literary eras Flashcards
oral tradition
def: traditional knowledge & beliefs of cultures that are passed down by being spoken instead of written
feat: passed down, informative, cultural, mnemonic (things to memorize other things like PEMDAS), theme
classical era
greek: idealistic realism, democracy, drama, balance, logic
roman: historical epics and poetry, odes & hymns, political/social satires, life, Gods
medieval period
dominance of Christianity, establishing key religious values/strong religious influence, exploring concept of afterlife, belief of heaven and hell, need to be righteous and complete good deeds
-we must be righteous in order to not suffer in the afterlife
renaissance/reformation period
wit, beauty, truth, use repetition to emphasize themes, dramatic, faith in man (humanism)
-radical changes in ideas about religion, politics, and science
enlightenment period
skepticism, new values, emphasis on science and reason
romantic period
celebration of nature, focus on the individual and spirituality, celebration of isolation and melancholy, interest in the common man, idealization of women, imagination is superior to reason
gothic period
dark, eerie and mysterious; death and decay, haunted homes/castles, family curses, madness, powerful love/romance, ghosts, and vampires
theme: power, confinement(restricting something/one within certain limits), and isolation
victorian era
idealism (the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically), focused on realities of day to day life, new inventions
realism
reaction against romantisicm, detailed descriptions on everyday experiences as they are in real life, truth
naturalism
the universe doesn’t care about you; where everything can be explained in natural causes; only natural laws and forces operate the universe`
- reality and nature are identical; beyond nature, no reality
existentialism
the quest for purpose in a meaningless world
- importance of the individual, importance of choice, anxiety regarding life and death, meaning and absurdity, atheism and religion
surrealism
Dream and Fantasy Sequences, Irrational Elements, juxtaposition Contrasts, The Unconscious Mind,
lost generation
period right after WWII so they were disoriented from it which made them “lost”
- seeking meaning of life, drinking heavily, had love affairs, loss of identity and tradition
harlem renaissance
golden age in african american culture
- black experiences, celebrating black culture, had own style of writing to signify their cultural identity.
transcendentalism
a respect of the glory of nature, emphasis on the goodness of humanity, people are at their best when truly “self-reliant” and independent, thought ppl can understand truth thru intuition
