British poetry has a rich history dating back to the 6th century AD, with many important movements and genres represented. English poets, including Anglo-Saxon and Renaissance writers, have contributed significantly. The Romantic movement emphasized nature and emotions, while Irish, Welsh, and Scottish traditions also have distinct bodies of work. Contemporary writers continue to compose poetry using the languages and traditions of specific areas.
British poetry is verse written in the UK. Most of the poetry in this category comes from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Poetry in the British Isles dates back to the 6th century AD and offers several rich literary traditions. Many important movements, such as Romanticism, are strongly represented in the poetic history of Britain. British poets wrote in many genres and forms and are still widely studied in English departments around the world.
English poets make up a large part of the poetic landscape of Great Britain. From the 7th century AD, Anglo-Saxon poets composed hymns and epics such as Beowulf. The Norman invasions brought new genres of poetry to Britain, including romances such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Chaucer continued to add to this tradition with his Canterbury Tales, which blends different poetic genres together with a framed narrative.
The Renaissance provided better methods for printing and distributing poetic works and led to the Elizabethan period. Many famous court sonnets, songs and poems were composed in this period by famous poets such as Edmund Spenser and William Shakespeare. Post-Restoration England saw British poets experiment with satire and look back on and emulate classical Roman poetry.
The Romantic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was a major trend in British poetry that emphasized nature and the emotions. Famous British poets of this era included William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and John Keats. The later Victorian era contained important works by Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and provided a transition into the modern era that would shape British poetry through the 20th century and beyond.
Irish poetry traditions extend even further back than English traditions and are recognized as some of the oldest non-Latin verse in Europe. Early Irish and Scottish poets were known as bards and played an important role in medieval society by recording and recounting historical events. Gaelic poetry was dominant until the 19th century when the use of the language shifted towards English. Early 20th century poets such as William Butler Yeats sought to reclaim their Celtic heritage and helped influence Irish independence. Seamus Heaney, a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 19, continues in 20 to focus on the political issues of Northern Ireland, as well as the history and cultural traditions of the island.
Welsh and Scottish poetry also represent distinct bodies of work within British poetry. Welsh and Scottish traditions date back to the 6th century. Another distinct type of poetry – Cornish verse from the Cornwall region of Britain – did not emerge until the Middle Ages. Contemporary writers continue to compose poetry using the languages and traditions of these specific areas.
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