-
Period: 450 to 1066
Early British Literature
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. The era ends in 1066, when Norman France, under William, conquered England. Much of the first half of this period, prior to the seventh century, at least, had oral literature. -
800
The poem of Beowulf
The first great work of Germanic literature, mingles the legends of Scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons
The poem is a series of adventure tales about a people called the Geats and an embattled hero named Beowulf. -
Period: 1066 to 1500
Middle English
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 Old English period, much of the Middle English writings were religious in nature; however, from about 1350 onward, secular literature began to rise. -
1367
Epic Poem of Piers Plowman
begun by a narrator who calls himself Will, and whose name may be Langland. -
1375
Sin 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 -
1387
The Canterbury Tales
Written by Geoffrey Chaucer, helped English to gain credibility as a literary language in a culture where educated people wrote mainly in Latin. -
1469
Morte d´Arthur
compiled by Thomas Malory, in gaol somewhere in England Morte – an English account of the French tales of King Arthur -
Period: 1500 to
The Renaissance
critics and literary historians have begun to call this the “Early Modern” period, but here we retain the historically familiar term “Renaissance.” This period is often subdivided into four parts, including the Elizabethan Age (1558–1603), the Jacobean Age (1603–1625), the Caroline Age (1625–1649), and the Commonwealth Period (1649–1660). -
Tamburlaine the Great
Christopher Marlowe's first play, Tamburlaine the Great, introduces the swaggering blank verse of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama -
I as The Fairie Queene
English poet Edmund Spenser celebrates the Protestant Elizabeth -
Richard III
William Shakespeare achieves his first masterpiece on stage with Richard III -
Period: to
17th-Century British Literature
Age of English drama. Some of its noteworthy figures include Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, and, of course, William Shakespeare. At this time, public theaters were closed (for nearly two decades) to prevent public assembly and to combat moral and religious transgressions. -
Hamlet
Shakespeare's central character in Hamlet expresses both the ideals of the Renaissance and the disillusion of a less confident age -
Shakespeare`s death
William Shakespeare dies at New Place, his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, and is buried in Holy Trinity Church -
Lycidas
John Milton's Lycidas is published in memory of a Cambridge friend, Edward King -
Paradise Lost
allegorical epic published by the blind poet John Milton -
Period: to
The Romantic Period
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. -
Rape of the Lock
published by Alexander Pop, introduces a delicate vein of mock-heroic in English poetry -
Gulliver's Travels
Jonathan Swift sends his hero on a series of bitterly satirical travels in Gulliver's Travels -
Songs of Innocence
William Blake publishes Songs of Innocence, a volume of his poems with every page etched and illustrated by himself -
Lyrical Ballads
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' is published in Lyrical Ballads -
Period: to
Victorian and Modernist British Literature
This period is named for the reign of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne in 1837, and it lasts until her death in 1901. It was a time of great social, religious, intellectual, and economic issues, heralded by the passage of the Reform Bill, which expanded voting rights. -
Jerusalem
William Blake includes his poem 'Jerusalem' in the Preface to his book Milton -
Lady of the Lake
Walter Scott's poem Lady of the Lake brings tourists in unprecedented numbers to Scotland's Loch Katrine -
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice, based on a youthful work of 1797 called First Impressions, is the second of Jane Austen's novels to be published -
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley publishes Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, a Gothic tale about giving life to an artificial man -
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater
English author Thomas De Quincey publishes his autobiographical Confessions of an English Opium-Eater -
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens' first novel, Oliver Twist, begins monthly publication (in book form, 1838) -
The Condition of the Working Class in England
Friedrich Engels, after running a textile factory in Manchester, publishes The Condition of the Working Class in England -
Vanity Fair
English author William Makepeace Thackeray begins publication of his novel Vanity Fair in monthly parts (book form 1848) -
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens begins the publication in monthly numbers of David Copperfield, his own favorite among his novels -
In Memoriam
Alfred Tennyson's elegy for a friend, In Memoriam, captures perfectly the Victorian mood of heightened sensibility -
Moby Dick
novel by Herman Melville -
Thesaurus of English Words and Phrase
London physician Peter Mark Roget publishes his dictionary of synonyms, the Thesaurus of English Words and Phrase -
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin puts forward the theory of evolution in On the Origin of Species, the result of 20 years' research -
East Lynne
