European Literature _ Learn with Tea

A pleasant day to everyone. Today we will discuss the last lesson in 21st century literature. This is about European literature. To begin with, Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the earth. Physically and geologically, Europe is the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, west of Asia. Take a look at the map and appreciate the beauty of Europe. To learn more about Europe, European literature refers to the written works that come from Europe, of course. It includes many languages like English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Greek, and even Russian. In earlier times, important works were written in Latin and ancient Greek, and during the renaissance in the Italian Tuscan dialect. European literature is a big part of world literature and is often seen as a reflection of western culture and ideas. Literatures in different countries in Europe. Ancient Greek literature is the oldest and most influential in the western world. It became the foundation and model for later works, especially for Latin literature and other western writings that followed. The most famous Greek playwrights who wrote classical tragedies are Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Their works explored deep themes like faith, justice, and human suffering, and they continue to influence drama even today. Greek literature is divided into three periods, starting with pre-Homeric and Homeric ages. It includes all writings in the Greek language, with a long history from around the first millennium BC up to today. Greek writers lived not only in Greece, but also in Asia Minor, the Asian islands, and southern Italy. After Alexander the Great's conquest, Greek cultural and literature spread even further across the world. Greek eventually became the common language of the eastern Mediterranean and later of the Byzantine Empire. It was used by many writers, even those whose first language wasn't Greek. Over time, especially after the Turkish conquest in 1453, the use of Greek declined and is now mainly spoken in Greece and Cyprus. Only a small portion of ancient Greek literature has survived, but it remains highly important and influential. For centuries, western writers studied and followed Greek traditions and styles, either directly or through Latin works. Many classic forms of writing we know today actually came from Greek inventions, shaping western literature for generations. Roman literature began around the 3rd century BC and reached its golden age during the rule of Emperor Augustus. The Romans wrote poetry, history, letters, and formal speeches. Their writings were mostly practical rather than imaginative, since Romans valued duty and service to the state more than artistic pleasure. The earliest Roman writings were in the form of historical prose. Satire was the most common form of Roman literature. Writers used it to criticize the faults and injustices they saw in society. The main language of Roman writing was Latin, but Greek was also widely used, especially in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Of course, in Roman literature, Virgil is considered as the greatest Roman writer. His famous masterpiece is the Aeneid. It is an epic poem that tells the legendary story of Rome's founding and celebrates its greatness. In addition, Roman literature is the collection of writings in the Romanian language. It developed alongside a rich folklore tradition of songs, stories, and plays. The earliest Romanian texts appeared in the 15th century as translations from Slavonic religious writings. Notable early works include and the Codex of Voronet, both important parts of Romania's literary beginnings. By the late 1700s, lyric poetry became popular in Romania, especially through love songs written by Alecu, inspired by the Greek poet Anacreon. His father was also a poet and wrote the first Romanian grammar. Alecu's son, known as the father of Romanian poetry, became even more famous, and the feminist tradition continued with Nicolay, and later, P.P. Mammolino carried on the lyric style in Wallachia. Spanish literature refers to all literary works produced in Spain, written in three main languages, Castilian, Catalan, and Galician. Each language developed its own unique style and traditions. Over time, Spanish literature gave rise to major genres like poetry, drama, and novels that shaped Spain's rich literary history. Moreover, Spanish literature mainly refers to works written in the Spanish language within the territory that is now known as the Kingdom of Spain. It reflects Spain's rich history, culture, and traditions through various forms of writing. In addition, the literature of Spanish America is a significant branch of Spanish literature. It developed its own unique style and themes starting from the early years of Spain's conquest of the Americas. British literature includes works from the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands, mainly written in English. Of course, it covers Old English or Anglo-Saxon writings and also touches on Latin and Anglo-Norman influences. Some Scots language writers are mentioned, though detailed discussions belong to Scottish literature. Literary eras. Renaissance. Writers of the Renaissance look back to the classical styles of thinkers like Aristotle, Homer, Plato, and Socrates, as well as Romans such as Cicero, Horace, Sallust, and Virgil. Even the printing press is invented by Johannes Gottenberg in 1440, which made books more accessible to a larger audience. In addition, politics and Christianity also shaped the themes of this era, most notably seen in Machiavelli's The Prince, which offered