Chronicles Simplifed

 Greek and Roman Period Greek Classical Periods - Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods Homer (8th century BCE) – Epic poetry (Iliad, Odyssey) Hesiod (fl. c. 700 BCE) – Didactic poetry (Theogony, Works and Days) Archilochus (fl. c. 650 BCE) – Lyric poetry Callinus (fl. c. 650 BCE) – Elegiac poetry Tyrtaeus (fl. c. 640 BCE) – Elegiac poetry Solon (b. c. 640 BCE) – Elegiac poetry, lawmaker Alcaeus (b. c. 620 BCE) – Lyric poetry Semonides (7th century BCE) – Iambic poetry Alcman (7th century BCE) – Lyric poetry Stesichorus (7th century BCE) – Lyric poetry Mimnermus (7th century BCE) – Elegiac poetry Sappho (c. 630–570 BCE) – Lyric poetry Aesop (620?–560? BCE) – Fables Thales (c. 600 BCE) – Philosophy Pythagoras (c. 570–c. 495 BCE): Philosopher, Mathematician, Mysticist (known for the Pythagorean theorem) Anacreon (fl. 550 BCE) – Lyric poetry Theognis (fl. 544 BCE) – Elegiac poetry Hipponax (6th century BCE) – Satirical poetry Ibycus (6th century BCE) – Lyric poetry Simonides (b. ...

 I.  The Classical Period (1200 BCE - 455 CE) Homeric or Heroic Period (1200-800 BCE) Archaic period (800-500 BCE) Epic (c. 5th c. BCE, Homer, Hesiod, Mythic past) Lyric [Ode, Elegy, epigram] (7th - 5th c. BCE, Sappho, Alcaeus, Pindar)  Classical Greek Period (500-323 BCE) Tragedy (5th c. BCE, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides) Comedy (4th c. BCE, Aristophanes & Menander) historiography [political, military, systematic History] (5th-4th c. BCE, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon) Philosophical prose [dialogues, treatises, dialectics] (5th-4th c. BCE, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato) Classical-Hellenistic Rhetoric & Oratory (3rd c. BCE) (Gorgias, Isocrates, Demosthene s) Hellenistic period (323-31 BCE) Pastoral poetry (3rd c. BCE, Theocritus & Virgil) Satire and Parody (5th - 3rd c. BCE, Roman adaptations of Aristophanes) Didactic poetry (7th - 3rd c. BCE, Hesiod) Mythography & Antiquarian prose (5th - 2nd c. BCE, collection of myths, local histories, customs) biogr...

LESBIAN/GAY THEORY Critical discussion of lesbian and gay issues started twenty years before it was established as a part of an MA course, "Sexual Dissidence and Cultural Change", at the University of Sussex. The 1993 publication of The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader marked the beginning of lesbian/queer criticism. This theory proposes sex and sexuality are social constructs and subject to change. So, sexual orientation is a concept that lesbian/gay critics seek to understand and examine. LESBIAN FEMINISM Beginning as a sort of feminism's annexe in the 1980s, lesbian studies developed into a distinct critical literary field of study in the 1990s. THE ACCUSATIONS Non-White feminists against Mainstream feminism Feminism generalises the differences (racial, cultural, sexual) and universalises the experiences of white women (middle-class and heterosexual) Example: Bell Hooks, African American critique Ain't I a woman: black women and feminism (Pluto Press 1986) Lesbian cr...

 Structuralism  The French intellectual movement of the 1950s known as structuralism is thought to have started with the writings of anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss and literary critic Roland Barthes. It arrived in Britain in the 1970s and rose to prominence in the 1980s. The theory is difficult to understand in isolation because it is linked to the study of broader structures in various situations. Structuralist Chickens and Liberal Humanist Eggs This theory suggests that "structure" is imposed by one's experiences and perceptions of the world rather than being innate to its objects. So, meaning is always outside (rather than inside) of things and is attributed to them by the viewer. In the context of literature, "structure" refers to the way that a text represents a particular genre. They are related to one another, just as a phrase is to the language. The text (phrase) is subject to the genre's (language) norms and conventions. Understanding Donne'...

Theory before Theory – Liberal Humanism  The History of English Studies English (language) became a subject of study only in 1828 at the London University College, following the charter (1826) to award degrees to men and women of all religions or none. Before that, education was a monopoly of the Church of England. English was first taught at King's College (later became London University) in 1831. Edward Freeman:  Professor of history Edward Freeman questioned the necessity of learning English and inquired, "What exactly is its knowledge component?" Citing how the advocates of English wanted to separate literature and language study, he questioned the logic in distinguishing literature from language in his convocation address in 1884. Although it prevented the creation of an English chair at Oxford, it made the English supporters reconsider their position. Freeman ultimately prevailed in the debate, and it was determined that in order for literature to be regarded as an ...

The Frankfurt School – The Institute for Social Research The term 'Frankfurt School' refers to a group of scholars who worked in the Institute of Social Research at the University of Frankfurt, Germany. Institute for Social Research (1923 - 1933) Felix Weil, a German Argentine Marxist, founded the Institute for Social Research at the university in 1923. Carl Grunberg, a Marxist economist, was the first director of the Institute. The main focus of the Institute was the study of the Labour Movement from a Marxist theoretical perspective. Development of Critical Theory (1930 - 1950) Max Horkheimer, 2nd director of the institute, changed the focus of the institute. He, with the help of other critics, namely Adorno and Marcuse, developed 'Critical Theory,' which succeeded Grunberg's 'Marxist Theory.'  The critical theory aimed at critiquing the capitalist society and the role of capitalist ideology in shaping social relations. • Critical theory, a mixture of some...

The Renaissance Movement The Renaissance, widely regarded as the first and most comprehensive literary movement, emerged in response to the devastation and systemic issues of the Middle Ages. A brief understanding of the preceding periods is required to determine the origin of the movement. PRECEDING PERIODS Ancient Sumerian Literature (circa 2600 BCE onwards)—Ex. The   Epic of Gilgamesh Ancient Egyptian Literature: The Book of the Dead. Classical Greek and Roman Literature (c. 1200 BCE - 455 CE) - The Iliad, The Odyssey, the beginning of philosophy, theatre, drama, tragedy, comedy, and so on.  Fall of Rome (1st-5th centuries AD) The Middle Ages (5th -15th centuries AD) Renaissance (14th–17th centuries AD) (Note: Despite efforts, it is impossible to categorise literary periods and movements for comprehension due to their overlapping and shared historical timeline.) THE EMERGENCE OF THE RENAISSANCE Several social, economic, historical, political, and literary events combine...