English began to be used to produce literature around the Renaissance, as other European languages. Before this time, most writing was done in Latin, and was probably religious oriented. Novels, plays and the like, for public joy, began to appear during this time.
For example, Before Cervantes, and his Quixote, there were hundreds of pamphlet novels about knights and their adventures. People enjoyed reading these "roman chevaleresque" novels, which were filled with dragons, magicians, princesses, and knights. These pamphlets started in France and Italy. It then spread to all Europe, with the invention of Gutenberg's press. Soon European authors began to write about daily life, made some money selling these novels. Plays were very popular for people that didn't read, it was like going to the movies. This is the time of Elizabethan language, when the great bard William wrote his master works.
To get a feel of that time, I found these foul sentences that people used to say as insults.
Learn how to insult in Elizabethan vernacular....fancy!
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html
For example, Before Cervantes, and his Quixote, there were hundreds of pamphlet novels about knights and their adventures. People enjoyed reading these "roman chevaleresque" novels, which were filled with dragons, magicians, princesses, and knights. These pamphlets started in France and Italy. It then spread to all Europe, with the invention of Gutenberg's press. Soon European authors began to write about daily life, made some money selling these novels. Plays were very popular for people that didn't read, it was like going to the movies. This is the time of Elizabethan language, when the great bard William wrote his master works.
To get a feel of that time, I found these foul sentences that people used to say as insults.
Learn how to insult in Elizabethan vernacular....fancy!
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html
