History Of English Literature By Bhim Singh Dahiya Fix May 2026

A New History of English Literature by Dr. Bhim Singh Dahiya is a definitive academic reference widely utilized by university students and competitive examination aspirants (UGC/NET/UPSC) in India. Published by Doaba Publications

• Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad, Essay on Criticism (with famous heroic couplets memorized by students).
• Jonathan Swift: Gulliver’s Travels (Dahiya maps each book to a satirical target), A Modest Proposal, The Tale of a Tub.
• Joseph Addison & Richard Steele: The Spectator and Tatler essays.
• Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders.
• Dr. Samuel Johnson (though technically late 18th-century): His dictionary, Lives of the Poets, Rasselas.

The Victorian period, named after Queen Victoria, was marked by significant social and industrial changes. Authors such as Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and Thomas Hardy wrote works that reflected the challenges and inequalities of the time. Dickens' Oliver Twist and David Copperfield are classic novels from this period. history of english literature by bhim singh dahiya

• Over-simplification: Purely literary critics argue that Dahiya reduces complex texts to bullet points, killing the aesthetic pleasure of literature.
• Lack of Feminist Critique: Early editions famously ignored or underplayed female authors like Aphra Behn, Mary Wollstonecraft, and even George Eliot was treated conventionally.
• Eurocentrism (ironically): Despite being Indian, the book largely ignores the influence of the Empire on English literature (i.e., colonial and post-colonial theory).

Dahiya, a former Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University and a distinguished academic, provides a narrative that does more than just list dates and titles; he re-evaluates the very foundations of how we perceive literary movements. Breaking the Traditional Mold A New History of English Literature by Dr

The Romantic and Victorian Eras: Delves into the Romantic spirit—from the "Elder Romantics" to "Romantic Prose"—and the complex "Victorian Temper" that followed. Alexander Pope : The Rape of the Lock

1. The Age of Chaucer (1340–1400)

Dahiya begins with Geoffrey Chaucer, the "Father of English Literature." He provides crisp notes on:

The Anglo-Saxon period, also known as the Old English period, marks the beginning of English literature. During this time, literature was primarily oral, with stories and poems passed down through generations by word of mouth. The most famous work from this period is Beowulf, an epic poem that tells the story of a heroic warrior's battles against monsters. Other notable works from this period include The Wanderer and The Seafarer.

• Short-answer questions at the end of every section.
• Comparison charts (e.g., "Classicism vs. Romanticism," "Chaucer vs. Spenser").
• Quotations: Ready-to-memorize quotes from critics (Dr. Johnson, Matthew Arnold, T.S. Eliot) alongside primary texts.