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Period: 500 to 1500
Medieval period
Themes: heroism, fate , moral instruction
Genres: oral traditions, poetry
Key authors: Beowulf poet
Historical context: Clans ruled themselves
Literature´s effects: oral traditions unites myths of different groups -
731
The Venerable Bede
In his monastery at Jarrow, completes his history of the English church and people -
800
Beowulf
The first great work of Germanic literature, mingles the legends of Scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons -
950
The material of the Eddas
Taking shape in Iceland, derives from earlier sources in Norway, Britain and Burgundy -
1078
Ontological proof
Anselm includes in his Proslogion his famous 'ontological proof' of the existence of God -
1300
Duns Scotus
Known as the Subtle Doctor in medieval times, later provides humanists with the name Dunsman or dunce -
1340
William of Ockham
He advocates paring down arguments to their essentials, an approach later known as Ockham's Razo -
1367
The epic poem of Piers Plowman
A narrator who calls himself Will and whose name may be Langland, begins the epic poem of Piers Plowman -
1367
Geoffrey Chaucer
One of four new yeomen of the chamber in Edward III's household is Geoffrey Chaucer -
1375
The courtly poem Sir 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 -
1385
Troilus and Criseyde
Chaucer completes Troilus and Criseyde, his long poem about a legendary love affair in ancient Troy -
1387
Canterbury Tales
Chaucer begins an ambitious scheme for 100 Canterbury Tales, of which he completes only 24 by the time of his death -
1469
Morte d'Arthur
Thomas Malory, in gaol somewhere in England, compiles Morte d'Arthur – an English account of the French tales of King Arthur -
Period: 1500 to
Renaissance
Themes: human potential, love
Genres: drama, poetry
Key authors: BShakespeare, Milton
Historical context: War of roses end, printing press invented
Literature´s effects: Literature accesible to middle class -
1510
Northern Renaissance Christian humanism
Erasmus and Thomas More take the northern Renaissance in the direction of Christian humanism -
1524
Tyndale Bible
William Tyndale studies in the university at Wittenberg and plans to translate the Bible into English -
1549
Book Common Prayer Cranmer 1549
The first version of the English prayer book, or Book of Common Prayer, is published with text by Thomas Cranmer -
1564
Marlowe and Shakespeare
They are born in the same year, with Marlowe the older by two months -
1567
The Book of Common Prayer and the New Testament
They are published in Welsh, to be followed by the complete Bible in 1588 -
1582
Shakespeare's Wedding and Marriage
The 18-year-old William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway in Stratford-upon-Avon -
Tamburlaine the Great
Marlowe's first play, Tamburlaine the Great, introduces the swaggering blank verse of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama -
The Faerie Queene
English poet Edmund Spenser celebrates the Protestant Elizabeth I as The Faerie Queene -
Richard III
After tentative beginnings in the three parts of Henry VI, Shakespeare achieves his first masterpiece on stage with Richard III -
The Masque of Blackness
Ben Jonson writes The Masque of Blackness, the first of his many masques for the court of James I -
The Tempest
Shakespeare's last completed play, The Tempest, is performed -
William Shakespeare's death
William Shakespeare dies at New Place, his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, and is buried in Holy Trinity Church -
Thirty-six Shakespeare plays
John Heminge and Henry Condell publish thirty-six Shakespeare plays in the First Folio -
The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America
The poems of Massachusetts author Anne Bradstreet are published in London under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America -
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton just £10 -
The Pilgrim's Progress
Part I of The Pilgrim's Progress, written during John Bunyan's two spells in Bedford Gaol, is published and is immediately popular -
The Life and Death of Mr Badman
John Bunyan publishes The Life and Death of Mr Badman, an allegory of a misspent life that is akin to a novel -
Period: to
Enlightenment period
For much of the 18th century, a new way of thinking became increasingly common in both Western Europe and the American colonies of North America. Known as both the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment Taken from:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/characteristics-of-enlightenment-literature.html -
Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge
25-year-old George Berkeley attacks Locke in his Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge -
Gulliver's Travels
Jonathan Swift launches his hero on a series of bitterly satirical adventures in Gulliver's Travels -
ELEGY
English poet Thomas Gray publishes his Elegy written in a Country Church Yard -
