Early Modern English
Background Information:
Early Modern English is the third age of English lasting from the late 15th century to the late 17th century. It was heralded by events such as the reign of Elizabeth I is 1558 and by global exploration in the 15th century. In the late 1400's, countries, especially Spain and Portugal, were beginning to explore the far reaches of the Earth. All this exploration created a larger sense of connectivity between England and the rest of the world, and as such new words were needed to describe things not native to English. This resulted in the adoption of words from other languages some dead languages, such as Latin and Greek.
The literature of Early Middle English can be split into two groups: pre and post printing press. The invention of the printing press in 1450 made the production of literature much more lucrative and easier to reproduce. This increased the production rate of literature, which also led to other changes in English. With the mass production of written English, many people began to try to codify the spelling and structures of English. This resulted in a dictionary, Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language," in 1755. It is around this time, the time when English forms into a stable language with little to no grammatical or spelling quandaries, that English enters into the period of Modern English.
Early Modern English is the third age of English lasting from the late 15th century to the late 17th century. It was heralded by events such as the reign of Elizabeth I is 1558 and by global exploration in the 15th century. In the late 1400's, countries, especially Spain and Portugal, were beginning to explore the far reaches of the Earth. All this exploration created a larger sense of connectivity between England and the rest of the world, and as such new words were needed to describe things not native to English. This resulted in the adoption of words from other languages some dead languages, such as Latin and Greek.
The literature of Early Middle English can be split into two groups: pre and post printing press. The invention of the printing press in 1450 made the production of literature much more lucrative and easier to reproduce. This increased the production rate of literature, which also led to other changes in English. With the mass production of written English, many people began to try to codify the spelling and structures of English. This resulted in a dictionary, Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language," in 1755. It is around this time, the time when English forms into a stable language with little to no grammatical or spelling quandaries, that English enters into the period of Modern English.
Literature
As stated, Early Modern English literature could be split into two groups: pre-printing press and post-printing press. The first English printing press wasn't made until 1475, but even then output was low. It wasn't until later, the 1500's and 1600's, that English printing took off. For both groups of literature, there are specifically two well known works or writers.
For the pre-printing press Early Modern English, possibly the most well known work of literature is "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory. Published in 1485, some insist that it is a Middle English work, but "Le Morte d'Arthur" more closely resembles Early Modern English structure.
For the pre-printing press Early Modern English, possibly the most well known work of literature is "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory. Published in 1485, some insist that it is a Middle English work, but "Le Morte d'Arthur" more closely resembles Early Modern English structure.
For post-printing press Early Modern English, the most well known writer is poet and play-write William Shakespeare. He is responsible for numerous plays and poems. Among these is "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet." These plays were written using the pronunciation of Early Modern English, which doesn't always translate appropriately. Some things are lost in translation, as this video will explain.