The Renaissance English Literature (1485-1603)

William Shakespeare was baptized April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. From roughly 1594 onward he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlains Men company of theatrical players. Written records give little indication of the way in which Shakespeares professional life molded his artistry. All that can be deduced is that over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict. William Shakespeare, English poet, dramatist, and actor, often called the English national poet, is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time. Quotes: 1. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
This quote means to be careful when listening to others, it is important to be concerned about what others say including their moods, problems and aspirations. To be a good listener in this case enriches the person not only with knowledge but also with experience and wisdom. Words Meanings:

Thy: Of thee, or belonging to thee; the more common form of thine, possessive case of thou. Used always attributively, and chiefly in the solemn or grave style, and in poetry.
2. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. In this quote is seen how important is to be aware about borrowing money because of this you can lose either the thing you borrow or the friendship you have with the person who owns you. So to prevent to do that its better not being a borrower or a lender. This quotes is from Hamlet: Hamlet where Polonius was speaking: "Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend".

Civil War 1642-1651

Abraham Cowley (pronounced Cooley) was born in London, the posthumous son of a wealthy London stationer. He was educated at Westminster School and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took his BA in 1639, was made fellow in 1640, and became MA in 1643. Cowley published his first volume of verse, Poetical Blossoms (1633), when he was 15. The collection consisted of five poems, one of which Cowley had written at age 10. He wrote a pastoral drama and a Latin comedy, Naufragium Ioculare (1638), when he was but 20. Quotes:

Of all ills that one endures, hope is a cheap and universal cure. This quote talks about that the worst illness for the humanity is the hope. It makes a person waits and makes his/her stays in the same place without any movement of progress or change the situation she/he is in. Meaning of words Endure:
To bear with patience; to suffer without opposition or without sinking under the pressure or affliction; to bear up under; to put up with; to tolerate.

Restoration Poetry 1660-1689

Charles II was the king of Great Britain and Ireland (1660-1685), the eldest son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France. He took the throne after years of exile. Much of his reign was devoted to the struggle between Anglicans, Catholics and dissenters over the laws of the Clarendon Code. He was popularly known as the Merrie Monarch, in reference to the liveliness and hedonism of his court.

I always admired virtue - but I could never imitate it.

This quotes referred in how the life of this king was in England, was known as a person who was highly witty, playful, and sexually wise poetry thus had court sanction. He could behave as a king but his morals as one was in doubt

Meaning of words:
Virtue: In this context means to have moral excellence; integrity of character; purity of soul; performance of duty.

 The Age of the Romantics (1800-1840)

John Keats was born October 31, 1795 in London, England. He devoted his short life to the perfection of a poetry marked by vivid imagery, great sensuous appeal, and an attempt to express a philosophy through classical legend. In 1818 he went on a walking tour in the Lake District. His exposure and overexertion on that trip brought on the first symptoms of the tuberculosis of which he was to die. English Romantic lyric poet John Keats was dedicated to the perfection of a poetry marked by vivid imagery that expresses a philosophy through classical legend. Quotes:

3.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.

The author in this quote shows his romanticism and the imagination and the deep love he has about happiness, so this quote refers to beauty itself and how it always will last gladly and it wont ever be useless to further in the human being because it will be always noticed. Meaning of words: Nothingness: it is the state or condition of being nothing or nonexistence.

4.

There is nothing stable in the world; uproar's your only music.

This quote means that in the silence in the world is kind of impossible there will be always troubles that changes that peaceful state, so the only music you will hear is the noise of the problems happening around you. Meaning Of words: Uproar: a commotion or disturbance characterized by loud noise and confusion.

A beautiful thing is also a source of joy just as the lovely tales we have heard or read give us profound happiness. A fountain of immortality pours its sacred and immortal drink into the heart and soul of man. This immortal drink gushing out from nature's endless fountain is a source of immense joy for us.

The Victorian Age 18371901

Novelist George Eliot, a pen name for Mary Ann Evans, was born on November 22, 1819. She was a subeditor for The Westminster Review for three years. In 1851, she met the philosopher George Henry Lewes. Lewes was already married, but she spent the next 20 years of her life with him. She wrote several novels that explored aspects of human psychology, including The Mill on the Floss andSilas Marner. She died in 1880.

Victorian novelist George Eliot wrote books exploring human psychology such as The Mill on the Floss. Her work was noted for its realism. Quotes:

It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses we must plant more trees. This quote means that if a person needs something that is in somehow impossible or dreams, he/she should be realistic about what will do to achive those goals because through romanticism he/she wont get anything on the contrary try to get a option more resanoble or logical not groundless.

Knowledge slowly builds up what Ignorance in an hour pulls down.

This quote states about how knowledge increases little by little that can destroy what the ignorance could do in short periods of time. In other words the patience of knowledge the man could make a lot of discoveries, but ignorance doesnt remain that long.