Dictionary of the English Language
Samuel Johnson publishes his magisterial Dictionary of the English Language. -
Castle of Otranto
English author Horace Walpole provides an early taste of Gothic thrills in his novel Castle of Otranto -
Encyclopaedia Britannica
A Society of Gentlemen in Scotland begins publication of the immensely successful Encyclopaedia Britannica -
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
English historian Edward Gibbon publishes the first volume of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire -
Songs of Innocence
William Blake publishes Songs of Innocence, a volume of his poems with every page etched and illustrated by himself -
The Rights of Man
Thomas Paine publishes the first part of The Rights of Man, his reply to Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France -
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
English author Mary Wollstonecraft publishes a passionately feminist work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman -
Lyrical Ballads
English poets Wordsworth and Coleridge jointly publish Lyrical Ballads, a milestone in the Romantic movement -
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' is published in Lyrical Ballads -
Period: to
Romantic period
Themes: Peace through nature
Genres: Poetry, lyricall balads, novels
Key authors: austen, Byron, keats, blake
Historical context: Middle class enters politics
Literature´s effects: Populations critically examinates society -
Jerusalem
William Blake includes his poem 'Jerusalem' in the Preface to his book Milton -
The Lay of the Last Minstrel
Walter Scott publishes The Lay of the Last Minstrel, the long romantic poem that first brings him fame -
Sense and Sensibility
English author Jane Austen publishes her first work in print, Sense and Sensibility, at her own expense -
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage,
The first two cantos are published of Byron's largely autobiographical poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, bringing him immediate fame -
The sonnet Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley publishes probably his best-known poem, the sonnet Ozymandias -
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley publishes Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, a Gothic tale about giving life to an artificial man -
Don Juan
Byron begins publication in parts of his longest poem, Don Juan an epic satirical comment on contemporary life -
Period: to
Victorian period
Themes: city vs country, aristocratic villians, promiscuity.
Genres: novel, poetry, monologues
Key authors: Dickens, Tennnison, Bronte
Historical context: Raise of country and trade,
Literature´s effects: The literature is accessible to everyone -
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens' first novel, Oliver Twist, begins monthly publication (in book form, 1838 -
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
English poet Robert Browning publishes a vivid narrative poem about the terrible revenge of The Pied Piper of Hamelin -
Book of Nonsense
Edward Lear publishes his Book of Nonsense, consisting of limericks illustrated with his own cartoons -
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 favourite among his novels -
Maud
Tennyson publishes a long narrative poem, Maud, a section of which ('Come into the garden, Maud') becomes famous as a song -
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 -
Adam Bede
English author George Eliot wins fame with her first full-length novel, Adam Bede -
Idylls of the King
Tennyson publishes the first part of Idylls of the King, a series of linked poems about Britain's mythical king Arthur -
"Great Expectations"
Charles Dickens begins serial publication of his novel "Great Expectations" (in book form 1861) -
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 -
Culture and Anarchy
English author Matthew Arnold publishes Culture and Anarchy, an influential collection of essays about contemporary society -
Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll publishes Through the Looking Glass, a second story of Alice's adventures -
The Hunting of the Snark
Lewis Carroll publishes The Hunting of the Snark, a poem about a voyage in search of an elusive mythical creature -
New English Dictionary
Oxford University Press publishes the A volume of its New English Dictionary, which will take 37 years to reach Z -
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Thomas Hardy publishes his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge, which begins with the future mayor, Michael Henchard selling his wife and child at a fair -
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes features in Conan Doyle's first novel, A Study in Scarlet -
Essays in Socialisman
The Fabian Society publishes Essays in Socialisman influential volume of essays edited by Bernard Shaw -
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 -
The Countess Cathleen
