Postmodern Literature

Victorian literature (1837-1901) is written in England during the reign of Queen Victoria and it is largely featured by the struggle of working people and the triumph of right over wrong.

Charles Dickiens – 1843 he wrote ‘A Christmas Carl’ which remains one of the most popular stories along ‘Oliver Twist’ and ‘Great expectations’.

Charlotte Bronte – 1846 Charlotte, Emily and Anne (her sisters) used their own money to publish a joint collection of poems but used different names to hid their identity.

1847 After her first manuscript of ‘The professor’ which was not published, She then sent in the manuscript for ‘Jane Eyre’. It was an immediate success and good reviews from other authors. It continues to have strong sales and increased as it developed a reputation as an “improper” book.

Oscar Wilde- who wrote plays fiction, essays, and poetry. He is best remembered for his statements and plays, the novel of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. He included different themes such as duplicity and beauty which people found more interesting to read. He also wrote ‘Salome’ in French in Paris however, it was refused to be published due to the biblical subjects on the English stage. Alongside wrote four comedies making him one of the most successful playwrights of the Victorian era.

Edwardian literature (1901-1910) The Edwardian era was a period when a great number of novels and short stories, along with popular fiction which began to emerge.  

Jean Rhys-  Born and grew up in the Caribbean island and came to England from the age of 16. She is best known for her novel  ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ written as a prequel to ‘Jane Eyre’.

Modern literature (1914-1939)

Jean Rhys- Started writing in 1924 under the influence of Ford Madox Ford who recognised her unique viewpoint and passion. After moving in with Ford and begin an affair with him which she wrote about in her novel “Quartet”.With “Voyage in the dark” she continued to write about the mistreated, rootless women, also wrote “Good morning, midnight” she voices the experiences of an ageing women. She is mostly famous for her novel “Wide sargasso sea” (1966) which is a prequel to “Jane Eyre” having published it after being away from the public eye.

John Steinbeck- An American author with winning a nobel prize for his realistic and imaginative writing. He authored 27 books, 16 novels, six non-fiction books and two short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels “Tortilla flat” and “Cannery Row” also the novellas of “Of Mice and Men” (1937), “The Red Pony”, “The Grapes of Wrath”(1939) considered a masterpiece.

F Scott Fitzgerald- An American novelist and short story writer. While he achieved little success in his lifetime he is widely known as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He finished  four novels: “The Side of Paradise”, “The Beautiful and Damned”, “The great Gatsby”(1924) and “Tender is the Night”. His novel “The great Gatsby” it has sold millions of copies an it continues to be a constant best seller used in schools & colleges.