Sing, Heavenly Muse....

This week we looked at some of the literature written during English Civil War and Interregnum , and we saw how the Puritanical beliefs of the parliamentarians affected the subject matter and style of the works of this period. Hobbes's "Leviathan" was a political work emphasising the importance of a strong central government to control the individuals comprising society; Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" showed the Christians of that time how they should always be hopeful on their journey through life; the aim of Milton's ambitious poem "Paradise Lost" was "to justify the ways of God to man". Gone are the days of the ebullient works of the Renaissance; in their place are more serious works of politics and religion.

Now we've seen the film...

The film we saw was a 1996 adaptation of the play, keeping almost faithful to Shakespeare's original script, but obviously having to make adaptations to the new context. Well, what do you think? How successful was the adaptation ? What about the casting of characters? Are the characters in the film as you had imagined them? Which scene did you find the most effective? Waiting for you comments on any aspect of the film.

Romeo and Juliet-A pair of star cross't lovers

Having read a summary of the play and some of the important quotations, we know have a good idea of what happens in Shakespeare's famous play. What are your impressions??

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare...
What more can I say?

There was wife come from Bath or near...

The Norman conquest brought many changes to the British Isles, including changes in language and literature. Gone were the days of loyalty to tribal leaders and themes of war and fighting. In their place took themes of warmth, light and love.
Geoffrey Chaucer brought new literary techniques from France and Italy and developed English poetry, and thus made English a language of literature. Being born into the middle class, he was able to see clearly the oppression of the peasants by the court and church, and was very critical of both powers. His work "The Canterbury Tales" is a satrical work criticising people from all walks of life in English society. The Wife of Bath is one such example, with her outrageous behaviour. Some people have viewed her as the first feminist character in English literature; others say that it is more likely for her to be an antifeminist character given the context of the work.

Gnashing teeth, cracking bones....Beowulf!! The Anglo-Saxon answer to Cüneyt.

Beowulf, the super hero of Germanic ancient history. If you saw similarities between the Anglo-Saxon epic poem and "The Lord of the Rings", that's because J.R.R. Tolkein spent a large part of his life studying the poem and was duly influenced by it. So, what impressions did this week's lesson leave with you? Did you enjoy the swashbuckling adventure fighting creatures, their mothers and dragons? Were you affected by the funeral scene? Or was it the simplistic but affective expression of the poem? Whatever it was, we're waiting for you to share it with us.
Click on the following link to hear how Beowulf would have sounded in Old English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/lang_gallery_01.shtml

Anglo-Saxon Literature

Well, the first week is over and we covered very briefly the Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, period of English literature. Is there anything you found particularly interesting or surprising about what you have learned this week? What about King Alfred, the story of Caedmon's Hymn, or the impact of The Battle of Maldon? Share it with us here.
By the way, check the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/anglo_saxons/index.html for some interesting information about the Angles and Saxons.

Welcome to the aibuenglit blog!

Hello everyone!
The purpose of this blog is to share any reflections and comments you might have on the content of our English Literature course. There isn't always time in class for you to air you views, and some of you might feel too shy to speak out. This blog will create the opportunity for you to do so in your own time.
Happy using,
Amanda YEŞİLBURSA