Timeline

Time periods in literature

By Matias Ripoll
  • 450

    Anglo-saxon period(old english) - 450/1066

    It begins in 450 with the settlement of three german tribes and continues till the Norman conquest in 1066.
    Some of the best known writers of this period are: Caedmon, Bede, Alfred, and Cynewulf.
  • 1066

    Middle English - 1066/1500

    It begins in 1066 with the Norman conquest and continues till 1500.
    The major writers of the Middle English period were The Beowulf Poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Gawain Poet, Margery Kempe and Sir Thomas Malory.
  • 1500

    Renaissance 1500-1660

    From 1500 to 1660. The renaissance has several subdivisions: The Elizabethan age, the jacobean age, the caroline age and the commonwealth period.
  • 1558

    Elizabethan age 1558-1603

    In 1558, Elizabeth came to the throne of England, and there it started this period. It ended in 1603, with Elizabeth´s death.
    Its main writers were: Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Roger Ascham, Richard Hooker, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare

  • The Jacobean age 1603-1625

    It started in 1603, when James the first came to the throne of England. It ends with his death, in 1625. The main writers of the Jacobean age were John Donne,John Milton, Andrew Marwell ,Francis Quaries,Thomas Carew,Robert Herrick.

  • The caroline age 1625-1649

    It begins in 1625 and ends in 1649, with the death of Charles the first in 1649.
    Its major poets were Thomas Carew, Richard Lovelace, John Suckling, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan and Katherine Philips.

  • The commonwealth period 1649-1660

    The beginning of the Commonwealth period was in 1649, when Oliver Cromwell came to the throne of England. This period ends in 1660.
    The most important writers of this period were John Milton, Thomas Hobbes and Jeremy taylor

  • Restoration 1660-1700

    This period is marked by the fall of Puritan dominance in Britain, and the rise and restoration of Monarchy with Charles ll as the new king. Some representatives of this era include John Locke, Sir William Temple and Jean Racine.

  • Augustan 1700-1745

    With Steele, Swift and Alexander Pope as main figures of this period, it took place during the reigns of Queen Anne, King George I, and George II, and it was characterised by the search of personal exploration in poetry and the rapid development of novels. It ended with the death of the last one mentioned.

  • Age of Sensibility 1745-1785

    This period is the transition towards the upcoming Romanticism, and it is lead by Neoclassical tendencies, with authors like Dr Samuel Johnson and Edward Gibbon, although writers like Robert Burns and Thomas Gray, representatives of this era as well, didn't follow those ideals.
    Moreover, in America Revolutionary authors like Thomas Jefferson or Ben Franklin lead the movement, spreading liberal ideas

  • Romantic 1785-1837

    Romanticism is characterised by its poetry which dealt with imagination, nature and individuality. Some of the authors from this time include Blake, Keats and Jane Austen Moreover, this period also sees the birth of Gothic writings like Dracula, with authors like Radcliffe and Edgar Allan Poe.

  • Victorian Period 1837-1901

    It's the period in which Victoria was queen of Britain, and it is characterized by the exposure and critic of society, and an idealisation of it, as well as sentimental novels. Writers include Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Browning and Oscar Wilde. It suffered a decadence at the end of the XlXth century, and ended with the queen's death

  • Edwardian Period 1901-1914

    It is the period in which Edward was king of Britain, and it is amrked by the appearance of popular fiction, with authors like Rudyard Kipling, James Joyce and A. A. Milne,

  • Modern 1914-1945

    This period is deeply marked by both World Wars, even having its own genre called War Poetry. Modern writers include W. H. Auden, Virginia Woolf, and Wilfred Owen.

  • Post-Modern 1945-

    This period is characterised by metafiction, fragmented poetry and magic realism. Moreover, multiculturalism going on these days made that many writers from all around the world could share their writings and be known by the world. Some authors include Borges, García Marquez, Morrison and Stoppard.