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The Old Testament of the Bible, also called the Hebrew Bible, is written during this time period. Combined with the New Testament, it becomes the Christian Bible. This testament is what Milton used to inform the majority of his epic, Paradise Lost.
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The Iliad, written by Homer, who may or may even be a real person, is thought to have been written over this time period--give or take 50 years or so. It is part of an extremely influential duo of epic poems, its sister being The Odyssey, also credited to Homer. -
The Odyssey is thought to have been written during this time period by Homer, who may or may not have existed. It was written after its sister epic, the Iliad.
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Aesop, a slave and storyteller who collected and wrote a prolific set of fables is said to have lived during this timespan. Chaucer studied these fables in Latin in school. They are at times directly connected with Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales."
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Plato, an influential philosopher whose works are still learned and discussed to this day, is born at some point during this timespan.
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One of Plato's most significant works is a book called the Symposium in which several philosophers hold a friendly contest to determine who can give the best speech in honor of Eros, the God of Love and Desire. The given dates are the range the text is marked with according to Leitao.
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Plato, after a lifetime of teaching, is said to have died at some point during this period. He is said to have died in Athens.
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The New Testament of the Bible is thought to have been completed by 70 A.D. Scholars continue to debate about what the exact timeframe is, but it is certain that it was written primarily during the first century and after Christ's exit from the physical plane of Earth. Hence, "B.C."
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The Canterbury Cathedral, future destination of Chaucer's characters on their pilgrimage in the Canterbury Tales, is founded. It would later be rebuilt, and it housed the remains of an assassinated Saint, which would become the subject of many future plays. -
Beowulf, the earliest "European vernacular epic," is completed somewhere in this time period. It is considered the highest achievement of Old English literature.
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The Canterbury Cathedral, hundreds of years after it was initially founded, is completely rebuilt.
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Francesco Petrarca, better known as Petrarch, was born. He was a scholar, humanist, and poet, is known today for being the "father of sonnets." -
Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of the Canterbury Tales, is born. He is considered to be the "Father of English Literature" by some. Beyond being an author, he also served for a time as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament. -
Margery Kempe, who had her story of religious intrigue transcribed in a book of the same name, was born in this year. She undertook a life of religious freedom and many pilgrimages. -
Francesco Petrarca, better known as Petrarch, passed away days away from his birthday seventy years later. His life was filled with literature and its study and he was a part of the humanistic movement that focused on the study of classical authors. -
According to Chaucer's tomb, which was erected more than 100 years after his death, his death date was in late October of 1400. There is speculation that he was murdered by enemies of the royalty at the time, or even the royalty itself. -
Margery Kempe began her prolific pilgrimage shortly after her father passed. She left despite her husband's reservations. -
Margery Kempe, after a life of religious explorations, dies. -
Johannes Gutenberg, a political exile from Germany, experimented and eventually created the Gutenberg press which would go on to be a revolution in the world of literature. -
Chaucer's "the Canterbury Tales" were published in print for the first time almost 80 years after his death. This was William Caxton's edition. Only 10 copies of this book are known to exist today. -
Sir Thomas More, the author of the influential Utopia, is born. He was later canonized as a saint. He also served as a lawyer, judge, philosopher, and author. -
Sir Thomas Wyatt, known for being the first person to translate sonnets, specifically Petrarch's, into English, is born. -
Henry VIII is a particularly important king in that his desire for a healthy male heir and political bonds lead him to marry 6 times. In order to avoid the necessity of Papal approval of the annulment of his marriages, he presided over the changes that established the Protestant Reformation.
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Sir Thomas More's influential work, Utopia, is published. In the context of the world More was writing in, Utopia was seen as a scathing criticism of the way English politics were functioning. -
The English Reformation, in which the English Church broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, and all of its events stretched over an extended period of time. The time period presented here includes most of the build-up and cool-down of the movement and spans several wars including a civil war. It was lead in part by Martin Luther who first challenged the Pope in 1517.
