European Literature

- Are a collection of literature from the European Continent

- Has one of the richest collections of literature.
- Its literature varies according to Time Period and Language Being Used.
- Modern Written Literature of Europe are mostly written in English, Spanish, French, Dutch,
Polish, German, Italian, and Modern Greek Czech and in Russian.

in political sense, European Literature had been the cradle of major ideologies through the use of
literature. The modern democracy we know today started in Ancient Greece as illustrated by various
philosophers such as Plato, The Protestant Movement which saw rise started in Germany through the
writings of Martin Luther, in addition the Roman Catholicism which saw rise due to missionaries armed
mainly with Bibles and lastly, the Communist Movement also started in Germany through the writings of
Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx

The European Literature, can be divided both by the Time Period and The History of the Nation Itself.

European Literature Time Periods

- Can be divided into:

1. Classical Period 5. Enlightenment Period

A. Ancient Greek 6. Romantic Period

B. Ancient Roman 7. Age of Realism, Naturalism

and Symbolism
2. Medieval Period
8. Contemporary Literature
3. Renaissance Period

4. Neo- Classical Period

Classical Period

- Classical European Literature started in Literary Works in this Era Literary Works in this Era
Ancient Greece dating back to 800 BC (Roman): (Greek):

- Most literatures from this time period 1. Aeneid 1. Iliad and Odyssey
- Virgil - Homer
were dominated with various types of literatures
2. Metamorphoses 2. Oedipus Rex
both written and theatrical. Examples of theatre
- Ovid - Sophocles
plays are most notably the Satyr Plays, Tragedies 3. Odes 3. The Histories
and Comedies. Written Greek Literature have topics - Horace - Herodotus
mostly through philosophies, history and also the 4. Annals 4. The Republic
tales of mythologies. - Ennius - Plato
5. Meditations 5. Politics
- Classical Roman Literature had its roots - Marcus Aurelius - Aristotle
from the Greeks. In particular, they share the same
theme in literature such as poetry, drama, comedies, history and philosophy with the exception of
tragedies. Moreover they used this influence to create their own literature.

Medieval Period Literary Works in this Era:

- Much of the literature in this time period are dominated by 1. Beowulf

religion through the rising power of the Catholic Church and the secular 2. The Song of Roland
works through stories of epics and chivalric romance expressed through 3. Cantar De Mio Cid
oral accounts, written, theatre and songs. (The Peom of Cid)
4. The Legend of King Arthur
- Most of the compiled literatures in this time period are -Geoffrey of Monmouth
commonly in vernacular forms with each nation-state proliferating their 5. Canterbury Tales
own language rather than using a single common language (i.e. Latin). - Geoffrey Chaucer
Renaissance Period

- In this time period, the power of the Catholic Church is Literary Works in this Era:
waning and the rise of scientific advances, new discoveries and the
1. The Divine Comedy
ushering of new literature where religious literature are not the
- Dante Alighieri
most prevalent and also its teachings on scientific matter are not 2. The Prince
accepted. - Niccolo Michiavelli
3. Don Quixote Dela Mancha
- This movement also ushered a new form of philosophy,
- Miguel De Cervantes
the Humanism, wherein they assail that there is an inherent value
4. Paradise Lost
of every human being and it focuses on prime importance of human - John Milton
beings rather than divine or supernatural beings. 5. Merchant of Venice
- William Shakespeare
Enlightenment Period

- This period saw the rise of and application of reason to all Literary Works in this Era:
aspects such as life, government, education, laws and economics. 1. Principia Mathematica
This period played a major part in societies of Europe especially in - Isaac Newton
politics and sciences. Through this movement, libertarian ideas and 2. The Social Contract
democracy played a crucial role in influencing the American - Jean Jacques Rousseau
Revolution and French Revolution. In Sciences, old and erroneous 3. Candide
ideas on matters such as the heavenly bodies, biology, physics and - Voltaire
mathematics. 4. On the Revolutions of the
Heavenly Spheres
- the most important aspect of this movement is the use of - Nicolaus Copernicus
logical reasoning in analyzing, assessing and writing literature. 5. Micrographia
- Robert Hooke

Romantic Period Literary Works in this Era:

1. Lyrical Ballads
- The Age of Romanticism, or the Romantic Period is time
- William Wordsworth and
period characterized by a rise of emphasis on emotion and
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature.
2. Frankenstein
Moreover it signals the rise of imagination and freedom of thought - Mary Shelley
and expression. 3. Wuthering Heights
- Emily Bronte
4. Jane Eyre
- Charlotte Bronte
5. Pride and Prejudice
- Jane Austen

Contemporary Literature

- The rapid advancements in science and technology, the industrial revolution, political upheavals,
two world wars and the rise and fall of communism had been the major events of Europe that also shaped
its literature. Common works in this era displays symbolism, wherein the true inherent meaning is
shadowed deep within the real meaning of the story.