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Period: 450 to 1066
Old English (Anglo-Saxon)
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.
Most extant Old English writings are in the West Saxon dialect; the first great period of literary activity occurred during the reign of King Alfred the Great in the 9th century -
900
Beowulf poem
The Beowulf is a lengthy epic poem written in Old Anglo-Saxon. In the periodization of the history of the English language, this period is known as Old English or Old English and, specifically, the Beowulf is considered the oldest literary work preserved in this high medieval Germanic language. -
Period: 1066 to 1500
Middle English Period
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. This period is home to the likes of Chaucer, Thomas Malory, and Robert Henryson. Notable works include "Piers Plowman" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." -
1300
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an anonymous chivalric novel, written in alliterative verses in an English dialect of the West Midlands during the second half of the fourteenth century, of which only one manuscript is preserved in the British Library. -
1387
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories built around a frame narrative or frame tale, a common and already long established genre of its period. Chaucer's Tales differs from most other story "collections" in this genre chiefly in its intense variation. Most story collections focused on a theme, usually a religious one -
1390
Piers Plowman
Piers Plowman is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest works of English literature of the Middle Ages, even preceding and influencing Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Piers Plowman contains the first known reference to a literary tradition of Robin Hood tales. -
Period: 1500 to
The 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). The dominant art forms of the English Renaissance were literature and music. -
1558
The Isabelina Age
The Elizabethan Age was the golden age of English drama. Some of its noteworthy figures include Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, and, of course, William Shakespeare -
The Harmony of the Church
The Harmony of the Church, a volume of spiritual poems, dedicated to Lady Devereux. It is notable for a version of the Song of Solomon, executed with considerable richness of expression. However, with the exception of forty copies, seized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the whole edition was destroyed by public order. Nevertheless, Drayton published a vast amount within the next few years. -
The Jacobean Age
The Jacobean Age is named for the reign of James I. It includes the works of John Donne, Shakespeare, Michael Drayton, John Webster, Elizabeth Cary, Ben Jonson, and Lady Mary Wroth. The King James translation of the Bible also appeared during the Jacobean Age. -
Period: to
The Neoclassical Period
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 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 like William Congreve and John Dryden. Satire, too, became quite popular, as evidenced by the success of Samuel Butler. -
Hamlet
Hamlet, es una tragedia del dramaturgo inglés William Shakespeare.Hamlet is probably the most famous dramatic work in Western literature and one of the literary works that has generated the greatest number of translations, analyzes, and critical comments. It is Shakespeare's longest drama, and is among the most influential and leading tragedies in the English language. -
The Caroline Age
The Caroline Age covers the reign of Charles I (“Carolus”). John Milton, Robert Burton, and George Herbert are some of the notable figures.The Caroline era was dominated by growing religious, political, and social discord between the King and his supporters, termed the Royalist party, and the Parliamentarian opposition that evolved in response to particular aspects of Charles's rule. -
An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews
An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews is a satirical novel by Henry Fielding published in 1741 under the pseudonym Mr. Conny Keyber. It was a direct attack on the novel Pamela or virtue rewarded (1740), by Samuel Richardson, contemporary and rival of the author. -
Period: to
The Romantic Period
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 -
Visions of the Daughters of Albion
Visions of the Daughters of Albion is a 1793 poem by William Blake produced as a book with his own illustrations. It is a short and early example of his prophetic books, and a sequel of sorts to The Book of Thel. -
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Pride and Prejudice, first published on January 28, 1813 as an anonymous work, is the most famous of Jane Austen's novels and one of the earliest romantic comedies in novel history. . -
Timbuctoo by Alfred
There are quite a few poems about Timbuktu. In the middle ages it was a thriving and powerful trading city on the southern edge of the Sahara desert. Its reputation of riches grew over the centuries, but its glory faded. The Victorians has this idea that the distant, fabled place was a city of immense splendour. In reality it is a "Low-built, mud-walled, barbarian settlement", a dusty, fly-blown little town in northern Mali, huddling between the fertile fields along the River Niger -
The Victorian Period
his period is named for the reign of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne in 1837, and it lasts until her death in 1901. It was a time of great social, religious, intellectual, and economic issues, heralded by the passage of the Reform Bill, which expanded voting rights. The Victorian 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. Poets of this time include Robert -
The medal
The Medal, by John Dryden, one of the most representative poems of the time, dedicated to discredit the figure of the Earl of Shaftesbury, a former ally of Charles II, who decided to support the Duke of Monmouth as successor to the throne. -
The Edwardian Period
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. -
The Georgian Period
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
Georgian poetry, a variety of lyrical poetry produced in the early 20th century by an assortment of British poets, including Lascelles Abercrombie, Hilaire Belloc, Edmund Charles Blunden, Rupert Brooke, William Henry Davies, Ralph Hodgson, John Drinkwater, James Elroy Flecker, Wilfred Wilson Gibson, Robert Graves, Walter de la Mare, Harold Monro (editor of The Poetry Review), Siegfried Sassoon, Sir J.C. Squire, and Edward Thomas. -
The Modern Period
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. Yeats’ words, “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold,” are often referred to when describing the core tenet or “feeling” of modernist concerns. -
Post-modern period
Postmodern period begins about the time that World War II ended. Many believe it is a direct response to modernism. Some say the period ended about 1990, but it is likely too soon to declare this period closed. 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.