Mrs Henry Wood publishes her first novel, East Lynne, which becomes the basis of the most popular of all Victorian melodramas -
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,
Lewis Carroll publishes Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a development of the story he had told Alice Liddell three years earlier -
Das Kapital
The first volume of Das Kapital is completed by Marx in London and is published in Hamburg -
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure story, Treasure Island, features Long John Silver and Ben Gunn -
The Arabian Nights
Explorer and orientalist Richard Burton begins publication of his multi-volume translation from the Arabic of The Arabian Nights -
A study in Scarlet
Sherlock Holmes features in Conan Doyle's first novel, A Study in Scarlet -
The Wanderings of Oisin
the first volume of poems published by author William Butler Yeats -
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde publishes his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray in which the ever-youthful hero's portrait grows old and ugly -
he Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde's most brilliant comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest is performed in London's St. James Theatre -
The Time Machine
H.G. Wells publishes The Time Machine, a story about a Time Traveller whose first stop on his journey is the year 802701 -
Dracula
English author Bram Stoker publishes Dracula, his gothic tale of vampirism in Transylvania -
The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells publishes his science-fiction novel The War of the Worlds, in which Martians arrive in a rocket to invade earth -
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad publishes a collection of stories including Heart of Darkness, a sinister tale based partly on his own journey up the Congo -
Nostromo
Joseph Conrad publishes his novel Nostromo, about a revolution in South America and a fatal horde of silver -
Peter Pan
J.M Barrie's play for children Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up has its premiere in London -
The Wind in the Willows
Rat, Mole and Toad, in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, appeal to a wide readership -
Period: to
The Modern Period
The modern period traditionally applies to works written after the start of World War I. Common features include bold experimentation with subject matter, style, and form, encompassing narrative, verse, and drama. -
The Voyage Out By Virginia Woolf
The English writer Virginia Woolf publishes her first novel, The Voyage Out -
The Economic Consequences of the Peace
In The Economic Consequences of the Peace Maynard Keynes publishes a strong attack on the reparations demanded from Germany -
Tractatus Logico Philosophicus
Ludwig Wittgenstein publishes his influential study of the philosophy of logic, Tractatus Logico Philosophicus -
A Passage to India
E.M. Forster's novel A Passage to India builds on cultural misconceptions between the British and Indian communities -
The Preservation of Rural England
Patrick Abercrombie publishes The Preservation of Rural England, calling for rural planning to prevent the encroachment of towns -
Winnie-the-Pooh
Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and the others make their first appearance in A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh -
To the Light House by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf uses a Hebridean holiday as the setting for her narrative in To The Lighthouse -
The Shape of Things to Come
H.G. Wells publishes The Shape of Things to Come, a novel in which he accurately predicts a renewal of world war -
General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
Keynes defines his economics in The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money -
Goodbye to Berlin
British author Christopher Isherwood publishes his novel Goodbye to Berlin, based on his own experiences in the city -
Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh publishes Brideshead Revisited, a novel about a rich Catholic family in England between the wars -
Period: to
The Postmodern Period
The postmodern period begins about the time that World War II ended. Many believe it is a direct response to modernism. Some say the period ended about 1990, but it is likely too soon to declare this period closed. -
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis gives the first glimpse of Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -
Casino Royal
James Bond, agent 007, has a licence to kill in Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale -
The Second World War
Politician and author Winston Churchill completes his six-volume history The Second World War -
The lord of the Rings
British philologist J.R.R. Tolkien publishes the third and final volume of his epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings -
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl publishes a fantasy treat for a starving child, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -
Small is Beautiful
British economist Ernst Friedrich Schumacher publishes an influential economic tract, Small is Beautiful -
Amadeus
Peter Shaffer's play about Mozart, Amadeus, has its premiere in London -
A Brief History of Time: from the Big Bang to Black Holes
British physicist Stephen Hawking explains the cosmos for the general reader in A Brief History of Time: from the Big Bang to Black Holes -
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
A schoolboy wizard performs his first tricks in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
