Literary Context

Medieval Era (1066-1377)

Women occupied the role of wife, mother, peasant, artisan or nun
After the Black Death, women's role of 'child bearers' and increasing the population was essential
The Black Death was estimated to have killed over 50% of the European population
On average, grooms were much older than their brides
More than 3/4 were married before they reached 19 years old

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The Elizabethans
Time period following the Middle Ages
Major breakthroughs in art and science discoveries, and living standards drastically improved
Many tried to flaunt their love interest in another through fashion
Dress codes were worn to express social staus and wealth
'Peacocking' was used where a man would present himslef in admirable ways to impress women (e.g. men's 'ruffs' around their necks)
Women mainly dressed in jewels and accessories to express wealth
Women had clothing restrictions, e.g. the length of her dress
Literature consisted of many contributions to stage production and poetry writing
William Shakespeare's writing became more recognised during the English Renaissance
Poets included the work of John Donne
A great period for love poetry in many different forms (e.g. ode, lyric, song and sonnet)
OTHELLO (1602)

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Metaphysics is a type of philosophy reating to the nature of being and the outside world
Science became more profound and there was an outbreak of certain groups in relation to religion
Metaphysical poems are characterized by striking use of wit, irony and wordplay
They combine explorations of passionate feelings with clever intellectual arguements
Use of elaborate and extended similes and images - called a conceit
JOHN DONNE, ANDREW MARVELL

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People expressed their own beliefs, rather than those of society
Women's rights were beginning to be introduced
Education was seen as key to self-respect and the majority of the public that read were female
A new emphasis was placed on emotions such as apprehension, horror, terror and awe
The influence of the gothic can be traced in characters, events and settings
The key charachteristics of writing during this period are the worship of nature and the foregrounding of passion and imagination

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The Victorian Society was extremely stratified in terms of race, class and gender
Rapid industrialisation led to a vast increase in a typically working class urban population
An emphasis on privacy and abiding to a strict Christian moral code
Many children were in child labour and child mortality remained high
The rise of the novel
Poetry was viewed as the highest form of literature
Relationships outside of social class were frowned upon and strict courtship rules had to be obeyed
Affairs were considered acceptable for husbands but scandalous for wives
Suffrage was not yet achieved
Social convention often dictated who would marry
WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1847)

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The acceptance of the woman's natural body and beauty
The perception of women changed through the media by the celebration of curvier women, e.g. Marilyn Monroe
In 1967, the Sexual Offences Act decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men aged 21 and over
Homosexuality is more widely accepted within society
In 1961, the 'pill' was introduced to prevent unwanted pregnancies
in the 1970's, the 'hippie' lifestyle introduced the attitude of 'free love', promoting sex before marriage and discouraging contraception
Women are still viewed as the main household figure for cooking, cleaning and acting as both a mother and a wife
The roles men play in society are still rather dominant
In the 1930's, equality for women and equal pay was fought for
In 1918, women over 30 got the vote, and in 1928, women over 21 got the vote
WW1 had a great impact on the literature at the time
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1949) and CAROL ANN DUFFY

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