A TO Z Literary Principles from History of English Literature: Note 109 (Key Historical events)

A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers

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UGC NET English model question (Multiple choice questions from English Literature) (Key Historical events and its impact on literature) with reasoning

1. Norman Conquest of England in 1066: The French-speaking Normans took control of England following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, commanded by William the Conqueror. The Normans defeated the English at the famous Battle of Hastings, and William became England’s first Norman king as William I, or William the Conqueror. His economic and administrative reforms enabled England to become a major power. Here, as elsewhere, the Normans demonstrated their powers of assimilation and adaptation. Anglo-Norman culture soon dominated the social structure, language, literature, and architecture of England. The Normans imported many French terms and phrases into the English language, which had a profound influence on the development of the English language and literature.

2. The Black Death: The Black Death, a bubonic plague pandemic that raced over Europe in the

   
   
   mid-14th century, killed an estimated 25 million people, or one-third of the population. The Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio, in his classic work The Decameron, describes cases of the plague in Florence: 'At the onset of the disease, both men and women were affected by a sort of swelling in the groin or armpits, which sometimes attained the size of a common apple or egg. Some of these swellings were larger and some were smaller, and all were commonly called boils. From these two starting points the boils began in a little while to spread and appear generally all over the body. Afterwards, the manifestations of the disease changed into black or lurid spots on the arms, the thighs and the whole person.' Today, historians estimate that perhaps one-third of Florence's 80,000 inhabitants died between the spring and summer of 1348. This event had a significant influence on society and literature since it resulted in significant changes in economic and social institutions, as well as transformations in religious and cultural attitudes.

3. The Renaissance: The Renaissance, a cultural movement that emerged in Italy in the late

   
   
   14th century and spread throughout Europe, was characterized by a renewed interest in classical learning, humanism, and the arts. This era had a profound impact on literature, as it saw the emergence of new literary forms such as the sonnet and the epic poem, as well as the works of writers such as Shakespeare, Milton, and Dante.

4. The Elizabethan Era: The Elizabethan Era, named after Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England from 1558 to 1603, was a time of great cultural and artistic achievement, particularly in drama and poetry. This era saw the emergence of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe as major playwrights, and the development of the sonnet form by poets such as Sir Philip Sidney.

5. The English Civil War: The English Civil War, fought from 1642 to 1651, was a series of conflicts between the forces of King Charles I and the Parliamentarians. The war resulted in the execution of Charles I and the establishment of a Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. This event had a significant impact on political and social thought in literature, and it was reflected in the works of writers such as John Milton.

6. The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660: The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, marked the return of King Charles II to the throne after the Commonwealth period. This era was marked by a renewed interest in drama, particularly in the form of Restoration comedy, and the emergence of new genres such as the novel.

7. The Enlightenment: The Enlightenment, an intellectual and cultural movement that emerged in the 18th century, emphasized reason, science, and individualism. This movement had a profound influence on literature and philosophy, and it was reflected in the works of writers such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Samuel Johnson.

8. The Industrial Revolution : The Industrial Revolution was a time of intense industrialization that began in Britain and later spread to other regions of Europe and North America. It resulted

   
   
   in profound social and economic change. This incident had a significant impact on poetry and literature because it gave rise to new literary genres like the industrial novel and was reflected in the works of authors like Charles Dickens and  Elizabeth Gaskell .

9. The Romantic Era: The Romantic Era, a cultural movement that emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, emphasized emotion, imagination, and nature in literature. This era saw the emergence of major poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

10. The Victorian Era: The Victorian Era, which was characterized by social conservatism and had a significant influence on poetry and literature, was named for Queen Victoria, who ruled England from 1837 to 1901. This era saw the emergence of major writers such as Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, and Rudyard Kipling.

11. World War I: The 1914–1918 conflict had a significant impact on literature and poetry as well

    
    
    as society and culture as a whole. The war and its aftermath had a direct impact on a large number of authors and poets, and these experiences were reflected in their writing. Examples of poets who wrote about their experiences on the front lines include Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Rupert Brooke. A new genre of war poetry and fiction was also created as a result of the conflict.

12. The Roaring Twenties: The 1920s' Roaring Twenties, a time of significant social and cultural change, are famous for the flappers, jazz, and prohibition. Due to the emergence of new literary genres like the jazz poem and the Lost Generation novel, as well as the influence of authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, this period had a significant impact on literature and poetry.

13. The Great Depression: The 1930s' Great Depression, a time of financial hardship, had a significant effect on society and culture. This incident had a big impact on poetry and literature because it gave rise to new genres like the social protest novel and was reflected in the works of authors like John Steinbeck and Langston Hughes.

14. World War II: The 1939–1945 conflict known as World War II had a significant impact on literature and poetry as well as society and culture as a whole. The war and its aftermath had a direct impact on a large number of authors and poets, and these experiences were reflected in their writing. Paul Celan and W.H. Auden, for instance, both wrote poetry about their wartime experiences.