advice to rulers. And here are the important Renaissance works that we have. Of course, we have Michel di Cervantes for Don Quixote, William Shakespeare, Niccolo Machiavelli, William Shakespeare of course for Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Niccolo Machiavelli for The Prince, Giovanni Boccaccio, Francisco Petrarch, Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Thomas More, John Milton, and even Christopher Marlowe. If you're curious about their literary works, you can simply look for the material online and explore the beauty of their Renaissance works. Next is the Enlightenment period. This literary period focused on reason, logic, and intellectual growth. Here, writers aim to improve society by promoting tolerance, freedom, and equality. Because of this, focus on reason may begin questioning the authority of the church, leading to the rise of the ism. In France, in fact, philosophers played a major role in shaping Enlightenment ideas, and as the middle class grew, prose, novels, and short stories became increasingly popular forms of literature. Romanticism. The spirit moved away from the Enlightenment's focus on reason and logic, and it turned instead to imagination and, of course, emotion. Here, writers valued more the common person, childhood, nature, and the power of individual feelings. They believed symbolism was more meaningful than direct explanations because, of course, it allowed deeper interpretation rather than viewing the universe as a machine. Romantic writers saw it as alive and organic, like a growing tree. Now, in terms of romantic authors, we have the following. We have Mary Shelley, my favorite. Of course, we have Victor Hugo, my favorite as well. Samuel Taylor, Coleridge, Friedrich Schlegel, Lord Baron, Johan Wolfgang, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Carlyle, Chetu Bryant, and Hegel. Next on the list, we have realism. The realist movement focused on showing life as it truly was, often exposing the hypocrisy and hardships faced by ordinary people. Here, writers used scientific observation and objectivity to make their works more believable. Realism rejected the idealized beauty and emotions of romanticism, instead revealing the harsh and sometimes cruel realities of society. Here, many writers also highlighted the negative effects of industrialization during this time. Of course, we have realist writers. We have the following. Gustave Flaubert, Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Dickens, my favorite, Claude Bernard, Emil Zola, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Leo Tolstoy, my favorite as well. Next on the list, we have Victorian period. The Victorian period took a more serious and realistic view of life compared to the idealism of romanticism. Here, nature was now seen as harsh and unforgiving, not gentle or kind. Here, writers focused on the middle class work and the nation as a whole rather than the individual. This era valued religion, science, and morality with traits like duty, respectability, and practicality. Common themes included industrial progress, empire expansion, and social reform. Of course, we have the following lists of the Victorian period writers. First on the list, we have Robert Browning, my favorite, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, my favorite, George Eliot, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, my favorite as well, Emily Bronte, my personal favorite, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, favorite as well, and Matthew Arnold. I have a lot of favorite authors. Next on the list, we have modernism. Like realism, modernism criticized middle class values, but it focused more on art and aesthetics than on social issues. Here, in modernism, writers began challenging Victorian traditions, exploring beauty, individuality, and creativity. Here, modernism grew stronger after World War I, reflecting, of course, the chaos and uncertainty of the time. It also celebrated experimentation and individual expression, breaking away from traditional ways of thinking and writing. Of course, we have the modernist writer Virginia Woolf, favorite, Leonard Woolf, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, favorite, William Butler, favorite, Joseph Conrad, D. H. Lawrence, Alfred Dobson, and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Last, but definitely not the least, we have postmodernism. It emerged after World War II, using techniques like fragmentation, paradox, and unreliable narrators. It reacted against the strict logic and structure of earlier periods, which I mentioned earlier, especially modernism. Postmodern writers preferred open endings and embraced chance and randomness over careful design. They mixed high and low culture, a style called pastiche, and used metafiction to question the author's own control over the story. So again, that's postmodernism. In terms of postmodernist works, we have the following, Vladimir Nabokov, John Falls, Fenedick Erfiev, Roald Dahl, George F. Berwick, Italo Calvino, Alasdair Cray, and Alan Moore, and Dmitri Galkovsky. Again, if you're curious about their works, you can simply look for the material online and enjoy exploring the literary piece. Finally, class, that concludes everything in 21st century literature. That ends the whole course, the whole subject. I hope you learned something, though it's quite too informative. I know it's overwhelming, but please, I'm sure you were able to jot down notes about the material, about the lesson, and please get ready for a quiz and or an activity in relation with the given lesson video. I hope you learned today, class. That concludes everything. Goodbye, everyone.