright Christopher Marlow, whose Dr. Faustus and other plays introduced blank verse into English literature, was killed under mysterious circumstances.

1596

The 6 books of Edmund Spenser's the Faerie (Fairy) Queen were published together in a single volume.

1597

British philosopher Sir Francis Bacon, one of the great masters of English prose, published the first edition of his Essays.

1606

Volpone and the Alchemist, English playwright Ben Johnson's most successful satiric comedies, were written and performed between 1606 and 1610.

1651

British philosopher Thomas Hobbs published Leviathan, one of the great works of political philosophy.

1660

Samuel Pepys began his Diary, one of the most comprehensive and detailed portraits of English society during Restoration.

1667

John Milton published Paradise Lost, his masterpiece.

1700

The Way of the World, considered by many to be the wittiest and the most successful allegory in the English language, was completed by British playwright William Congreve.

1709

British writer and editor Sir Richard Steel founded the first famous London newspaper the Tatler.

1711

Another famous newspaper the Spectator was founded by Steel and his friend and partner Joseph Addison.

1719

English novelist Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe, the first and the most famous of his series of adventure tales

1726

English novelist Jonathan Swift's masterpiece, the satirical novel Gulliver's Travels, was published and got critical success and controversy.

1728

English poet and playwright John Gay published his famous ballad-opera the Beggar's Opera, considered to be the greatest theatrical success of the 18th century.

1740

English novelist Samuel Richardson published his epistolary novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.

1749

“The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” by Henry Fielding (a well-known English novelist and playwright) was published.

1794

Early Romantic British poet William Blake published his poetry collection Songs of Innocence and Experience.

1798

English Romantic poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge published the most important collection of poems and essays in English literature, Lyrical Ballads.

Words:

heritage achievement raid enduring paganism medieval aspiration vigour playwright circumstance volume comprehensive epistolary controversy	наследие достижение набег длительный язычество средневековый стремление сила драматург обстоятельство том исчерпывающий эпистолярный спор

TEXT IB

1. Pay attention to the following proper names:

Romanticism, Gothic, Horace Walpole, Ontario, Ann Radcliffe, Udolpho, Mary Shelly, Frankenstein, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Edgar Allan Poe, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, Percy Bysshe Shelly, John Keats, George Gordon Byron, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, John Galsworthy, Forsyte, Herbert G. Wells, Edwardian period, Georgian period, Robert Bridges, George Orwell, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcнa Mбrquez, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, Italo Calvino, Vladimir Nabokov, William S. Burroughs, Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

2. Read after the speaker:

Equal, inherently, industrialization, livelier, ghost, reign, provincial, empire, doubt, undernourished, metaphor, sociological, psychological, scientific, transition, rhythm, existence, totalitarianism, satire, genre, phenomenon, possession, distinguish, magician.

English Literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries

English literature of the two last centuries is the history of various movements, which could exist at the same time and which are presented in their incorporation now.

At the end of the 18th century a new literature arose in England. It was called Romanticism, and it opposed most of the ideas held earlier in the century. The Romanticists believed that every person has a right to life, liberty, and equal opportunity. They also believed that people should live close to nature. Thus the Romantic movement was inherently antiprogress, if progress meant industrialization.

Because of this concern for nature and simple folk, authors began to take an interest in old legends, folk ballads. It is generally accepted that the Romantic movement established itself with the publication of the “Lyrical Ballads” by Wordsworth and Coleridge in 1798. Many writers started to give free play to their emotions and to their imaginations. Their pictures of nature became livelier and more realistic. They loved to describe rural scenes, graveyards, majestic mountains, and roaring waterfalls. They also liked to write poems and stories of such eerie or supernatural things as ghosts, haunted castles, fairies and mad folk. In such a way the Gothic novel arose. It was a reaction against pastoral, didactic and sentimental literature. The first Gothic novel in English literature was Horace Walpole's “The Castle of Ontario” (1764). Later novelists of this genre were Ann Radcliffe “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794), Mary Shelly's “Frankenstein”(1816), Bram Stoker's “Dracula” (1897), the stories of Edgar Allan Poe in America. But Romantic literature is of course the poetry of great English poets: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, Percy Bysshe Shelly, John Keats, George Gordon Byron.

