Editing History of literature (section)

==Early modern (15th century–18th century)==
{{Main|Early Modern literature}}
{{Further|15th century in literature|16th century in literature|17th century in literature}}

=== Early modern Europe ===
{{Main|Western literature}}
The [[Renaissance]] encompassed much of European culture during the early modern period. This period saw a renewed interested in the classical works of Ancient Greece and Rome and a proliferation of artistic and scientific achievement. Literature, as with most forms of art in the early modern period, was financed through [[patronage]] by nobles. Fiction writing was not considered a profession in its own right and was typically undertaken by those who already possessed independent wealth.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Keenan |first=Siobhan |title=Renaissance Literature |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2008 |isbn=9780748631216 |pages=1–34 |chapter=The Historical Context}}</ref> The invention of the [[printing press]] in the mid-15th century revolutionized European literature. The production of printed books allowed for more uniformity in literary works and the spread of [[literacy]]. Religious literature in particular was affected by the printing press, as churches funded and involved themselves in the printing process. Literary criticism also developed as literary works became more accessible.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dondi |first=Cristina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=odDYAQAAQBAJ |title=The Book: A Global History |publisher=OUP Oxford |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-166875-3 |editor-last=Suarez |editor-first=F. J. F. |language=en |chapter=The European Printing Revolution |editor-last2=Woudhuysen |editor-first2=H. R. |access-date=2022-08-26 |archive-date=2023-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404203911/https://books.google.com/books?id=odDYAQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The form of writing now commonplace across the world—the [[novel]]—originated from the [[early modern period]] and grew in popularity in the next century. Before the [[modern novel]] became established as a form there first had to be a transitional stage when "novelty" began to appear in the style of the epic poem. [[Petrarch]] popularized the [[sonnet]] as a poetic form; [[Giovanni Boccaccio]]'s ''[[Decameron]]'' made romance acceptable in prose as well as poetry; [[François Rabelais]] rejuvenates satire with ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]''; [[Michel de Montaigne]] single-handedly invented the [[essay]] and used it to catalog his life and ideas. Perhaps the most controversial and important work of the time period was a treatise printed in [[Nuremberg]], entitled ''[[De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium]]'': in it, the astronomer [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] removed the Earth from its privileged position in the universe, which had far-reaching effects, not only in science, but in literature and its approach to humanity, hierarchy, and truth.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Plays for entertainment (as opposed to religious enlightenment) returned to Europe's stages in the early modern period. [[William Shakespeare]] is the most notable of the early modern playwrights, but numerous others made important contributions, including [[Molière]], [[Pierre Corneille]], [[Jean Racine]], [[Pedro Calderón de la Barca]], [[Lope de Vega]], [[Christopher Marlowe]], and [[Ben Jonson]]. From the 16th to the 18th century [[Commedia dell'arte]] performers improvised in the streets of Italy and France. Some Commedia dell'arte plays were written down. Both the written plays and the [[improvisation]] were influential upon literature of the time, particularly upon the work of Molière. Shakespeare drew upon the arts of [[jester]]s and strolling players in creating new style comedies. All the parts, even the female ones, were played by men (''[[Drag (clothing)|en travesti]]'') but that would change, first in France and then in England too, by the end of the 17th century.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

==== British literature ====
{{Further|British literature}}
As England grew to become a [[Superpower|world power]], focus on England itself appeared in English literature. This tradition began with ''[[The Faerie Queene]]'' by [[Edmund Spenser]], written through the 1590s in honor of Queen Elizabeth I.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|p=61}} [[metaphysical poets|Metaphysical poetry]] developed in the 17th century, led by [[John Donne]], most well known for his love poems.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|p=54}} The [[Augustan literature]] movement developed in the 18th century, led by [[Samuel Johnson]], seeking to imitate the classical tastes of Ancient Greece and Rome. Augustan critics condemned metaphysical poetry for its frivolity and subversion.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|p=57}} [[John Milton]] wrote the epic poem ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' to create an English Christian epic that rivaled those of Homer and Virgil.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|p=64}} During the rule of [[Oliver Cromwell]] in the 1650s, the arts were restricted along [[Puritans|Puritan]] ideals. This censorship contributed to the fall of the [[Commonwealth of England]] and the restoration of the British monarchy. Under the restored monarchy, the arts were freer than they had been previously, and King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] became a patron of the theater.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|pp=75–81}}

