13 (Топики по Английскому языку для англ.шк. (10 класс))

Topic 13

Beowulf an epic in Old English tells us of the times long before the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain. The poem was compiled in the 10^th century by an unknown author. The manuscript is in the British Museum in London. The main events are the staying of the monster Grendel and Grendel’s mother by the hero Beowulf of a brave and noble knight who is ready to sacrifice his life for his country and his people.

The Canterbury Tales is another masterpiece of the English literature. Geoffrey Chaucer who is acclaimed today as «the father of English poetry» wrote it in 1384. His most important contribution was the development of the resources of the English language for literary purposes. By using English instead of the more fashionable French spoken in court circles and by the aristocracy he added tremendously to its prestige. “The Canterbury Tales” are a series of stories written in verse. The framework that serves to connect them is a pilgrimage to Canterbury is 60miles. To make the tiresome four-day trip more interesting the pilgrims decide to tell stories. Beside their intriguing and exciting plot they contain a moral which is valid for all times. The value of the work lies also in the brilliance of style.

Another work which exercised enormous influence on the development of the English language is The King James Bible. It was appointed to be read in churches throughout the Kingdom and in this way had a far-reaching influence on the population. The King James Bible remains the most widely accepted version of the Bible and a classic of the English language. There are many phrases in the King James Bible which have entered the English idiomatic language some of them are: eye for eye, a wolf in sheep’s clothing and many others. An exceptional role in the English literature was played by William Shakespeare. He is the author of 37plays and some tragedies and sonnets. Shakespeare’s genius lay not only in masterful narration but rather in his capacity for revealing the greatness and imperfections of human life in its full richness and movement. In his masterpieces Shakespeare possesses some special merit for every generation. Shakespeare enriched the English language with plenty of phrases such as: what is done can’t be undone, to play fast and loose, to much of a good thing.