From this romantic tradition a realistic one was developed. The literature created during Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1901) was given the name Victorian. Many great changes took place in the first half of the 19th century. Intellectual rebellions, such as those of Byron and Shelley, gave place to balance and adjustment. Individualism began to be replaced by social and governmental restraints. More and more people were gaining comfort and prosperity. Great Britain changed from a provincial nation to a worldwide empire. This progress brought its problems. Science made rapid strides in the 19th century. The theory of evolution gave new insight into the biological sciences. Technical progress transformed Britain into a land of mechanical and industrial activity, but science also created doubts. Nevertheless, many people in England were still poor - badly housed, undernourished, and sick. That period is the period of Charles Dickens. “The Pickwick Papers”, “Oliver Twist”, “David Copperfield” and especially “The Great Expectations” established Dickens's reputation as the greatest English novelist. Next to Charles Dickens the greatest Victorian English novelist was William Makepeace Thackeray. His “Vanity Fair” was the first novel in English to show a woman who was neither very good nor very bad but only very human. The title of the story became the best metaphor for our society, the title of modern world.

The most interesting literary person at the end of the 19th century was Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900). He published his early poetry, wrote book reviews, and edited the journal “Woman's World”. His only novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1891), was severely criticized as immoral. He had the ability to take conventional plots and turn them into brilliant comedies by his witty dialogue. In the classic “The Importance of Being Earnest” the plot and the dialogue are equally fantastic.

Before 1914 the post-Victorian writers were in the unhappy position of looking back at a well-marked literary road and looking ahead at a pathless jungle. They had to grapple with new forces--sociological, psychological, and scientific--because these forces were a part of their lives. They were writers in transition. John Galsworthy turned to the social life of an upper-class English family in “The Forsyte Saga” (1922), a series of novels that recorded the changing values of such a family. The first works of science fiction by Herbert G. Wells were published: “The Time Machine” (1895), “The War of the Worlds” (1898).

The poetry of the Edwardian and Georgian periods (Edward VII, 1901-10; George V, 1910-36) showed many new and unusual characteristics. Robert Bridges experimented with inverse forms. He employed usual subjects of the poet but brought strange rhythms and unusual music to his verse.

World War II more than World War I had a considerable impact on people's ideas about themselves and their place in the universe. The terrible fact of the atom bomb's existence shook their sense of stability. The situation after World War II was such that Communism could spread to many other countries. It could cause people a lot of dangers to individual freedom. The greatest “fairy tale” by George Orwell, “Animal Farm” (1945), came after the war, with the powerful anti-Communist satire. This was followed in 1949 by his attack on totalitarianism entitled “Nineteen Eighty-Four”.

Fantasy fans all over the world know who was the great Father of this genre: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, one of the greatest English novelists and scientists. He achieved fame with epic trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". It is his most famous work, which consists of 3 books: "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers", "The Return of the King". By the mid-60s this remarkable work had become a cultural phenomenon especially among young people. Both "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Ring" are set in the mythical past. This work is about the struggle between good and evil kingdoms for possession of a magical ring that can shift the balance of power in the world.

In the 1940s postmodernism, a new artistic movement in the west, began to develop. It rejects an ordered view of the world. In literature, the movement denies any inherent meaning in language and abandons conventional formal structures. Postmodern fiction distinguishes itself by irony and self-reference and often incorporates a variety of styles. The antinovel, or new novel, rejects such traditional literary features as character development, linear narrative, and social or political content. Magic realism, seen in the works of the Latin American writers Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcнa Mбrquez, joins fantastic or mythical elements with everyday events. Other writers associated with postmodernism are Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Italo Calvino, Vladimir Nabokov, and William S. Burroughs.

