Browsing Category: English Literature

Introduction Charles Lamb’s The Praise of Chimney Sweepers opens with an affectionate paradox—Lamb calls the sweepers “dim specks” and “poor blots,” yet he treats them like royalty. In an age when society looked down upon these sooty little figures, Lamb saw something luminous in them. The essay reflects on the lives of climbing boys—young children forced to crawl up narrow, scorching chimneys to clean them. It was one of the most brutal jobs...

Introduction Top 5 Bildungsroman Novels: Everyone remembers the pain of growing up—the confusion, the discoveries, and the bittersweet lessons that shape who we become. Literature captures this universal struggle through the Bildungsroman, a genre devoted to exploring personal growth and self-discovery. Derived from the German words “bildung” (education) and “roman” (novel), a Bildungsroman traces a character’s journey from innocence to experience, from youth’s idealism to adulthood’s realism. The following Top 5 Bildungsroman novels aren’t just compelling stories; they’re considered the...

Introduction Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park divides readers like no other of her novels. Most people adore Pride and Prejudice for its sparkling wit and confident heroine, yet they struggle with Mansfield Park because Fanny Price seems the very opposite—a quiet, morally rigid observer rather than a charming rebel. This stark contrast is no accident. Austen crafted Fanny as an “anti‑Elizabeth”, a moral compass in a world that prizes charisma over conscience. Written during a period of deep moral anxiety...

Introduction John Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel proves that politics never really changes. Ambition, betrayal, and even fake news—Dryden wrote about them in 1681, yet his themes still feel modern today. The poem was composed during the Exclusion Crisis, a time when Parliament sought to exclude James, the Catholic brother of King Charles II, from inheriting the throne. Many politicians and citizens instead backed the king’s illegitimate Protestant son, the Duke of Monmouth, hoping he would...

Introduction Most readers know The Jungle Book from the famous Disney movie. However, Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book is far darker, deeper, and more thought-provoking than its animated version. Kipling wrote it in the 1890s while living in Vermont, USA. Still, the stories draw heavily from his childhood experiences in India. The book beautifully captures the tension between civilisation and the wild. Through the story of Mowgli—the boy raised by wolves—Kipling explores timeless themes of belonging,...

Introduction When most readers finish Jane Eyre, they remember the terrifying “madwoman in the attic” who burns down Thornfield Hall. However, very few stop to ask for her side of the story. This is exactly what Jean Rhys explores in her modern masterpiece, Wide Sargasso Sea. Published in 1966, this novel serves as a post-colonial prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Victorian classic. Jean Rhys, who was herself a Creole woman from the Caribbean,...

Introduction George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is more than just a witty social comedy. It is a searing critique of class, language, and gender that continues to resonate across the world. Even today, questions of accent, social mobility, and identity remain deeply relevant. First performed in 1913, the play tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who is transformed by Professor Henry Higgins. Higgins, a phonetics expert, turns her from a street...

Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland: Introduction Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland is more than just a whimsical tale for children. In fact, it is a literary phenomenon that has captivated readers across generations and continents. Since its first publication in 1865, the story of a curious girl falling down a rabbit hole into a world of absurdity and wonder has fascinated audiences. Moreover, it has become a touchstone for discussions about identity,...

Introduction Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar remains one of the most compelling and widely studied tragedies in English literature. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is more than a dramatisation of history. It is a profound exploration of power, ambition, loyalty, and the moral complexities that come with political change. The play’s lasting relevance lies in its ability to provoke deep thought about leadership, the fragility of republican ideals, and the ethical dilemmas faced by those in...

Introduction Thomas Hardy’s Jude The Obscure remains a powerful novel that unsettles readers even today. Jude Fawley, a poor orphan raised in Wessex, dreams of studying at Christminster, a city modelled on Oxford. His talent and discipline are evident from the start. He teaches himself classical languages while working as a stonemason. Education is a path to a better life. Yet, the university he admires silently rejects his ambitions. Society’s closed gates...