Love Poetry Unseen Context

Anglo-Saxon
7th Century, rhythmic performance, heroic and religious love

Middle English
Standardisation of english language, latin influences, religious courtly love, shunning women for being sexual

Renaissance
15th century, shift away from religion, ideas of philosophy, greater range of literary devices (sonnets), humanist non-religious topics

Neoclassical
1660-1798, time of conflict, disregarding emotion and imagination, follows pattern of poetry written in ancient times, opposite to Romanticism (age of sensibility), political message

Romantic
1750-1870, spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, untraditional and rebellious, revolt against Classism, nature and romance

Victorian
1837-1901 “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” -Charles Dickens, Industrialism and destruction of nature

Modern
1901-1950, post-industrial revolution, FREUD, disillusionment and alienation from society

Post-Modern
Reading between the lines, “you the reader add the flowers to the field with your interpretation”, paradox and dark humour