The New York Times
Teaching Orwell and '1984’ with the New York Times
Doublethink and alternate facts? Big Brother and Facebook? 1984 and 2019? Sales of 1984 have surged and so has the use of George Orwell's dystopian classic in classrooms. Whether new to teaching the novel or a seasoned veteran...
W. W. Norton
Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages: Topics: King Arthur
This article "King Arthur: Romancing Politics: Overview" separates the historical facts of Arthur and his knights from the legends and literature that have rewritten history.
Luminarium
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature: Christopher Marlowe
This is a biography of Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593). He was known as the father of English tragedy; his works include Tamburlaine the Great, Dr Faustus, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta, and Edward the Second.
Luminarium
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature: Geoffrey Chaucer
This is a biography of Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), author of The Canterbury Tales. The biography provides interactive highlighted words for more information on that topic.
Luminarium
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature: Sir Philip Sidney
This is the biography of Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586); his works included Arcadia, The Defence of Poesy, and Astrophil and Stella.
Luminarium
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature: John Dryden
This is a biography of John Dryden (1631-1700). It discusses his life and his works of poetry, satire, and drama.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Piers Plowman: An Introduction
This article introduces the questions of penance and obligation that are at the heart of Piers Plowman and shows how the work's fierce satire and commitment to justice have influenced English literature, from multimedia reimaginings to...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Middle English
This article explains how Middle English developed from Old English, changing its grammar, pronunciation, and spelling, and borrowing words from French and Latin.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Beowulf
Read an overview of the Old English poem "Beowulf" and view additional resources such as articles and collection items.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: The Trickster in African American Literature
Trudier Harris, Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains the role of tricksters in African American literature.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Saracens and Racial Otherness in Middle English Romance
This article considers how 'Saracen' characters are portrayed in Middle English romances, and what these texts can reveal about ideas of Otherness in this period.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Old English Heroic Poetry
This article introduces some of the key texts of Old English heroic poetry, including Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon, The Dream of the Rood, and Judith.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Old English
This article charts the evolution of Old English through the 700 years during which it was written and spoken.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Earliest World History in English
This article considers what we can learn from the Old English Orosius about the Anglo-Saxons and their relationship to the wider world.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Elegies of the Exeter Book
The poems in the Exeter Book known as the 'Old English elegies' focus on loss, separation, and the transience of earthly things. This article explores these poems, which include The Wanderer and The Wife's Lament, and highlights the...
Luminarium
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature: Andrew Marvell
This is a bibliography of Andrew Marvell (1621-1678); his poems include "Upon Appleton House," "To his Coy Mistress," and "The Definition of Love."
British Library
British Library: Language & Literature: Dictionaries and Meanings
Article discusses the history of English dictionaries over a five-hundred-year period. Includes selections from Samuel Johnson's dictionary of 1755 and the Oxford English Dictionary. With useful comments about the origins of words,...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: What Is the Owl and the Nightingale About?
"The Owl and the Nightingale" is one of the earliest substantial texts to be written in Middle English. Read an overview of this poem and view additional resources such as articles and collection items.
Rutgers University
Rutgers University: Johnson on the History of the Language
Critical analysis of Johnson's use of literary sources in his dictionary, and his contribution to the development of modern English. Includes extensive notes and bibliography.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Vcu: American Romanticism (Archived Content)
This site, from Ann Woodlief's Introduction to American Romanticism (or the American Renaissance) defines the Romantic movement in American literature and discusses its major themes.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: The Battle of Maldon, or Byrhtnoth?s Death
This article, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature, provides an overview of the patriotic poem, the Battle of Maldon.
Global Catholic Network
Global Catholic Network: Saint Bede Confessor, Doctor of the Church
Biography of St. Bede, followed by the preface to the "Ecclesiastical History of England" and another excerpt in modern English.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Bede
Familiarize yourself with the life and works of Bede. This source contains a quick fact sheet, a short biography, and links to related articles, collection items, and works.
TES Global
Tes: Romeo & Juliet 2006 Article: "Civil Blood"
[Free Registration/Login Required] This article "Civil Blood: Why Are the Capulets and Montagues at War?" by Carol Chillington Rutter, Professor of English Literature at Warwick University, discusses the themes of violence and love in...
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