English Literature - Read Mode
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‘Man and Superman’ is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. It is considered one of his masterpieces, blending romantic comedy with a philosophical exploration of the ‘Life Force’ and human evolution.
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Jonathan Swift is regarded as the greatest prose satirist in the English language. He is best known for works like ‘Gulliver's Travels’ and ‘A Modest Proposal’, which use irony and humor to criticize society.
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The Jacobean era coincides with the reign of James I of England (1603–1625). It followed the Elizabethan era and is famous for the dark tragedies of Shakespeare, Webster, and the comedies of Ben Jonson.
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These lines appear in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. They vividly describe the intense isolation and spiritual despair of the Mariner after his shipmates die as punishment for killing the Albatross.
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This is the dramatic opening line of ‘The Canonization’ by John Donne. It is a classic metaphysical poem where the speaker demands to be left alone to love, rejecting worldly ambitions and public approval.
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John Milton wrote ‘Paradise Lost’, which is considered the greatest epic poem in the English language. It retells the biblical story of the Fall of Man, the temptation of Adam and Eve, and their expulsion from Eden.
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A euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term substituted for one considered to be too harsh, blunt, or offensive. For example, using 'passed away' instead of 'died' is a common euphemism.
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Alexander Pope (1688–1744) belongs to the Augustan Age of the 18th century. Matthew Arnold, Robert Browning, and Alfred Tennyson are all defining poets of the Victorian era (19th century).
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‘The Spanish Tragedy’ is an Elizabethan tragedy written by Thomas Kyd. It established the genre of the ‘revenge play’ in English theatre, featuring a ghost and a play-within-a-play, heavily influencing Shakespeare's ‘Hamlet’.
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R. K. Narayan is one of the leading figures of early Indian literature in English. He is famous for his novels set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi, capturing the nuances of Indian daily life.