PERIODS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

By anavilla
  • 440

    OLD ENGLISH OR ANGLO-SAXON ERA ( 450 to 1066)

    Year of the Norman Conquest of England. The Germanic tribes of Europe that invaded England in the 5th century, after the Roman defeat, brought with them the Anglo-Saxon language, which forms the basis of modern English.
    Most of the poetry in old English was sung, with accompaniment of harp and the bard, use of alliteration and melancholic spirit, this poetry insists on the sadness of life, sacred and profane content as well.
    - "Beowulf", Anglo-Saxon epic poem.with 3182 verses.
  • 1066

    MIDDLE ENGLISH (1066-1500)

    Great influence of French literature on forms and themes.
    The French language replaced the English language in literary compositions, and Latin maintained its language status learned.
    It is more diversified than in old English; the influence of the Italian and French elements is maintained. Among the poems stands out:
    -"Piers the Farmer" by William Langland, that presents a Christian conception of life and denounces the situation of the poor, the greed of the rich and the evil of all.
  • 1500

    ENGLISH RENAISSANCE (1500 - 1660)

    Printing press appears and the number of readers multiplied.The European movement known as Humanism, dictrine focused on integration of human values also belongs to this period.
    - The figure of Tomás Moro stands out among the English humanists for his work written in Latin "Utopia" (1516). Describe an ideal and imaginary Republic governed by wise laws.
    -William Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet" Published in 1597.

  • PURITAN (1653 - 1660)

    Puritanism was a religious reform, it emerged for the first time in England as a movement to eliminate all traces of Catholicism in the Church of England. The writings refer to the individual as a being that must be reformed by God and follow a humble and obedient life. Among the authors:
    - John Bunyan (1628-1688), who writes "The Pilgrim's Path", a rustic allegory of the Puritan path to salvation.
    - Richard Baxter with "The Reformed Pastor" (1656)

  • THE RESTORATION AGE (1660 to 1700)

    Period in which the monarchy was restored in the figure of Charles II after the English Revolution. The king and his customs had an impact on the rest of society, so much that the literature of the time is a reflection of the court. In this period the reflexive poetry stood out and satirical works were presented about the new nobility and the growing bourgeoisie. Among the authors:
    "The Lost Paradise" by John Milton
    "Sodom" by John Wilmot,
    William Wycherley's comedy "The Field Wife"

  • 18th CENTURY (1700 - 1798)

    At this time the nobility and the middle classes had accumulated wealth thanks to trade and exercised considerable power in Parliament. There was an increase in the number of people who could read and write thanks to the increase in the middle class. The novel was developed as a literary genre and highlighted authors such as:
    -Daniel Defoe with "Robison Crusoe" in 1719
    -Jonathan Swift with "Gulliver's Travels" in 1726
    These reflected concerns, social changes, culture of the time.

  • ROMANTICISM (1798 to 1837)

    Prevailed the emotion over reason, the cult of nature also characterized romantic literature and the primacy of individual will over social norms of behavior.
    The first important manifestation of romanticism were the lyrical ballads (1798) by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, inspired by the French Revolution. In "The abbey of Tintern" "Ode on the glimpses of immortality " reaches extremely high moments when it speaks of the friendly relationship between nature and the human soul.

  • THE VICTORIAN ERA (1837 to 1901)

    Coronation of Queen Victoria, time of social transformations; development of English democracy, education of the masses and industrial progress. Victorian literature evolves from romanticism to reason, with great morality, realism and presents religious skepticism.
    Among the authors:
    -Emily Brontë "Wuthering Heights" (1847)
    -Charles Dickens "Oliver Twist" (1837)
    -Arthur Conan Doyle "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1891-92)

  • MODERN LITERATURE (1901 - 1940)

    Artistic renewal movement that sought aesthetic refinement; it stands outside of society, attacking the bourgeoisie and its morals. Modernism was influenced by cubism, surrealism, avant-garde and breaks with the English monarchical parameters, uses the realistic representation and psychoanalysis of the characters.
    Among the authors:
    - Agatha Christie "Murder on the Orient Express" (1934)
    -D. H. Lawrence "The Lost Girl" (1920)
    -Virginia Woolf "To the lighthouse" (1927)

  • POST-MODERN LITERATURE (1940 - 2000)

    It emerged in the post-World War II era with 3 important variants: Magical realism, the theater of the absurd and political protest literature.
    Among the authors:
    -Julian Barnes "Flaubert's Parrot" (1984)
    -Peter Ackroyd "Chatterton" (1987)
    - Ian McEwan "The Innocent" (1990)

  • CONTEMPORARY (from 2001 onwards)

    English literature is one of the most sold and translated worldwide, rich and abundant of Western literature. Among the most prominent authors:
    - Zadie Smith with "White teeth"
    - Mark Haddon with "The curious incident of the dog at midnight"
    - Hilary Mantel with "In the court of the wolf"
    - J. R. Tolkien with "The Lord of the Rings"
    - J. K. Rowling with "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"
    - David Mitchell with "Cloud Atlas"
    - Ian McEwan with "Atonement"
    - Neil Gaiman with "American Gods"