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Period: 700 to 1000
Old Literature
People communicated the poems and literary works orally during the period under consideration. Writing was not given much importance. The Anglo-Saxons were made up of three tribes who came to England through the North Sea route – the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. The Anglo-Saxon age comprises about 600 years. -
790
Beowulf
Beowulf is one of the most important works of that age. It is an epic poem which throws light on a young warrior in Geatland who fought for his people. It’s all about the heroic deeds of the German Warrior which happened apparently in 5th&6th centuries. Beowoulf is a 300 line poem and it was probably written 300 years later when ‘written texts’ came into existence. It was probably completed in the 8th Century.
Norman Conquest: Invasion of the Normans in England in the year 1066. -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle Ages
Anglo-Saxon began shifting to Middle English around the 11th Century, after the Norman Conquest. This was the language that literature in the 1200s to the 1400s were written in. Around the 13th century, poems began to be written. These were mostly for entertainment and notable works include ‘Brut’ by the priest Layamon, which mentioned King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and ‘Love Rune’ by Thomas of Hales. -
1200
The King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table By the Priest Layamon´s Brut.
Was the first historigraphy written in English after the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and the first work in the English language to discuss the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Layamon who lived at Areley Kings in Worcestershire, and wrote at a time in English history when most prose and poetry was composed in French, chose to write in English for his illiterate, impoverished religious audience. His poem is considered one of the best examples of early Middle English. -
1343
The most respected and famed writer of the middle age was Geoffrey Chaucer.
He is known as the father-figure in English literature. In the 13th century, the English literature prospered at a distinguished rate. Chaucer introduced the Iambic Pentameter. His greatest works are mostly narratives like The Canterbury Tales, The House of Fame. -
Period: 1500 to
The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art.
The characteristics of Renaissance poetry were wit, beauty, and truth. Poets used repetition to emphasize their themes. Shakespeare was the master of the dramatic genre during the Renaissance. -
1552
Edmund Spenser
Was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of nascent Modern English verse, and is often considered one of the greatest poets in the English language.
The Shepheardes Calender is Edmund Spenser's first major work, which appeared in 1579.
Spenser's masterpiece is the epic poem The Faerie Queene. -
1554
Philip Sidney
Was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. His works include Astrophel and Stella, The Defence of Poesy. -
1564
Christopher Marlowe
Also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era, Six dramas have been attributed to the authorship of Christopher Marlowe either alone or in collaboration with other writers:
*Dido, Queen of Carthage co-written with Thomas Nashe.
*Tamburlaine.
*The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta.
*Doctor Faustus.
*Edward II.
*The Massacre at Paris. -
Apr 26, 1564
William Shakespeare
Was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist.He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" .His extant works,consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses.
He wrote mainly tragedies among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language -
Jacobian Era
Jacobian Era comes just after the Elizabethan era. The two primary contribution of this age in English literature is the Revenge play and Metaphysical poetry. Revenge play signifies the plays where the victim is retaliated or avenged. These type of plays often results in the death of both the murderer and the avenger. These type of plays were extremely popular during the Elizabethan and the Jacobean era. Some of the best writers of plays of this kind are Thomas Kyd, Shakespeare. -
Caroline Era
This era coincided with the age of Charles I (1625-1642). During that time, a civil war was fought between the supporters of the king (Cavaliers) and the supporters of the parliament (Roundheads). Some of the prominent writers of that era were George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Katherine Philips, John Donne and others. -
Puritan Age
The half-century between the years 1625 and 1675 is known as the Puritan age, because of the Puritan dominance in England for the first time. Furthermore, the greatest literary figures of that time were Puritans. One remarkable figure was John Milton. Some of his popular works are:
Paradise Lost (1667)
Paradise Regained (1671)
The Puritans closed the Theatre which was given much importance in the Elizabethan era. There was a Civil war during that period. -
Period: to
Neo - Classical Age
The word ‘Neo-Classical’ implies ‘new’ and classical denotes the ‘Roman and Greek classics’.
This era is also known as the era of enlightenment. It started the British tradition of ‘afternoon tea’. Popular types of literature include parody, letters, essays, and satire.
People were interested in appearance, not in the being genuine. Having good manners and doing the right thing to the public was essential. -
Restoration Period (1660-1700)
John Dryden, greatest of all the poets of this age, established heroic couplet in English Poetry. He developed a new prose style that was suited to the practical needs of the age. Charles II and his followers enjoyed the life in France during the exile. Later, when he came to England, he demanded that drama should follow the French style of writing. Establishment of Royal Society, Development of science. -
Augustan Literature
King Augustus was the emperor of that time. Some of the most famous Augustan writers are Virgil, Horace. Major poets of that age are Pope and Dryden. And on the other hand, Jonathan Swift was famous for his prose works.
