TIMELINE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

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    Early British Literature

    Most likely begin with the oral traditions of old and Middle English. The most popular is the epic poem "Beowulf." Although there are numerous written version of the work, it was originally a spoken poem passed through generations of early inhabitants of England called Anglo-Saxons.
  • 17th-Century British Literature

    William Shakespeare´s plays and poems figure prominently in any English literature course. His plays fall under three headings: comedies, tragedies, and histories.
  • Period: to

    The Romantic Period

    This period produced authors who wrote about life, love and nature. Many of these authors found the world to be disappointing and had a melancholy bent to their works.
  • Victorian and Modernist British Literature

    The victorian period, which lasted from the mid-1800s to the beginning of the twentieth century, includes the love poems, adventures stories and novels. Modern English literature includes the work of William Butler Yeats, Virginia Woolfe, James Joye and D. H. Lawrence.
  • Literary Term and Device

    Is the study of literary elements. Students should be familiar with the definition and uses of "theme," "mood," "style," and "symbolism" in regard to written works. Knowing poetic devices and forms such as "meter," "rhyme," "alliteration," "sonnet," and "quatrain" is also essential.