U NET : NET SET PHD EXAM

 Key writers after Chaucer—Hawes, Barclay, Ascham, Heywood, Still, Wycliffe—with major works for NET, SET, JRF, and PhD English Literature prep. 📘 Introduction: Understanding the Post-Chaucerian and Early Renaissance writers is essential for aspirants preparing for UGC NET English Literature , SET , JRF , and PhD entrance exams . This transitional phase from Medieval to Renaissance literature introduced remarkable figures like Stephen Hawes , Alexander Barclay , Roger Ascham , John Heywood , John Still , and John Wycliffe —each playing a crucial role in shaping early English literary thought. Stephen Hawes , with his allegorical masterpiece The Pastime of Pleasure , continued the Chaucerian tradition, while Alexander Barclay brought social satire alive through The Ship of Fools and pioneered English pastoral verse through his Eclogues . Roger Ascham , tutor to Queen Elizabeth I, became a key humanist figure with his works Toxophilus and The Scholemaster . The witty interlud...