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Period: 428 to 1066
The Old English Period (Anglo-Saxon)
It is the earliest historical form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. -
800
Beowulf
Beowulf, the first great work of Germanic literature, mingles the legends of Scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons -
950
Eddas
The material of the Eddas, taking shape in Iceland, derives from earlier sources in Norway, Britain and Burgundy, a collection of mythological Old Norse poems made in the 12th century -
Period: 1066 to 1350
Anglo-Norman Period
It is composed in the Anglo-Norman language developed during the period 1066–1350 when the Duchy of Normandy and England were united in the Anglo-Norman realm. -
1300
Duns Scotus
Known as the Subtle Doctor in medieval times, later provides humanists with the name Dunsman or dunce -
1340
William of Ockham
Advocates paring down arguments to their essentials, an approach later known as Ockham's Razor -
Period: 1350 to 1500
Middle English Period
Middle English was a form of the English language spoken after the Norman conquest (1066) until the late 15th century. English underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English period. This stage of the development of the English language roughly followed the High to the Late Middle Ages. -
1367
Langland
A narrator who calls himself Will, and whose name may be Langland, begins the epic poem of Piers Plowman -
1375
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The courtly poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells of a mysterious visitor to the round table of King Arthur. -
Period: 1500 to
The Renaissance Period
The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century. As in most of the rest of northern Europe, England saw little of these developments until more than a century later. -
1549
Book of Common Prayer
The first version of the English prayer book, or Book of Common Prayer, is published with text by Thomas Cranmer -
Period: 1564 to
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
An English playwright and poet, generally considered the greatest writer in English. His plays include Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night, and more than 150 sonnets. Many familiar sayings and quotations come from his works. -
Period: to
The Neo-Classical Period
This time period is broken down into three parts: the Restoration period, the Augustan period, and the Age of Johnson. Writers tried to imitate the style of the Romans and Greeks. This was also the era of The Enlightenment, which emphasized logic and reason. -
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton just £10 -
The Augustan Age
The Augustan Age begins in English literature, claiming comparison with the equivalent flowering under Augustus Caesar -
Gulliver's Travels
Jonathan Swift sends his hero on a series of bitterly satirical travels in Gulliver's Travels -
Encyclopaedia Britannica
A Society of Gentlemen in Scotland begins publication of the immensely successful Encyclopaedia Britannica -
Period: to
The Romantic Period
It was one of major social change in England, due to depopulation of the countryside and rapid development of overcrowded industrial cities that took place roughly. The movement of so many people in England was the result of two forces: the Agricultural Revolution, which involved enclosures that drove workers and their families off the land, and the Industrial Revolution which provided them employment, "in the factories and mills, operated by machines driven by steam-power". -
Period: to
The Early Victorian Period
It began with the coronation of Victoria as Queen in 1837. She would rule for nearly the next seven decades. Her own preference in literature was for second-rate writers, most of whom are deservedly forgotten today. It is unfortunate that the age is associated with bad taste, stuffy morals, and moral priggishness, all of which could rightly be said to characterize the Queen’s private household. But these deadening concepts are nowhere to be found in the best writers of the age. -
Period: to
The Late Victorian Period
England as a world power in international trade had begun to decline, with the emergence of the United States and Germany as competitors. Bankruptcies and unemployment increased, thereby causing a massive emigration to the New World or Australia. These unhappy economic times caused a rise in socialism, whose leaders promised relief. -
Period: to
The Edwardian Period
Edward became king, and during his brief reign, there was a surface serenity to England. Anew spirit of liberalism and freedom of expression was felt after the death of Victoria. Sexual matters were discussed more openly. Criticism of social injustice and of the impoverishment of the working class was more freely asserted. During this time, socialist ideas were expounded and the Labor party gained followers. The extensive materialism of the upper class was blamed for the stagnation of society/ -
Period: to
The Contemporary Period
George V (1910—1936) became monarch. England took on a look quite different from that of the crusty authoritative aura of Victoria. The current identity of England has been shaped more by elected officials like Winston Churchill than by royal family. The greatest changes in England ’s destiny and identity were shaped by the two world wars, whose cost in life and property significantly reduced the relevance of Britain on the world’s stage.
