English Literature -1: Important Questions and Answers on English Literature

Brain Healer

7 Feb 202016:23

Summary

TLDRThis script offers a historical journey through English literature, starting with 'Beowulf' as the first epic. It highlights key figures like St. Bede, John Wycliffe, and William Shakespeare. It covers significant works, the Norman Conquest's impact, and the evolution of English language and literature through the Middle Ages, mentioning 'The Canterbury Tales' and 'The Divine Comedy', ending with the establishment of Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Takeaways

📜 The first epic in English literature is 'Beowulf', written during the Old English period (450 AD - 1066 AD).
👑 St. Venerable Bede is considered the first historian of English literature.
📚 John Wycliffe was the first person to translate the Bible into English.
🖨️ William Caxton established the first printing press in England.
🎭 The earliest English tragedy is 'Gorboduc'.
🖋️ Francis Bacon is famous for the quote 'Knowledge is power'.
🕊️ William Shakespeare is called the 'Bard of Avon' and considered the National Poet of England.
⚔️ 'Beowulf' deals with the hero’s fights with the Grendel and a dragon, and it consists of 3182 lines, written in Old English.
🏰 King Alfred the Great is regarded as the founder of English prose and supervised the compilation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
📖 Geoffrey Chaucer wrote 'The Canterbury Tales', which is considered his magnum opus and was written in Middle English.

Q & A

What was the first epic in English literature?
-Beowulf.
What was the time period of Old English literature?
-450 AD to 1066 AD.
Who was the first historian of English literature?
-St. Venerable Bede.
Who was the first person to translate the Bible into English?
-John Wycliffe.
Who established the first printing press in England?
-William Caxton.
What is considered the earliest English tragedy?
-Gorboduc.
Who said 'Knowledge is power'?
-Francis Bacon.
Who is referred to as the 'Bard of Avon'?
-William Shakespeare.
Which Shakespeare play contains the line 'To be or not to be, that is the question'?
-Hamlet.
Which Shakespeare play contains the line 'Cowards die many times before their death'?
-Julius Caesar.