William Blake

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Born 1757 and died in 1827, Blake was an English musician and poet. He was not popular during his own time. He is considered as a Whole Artist, due to his drawings in his works.

He studied in The Royal Academy where he discovered that artists were generalizing styles, he wanted something different and he shows that in his own works.

He married Catherine who was taught to read and write and draw. She was a very important help for Blake for printing and finishing works.

He was very interested into the social problems and politics, he hated discrimination and imposed authority, some legal troubles were risen from his believes.

Some of his paintings have religious topics.

[some] Illustrated books:

*John Milton: Paradise Lost (Blake's Illustrations)

All Religions are One - 1788
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - 1790 - 93

Others:
The French Revolution - 1791
Tiriel - 1789

Charles Dickens

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Dickens lived from 1812 to 1870. He is one of the most important writers of his era even he was recognized until the XXth century. He is took the element of the XVIIIth century Gothic romance novels.

For his writings, he worked closely with those who illustrated them, so the characters were exactly as how he envisioned. He also presented some autobiographical stuff into his writings.

His writings were presented as episodes in journals, for example, in Oliver Twist the public had to wait 2 months to know if he survived a gunshot. He altered the stories according to people's reactions.

Works

The Adventures of Oliver Twist (Monthly serial in Bentley's Miscellany, February 1837 to April 1839)
David Copperfield (Monthly serial, May 1849 to November 1850)

The Christmas books:

• A Christmas Carol (1843)
• The Chimes (1844)
• The Cricket on the Hearth (1845)
• The Battle of Life (1846)
• The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain (1848)

John Keats. Ode to a Nightingale part VII

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JOHN KEATS

ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE

VII

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!    

No hungry generations tread thee down;  

The voice I hear this passing night was heard   

In ancient days by emperor and clown: 

Perhaps the self-same song that found a path 

Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,  

She stood in tears amid the alien corn;        

The same that ofttimes hath   

Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam  

Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

John Dryden

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Born 1631, Dryden life was full of important situations, he wrote poems and plays. His living age is named The Dryden period due to his writings. He was part of King's Company in which later he became a shareholder. he was also a translator of the classical literature (Horace, Ovid, Lucretius, Theocritus...)  . He lived during the English Restoration and The War of the 3 Kingdoms.


He lived during the puritan ban and the great plague, because of this he couldn't present his plays for a while.

Later he would wrote a very important satire of religion and power. The 3 part poem: The Hind and the Panther.

Each of its 3 parts has an important notation.

The first one shows different religions as animals according to their power and procedures.

The second is a satire to christian practices.

Finally, the third one is about the Whigs and how churches and monarchy could beat them.

"Of all the tyrannies on humane kind

The worst is that which persecutes the mind."

—John Dryden,

"The Hind and the Panther"

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.