Modern Period 19th Century

Aldous Huxley was born July 26, 1894, in Godalming, England. He published his first book in 1916 and worked on the periodical Athenaeum 19191921. Thereafter he devoted himself largely to his own writing and spent much of his time in Italy until the late 1930s, when he settled in California. He established himself as a major author in his first two published novels, Crome Yellow and Antic Hay.
Author Aldous Huxley expressed his deep distrust of 20th-century politics and technology in his sci-fi novel Brave New World, a nightmarish vision of the future.

Quote:

I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.
The author in this quote means that the only problem to change the troubles of the world is the human being himself because each person is different and has his/her problems so the conceptions will not be the same as well.

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.

This quote means that you need to see and to prove with your own eyes what other people said about places they have already visited before, and for sure for each person the point of view change. If for one something is ugly for somebody else is beautiful.

American Colonial Literature 1607-1776 Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 and she died on September 16, 1672. She was America's first published poet. She wrote while rearing eight children and running a rather demanding household. Her brother-in-law, without her permission, took her works to England published them; they were met with a positive reception. She only won critical acceptance in the 20th century, mostly for her sequence of religious poems, Contemplations. Quotes

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
In this quote the author means that always there will be any difficulties in life and when times of calm arrive its better to feel that something bad had finished to value more the happy times.

Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are This quote shows how the author wanted to give her point of view about and the need of acceptance in the different accomplishments of women in that time.

Revolutionary Age and Early national Period in America Revolutionary Age 1750-1800 Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 and he died on June 08, 1809. He was an English-American writer and pamphleteer who became known as one of the greatest political propagandists in history, once called the "English Voltaire." More than any other single publication, Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' paved the way for the Declaration of Independence, unanimously ratified July 4, 1776.

I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace.
This quote evocates the events that happened in that time the revolution. For that reason any kind of word written was in favor of the war, nationalism, freedom and a fair government. In this quote the author means to finish the war, then everybody can be able to bring a better a better place to live for the kids.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

In this quote the author states in involving the people in that epoch in continue fighting for a better future in the country. In other words, it must be some efforts to achieve their main goals in this case the freedom.

 The American Renaissance 1840-1860

Edgar Allan Poe he was born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor Edgar Allan Poe's tales of mystery and horror initiated the modern detective story, and the atmosphere in his tales of horror is unrivaled in American fiction. His The Raven (1845) numbers among the best-known poems in national literature.

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.
This quote means that the man who dreams in the reality is aware of the things that happens around, but the man who just dreams at night is not conscious of those that happens in the dream, which could not be real at all.

Meaning of words: Cognizant: to be fully informed or conscious about things around.

That man is not truly brave who is afraid either to seem or to be, when it suits him, a coward.
The author in this quote states that fake people in the community are not consider a real men because they dont have the brave to show themselves as they are in any situation of life.

The realistic and natural Period Early 20th Century

Mark Twain was an American author and humorist. He is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He was lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature." Born during a visit by Halley's Comet, he died on its return.

Quotes:

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

This quote means to be careful when believing everything we read because everything is not told in there, on the contrary from each person the situation changes.

The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.
In here the author makes his point about how humanity is attracted to ban things and breaking the rules in the world.

The modernist 1900-1950

Henry Miller was born Dec. 26, 1891, New York, N.Y., U.S. and he died June 7, 1980, Pacific Palisades, Calif. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Henry Miller was an American writer who is famous for breaking away from the common literary form of his time. He wrote Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and Black Spring, characteristic works that exhibit his new kind of novel - a fictionalized autobiography of sorts. He criticized contemporary American values and was passionate about expressing the truth, artfully so.

Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.
This quote means how further a man could go with his own decisions , in somehow no matter what he does he will always be followed by the destiny and the directions written for him.

The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love.
This quote means how the human being is demanding about the things he/she wants without counting that we need to give to receive in the same quantity.

The contemporary age

(Listen to other people without giving advice easily. If criticised listen but make your own judgement)
Keep your thoughts to yourself; do not act rashly; treat people with familiarity but not excessively so; hold on to old friends and be slow to trust new friends; avoid fighting but fight boldly if it is unavoidable; be a good listener; accept criticism but do not be judgmental; maintain a proper appearance; do not borrow or lend money; and be true to yourself.

Giving proper attention to the fears, concerns, moods and aspirations of the speaker, a good listener not only wins the heart of a speaker but also enriches his knowledge, experience and wisdom. He believes in the Epictetus saying that We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. Good listeners give proper space to their speakers. In order to relieve the pains of suffering people, they pay heed to their voice rather than yelling their outburst in response. They realize that listening is an art that brings perfection to ones personality and character. Writers, authors and intellectuals nurture this quality to a far greater extent. But this intolerant, fanatical and talkative world is certainly devoid of good listeners. People, irrespective of age factor, love to talk or speak more than to listen. They prefer to give advice than to have it. Mostly people use rhetoric and inflammatory words to dominate others.