Literature timeline.

Renaissance was a cultural movement which arose in 14th-century Italy. Between the 16th century and the mid-17th century, it began being spread in England. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. Literature became less focused on religious or intellectual themes, and more into everyday peoples' profile. The printing press increased the production of books. Some of the best-known English poets and writers were William Shakespeare, Phillip Sydney, Thomas Wyatt, etc.

Classicism was a literary movement of artists derived from the principles of ancient Greece and Rome. It lasted from around 1600 to 1785. It was a political and philosophical movement that went away from religion themes, going towards reason and science. This period includes the movement known as the 'Age of Reason' or the 'Enlightenment.' Writers and philosophers emphasized the role of rational thought in human affairs.

Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that took place primarily in Europe and in North America, between the late 17th century and the mid-18th century. It was centered on the value of human happiness, the pursuit of knowledge obtained by means of reason, and the importance of freedom. Literature was seen as an advancement of knowledge. Writers like Alexander Pope or John Milton wrote many novels, plays, satire, essays, and more. It finished with the French Revolution.

Pre-Romanticism was a cultural movement in Europe from about 1740 to 1785 that preceded the artistic movement known as Romanticism. This implied a shift in public taste which went away from the nobility and idealization of Neoclassicism towards simpler, more sincere, and more natural forms of expression. This was a result of the growth of the middle class in society. This movement brought a new interest in individualism, sentimentality, melancholy and genuine emotion to literature and society.

The pre-romantic novel refers to a widespread European novelistic development of the 18th century (mainly second half) which arose in reaction to the Neoclassical period. The sentimental novel exalted feeling above reason and raised the analysis of emotion. This genre explored the interaction between emotion and reason in producing moral actions. This development was boosted by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who emphasized free expression of emotion rather than polite restraint in friendship and love.

The Industrial Revolution, which took place from 1760 to 1840, was a period during which rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban. Britain was its birthplace. Industrialization marked a shift from hand production methods to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The textile industries and the new systems of transportation and communication played a key role in this process. It also improved the living conditions of the poor and working classes

In the 1760s the sentimental novel developed into the “novel of sensibility,” which presented characters possessing a strong susceptibility. Such characters were moved by sympathy for their fellow man, and also reacted emotionally to the beauty of natural settings and works of art and music. This type of novel included responsiveness to nature and a belief in the wisdom of the heart. An example of this type of novel was 'The Surprises of Love', written by the novelist John Cleland.

Gothic novels were based on a story of terror and suspense, usually set in a haunted old castle or an abandoned monastery. Their origins were german. Following the appearance of Horace Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto' (1764), the Gothic novel flourished in Britain from the 1790s to the 1820s. The genre was dominated by Ann Radcliffe. This gothic novel introduced many innovations in the English literature, such as supernatural or inexplicable events, women in distress and sentimental narration.

Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that was originated in Europe from about 1785 to 1832. It was at its peak from approximately 1800 to 1820. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotions and individualism as well as the glorification of nature. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. This movement brought many changes in literature such as an emotional appeal, a subjenctive viewpoint and a dissatisfaction with the known and conventional.

In 1798, 'Lyrical Ballads' by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge was published. In that book, Wordsworth laid down the principles on which he thought poetry should be founded. He stated that the language used should be the language of ordinary men, and the need for a return to imagination, legend and the human heart. This changed English literature. With the romantics, poetry became not a hobby but a vocation. Other important romantics were Lord Byron, John Keats and Jean Austen.

Pride and prejudice is a romantic novel written by Jane Austen between 1797 and 1813. It was published in 1813, during the Georgian Era. During that period, Romanticism started to reach its complexity, and had strong influence on people’s life. This story set the patterns for a modern popular love story, in which an independent-minded woman is loved by a remote, powerful man. It was handwritten and its aim was to show the negative effects of the English upper class society of the 19th century.

Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism that focuses on cultural issues within a contemporary society. Many authors of the Victorian era began using their writings in order to criticize the society. For example, the novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852) furthered the anti-slavery movement in the United States. Moreover, 'A tale of two cities' written by Charles Dickens (1859) showed that human nature may cause people to be vengeful
and ambitious.

