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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Neoclassicism

For Students 9th - 10th
Writers and craftsmen including Alexander Pope, John Dryden, Jonathan Swift, and Josiah Wedgwood found inspiration in the classical period. This article explores how their works adopted the style, genres, aesthetic values, and subjects...
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Letters, Letter Writing and Epistolary Novels

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explores the real and fictional letters published in the 18th century, from the correspondence of Alexander Pope and Ignatius Sancho to Samuel Richardson's hugely popular epistolary novel "Pamela" and the works it inspired.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to the Beggar's Opera

For Students 9th - 10th
"The Beggar's Opera" was an instant hit and became the most performed play of the 18th century. This article explores the elements that made up John Gay's work, from its popular tunes and dances to its satirical targets and depiction of...
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to Restoration Comedy

For Students 9th - 10th
This article introduces the characters, conventions, and historical context of Restoration comedy, and explores what the genre has to say about gender, courtship, and class.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to Evelina

For Students 9th - 10th
Frances Burney's "Evelina" unveils the dizzying and dangerous social whirl of Georgian London, where reputations and marriages are there to be made and broken. This article investigates Burney's critique of fashion culture and the...
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Female 'Soveraynetee' in Chaucer's 'The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale'

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explores the character of the Wife of Bath and the ambiguity surrounding her outspoken views on marriage, power, and religious doctrine.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: The Life of the Anchoress

For Students 9th - 10th
During the medieval period, hundreds of women chose a life of prayer and contemplation, shut up alone in a cell. This article explains the path to becoming an anchoress, how anchoresses spent their days, and what medieval texts such as...
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: The Elegies of the Exeter Book

For Students 9th - 10th
The poems in the Exeter Book known as the 'Old English elegies' focus on loss, separation, and the transience of earthly things. This article explores these poems, which include The Wanderer and The Wife's Lament, and highlights the...
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: The Exeter Book Riddles in Context

For Students 9th - 10th
The Exeter Book, compiled by 10th-century clerics, contains a number of surprisingly euphemistic riddles. This article explores what these bawdy puzzles tell us about sex and gender in Anglo-Saxon England.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Saints and Sanctity in Medieval England

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explores how medieval Europeans memorialized the lives of real and fictional Christian saints, transforming them into superheroes and celebrities of the Middle Ages.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Women's Voices in the Medieval Period

For Students 9th - 10th
Drawing on examples from Margery Kempe, Julian of Norwich, and Christine de Pizan, this article looks at the experiences of women as writers and producers of texts in the medieval period and reflects on the survival of their works.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Saracens and Racial Otherness in Middle English Romance

For Students 9th - 10th
This article considers how 'Saracen' characters are portrayed in Middle English romances, and what these texts can reveal about ideas of Otherness in this period.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Old English Heroic Poetry

For Students 9th - 10th
This article introduces some of the key texts of Old English heroic poetry, including Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon, The Dream of the Rood, and Judith.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Love and Chivalry in the Middle Ages

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explores the ideal of chivalry through several works of the Middle Ages.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Old English

For Students 9th - 10th
This article charts the evolution of Old English through the 700 years during which it was written and spoken.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: Language and Voice

For Students 9th - 10th
From the development of Old and Middle English to the innovations of William Caxton and the printing press: explore language and voice in the medieval period.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: William Caxton and the Introduction of Printing to England

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explains how William Caxton brought the printing press to England and published printed versions of works by writers including Chaucer, Malory, Gower, Cicero, and Virgil.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: The Makars: Medieval Scottish Poetry

For Students 9th - 10th
From morality to migraines: this article analyses key concerns in the late medieval poetry of Robert Henryson and William Dunbar.
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: The Earliest World History in English

For Students 9th - 10th
This article considers what we can learn from the Old English Orosius about the Anglo-Saxons and their relationship to the wider world.
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E Reading Worksheets

E Reading Worksheets: The War of the Worlds

For Teachers 10th - 12th
In this learning module, students will engage in a deep study of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Worksheets, tests, and map projects are provided to reinforce comprehension of The War of the Worlds. This module is designed to support...
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British Library

British Library: Discovering Literature: The Turbulent 17th Century

For Students 9th - 10th
The 17th century was a time of great political and social turmoil in England, marked by civil war and regicide. This article introduces the key events of this period, from the coronation of Charles I to the Glorious Revolution more than...
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Authors Calendar

Author's Calendar: Doris Lessing

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical sketch of Doris Lessing, 20th century British feminist writer.
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University of California

University of California: British Women Romantic Poets

For Students 9th - 10th
Don't miss out on learning more about the female poets of the British Romantic Period. This University of California Davis site provides links to text and information on British women poets of the Romantic Era, many of which are unknown...
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Rutgers University

Rutgers University: Literary Resources Renaissance

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Delve into the British Renaissance period through this informative site. This site has tons of resources for every type of enthusiast.

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