The most popular English book of the latest time is “Harry Potter” by Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Children and adults all around the world read books about small magicians. Can literature for children be a new way of literary evolution?

Words:

equal inherently antiprogress to give free play to smb's emotions to accept graveyard to roar eerie ghost reign rebellion adjustment doubt undernourished to grapple transition existence to achieve fame with possession to reject convention conventional to distinguish	равный зд. выражено антипрогрессивный давать волю чувствам соглашаться, принимать кладбище реветь мрачный, странный привидение правление восстание регулирование, регулировка сомнение недоедающий бороться переход существование снискать славу обладание отвергать договор, соглашение общепринятый охарактеризовать

Tasks for the discussion

1. Translate the text into Russian.

2. Answer the following questions:

1. Who was the author of the oldest English poem?

2. What is the oldest heroic epic written in English?

3. What is the name of the first English printer?

4. When and where was W. Shakespeare born?

5. What literary movement concerned for nature, mystery, folk music and poetry?

6. What novel can be the title of the human society?

7. What is the most popular English book of present days?

3. Match the authors with their works:

Thomas Melory	Richard III
Thomas More	Frankenstein
William Shakespeare	The Return of the King
John Galsworthy	The Pickwick Papers
Mary Shelly	Utopia
Charles Dickens	The Forsyte Saga
J. R. R. Tolkien	Le Morte d'Arthur

4. What books are these words taken from?

1) “To be or not to be, - that is the question: -”

2) “In a little time, I began to speak to him, and teach him to speak to me; and, first, I let him know his name should be Friday, which was the day I saved his life…”

3) “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit”.

4) “I heard … the howling of many wolves. The Count's eyes gleamed, and he said: «Listen to them - the children of the night. What music they make!»”

TEXT II

1. Pay attention to the following proper names:

Hans Holbein the Younger, King Henry VIII, Italian, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, Elizabeth Delmй, William Blake, John Constable, Salisbury Cathedral, J.M.W. Turner, Venice,

2. Read after the speaker:

Painting, architecture, court, portrait, wealth, foreign, charm, satirical, generation, extraordinary, particular, drawing, sculpture, exhibitions, art prizes, reward, originality, castle, cathedral, arch, triumph.

Painting and Architecture in Britain

Painting developed later in England than in other European countries. One of the first important periods of English painting was initiated by a German visitor. Hans Holbein the Younger lived in London between 1527 and 1543, and painted wonderful portraits of the rich and famous at the court of King Henry VIII. He had learned from Italian painters - which showed how international the art world was, even at that time, when travelling was slow and difficult. Inspired by Holbein, a school of portrait painters developed in England. But in the 17th and early 18th centuries people of wealth preferred to employ foreign artists.

William Hogarth was among the first Englishmen to develop painting of a national character. “The Graham Children” is a portrait of the children of wealthy parents. Yet he avoided making a stiff, formal composition and showed the young people with charm and wit. But Hogarth is best known for his moral and satirical paintings.

A generation later Sir Joshua Reynolds became the most important member of the English portrait school. His “Lady Elizabeth Delmй and Her Children”, in contrast to Hogarth's painting, is elegant and aristocratic. One of Reynolds' students was as much a poet as a painter. The mystic William Blake (1757 - 1827) had extraordinary religious dreams and visions, which he expressed in poetry, drawings and paintings.

The English made their greatest contribution to art in landscape painting. In the following works: John Constable's “A View of Salisbury Cathedral” and J.M.W. Turner's “The Grand Canal, Venice”. We can't, but notice the brilliance of light on buildings and water and the great freedom in use of colour. This use of light and colour was carried much further by artists of the late 19th century.

