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858
Old English
At this time, poems and literary works communicated orally because writing was not given much importance. The Anglo-Saxonage comprises about 600 years. Beowoulf is one of the most important works of that age. -
1066
Norman conquest
They brought the French language to England. Frenchwas adopted as the new language for the parliament. -
1100
Middle English 1100-1500's
The most respected and famed writer of the middle age was Geoffrey Chaucer. He is known as the father-figure in English literature. His greatest works are mostly narratives
like TheCanterbury Tales, The House of Fame etc. -
1300
Medieval theatre (Miracle plays)
It is based on the biblical story of the life of the religious persons. The Miracle plays were banned in England because of the teachings of the Roman Catholic. The language of the play shifted to English because that made the play less religious. -
1300
Medieval theatre (Morality Plays)
In morality plays, the protagonist of the play generally meets various moral attributes through personification. The other characters in the play signify moral qualities and the hero of the play represents mankind and humanity. -
1500
Renassaince 1500-1660's
The European scholars and writers found that Renassaince was doing good at Italy.So, at around 1500 they brought the Renassaince literature in England. This age is one of the most important in the History of English Literature. -
1500
Famous writer
Shakespeare coined a lot of words by his own. According to scholars, he is responsible for coining around 1700 words. His works are said to be universal for which it got more prevalent. He made the English vocabulary rich. Aword which we use widely, 'beautiful' was coined by Shakespeare. It's hard to imagine such anindispensable word not being used before him. His famous plays are Julius Caesar,Romeoand Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth,Merchant of Venice etc. -
1558
Elizabethan Era 1558-1603's
The age saw a great flourishment in literature. The poetries and dramas were prospered more, in particular. Three most important and remarkable writers of that period are William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson. -
Jacobian Era 1603-1625's
The two primary contribution of this age in English literature is the Revenge play and Metaphysical poetry. Revenge play signifies the playswhere the victim is retaliated or avenged. These type of plays often results in the death of both the murderer and the avenger. These type of plays were extremely popular during the Elizabethanand the Jacobean era. -
Caroline Era 1625-1649's
This era coincided with the age of Charles I (1625-1642). During that time, a civil war was fought between the supporters of the king (Cavaliers) and the supporters of the parliament (Roundheads).Some of the prominent writers of that era areGeorge Herbert,Henry Vaughan,Katherine Philips, John Donne etc. -
Puritan Age 1625-1660's
The age is named 'Puritan Age' because of the Puritan dominance in England for the first time. Furthermore, the greatest literary figures of that time were Puritans. One remarkable figure was John Milton. Some of his popular works are: Paradise Lost(1667), Paradise Regained(1671), On Shakespeare (1632), Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce(1643). -
Neo-Classical Age 1660-1798's
The word 'Neo-Classical' is merged with the two words 'Neo' and 'Classical'. Neo implies 'new' and classical denotes the 'Roman and Greek classics'. This age is divided into three parts:
Restoration Period, Augustan Literature & Age of Sensibility -
Restoration Period 1660-1700's
Most importantly, the Theatre closed down by the Puritans was restored. JohnDryden, greatest of all the poets of this age, established heroic couplet in English Poetry. He developed a new prose style that was suited to the practical needs of the age. -
Augustan Literature
This age is 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. -
Age of Sensibility 1750-1798's
The age of Sensibility is also known as the age of Johnson. Two most famous writers of this period areRichardBrinsleySheridan and Oliver Goldsmith. Sheridan was a love poet. Most of the literary works of this age talk about human feelings, classicism and Romantic revival. -
Romanticism 1798-1837's
This period was mainly a reaction against the philosophy 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. -
Victorian Age 1837-1901's
The Victorian age was a time of great prosperity in theHistory of English Literature. This period made a lot of changes amongst people. The lower-class became more self-conscious but on the other hand, the middle-class people got more power in them. -
The Edwardian Age 1901-1910's
After the death of Queen Victoria, Edward VII came into the throne. His throne at England is known as the Edwardian age. It lasted less than a decade. Even though Queen Victoria, a lady was on the throne for the last 64 years, she was unable to do something for the upliftment of women. But in this era, the women status in the society seem to increase. H.G Wells, Beatrix Potter, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Edith Nesbit were some of the renowned writers of the age. -
Modernism 1901-1939's
Literature from various parts of the worldstarted spreading. New writers weretried to impersonate the glory of British writers.Women at the time were suppressed in the literary sense. They were not allowed to write freely. -
Post-Modernism 1940-21st Century
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.
