British Literature

• Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

◦ described poverty, child labour and social injustice

◦ "We live in two worlds, the rich and the poor."

◦ Famous works: Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, A Christmas Carol

• Brontë Sisters

◦ Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) – Jane Eyre

◦ Emily Brontë (1818–1848) – Wuthering Heights

◦ Anne Brontë (1820–1849) – The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

◦ they focused on strong emotions and complex characters

• Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)

◦ he was famous for wit and criticism of Victorian morality

◦ poet, playwright and novelist

◦ The Picture of Dorian Gray – novel

◦ The Importance of Being Earnest – conversation comedy

◦ An Ideal Husband – conversation comedy

◦ The Happy Prince – fairy tale (modern)

20th Century + Modernism

After World War I, writers experimented with style.

• Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)

◦ she used stream of consciousness and psychological depth

◦ Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Waves

• George Orwell (1903–1950)

◦ BBC editor, journalist and novelist

◦ Animal Farm, 1984

◦ he criticized totalitarian regimes and political manipulation

• J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973)

◦ professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford

◦ created a detailed fantasy world

◦ The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings

• Agatha Christie (1890–1976)

◦ queen of detective fiction

◦ Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile

Contemporary Literature

• J. K. Rowling (born 1965)

◦ one of the most commercially successful authors in history

◦ The Harry Potter series is among the most sold books worldwide (after the Bible and some religious texts)

◦ Harry Potter (7 series)