EUL - Module Overview

Introduction

Love can serve as the most rewarding or debilitating emotion for human beings. Although European literature covers a multitude of themes, love appears as a prevalent idea many writers use to write poetry, drama, and novels. The majority of people might immediately shift attention to William Shakespeare when hearing the term "European Literature;" however, European literature encompasses the characters experiencing unrequited love from the French, and the humorous experience of love accounted for by the Irish, but several other countries contribute to the melting pot of European literature. Despite the region in Europe, the theme of love consistently weaves a tale of toil, misfortune, and occasionally—happiness.

Essential Questions

1. How has European literature developed throughout the years?
2. What are the various countries categorized under European literature?
3. What themes appear in many works of European literature?
4. How did European literature influence Caribbean literature?
5. How did Shakespeare become such an influential figure in European literature?
6. Why does unrequited love evict such strong emotions from human beings?
7. How can love be both torturous and rewarding?
8. How does Shakespeare use comic relief to alleviate tension in his plays?

Key Terms

Gothic: A genre of late-18th-century literature that featured brooding, mysterious settings and plots and set the stage for what we now call "horror stories."

Enlightenment (c. 1660–1790): An intellectual movement in France and other parts of Europe that emphasized the importance of reason, progress, and liberty.'

Middle English (c.1066-1500): The transitional period between Anglo-Saxon and modern English. The cultural upheaval that followed the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066, saw a flowering of secular literature, including ballads, chivalric romances, allegorical poems, and a variety of religious plays.

Metonymy: A figure of speech that substitutes one term with another that is being associated with that term.

Sonnet: A type of poem that normally consists of 14 lines and has a set meter and rhyme scheme.

Comedy: Genre of drama where the characters avoid disaster and encounter a happy ending

Dramatic Conventions: Terms used with plays chorus, aside, stage left, etc.

Chorus: A group of singers who stand offstage from the principal performers and perform musical parts of the play.

Fourth Wall: An imaginary wall the actor creates between him or herself and the audience - ;you cannot make eye contact to the audience, or you "break the fourth wall."

Monologue: A long speech by one character to other characters.

Soliloquy: A long speech by one character to him or herself.

Stage Directions: Instructions given to actors regarding where to enter, exit, etc. throughout the play

Tragedy: A serious play where characters go through unfortunate events and ends unhappily

Aside: A few words or one passage spoken to the audience by a character while the other characters pretend they cannot hear