William Shakespeare was a famed playwright in the late-16th and early-17th centuries, and he is generally recognized as the greatest author in the English language. He is known for his comedies, his dramas, and his histories, as well as his use of [[blank verse]], [[sonnet]], and [[soliloquy]]. Shakespeare's historical plays ignored historical accuracy and often contemplated [[Order of succession|royal succession]], reflecting the concerns of his day regarding the succession of [[Elizabeth I]].{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|pp=40–44}} Early English novels include ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]'' by [[John Bunyan]] and ''[[Oroonoko]]'' by [[Aphra Behn]], both published in the 1680s. Bunyan introduced into English literature ideas of [[individualism]] and the quest of [[personal fulfillment]]. Behn used her writing as [[social criticism]] to question the [[Atlantic slave trade]].{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|pp=75–81}} ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'' by [[Daniel Defoe]] is considered to be the first modern English novel, written as a celebration of the [[social mobility]] introduced by [[capitalism]]. The book was written in a [[Realism (arts)|realistic]] style, and the original edition was marketed as a true autobiography without any mention of Defoe as an author. [[Jonathan Swift]] introduced the [[fantasy novel]] to English literature, most notably through [[Gulliver's Travels]], which was similarly marketed as a true story.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|pp=82–87}}

==== French literature ====
{{Further|French literature}}''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]'' was written by [[François Rabelais]] in five parts throughout the mid-16th century. It was an early influence of the novel, using an informal style and subversive humor.{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|pp=75–81}}

The 17th century in France is known as the [[Louis XIV of France|Grand Siècle]] (Great Century). The most famous French authors, beside playwrights, include [[Jean de La Fontaine]] and [[Charles Perrault]] known primarily for their [[fable]]s.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

==== Italian literature ====
{{Further|Italian literature}}The [[Italian Renaissance]] was the starting point of what would become the European Renaissance over the following centuries.<ref name=":2" />

The earliest work considered an [[opera]] in the sense the work is usually understood dates from around 1597. It is ''[[Dafne]]'', (now lost) written by [[Jacopo Peri]] for an elite circle of literate [[Florence|Florentine]] [[Humanism|humanists]] who gathered as the "[[Florentine Camerata|Camerata]]".{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

==== Spanish literature ====
{{Further|Spanish literature}}

''[[Don Quixote]]'' by [[Miguel de Cervantes]] was published in the early-17th century and is recognized as an early novel. It was a [[picaresque novel]] that parodied [[Romance (heroic literature)|chivalric romance]].{{Sfn|Sutherland|2013|pp=75–81}} The 16th and 17th centuries are recognized as the [[Spanish Golden Age]].

=== Early modern Islamic world ===
{{Further|Islamic literature}}

=== Early modern East Asia ===

==== Qing dynasty ====
{{Further|Chinese literature|Ming poetry}}
[[File:Xyj-sunwukong.jpg|thumb|An illustrated copy of ''[[Journey to the West]]'']]
Printing became prominent in China during the [[Ming dynasty]] in the beginning of the 16th century. By this time, urban areas were highly literate, assisted by the availability of paper in China. Written works were divided into four categories, including classics, histories, philosophy, and [[belles-lettres]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lu |first=Tina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jGz0qXPgM0C |title=The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: From 1375 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-521-85559-4 |editor-last=Chang |editor-first=Kang-i Sun |pages=63–64 |language=en |editor-last2=Owen |editor-first2=Stephen}}</ref> Among the lower class, [[aria]] and folk songs were common, often performed by entertainers.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=704}} Literature was suppressed by the Ming dynasty's founding [[Hongwu Emperor]], and writers that did not comply with his rule were executed, beginning a decline in Chinese literature in the 14th and 15th centuries.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=654–655}} ''[[Jiandeng Xinhua]]'' by [[Qu You]] was a collection of supernatural and [[Chuanqi (short story)|''chuanqi'']] stories, and it was one of the few works that maintained influence despite the suppression of literature.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=719}} Variety plays were the most common type of drama in the Early Ming period, and Prince [[Zhu Youdun]] was the most influential playwright of the time.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=721}} A literary revival took place in the Middle Ming period. The revival of poetry was led by literary groups such as the [[Four Talents of Suzhou]] and the [[Earlier Seven Masters]] and continued by groups such as the [[Tang-Song School]] and the [[Latter Seven Masters]]. [[Xu Wei]] became an influential poet and prose writer after his death for his use of authenticity and his rejection of the preceding literary schools.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=667–681}} [[Classic Chinese Novels|Early Chinese novels]] were developed in the Middle Ming period, including works such as ''[[Water Margin]]'', ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'', and ''[[Journey to the West]]''.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=728}}

