ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

LITERATURE QUESTIONS

EARLY BRITISH LITERATURE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What is often considered the first work of literature in the English language?
A
Romeo and Juliet
B
The Canterbury Tales
C
Beowulf
D
The Waste Land
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Beowulf is often referred to as the first important work of literature in English, even though it was written in Old English, an ancient form of the language that slowly evolved into the English now spoken.

Detailed explanation-2: -This language is called Old English, and it is in Old English that the earliest works of English literature were written. The earliest surviving work of English literature is a poem called Beowulf that was probably first written in around 700, though it probably existed as an oral story for much longer.

Detailed explanation-3: -Beowulf is a classic work of Old English literature. While it may have not been the first piece of literature ever written in English, it is the oldest extant, or surviving, work in that language.

Detailed explanation-4: -Beowulf is a heroic poem, considered the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. It deals with events of the early 6th century CE and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750.

Detailed explanation-5: -What Is the Significance of Beowulf? Beowulf helps scholars trace the evolution of the English language as well as study the norms and traditions of the Anglo-Saxons in the medieval period. Beowulf gives a glimpse of England’s history and the earliest forms of literature of the people of England.

There is 1 question to complete.