English Literature

First Anglo Saxon writings (800 AC - 1066 AC)

800

In this year and beyond, the first poem was written; Beowulf, known as the first example by relating about a brave young man who faces Danish soldiers. Nowadays the writer is still unknown. c. 800 Beowulf, the first great work of Germanic literature, mingles the legends of Scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons. c. 950 The material of the Eddas, taking shape in Iceland, derives from earlier sources in Norway, Britain, and Burgundy.

Medieval (1200 AC - 1485)

1200

The medieval writings consisted of religious books and some poems. It is clear to specify that the books were still written by hand.
Authors and poems:
1300 Duns Scotus
1340 Ockham's Razor
1367 Piers Plowman poem
1375 The courtly poem Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
1385 Troilus and Criseyde poem
1387 The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Most of these books have unknown releasing dates.

Renaissance (1485 - 1660)

1485

For the English renaissance, there were more print productions, more available libraries were people were able to read and research. Also, some poetries were taken to theatres where people see the play.
1469 Morte d'Arthur
1524 Translate the Bible into English
1592 Shakespeare achieved his first masterpiece: Richard III
1601 Hamlet and Macbeth by William Shakespeare
1616 Shakespeare died
- Divine poems, sermons, devotions and prayers by John Donn.

18TH Century (1660 - 1798)

1660

In this century new ideas passed by, because from poetries had been changed to novels and with political and social issues.
On the other hand, the poetry authors didn't allow the literature was left behind.
1667 Paradise Lost
1690 Essay concerning Human Understanding by John Locke
1719 Robinson Crusoe
1721 The strange adventures of the count Vinevil and his family
1755 Dictionary of the English Language
1762 Charlotte Lennox: Sophie
1798 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor

Romanticism (1804 - 1832)

1804

This definition would have changed a lot according to this era. Now, some actors quit writing social and methodological science linked to philosophy. They gave a new chance to write about beauty and nature.
1812 Lord Byron: Childe Harold's Piligrimage.
1818 Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
1818 John Keats: Endymion
1820 Percy Shelley: Prometheus Unbound

Victorian literature (1837 - 1901)

1837

Victoria has already been chosen as queen to reign in England as her own kingdom. Now, most of the topics were related to the economic and social countries in that country
1844 Charles Dickens the chime
1845 Friedrich Engels The condition of the working class in England
1852 Peter Mark Roget The Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases
1865 Lewis Carroll Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1891 Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Grey
1897 Bram Stoker Dracula

Century XX (1901 - 2000)

1901

In this century, the English literature tried to allow the students to have a reflection about what they have learned after reading a book. Some students had shown to their teachers about their likes in the literature. On the other hand, there was another intention in helping the student to develop all his/her skills in reading comprehension and pronunciation after reading a book.
Author:
1915 Virginia Woolf: The Voyage out
1931 Virginia Woolf: The Waves

Century XXI (2001 - Currently)

2001

It wasn't specified in previous ages but in this century the technology belongs to a part in us for our daily tasks. When more than hundreds of years people used to write in papers and pens, now writers use computers instead of the ancient method.
Authors:
2002 Peter Redgrove: From the Virgil Craves
2001 Neil Gaiman: American gods