Notre Dame of Dadiangas University
Marist Avenue, General Santos City
ENGL 51 ENGLISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE
Worksheet #1
Name: Jake Louise R. Bernasor Course & Year: BSED – Eng. 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Essay. Answer the given questions comprehensively.
1. Among all the periods, which one do you think is the most progressive in terms of the
development of literature?
From all the periods of the development of English literature, I believe that the period
that really made a substantial progress is the Middle English Period. The preceding
period, which is the very first one, the Old English era really jump started the whole
literature exploration and various contributors were recognized. This period is the home
of Geoffrey Chaucer being the most recognizable one, proclaimed as the Father of
English Literature for having popularized the use of vernacular English and having
created works like the famous The Canterbury Tales among others. This period was a
huge transition in the language, culture, and lifestyle of England and results in what we
can recognize today as a form of “modern” English. Although I would also say that the
Elizabethan Era is a very progressive period as well with the introduction of the all
famous William Shakespeare and his frequently referenced work but looking at it on a
substantial, significant development point of view; the Middle English really was a major
step towards the evolution of the English Literature to what we recognize it to be
nowadays.
2. Using an adjective, how would you describe each period? Explain.
For the Old age I’d say; Adventurous. It started with Alfred the Great and his
expeditions, he carries with him his encouragement for everyone to be educated thus
improving the quality of life of his countrymen and thus the real kick start to development
of English literature. For the Middle English period, I’d use the word Determined, for the
fact that development not only carried on but improved so significantly with new names
of contributors coming to light. The Elizabethans Era I’d say it’s Graceful, the chain of
events in the golden age of English Literature really shaped it into its most recognizable
form and introduced the all famous William Shakespeare and his frequently referenced
works, purely an era of elegance. In the Puritan Age the word to me is Thriving,
because as opposed to the era of Queen Elizabeth which was peaceful, a civil war
between the King and the Parliament ignited in the Stuart period but despite this, new
contributors of English Literature were recognized as well. The most famous one is John
Milton, known for his poem Paradise Lost in 1667. The 18th Century is Dauntless, the
closest word I can come up with, because during the Restoration of England after the
rule of King Stuart a man named John Dryden steps up being the most dominating figure
of English literature at the time. He is well known for his political satire, criticisms, and
didactic poems. Sure there were a few others in this era but John Dryden stands out for
being the staple of this era, he is even called as “Glorious John” by Sir Walter Scott, a
famous Romanticist writer. The Romantic Age is Marvellous; I think the word fits this
era since the age of romanticism mainly focused on aesthetic experience and exploring
new sources of awe, fear and terror maybe is what the development of human emotion
needs. The emphasis on discovering new emotion really is something to marvel. William
Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience is the one the notable works of this era.
The Victorian Age is what I would call Exploratory. While the novel was the dominant
form of literature during the Victorian era, poets continued to experiment with style and
methods of story-telling in their poems. Examples of this experimentation include long
narrative poems (epic poems) and the dramatic monologue as seen primarily in the
writing of Robert Browning. Exploring new decisive ways that would change literature in
the long run was almost everyone’s goal this era. The 20th Century is Wealthy. The
word wealthy relates to the amount of references they have from previous eras, with the
swift advancement of modern technology, the number of eager young minds ready to
make a name for themselves would be a lot. This would explore previous political
decisions and causes of wars, and a far broader view of how the human mind perceives
things.
3. Why should we study literature? Relate it in practical basis.
Literature is like a collection of lived experiences, and for that reason this pretty much
hits close to the domain of psychological studies. The way I see it, literature teaches us
a lot that will help us appreciate its contribution to history, literature is a way to see
individual bias to try and make sense of these, it teaches us to refine our judgment, to
explore ethical complexities, explore other cultures and beliefs, to find ways how we can
benefit from other peoples insights, to help us see ourselves as others do, to be open to
the meaning of ‘meaning’ basically be open to the ambiguity of meaning, just the overall
bottom-line is learn better ways to behave as a human being. In terms of more
intellectual benefits, literature contributes to further our mastery of language. For me, to
appreciate literature, you have to see it as source of wisdom, a source of life
philosophies that would help you handle life’s challenges better.