In the Late Ming period, literature increasingly focused on the role of individuals within a society, beginning with the works of [[Li Zhi (philosopher)|Li Zhi]].{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=684–685}} Chinese philosophy developed humanist elements that challenged subservience to community and imperial hierarchy.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=654–655}} The [[Gong'an School]], led by the [[Three Yuan Brothers]], produced literature of "natural sensibility" that favored delight and simplicity over reason and ambition.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=687}} The [[Jingling School]], led by [[Zhong Xing]] and [[Tan Yuanchun]], was a response to the Gong'an School that accepted the concept of "natural sensibility" but rejected the carefree style of Gong'an poetry.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=697–698}} Novels became more common in the Late Ming period as book publishers emerged.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=743}} ''[[Jin Ping Mei]]'' is recognized as a great novel of the Late Ming period and the first novel to follow day-to-day life of commoners.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|p=733}} ''[[Huaben]]'' stories were also common in this period, such as those collected by [[Feng Menglong]] in the [[Three Words (collection)|''Three Words'']] and by [[Ling Mengchu]] in ''[[Slapping the Table in Amazement]]''.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=745–750}} Dramas became more common in the Late Ming period as it became fashionable for the aristocracy to entertain guests with private theater troupes. [[Tang Xianzu]] was an influential playwright of this period, and the [[Wujiang School]] led by [[Shen Jing]] was responsible for expanding upon drama as an artform with emphasis on its musical elements.{{Sfn|Luo|2011|pp=753–754}}

==== Japanese literature ====
{{Further|Japanese literature}}
Wood block printing became popular in the 17th century, and over a thousand books were sold annually by 1670. By the 17th century, increasing social divisions separated drama, with ''[[samurai]]'' watching ''noh'' and ''[[chōnin]]'' watching ''[[kabuki]]''. Writers typically dedicated themselves to the government, to a specific clan, to the commons, or to a reclusive lifestyle. [[Ishikawa Jōzan]] was an influential 17th century poet.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|pp=128–129}}

==== Korean literature ====
{{Further|Korean literature}}
Korean literature diverged from Chinese literature in the [[Joseon]] dynasty. The ''[[akjang]]'', the ''[[sijo]]'', and the [[Gasa (poetry)|''gasa'']] are forms of lyric composition that were popular in the Joseon dynasty.{{Sfn|Lee|2003|pp=148, 168, 189}} ''[[Yongbieocheonga]]'' was a major collection of poems produced in the 1440s.{{Sfn|Lee|2003|p=151}} Korean vernacular fiction was developed by [[Heo Gyun]] at the beginning of the 17th century with ''[[Hong Gildong jeon]]''.{{Sfn|Lee|2003|p=273}} The structure of ''Hong Gildong jeon'' was used to develop heroic fiction. ''[[The Cloud Dream of the Nine]]'' was written by [[Kim Man-jung]] to reflect historical and philosophical changes of the time using dream structure.{{Sfn|Lee|2003|pp=276–277}} ''[[Pansori]]'' fiction was developed in the early 18th century.{{Sfn|Lee|2003|p=284}}

=== Early modern Southeast Asia ===
{{Further|Cambodian literature|Vietnamese literature|Thai literature}}

=== Early modern India ===
{{Further|Indian literature}}

=== Pre-colonial Africa ===
{{Further|African literature}}