Events
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)Charles Dickens Born (1812)William Shakespeare Born (1664)Geofrey Chaucer, The Cantebury Tales (circa.1390)Beowulf (circa 1000)F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)Denis Diderot, Encyclopedia (1750)William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads (1798)Lord Byron, Don Juan (1819 - 1824)The Song of Roland (circa. 1100)The Story of Volsungs (circa. 1300)Periods
Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (450–1066)
During this time period, a lot of the literature was dominated by epic poetry written in alliterative verses, or religious poetry
with heroic elements in it. It ended in 1066 when the Normans first invaded England and changed the entire culture of British
Literature introducing a new language as well as new styles of writing and new types of literature.Middle English Period (1066–1500)
During this period, the English spoken was a mix of an Anglo-Norman dialect
and an Old English. The Lower class was mostly speaking in Old English
while the upper class was using more Norman in their vocabulary due to the king
at the time being from Normandy.
Because of this, the type of Literature seen during this period was quite mixed and
both French and Englihs are used.The Renaissance (1500–1660)
Two of the most significant English Literature writers during
the Renaissance were both Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
and William Shakespeare (1564-1616). These writers are
massively important in English literature and have a huge
part in the development in English poetry as well as English
Theatre. Both are vastly studied by many students across
England in schools and outside school still today because
of their incredible contribution to Literature.The Neoclassical Period (1600–1785)
Within this time period, a lot of the literature was very
simplistic and unemotional in the telling of events.
There was simplicity seen within lines, form as well as
colour of sets in plays. The style of writing was said to be
borrowed from the Ancinet Greek and Roman times
as they employed similar techniques withint their play
writing and literature.The Romantic Period (1785–1832)
Within the Romantic Period, the main aim of
writers was to evoke strong emotions ranging
from extreme happiness to evoking empathy for the
characters. Writers were inspired to write in their own
individual voices so a huge range of different styles
can be seen from Literature in the Romantic PeriodThe Victorian Period (1832–1901)
Literature in the Victorian era mainly depicted the rapid
change from a mostly rural life lived by the public before
to a predominantly urban life wihch was often quite arduous
Poets often experimented with different styles of story telling
in their poems which included long narrative poems as well as
short snappy epic poems.
Much of the Literature reflected upon the difficult life lived by the
working class as the country went through rapid changeThe Edwardian/Georgian Period (1910–1936)
Within this time period writers allured to many
past periods, writing about realism yet employing
aspects of the romantic period with witty and engaging
plays and poetry which reflected the working class's
views and addressed many controversial social
stereotypes.
Many pieces of Literature from this time period were for
social changeand mostly protested against set social
stereotyopes and proclaimed for fairer ideologies
such as the right for women to vote.
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