This age is also known as classical age. The first half of the 18th century was marked by the preparation of Industrial revolution. The main social classes were merchants, landowners, and manufacturers. -
Age of Sensibility (1750-1798)
The age of Sensibility is also known as the age of Johnson. Two most famous writers of this period are Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Oliver Goldsmith. Sheridan was a love poet. Most of the literary works of this age talk about human feelings, classicism and Romantic revival. -
Period: to
19th Century Literature
The 19th-century literature is merged with three ages. They are:
Romanticism (1798-1837)
Victorian Age (1837-1901)
Edwardian Age (1901-1910) -
Period: to
The Romantic Period
This period was mainly a reaction against the Romanticism philosophy of Enlightenment period that dominated much of European Philosophy. Individual achievements are highly valued. Many of the Romantic writers believed that people regardless of wealth or social class must be able to appreciate art and literature. -
John Keats
John Keats, was born on October 31, 1795, London, England was an English Romantic lyric poet who devoted his short life to the perfection of a poetry marked by vivid imagery, great sensuous appeal, and an attempt to express a philosophy through classical legend.
Some of his most acclaimed works are "Ode to a Nightingale", "Sleep and Poetry" and the famous sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer". -
William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.
Notable works: Songs of Innocence and of Experience, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, The Four Zoas, Jerusalem, Milton, "And did those feet in ancient time" -
Period: to
Victorian Age
Victorian Age (1837-1900) The Victorian era was one of the most important eras in the History of English Literature. Queen Victoria, at the age of 18 ruled England continuously for 64 years until her death. It is one of the longest reigns in the history of England. Many important social and historical changes altered the structure of the nation. The population of the country almost doubled. The British empire expanded exponentially. -
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin, (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history, and he was honoured by burial in Westminster Abbey.
Darwin published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. -
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.
representative Works:
The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations. -
Period: to
The Edwardian Age.
After the death of Queen Victoria, Edward VII came into the throne. His throne at England is known as the Edwardian age, in this era, the women status in the society seem to increase. Science and technology were also developed. H.G Wells, Beatrix Potter, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Edith Nesbit were some of the renowned writers of the age. -
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. The book was an immediate success. Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous in her lifetime and gave her an international following.
The first novel was followed by a series of sequels with Anne as the central character. Montgomery went on to publish 20 novels as well as 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays. -
Period: to
The Modern Period
Literature from various parts of the world started spreading. New writers were tried to impersonate the glory of British writers. Women at the time were suppressed in the literary sense. They were not allowed to write freely.
some riders:
Rainer Maria Rilke
Andrei Bely
Katherine Mansfield
Georg Trakl
Franz Kafka
Konstantine Gamsakhurdia
Grigol Robakidze
Miroslav Krleža
Wyndham Lewis
Hope Mirrlees
Karel Čapek
and many others. -
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic.His best known works include "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle). The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those found in his writing. -
The horror of the first and second World war.
The postwar literary era that continued until around 1940, as a product of shattered utopian hopes; Others depict it more as a radical out-pouring of the need to make the world afresh following the horrors of World War One. As is so often true it seems to be a fusion of both, a huge and disparate movement, generally defined as an attempt to portray the disjointedness of modern life through a rejection of traditional literary form. -
James Joyce
James Joyce was born in Dublin in 1882. He belonged to a Catholic family and got his education from Catholic schools. During his studies he went through a phase of religious zest, however, he rejected the Catholic Church. He was influenced was Ibsen and inspired by his views, Joyce took literary mission as a career. He was sternly against the bigotry of Phillistines in Dublin.
His most remarkable works include:
A Portrait of Artist as a Young Man
Dubliners
Theme in the works of Joyce
Ulysses -
Period: to
The Post Modern Period
Postmodern literature is a form of literature that is characterized by the use of metafiction, unreliable narration, self-reflexivity, intertextuality, and which often thematizes both historical and political issues. This style of experimental literature emerged strongly in the United States in the 1960s through the writings of authors such as Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Pynchon, Kathy Acker, and John Barth. -
David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American author of novels, short stories and essays, and a university professor of English and creative writing. Wallace is widely known for his 1996 novel Infinite Jest, which Time magazine cited as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. His posthumous novel, The Pale King (2011), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2012. -
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Elizabeth Lee Wurtzel (July 31, 1967 – January 7, 2020) was an American writer and journalist, known for the confessional memoir Prozac Nation, which she published at the age of 27. Her work often focused on chronicling her personal struggles with depression, addiction, career, and relationships. Wurtzel's work drove a boom in confessional writing and the personal memoir genre during the 1990s, and she was viewed as a voice of Generation X. -
Period: to
The Contemporary Period
The Realist, metafictional, postmodern, absurdist, autobiographical, short, long, fragmentary, feminist, stream of consciousness these and dozens more labels can be applied to the vast output of American novelists. Little holds them together beyond their chronological proximity and engagement with contemporary American society. -
Jonathan Earl Franzen
Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel The Corrections, a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist, earned a James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. His novel Freedom (2010) garnered similar he appeared in Time Magazine as a "Great American Novelist". -
Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz (born December 31, 1968) is a Dominican-American writer, creative writing professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and fiction editor at Boston Review. He also serves on the board of advisers for Freedom University, Díaz's work is the immigrant experience, particularly the Latino immigrant experience. His most representative book is The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007).