Summary
Highlights
This period saw a mix of native Brythonic and Germanic languages. Anglo-Saxon poetry used alliteration and kennings, divided into heroic (Beowulf), lyrical (Wanderer, Seafarer), and Christian (Dream of the Rood) types. Notable poets were Caedmon and Cynewulf. The arrival of Saint Augustine in 597 AD led to the spread of Christianity, and King Alfred the Great was key in Anglo-Saxon prose, starting the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.
Beginning with the Norman Conquest, this period saw French spoken by the upper class and Old English by ordinary people. Universities like Oxford (12th century) and Cambridge (13th century) were established. Notable poets included Geoffrey of Monmouth, Layamon, and Bethwaite. Key works include 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' and 'Owl and the Nightingale'.
Considered the opening moment of English literature, Chaucer lived under three kings. Key events include the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and the Peasant Rebellion. Chaucer's important works are 'The Canterbury Tales', 'The Book of the Duchess', and 'Troilus and Criseyde'. Other poets include William Langland and John Gower. John Wycliffe's translation of the Latin Bible was a significant prose work.
This period saw the arrival of the printing press, the Reformation led by Martin Luther, and the War of the Roses which eventually led to the Tudor dynasty with Henry VII. Henry VIII, known for his six marriages, also reigned. Popular authors included Erasmus, Thomas More, and William Tyndale.
Known as the Golden Age of England, it was Queen Elizabeth's reign. She restored peace and harmony between Catholics and Protestants. The Renaissance and realism flourished, with Francis Bacon as a founder of the scientific movement. Edmund Spenser and Philip Sidney were popular poets. Drama thrived with playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, and William Shakespeare.
The Jacobean Age was under King James I, the first Stuart King, ending the Tudor dynasty. A key event was the Gunpowder Treason led by Guy Fawkes. The Caroline Age was under King Charles I, whose decisions led to the Civil War. Major dramatists like Ben Jonson and John Webster, and metaphysical poets such as Andrew Marvell and John Donne, wrote during these periods.
The Civil War was between King Charles I and Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell executed King Charles I and became Lord Protector. Theatres were banned during this time. Important writers include John Milton ('Paradise Lost') and John Bunyan ('Pilgrim's Progress').
Also known as the Age of Dryden, King Charles II was restored to the throne, and the ban on theatres was lifted. Popular writers included Aphra Behn, John Dryden, William Congreve, and John Vanbrugh.
This era, also called the Age of Reason, Neoclassical Age, or Augustan Age, emphasized prose and reason. Scientific revolution (Newton, Galileo), coffee houses, and magazines emerged. Samuel Johnson published 'The Dictionary of English Language'. Satire was common. Notable writers: Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, and Henry Fielding.
Marked by the publication of 'Lyrical Ballads' by Wordsworth and Coleridge, this age reacted to the Industrial Revolution's negative impacts (pollution, dehumanization) by idealizing nature and rural life. Feelings and emotions were paramount, and writers used plain language. Key poets: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Keats. Novelists: Jane Austen, Walter Scott.
Queen Victoria's reign, the 'next Golden Age of Britain'. The flourishing Industrial Revolution led to poor working conditions and a British working-class movement. Writers like Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell addressed social issues. Charles Darwin's 'The Origin of Species' led to a clash between faith and reason. Poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Matthew Arnold. Novelists: Charles Dickens, George Eliot, the Brontë sisters, Thomas Hardy, and Oscar Wilde.
Society became fragmented after World War I and the Great Depression. Writers like T.S. Eliot saw a decline in civilization. Sigmund Freud's 'The Interpretation of Dreams' sparked interest in the human mind, leading to stream-of-consciousness novels and symbolism. Notable writers: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Joseph Conrad, George Orwell, T. S. Eliot, and W. B. Yeats.
Beginning after World War II, Britain lost power, and the United States rose. Fragmentation and disorder were celebrated, and writers embraced absurdity and disorientation. Features included the Theatre of the Absurd, Angry Young Men, and confessional poetry. Popular writers: Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin, and Angela Carter.