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Literature periods

Neo-Classical PeriodNeo-Classical Period: The Neo-Classical period, covering the 140 years or so afterthe Restoration (1660); arose as a reaction of the uncontrolled energy and humanismof the Renaissance. The Neo-Classical writers followed the traditions and had a greatrespect for correctness in life and art, so they respected order, decorum and theestablished rules. Art was valued for its praise of reason and its control of emotion andthe imagination. They regarded man as the primary source of poetic subject matter, sothey used irony and satire in their poetry. Rape of the Lock, a mock epic byAlexander Pope, is a fine example of Neo- classical poetry, written in witty and perfectcouplets, it ridiculed the pettiness of humanity. This Neo-classical sensibility alsoappears in the 20th century as in Audens The Unknown Citizen with its irony,restraint and wit.

Renaissance: The term Renaissance derives its original meaning fromFrench word meaning "rebirth" which includes the rebirth of Greek

classical art, literature, painting, music, and other social norms andvalues. The renaissance is the rebirth of the classical knowledge andlearning which was lost in the Middle Ages. It started in Italy in thefourteenth century and lasted in 16th century. In this period, the arts ofpainting, sculpture, architecture and literature developed due to thefindings of the Greek and Roman manuscripts. These developmentsreached England in the 16th century and reached its climax in theElizabeth and Jacobean periods. Following the humanism of classicaltimes; Renaissance painting sculpture and literature praised the beautyof humanity and physical world. Several factors also helped in thespreading of Renaissance as the discovery of the new world the evasion

of constitutional by the Jerks, the end of feudalism, and the invention ofpainting press. These factors gave birth to new learning, new religion,new world and new cosmos. In England it made English literature rich byscholars, travel and a poetic and sensibility, developed by European and

classical influences. Shakespeares drama s and Miltons epic poetryshow this creativity.

Romanticism: The Romantism, that spread over the first three decades ofthe 19th century arouse as a reaction against the Neo-Classical orderand control. The publication of the Lyrical Ballad in 1798 by WilliamWordsworth and S.T.Colleridge started this movement. It favorednewness instead of traditionalism in the materials, forms, and style of

literature, and so, the English Romantic poets took up supernaturalthemes the wildness of natural imagination and self expression. Theycriticized the poetic style of Neo- Classical poets and proposed to use thelanguage really used by men. Nature became a favorite subject ofpoetry and was described with great sensuous accuracy. The importantRomantic poems are also poems of meaningful, meditation about onimportant human problem. In America, Romanticism affected fiction. Itinclined toward symbolism and gothic elements along with the

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imaginative qualities. The leading Romantic poets in England wereBlake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats and Shelly and in America themovement was lead by Houstorn, Herman, Melville, Poe, Walt Whitemanand Dickinson.

Realism: The Realism arouse in the 19th century as a reaction against thesentimental, supernatural and optimistic elements of Romanticism. It isan attempt to present an accurate imitation of life as it is. The realistsset out to write a fiction which will give the illusion that it reflects life asit seems to the common reader. So they are selective in their materialand prefer the average the common place, and the every day over therare aspects of the contemporary life. Their characters are usually of the

middle class or the working class people who lives through ordinaryexperience of childhood, adolescence, love, marriage, parenthood,fidelity and death. Thus they focus on the presentation of characterinstead of plot. In drama, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov areresponsible for the turn to realism on stage and Maupassant, HenryJones and Wharton are responsible for realism in fiction.

Naturalism: Naturalism grew out of realism around the turn of thiscentury. Naturalism, as a literary movement emerged from Realismaround the turn of 19th century. It shares many qualities with Realism,but it precede beyond literary principles rather it occupies a wide rangeof scholarship like science, nature, economy, politics which always put adirect relationship with human life. They said that human life is alwaysgoverned by science and economy which are the determining factors ofhuman life. They clearly portrayed the impact of poverty, illiteracy, war,dangers which are around from scientific advancement with in their workof literature. It includes some psychological forces dominantly thatcompels the characters to be the victim of death. It always depicts a

dark side of light imposed upon the characters. Naturalistic elements areadequately found in war poets, novelist who always describes the impactof war and great economic depression.

