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The Age of Enlightenment

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Towards the late 17th century and 18th century, a shift in thinking occurred. This shift known as the Enlightenment or the Age of Reason was an intellectual and cultural movement in the eighteenth century that emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. Centered on the idea that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy, this movement advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state. Thus was a sharp turn away from the prevailing idea that people needed to rely on scripture or church authorities for knowledge. The freethinking writers of the period sought to evaluate and understand life by way of scientific observation and critical reasoning rather than through uncritically accepting religion, tradition, and social conventions. There is little consensus on the precise beginning of the Age of Enlightenment , with the beginning of the 18th century or the middle of the 17...

Romantic Revival in English Literature

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During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Romantic revival in English literature witnessed an exceptional period of artistic and literary creativity. This movement was characterized by a renewed interest in the natural world, emotion, and imagination, as well as a rejection of the Enlightenment era's rationalism and scientific progress.  William Wordsworth One of the most prominent figures of the Romantic revival was William Wordsworth, whose poetry celebrated the beauty of the natural world and the power of the human imagination. His famous poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is a classic example of Romantic literature, with its vivid descriptions of the natural landscape and its celebration of the beauty of the world around us. Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge, another significant figure of the Romantic revival, explored themes of love, nature, and the supernatural in his work. His most famous poem, "Kubla Khan," is a dreamlike meditati...

The Celtic Influence on the English language

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The Celts were the native inhabitants of Britain in the Iron Age who spoke Celtic languages like Wesh, Breton, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic and had a similar culture. The word 'Celt' comes from the Greek word 'Keltoi' which means Barbarians and is adequately pronounced as Kelts. There is no written record of the Celts stemming from their documents, so we can piece together a fair picture of them from archaeological evidence and historical accounts from other cultures. There was a written Celtic language, but it was developed well into Christian times, so much of the Celtic history relied on oral transmission, primarily through the efforts of bards and poets. These arts were very important to the Celts, and whatever we know of them today comes through the old tales and poems that were handed down for generations before eventually being written down.  After the Romans left, the Anglo-Saxons were invited to assist in fighting the Picts and the Scots. Eventually, they invaded...

History of the English Language : The Middle English Period

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The Middle English Period begins with the Norman Conquest of 1066, an important landmark in the history of the English language, and ends with the transitional period towards the close of the Middle Ages. It extends from about A.D. 1100 to about 1450. The Oxford Companion to English Literature says that Middle English is used to describe the language from 1150 to about 1500. Sweeping changes in vocabulary occurred, first by the Scandinavian influence and then by the Norman French. The real force of the Norse influence on the language became perceptible only in early Middle English. It was the effect of the Norman Conquest and of the consequent French influence which later deprived English of its homogenous character. From 1042 onwards, Norman-French must have been spoken at the English Court. But It could not influence the common people. They used to speak in their native language. Thus, for some years there were two languages spoken side by side: English and Norman French. French rema...