Literature

Today Jane Austen is regarded as one of the greats of English literature. But it was not always so. Amanda Vickery describes the changing nature of Austen’s reception in the two centuries since her birth.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a masterpiece of Middle English literature, which narrowly escaped destruction in the 18th century. Nicholas Mee examines the poem to discover both its secret benefactor and the location in which its drama unfolds.

The first performance of The Tempest on record was at court on All Hallows’ Day, on November 1st 1611.

To mark the 400th anniversary of his birth, UNESCO has declared Evliya Çelebi a ‘man of the year’. His Seyahatname, or Book of Travels, is one of the world’s great works of literature. Caroline Finkel celebrates a figure little known in the West.

Chris Corin ressurects the life of a Soviet survivor whose remarkable and significant career deserves to be better known.

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility was first published in London by Thomas Egerton on October 30th, 1811.

The Battle of Britain began on August 8th, 1940. Richard Overy looks behind the myth of a vulnerable island defended by a band of fighter pilots to give due credit to the courage of the civilian population.

The poet Rabindranath Tagore died on August 7th, 1941. Hugh Tinker charts the life of the man who 'was, perhaps, India's greatest son in modern times'.

Richard Cavendish charts the life of the author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was born on June 14th, 1811.

The Aeneid, Virgil’s epic Latin poem, offers as profound an insight into the current Libyan crisis as any 24-hour news channel, argues Robert Zaretsky.

On the centenary of the death of W.S.Gilbert Ian Bradley examines the achievements of the surprisingly radical Victorian dramatist and librettist who, in collaboration with the composer Arthur Sullivan, created classic satires of English national identity.

Janina Ramirez, presenter of a new BBC documentary on Iceland and its literature, explores the country’s sagas, their wide-ranging legacy and what they tell us about the history and culture of the Arctic island and its peoples.

Dunia Garcia-Ontiveros explores the works of Thomas Hill, the author of the first popular gardening books in the English language.