Balti state university a. Russo chair of english philology

 
 
 
 

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4 
I 
Introduction 
English literature plays an important role in the history of universal literature. The names of 
great Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, Dickens, Thackeray, Shaw, Wells, Galsworthy, Aldridge, etc. 
are known all over the world. The works of these great writers have fascinated the readers of all 
ages. Their plays, poems, novels are a great contribution to the treasury of world literature. 
English Literature has its specific national features and has always existed in close connection with 
universal literature, being influenced and influencing the literature of other nations and countries. For 
example the greatest dramatists Ch. Marlow and W. Shakespeare have been inspired by their contemporaries 
and borrowed the plots of some famous works from the existing already stories and plays. Ch. Malow‟s 
“Doctor Faustus” is based on the plot of the famous Goethe‟s work with the same title. The plots of King 
Lear and Romeo and Juliet, for instance, were borrowed by W.Shakespeare from other medieval works, by 
giving them a new interpretation and value. The creation of the great Bard, fascinated the public in all times 
and still continue to persist in modern culture.
English Literature reflects the history of the people that created it. The social events of the 
country have been always reflected on the pages of literature. The first writings that date with the 
5
th
century AD were mainly written by monks and priests who were the only educated people at that 
time. The church was the center of education and culture at that time and the first writings were 
mainly translations and interpretations of the Bible. The first books of history are considered to be 
pieces of literature according to which we can judge about the people‟s life and the literature of the 
first periods, its form and style. The authors of those remote times were more concerned with 
recording the account of events of their age, which today is studied both as historic and literary 
works. In such a way we see that the development of English literature was closely connected with 
the development of English society. That is why literary history is classified in conformity with the 
periods of history of the nation.