Time

Timeline of Literary Eras

  • 1100

    Middle English Period (c. 1100-1500)

    Middle English Period (c. 1100-1500)
    • 1386-1390: Geoffrey Chaucer writes "The Canterbury Tales," a collection of stories that offers a vivid portrait of medieval England.
    • 1470-1485: Sir Thomas Malory completes "Le Morte d'Arthur," a compilation of Arthurian legends.
  • Victorian Era (c. 1837-1901)

    Victorian Era (c. 1837-1901)
    • 1847: Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" is published, a classic novel of Gothic fiction.
    • 1866: Lewis Carroll publishes "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," a beloved children's book.
    • 1892: Arthur Conan Doyle introduces "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes."
  • Modernist Period (c. 1900-1945)

    Modernist Period (c. 1900-1945)
    • 1913: Marcel Proust's "Swann's Way" marks the beginning of his monumental work "In Search of Lost Time."
    • 1922: T.S. Eliot publishes "The Waste Land," a landmark poem in modernist literature.
    • 1925: F. Scott Fitzgerald releases "The Great Gatsby," an iconic novel depicting the Jazz Age.
    • 1899: Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is published, exploring themes of imperialism and human nature.
  • Edwardian Era (c. 1901-1910)

    Edwardian Era (c. 1901-1910)
    • 1902: Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is published, exploring themes of imperialism and human nature.
    • 1903: H.G. Wells writes "The First Men in the Moon," a pioneering work of science fiction.
    • 1915: Rupert Brooke publishes "1914 and Other Poems," a collection of poetry reflecting the Edwardian era's sentiments.
  • Contemporary Period (c. 1945-present)

    Contemporary Period (c. 1945-present)
    • 1949: George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" presents a dystopian vision of a totalitarian future.
    • 1985: Margaret Atwood publishes "The Handmaid's Tale," a speculative fiction novel examining gender and power.
    • 2003: J.K. Rowling completes the "Harry Potter" series with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
    • 2008: Suzanne Collins writes "The Hunger Games," a dystopian novel set in a contemporary context.