AD's English Literature

“And, considering the thousand doors that lead to death, do thank my God that we can die but once.” Thomas Browne (1605 - 1682) English physician and writer. Religio Medici Sir Thomas Browne’s first important work, Religio Medici (Religion of a Doctor/Physician), probably written in 1635 at the age of thirty , is a rambling discourse in which skepticism and scientific reasoning are mixed with faith and revelation. The book was published in 1642 and translated into Latin, Dutch, French and German. Soon after its appearance in the continent, the book became popular. In France, particularly, Browne’s Religio Medici was highly esteemed and the author revered. Read More Age of Dryden Browne was a physician by profession and a divine or preacher by inclination. He was a mystic. Outwardly, his life passed happily and calmly. He did not reflect the troubles of the civil war. He was a Royalist and an Anglican, but he did not compromise himself and his peace was not disturbed. The e...

A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers UGC NET ENGLISH QUESTION BANK 1.Tottel’s Miscellany is a collection of songs and sonnets of the Elizabethan period. It was published in 1557.Volumes of poems other than Tottel‘s Miscellany:  Paradyse Dyntry Devises (1576), The Handful of Pleasant Delites( 1584), The Phoenix Nest (1593). 2.First regular satire in English poetry that appeared in the   Elizabethan period: The Steele Glas (1576) written by   George Gascoigne, in blank verse. 3. “ Astrophel and  Stella “ mean: “ Astrophel ‘” means lover of the star whereas “ Stella “ means star. In real life they were Philip Sidney and Penelope Devereux. The sonnet sequence contains 108 sonnets. 4. Sir Philip Sidney wrote The Apologie for Poetry. It was published in 1595.

Learning Points  1. Students are encouraged to reflect on the essential literary components of both "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway and "The Bear" by William Faulkner through this comparison. 2. The essay also engages students by connecting the themes of the narrative to broader ones discovered in comparative studies. 3. In this essay, students are challenged to consider the tension between egotism and empathy. OVERVIEW OF BOTH THE STORIES Faulkner’s “The Bear” : Follows Ike McCaslin over a decade, focusing on his “coming of age.” Explores themes of humanity’s relationship with nature and personal growth. Written in a free-flowing, lyrical style with rich descriptions and imagery. Features a wide range of characters, including Ike, his grandfather, and fellow hunters. The wilderness serves as both a literal and symbolic setting, representing challenges, heritage, and survival. Raises questions about morality, inheritance, and human connection to la...

 The belief in evil spirits, and in the power of witches  or Witchcraft to do harm by their aid, was wide-spread both among Catholics and Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Allusions to it are frequent in literature. Statutes were constantly passed against sorcery, and there are many accounts of the trials of persons suspected of the practice. The most interesting contemporary books on the subject are Harsnet's Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures (1603); and Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft . Harsnet's tract is an enquiry into certain cases of demoniacal possession alleged to have been cured by Parsons, the Jesuit: Scot's is a noteworthy attack upon the whole superstition, and is crammed with curious magical lore. It is said to have been publicly burnt, and was reprinted in 1651.

  A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers U GC NET ENGLISH QUESTION BANK 1. Which of the following plays is classified as a revenge tragedy? (A) The Duchess of Malfi (B) Oedipus Rex (C) The Glass Menagerie (D) A Midsummer Night's Dream Answer: (A) (The Duchess of Malfi, along with Hamlet and Gorboduc, exemplifies the themes and characteristics typical of revenge tragedies.) 2. What is the central theme of Alice Munro’s "Meneseteung"? (A) Love and loss (B) The passage of time (C) Rural life and memory (D) War and conflict Answer: (C) ("Meneseteung" explores rural life and the memories that span several decades, focusing on personal histories.) 3. George Saunders's "Pastoralia" primarily depicts: (A) A historical event (B) A dystopian future where a man is trapped in a life he hates (C) A romantic relationship (D) A journey of self-discovery Answer: (B) (The story centers on a man stuck in a monotonous job within a dystopian setting, reflecting...

“Revenge is a kind of wild justice; which the more man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out.” Francis Bacon  (1561 - 1626) English philosopher, statesman, and lawyer. Essays,  "Of Revenge" The earlier writers of tragedy in the English language Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton, fastened on a story of revenge for the Gorboduc , first produced in 1561. Since then, for another six years revenge continued to be one of the popular themes of dramatic representation. Gorboduc has a simple plot: Gorboduc, King of Britain, divides his realm between his sons, Ferrex and Porrex and retires from rule. Soon afterwards vaulting ambition enslaves both the brothers; the younger Porrex acts quickly, invades Ferrex’s territory and slays his brother with his own hand. Queen Videna revenges the murder of her first son by killing Porrex. The outraged public rise in revolt and murder both the King and the Queen. Gorboduc was significant in its day, not merely for...

  P oetic justice is a sort of ideal justice, which the poets and critics are expected to impart in apportioning rewards and Punishments to the characters they create. It is an ideal world of justice where crime and punishment exist, bound more of less by a nexus of transcendental mathematics. As an idea, however, it is too bookish and fails to explain the wicked world in which men and women live and die. It thinks more of the world as it should be than the world as it is. The world of daily existence is a world where the wicked prosper and evil thrive while the good is wasted and ignored. Such a world provides stuff for tragedies of Shakespeare who accepts the world as it is and King Lear is no exception to it. In fact, King Lear is the finest specimen of deep tragedy in English drama, although it is not the most popular. Part of its lesser popularity is due to prevalent conception of the ideal poetic justice in which the poet is alleged to fail in this play and particularly in...