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800
The average age of the Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon literature known as Old English -
1066
Norman Conquest
Middle English was the Norman Conquest of 1066, when William the Conquero, invaded the island of Britain from his home base in northern France, and settled in his new acquisition along with his nobles and court. William crushed the opposition with a brutal hand and deprived the Anglo-Saxon earls of their property, distributing it to Normans.
Anglo-Norman French became the language of the kings and nobility of England though, Latin was mostly used for written language, -
Period: 1200 to 1500
Late medieval period
The ideals of courtly love reached England and the authors began to write romances, both in verse and prose -
Period: 1340 to 1400
Geoffrey chaucer
The first great English author Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote in medieval English his most famous work the canterbury tales -
1476
The printing press introduced in England
William introduced the printing press in England and from that moment on, vernacular literature began to flourish, poetry, drama and prose, written during the reign of Elizabeth and Jacob, constitute what is now called the English Renaissance -
Period: 1500 to
English renaissance
In 1500 began a golden age of English literature that lasted until 1660.
During this period the literature is characterized by a special interest in human behavior as the main theme of the works in part by influence of Italian humanism. While the English medieval literature nourished from religious themes during the Renaissance, writers leaned on secular subjects.
This period divided in three parts
Elizabethan´s period, jacobean´s period and Carolina´s period -
1558
Elizabethan Literature
Being Queen, Elizabeth worked hard at being a good queen. She visited different towns and cities in England and tried to keep her people safe. She set up a council of advisors called the Privy Council. The Privy Council helped her when dealing with other countries, working with the army, and taking care of other important issues. Elizabeth's most trusted advisor was her Secretary of State William Cecil. -
Jacobean Literature
Shakespeare is considered by many to be the greatest writer of the English language. He is also one of the most influential. Through his works, he is credited with introducing nearly 3,000 words to the English language. In addition, his works are the second most often quoted after the Bible. -
Period: to
The King James Bible translation
It started in 1604 and was completed until 1611, it represents the culmination of the translation of the Bible -
Birth of political literature
In the middle of the XVLL century, in the reign of Carlos, was the birth of political literature. -
Writting Style
The writing style of the Puritan Age was predominantly plain with simple sentences and language. Metaphorical constructions were in limited use and excessive ornamentation or dramatic appeals were discouraged.
Symbolism from scripture was used to make the sermons etc impactful. The main motive was, to tell the truth of Godly existence in a commonly understandable form. Therefore, the use of Greek mythology or forms of classical literature was avoided. -
English literature
English literature for the first time entering university in Scotland -
Age of sencibility
Samuel Johnson, often referred to as Dr Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history".[95] He is also the subject of the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature. -
Period: to
Modern Literature
In its genesis, the Modernist Period in English literature was first and foremost a visceral reaction against the Victorian culture and aesthetic, which had prevailed for most of the nineteenth century. Indeed, a break with traditions is one of the fundamental constants of the Modernist stance. Intellectuals and artists at the turn of the twentieth century believed the previous generation’s way of doing things was a cultural dead end. -
Period: to
The new criticism
American teachers developed an approach called the "New Criticism" to study literature -
English literature in the universities
It was in the 1960 that a change began in the nature of literary studies, which is still the context in which English literature is taught at universities today.
