History of literature

Ancient Egyptian literature , Mesopotamian literature (Sumerian, Assyro-Babylonian), Hittite, Huritic and Ugaritic-Phoenician literature. Classical literature of Asia: ancient Chinese , ancient Indian , ancient Iranian , Hebrew ^[1] .

Ancient Literature

The literature of the ancient Greeks and Romans , which developed in the Mediterranean basin (on the Balkan and Apennine peninsulas and on the adjacent islands and coasts). Her written monuments, created in dialects of the Greek language and Latin , date back to the 1st millennium BC. e. and the beginning of the 1st millennium BC e. Antique literature consists of two national literatures: ancient Greek and ancient Roman . Historically, Greek literature preceded Roman.

In ancient literature, the main genres of European literature were formed in their archaic forms and the foundations of the science of literature . The aesthetic science of antiquity has identified three main literary genres: epic , lyrics and drama ( Aristotle ), this classification retains its basic meaning today.

Literature belonging to the period that begins in late antiquity ( IV - V centuries ), and ends in the XV century . The earliest writings that had the greatest influence on subsequent medieval literature were the Christian Gospels (1st century), the religious hymns of Ambrose the Mediolan ( 340–397 ), the work of St. Augustine (“Confession”, 400 ; “On the City of God,” 410–428 years ), the translation of the Bible into Latin by Jerome (before 410 ) and other works of the Latin Church Fathers and philosophers of the early scholasticism. The origin and development of medieval literature is determined by three main factors: the traditions of folk art , the cultural influence of the ancient world and Christianity .

A major trend in literature, an integral part of the entire Renaissance culture. Occupies the period from the XIV to XVI century. It differs from medieval literature in that it is based on new, progressive ideas of humanism. A synonym for the Renaissance is the term "Renaissance", of French origin. The ideas of humanism are born for the first time in Italy, and then spread throughout Europe. The literature of the Renaissance also spread throughout Europe , but acquired in each individual country its own national character. The term Renaissance means renewal, the appeal of artists, writers, thinkers to the culture and art of antiquity, imitation of its lofty ideals.

Describes the characteristic features of the literature of the second half of the 20th century (fragmentation, irony, black humor, etc.), as well as the reaction to the ideas of the Enlightenment inherent in modernist literature . Postmodernism in literature, like postmodernism in general, is difficult to determine - there is no unequivocal opinion on the exact signs of the phenomenon, its boundaries and significance. But, as is the case with other styles in art, the literature of postmodernism can be described by comparing it with the previous style. For example, by denying the modernist search for meaning in a chaotic world, the author of a postmodern work avoids, often in a playful way, the very possibility of meaning, and his novel is often a parody of this search. Postmodern writers put randomness above talent, and with the help of self-parody and meta-prose, they question the authority and authority of the author. The existence of a border between high and mass art, which the postmodernist author blurs, using pastish and combining themes and genres that were previously considered unsuitable for literature, is also being called into question.

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