Symbolism: Symbolism as a literary movement is thought to be havingbeen formally introduced by French writer during the second half of the19th century. It was emerged as a reaction against Realism, which put abelief upon the objective world. But for the symbolist the objective worldwas not through reality rather, a mere reflection of the absolute one.They believe that true realities of nature can be perceived by the work ofart. And artist possesses a power to create the universe of his own, butthe reader cannot share her or his emotion directly. Thereforeeverything should be suggested by symbols which are necessary to

express what they experienced. These tendencies of giving more focusin the art gave birth to the symbolism. The symbolist never describethings directly, instead they use one thing to suggest another. Charle'sBaudelari in France and W.B Yeast in England are known to be theinnovator to symbolism.

Imagism: Imagism was firstly invented by American and English poets in1909 as a response to symbolism. Unlike symbolist they used to believein the presentation of concrete images which are sustained by the

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proper selection of word. They paid a great effort to create certainimages in the mind of readers, so as to create sense of thrill andemotional zeal in the readers. They stated that visual creation is the onlyway to evoke pity, sympathy and love to the readers. They presentedvery concrete images to acquire some emotional response from thereaders. Imagism can be located in the poems of William Carlos Williams"The Red Wheel Barrow".

Modernism: Modernism has its broad history which has neither itsbeginning nor ending, rather it is an ongoing phenomenon. It does notdirectly refer to a specific time period rather it proceeds beyond allhuman perfection or understanding. Modernism refers to the literary

contributions of 20th century, which explores the drawback of scientificadvancement and war which has enslaved man with in it. Especiallymodernism goes against the traditional norms of literature instead ithighlights the ruined destiny of modern human being. It includes theagony of modern people which is caused by war, economic depression,violence, injustice and so on. They always lament on the loss of

individual identity; lose of culture. For instance "a cat is cat because it isnot a rat". Every word or sentence carries some meaning by syntagmaticand paradigmatic relationship to each other. Similarly he advocates thatthe meaning of every art or literature is determined through itsrespective structure. Poetry, drama, and fiction do have their meaningfrom their distinctive structure. But he believed that every literaturecontain some meaning to the readers. Every is a vast network of itscentral ideas sustained by other minor details.

Deconstruction: Deconstruction is a typical movement in literature firstlyinnovated by German philosopher Jacques Derrida. This movement wasemerged in philosophy during 1960s as a reaction against Saussurian

concept on structuralism. For Derrida there is nothing called signifier andsignified. He further says every signifier has the equality of signified andevery signified has the potentiality of signifier. For him meaning was thematter of assumption because no meaning can exactly represent to thequality of an object. There is nothing called center or periphery,everything is its center and periphery at the same time. He openlychallenges the western ways of looking at the things. He believes inrupturing (destroying) the conventional hierarchy between good andbad, day and night, sweet and bitter and so on.

Impressionism:Impressionism, as a movement in literature was introduced by painters and poets ofearly 20th century. The painters and poets of this time period gave more importancefor the impression rather than the meaning of an art. They applied certain concreteimages to achieve some impression whether good or bad on the part of the readers.They said that every piece of literature should have its genuine power to create someimpression; otherwise the art ceases to give pleasure. Things are portrayed as theywould be perceived by a particular consciousness and point of view rather than as theyobjectively appear. They interpreted every form of literature in relation of painting andart. They made some abstract principles to be dominant in literature.

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Expressionism: Expressionism as a movement in literature was coined atthe beginning of the 20th century. It describes art and literature whichemphasizes the eternal emotion and experience of the artist. For themexternal object are nothing but the source of deriving multipleexperience to an artist. It gives more importance in the quality ofexperience rather than the meaning of literature. In fictionexpressionism can be seen in stream of consciousness technique. Itmeans describing things in spontaneous manner as they recur in themind of writer. In this technique various fragmented ideas are presentedas a sequence of thought. In modern poems expressionism has becomequite dominant to persuade the readers or audience in which the

technique of expression is maintained in such a way to move the heartof listeners.

Surrealism: Surrealism is a typical movement in art and literature whichbegan during First World War in France and existed up till Second WorldWar. It was originated by French philosopher and critic who were highlyinfluenced by Freudian philosophy and poetry of Charles Baudelaire. It

breaks away from the conventional and imposed rationality

Post-ModernismPost- Modernism is a branch of post structuralism which limits its study in the matteror meaning of text. As feminism limits its study in men, women relationship in thesociety. For post modernist no interpretation is final interpretation and any meaningveiled and truth. Interpretations and meaning differ from one individual to another thereason is that the entire world is uncertain. There are multiple meanings of the sametext and multiple ideas can be perceived on the basis of reader's individualexperiences. This multiplicity of text and meaning leads readers to the world ofconfusing and uncertainty.