15. The Cold War: From the late 1940s to the early 1990s, there was political and military hostility between the Western powers, led by the United States, and the Eastern powers, led by the Soviet Union. The anti-Communist novel was one of the new literary forms that emerged as a result of this event, which also had a significant impact on society and culture. It was reflected in the works of authors like Tom Clancy, Harold Coyle, Ian Fleming, Craig Thomas, Stephen Coonts, Sir John Hackett, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

16. The Civil Rights Movement: The Civil Rights Movement, a social movement that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, aimed to end racial discrimination and segregation in the United States. This movement had a significant impact on society, culture, literature, and poetry. It gave rise to new literary genres like the Civil Rights novel and poetry, and it was reflected in the works of authors like Maya Angelou and James Baldwin.

17. The Women's Rights Movement: The Women's Rights Movement, a social movement that took root in the 1960s and 1970s, sought to eradicate gender-based prejudice and inequality. This movement had a significant impact on society, culture, literature, and poetry. It gave rise to new literary genres like the feminist novel and poetry and was reflected in the works of authors like Virginia Woolf and Adrienne Rich.

18.  Environmental Movement: The 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of the Environmental Movement, a social movement that sought to preserve the environment from harm. This movement had a significant impact on society, culture, literature, and poetry. It gave rise to new literary genres like eco-poetry and eco-novels, and it was reflected in the writings of authors like Barry Lopez and Rachel Carson.

19. The LGBTQ Rights Movement: The LGBTQ Rights Movement was a social movement that arose in the 1970s and 1980s with the goal of eradicating inequality and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The LGBTQ novel and poetry were among the new literary forms that emerged as a result of this movement, which also had a significant impact on literature and poetry. It was also reflected in the works of authors like James Baldwin and Audre Lorde.

20. Postmodern Era: The literary and cultural movement known as the Postmodern Era, which first appeared in the 1980s and 1990s, marked a break with conventional literary forms and conventions. Self-referentiality, irony, and the blending of high and low culture were prominent during this time period. It had a big impact on literature and poetry because it gave rise to new literary genres like the postmodern novel and poetry. Authors like Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and David Foster Wallace all reflected this in their works.

21. Reunion of Germany: The Cold War came to an end and Germany was reunited in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Due to the emergence of new literary genres like the reunification novel and its reflection in the works of authors like Christa Wolf and Günter Grass, this event had a significant influence on poetry and literature.

22. Gulf War: Iraq and a coalition of nations led by the United States fought in the Gulf War in 1990–1991 against each other. The Gulf War novel and poetry were among the new literary genres that emerged as a result of this war, and it was reflected in the works of authors like Brian Turner and Sinan Antoon. This war had a significant impact on society and culture as well as literature and poetry.  

23. .9/11: Al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist organization, carried out a series of well-planned suicide attacks during the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, which left nearly 3,000 people dead. This incident had a significant impact on literature and poetry, having given rise to new literary genres like the 9/11 novel and poetry and being reflected in the works of authors like Don DeLillo, Teju Cole, and W.S. Merwin.

24. Market crash of 2008: The housing market crash of 2008 and the failure of several significant financial institutions led to a period of severe economic hardship. As it contributed to the emergence of new literary genres like the financial crisis novel and poetry and was reflected in the works of authors like Lionel Shriver and Jhumpa Lahiri, this event had a significant impact on society and culture as well as literature and poetry.

25. Arab Spring: An array of pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 called the "Arab Spring" led to the fall of several long-reigning dictators. This event had a profound effect on poetry and literature because it gave rise to fresh genres like the Arab Spring novel and poetry, which were reflected in the works of authors like Khaled Khalifa and Samar Yazbek.

26. COVID-19: A brand-new coronavirus strain, COVID-19, is causing a pandemic in 2019–2020

    
    
    that is affecting nearly every aspect of life and causing serious economic and social disruption. This event has had a significant impact on literature and poetry because it changed people's perspectives on life and the world. It has also served as the inspiration for a wide range of literary works, including poems, novels, and non-fiction books. There has been written discussion of the pandemic's effects on loved ones' deaths, loneliness, and mental health. Online poetry and literature became more popular as more people turned to literature to cope with the pandemic's isolation and uncertainty.

Ardhendu De

Ref: 1. ALBERT. (2000). History of English Literature. Edward Albert- History of English Literature. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.unife.it/letterefilosofia/lm.lingue/insegnamenti/letteratura-inglese-ii/materiale-didattico-2019-2020/Edward%20Albert-%20History%20of%20English%20Literature-%20OUP-%202000.pdf    

2. The Concise Cambridge History of English Literature | English literature: general interest. (n.d.). Cambridge University Press. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.cambridge.org/9780521095815

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4. Baugh, A.C and Cable T (2001). A History of the English Language. 5th ed. London: Routledge