The 20th century was an extremely busy and exciting time for British painting. In the 1950s and 60s, Britain was in many ways a very fashionable place: British pop music and clothes were big news all over the world. The visual arts also joined in this successful piece of marketing. Pop art in particular caught the imagination of young people. For some years now, young British artists seem to have given up the traditional form of drawing, painting and sculpture. At exhibitions we can see photos, videos, constructions with light and sounds. Art prizes often reward originality rather than old-fashioned taste and skill.

British architecture is closely connected with European styles. There is a proverb: “An Englishman's home is his castle”. Apart from some ancient churches, the oldest in Britain are castles. They are dotted all over the country, with many beautiful examples in Scotland and Wales. The Tower of London (1078) is probably the most famous one.

Since the Middle Ages, architecture in Britain has been based on three major styles: Gothic, classical and modern. The great early cathedrals and churches are in Gothic style - tall, with pointed arches and highly decorated; they are covered with sculptures of people, animals and plants. The tallest spire in Britain, at Salisbury Cathedral, is 123 meters high and was built in the 1330s.

After the Gothic period, architectural fashion looked back to the classical age of Greece and Rome. Rich aristocrats built huge and impressive houses and palaces surrounded by parkland.

The 20th century became the triumph of modern style. For the first time in the history, architects are free to make almost any shapes they like.

Words:

painting court wealth stiff generation contribution in particular drawing to join exhibition to reward castle to be dotted spire arch	художественное искусство двор богатство жесткий поколение вклад в частности рисунок присоединяться выставка награждать замок быть усеянным шпиль арка

Tasks for the discussion

1. Translate the texts into Russian.

2. Answer the following questions:

1. During what king's reign did Hans Holbein live and work in London?

2. What English painter was also a poet?

3. What painters are famous for their landscapes?

4. How can pop art be characterized?

5. What British castle is best-known in the world?

3. True or false?

1. Hans Holbein was born in Britain.

2. Inspired by Holbein, a school of landscape painters developed in England.

3. William Blake painted realistic pictures.

4. Nowadays we can see photos, videos, constructions with light and sounds at exhibitions.

5. British architecture isn't connected with European styles.

4. Find the proper place for the words under the line:

The most ________ old buildings in London include Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey. London is often associated with Big Ben. Big Ben is the ________. It was named after Sir Benjamin Hall. St. Paul's Cathedral, built by Sir Christopher Wren, is the greatest English _________. The Tower of London is one of the oldest ________, it was a _________ and a _________. Nowadays it is a popular _________, here the Crown Jewels are kept.

Museum, church, fortress, famous, prison, bell, castle

TEST ON UNIT IV

Do you know any outstanding people of Great Britain?

1. “Vanity Fair” is the most famous work of ….

a) Shakespeare;

b) Thackeray;

c) Swift.

2. George Bernard Shaw was …

a) a painter;

b) a scientist;

c) a dramatist.

3. “A View of Salisbury Cathedral” is a masterpiece of …

a) John Constable;

b) Thomas Gainsborough;

c) William Turner.

4. The Nobel Prize for literature in 1907 was won by ….

a) Sir Christopher Wren;

b) R. Kipling;

c) Walter Scott.

5. What Englishmen became famous in America and then in the whole world?

a) Hamlet;

b) Lord Nelson;

c) Charles Chaplin.

6. What person is often associated with British Decadence?

a) Ann Radcliffe;

b) Mary Shelly;

c) Oscar Wilde.

7. Who described Italian cities and people, but had never been to Italy?

a) Alexander Flemming;

b) William Shakespeare;

c) George Gordon Byron.

8. One of the greatest English philosophers was …

a) Thomas Hobbs;

b) Caedmon;

c) Beowulf.

9. Who wrote the modern best-known book about magicians?

a) A. Christie;

b) L. Carroll;

c) J. K. Rowling.

10. Who is the favourite writer of Australian director Peter Jackson?

a) Mary Shelly;

b) J. R. R. Tolkien;

c) Charles Dickens.

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