Otázka: British Literature the 20th and 21st century
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Anet.Mart.
The 1. Half of the 20th century
William Makepeace Thackeray
– he wrote novels against snobbery and hypocrisy
– his main novel is Vanity Fair
Thomas Hardy
– together with D.H.Lewrence represents the naturalistic trend in literature
– he understands hard life of common people, hates hypocrisy and brutal egoism of the rich, his work is ironical and pessimistic
The second half of 20th century
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
– he is the creator of Sherlock Holmes and he makes one of the greatest detective story writers of all times.
Rudyard Kipling
– he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature as a first British author
– he wrote the shot stories about Indian, the sea, the jungle and its animals – The Jungle Book, the Second Jungle Book.
John Galsworthy
– he got the Nobel Prize for literature in 1932, he was a critical novelist, dramatist and shortstory writer
– his most known book is Forsyte saga – describes upper middle class family.
James Joyce
– he was born in Dublin, he wrote modern novels and experimental prose
– dubliners is a collection of shot stories
– his masterpiece is Ulysses – they wander around Dublin in the course of one day (Homer’s Ulysses about 20 years) and all the characters in the book correspond to the character of the legend
Georg Bernard Shaw
– he is most famous personality in drama of this period
– he attacked the whole society
– in his plays he criticizes the false morals of society – Pygmalion (My fair lady), Mrs. Warrns Profession
– he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Contemporary literature
– a group called Angry Young Men
John Wain
– he expressed disillusionment and emptiness of intellectuals after W.W. II (as all angry young men – they are angry and dissatisfied with the establishment, criticize snobs and people in power)
– he wrote e.g. The Young Visitors.
Kingsley Amis
– he is most famous member of this group
– he is most famous for his Lucky Jim (the main character is Jim Dickson – a lecturer at one small university).
William Golding
– he was rewarded a Nobel Prize in 1983
– his most known book is Lord of the Files – the story is set to the future, when an air crash leaves a group of young boys on an island
– first they are happy without their parents and they try to form an ideal society, then they form 2 groups and the end is full of barbarian bestiality.
J.R.R.Tolkien
– he based the stories of his fairy tale novels on his profound knowledge of old germanic and celtic myths
– he crested a fantasy world of Middle Earth where small hobbits seek happiness, goodness and live many adventures – Hobbit, The lord of the ring.
George Orwell
– he wrote excellent novels criticizing totalitarian society (Animal farm, 1984)
Aghata Christie
– she is the most widely read author in the world
– she is the queen of a detective story and wrote about 70 novels – The murder of Robert Ackroyd, Ten Little nigers, Sleeping murder, Curtain …
Arthur C.Clarke
– he is world known science-fiction writer – 2001: A space odyssey, the fountains of paradise
Drama
John Osborne
– play Look back in Anger – it was the beginning of the angry young men movement.
Samuel Beckett
– a Nobel Prize winner in 1969, he is important both for drama and prose
– his famous play is called Waiting for Godot
Harold Pinter
– he is influenced by Kafka and Beckett, for example the plays: The room, The birthday party
– the most succesfull play in history is Mouse trap by Aghata Christie.
