Outline of English Literature

  1. English Literature is one of the richest literature in the world.

  2. It has made its mark in the world on account of its spirit of adventure(imperialism) preserving.

  3. It has a rich variety and vitality and continuity.

  4. As literature is the reflection of society, we find the changes from the earliest time to the present are seen in English literature.

  5. To know English literature, its writers, and its works, we need to know about the great events.

  6. As we will go through the history of English literature, we will notice that it has gone through certain definite phrases.

  7. These phases are termed 'Ages' or 'periods'.

  8. These phases and ages have been named after rules, literary figures events and after the centuries also like the 15th C,16thC and 17thC.

  9. The earliest phase of English literature started with the Angles and Saxons - the ancestors of the English race.

  10. Then Britain was still a Ronan Province (like our India).

  11. To name a few figures, we have Widsith and Waldhere Beowulf.

  12. Then after the Anglo -Saxons took to Christianity.

  13. Here we have Caedon, Cyne Welf.

  14. In the prose section, we had Alfred's translation from Latin.

  15. This was the same in the Middle English period and then later also(we will find in Keats).

  16. The figures namely are Alfred the Great, and Aelfric.

  17. The Angles and Saxons first landed in England in the middle of the 15th C.

  18. The Romans came as conquerors. They left, but they settled here.

  19. The phase was from 670A.D. to 1500 A.D.

  20. The Normans (France) defeated the Anglo -Saxon king (1066) and conquered England 1100-1500).

  21. Here we find the Latin control. And we all it Middle English period.

  22. In this age, we have different forms of literature - Romances/ the Miracle and Morality plays.

  23. The figures of the Middle Ages are William Langland/ John Gower/ Chaucer and many more.

  24. You will read about the most famous works of Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales.

  25. It is said there was little literature after Chaucer. There was a decline as no writer of genius was born.

  26. Then came the Rennaissance with all its vitality.