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The history of English Literature starts with the Germanic tradition of Anglo-Saxon settlers which were around the 5th to 11th century AD and the first long narrative poems in the history of English Literature were Beowulf and Widsith. These two were highly narrative poems of this early period of the history of English Literature. -
The Medieval English Literature comprises of a diverse range of works as the population of England during this time was literate and a considerable portion was also bilingual and trilingual. Geoffrey Chaucer is amongst the highly regarded poets within the period of 1342 to 1400 and was renowned for his courtly love poetry including the famous “Canterbury Tales” though it was left incomplete; “The House of Fame”, and ‘The Book of the Duchess’. -
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The neoclassical period is also subdivided into ages, which include The Restoration (1660-1700), The Age of Augustus (1700-1745), and The Age of Sensitivity (1745-1785). The Restoration period sees some response to the Puritan age, especially in the theater. Restorative comedies (fashion comedies) were developed during this time under the talent of playwrights such as William Congreve and John Dryden. -
During this period the term "Puritan" becomes largely moot, English literature is written after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following the period of the commonwealth. Many typical literary forms of the modern world including the novel, biography, history, travel writing, and journalism gained confidence during the restoration period. The restoration period was, above all, a great age of drama, heroic plays, influenced by principles of French Neoclassicism. -
Romantic poets & Gothic writings -
Sentimental Novels & Intellectual Movements like Aestheticism and the Decadence. -
Modernist Writers, Realism, etc. -
Metafiction, Multiculturalism, Magic Poetry, etc.