English Literature: Old and Middle English

• English literature encompasses a vast body of written works produced in the English language.
• It spans centuries and includes diverse genres such as poetry, drama, prose, and literary criticism.

Old English (c. 450-1066)

• Also known as Anglo-Saxon literature.
• Characterized by oral tradition, alliterative verse, and heroic themes.
• Beowulf is a prominent example, an epic poem narrating the tale of a Geatish warrior.
• Religious texts, such as those by Cædmon and Cynewulf, also emerged during this period.

Middle English (c. 1066-1485)

• Followed the Norman Conquest, resulting in an influx of French language and culture.
• Literature saw the blending of Anglo-Saxon and French influences.
• Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is a seminal work, offering a diverse portrayal of medieval society.
• Other notable works include Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight, a chivalric romance.
• The emergence of the morality play, such as Everyman, explored allegorical themes.

Renaissance (c. 1485-1660)

• Marked by a renewed interest in classical learning and a flourishing of the arts.
• William Shakespeare is a towering figure, celebrated for his plays (tragedies, comedies, histories).
• Christopher Marlowe contributed significant plays, exemplified by Doctor Faustus.
• Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene is an allegorical epic poem.
• Sonnet sequences, such as those by Shakespeare and Philip Sidney, were popular.
• The King James Bible (1611) had a profound impact on the English language and literature.

Restoration and 18th Century (1660-1798)

• The Restoration of the monarchy led to a shift in literary tastes.
• John Milton's Paradise Lost is an epic poem reinterpreting the biblical story of the Fall.
• John Dryden was a prominent poet, playwright, and literary critic.
• The rise of the novel occurred during this period; Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and Samuel Richardson's Pamela are early examples.
• Satire flourished, with Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels as a key work.
• The Age of Reason emphasized logic and clarity, influencing prose style.

Romantic Period (c. 1798-1837)

• Characterized by an emphasis on emotion, imagination, and individualism.
• William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads (1798) is often considered the start of the Romantic era.
• Key Romantic poets include Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats.
• Jane Austen's novels offer social commentary and explore themes of love and marriage.
• Gothic literature emerged, with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a notable example.

Victorian Period (c. 1837-1901)

• Named after Queen Victoria, this era was marked by social, economic, and technological change.
• The novel became the dominant literary form.
• Charles Dickens depicted Victorian society in novels like Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.
• The Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) contributed significant novels; Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's Wuthering Heights.
• George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) explored psychological realism in novels like Middlemarch.
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning were major poets.
• The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood influenced art and literature with their emphasis on beauty and symbolism.

Modern Period (c. 1901-1945)

• Characterized by experimentation, fragmentation, and a sense of disillusionment.
• Modernist poets include T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and W.B. Yeats.
• Virginia Woolf experimented with stream of consciousness in novels like Mrs. Dalloway.
• James Joyce's Ulysses is a landmark modernist novel.
• D.H. Lawrence explored themes of sexuality and industrialization.
• World War I had a profound impact on literature, as seen in the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.

Postmodern Period (c. 1945-Present)

• Characterized by a questioning of traditional values and a blurring of boundaries.
• Postmodern literature often features metafiction, parody, and unreliable narrators.
• Key authors include Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, and Tom Stoppard (drama).
• Salman Rushdie, and Zadie Smith are known for diverse narratives
• The rise of postcolonial literature, with writers like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, offered new perspectives.
• Feminist literature gained prominence, exploring issues of gender and identity.