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Sep 19, 1000
Beowulf
The exact date and author of this work has not been determined. The story is about a hero, Beowulf, traveling to an island and defeating two horrible monsters. After, he returns to his country for many years as King. He is, in the end killed by a dragon in attempt to protect his people. -
Jul 24, 1392
"The Canterbury Tales"
The date of these works can not be exactly determined. It is generally assumed that they were not finished. The story was written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales consists of the stories old by the 29 pilgrims on their way to a shrine in Canterbury. The Host had proposed that each pilgrim was to tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two more while returning. The one with the best won. -
Period: Jan 1, 1485 to
Renaissance Period
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"On My First Son"
This poem was written by Ben Jonson after the death of his son in 1603. Jonson lost his son after only seven years. He is odeing him in this poem, telling him that he (the son) is his poetry. This poem was basically made to say goodbye to his young son after his untimely death. -
"Macbeth"
The play was written around 1606. William Shakespear is the author. Macbeth is a warrior who hears a prophecy of how he will become king. He almost immediatly plots how to fullfill this. He then kills the king in order to have the throne, but then has a run-in with his conscious. He also has his best friend murdered to insure his throne won't be threatened. Then he is defeated unexpectedly in a battle he thought the witches told he would win. -
"Meditation 17"
The poem was written in 1623 by poet John Donne. Donne, nearing death, hears a church bell ringing. This signifies a funeral. He then gets into deep thoughts on how all people are connected. He feels that people should learn from the death of others and live a better life. -
"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time"
It is not positive when this oem was written, but it was written towards the end of the author's life. The suthor was Robert Herrick. In this poem, Herrick advises the virgins to get married and have intercourse before it is too late. He wants them to have the experience before their lives come to an end. -
"A Modest Proposal"
This essay was written by Jonathon Swift and published anonymously by him in 1729. The narrator describes the poverty and over-population in his homeland. So, in satirical manor, he proposes that the country start selling and eating babies. -
"To a Mouse"
This poem was written by Robert Burns in 1785. This poem is narrated by sorrowful farmer who has to chase mice out of their nests with the plow. He expresses that he hates to do it but it needs to be done. -
"The Lamb"
This poem was written by William Blake in 1789. The narrator is asking an innocent lamb who is his creator. Then the narrator says he will tell. He says that an innocent God made the lamb. The point of this poem is express how the author feels that God is innocent and gentle. -
Period: to
Romantic Period
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"Ozymandius"
The poem was written by Percy Shelley in 1817. The narrator meets a traveler who tells him a legend from Eygpt. Ozymandias was a very proud king. He had a statue made of himself before he dies so he will be famous. Years later, now, the atatue has fallen apart and is barely noticable. The theme of the poem is to express that nothing lasts forever in the power of nature. -
"When I Have Fears Tht I'll Case to Be"
This poem was written by John Keats in 1818. The poet talks about how he fears he will die before he has accomplished his goals as a writer. -
"Ode to a Nightingale"
This poem was written by John Keats in May 1819. The narrator of the poem feels disoriented by the song of the bird. He begins to envy the bird because of its carefree life. He then realizes that the bird can't die, and he does not want that. -
Period: to
Victorian Period
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"The Lady of Shalott"
The poem was written by Alfred Tennyson in 1833. A lady is put under a curse where she is to be locked in a castle and ot to have contact with the outside world. She is not aloud to look outside her windo. One day, Lancelot rides by and she looks. She then escapes the castle, flees in a boat, and dies from the curse. -
"My Last Duchess"
This story was written by Robert Browning in 1842. The Duke is describing to a servant how the day that the picture of his former wife was painted on the wall. The Duke is the only one allowed to draw the curtain in front of the painting. He also describes his wife death. -
Excerpt from "Jane Erye"
The novel was written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. The summary of the excerpt is Jane is describing her school life. The teachers were rude and strict. If the girls did something wrong, they got beaten. Jane meets her friend Helen who she had witnessed take beating earlier. They discuss how they feel about the cruel punishment. Helen accepts it, Jane refuses. -
Excerpt from "Hard Times"
This novel was written by Charles Dickens in 1854. This excerpt is nly part of the novel. The summary of the excerpt is the narrator is describing how his educational experiences were. The teachers were mean and nasty. All they cared about was facts and thy had no imagination. -
Period: to
Modern Period
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"Preludes"
This poem was written by T.S. Eliot in 1910. The narrator talkas abut how dirty the town and its people are. The author eels that men are confounded and need to live more freely. -
"Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?"
The poem was written by Thomas Hardy in 1913. The narrator is dead and buried. He hears someone digging at his grave. After going through a list of people it could be, he discovers that it is the dog digging at his grave. He thinks the dog is mourning him, but he comes to find out the dog is only burying a bone. Basically, no one is missing the narrator. -
"Shooting an Elephant"
The story was written by George Orwell in 1936. The narrator (Orwell) is a police officer in a another country. An elephant has caused a disturbance and accidently killed a person. He is called upon to go shoot the elephant. Althouh he doesn't want to, he does because he doesn't want to get made fun by the people. -
"Animal Farm"
This book was written by George Orwell in 1945. The farm animals are be mistreated and underfed. They decide to rebel and throw out the humans and do things for themselves. This all ges great, until history begins to repeat itself. The pigs become the new humans. -
"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
Dylan Thomas wrote this poem in 1951. The poemis narrated by Thomas. He is pleading to his father, who is very ill and dying, not to give up the fight. He describes all the brave kinds of men, and explains that his father, too is one of them. He ends the poem by pleading once again, "Do not go gentle into the goodnight." -
"The Seafarer"
It is not clear of the author or the date this poen was written. It was translated by many different people and can be interpreted different in each translation. In our English book, it is translated by Burton Raffel. This poem (as translated by Burton Raffel) is about a man's physical journey in the sea, but he also undergoes a spiratual journey as well. -
"The Wanderer"
The exact date and author are not able to be determined. In our English books, it is translated by Charles W. Kennedy. The Wanderer has two different points of view. Oe is an anonymus person at the beginning and end. The other is the wanderer, an old warrior. The wanderer describes his life to the anonymus. He describes a life of lament and expresses the kindness of his king. -
"The Wife's Lament"
The exact date and author are unable to be determined. In our English books, Ann Stanford translated this poem. The poem is to show a woman's stress after a seperation from her husband. She beieves this is the worst thing she has ever experienced. This poem was written to express her anguish. -
Period: to Dec 31, 1485
Old English Period and Medieval Period
