Famous ancient english writer biography

Here you will find Old English major authors. Other pages cover a general overview and prosody and style.

Reference Works:

Lapidge, Michael et al. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. (Brief articles on everything relevant.)

Greenfield, Stanley and Daniel Calder. A New Critical History of Old English Literature.

Godden, Malcolm and Michael Lapidge. Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature.

Harris, Stephen. "Bede" and "Cynewulf" in David Scott Kasten, Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. vols. 1 and 2.

Amodio, Mark. Writing the Oral Tradition.

Web Sites:

Library Reference Guide

Dictionary of National Biography (via UMass only)

Labyrinth Resources for Medieval Studies
Anglo-Saxon Aloud (all OE poetry read aloud in OE!)
Slade's Beowulf
North-way pagan myth site
Staffordshire Hoard

Editions:

Literature Online (UMass only)
Poems in Old English

Old English Major Authors

Almost all Old English poetry is anonymous. The major exceptions in poetry are Bede, Caedmon, Cynewulf, and King Alfred.(Here is Harris' list of all named authors in the Old English period.)

Oral-Formulaic Theory. The anonymous poetry is thought to originate in an oral tradition reaching back into the mists of time. Old English poems are extremely conservative in their form (see prosody). And a guiding critical assumption is that the form is motivated by the oral origins of the poetry. Singers of Tales or scops recited a huge corpus of poetry as they wandered from place to place (see the poems "Widsith" and "Deor"). Old English poems also share formulas— a formula is something like "once upon a time" or "happily ever after." One such formula is weox under wolcnum (grew under the skies). Here is Benjamin Bagby reciting the opening lines of Beowulf and singing Grendel's attack. The full film is available in streaming

Throughout the canon of greats, British authors have always topped the echelons, having created some of the very best literature of all time. From Romantic literature to modernist waves of feminism, crime thrillers, and even spell-binding magic – those who have gone on to earn themselves the titles of “classic authors” have well and truly broken the traditional realms of creative writing, using it as a platform to express their very deepest beliefs, emotion, and fantasy. But if you’re new to British literature, with so many great writers available, where do you start on your journey of some of the very best reads? Below, you’ll discover our list of 15 classic British authors to read in your lifetime. Each of them is a master of the literary craft, who has gone on to challenge beliefs, and the norms of society, and invented worlds, characters, and lines which still resonate with us today. Among these legendary figures, you’ll find famous English writers whose works have left an indelible mark on literature and continue to inspire readers worldwide.

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1. Sir Thomas More ( – )

“It is only natural, of course, that each man should think his own opinions best: the crow loves his fledgling, and the ape his cub.”

First on our list of classic British authors is Sir Thomas More, also known by the Catholic community as Saint Thomas More. An English lawyer, judge, philosopher, statesman, Renaissance humanist and of course – author – he was most famous not for his writing, but for having served King Henry VIII as

Published on: May 2,

The vast scope of literature includes entertaining and enlightening works that span numerous geographic locations, cultural traditions and historical periods. Every category presents its own unique flavor and holds strong literary merit, but English literature has long captivated readers with its compelling themes and vivid descriptions.

It&#;s difficult to appreciate the true scope and power of English literature without paying homage to the myriad of literary geniuses who have contributed to this impressive body of work. Keep reading for an overview of the most famous English authors, ranging from Middle English poets to contemporary English writers.

The Foundation of English Literature

The term &#;English literature&#; is often described as the body of works penned by those living in the British Isles — beginning during the 7th century and extending to the present day. The poem Beowulf is often highlighted as the earliest verifiable work of English literature, but it is challenging to date and attribute the works of the 1st millennium.

Middle English helped usher in the literary formats and themes we take for granted today. The transition from Middle English to Early Modern English was marked by two literary masters who were clearly ahead of their time: Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare.

Geoffrey Chaucer and the Middle Ages

Often referred to as the father of English literature, Geoffrey Chaucer is best known as the creative force behind The Canterbury Tales. That said, he penned many other poems and was also a philosopher, an astronomer and a civil servant.

Chaucer&#;s works were as eclectic as his numerous interests and professional pursuits. Philosophical quandaries were integrated into many of his poems, along with plenty of humor.

During the s, Chaucer set to work on his magnum opus, The Canterbury Tales. Primarily written in verse, these tales center

English poet and author (c. s – )

"Chaucer" redirects here. For other uses, see Chaucer (disambiguation).

Geoffrey Chaucer (CHAW-sər; c.&#; – 25 October ) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for The Canterbury Tales. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He was the first writer to be buried in what has since come to be called Poets' Corner, in Westminster Abbey.

Chaucer also gained fame as a philosopher and astronomer, composing the scientific A Treatise on the Astrolabe for his year-old son, Lewis. He maintained a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament having been elected as shire knight for Kent.

Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, Troilus and Criseyde, and Parlement of Foules. He is seen as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin. Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "the firste fyndere of our fair langage" (i.e., the first one capable of finding poetic matter in English). Almost two thousand English words are first attested in Chaucerian manuscripts.

Life

Origin

Chaucer was born in London, most likely in the early s (by some accounts, including his monument, he was born in ), though the precise date and location remain unknown. The Chaucer family offers an extraordinary example of upward mobility. His great-grandfather was a tavern keeper, his grandfather worked as a purveyor of wines, and his father, John Chaucer, rose to become an important wine merchant with a royal appointment. Several previous generations of Geoffrey Chaucer's family had been vintners^[