English classics - a priceless pearl of world literature

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Classical English literature is truly admirable. It is based on the works of a galaxy of outstanding masters. No country in the world has given birth to so many outstanding masters of the word as Britain. There are many English classics, the list goes on and on: William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Daphne Du Maurier, George Orwell, John Tolkien. Are you familiar with their work?

Already in the 16th century, the Briton William Shakespeare earned the fame of the world's best playwright. It is curious that until now the plays of the “spear-shaking” Englishman (this is how his surname is literally translated) are staged in theaters more often than the works of other authors. His tragedies "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear", "Macbeth" are universal values. Getting acquainted with his creative heritage, we recommend that you MUST read the philosophic altragedy "Hamlet" - about the meaning of life and moral foundations. For four hundred years she has led the repertoires of the most famous theaters. There is an opinion that the English classic writers began with Shakespeare.

Jane Austen was made famous by the classic love story Pride and Prejudice, which introduces us to the daughter of an impoverished nobleman, Elizabeth, who has a rich inner world, pride and an ironic look at her surroundings. She finds her happiness in love for the aristocrat Darcy. Paradoxically, this book with a fairly simple plot and a happy ending is one of the most beloved in Britain. It traditionally outstrips the works of many serious novelists in popularity. For that alone, it's worth reading. Like this writer, many English classics came to literature precisely at the beginning of the 18th century.

Thomas Hardy glorified himself with his works as a deep and genuine connoisseur of the life of ordinary Britons in the 18th century. His characters are invariably penetrating and convincing. The novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" shows the tragic fate of a simple decent woman. She commits the murder of a scoundrel nobleman who breaks her life in order to free herself from his persecution and find happiness. Using the example of Thomas Hardy, the reader can see that the English classics had a deep mind and a systematic view of the society around them, saw its flaws more clearly than others, and, having ill-wishers, nevertheless courageously presented their creations for the assessment of the whole society.

Charlotte Brontë showed inin his largely autobiographical novel Jane Eyre, the emerging new morality - the principles of an educated, active, decent person who wants to serve society. The writer creates an amazingly holistic, deep image of the governess Jane Eyre, going towards her love for Mr. Rochester, even at the cost of sacrificial service. Bronte, inspired by her example, was followed by other English classics, not from the nobility, calling on society for social justice, for an end to all discrimination against a person.

Charles Dickens possessed, according to the Russian classic F. M. Dostoevsky, who considered himself his student, "the instinct of universal humanity." The great talent of the writer did the seemingly impossible: he became famous even in his early youth thanks to his first novel, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, followed by the following - Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and others, who gained unprecedented fame for the writer, putting him on a par with Shakespeare.

William Thackeray is an innovator in the style of the novel. None of the classics before him turned bright, textured depicted negative characters into the central images of his work. Moreover, as in life, often something individually positive was inherent in their characters. His outstanding work - "Vanity Fair" - is written in a unique spirit of intellectual pessimism, mixed with subtle humor.

Daphne Du Maurier did the impossible with her Rebecca in 1938: she wrote the novel at a key momentwhen it seemed that English literature had run out of steam, that everything possible had already been written, that the English classics had "ended". Having not received worthy works for a long time, the English reading audience was interested, delighted with the unique, unpredictable plot of her novel. The introductory phrase of this book has become winged. Be sure to read this book by one of the world's best masters of creating psychological images!

George Orwell will amaze you with the merciless truth. He wrote his famous novel "1984" as a powerful universal denunciatory tool against all dictatorships: present and future. His creative method is borrowed from another great Englishman, Swift.

The novel "1984" is a parody of a dictatorship society that finally trampled on universal human values. He denounced and called to account for the inhumanity of the ugly model of socialism, which in fact becomes the dictatorship of the leaders. An extremely sincere and uncompromising person, he endured poverty and deprivation, having passed away early - at the age of 46.

And is it possible not to love "The Lord of the Rings" by Professor John Tolkien? This real miraculous and surprisingly harmonious temple of the epic of England? The work brings its readers deep humanistic and Christian values. It is no coincidence that Frodo destroys the ring on March 25 - the day of the Ascension. The creative and competent writer showed insight: all his life he was indifferent to politics and parties, passionately loved "good old England", was a classic British tradesman.

The list goes on and on. I begForgiveness, dear readers who mustered up the courage to read this article, that it did not include, due to limited volume, the worthy W alter Scott, Ethel Lilian Voynich, Daniel Defoe, Lewis Carroll, James Aldridge, Bernard Shaw and, believe me, many, many others. English classical literature is a huge, most interesting layer of achievements of human culture and spirit. Indulge in the pleasure of getting to know her.