Every generation is said to be characterized by a rejection of or rebellion against the values of the previous generation. The Romantics were no different. They rejected the values of the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, both of which were characterized by order, control, rational thought, reason, science,...

Satire appears to be one of the most significant tools used by the Restoration poets to depict the reality they lived in. For example, in the poem A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, the poet uses a satirical language to criticize human rationality. During...

Women belong to a social class of their own defined by the gender differences between them and men. For a long time, women have faced oppression from men and the societal patriarchy that enables them, who are positioned as superior to women. The author of The Handmaid's Tale highlights the...

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a journey of several pilgrims who leave on Good Friday with the hope of reaching Canterbury, in the middle of England, by Easter. Their hope is to attain forgiveness and to redeem themselves from their sins. Canterbury Tales chronicles a cross section of Medieval society, with...

In his novel, The Mayor of Castenbridge, Thomas Hardy carefully crafted the main character, Michael Henchard, in such a way that the reader would find him both deeply flawed as well as sympathetic. Hardy is able to accomplish this through the many misfortunes that Henchard experiences, which turn out to...