Ad Maiora - English Literature

The development of the novel took place in the 18th century in England, as a result of a social and historical background which changed the country into a Parliamentary Monarchy and an industrial power during and after the so-called Stuart Era.The new values of the middle class are opposite to the main features of the previous romance, which is compared to the modern novel in terms

William Shakespeare's works offer an incredible amount of perspectives we can get beyond his biography and the mere description of his plots, which most of the times represent just a limited intruduction to his genius.In this video I explain one of the most fascinating interpretations of Shakespeare's theatre and poetry: the relationship between the balance/disbalance of the indivi

Mary Shelley conveyed through her masterpiece "Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus" a very strong message about the responsibility of science and society. Her gothic novel, written for a contest among intellectuals during a rainy summer at Lord Byron's mansion, represents now one of the deepest and most insightful analysis of the human being, his fears, his relationship with soci

Also called the "Age of Revolutions", the Romantic period (19th century) was deeply infuenced by political, social and economical events (American and French Revolution, Industrial Revolution,Agricultural and Transport Revolution, social unrests, Adam Smith's work, Rousseau's philosophy...), developing a large and multifaceted movement, whose currences involved Literature and Arts

William Wordsworth is considered as one of the most representative Romantic Poets of the first generation. Together with S.T. Coleridge he wrote the Lyrical Ballads, in which it is possible to find some of his main themes, together with a Preface where Wordswoth expresses his point of view about the concept of Poet Prophet, of Language and of topics that should be treated by poetry

S.T. Coleridge is considered one of the most popular artist in the First Generation of Romantic Poets, especially for his collaboration with Wiliam Wordsworth in writing the Lyrical Ballads. The two authors and friends were two sides of the same coin: they represented an opposite perspective towards poetry and Nature (beautiful vs sublime) but they both shared a pantheistic view, w

William Blake is considered one of the major Romantic Poets of the first generation.His "prophetic books", together with his engraving and painting, are amongst the greatest representations of the Romantic attitude towards nature, and also towards the negative effects of Industrial Revolution, such as urbanization, corruption and a physical as well as a metaphorical "pollution" of

William Blake is considered one of the major Romantic Poets of the first generation.His "prophetic books", together with his engraving and painting, are amongst the greatest representations of the Romantic attitude towards nature, and also towards the negative effects of Industrial Revolution, such as urbanization, corruption and a physical as well as a metaphorical "pollution" of

The major Romantic Poets are often divided into two groups: the first and the second generation.William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake and Sir Walter Scott belong tp the first one, while Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats are identified with the second one.In this video I'm Going to explain the differences between thetwo groups and the common aspect

The Victorian Age, also called "Age of Empire" is considered one of the most flourishing periods in English Literature, besides being a time of change as far as politics, society and economics are concerned. The Industrial Revolution influences urbanization as well as Agricultural/Transport Revolution and it causes social unrests and reforms. The main cell of the Victorian patriarc