English Literature - Read Mode
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Geoffrey Chaucer is called the ‘Father of English Literature’ because he was the first to write major literary works (like ‘The Canterbury Tales’) in the English vernacular rather than in Latin or French.
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‘The Tempest’ is not a tragedy; it is a romance or comedy. Unlike ‘Hamlet’, ‘Othello’, and ‘Macbeth’, which end in death and ruin, ‘The Tempest’ ends in forgiveness, reconciliation, and marriage.
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While Shakespeare wrote sonnets and poems, his global fame rests primarily on his plays. He wrote approximately 39 plays that capture the full range of human emotion and conflict.
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The full quote is “To err is human, to forgive divine.” It comes from Alexander Pope's ‘An Essay on Criticism’, suggesting that while making mistakes is part of human nature, forgiving them is a god-like quality.
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‘Hamlet’ is a drama (specifically a tragedy) by William Shakespeare. It is one of the most influential works in world literature, known for its deep psychological exploration of its protagonist.
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‘Oliver Twist’ is a novel by Charles Dickens, published in 1838. It tells the story of an orphan boy and is famous for its critique of the treatment of the poor in Victorian England.
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A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line.
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A Limerick is a type of humorous, often nonsense poem consisting of five lines with the rhyme scheme AABBA. It is a popular form of light verse.
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In the first two books of John Milton's ‘Paradise Lost’, Satan is the central character. He is portrayed as a charismatic and rebellious leader rallying his fallen angels against God.
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‘All for Love’ is a heroic tragedy (drama) by John Dryden, written in 1677. It is an adaptation of the story of Antony and Cleopatra, focusing on the last hours of their lives.