HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

By Karen Picón
  • 450

    OLD ENGLISH

    OLD ENGLISH
    Beowulf is the most famous work of old english literature, and the first great work of Germanic literature,mingles the legends of Scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons, the author is Anonymous;Other great works of Old English poetry include The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Battle of Maldon, and The Dream of the Rood.
  • 1066

    MIDDLE ENGLISH

    MIDDLE ENGLISH
    The norman conquest began the transition from old english to Middle english, and because of this conquest is noted a huge influence of french literature;The most important poet of this time is Geoffrey Chaucer, he is considered the father of english poetry, he completed "Troilus and Criseyde" his long poem about a legendary love affair in ancient Troy; he also began an ambitious scheme for 100 Canterbury Tales, of which he completes only 24 by the time of his death.
  • 1500

    ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

    ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
    This period is divided into three other periods: Elizabethan(considered the golden age in english history)Jacobean, Carolina; The writers wanted to change reality through art; during this period we can find the greatest of all english authors: Shakespeare, one example of his plays is Hamlet that expresses both the ideals of the Renaissance and the disillusion of a less confident age; Other authors of this age are:
    John Donne
    Edmund Spencer
    John Milton
    Nicholas Machiavelli ( "the prince")

  • PURITAN

    PURITAN
    The function of the puritan writers was to glorify God and make him more relevant to the universe; In 1653 devoted fisherman Izaak Walton publishes the classic work on the subject, The Compleat Angler (a pastoral discourse on the joys of fishing); In 1660 on the first day of the new year Samuel Pepys gets up late, eats the remains of the turkey and begins his diary.

  • RESTORATION AGE

    RESTORATION AGE
    In this age the monarchy was restored in England(Charles II became king) this literature includes extremes; in this age, Pepys ends his diary, Part I of The Pilgrim's Progress is published and is immediately popular,paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton just £10, and John Locke publishes his Essay concerning Human Understanding, arguing that all knowledge is based on experience.

  • 18TH CENTURY

    18TH CENTURY
    This age is known as the age of enlightenment or the age of reason; The 18th century saw the development of the modern novel as literary genre, in fact many candidates for the first novel in English date from this period, of which Daniel Defoe's 1719 Robinson Crusoe is probably the best known, with its detailed realism, can be seen as the first English novel.
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  • ROMANTICISM

    ROMANTICISM
    In this age there is love for nature, the physical landscape and vineyards are prominent in the poetry of this period; during this age William Blake(figure in this age) includes his poem 'Jerusalem' in the Preface to his book Milton; pride and Prejudice, is the second of Jane Austen's novels to be published, also Mary Shelley publishes Frankenstein, a Gothic tale about giving life to an artificial man and Charles Dickens' first novel, Oliver Twist, begins monthly publication (in book form, 1838)

  • VICTORIAN

    VICTORIAN
    The Victorian period coincides with the reign of Queen Victoria over england , in literature, the early Victorian age is considered to be the age of critical realism. Charles Dickens dominated the first part of Victoria's reign and is called "The King of Victorian Literature", author Thomas Hardy is considered the major novelist of the later part of Queen Victoria's reign;Oscar Wilde published novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bram Stoker published Dracula, William M.Published Vanity Fair

  • MODERN LITERATURE

    MODERN LITERATURE
    Modern world people were more into independence, literature of modern period had less zeal for love, natural beauty and the sentiments.Modern period is also known as the age of machinery; during this period Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and the others make their first appearance in A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh;
    Some of the authors of modernism are
    -Beatrix Potter
    -James Joyce
    -Joseph Conrad
    -Henry James
    -D.H. Lawrence
    -Virginia Woolf

  • POST MODERN

    POST MODERN
    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, and John Barth. Postmodernists often challenge authorities.During this period C.S. Lewis gives the first glimpse of Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Roald Dahl publishes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, And J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sees the light.

  • CONTEMPORARY

    CONTEMPORARY
    Literature written after world war II through the current day, WW II events are the pathways to this type of literature; there is no certain identified style during this age and also is considered literature not only the books but also the millions that now exist online.Works of contemporary literature reflect a society's social and/or political viewpoints, shown through realistic characters, connections to current events and socioeconomic messages.