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Period: 450 to 1066
OLD ENGLISH
Old English literatureOld English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period after the settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic tribes in England, as the Jutes and the Angles, c. 450, after the withdrawal of the Romans, and "ending soon after the Norman Conquest" in 1066. -
731
The Venerable Bede
In his monastery at Jarrow, completes his story of the English Church and people. -
800
BEOWULF
The first great work of Germanic Literature,mingles the legends of scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons. -
1066
NORMAN CONQUEST
Invasion of the Normans in England,The army consisted of the Norman, Breton and the French which was led by William the Conqueror. They brought the French language to England. French was adopted as the new language for the parliament. -
Period: 1066 to 1500
MIDDLE ENGLISH
Many Old English grammatical features either became simplified or disappeared altogether. Noun, adjective and verb inflections were simplified by the reduction (and eventual elimination) of most grammatical case distinctions. Middle English also saw considerable adoption of Norman French vocabulary, especially in the areas of politics, law, the arts and religion. -
1300
Duns Scotus
Known as the subtle Doctor in medieval times, later provides humanists with the name Dusman or dunce. -
1340
William of Ockham
Advocates paring down arguments to their essentials, an approach later know as Ockham's Razor. -
1469
Thomas Malory
In gaol somewhere in England, compiles Morter d Arthur an English account of the French tales of King Arthur. -
1524
William Tyndale
Studies in the university at Wittenberg and plans to translate the Bible into English. -
Ben Jonson
Writes The Masque of Blackness, the first of his many masques for the court of James I -
On Shakespeare
“On Shakespeare,” though composed in 1630, first appeared anonymously as one of the many encomiums in the Second Folio (1632) of Shakespeare’s plays. It was Milton’s first published poem in English. In the 16-line epigram Milton contends that no man-made monument is a suitable tribute to Shakespeare’s achievement. -
George Herbert's
only volume of poems, The Temple, is published posthumously. -
Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
Restor'd to the Good of Both Sexes, From the Bondage of Canon Law was published by John Milton on 1 August 1643
Milton's basic scriptural argument is that Christ did not abrogate the Mosaic permission for divorce found in Deuteronomy 24:1 because in Matthew 19 he was just addressing a specific audience of Pharisees. -
Period: to
PURITAN PERIOD
The age is named ‘Puritan Age’ because of the Puritan dominance in England for the first time.Puritans closed the Theatre which was given much importance in the Elizabethan era. The There was a Civil war during that period. -
Period: to
RESTORATION EDGE
this is age also known as classical age. The first half of the 18th century was marked by the preparation of Industrial revolution. The main social classes were merchants, landowners, and manufacturers. The condition of women was not satisfactory. Sexual harassment, abduction of women, forced marriage took place in the period. The politicians were corrupt too. This is the age of material greed. -
Paradise Lost
is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton
The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men -
Paradise Regained
is a poem by English poet John Milton, The volume in which it appeared also contained the poet's closet drama Samson Agonistes. Paradise Regained is connected by name to his earlier and more famous epic poem Paradise Lost, with which it shares similar theological themes; indeed, its title, its use of blank verse, and its progression through Christian history recall the earlier work. -
Period: to
18 TH CENTURY
The age of Sensibility is also known as the age of Johnson. Two most famous writers of this period are Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Oliver Goldsmith. Sheridan was a love poet. Most of the literary works of this age talk about human feelings, classicism and Romantic revival. -
Jonathan Swift
Sends his hero on a series of bitterly satirical travels in Gulliver's Travels -
David Hume
Publishes his Treatise of Human Nature, in wich he applies to the human mind the principles of experimental science. -
Oliver Godsmith's
Play the stoops to conquer is produced in London's covent Garden Theatre . -
Mary Wollstonecraft
Publishes a passionalety feminist work,A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. -
Period: to
ROMANTICISM
This period was mainly a reaction against the Romanticismphilosophy of Enlightenment period that dominated much of European Philosophy. Individual achievements are highly valued. Many of the Romantic writers believed that people regardless of wealth or social class must be able to appreciate art and literature. -
William Blake
Includes his poem Jerusalem in the preface to his book Milton -
Charles Dikens
First Novel , Oliver Twist, begins monthly publication of his first work of fiction, pickwick papers. -
Period: to
VICTORIAN
Victorian life. Though poetry and prose were unquestionably brilliant, it was the novel that conclusively proved to be the Victorians special literary success. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield are some of the most prominent authors. -
Charles Dikens
Ebenezer Scrooge mends his ways just in time in Charles Dicken's a christmas carol. -
Edward Lear
Publishes his Book of, Nonsense, consisting of illustrated with his own cartoons. -
Charles Darwin
puts forward the theory of evolution in on origin of species, the result of 20 years' research. -
Beatrix Potter
Published at her own expense The tale of Peter Rabbit -
Period: to
MODERN LITERATURE
Literature from various parts of the world started spreading. New writers were tried to impersonate the glory of British writers. Women at the time were suppressed in the literary sense. They were not allowed to write freely. -
Robert Graves
Publishes his first book of poems,over the Brazier -
VIRGINIA WOOLF
Publishes the most fluid of her loves, The Waves, in wich she tells the story through six interior monologues. -
Period: to
POST MODERN
In post-modernism, basically the history of English Literature of 5 geo-locations are being studied. They are – African, Australian, Canadian, Caribbean and Indian Literature. -
Nancy Mitford
Has Her first succes with the novel The Pursuit of Love. -
C.S Lewis
Gives the first glimpse of Narnia in the lion,the witch and the wardrobe. -
Ian Fleming's
James Bond Agent 007, has a licence to kill in Ian Fleming's first novel Casino Royale. -
Roald Dahl
Publishes a fantasy treat for a starving child, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -
Peter Shaffer's
Play about Mozart,Amadeus, has its premiere in London -
Louis de Bernieres
Publishes captain corelli's Mandolin, a love story set in Italian - occupied Cephalonia. -
Period: to
CONTEMPORARY
Many works published in the twentieth-century were examples of genre fiction. This designation includes the crime novels, spy novel, historical romance, fantasy, graphic novel, and science fiction.