English poetry

English poetry

Poetry was firstly introduced to England during the era of heroic poems, out of which, “Beowulf”, Germanic heroic poem was the longest and most important. The tale is of Scandinavian origin and was able to achieve national epic status. It was followed by poem named “The Battle of Maldon”, which was part of Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which celebrates the men who had fallen during the battle against the Vikings. The father of English literature is best remembered by his work, “The Canterbury Tales“, which is a prose written in verse.

Geoffrey Chaucer depicted a travel of pilgrims who told 4 stories on their way to the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett.

Among many other remarkable works, Shakespeare also delivered his Sonnets, which dealt with themes focusing on passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. He brought a completely new view, through which life can be seen. The beginning of blank verse in English poetry is associated with Thomas Wyatt, who wrote, rough stone-hard sonnets; he is also thought to be the forerunner of modern poetry. The taking up of Metaphysical poetry was the prime time of John Donne with his most famous work, “A Valediction of Weeping”. In this work, John expresses his powerful feelings to a woman when he is about to leave. The metaphysical conceit is used in this work, as one image unites very different experiences in a single impact of imagination.

The following era is marked by the Civil war, which was a background for John Milton’strilogy: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonites. The work tries to justify the ways of God to men. Alexander Pope along with John Dryden were the supporters of Satire in prose. Their works were filled with witty humor, criticism and devaluation of moral values. This and more can by found in Pope’s “Rape of the Lock“or “Dryden’s Mac Flacknoe”.

The early romantics were authors who felt the need to rebel against society and the Industrial Revolution. Great example is William Blake, who was considered to be mad, but his work “Songs of Experience” which was the first one to break the neoclassical tradition proved everyone wrong. The Lake poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge got their nickname thanks to their connection with the Lake District. The two authors collaborated and wrote “Lyrical Ballads”, the work represented disagreement with radical politics. Samuel Coleridge was highly influenced by philosopher Immanuel Kant, which resulted in the amount of works he wrote. It was typical for him to plan to write more than he actually did.

The Late Romantics period is kicked off by John Keats, whose life was full of pain, his most famous work “Ode to a Nightingale” was written when tuberculosis got the best out of him. In his works he reassures himself that he also suffers from the same illness as his mother and brother, more so he writes about the feeling of life slowly leaving his body. Keats’s friend, Percy Shelley was also a remarkable later romantic’s writer. In “A Defence of Poetry” he argues about poetry, being and obsolete art and the nature of poetry itself. The last great poet was Lord Byron who not only was a leading figure in Romanticism, but also introduced Titanism to literature. Byron is considered to be the first real celebrity; thanks to his extravagant lifestyle and number of scandals his works were full of originality. Out of many the “Childe Harold’s pilgrimage” shows his dramatic personality and eventful life in the best way.

English poetry is full of famous names, works and events. But most importantly, it flows with originality and inspiration. It is not a secret that many foreign authors drawn from the birthplace of high class literature. English poetry is a jewel and the crown of world’s literary heritage and not depending on our nationality; we should all praise it and protect it.