British Literature
T
hose
who focus on British literature examine the literatures and literary
history of English-speaking people of the British Isles, from the
birth of the English language to the present. However British
literature refers not only to the literature associated with the
United Kingdom but with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well.
The largest part of the English literature is written in the English
language but there are works in Latin, Welsh, Scottish, Gaelic,
Cornish, Manx and some other languages. It should be mentioned that
Irish writers played an important role in the development of
English-language literature.
William
Shakespeare
O
ne
of the best known English playwrights was William Shakespeare. He
drew ideas for his tragedies and comedies from the history of England
and ancient Rome. Many experts consider Shakespeare the greatest
writer and the greatest playwright in English language. William
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays which may be divided into: comedies (such
as "A Midsummer Night's Dream"), tragedies (such as
"Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear",
"Macbeth") and historical plays (such as "Richard II",
"Henry V", "Julius Caesar", "Antony and
Cleopatra").
Robert
Burns
Lord George Gordon Byron. His free-spirited life style combined with his rare poetic gift makes him one of the most famous figures of the Romantic Era. His famous works such as "Stanzas to Augusta", "The Prisoner of Chillon", "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", "Manfred" draw readers into the passion, humors and conviction of a poet whose life and work truly embodied the Romantic spirit.
Sir Walter Scott wrote the first examples of historical novel.
Lewis Carroll became famous when he published "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
Text 3
Task 1. Read and translate the text. Make the vocabulary of unknown words.
Task 2. Make a short annotation to the text.
Unwritten Rules of Great Britain
G
ood
and bad manners make up the social rules of a country. They are not
always easy to learn because they are often not written down in
books. For example, British women didn't go into pubs at the
beginning of this century because it was not considered respectable
behaviour for a woman. Now both women and men drink freely is pubs
and women are fully integrated into public life. Visitors to Britain
are often surprised by the strange behaviour of the inhabitants. One
of the worst mistakes is to get on a bus without waiting your turn in
the queue. The other people in the queue will probably complain
loudly! Queuing is a national habit and it is considered polite or
good manners to wait for your turn.
In some countries it is considered bad manners to eat in the street, whereas in Britain it is common to see people having a snack whilst walking down the road, especially at lunchtime. Britons may be surprised to see young children in restaurants in the evening because children are not usually taken out to restaurants late at night. And if they make a noise in public or in a restaurant it is considered very rude. In recent years children are playing a more active role and they are now accepted in many pubs and restaurants.
In recent years smoking has received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer British people now smoke. Many companies have banned smoking from their offices and canteens. Smoking is now banned on the London Underground, in cinemas and theaters and most buses. It's becoming less and less acceptable to smoke in a public place. It is considered rude or bad manners to smoke in someone's house without permission. Social rules are an important part of our culture as they passed down through history. The British have an expression for following these "unwritten rules": "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".
Text 4
Task 1. Read and translate the text. Make the vocabulary of unknown words.
Task 2. Make a short annotation to the text.