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450
Old English Anglo-Saxon Period (450–1066)
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.
Much of the first half of this period—prior to the seventh century, at least—had oral literature. A lot of the prose during this time was a translation of something else or otherwise legal, medical, or religious in nature. -
1066
Middle English Period (1066–1500)
The Middle English period sees a huge transition in the language, culture, and lifestyle of England and results in what we can recognize today as a form of modern recognizable English. The era extends to around 1500. As with. The Middle English writings were religious in nature; however, from about 1350 onward, secular literature began to rise. in this period is Chaucer, Langland-Piers the Plowman and allegory an extended form of metaphor in which objects, people and actions in a narrative. -
1500
The Renaissance (1500–1660)
Recently, critics and literary historians have begun to call this the Early Modern period, but here we retain the historically familiar term Renaissance.
The Elizabethan Age was the golden age of English drama. Some of its noteworthy figures include Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir William Shakespeare. -
The Neoclassical Period (1600–1785)
The 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 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. -
The Romantic Period (1785–1832)
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.
The time period ends with the passage of the Reform Bill which signaled the Victorian Era and with the death of Sir Walter Scott. s. -
The Victorian Period (1832–1901)
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 and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Matthew Arnold, among others. Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, and Walter Pater were advancing the essay form at this time. -
Modern Period 1901- 1940
Modernism rises out of skepticism and disillusion of capitalism, takes the irrational philosophy and the theory of psycho-analysis as its theoretical base. realistic novels in the 20th century the continuation of the Victorian tradition; The outstanding figures are John Galsworthy, H. G. Wells, and Arnold Bennett; With the strong swing of leftism in the 1930s, novelists began to turn their attention to the urgent social problems. -
The Postmodern Period (1945 – 2000)
The postmodern period begins about the time that World War II ended. 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.
