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450
Old English literature/Also called Anglo-Saxon literature, which is written in Old English c. 450–c. 1600.
The term Anglo-Saxon comes from two Germanic tribes, the Angles and the Saxons. This period of literature dates back to their invasion (along with the Jutes) of Celtic England circa 450. The era ends in 1066, when Norman France, under William, conquered England. A lot of the prose during this time was a translation of something else or legal, medical, or religious in nature; however, some works, such as "Beowulf," and those by period poets Caedmon and Cynewulf, are important. -
1066
Middle English Period (1066–1500)
It sees a huge transition in the language, culture, and lifestyle of England and results in what we can recognize today as a form of “modern” English. The era extends to around 1500. As with the Old English period, much of the Middle English writings were religious in nature; however, from about 1350 onward, secular literature began to rise. and it is home to the likes of Chaucer, Thomas Malory, and Robert Henryson. Notable works: "Piers Plowman" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." -
1500
The Renaissance (1500–1660)
Recently, critics and literary historians have begun to call this the Early Modern period, but here we retain the historically familiar term “Renaissance.” This period is often subdivided into four parts, including the Elizabethan Age (1558–1603), the Jacobean Age (1603–1625), the Caroline Age (1625–1649), and the Commonwealth Period (1649–1660). Some of its noteworthy figures include Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, and, of course, William Shakespeare -
The Neoclassical Period (1600–1785)
The Neoclassical period is also subdivided into ages, including The Restoration (1660–1700), The Augustan Age (1700–1745), and The Age of Sensibility (1745–1785) -
The Restoration (1660–1700)
The Restoration period sees some response to the puritanical age, especially in the theater. Restoration comedies (comedies of manner) developed during this time under the talent of playwrights such as William Congreve and John Dryden. Satire, too, became quite popular, as evidenced by the success of Samuel Butler. Other notable writers of the age include Aphra Behn, John Bunyan, and John Locke. -
The Augustan Age (1700–1745)
he Augustan Age was the time of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, who imitated those first Augustans and even drew parallels between themselves and the first set. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, a poet, was prolific at this time and noted for challenging stereotypically female roles. Daniel Defoe was also popular. -
The Age of Sensibility (1745–1785)
was the time of Edmund Burke, Edward Gibbon, Hester Lynch Thrale, James Boswell, and, of course, Samuel Johnson. Ideas such as neoclassicism, a critical and literary mode, and the Enlightenment, a particular worldview shared by many intellectuals, were championed during this age. Novelists to explore include Henry Fielding, Samuel Richardson, Tobias Smollett, and Laurence Sterne, as well as the poets William Cowper and Thomas Percy. -
The Romantic Period (1785–1832)
The beginning date for the Romantic period is often debated. Some claim it is 1785, immediately following the Age of Sensibility. Others say it began in 1789 with the start of the French Revolution, and still, others believe that 1798, the publication year for William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s book "Lyrical Ballads," is its true beginning. The time period ends with the passage of the Reform Bill (which signaled the Victorian Era) and with the death of Sir Walter Scott. -
The Victorian Period (1832–1901)
The period has often been divided into “Early” (1832–1848), “Mid” (1848–1870) and “Late” (1870–1901) periods or into two phases, that of the Pre-Raphaelites (1848–1860) and that of Aestheticism and Decadence (1880–1901). This period is in strong contention with the Romantic period for being the most popular, influential, and prolific period in all of English (and world) literature. -
The Victorian Period (1832–1901)
Poets of this time include Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Matthew Arnold, among others. Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, and Walter Pater were advancing the essay form at this time. Finally, prose fiction truly found its place under the auspices of Charles Dickens, Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, William Makepeace Thackeray, and Samuel Butler. -
The Edwardian Period (1901–1910)
This period is named for King Edward VII and covers the period between Victoria’s death and the outbreak of World War. The era includes incredible classic novelists such as Joseph Conrad, Ford Madox Ford, Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and Henry James (who was born in America but who spent most of his writing career in England), notable poets such as Alfred Noyes and William Butler Yeats, as well as dramatists such as James Barrie, George Bernard Shaw, and John Galsworthy. -
The Georgian Period (1910–1936)
The Georgian period usually refers to the reign of George V (1910–1936) but sometimes also includes the reigns of the four successive Georges from 1714–1830. Here, we refer to the former description as it applies chronologically and covers, for example, the Georgian poets, such as Ralph Hodgson, John Masefield, W.H. Davies, and Rupert Brooke. Georgian poetry today is typically considered to be the works of minor poets anthologized by Edward Marsh. -
The Modern Period (1914–1945
The modern period traditionally applies to works written after the start of World War I.Common features include bold experimentation with subject matter, style, and form, encompassing narrative, verse, and drama. W.B. Some of the most notable writers of this period, among many, include the novelists James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Aldous Huxley,the poets W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, Seamus Heaney,and the dramatists Tom Stoppard, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, Frank McGuinness. -
The Postmodern Period (1945–2000)
The postmodern period begins about the time that World War II ended. Many believe it is a direct response to modernism. Poststructuralist literary theory and criticism developed during this time. Some notable writers of the period include Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller, Anthony Burgess, John Fowles, Penelope M. Lively, and Iain Banks. Many postmodern authors wrote during the modern period as well. -
21 Century Literature
While the British literary scene at the turn of the new millenium is crowded andvaried, the authors still fall into the categories of
modernism and postmodernism.However, with the passage of time the Modern era may be reorganized and expande