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Sir Thomas More, after a life dedicated to an entire host of occupations, was convicted of treason and executed for refusing to swear allegiance to King Henry VIII as he named himself the head of the Supreme Church of England. -
During this time period, the English occupied and actively tried to conquer Ireland. They also impressed Protestantism upon a primarily Catholic group, which lead to resentment.
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Thomas Wyatt was executed before the age of 40 by Henry VIII for sleeping with his mistress and eventual wife, Anne Boleyn. None of his works were ever published while he was alive. -
The author of the Faerie Queene and renowned poet was born during this timespan.
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Bloody Mary was a queen that staunchly opposed Protestantism during her stint as the ruler of England. She had over 280 religious dissenters burnt at the stake, earning her her nickname.
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Queen Elizabeth I was seen as a successful ruler that impressed Protestantism upon the populace but allowed a balance to be maintained. She also helped to steady the English world as they found themselves in the depths of disagreement between Catholicism and Protestantism. She controlled what could be preached about and made it so that a certain amount of ritual had to be maintained. In Spenser's the Faerie Queene, the titular character is seen to be representative of Queen Elizabeth herself.
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Poet and the playwright that is considered to be Shakespeare's most influential predecessor is born around this time. His actual birth date was not recorded, but his baptism was. -
As Shakespeare's exact birthday was not recorded, the date included is his baptism. The Bard hardly needs any form of introduction. His sonnets, plays, and every other piece of literature he ever created are all highly renown and even have entire courses dedicated to studying them. -
Christopher Marlowe's play, Dr. Faustus was performed on stage to a horrified audience before it was ever published. -
Edmund Spenser's romantic fantasy, the Faerie Queene, is published. It was published during his lifetime and is rich with his worldview. -
Marlowe died after an exciting life. He often got into trouble because of rowdy behavior and wrote for theaters for many years. -
While his birth was not definitively recorded, Edmund Spenser's death was. His only known job was as a poet and his final resting place was Westminster Abbey. -
Marlowe's Dr. Faustus was performed before it was published. It was published nearly 20 years later and is analyzed today as a text with interesting religious implications. -
John Milton is born. He would go on to become an important poet and historian and write works such as Paradise Lost, an epic, Areopagitica, and Lycidas.
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Shakespeare's iconic sonnets appeared in print for the first time in 1609. They would go on to be alluded to, dissected, discussed, analyzed, reproduced, written about, and sent to lovers a near-infinite number of times. -
The third English translation of the bible is published after being commissioned by James VI and I. -
While William's birthday isn't completely known, his death date is. It is speculated that he died on his actual date of birth, but this isn't known for a fact. -
Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, is born. Cavendish is relatively unique in that she held a high amount of agency for a woman of her time. -
The First English Civil War, fought over the format of government that should be predominant in England, took place during this period of time. The two main forces were the Royalists, who supported Charles I and his claim to be above Parliament, and the Parliamentarians, who preferred constitutional monarchy. The war ended when Charles I was taken into custody and later lead to the Second English Civil War.
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Margaret Cavendish's text, "The Blazing World" is published. It is considered by some to be the first piece of science fiction media and discusses natural philosophy to great ends. It is also by far my least favorite piece we read this semester. -
Milton's Paradise Lost is published. Its follow-up, Paradise Regain'd, is published just a few short years after. The initial publication was organized into only 10 books, rather than the 12 read today. -
Paradise Lost is republished and separated into 12 books instead of the original 10. The last two books are considered by many to be somewhat superfluous, but scholars continue to debate and dissect their merits. Later on, these books would go on to contain "arguments," or brief summaries. -
Margaret Cavendish, after a lifetime of renowned publishing, dies. She was treated as somewhat of a celebrity during her life, despite her gender and the time period she lived in. -
John Milton dies. He is considered to be the most significant English author after William Shakespeare himself. -
Mary J. Carruthers, a professor of both English and Literature at New York University, known for her essay, "The Wife of Bath and the Painting of Lions," is born. -
Mary J. Carruthers' essay discussing feminist implications of Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale" is published in the second issue of the ninety-fourth volume of PMLA, a literature journal published by Cambridge. -
As a way to reference the timespan between all of this classical literature and a more familiar, contemporary event, I have included the release date of the first Harry Potter book.