Victorian age is named after Victoria, who became Queen of England in 1837 and ruled until her death in 1901. So, the period from 1837 to 1901 is called Victorian era. The Victorian Government featured one of the earliest constitutional monarchies of the world. Victorian society was class-based, and middle class families started fighting to survive. The most important events in this period are a huge growth in population, improvements in technology, poor conditions for the working class, etc.

In the Victorian era, the novel became the leading literary genre in English. It was characterized by the struggle of working people and how hard work and love led to the triumph of right over wrong. It was preceded by romanticism and followed by realism, so it might be considered as a fusion of them. Some of the best novelists and poets of that time were Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Emily Brontë and Charles Dickens.

In Victorian period, the view on women was around an image of both inferior and superior to men. They did not have their legally rights, they could not vote and had to pay workforce that appeared after the Revolution. However, many authors began to write about the sufferings, rights and privileges of women in the Victorian Age. Novels started focusing on female characters and their interactions. Among these authors were Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Brontë and Geroge Elliot.

A Chrismas Carol is a book written by Charles Dickens in 1843. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old man who is visited by the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder man. Dickens believed that returning to Christmas traditions might promote a type of social connection that he felt had been lost in the modern world. Also, he wanted to criticize the effects of the Industrial Revolution upon working class children.

Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent relationships with the Earnshaws' foster son, Heathcliff. The novel was influenced by Romanticism and Gothic fiction, although it was written during the Victorian Era.

Literary realism was an artistic movement from about 1850 to the late 19th and early 20th century, which appeared as a reaction against Romanticism. It aimed to reproduce "objective reality", and focused on showing everyday life among the middle or lower class society, without romantic idealization or dramatization. It is characterized by the use of realistic characters over a complicated plot. Among its best-known authors, we can mention Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and George Eliot.

Naturalism was developed towards the end of the 19th century as a branch of literary realism. Both of them were similar in its rejection of Romanticism, but distinct in the naturalism's embrace of determinism (the opposite of free will), detachment (the author mantaining an impersonal tone) and scientific objectivism. It's based upon determination, heredity, the environment and the belief that there's no God. Some authors of this period were Thomas Hardy, John Galsworthy and W. Somerset Maugham.

The return of the native was a novel written by Thomas Hardy in 1878. Shortly after its release, it became one of his most popular works. This novel illustrates the tragic potential of romantic illusion and how its protagonists fail to recognize their opportunities to control their own destinies. It was influenced by the realism movement in aspects such as the concern with social conditions and the lower class, a general lack of happiness, a focus on money, and a concern with the natural world.

Symbolism was an artistic movement originated in France from the last half of the 19th century to around 1930. It was a romantic reaction against naturalism and realism, which intended to represent reality in its gritty particularity. Writers employed representational imagery: images with a non-literal meaning for conveying complex and abstract ideas. It was in favour of spirituality, imagination, and dreams. The works of Edgar Allan Poe influenced this movement.

“The Road from Colonus” was written by E. M. Forster in 1903. Mr. Lucas, the central character of “The Road from Colonus,” sees life not from the intense and anxious perspective of early manhood but from the weariness and greediness of old age. The story is remarkable for its use of symbolism, myth, and irony. The flowing water, the shrine, and the shrine’s little ornamerelated to spiritual experiences. Also, the country inn symbolizes a final resting place, the end of one’s life journey.

"The Secret Sharer" is a short story by Polish-British author Joseph Conrad, originally written in 1909. In some ways, "The Secret Sharer" looks a lot like conventional realism. However, it also seems to be linked with symbolism in the way that Conrad constantly plays with the line between fact and fiction. Conrad bases much of this book on personal experience but chooses to turn it into a fiction.

Sons and Lovers is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It traces emotional conflicts through the protagonist, Paul Morel, and his relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers, which influences on the development of his manhood. This novel is based on the principles of realism. The novel is structured upon the real life situations. For example, simple language, focus on class and a reflection of the changes brought by industrial and commercial revolution.