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English literature timeline

  • 731

    BEDE "The father of English History"

    BEDE "The father of English History"
    He wrote Ecclesiastical History of the English People. His ecumenical writings were extensive and included a number of Biblical commentaries and other theological works of exegetical erudition. Retrieved from Wikipedia.
  • 800

    Beowulf, Old English epic of 3,182 lines

    Beowulf, Old English epic of 3,182 lines
    The story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, attack to a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland (Götaland in modern Sweden) and later becomes king of the Geats. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • 1300

    Dunsman or dunce, important philosopher-theologians of Western Europe in the High Middle Ages

    Dunsman or dunce, important philosopher-theologians of Western Europe in the High Middle Ages
    Scotus has had considerable influence on both Catholic and secular thought. The doctrines for which he is best known are the "univocity of being" Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • 1340

    Occam's razor further known as the law of parsimony

    Occam's razor further known as the law of parsimony
    is the problem-solving principle that essentially states that "simpler solutions are more likely to be correct than complex ones". Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • 1367

    Piers Plowman or Visio Willelmi de Petro Ploughman

    Piers Plowman or Visio Willelmi de Petro Ploughman
    Is a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland. It is written in unrhymed, alliterative verse divided into sections called passus
  • 1385

    Troilus and Criseyde is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer "Father of English literature"

    Troilus and Criseyde is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer "Father of English literature"
    This epic poem re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde set against a backdrop of war during the Siege of Troy. It was composed using rime royale. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • 1469

    Le Morte d'Arthur is a reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of existing tales about the legendary King Arthur

    Le Morte d'Arthur  is a reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of existing tales about the legendary King Arthur
    Le Morte d'Arthur was first published in 1485 by William Caxton and is today one of the best-known works of Arthurian literature in English. Until the discovery of the Winchester Manuscript in 1934, the 1485 edition was considered the earliest known text of Le Morte d'Arthur and that closest to Malory's translation and compilation. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • 1549

    Book of Common Prayer (BCP) was a product of the English Reformation following the break with Rome.

    Book of Common Prayer (BCP)  was a product of the English Reformation following the break with Rome.
    is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • Tamburlaine the Great is a play by Christopher Marlowe

    Tamburlaine the Great is a play by Christopher Marlowe
    The play is a milestone in Elizabethan public drama; it marks a turning away from the clumsy language and loose plotting of the earlier Tudor dramatists, and a new interest in fresh and vivid language, memorable action, and intellectual complexity. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser

    The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser
    It is one of the longest poems in the English language as well as the origin of the verse form known as the Spenserian stanza.[1] On a literal level, the poem follows several knights as a means to examine different virtues, and though the text is primarily an allegorical work. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • Hamlet or The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare

    Hamlet or The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare
    Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play, and is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others". It was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime" Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Masque of Blackness was an early Jacobean era masque. It was written by Ben Jonson

    The Masque of Blackness was an early Jacobean era masque. It was written by Ben Jonson
    The queen consort of King James I, who wished the masquers to be disguised as Africans. Anne was one of the performers in the masque along with her court ladies, all of whom appeared in black face makeup. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, and thought to be one of the last plays that Shakespeare wrote alone.

    The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, and thought to be one of the last plays that Shakespeare wrote alone.
    The first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, the rest of the story is set on a remote island, where the sorcerer Prospero, a complex and contradictory character, lives with his daughter Miranda, and his two servants — Caliban, a savage monster figure, and Ariel, an airy spirit. The play contains music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island. It explores many themes including magic, betrayal, revenge, and family. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • A Description of New England or, Observations and discoveries in the north of America. Is a work written by John Smith

    A Description of New England or, Observations and discoveries in the north of America. Is a work written by John Smith
    It was a propaganda piece advertising the fertile land, abundant resources and general plenitude that was to be found in the New World. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Tenth Muse, lately Sprung up in America[1] is a 1650 book of poetry by Anne Bradstreet.

    It was Bradstreet's only work published in her lifetime. Published purportedly without Bradstreet's knowledge, Bradstreet wrote to her publisher acknowledging that she knew of the publication. She was forced to pretend she was unaware of the publication until afterward, or she would have risked harsh criticism. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Compleat Angler (the spelling is sometimes modernised to The Complete Angler) is a book by Izaak Walton. It was first published in 1653 by Richard Marriot in London.

    The Compleat Angler (the spelling is sometimes modernised to The Complete Angler) is a book by Izaak Walton. It was first published in 1653 by Richard Marriot in London.
    There were a number of editions during the author's lifetime. There was a second edition in 1655, a third in 1661 (identical with that of 1664), a fourth in 1668, and a fifth in 1676. In this last edition, the thirteen chapters of the original had grown to twenty-one, and a second part was added by his friend and brother angler Charles Cotton, who took up Venator. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • Paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton

    Paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton
    It is considered by critics to be Milton's major work, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his time. The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men." Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is like the Christian allegory written by John Bunyan.

    It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print. It has also been cited as the first novel written in English.
  • A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes is a popular-science book on cosmology (the study of the universe) by British physicist Stephen Hawking.

    A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes is a popular-science book on cosmology (the study of the universe) by British physicist Stephen Hawking.
    Hawking writes in non-technical terms about the structure, origin, development and eventual fate of the universe, which is the object of study of astronomy and modern physics. He talks about basic concepts like space and time, basic building blocks that make up the universe (such as quarks) and the fundamental forces that govern it (such as gravity). He writes about cosmological phenomena such as the Big Bang and black holes.
  • Regeneration is a historical and anti-war novel by Pat Barker

    Regeneration is a historical and anti-war novel by Pat Barker
    The novel was a Booker Prize nominee and was described by the New York Times Book Review as one of the four best novels of the year in its year of publication. It is the first of three novels in the Regeneration Trilogy of novels on the First World War, the other two being The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road, which won the Booker Prize in 1995. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Man with Night Sweats. Gunn wrote about gay-related topics—particularly in his most famous work,

    As well as drug use, sex, and his bohemian lifestyle and the AIDS. He won major literary awards and his best poems have a compact philosophical elegance. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin, novel by the British writer Louis de Bernières, set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Italian and German occupation of the Second World War.

    Captain Corelli's Mandolin, novel by the British writer Louis de Bernières, set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Italian and German occupation of the Second World War.
    The main characters are Antonio Corelli, an Italian army captain, and Pelagia, the daughter of the local physician, Dr. Iannis. An important event in the novel is the massacre of Italian troops by the Germans in September 1943—the Italian Acqui Division had refused to surrender and had fought the Germans for nine days before running out of ammunition. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling's

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling's
    The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • Copenhagen is a play by Michael Frayn

    Copenhagen is a play by Michael Frayn
    based on an event that occurred in Copenhagen in 1941, a meeting between the physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. It premiered in London in 1998 at the National Theatre, running for more than 300 performances, starring David Burke (Niels Bohr), Sara Kestelman (Margrethe Bohr), and Matthew Marsh (Werner Heisenberg). Retrieved from Wikipedia
  • The Amber Spyglass is the third novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy, written by English author Philip Pullman

    The Amber Spyglass is the third novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy, written by English author Philip Pullman
    The plot turn around Mrs. Coulter keeps her daughter Lyra drugged in a remote cave hidden from the Magisterium, a theocratic authority determined to kill Lyra to prevent her from causing a new fall of man. Lyra dreams she meets her dead friend Roger in the land of the dead and promises to help him. Retrieved from Wikipedia