W.B. Yeats publishes a short play The Countess Cathleen, his first contribution to Irish poetic drama -
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book surrounds the child Mowgli with a collection of vivid animal guardians -
The 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 -
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 -
Lord Jim
Joseph Conrad publishes his novel Lord Jim about a life of failure and redemption in the far East -
Period: to
Mod/Post mod period
Themes: Societal loss of values, loneliness
Genres: free verse poetry, fantasy, novels
Key authors: Joyce, Elliot, Conrad
Historical context: One milion of soldiers die in WW 1,
Literature´s effects: Belief that one must seize the moment before its gone. -
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter publishes at her own expense The Tale of Peter Rabbit -
'Sea Fever'
John Masefield's poem 'Sea Fever' is published in Salt-Water Ballads -
The Ambassadors
Henry James publishes The Ambassadors, the second of his three last novels written in rapid succession -
The Golden Bowl
Henry James publishes his last completed novel, The Golden Bowl -
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, a letter of recrimination written in Reading Gaol to Lord Alfred Douglas, is published posthumously -
Kipps
H.G. Wells publishes Kipps: the story of a simple soul, a comic novel about a bumbling draper's assistant -
The Railway Children
E. Nesbit publishes The Railway Children, the most successful of her books featuring the Bastable family -
The History of Mr Polly
H.G. Wells publishes The History of Mr Polly, a novel about an escape from drab everyday existence -
The White Peacock
D.H. Lawrence's career as a writer is launched with the publication of his first novel, The White Peacock -
The Voyage Out
The English writer Virginia Woolf publishes her first novel, The Voyage Out -
Bull-dog Drummond
Sapper's patriotic hero makes his first appearance, taking on the villainous Carl Peterson in Bull-dog Drummond -
Tractatus Logico Philosophicus
Ludwig Wittgenstein publishes his influential study of the philosophy of logic, Tractatus Logico Philosophicus -
Mrs Dalloway
Virgiinia Woolf publishes her novel Mrs Dalloway, in which the action is limited to a single day -
Poems
English author W.H. Auden's first collection of poetry is published with the simple title Poems -
The Screwtape Letters
British author C.S. Lewis publishes a moral parable, The Screwtape Letters, about the problems confronting a trainee devil -
The Shape of Things
H.G. Wells publishes The Shape of Things to Come, a novel in which he accurately predicts a renewal of world war -
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
British author Rebecca West publishes an account of Yugoslavia, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon -
Orwell's fable Animal Farm
In George Orwell's fable Animal Farm a ruthless pig, Napoleon, controls the farmyard using the techniques of Stalin -
Inspector Calls,
J.B. Priestley challenges audiences with An Inspector Calls, a play in which moral guilt spreads like an infection -
Narnia in 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 Royale
James Bond, agent 007, has a licence to kill in Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale -
Lord of the Flies
William Golding gives a chilling account of schoolboy savagery in his first novel, Lord of the Flies -
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 -
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
English author Alan Sillitoe publishes his first novel, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning -
James and the Giant Peach
British author Roald Dahl publishes a novel for children, James and the Giant Peach -
The Jewel in the Crown
English novelist Paul Scott publishes The Jewel in the Crown, the first volume in his 'Raj Quartet' -
The Mersey Sound
Three young Liverpool poets publish a shared anthology under the title The Mersey Sound -
Small is Beautiful
British economist Ernst Friedrich Schumacher publishes an influential economic tract, Small is Beautiful -
The Cement Garden
British author Ian McEwan publishes his first novel, The Cement Garden -
Period: to
Contemporary period- present
Themes: Open-mindedness
Genres: First person fiction, narratives
Key authors: Stoppard, follet, Rowling
Historical context: Clans ruled themselves
Literature´s effects: Advances in comunication make the world seem smaller -
The Economic Consequences of Mrs Thatcher
British economist Nicholas Kaldor attacks monetarism in The Economic Consequences of Mrs Thatcher -
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 -
The Madness of George III
Alan Bennett's play The Madness of George III is performed at the National Theatre in London -
Trainspotting
Scottish author Irvine Welsh publishes his first novel, Trainspotting -
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 -
The Amber Spyglass
The Amber Spyglass completes Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials
