AD's English Literature

Q When was Geoffrey Chaucer born? Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1343 or 1344. Q Which famous work is Chaucer best known for? Chaucer is best known for his work "The Canterbury Tales." Q In which language did Chaucer primarily write? Chaucer primarily wrote in Middle English. Q Who is the narrator of "The Canterbury Tales"? The narrator of "The Canterbury Tales" is Chaucer himself, presenting as a character in the story. Q What is the frame story of "The Canterbury Tales"? "The Canterbury Tales" is framed as a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Q Which character is known for his humorous anecdotes in "The Canterbury Tales"? The character known for his humorous anecdotes is the Miller. Q Which literary form did Chaucer popularize in English literature? Chaucer popularized the use of the iambic pentameter and heroic couplets in English poetry. Q Who is the main character in Chaucer's poem "Troilus an...

Macbeth's psychological state  of Mind Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a study of the evil that is in every human heart, and of one man’s downfall as he willfully gives way to its temptations. To answer such tricky question,  Shakespeare depicts the tragedy of a man torn between an amoral will and a powerfully moral intellect. Returning from battle, Macbeth is greeted by three witches, who tell him that he will one day become king. As a reward for his military successes, he then receives the title of Thane of Cawdor from King Duncan, confirming part of the witches’ prophecy. Once Macbeth arrives back at his estate, Lady Macbeth spurs her husband’s ambition forward, and together they hatch a plan to kill the king and thereby hasten Macbeth’s accession to the throne. In Act 2, Scene ii, Lady Macbeth is waiting while her husband carries out the murder. When he enters in disarray, the murder weapons still in his bloodstained hands, she takes it upon herself to frame Duncan ’s groo...

"The Vision of William Concerning Piers the Plowman": Q What is the vision that William experiences in the poem? William has a dream or vision that guides him on a spiritual and moral journey. Q   What does Piers the Plowman represent in the poem? Piers the Plowman represents the ideal of a just and virtuous everyman. Q   What is the role of Lady Holy Church in the poem? Lady Holy Church represents the institution of the Church and its power and influence. Q   How does the poem criticize societal corruption? The poem criticizes corruption through characters like False and the Seven Deadly Sins. Q   What is the poem's stance on poverty and social inequality? The poem advocates for compassion towards the poor and condemns the disparities between the rich and the needy. Q. What is the common rhyme scheme of Old and Middle English alliterative poems ? Give an example.  Ans: Old and Middle English alliterative poems are commonly written in form of four-stress line...

“It is a perfectly possible means of overcoming chaos.” I. A. Richards   Science and Poetry Exploring the Reader's Role: I.A. Richards' Experimental Approach to Criticism Reader's Conditioning: Insights from I.A. Richards' Practical Criticism Experiments Practical Criticism is a series of experiments conducted by the Cambridge critic I.A. Richards. These experiments aimed to examine and analyze the process of reading and understanding literature. Richards believed that the meaning of a poem or any piece of literature lies not only in the intention of the author but also in the response of the reader. In fact, practical criticism began in the 1920s with a series of experiments by the  Cambridge critic I. A. Richards ( English literary critic, semanticist, and educator). With the British psychologist and educator Charles Kay Ogden, Richards wrote The Meaning of Meaning (1923), a modern study of semantics viewed from a historical and critical standpoint. Principles ...

The disjunction of art from matter-of-fact disciplines is central to Richardsian criticism . The tendency of many writers was to reject or to subordinate one to the other. Richards hoped to find some common area between science and art in psychology, some third term capable of relating one to the other.  Principles of Literary Criticism  represented the most concentrated endeavour to forge this relation. A more profitable approach proved to be his methodology of contexts. I A Richard So, I. A. Richards, a prominent literary critic and linguist, proposed the concept of two uses of language in his influential book "Principles of Literary Criticism." In the chapter titled "The Two uses of Language," Richards argues that language has two main functions: conveying information and creating experiences. In a chapter on ‘The Two uses of Language’, Richards distinguishes two kinds of causation that leads for ‘mental events’. The first kind is the result of stimuli affect...

Introduction New Criticism is an approach to literature which was developed by a group of American critics, most of who taught at southern universities during the years following the First World War. The New Critics wanted to avoid impressionistic criticism ,  which risked being shallow and arbitrary, and social/ historical approaches which might easily be subsumed by other disciplines. Thus, they attempted to systematize the study of literature, to develop an approach which was centered on the rigorous study of the text itself. They were given their name by John Crowe Ransom, who describes the new American formalists in   The New Criticism   (1941).

Exploring Multifaceted Meanings: An Analysis of Ambiguity in William Empson's " Seven Types of Ambiguity " William Empson studied under I. A. Richards at Cambridge and became one of the most influential literary critics and important poets of his generation. Empson's ideas in seminal works like  Seven Types of Ambiguity and The Structure of Complex Words shaped the course of critical thinking far beyond the 1930's. In Seven Types of Ambiguity William Empson views Texts containing moments in which meaning is not clear, when interpretation is questioned.  It was one of the most influential critical conceptions of the 20th century and was a key foundation work in the formation of the  New Criticism  school. The book is organized around seven types of ambiguity that Empson finds in the poetry he criticizes. The book explores the various forms and manifestations of ambiguity in poetry and language.  Empson reads poetry as an exploration of conflicts withi...

Coleridge's Insights into Imagination, Reader Engagement, and Poetic Integrity Samuel Taylor  Coleridge  on a trip the European continent lost his early sympathy with political radicalism and became interested in German philosophy, especially the 18th-century idealism of Immanuel Kant and the 17th-century mystical writings of Jakob Boehme, and in the literary criticism of the 18th-century dramatist G. E. Lessing. These studies made Coleridge the most influential English interpreter of German romanticism.   Coleridge returned to England in 1806. Between 1808 and 1819 he gave his famous series of lectures on literature and philosophy; the lectures on Shakespeare were partly responsible for a renewed interest in the playwright. Endowed with an intellect of the first order, and an imagination at once delicate and splendid, Coleridge planned to compose  various epic poems, and a complete system of philosophy, in which all knowledge was to be co-ordinated. However, he f...

Old English lyrics are so difficult that most students treat them as prose. This article is specifically meant for beginners who want to have a basic knowledge of the language and understand the basic English scriptures. It is not meant for scholars or those who want to pursue higher studies in this language. To be accurate, clear, and simple, with the purpose of understanding the four books of Old English poetry existing still today seem to have been written about the year 1000.

"No poet, no artist of any sort, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists."- T. S. Eliot  (1888 - 1965) "Tradition and the Individual Talent" The Impersonal Aesthetic in "Tradition and the Individual Talent": T.S. Eliot's Impact on Modern Literary Criticism Challenging Subjectivity: Eliot's Impersonality in Poetry T.S. Eliot, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, made significant contributions to modern literary criticism, particularly in regard to the concept of impersonality in poetry. Eliot's views on impersonality challenged traditional notions of the poet as a highly subjective and individualistic figure, and instead emphasized the poet's ability to transcend personal emotions and experiences in order to achieve a more universal and objective artistic expression. In his seminal essay "Tradition and the In...

"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality."- T. S. Eliot  (1888 - 1965) "Tradition and the Individual Talent" “Tradition and the Individual Talent”: Redefining Poetic Creation: T.S. Eliot's Impact on Modern Literary Criticism   The Poet's Evolution: T.S. Eliot's Redefinition of Creativity in "Tradition and the Individual Talent" T.S. Eliot, one of the most prominent literary figures of the 20th century, left an indelible mark on modern literary criticism with his groundbreaking essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent." Published in 1919, this influential piece revolutionized the way we perceive and evaluate poetry, challenging traditional notions of the poet as a solitary genius driven solely by personal inspiration. Through his essay, Eliot introduced the concept of "Tradition" and emphasized the significance of the co...