Daniel Defoe

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Maybe best known for the Robinson Crusoe Adventures, Defoe was born in 1659 and died in 1731.
With more than 500 books he is considered as one of the founders of English novel among other importan writers of his time.

Merchant for profession he dedicated his life to writing, being his very first writing a proposal for a new and different economic system entitled An Essay Upon Projects.

In some other writings he defended the king and the monarchy. He was arrested for some problems with clerical authorities due to his writings. But instead of being offended while he was transported as a criminal people were honoring him, he was not executed because of his popularity and the fear that his execution could create a riot.

Jonathan Swift

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Jonathan Swift was an Irish writer who lived in the 17th and 18th century. Born in 1667 and died in 1745.
He is famous for the biggest critic of human society: Gulliver's Travels. working as writer and accountant for a noble man he reached the court. Latter, bored of his work he decided to became a priest.

He lived in London for some years but he returned to Ireland where he worked and take care of some churches. He would return to England to work with the noble man 'till his death.

As a priest he lied in Dublin, he was in love with a 20 year old girls whom is said become his wife in secret. He became more important in the ecclesiastic sphere but it was Queen's Anna hostility what avoided him from continue growing.

Edmund Spencer & The Faerie Queene

       

Edmund Spencer (1522-1599) became famous for his Faerie Queene poem which he wrote and read to Queen Elizabeth I.

His friend Sir Walter Raleigh encouraged him to visit the Queen in London and read his poem.

His poem was presented in 3 books, the first part was published in 1590, the second in 1596. It was planed to be a 12 book publication.

The poem is an epic poem with memories and critics of Tudor's Dynasty. It also has Arthurian style, makes transcendental women into normal.

Queen Elizabeth I

She was the last monarch of the Tudor Family, Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603.

The period in which she reigned is known as the Elizabethan era where English Drama and a adventuring life were more famous. Play-writers as William Shakespeare were very important for court's life.

 Theater and literature were of great importance for the era due to Queens interest on arts.

She admired Edmund Spencer and Shakespeare.

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William Shakespeare

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Shakespeare was born in 1564, he died in 1616. Shakespeare was an English writer and actor, he is also considered as the most important and influent writer of English language.

There is a lot of speculation about his life and works but we know that he existed, even there is a little information about his life, there are registries of his work in London, where he worked as a play-writer and actor, and in Stratford, where he lived and married.

His plays were presented in some important scenarios: The Theatre and The Globe are some examples.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Image takne from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Raleigh-Walter-Sir-LOC.jpg

Walter Raleigh was an English writer, politician and he was also a pirate.
He was Queen's Elizabet I protected and he fought Irish rebels, he also founded Virginia colony in the U.S. He also search El Dorado in an expedition.

He was imprisoned for conspiracy against Jacob I. He died decapitated in 1618. He was also friends with Edmund Spencer.

Some of his poems are:

-The Lie
-What is our life
-The ocean to Cynthia
-A Farewell to False Love

                                             

Farewell, false love, the oracle of lies,
A mortal foe and enemy to rest,
An envious boy, from whom all cares arise,
A bastard vile, a beast with rage possessed,
A way of error, a temple full of treason,
In all effects contrary unto reason...

Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

Image taken from: http://www.medievalbookshop.co.uk/ajpics/AJD0082.jpg

Chaucer as many other intellectuals of his era was into philosophy, astronomy and even alchemy. HE was a very smart poet and he is considered, by some people, as the English Literature Father.

One of his most important works is The Canterbury Tales which is the story of some pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral. This pilgrims narrate their stories, some of they are into the dark side of moral, being corrupted and heretics. The tale also shows the classes (nobles, clerics, poor people) and how they different they are.

Maybe its like kind of a critic for the society at the time, as a joke of how people think and act.

The original is composed of some manuscripts most of which were incomplete and fragmented. the composition is divided in Ten fragments. The controversy arises in phonetic and written transcriptions, this of course for the literary and poetical spheres that like to have everything lyrically and versing.

While doing the research i found that some people considered the Canterbury Tales as a copy of Boccacio's Decameron. Maybe because of the stories told by the characters. However The Canterbury Tales is considered as a masterpiece of literature and it would be good to read it following the historical context of the time and searching the hidden stories and critics of medieval lifestyle.

Literature in the English Middle Ages

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According to different countries and languages, medieval literature was the starting era of our modern vision of books. we have some examples as English Beowulf, Germanic Nibelung's Ring story, French Chanson de Roldan and some other old books.

What is the most incredible thing about this period, is that books were not meant for all public, like for example workers. Reading and writing was reserved for intellectuals, rich people and clerics.

The books of this era are, in its majority, narrations taken from old legends, for example epic poems with ancient Celtic, Greek or Nordic mythology; Arthurian knights era or greatest travelers and knights (Mio Çid, Don Quixote, even Marco Polo)

We can see that art was also present in books, big colored illustrations and typographies could be found on ancient books, this is a plus for this craftsmanships.

We can also found some allegories or representations of concepts like in Dante's Divine Comedy.

Maybe this period help modern literature to established but i think writing and sharing thoughts and ideas is part of human behavior, from hieroglyphics to latin letters humans always wanted to share emotions, historical events, triumphs, tales, legends, poems and whatever description or thought is in our minds.

No matter the language, copyright restrictions and other stuff, written expression would always be considered as a masterpiece of art, the stories form the times of kings and knights are still with us thanks to written languages.

Bayeux Tapestry

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According to artistic way of thinking, art is the perfect media for leaving an event in the world. The best examples are pictures and paintings, sculptures and big carved stones and of course and why not a tapestry.

This piece in particular is absolutely awesome, I bet that  in the museum is better but... searching and reading about it you can only think that the work in it is awesome.

Handmade of course, years and tons of wool and colors, also centuries is what this piece represents.

It is the 1066 Battle of Hastings story what is told in here. I like it a lot because of the details, colors, images, and the most important part the historical event and its narration. Images can say lots more than words.

I have found a video where you can see in detail with a well done animation some details. It is a 4 min and something long video from you tube.